User talk:MWAK

Welcome!

Hello, MWAK, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers:

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I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically produce your name and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or place {{helpme}} on your talk page and someone will show up shortly to answer your questions. Again, welcome!  Alai 00:35, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Thank you! I've been here quite a while as an anonymous.

--MWAK 05:38, 3 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Thank you

Thanks for your help on Oil pastel it looks and sounds a lot better, I was going to get to it but I was busy for a while so thanks! Also if you know of any of the places where the information was used from that would help out the article a lot also! Thanks again. Graxe 21:32, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

I'm honoured by your praise. Some useful links might be: http://www.art.hyogo-u.ac.jp/fukumo/InSEAinJapan/History%20JAE.html for some background about Japanese art education; http://www.gellyroll.com/company/craypas_history.html for what Sakura itself has to say about it; http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayArticle?articleNum=ae0051 for a slightly different account; http://www.sennelier.fr/fr/08visiteguidee/visite43.htm for some production pictures and http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/waac/wn/wn19/wn19-3/wn19-308.html for a very useful overview of waxy media. --MWAK 09:13, 20 February 2006 (UTC)

Hey MWAK if you could tell me how to get a copy of the second reference you put on Oil pastel itd be cool becuase Id like to read it, it sounds interesting. Also 2 other things 1) if you want you should join the wikipedia IRC channel at #wikipedia on freenode so we can talk sometime and 2) If you want I should show you some of my paintings sometime in Oil pastel though really Im still learning a lot and am hoping to get a lot better. TTYL Graxe 22:21, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Hi Graxe! Sorry for answering so late; somehow I didn't notice your questions until now. As regards the book, I think it's no longer in print; but it's quite possible the Institute for Fine Arts has still some copies in store, so contacting them might, with some luck, still get you one. I must admit I hadn't activated my e-mail connection and I will do so soon. I think contributing with his own artwork is the best thing any Wikipedian can do to improve the number of images. At least that way there are no copyright problems ;o). So I'm looking forward to them. And you don't merely have to hope to get better: you can ensure it by investing thirty minutes to intense pastel drawing twice a week. Practice makes perfect! :o)--MWAK 06:54, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Wikipedia:Naming conventions (military units)

Hi. My watchlist shows that you were interested enough to work on a military-topic article, so I wanted to make sure you were aware of the new Wikipedia:Naming conventions (military units) project, in case you didn't see any of the announcements. — B.Bryant 22:32, 17 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Thank you! I in fact wasn't aware of the project, but having read the guidelines I believe I've probably always applied them. I hope :o).

--MWAK 06:04, 18 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Limburgish language

You added to the article: "As Limburgish gradually fades into more eastern dialects, it's in Germany typically combined with these in a so-called Limburgisch-Bergisch group, from which then most often the dialects spoken in The Netherlands and Belgium are again excluded." I don't understand the second part of the sentence (from which ... excluded); it seems to say that Limburgisch-Bergisch contains only the dialects speaken in Germany, in which case it should be called Bergisch, shouldn't it? Or is there also a part of Germany called Limburg? Thanks, and sorry for my ignorance (I had to look up where das Bergisches Land is, even though I'm originally from quite nearby). Jitse Niesen 14:37, 21 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Well I was ignorant too, for I said to user Sarcelles that the town of Limburg (the origin of the name for the region) was in Germany, while it's in fact located south of Dutch Limburg in Belgium. However, the original duchy of Limburg extended into present Germany. So, yes, there is a German Limburg. The deeper reason for the German usage is a lack of consistency though: they first construct a higher level group including the "Dutch" dialects and then limit their scope to the "German" part only, while keeping the more inclusive name, using history as a pretext to avoid difficult questions about the relationship between the two standard languages, like: Why are there two standard languages for the same dialect continuum in the first place?; Are the Dutch really German?; Are Germans really Dutch? and If I don't like the way German culture has developed in the past centuries, can I switch sides and become Dutch? (The Dutch in 1945 seriously proposed to the Allies to "dutchify" large parts of Germany this way!) etc. ;o)--MWAK 07:47, 22 Apr 2005 (UTC)

You are so right, I ll update it as soon as I have time, but did not know all the borders for other languages then Limburgisch. i.e. the border between West and East-Flanders is not the language border Jorgenpfhartogs 13:33, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

Calais

I'm afraid I do not. In the common language, Calais is a Channel port. You note the Chunnel, but also the Channel Ferries use Calais.

This is because the Strait of Dover is considered part of the Channel. Read our article, which correctly notes this. The Channel is the entire waterway that joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. Note if you will the list of ports we give in that article. Grace Note 02:10, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

It is not a question of judgement whether the spider is an insect. The definition of insect precludes it. The definition of insect is also what is commonly used. When the two clash, one must prevail. It is still the common parlance that we use, not some particularly restricted or specialised idea of spider.

However, it is a question of judgement whether Calais lies on the Channel or it does not. Why can the whole of the strait not be included in the Channel? Certainly that is what is commonly done. The Channel Tunnel goes under it; the Channel ferries cross it. They have never felt they must divert to the other side of Cap Gris Nez to avoid a solecism in their name.

Do you have a source for your contention that the North Sea stretches to Cap Gris Nez? Do you have one for your belief that seaways must be one thing or another and cannot overlap? If you will provide good sources for your belief, I'll join you in correcting the articles for the English Channel, Strait of Dover and others.

We'll need to correct the erroneous beliefs about Channel crossings (some firsts were made between Dover and Calais), the erroneous notion of the Channel ferries, the Channel Tunnel will need to mention that it doesn't go under the Channel at all and should be called the, erm, North Sea Tunnel because Sangatte is also east of Cap Gris Nez.Grace Note 08:45, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

Well, all North Sea Treaties since 1908 used the line Cape Gris-Nez - South Foreland as boundary. :o) But that's beside the point. It's a simple matter of conceptual coherency. Certainly seaways can overlap: and the Strait of Dover, being the connection between The Channel and the North Sea indeed overlaps both. The part south of the smallest point (i.e. south of Cape Gris-Nez) belongs to The Channel and the part north of it belongs to the North Sea. This is simply what it means to be a connection. And you wouldn't deny that the North Sea is connected to The Channel by the Strait of Dover, would you? But I have to admit topography is so conventional in nature these first principles might have to cede to common usage anyway, utterly silly as it might be. So it is my better judgement to cease defending the cause of conceptual clarity against the entrenched forces of British tradition...;o)

--MWAK 10:35, 2 May 2005 (UTC)

Yes, you picked me right. Us Brits don't like conceptual clarity half as much as a good old-fashioned muddle ;-) Grace Note 07:22, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

Then perhaps we should start a new tradition of calling Calais a North Sea Channel port :o)--MWAK 13:00, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

Did you know?

I'm honoured!--MWAK 12:41, 17 May 2005 (UTC)

Limburgish and pitch accent

I noticed that you seem to be familliar with the Limburgish language. I've commented on its talk page on the article's questionable use of the term tonal language, mentioning that I've written a draft new version of the article pitch accent at User:Alarm/Pitch accent. Since this article mentions Limburgish as an example, I would really value any input from people familliar with it. If you have the time and energy to take a look, I would appreciate any comments and/or suggestions for expansion. / Alarm 13:52, 24 May 2005 (UTC)

I'll see whether I have any meaningful contributions to make - but even before having looked at that talk page I think I know what the problem is ;o).

--MWAK 09:02, 25 May 2005 (UTC)

Tredagh 1654 = HMS Resolution 1660

Well spotted! Gdr 13:37, 2005 May 29 (UTC)

Thank you! :o)--MWAK 16:53, 29 May 2005 (UTC)

Battle of the Sound

Hallo there MWAK excellent contributions you made.You requested battle of the Sound info a Dutch list of ships can be found at http://www.kentishknock.com/a-d-wars3.htm perhaps you can ask the webmaster for info on the Swedish fleet (which I don't have).

CatsClaw 16:17, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for the compliment and the excellent advice!--MWAK 17:20, 15 July 2005 (UTC)

Flying Elephant

Hello MWAK! Just a couple of comments: (i) I've had a go at using Wiki Commons, but I just don't understand how to post images there; if you like, I'm perfectly happy for you to copy the Flying Elephant photos and post them there yourself, it would be much quicker than waiting for me to learn how to; and (ii) thank you to whoever tidied up the FE page (thumbnailing the photos, and adding extra links)! McTodd 21:44, 14 September 2005 (UTC)

WW I Tanks

Hi MWAK. I think I may have just about used-up all the WW 1 British tank images I have but I should be uploading some from other countries over the next few days. Regards, Ian Dunster 20:49, 17 September 2005 (UTC)

Looking forward to them :o)--MWAK 05:34, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Pim Fortuyn discussion

Please, could you take your discussion with Tellar26 somewhere other than the Pim Fortuyn page, for instance on one of your user pages? Thanks. Junes 15:25, 2 October 2005 (UTC)

Battle of France

Hello MWAK. I came across Battle of France when browsing random articles and was very impressed. I'm considering nominating it as a featured article, but I thought I should first ask you, as one of the leading contributors to the article (and as someone with much more knowledge of the topic than me) whether you think it's ready to be featured. Is there more that needs doing before it can represent Wikipedia's best work? --OpenToppedBus - Talk to the driver 13:19, 20 October 2005 (UTC)

I'm glad you like the article, but I would strongly advise against nomitating it at present. It really needs to be reworked as it still contains many details that are rather imprecise. Also it lacks a certain coherency. I hope to bring it to a higher level in future myself, but I can't make any promisses as to when this shall happen...--MWAK 09:33, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

OK, I'll leave it for now - thanks for all the work that you've done on it so far. OpenToppedBus - Talk to the driver 09:57, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

No thanks! :O)--MWAK 10:29, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

Read Frieser

Greetings, Thanks for your comments, However I can not find Frieser in English and sadly know no other language. Is it available in translation?KAM 18:10, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Yes, but only in a French translation, so it would be of no use to you :o(. Mosier's The Myth of Blitzkrieg leans heavily on Frieser, but that book is simply too silly to have the power to convince anyone. But you could read this abstract from Doughty: http://web.mit.edu/ssp/fall98/doughty.htm, which unsurprisingly has the same title. The abstract quoted in full (to save it for posterity ;o):

The 1940 German campaign against France and the concept of blitzkrieg have exerted a powerful influence over modern perceptions of warfare. The 1940 campaign is frequently cited in discussions of strategy and operations and in publications about the "Revolution in Military Affairs" (RMA). Proponents of the RMA have argued that blitzkrieg was the product of technological and conceptual advances during the interwar period. They have also claimed that the 1940 campaign demonstrates how such advances can quickly change the conduct of warfare.

Many of the concepts associated with blitzkrieg are actually myths. This is a consequence of poor military history and the preponderance of popular accounts of the 1940 campaign. For example, German doctrinal innovation was due more to the unfavorable situation Germany faced rather than to any "revolution" in technology or concepts of warfare. Their planning the 1940 campaign did not expect a swift, easy defeat of France nor was its success solely attributable to technology, specifically tanks and airpower. Rather, the campaign had modest objectives, German strategy and tactics were extremely important, and the infantry played a critical role in its success

The concept of blitzkrieg as it is now understood was not developed by Hitler and the German General Staff. Rather, it was formulated for public consumption. The term appeared occasionally in the literature between 1936 and 1940 and was the subject of a Time magazine article after France’s defeat. At this time, blitzkrieg simply meant a knockout blow in contrast to the trench warfare of World War I. The Germans, for example, employed the term to refer to a short war. No theorist used it to refer to a combined offensive by armored forces and aircraft to deliver a knockout blow against an adversary.

Rather than a revolution, mobile warfare represented a natural evolution in the conduct of war. The development of methods and equipment necessary for mobile warfare was informed by the experience of World War I. Yet, the evolution of technology and strategy was the subject of considerable debate in Germany. There was a lively discussion in the literature about the proper role of tanks and airpower. The development of mechanized forces was retarded by Hitler’s military and economic policies. The best strategy for the 1940 campaign was not immediately evident to the German high command. Hitler dabbled with strategy and inquired about the possibility of an offensive through the Ardennes before Manstein devised his plan. The German strategy for the attack against France was a desperate operational act ultimately chosen for its risky strategic possibilities.

The German advance in the 1940 campaign is widely perceived to have been a rapid "jaunt" through France with armor and airpower playing the dominant roles in the offensive. This notion is unsubstantiated. Rough terrain hindered the progress of the XIX Panzer Corps. The crossing of the Meuse River was also very difficult and its outcome might have been different were it not for some remarkable successes by a few German forces. The movement of armored units across the river was far slower than anticipated and German commanders submitted false reports about their progress and the vulnerability of the bridgehead. Moreover, infantry played a key role on both sides. German armored forces were led across the Meuse by antitank and engineer units. At the beginning of the campaign German forces encountered stiff resistance from Belgian infantry mounted on bicycles. A single rifle company turned back an assault by a German tank division. Furthermore, a German infantry batallion played a pivotal role in the eventual defeat of this company.

Airpower was important in the 1940 campaign and German ground forces would not have been successful without the air support provided by the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe achieved air superiority, established a protective umbrella over advancing German columns, and facilitated the crossing of the Meuse by German forces. German air attacks also confused French commanders about the location of advancing forces and contributed to the collapse of the French 55th Division defending the Meuse. However, German airpower accounted for little of the destruction on the ground nor did its use in the 1940 campaign mark the advent of a fundamentally new way of warfare.

Neither Hitler nor the German high command expected a rapid, easy victory over the French in 1940. They expressed serious concerns about the prospects for success on May 13th and 14th. However, the German forces were victorious because of luck, better leadership, skill and training, superior concentration of forces, and French weaknesses in strategy and tactics. German leaders considered the outcome of the 1940 campaign to be a miracle. Yet, this was soon forgotten as they fell victim to their own propaganda. Seeing themselves in newsreels and movies, the German officer corps became convinced that the myth of blitzkrieg was reality. Confident that blitzkrieg would enable Germany to achieve a swift, easy victory over the Soviet Union, Hitler initiated the invasion of the Soviet Union almost immediately after the 1940 campaign.

Continued British resistance and the expectation that Soviet forces would quickly be defeated led Hitler to pursue an offensive against the Soviet Union in 1941. The British rejected Hitler’s peace overtures following the defeat of France and a German Navy study concluded that an invasion of Great Britain would be extremely difficult. Meanwhile, military options on the eastern front were evaluated. An offensive would seek to crush the Soviet army before it could retreat and to seize enough territory in the east to prevent Soviet air strikes against Germany. Both Hitler and Halder believed that blitzkrieg would enable German forces to deliver such a knockout blow against the Soviet Union. A campaign against the Soviet Union was also expected to be far easier than the invasion of France. With the defeat of the Soviet Union, any remaining British hope of successfully resisting German domination of Europe would be eliminated.

Hitler therefore directed the German army to prepare to crush the Soviet military prior to the defeat of the United Kingdom. The Germans thus sought a "Super Cannae" against the Soviet Union. The invasion of the Soviet Union was widely anticipated to be a short campaign and military planning reflected this expectation. The German high command believed that 80-100 German divisions would easily be able to defeat the 50-75 top Russian divisions. The German economy was not mobilized for the invasion, stockpiles were not accumulated, and the long distances involved in transporting supplies to advancing German forces were ignored. Operation Barbarossa was based to an unprecedented degree on myths and hopes stemming from the successful invasion of France. Intoxicated by the success of the 1940 campaign, Hitler and Halder even envisaged the use of blitzkrieg operations to secure German domination of the Mediterranean and Asia. Such confidence contrasts sharply with the German high command’s far more sober analysis of the successful 1939 attack on Poland, which generated substantial pessimism among military leaders because of the many deficiencies that it had revealed. Instead, concluding that they had devised blitzkrieg to defeat the French, Hitler and the German high command believed it could also be used successfully against the Soviet Union. In the end, such arrogance and poor intelligence led to German failure in the east.

And of course you could read the excellent books by Robert Allen Doughty on this subject: The Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine, 1919-1939, and The Breaking Point: Sedan and the Fall of France, 1940. I can't say I'm in full agreement with the first book: the doctrine of the French Army wasn't too bad; many writers have been deceived by Gaullist myth-building.

The main thing to keep in mind is that there simply was no such thing as a German Blitzkrieg doctrine before the summer of 1940. To quote Frieser: "Vain is the search for the Blitzkrieg doctrine". It is nowhere to be found. The German Army was completely dominated by the Infantry and the full doctrine and organisation were centered on that Weapon. More money was spent on fortifications than on tanks. After the first three Panzerdivisionen were formed — mainly for political reasons: Germany had been forbidden to possess any tanks, so now it would have its own Tank Corps — only independent armoured brigades were added for infantry support. The situation improved somewhat in 1938, but still the Panzerwaffe was seen as a specialised tool for exploitation, a mechanised cavalry. To spare the expensive tanks, armoured units were forbidden to take part in breakthrough operations. In Poland an exception was made for the embarrassing reason that there wasn't enough trained infantry available. In May 1940 things went back to normal: the crossings of the river Meuse were carried out by motorised infantry and the bridgeheads were to be enlarged by the tank units — and consolidated so that the "Mass of the Army" could position itself for the decisive battle. But the armour field commanders weren't content with such a subordinated role. They disobeyed, exploited a bit more and then the "miracle" happened. And afterwards the Germans looked at each other and said: "Gee, did you see what we just did? We executed a strategic armoured penetration and the enemy simply collapsed! Wow!". And Liddell Hart said: "I told you so! Glad...ah, sorry you listened". And thus the Myth of Blitzkrieg was born.

--MWAK 09:45, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for your remarks, I read them with great interest. I appreciate you taking the time. Blitzkrieg, = Bewegungskrieg + assumption of collapse-- very good point and well made....."your operations always hang by a thread."-Kluge, Guderian superior.... Also, Robert Doughty, The Seeds of Disaster. is on my reading list the rest is here: http://www.d-n-i.net/lind/lind_archive.htm ( #72 and #73) Perhaps the Blitzkrieg article needs a "myth" section... again thanks KAM 18:17, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the compliment! Keep in mind that Lind's distinction between Second and Third Generation Warfare is a bit of a caricature — or at least too ideal. He favours a very risky variant of manoeuvre warfare. Later modelling showed that his tactics had a small, but very real, chance of NATO defeat, whereas the "static" forms he was so critical of, were practically foolproof...

Concerning the article: it really needs to be rebuilt entirely. Not that it's likely to happen :o). In the Dutch Wikipedia I've completely rewritten the original page — but there my reputation is better ;o).

--MWAK 14:53, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Voting.

Hi, may I make a request? could you please vote for my FAC, Dinosaur here:Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Dinosaur? I know how we had discussions involving dinosaurs, so thought you'd be interested? It would mean so much to me & I would definitely return the favour if you need anything voted on. I've come so far, but I just want to make sure as voting can turn sour at any moment? Don't feel pressured, but thanks anyway... Spawn Man 02:48, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

I appreciate your effort to improve the article. Such effort is however the only benefit derived from the system of tagging some articles as "excellent". It has many dangers, the greatest of which is that we were are tempted to lock the article because it has presumedly reached its ideal form. The present tendency to somehow protect Wikipedia from the public — the very body that created it — should be resisted. So, opposing FA's in general, the only time I ever vote on them is when trying to prevent an article that is substandard from attaining the status. As Dinosaur is pretty good, I won't vote :o).--MWAK 09:17, 17 December 2005 (UTC)

I was counting on you! One of my main reasons is to get it to the main page so it can actually get publicity! I wrote dinosaur articles, didn't get an editors to it. Got dinosaur on the article improvement drive, got a little attention for a week. Got it to FAC, gets little publicity, but Im still the main one doing work! Hopefully if it goes to the main page it will be better still! Plus, I've heard of FA going on peer review! You could always give a vote of weak support or neutral.... No article is ever perfect.... Thanks anyway... Spawn Man 22:16, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Well, such publicity is always short-lived. In this field Wikipedia has to compete with two of the best sites on any subject of popular science: the Dinosauricon and DinoData. That's very tough. All that "peer review" is rather silly: what peers? :o)--MWAK 08:31, 20 December 2005 (UTC)

The opposing forces table

I see you've changed 'offensive artillery' for 'mechanised'. If that's the term, then well done, I myself tried to translate it from Russian and literally translating it was 'offensive'. It presumably stands for cannons that are mainly used in offensive operations. Constanz - Talk 11:58, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

The military jargon can be very confusing :o). Did the original indeed use the term НАСТУПАТЕЛЬНЫЙ? ~:o\ What was in any case was meant was штурм: it is a reference to assault artillery, i.c. the German Panzerjäger and Sturmgeschütze. This term is derived from the French artillerie d'assaut. It strictly refers to mechanised guns (although most confusingly artillerie d'assaut in the beginning referred to vehicles that we traditionally call "tanks", such as the Schneider CA). So the category is much more limited than the literal translation would suggest. This also explains why they are lumped together with tanks: they are what the layman would call as such, only they lack a turret — and they would be very dangerous adversaries to most Soviet tanks in June 1941...

And now I will change "mechanised artillery" to "mechanised guns" because I myself got confused :o).

--MWAK 15:22, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

The term in Russian was штурмовые (Танки и штурмовые орудия)

See: [1] Chapter: 'Место "Восточного похода" в стратегии Германии 1940—1941 гг. и силы сторон к началу операции "Барбаросса"' Таблица 47

May-be 'assault artillery' then? That explains why they were included in tank numbers: both are similarily used as 'assault weapons' ?

Constanz - Talk 16:31, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

Yes, the closest correct translation would be "assault artillery". However this term is today uncommon in English: the present technical word for the weapons indicated is "self-propelled guns". The point is that the term most confusingly refers to systems that are precisely not real (indirect fire) artillery pieces but self-propelled guns (i.e. tracked AFV's) equipped with direct fire cannons, just as tanks. The lack of a turret is the only relevant distinction. The term "self-propelled gun" avoids as much confusion as possible — though it is still somewhat ambiguous. Furthermore штурмовые орудия is simply the literal translation of German Sturmgeschütze, "assault guns" — which term can't be used because any American reading it would think an assault rifle was meant, though we do have an article assault gun :o). And now I will change "mechanised" into "self-propelled", if someone didn't beat me to it.

Very useful link BTW!--MWAK 19:18, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

And after perusing the relevant tables first I see that the Panzerjäger are subsumed under Противотанковые орудия на самоходных лафетах, so Sturmgeschütze is the correct translation only. Which saves me from changing it again :o). --MWAK 19:51, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

OK. The study by M.I.Meltyukhov is really interesting, so in case you're a Russian speaker, it would be worthy of using this new material in wikiarticles such as Operation Barbarossa. Constanz - Talk 13:40, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Well I speak Dutch — and with great effort I can read a bit of Russian. I used to be better at it in the Cold War days, but I've lost that competence over the years by lack of practice. Peace doesn't only bring dividends...But Meltyukhov hasn't found a pre-emptive attack order by Stalin, has he? :o) In any case you're right in that the article still gives too much the "Liddell Hart" version of events. I'll give my opinion on the talk page of Operation Barbarossa.--MWAK 14:51, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

I see: "стремлением упредить своих противников в развертывании вооруженных сил для нанесения первых ударов более крупными силами и захвата стратегической инициативы с самого начала военных действий" has rendered the predictable confusion :o).--MWAK 11:16, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

Babelfish: 'by the tendency to forestall its enemies in the development of armed forces for putting first impacts by larger forces and the seizure of strategic initiative from the very beginning of military actions. See link on Viktor Suvorov page for review of Meltyukhov's book. As for my opinion on then WW2 matter, I've made some comments on Suvorov discussion page. BTW, Meltyukhov's study includes document by Soviet Army leadership, suggesting (immediate) Soviet offensive.

It should be noted, that for obvious rerasons the possibility of finding a detailed invasion plan or a similar document is next to zero -- the successive Soviet authorities were hardly interested in maintaining such documents. For plans, see section Список фотографий и схем Constanz - Talk 15:03, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

And I'll give my two cents there too :o).--MWAK 08:43, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

I've created article on Stalin's Missed Chance. Constanz - Talk 11:41, 20 January 2006 (UTC)

Sorry me Holland

Sorry for bad grammar. Me Dutch and sometimes making much mistakes. Andries 21:24, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

Me Brabant. Me make big heap bad heap time.--MWAK 08:43, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

'Our article'

I've putt some work in Battle of the Netherlands today, and I just think we're coming closer and closer to that featured article status  :-)

But you said you wanted it to be expanded.What are you thinking of? (maybe I can help)

Sandertje 13:20, 3 February 2006 (UTC)

I appreciate your effort. But why not just try to make a good article :o)? Personally I don't care whether it's "featured" or not, as long as I am happy with it. And trying to make it featured brings little benefit yet much danger. Are featured articles more often read? I doubt it. But their claim to excellence annoys the semi-literate who then in his spite tries to demolish them ;o).

As to the expansion: I've really been waiting for a copy of a new edition of a certain book, to make sure my edits reflected the latest data. But I might as well write it at once and emend later; that's my favourite method and it's more fun :o)

Greetings, --MWAK 14:03, 3 February 2006 (UTC) (whose ego, by the way, is so big you shouldn't worry about it being hurt ;o)

The Featured thing is just a matter of feeding my ego. :-) and more people will read it ...

Anyway I'm not in a hurry on that ..

Sandertje 15:51, 3 February 2006 (UTC)

I fear any article is read by surprisingly few people :>/ That's why there is no hit counter ;o)--MWAK 16:04, 3 February 2006 (UTC)

Renault tank

Hi there! I was wondering why the price previously mentioned was so low... 190,000 francs is roughly 5000 1939 US dollars. At the same time the 7TP had the price of 43,500 US dollars (1939, armed), the Vickers E was sold to Finland for 21,000 dollars each (unarmed)... Even the tiny TKS tankette had the price of roughly 9000 dollars (1939). I doubt the French tank could be that cheap.

As for sources, there is a pretty page devoted to tanks at http://derela.republika.pl/. Check their prices page for details. Halibutt 16:38, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for this interesting information! The 190,000 FF price (for the complete hull only: the turret added another 100,000) is exact and comparable to many similar prices in other French tank contracts. Of course in 1935 there had been for many years a strong deflation of the dollar, making it very strong against the FF. This was from 1936 worsened by a deliberate French policy of devaluation (see: http://www.indiainfoline.com/mony/twen.html) until the FF was fixed against the dollar on 9 September 1939 at 43.8 to 1. These exchange rates didn't reflect internal value though: they were an artificial instrument to stimulate French exports. This explains how the French were able to produce the entire R 35 at about 500,000 FF in 1939: the real value of the materials and labour used was about $30,000, not $12,000. The FF was undervalued about 2.5 times! This seems incredible by today's standards but was sustainable because the French could obtain raw materials from their empire at production costs, not market prices. As your data shows they did demand a realistic price from the Poles, in this case export stimulation apparently being of secondary concern :o). A sad consideration is that Germany, not having colonies, couldn't devaluate comparably, making Hitler anxious to find a foreign military solution to his domestic economic problems. --MWAK 20:04, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

That solves the riddle ;). I took the liberty to transform your comment at my talk page into a note, just in case anyone wondered why the price was 10 times lower. Halibutt 22:01, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Excellent changes! However I am still a bit puzzled by the fact the site you referred to seems to give a price of 1,400,000 FF for the entire tank. It also says "updated" behind the R 35 entry: could it be the 1,900,000 for the hull only is from an earlier version you read?--MWAK 10:34, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

You're right, previously it claimed the price was 1,900,000 (after Jeleń&Szubański's work, obviously). Could you correct that? Halibutt 15:49, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

I have done so :o).--MWAK 07:57, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

AMR 35

If I'm not mistaken, you added "in March 1936 twelve were ordered by China and four a few months later by the Yuan province administration" to the article of AMR 35. I'm doing some clean up on yuan because it can mean a number of things. I don't think there's any Chinese provinces called Yuan. Can you verify please? --Chochopk 01:40, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

You're absolutely right: it was a typo for "Yunan" :oS. Thank you for pointing it out!--MWAK 08:26, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

Battle of France

Huge apologies, mea culpa. I'd found amends by 71.146.153.48 to the casualty figures that looked nonsense (as did this editor's amends to other articles); I thought I'd just reverted that. Not sure what went wrong, unless we were editing at the same time. I'll do the repairs, serve me right. Folks at 137 16:00, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

That explains it all :o). Thank you for your effort — especially in guarding against vandalism!--MWAK 16:09, 19 March 2006 (UTC)

Thanks

I would like to present you with the Military history WikiProject Distinguished Service Award for your contributions to many aspects, especially French, of military history. Oberiko

Keep up the good work MWAK! Oberiko 03:24, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Thank you for the honour and I'll do my best!--MWAK 06:55, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

Leopard 2

Leopard 2 since A4 at least features tungsten (though I don't know for sure in what form) in its turret armor. It also features ceramic inserts in the hull and turret. Therefore it would not be incorrect to state that the armor configuration includes both tungsten and ceramic materials. Of course, if we want to keep it less detailed not knowing the specifics or what other materials the armor may or may not include, we could simply state that the armor is "composite". Exel 07:35, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes, but the point is those "ceramic inserts" aren't ceramic tiles, whereas most people would assume they are.--MWAK 07:43, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I can't go into the specifics of the armor layout, but what people assume is largely irrelevant to the point. The fact is that Leopard 2 has ceramics as one component of its armor configuration, and thus it is not wrong to say that it indeed includes ceramics. Exel 17:04, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, what people assume is far from irrelevant: this is an encyclopedia and readers shouldn't be deceived by ambivalent wording.--MWAK 05:33, 5 April 2006 (UTC)

Request for cooperation

Hi MWAK,

I'm planning on starting an article about 'Dutch millitary history' and because our battle of the Netherlands worked out so well (me rough sketches, you -very much-details and refining) I was hoping you'd help me again. Sander 12:59, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Why, of course! However, I must warn you that my knowledge about events earlier than the 20th century is rather limited. But I should be able to contribute something worthwile about more recent developments.--MWAK 13:34, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Thanks so much! Here's the link.I believe your 'vakgebied' is waiting for you ;-) Military history of the Netherlands Sander 14:00, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Well, its certainly an inclusive article so far! :o). When your narrative has reached the year 1900 I'll kick in ;o)--MWAK 14:38, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I'll see you then! Sander 14:48, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

Question concerning Military history of the Netherlands

You said you'd join in when the article reaches the 20th century, and I have a question that could affect the article in the future.

I'm pretty sure you're expertise is most present in the area covering the second world war, of course you'll know that this war wasn't limited to the Netherlands, but also happened in it's colonies...most notably the Dutch indies.

What would you advise? Trying to fitt in all colonial happenings throughout the article, or create a separate section within the article concerning all colonial affairs? Sander 20:57, 2 April 2006 (UTC)

I think it would be best to fit them in, especially as colonial rivalry was at the heart of most conflicts the Dutch had between 1610 and 1940, 1941 to 1945 and again between 1945 and 1962 :o).--MWAK 06:05, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

I hit the 20th century ;-) Sander 15:49, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

About the H35/38/39

You made "my" article much better. I was the lazy one... I practically copied it out of a book on tanks. You basically rewrote it. User:ATK102587 20:24, 12, April 2006

Well, I too basically copy material, just rephrasing it a bit, so we're no different ;o). But, as I said, I 'm glad I have been slowly able to make accessible to the larger public some of the newer information available in the latest published French sources. It's very bizarre how general books on tanks simply keep repeating outdated information, sometimes parotting mistakes of over seventy years old! --MWAK 07:56, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Hello check this out

Hello I have made a request for comment on Kurt Leyman and I need people to sign the request and also to sign on the specific page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/User_conduct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Kurt_Leyman

(Deng 03:10, 27 April 2006 (UTC))