The French claim sovereignty over the Moon

[get2grips]

Ah! The Resistance!

Why do we never speak of the collaborators?

Because I think, any single one of us could become one:  if you're scared for your family, if you were hungry, if you fell in love.  In fact, any of the thousands of things that make us human, could make us a callaborator.

I know, for a fact, I don't have what it would take to resist: I couldn't risk my my wife and boy.  One step from here to callaboration.

Dear lord this is getting dark

[get2grips]

Alone ... so Australia, Canada, India, etc were just no-account colonials not worth mentioning!??

No, to qualify, I meant at first.  I realise many countries fought against the Nazis.  Sorry if I was unclear

[Sandinista]

Unclear and wrong

[Ithoriel]

At first we were allied with Poland, France, Norway, Belgium, Holland and the Commonwealth. As many of these countries fell a surprising number of their young men and women made their way to the UK to continue the fight.

We were never truly alone.

To try and lighten the mood ... anyone ever gamed the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that fought in Italy from September '44 to May '45? 27,500 men strong and yet I'd never come across mention of it until this afternoon.

[Fenton]

I have heard of them...But that is all

[fsn]

?

William III of England was married to Mary, daughter of James. James was a Catholic and not tremendously popular having had to deal with a couple of rebellions during his reign. William wrote to the people of England saying "I don't like Catholics" (I paraphrase) and a group called The Magnificent Seven (or something) said "well come over here and sort out this James chappie." When Willy arrived, the English basically disintegrated. No big battle, Jimmy took to his heels and fled (eventually) to France.  

To put it in context, James II would have been played by Basil Rathbone, William II by Errol Flynn and Mary by Olivia de Havilland.  

[Fenton]

I think Clib knows all about King Billy

[fsn]

To try and lighten the mood ... anyone ever gamed the Brazilian Expeditionary Force that fought in Italy from September '44 to May '45? 27,500 men strong and yet I'd never come across mention of it until this afternoon.

I first came across them in "The Allied Forces in Italy 1943-45" by Guido Rosignoli, but there is a decent Osprey. Lovely little force with basically US kit. There was also an air contingent flying P47s.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Brazilian-Expeditionary-Force-World-Men-at-arms/dp/1849084831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383328468&sr=8-1&keywords=brazilian+expeditionary

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

There is a good history on the Flames site called 'The Cobra is Smoking'. A reference to the chances of the Brazilians actually fighting...

[clibinarium]

I'm currently sculpting Grand Alliance ranges in two different scales; as Fenton rightly points out I am familiar with Good King Billy. The question mark relates to Anything's better than a Catholic.

[Matt J]

I'm assuming FSN is refering to the feeling of the English parliament at the time and not his own views

[fsn]

I am. Apologies for any confusion.

[clibinarium]

It was a bit ambiguous because the rest of the post was in the past tense, save that statement which was in the present tense.
But fair enough.

[FierceKitty]

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. One of Johnson's more defensible opinions.