allen%codon1.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Edward Allen;345 Mulford;x2-9025) (09/30/89)
From: allen%codon1.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Edward Allen;345 Mulford;x2-9025) Actually the armored trains of the Russian Civil War and the Boer War came pretty close to being effective land battleships. Ed Allen (allen@enzyme.berkeley.edu)
livesey@sun.Eng.Sun.COM (Jon Livesey) (10/03/89)
From: amdcad!livesey@sun.Eng.Sun.COM (Jon Livesey) In article <27579@amdcad.AMD.COM>, allen%codon1.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Edward Allen;345 Mulford;x2-9025) writes: > > > From: allen%codon1.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Edward Allen;345 Mulford;x2-9025) > > Actually the armored trains of the Russian Civil War and the Boer War came > pretty close to being effective land battleships. And not just in those wars. The German Army used at least one armoured train in their invasion of Poland, which led to bizzarre results. A regular train was to be sent in first (and announced to the Polish border guards as per regulations) followed by an armoured train which would, of course not be announced. However, as we know, there was a last minute hitch. Hitler did not manage to manoevre the Poles into turning down his various 'offers' on schedule on August 21, and so the invasion then in progress had to be called off, and everone brought back to the starting lines, but not before the bogus train had been announced to the Polish border guards. When the invasion was remounted the next week, with *exactly* the same plans (These are Germans, after all), another regular train was announced for the same time, and the Polish guards smelled a rat. So they switched the points (switches) and the armoured train sat out the invasion stuck up some dead-end junction. jon.