@RPBook@historians.social
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

RPBook

@RPBook@historians.social

#UK based #MilitaryHistory #author. #TTRPG and #BoardGame player. Lapsed #wargamer.

My real name is Robin, but my pen name is Russell. I answer to both names.

#fedi22 #histodons

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RPBook, to ttrpg
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

I ran the second session of a campaign tonight. One of the players is brand new to RPGs - this was her third session ever.

So I was really pleased to discover she'd bought herself a dice tray and a set of d10s 🙂

@ttrpg @notdnd

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

@croyle @ttrpg @notdnd yep. I think we've got a convert 🙂

RPBook, (edited ) to random
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

As I was walking the dog yesterday evening, I found myself idly wondering if @DreadShips had ever covered the Austro-Hungarian #FirstWorldWar dreadnought Szent István.

I don't think they have, so I thought I'd do a thread on her. I can't promise it will be as amusing as one of theirs, but I do think it's an interesting story.

In the early 20th century, Austria-Hungary was a major European power.

#histodons #MilitaryHistory
@histodons @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory
1/7

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

At the time, every self-respecting navy had dreadnoughts, so of course Admiral Montecuccoli wanted his navy to have dreadnoughts too. Unfortunately for Montecuccoli, his country had a bizarre political system with two parliaments. The Hungarian parliament saw little benefit for Hungary from the navy, so they often blocked spending on large naval projects. Still, the Hungarian parliament were persuaded to allow the building of four dreadnought battleships, the Tegetthoff class.
2/7

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

But there was a catch. One of the new ships was to be named Szent István after Hungary's patron saint. More problematic was that it wouldn't be built at the shipyard where all recent Austria-Hungarian battleships had been built. The Szent István would be built at the Danubius shipyard, which was subsidised by the Hungarian government. The design was reasonably sensible, with four main turrets, each mounting three 30.5 cm guns.
3/7

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

The Tegetthoff class were the first dreadnoughts to use triple turrets, but that's not too outlandish. The real oddities were in its history. The Danubius shipyard had previously built cruisers of 3,500 tonnes, but this new ship was almost six times that, at over 20,000 tonnes. Not surprisingly, the yard had trouble building such a huge ship and there were quality issues.
4/7

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

Problems with ventilation ducts meant that even when the ship was closed up for action, flooding could spread between compartments. When the main armament was fired during trials, rivets blew out of her bottom. Excess top weight meant that she was unstable and would list alarmingly. She did not have a successful war. Delays in construction meant that she was not involved in the only action in which her sisters fired their guns in anger, in May 1915.
5/7

RPBook,
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In June 1918, the navy planned an attack on the Otranto Barrage carried out by cruisers and destroyers, backed by all four Tegetthoff dreadnoughts. Szent István developed turbine trouble soon after leaving port, but continued. Two Italian MAS boats spotted the smoke of the dreadnoughts and headed to intercept. At about 03:25 on the morning of 10th June, they each fired two torpedoes, then turned and departed as quickly as possible.
6/7

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

The luckless Szent István was hit amidships by two torpedoes and started to list. Compartments were flooded to counter the list, but riveting failed, and almost all power was lost. She was unable to operate pumps and interior bulkheads started collapsing. At 06:05 she capsized, and sank a few minutes later.
7/7

RPBook, to random
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

I've just left a message on my daughter's school absence line. I told them she is still ill and won't be in today. I then added that she won't be going in to do the SAT test, and we won't allow them to bring the test here for her to do at home.

Hopefully this will mean we don't get three calls today trying to pressure us into making her do it 😠

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

@PSchweig86 it's really frustrating. Missing the tests will make very little or no difference to our daughter. It will impact the school - they're judged on SAT performance, among other things, and she was expected to do well.

RPBook, to histodons
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

Flying cars, embassy damage, and #AFV development. My latest primary source document uploads to #InternetArchive.

https://archive.org/details/@robin_42

#ColdWar #histodons #MilitaryHistory
@histodons @militaryhistory

RPBook, to random
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

It's #SATs week here in the #UK, and our youngest is due to take them. She told us last week that the kids had been told that if they got sick, they were to go in to do the test, then go home again.

She was sick last night. We hadn't heard anything official from school about going in to do the test while sick, so assumed it was just a rumour she'd heard. I rang the school absence line first thing to let them know she won't be in today or tomorrow, as per their standard rules.

1/2

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

Later this morning, I got a phone call from school asking me to send her in this afternoon for the test. School said that she can't take it any other time, there's no facility for people that miss a test.

We've refused to send her in, because we are very uncomfortable with the idea of sending her into school when she's ill and potentially infectious.

2/2

RPBook, to random
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

Back in the late 1970s (possibly early 1980s), I saw a newspaper story about a woman who dressed her son in girl's clothes. IIRC, the story said that she really wanted a daughter, so when she got a son, she just treated him like a daughter anyway.

For no readily apparent reason, I've been thinking about that story recently, and I wonder how the two of them are. I also wonder, given that it was in either The Sun or the Daily Mirror, what the truth of the story was.

1/2

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

Perhaps the kid was trans and their mum was doing her best to affirm their gender, and made up the story about wanting a daughter to protect her kid. Maybe the mum just really wanted a daughter, as the story said.

Mostly, I just hope the kid grew up to be a happy adult.

2/2

RPBook, to worldwarshistory
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

#OTD in 1942 Vichy #French forces of Diego Suarez (now Antsiranana) surrendered to the #British invaders.

The forts of the Joffre Line, covering the approach to Diego Suarez were still manned, but were not a priority. The powerful shore batteries protecting the entrance to the harbour were a significant problem, though, and plans were put in place to deal with them.

#histodons #MilitaryHistory #SecondWorldWar
@histodons @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory
1/2

glynmoody, to random
@glynmoody@mastodon.social avatar

Police accused of ‘alarming’ attack on protest rights after anti-monarchist leader arrested - https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/may/06/head-of-uks-leading-anti-monarchy-group-arrested-at-coronation-protest just appalling; freedom in the UK is in serious trouble...

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

@glynmoody this is why @JetlagJen and I went to protests about the bill before it was passed.

It was obvious then that this would be the result.

RPBook, to worldwarshistory
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

#OTD in 1942, #British forces launched Operation Ironclad, landing on the Vichy #French island of #Madagascar, beginning a six-month long campaign to take the island.

It was the first major amphibious operation conducted by the Allies, and they learned some useful lessons from the experience.

https://russellphillips.uk/books/strange-campaign-battle-madagascar/

#histodons #MilitaryHistory #SecondWorldWar
@histodons @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory

Private
RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

@billheywood @histodons @militaryhistory @worldwarshistory exactly my thoughts 🙂

RPBook, to worldwarshistory
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

I've just backed this #SecondWorldWar comic on #Kickstarter. Looks like an interesting story.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/maximized/the-adventures-of-bamse

@worldwarshistory @militaryhistory
#MilitaryHistory

RPBook, to histodons
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

#OTD in 1980, six terrorists entered the Iranian embassy in London and took twenty-six people hostage. Six days later, the SAS stormed the building under the watchful eye of TV news, broadcasting events live.

https://russellphillips.uk/books/operation-nimrod-the-iranian-embassy-siege/

#ColdWar #histodons #MilitaryHistory
@histodons @militaryhistory

RPBook, to worldwarshistory
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

Interesting article about women who resisted the Nazis, mostly through non-violent means.
https://www.shethepeople.tv/sepia-stories/how-women-resisted-nazis/

#MilitaryHistory #SecondWorldWar
@militaryhistory @worldwarshistory

RPBook, to histodons
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

I've heard people say that until they were so dramatically broadcast live to millions of TV viewers, the government wouldn't confirm or deny the existence of the .

I decided to debunk that myth.
https://russellphillips.uk/myth-confirm-deny-sas/

@militaryhistory @histodons

RPBook,
@RPBook@historians.social avatar

@jonnynexus @militaryhistory @histodons it's possible. I always assumed it was simply a case of the secrecy around the unit generating conspiracy theories.

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