Regiment WWII British plucky sailors

[Hammers]

This company was completely new to me. Their subject matters are defintely off the beaten path. I am contemplatimg their naval landing party as potential foes for my steamer and crew.

http://regimentgames.com/brits/officersheroes1800.jpg

[Plynkes]

I've been toying with the idea of using them as a Great War landing party, in the absence of any proper ones.

Obviously the Brens and Tommy guns are out, but their webbing certainly has a 14-18 sort of look to it.

It's either that or Victorians with Martini-Henrys.

[TadPortly]

shame they don't have any figures armed with lanchester smgs

[Hammers]

shame they don't have any figures armed with lanchester smgs

Lanchester smgs? I've got ot look this up on wikipedia...

[revford]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lanchester_SMG

[Plynkes]

[Hammers]

Ah! I love the look of those early subs. Is it a Bergman knockoff? Was it, like in Germany dumped on the less-likely-to-use-it during the war?

[Plynkes]

I believe it is a copy of (or "inspired by") the Bergman. I think it was developed by and only used by the Navy. It isn't really an early SMG, as it was conceived  and built during WWII.

I've seen film of the U-Boats sailing into Belfast to surrender, and there is a nervous-looking Jack Tar on hand for security with one. It looks massive, almost as big as him! Never seen one in real life, don't know if they are really big, or if it was just a tiny sailor.

[Hammers]

I've seen film of the U-Boats sailing into Belfast to surrender, and there is a nervous-looking Jack Tar on hand for security with one.

Thus the name submachine gun? Seriously: I have always wondered about the 'sub-'prefix. What does it mean?

Also the Bergman must have been one of the most successful ones in history since it was copied in the Swedish Husqvarna, the Finnish Suomi and ultimately the Soviet PPh-41

[Plynkes]

"Sub-: Latin prefix meaning under, almost, or not quite."

Not quite a machine gun, then.

Also, some kind of American Sandwich made out of a little baguette. There's a shop near me that has started selling them. I haven't had one yet. They look just like ordinary baguette sarnies to me, I don't know why they need this new fancy name.

[Joe Fish]

Subs as in a type of sandwich are also known as hoagies, grinders, or heroes in the US.  The name varies by region; the size and contents of the sandwich by the 'shop.'  Hmm, funny name for store, but then I am from New England where we like to buy our grinders mostly from pizza joints.

Most of the regional names date back at least to the forties, so for some of us, they are not new.  Unless we move somewhere and they have another name. ;-)

Very much a regionalism, as in New England we have our soda in a bag when we purchase it; midwest and farther out you have to settle for your "pop in a bag" which suggests to a Yankee that his father is inebriated.

[TadPortly]

I work in the UK MoD where we call the sandwiches "torpedoes".

As to the size of the SMG - here's a pic from an American site with a chap having a plink  with one...

http://files.uzitalk.com/reference/shoots/princeton2003/lanchester.jpg

Its worth noting that the Lanchester could be fitted with a bayonet too...

[Plynkes]

We always say "shop" here in Blighty for what Americans would call a "store." I understand a "shop" is what you guys call what we call a "workshop."

We only use "store" when referring to a "department store", i.e. a big shop that sells lots of different types of things. All other kinds are just called shops.

But even though you don't say "shop", you still talk about going "shopping." Shouldn't you be going "storing" instead?


Funny old thing, the English language.

[Boggler]

They've got a Lanchester at 'Explosion', the naval weaponry museum in Gosport. I was down there on Saturday admiring the Nordenfelt machine gun on display.

If you're anywhere near Portsmouth it's worth a trip, as is the Royal Armouries Museum at Fort Nelson