SCFalken

Which begs two questions. 1. Who or what generated the ordinary professional Men-at-arms*? They just don't show up when a war's on, or when Baron Bob needs another guard on his keep's walls. Swords and armor were somewhat expensive (as in, not a discretionary item that one would buy with a small sum). and 2. What exactly was a "Knight's Fee", on average (picking a random period)? In terms of acreage, moneys or subjects? Is there a historical benchmark? Evidently, someone knew (generally) how much of each it took to support a knight and his accompanying persons. Falken

So... ....how exactly did a King/Emperor/Grand Duke generate an Army out of a feudal society? Sure, a knight's fee supported your heavy cavalry and officer class...but what paid for the raising & training of all the guys who weren't knights? The men-at-arms, archers, grunts, etc. Did Baron Bob have only the 3-4 knights his land could provide manors for, and no more fighting men? Or did he have to pay out of pocket for extra thugs, above and beyond the knights fees? In fiction (yes, I know), we always see Barons travelling with dozens of armed retainers. Falken

Is Multicam still verboten for Army personnel outside Afghanistan? Is that a temporary state of affairs or permanent? Falken

I wonder why the Army never went for large-scale issue/purchase of the Carl Gustav/M3? Especially given both the USMCs success with the SMAW and the use of Javelins to attrit enemy hardpoints in Iraq/Afghanistan (i.e. cash-intensive expedient). Falken

Personally, I think we should go with Multicam, Army-wide. Then aquire enough of the Navy AOR-2 green/vegetation to lead in to a jungle/woodland mass deployment, then slowly phase it in Army-wide. Can you get AOR in the ACU configuration? Falken

The two or three times the Glocks are fired...it looks like the muzzle "flash" is CGI. Can't be having real guns in a BBC production... The SA80 is probably nicked from a Cadet unit. I kept trying to spot the bolt. Falken

Wha....? Falken

Impossible. They aren't Americans. Falken

I was think more like Sean Bean. Seems to know the business... Falken

We should raise a regiment of Riflemen, arm them with M14's and send them forth. Falken

Of the Brits? Yes. Falken

FIFY. Falken

In comparison to the Army's dog's breakfast that is the ASU, I offer you (as means of comparison) the Rifles uniform scheme: http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/Rifles_Dress_Guidance_as_at_Oct_2010.pdf Falken

The issue with the Militias was that the States were unable and/or unwilling to maintain them (except for several Governors, on both sides, in the immediate runup to the ACW), so the "Volunteer" militias (like the NY City Guard or Mississippi Rifles), mentioned previously, were the primary nucleus for the State forces (assuming that they could be induced to cooperate). However, the Volunteer Militia seems to have been a transitory social movement, and faded out in the decades after the ACW. The resulting mess required, in the wake of the Spanish-American War, the Dick Act and the Army to essentially manage the State Militias (becoming the NGUS), with the "State Defense Forces" being left to the States (and subsequently ignored). Was it just lack of interest that killed the Volunteer units, or the increased sophistication of military units? Or something else. Falken

A tradition that should be revived in the Guard.... Where can we get Busbys and shakos in this day and age? Falken