h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

oops, i let myself in for this, i spose...

A friend of mine is a big fan of the Remo series of pulp novels. 3 a year type output; there's about 120 of them i think, since the 70ies.

there's a film too, but it doesn't do the books justice...

and yes, that means that not only have i read some of these books, but quite enjoyed them!

they're silly but fun. Anyway, they are always battling some evil organisation, and one of their current regular enemies is a kind of 'Boys from Brazil' set up. At some stage one of their COs was referred to as Grofatz and the tale is told as to 'why'.

which is 'why'.

Few comments:

1939/40 during winter war Finland was not ally of Germany, Molotoff-Ribbentrop treaty had left Finland to Russian's sphere of interest. Actually US and England offered us help in that stage. Germans warmed up relations with Finland only after Hitler had made decision to attack Russia and wanted to get as wide front as possible.

Supply routes to Leningrad were from southeast so Finns approaching Leningrad from northwest couldn't cut them, geographical impossibility. And on Leningrad sector Finns never advanced further than pre-winter war frontier.

Hi Atari

Interesting piece on a difficult subject.

In addition to what others have said:

The USSR footnote isn't helpful - I would just cut it.

The prose of this article is a bit breathless/emotive in places - I think a historical account would be better in a more neutral tone.

3rd para under the blitzkrieg is a good example. "Guaranteed they would be totally annihilated..." What, down to the last man? That's not what happened is it? "a few miles away" this is speculative and could be cut. Also the next para makes it look like this might have been a good decision after all?

I really don't like the General Winter references.

"Preferred mode of combat was hand to hand" ? This to me means bayonets etc - I am sure they would have preferred shooting each other... Perhaps you could substitute something like "with much fighting being done at close quarters" ?

You might also mention that one of the key moments of the conflict was when Stalin brought the Siberian troops into the defence of Moscow. These were winter trained and had the right equipment. Their tanks had different oil which allowed them to operate at lower temperatures.



Sprout

I'll try and update it tomorrow!

I rather enjoyed the tone actually. To be honest, you can make a historical account look objective, but it never actually will be. And the fact that it sometimes seems as though you shouldn't write a history book that is actually a good read is simply symptomatic of the fact that most historians are historians first and writers a distant second. However.

I'd also argue that if you can't go a bit OTT over this particular war and this particular phase of the war, then... The trouble with writing something like "100 thousand seven hundred and twenty three men, out of 100 thousand eight hundred men were killed" is that it just is another number, whereas '(almost) totally anhialated' is really closer to the spirit of the situation, if you see what I mean.

But to business. I liked this: it was well written, clear and covered quite a bit of distance considering the scale of the subject. I'd argue the toss over a few interpretations (my husband has a splendid theory about Stalin preparing to invade Europe as the reason for His inaction: can't mess about with an invasion schedule even if the invasion will never take place as He well knew it wouldn't), but I'm not sure how important it is: you could soften the language of the interpretation sections by using things like "it was possible that..." if you think it might be a good idea.

But I will make a special plea for a bit more of the seige of Lenningrad - I think the thousands of people who starved to death over 900 days could do with a bit of a memorial sort of thing. Plus, if you want to make a (non subjective) impact, you could add that the 20 million Soviet losses were approximately half all the total csualties of the war, including the holocaust victems. And if we are really going for a moral judgement you could subtly juxtapose this with a comment about this being a direct result of Stalin's stratagies. Or is that tactics. I can never remember.

Plus there are a few opened but not closed comma and bracket phrases you could get to with afine toothcomb if you wanted to...

Oh, and if you don't want to take up/disagree with (in the nicest possible way of course) anybody's suggestions, you don't have to take them onboard: it's your article. I quite like it if people say why, though - there's usually a good reason ("Sol, you are wrong" ).

Pants -knew there was something else: isn't the General Winter thing some kind of quote type whatsit? I think you could get away with it(I rather like it - sorry guys) as a) that's one of life's rules: never invade Russia in the winter - did for Nappy too, din't it? and b) if it is a quote it's one of those phrases you have to use when writing about a certain subject...

Its quite funny for Nap isn't it? Invade Russia, take Moscow, wait for Russians to make peace, then freeze to death when they don't come!
Thanks for the compliments, they really REALLY are apreciated!

I've not read the backlog, just the entry so excuse me if i'm doubling up here.

Firstly the HItler-Stalin Pact was the treaty which divided Poland, but this was a leary truce at best, an attempt by the CCCP to batton down the hatches before Hitlers inevitable invasion, giving them time to strengthen their position with Finland - a hostile nation close to the Nazi's and providing a buffer zone in the form of the sympathitic Poland. Though the effects of the Russio-Finnish War (never completely regained in the Continuation War) probibly saved Lenningrad, German advances would not have been as swift if oppinion amongst the Poles hadn't turned against their neighbours during the brief occupation. It should also be remembered that the pact was only signed after Britain and France rejected Stalins approaches for a Treaty - refusing to have any truck with the Soviets and keeping their pro-fascist stance, as they had in the Spanish Civil War.

Something about Leibenstrame perhaps too?

I think a section on the Siege of Lenningrad is important, it was after all the longest in modern military history and two million people died there in one of the most heroic incidents of any century, never mind the decidedly unheroic 20th, and the cities resiliance was at the time an inspirational boost to moral to all allied peoples.

You use the phrase General Winter three times - why? It's kind of a nice joke once.

Perhaps mention the Mamayev Kurgan memorial?

I've made some corrections, so everyone just read it over again and tell me what you think.
Also, flinch, when I don't put specific data its because very little data was given during/after the war.

In your version, Finland is still called an 'ally' of Germany

Oops! Correcting now...

Done What do you think now?

I can't see that any of the factual errors I pointed out has been corrected.

1) July 2 Stalin orders scorched earth policy

2) July 10 2nd Panzergruppe crosses Dnepr River at Mogilev in Eastern Belorussia. First crossing of the Dnepr in the Ukraine on August 26 at Kremenchug.

3) First heavy winter rains on October 8 just after start of Operation Typhoon.

4) Soviet counteroffensive at Stalingrad launched on November 19; German 6th Army encircled by November 23; not slowly.


Sorry Atari; the above ARE correct (I've checked) - they need to be sorted.

Noggin

I'll do that (I was WAY to hasty in putting this in PR)
Check out A906815 for a good entry by me!

Putting it in PR was fine; that's what PR is FOR, after all.

I'll check out your other entry, too, but I don't have any specialised knowledge on the Ukraine, which I do (to an extent) on WWII



Noggin

You look at that while I update

Have another look! I've made those corrections .

It's getting there; I've still got one or two suggestions to make, but I've got to work tomorrow, so I'll post when I've got a bit more time. See ya.

Noggin

Work...