"Favorite historical understatements." Topic

One of my favorites is Emperor Hirohito's "The war has developed not necessarily to Japan's advantage.

Churchill's "terminological inexactitude"
link
is also pretty good. I was struck by Adrian Peterson's comments about slavery in the NFL, and this strikes me as almost 100% parallel.

I COULD make up some lame rules about these quotes being true and not made up, but I trust in the honor and rectitude of TMPers.

"I think we can take 'em."

George Armstrong Custer
June 25, 1876

Oooops, sorry, I missed the "honor and rectitude" bit.

"…whole point of the doomsday machine is lost . . . if you keep it a secret! Why didn't you tell the world, ay?!"

Dr. Strangelove

Mine is Admiral Beatty

"there seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today," after two of them had exploded within half an hour during the battle of Jutland

My quote comes from the movie "Unforgiven" the scene is in the sheriff's office just before the confrontation, a one armed deputy is loading about six pistols, the sheriff comments on all the guns, the deputy's reply,"I don't want to be kilt for the lack of shooting back!"

As always at your service,

Hairy Haggis

My quote comes from the movie "Unforgiven"

Clint Eastwood is many things (though I prefer Dirty Harry to the Man With No Name), but 'historical' isn't one of them. :)

Not so much understatment as understated:-

Uxbridge "By God Sir, I've lost my leg"
Wellington "By God Sir, you have"

"This is the wide part." Bridge too far

Knowing it was from a movie but hoping the real dude Michael Caan was portraying really said it.

That British officer in Korea who told the Americans over the radio "things are getting a bit sticky here" as his unit was about to be overrun?

"Hard pressed on my right.
My center is yielding.
Impossible to maneuver.
Situation excellent.
I am attacking."
Ferdinand Foch, 1914

Not military, but Oates' "I'm going outside. I may be some time" seems to strike the right tone here.

Cheers,
Colin

Nonsense, they couldn't hit an elephant from this dist-

Gen Sedgewick

"I can see Richmond from here, boys!" – Unnamed Federal officer, encouraging the troops.

"Sir, you'll have to get the barrels of those glasses rifled, so they'll carry further!" – Unnamed Federal private, unimpressed.

That exchange is historical according to Bruce Catton. Who liked a good story.

War does not determine who is right, only who is left.
G.B. Shaw

"I guarantee you, there are no American soldiers in Baghdad."

I know it's fantasy but I like it,"Our Arrows will Darken the sky!" "Good, then we'll fight in the Shade!" The 300.

The last words of Archduke Franz Ferdinand after being shot by his assassin. "It is nothing."

According to Farwell, during the Seven Years' War, a young British officer had his foot taken off by French artillery and was carried to the rear wistfully remarking that it appeared his dancing days appeared to be finished at last.

I know it's fantasy but I like it,"Our Arrows will Darken the sky!" "Good, then we'll fight in the Shade!" The 300.

Actually, if it's fantasy, then it dates back at least to Herodotus, so I'd count it as historical. Along with another great phrase: "Lay down your weapons", to which Leonidas replied, "come and take them!"

One for the Marines: Chesty Puller's "All right: they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us and behind us. They can't get away this time!"

Fun with Latin:

Vini, vidi, vici (I came, I saw, I conquered)

And Sir Charles Napier, on conquering Sindh in India (considerably exceeding his orders): "Peccavi" (I have sinned/Scind"

Actually, if it's fantasy, then it dates back at least to Herodotus, so I'd count it as historical.
Well that's good to know. I thought I might add, that both statements would fit the subject of this thread.

"Fill your canteens. Some of you men will be in Hell before night, and you'll need the water." – Confederate officer, just before the dawn attack at Shiloh.

In PRO document WO 291/780, "Jettisonable petrol tanks used as aerial bombs", an analysis is made of the effectiveness of what we would now call napalm tanks. It is considered that they would not be very effective against pillbox embrasures. However, the analysts go on to state:

"The moral effect of being completely enveloped in burning petrol for 30 seconds should be considerable."

I am inclined to agree.

All the best,

John.

"They didn't trip me up that time!" Albert Sidney Johnson at Shiloh as a ball knicked his leg. Within in hour,he had lost enough blood,unawares and collapsed from his mount. Someone ran up to him and asked if he was wounded. ASJ's reply;"Yes,and I fear seriously." He died soon afterward.

Oh, another good one, courtesy of the RAF and Ernie Pyle. The USAAF in Italy liked to listen in on the RAF's radio chatter, and overheard two pilots in a dogfight with some Germans:

"I say, old boy, there's a Jerry on your tail."

"Quite so, quite so. Thanks very much, old man."

"A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an impudent core of effete snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals."
-Spiro Agnew, 1970

Zulus sir, thousands of 'em.

Grunt1861: I know it's fantasy but I like it,"Our Arrows will Darken the sky!" "Good, then we'll fight in the Shade!" The 300.

willthepiper: Actually, if it's fantasy, then it dates back at least to Herodotus …

Found the quote.

The History of Herodotus, Book 7: Polymnia, paragraph 225:

226. Such were the proofs of valour given by the Lacedemonians and Thespians; yet the Spartan Dienekes is said to have proved himself the best man of all, the same who, as they report, uttered this saying before they engaged battle with the Medes:--being informed by one of the men of Trachis that when the Barbarians discharged their arrows they obscured the light of the sun by the multitude of the arrows, so great was the number of their host, he was not dismayed by this, but making small account of the number of the Medes, he said that their guest from Trachis brought them very good news, for if the Medes obscured the light of the sun, the battle against them would be in the shade and not in the sun.

The History of Herodotus, parallel English / Greek: link

Book 7 paragraph 220-229: link

Custer to Crow Scout: How many warriors are in the village?
Crow Scout to Custer: There are more warriors in the village than there are bullets in the belts of the white soldiers.
Weaselhoffen.

General von Lüttwitz to Gen. McAuliffe:

To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A. forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong German armored units. More German armored units have crossed the river Our near Ortheuville, have taken Marche and reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet. Libramont is in German hands.

There is only one possibility to save the encircled U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable surrender of the encircled town. In order to think it over a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the presentation of this note.

If this proposal should be rejected one German Artillery Corps and six heavy A. A. Battalions are ready to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The order for firing will be given immediately after this two hours term.

All the serious civilian losses caused by this artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.

The German Commander.

To the German Commander,

NUTS!

The American Commander

Two

Neville Chamberlain : Peace in our time

Gadaffi The US is fighting the wrong enemy

on finding Robert E Lee's battle plan wrapped around 2 cigars. McClellan "Here is a paper with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will will be willing to go home" before Antietam

I have a field manual titled "Techniques of Antitank Warfare". In one place, it describes a "pole charge", which is basically two long poles tied together at one end at a right angle. The operator thereof holds the free end of one pole with a charge of C-4 at the other and a primer that activates by pulling a cord.

The idea is to stick the charge down the barrel of the main gun on the enemy tank and set it off, thereby destroying the gun.

The ending comment: "The main disadvantage with this method is that it exposes the individual to fires from the tank."

"The arrows of King Xerxes' archers will blot out the sun."
"Good. Then we'll have our fight in the shade."
Not an understatement, but brilliant Spartan sang froid.
But since that one has been taken – and it's not fantasy, by the way, despite Zack Snyder's best efforts to trivialize it – here's another, even more understated:

"Go tell the Spartans,
Traveler passing by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie."
-- Simonides' Epitaph to the Spartan Dead at Thermopylae; three lines of a simple request for respect for what is arguably the single greatest feat of arms in the history of Western civilization.