That’s some good badassery, there. Some other military bad asses that come to mind are Sgt York, Audie Murphy and Andrew Jackson (who was one crazy-ass mofo).
Then there’s Shaka Zulu, G. Khan and whoever freed Lebell’s town from the Germans in the 1940’s.
Good write up on Mad Jack, Phrost. I wonder what those Germans thought when they saw some guy with pipes and a Claymore coming at them?
andrew jackson was hardcore bad ass for sure
No - it’s badass that he refused to back down on his principles even with a gun to his head.
You see with most people if they spot someone stealing money from them by cheating in a card game will refuse to pay. Most people will pay up, however, once there’s a gun pointed at their head.
More natural resources than India?
My town wasn’t freed by any allies.
It was still under control of the wehrmacht until the official capitulation.
I’m not sure which Claymore would be more badass: The sword, the decommissioned WWI destroyer, or the antipersonnel mine which hadn’t been invented yet.
[quote=Craigypooh;2246107]Clive of India easily beats both.
He was sent to India at the age of 18 and ended up owning the place. He was the man responsible for the Britain getting an empire and providing us with sufficient wealth to start the industrial revolution.
But the most badass story:
Clive was involved in a card game and spotted one of the other players cheating. A duel ensued - Clive fired first but missed - his opponent put a gun to Clive’s head and said “Withdraw or I fire”, Clive’s response: “Fire and be damned, I say you cheated and say so still. I’ll never pay you”. His opponent was so stunned by this response he dropped his gun and walked away.[/quote]
Clive was generally badass more in the Alexander the Great line though.
He held Arcot with three hundred men against ten thousand, having taken it in a howling storm.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arcot
He won at Plassey with Machiavellian scheming; facing fifty thousand men with only three thousand, he bribed some of the disgruntled subordinates of his opponent’s forces, who were convinced not to participate in the battle. Still greatly outnumbered, he carried the day largely thanks to better disciplined artillery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey
Clive was a conniving bastard, but he was also a fantastically ballsy and competent general.
[quote=Phrost;2245352]True story: the phrase and gesture “fuck you” is derived from Englishmen holding up their middle fingers to the French to show that they could still shoot a longbow at them (the French would cut off the middle fingers of English archers).
The phrase evolved from “I’ll pluck you”.[/quote]
As has been noted, it was 2 fingers held out to the French. It is supposed to date from the Battle of Agincourt. Where the French nobility - in overwhelming numbers - was Royally F*cked. Henry’s army was in a parlous condition with open britches to void their Bowels of Dystentry. The French had every advantage - except a Strategist.
A pity he also was sufficiently Ruthless to order the executions of their prisoners instead of offering Ransom as was usual. Maybe it was necessary, though in his Mind to effect Victory.
Anyway, the French King had promised to cut off the first 2 fingers of every English and Welsh Archer, hence the response.
You missed out the craziest part of that story… He was armed only with his sword!!
He simply took one patrolling guard as a human shield and went around from sentry post to sentry post, sneaking up on the guards and then shoving his sword in their faces until they surrendered. His response when asked about how he was able to capture so many soldiers so easily:
[INDENT][INDENT]"I maintain that, as long as you tell a German loudly and clearly what to do, if you are senior to him he will cry ‘jawohl’ (yes sir) and get on with it enthusiastically and efficiently whatever the situation."
[/INDENT][/INDENT]
[quote=Cuchulain;2245812]Robert Henry Cain, was a complete badass. As were all the recipients of the Victoria Cross.
An exerpt;
Also for a living legend, Sir Renulph Fiennes.[/quote]
How about Lt Gen Sir Adrian Carton De Wiart? Born in Belgium but became English including the Terribly Pukka Moustache. Died in the Republic of Cork, Ireland. His auto-biography, “Happy Voyage” doesn’t even mention his Victoria Cross…Did I mention he lost a Hand in the First World War and insisted on Serving in WWII despite the initial rejection The War Office? He also was imprisoned in Italy. Blimey. What a Read.
Or that other lunatic, Lt Col Blair “Paddy” Mayne (4 x DSOs). Terrifying to his Men when he was Angry.
The French thought the English were using poisoned arrows as many ended up with horribly infected wounds from English bowmen. But it was in fact the combination of the archers free-flowing bowels and their habit of preparing to launch a volley of shots by sticking their arrows point first in the shitty ground for easy access.
[quote=Craigypooh;2246336]More natural resources than India?[/quote]Yeah, but can’t just have the resources. They has to be available. The first railways in India was first laid out in the 1850’s.
Ergo: Natural resources is the most highly overrated factor in a country’s wealth. Regarding natural resources, Democratic Republic of Congo should be the richest country and Switzerland should be the poorest.
Claymore sword. Thanks, Tom
Indeed, sir, and there were only 5,000 left in Henry’s Army. He’d have conquered France had he lived…would that have been a good thing??
Anyway, I forgot to mention this chap featured (by coincidence) in yesterday’s Guardian. Spence Chapman. ‘Verr, verr, English, DonChaKnow’.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/oct/21/great-birdwatching-war-hero
I read his book “The Jungle is Neutral” good heavens, what a bloke. Sadly, he took his own life in later years. I also read a bio of him. Inspirational figure for so many during the Malaya campaign under Mad Mike Calvert, I’d have thought.
Remember it’s the (British) gift for understatement you have to keep in Mind when reading of these characters. “Things got a bit sticky” usually means there was Blood on The Walls…
Cheers
To the debate about the origins of the word “fuck”. None of the stories are actually true. We just plain don’t know.
yes. We don’t know, in fact it’s one of the oldest non-biblical words in use by modern english, and despite numerous tales of its origin, no one knows for sure when people started saying it or why.
Also, the origin of the middle finger predates the UK ‘Bowfingers’ gesture, because people in ancient rome were flipping each other the bird.
would it be pc to ever have Richard Lionheart as badass of the month?
Or Alexander the Great?
or even better: Bohemund of Tarente.
Alexander the great was a badass. The more you learn about Richard the Lionheart the less impressive he becomes. He was certainly a tough guy, but he wasn’t nearly a great as his hype.
I will say that Richard was supossedly unhorsed in single combat only once in his life. Who managed to knock the lionheart on his ass? William Marshal.
In the British army claymore means a highland broadsword (or the anti personnel mine with front toward enemy on it).
[quote=Re4;2248111]yes. We don’t know, in fact it’s one of the oldest non-biblical words in use by modern english, and despite numerous tales of its origin, no one knows for sure when people started saying it or why.
Also, the origin of the middle finger predates the UK ‘Bowfingers’ gesture, because people in ancient rome were flipping each other the bird.[/quote]
It’s related to the Irish Feck and German Ficke though isn’t it? So before the German and English languages split from the tree.