The Google-friendly History Question Thread.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Well, that one seemed to go down like a lead balloon ... it wasn't even half as difficult as I made it out to be.

Without googling, I'll take a guess at the helicopters that the US army used?

Interesting idea, but no: Helicopter development was largely driven by the US.

I suppose the question is a bit subjective, but when the answer appears, I think people will see where I'm coming from.

Cold weather equipment?

Nope! I thought you'd be on this one like a flash.

All I'll say it was a rather complex and very high-tech piece of equipment for it's time, and was designed by what still is a very famous and world-leading company.

Rolls Royce jet engines?

[klr]

...
Rolls Royce jet engines?

Yes!!!!!!

... but for the Russkies, not the Brits or even the U.S.. The famous MiG 15 in fact:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-15

By 1946, Soviet designers were finding it impossible to perfect the German-designed HeS-011 axial-flow jet engine, and new airframe designs from Mikoyan were threatening to outstrip development of the engines to power them. Soviet aviation minister Mikhail Khrunichev and aircraft designer A. S. Yakovlev suggested to Premier Joseph Stalin the USSR buy advanced jet engines from the British. Stalin is said to have replied, "What fool will sell us his secrets?"[12]

However, he gave his consent to the proposal and Mikoyan, engine designer Vladimir Klimov, and others travelled to the United Kingdom to request the engines. To Stalin's amazement, the British Labour government and its pro-Soviet Minister of Trade, Sir Stafford Cripps, were perfectly willing to provide technical information and a license to manufacture the Rolls-Royce Nene. This engine was reverse-engineered and produced as the Klimov RD-45, subsequently incorporated into the MiG-15.[12] Rolls-Royce later attempted to claim £207 million in license fees, without success.

The next question is yours ...

[Don't Panic]

...
Rolls Royce jet engines?

Yes!!!!!!

... but for the Russkies, not the Brits or even the U.S.. The famous MiG 15 in fact:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiG-15

By 1946, Soviet designers were finding it impossible to perfect the German-designed HeS-011 axial-flow jet engine, and new airframe designs from Mikoyan were threatening to outstrip development of the engines to power them. Soviet aviation minister Mikhail Khrunichev and aircraft designer A. S. Yakovlev suggested to Premier Joseph Stalin the USSR buy advanced jet engines from the British. Stalin is said to have replied, "What fool will sell us his secrets?"[12]

However, he gave his consent to the proposal and Mikoyan, engine designer Vladimir Klimov, and others travelled to the United Kingdom to request the engines. To Stalin's amazement, the British Labour government and its pro-Soviet Minister of Trade, Sir Stafford Cripps, were perfectly willing to provide technical information and a license to manufacture the Rolls-Royce Nene. This engine was reverse-engineered and produced as the Klimov RD-45, subsequently incorporated into the MiG-15.[12] Rolls-Royce later attempted to claim £207 million in license fees, without success.

The next question is yours ...

Rolls Royce is about the only world-leading British company, and the jet engine would have been relatively new at the time, an early British jet engine would have been centrifugal flow not axial, wouldn't it?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Rolls Royce is about the only world-leading British company, and the jet engine would have been relatively new at the time, an early British jet engine would have been centrifugal flow not axial, wouldn't it?

I knew about the sale of, IIRC, 15 RR jet engines to the Sovs. Just wasn't thinking along those lines. And after interviewing Robin Olds you'd think I would have been.

[klr]

Rolls Royce is about the only world-leading British company, and the jet engine would have been relatively new at the time, an early British jet engine would have been centrifugal flow not axial, wouldn't it?

I knew about the sale of, IIRC, 15 RR jet engines to the Sovs. Just wasn't thinking along those lines. And after interviewing Robin Olds you'd think I would have been.

Name dropper!!!!!

Anyway, the name of the game is lateral thinking.

...
Rolls Royce is about the only world-leading British company, and the jet engine would have been relatively new at the time, an early British jet engine would have been centrifugal flow not axial, wouldn't it?

Oh, that's good! Yes, but the Nene was centrifugal - there's a link to the Nene entry in the above article. The axial flow reference above was only to the German engine the Soviets were originally working on.

Makes a note not to try and bluff Marvin on early jet development.

Anyway, the next question is yours, but it'll be tomorrow before I'm back.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

What was the name of the first amphibious operation the Germans conducted against the Soviets, where did it take place and when? (You ARE going to hate me for this one.)

[klr]

What was the name of the first amphibious operation the Germans conducted against the Soviets, where did it take place and when? (You ARE going to hate me for this one.)

Right now I'm too tired to do anything except fall into bed and go straight to sle ...

Tomorrow morning I'll take a bite out of this one. :twisted:

[klr]

What was the name of the first amphibious operation the Germans conducted against the Soviets, where did it take place and when? (You ARE going to hate me for this one.)

Did it involve the Land-Wasser-Schlepper?

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/2833/ ... s/lws.html



... I knew of this vehicle before you asked the question BTW. My reference handbook says that some of the seven pre-production vehicles were used in Barbarossa, but no more than that. Some online references say that one or more also went to North Africa.

As for the question, I'm guessing it was crossing a river or canal, or maybe a landing on the Baltic coast. But it really is all gueswork at this stage.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Kevin, you only got one thing right in the above post, the obvious one, Baltic area.

(Think outside the "box", peeps.)

[klr]

Kevin, you only got one thing right in the above post, the obvious one, Baltic area.

(Think outside the "box", peeps.)

OK ... so it took place very early in Barbarossa, probably the first day . The operation may have been launched from East Prussia. I'm going to have to go back and do some research. I know a fair amount about Barbarossa, but when it comes to the details I'm more familiar with the later stages - all those encirclements and the like. The finer operational details from the opening phase I'll have to read up on.

This might take a couple of hours ... at least ...

[Xamonas Chegwé]

I reckon this is going to turn out to be a lot earlier than Barbarossa. Am I right?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I reckon this is going to turn out to be a lot earlier than Barbarossa. Am I right?

Very good guess. :twisted:

[Don't Panic]

What was the name of the first amphibious operation the Germans conducted against the Soviets, where did it take place and when? (You ARE going to hate me for this one.)

Operation Albion, Dago, ostel and the moon islands off the Estonian coast from October 12-21, 1917?

[Don't Panic]

What was the name of the first amphibious operation the Germans conducted against the Soviets, where did it take place and when? (You ARE going to hate me for this one.)

Operation Albion, Dago, ostel and the moon islands off the Estonian coast from October 12-21, 1917?

Conducted by the 8th army?

[klr]

What was the name of the first amphibious operation the Germans conducted against the Soviets, where did it take place and when? (You ARE going to hate me for this one.)

Operation Albion, Dago, ostel and the moon islands off the Estonian coast from October 12-21, 1917?

Whoa there! Was that the Julian or Gregorian calendar?

... actually, even by the Julian calendar, the Revolution occured no earlier than the 25th October.

Now, if you'd said "Russians", it could have been interpreted a number of ways. But "Soviets" I take literally.

Were the Bolsheviks in control of wherever the Germans were landing?