"Prince Philip once lit up enemy ships as Royal Navy ..." Topic

…warships tore them apart during a bloody nighttime WWII naval battle

"Prince Philip, who died on Friday at the age of 99, was a decorated World War II veteran who fought in a number of battles during the global conflict, including one brutal exchange near Greece in the dead of night.

Allied forces delivered a devastating blow to the Italian navy at Cape Matapan just off Greece on March 28, 1941, sinking several enemy vessels in quick succession.

British Royal Navy warships closed with Italian ships in the dark, catching the enemy force off guard. It was the kind of close-range gun battle that naval radar advancements would make less common. Philip, who was then a 19-year-old midshipman aboard the battleship HMS Valiant, was manning the searchlights to find enemy ships…"

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Armand

King George VI fought at Jutland, Prince Philip in WW II and Prince Andrew in the Falklands' The Queen was a trained mechanic and ambulance driver in Britain in WW II and prince William flew potentially hazardous helicopter rescue missions so some Royals have paid their dues.

Prince Andrew fought….?

Armand

Prince Andrew fought….?

Using your chopper and chaff to decoy incoming Exocet missiles may not be close combat, mate, but it's still fighting.

The Duke of Edinburgh was on convoy escorts – far from glamorous, unpleasant and fraught with danger.

I despise the institution of monarchy but the people are just people, some good some bad…most in between.

Mountbatten's WW2 was less impressive and he muffed up Indian partition royally [sorry!]

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This interview is very interesting, and hearing him, I would infer both that he was a serious and able officer and that he obviously had some important qualities that made him a success in the position he is best known for.

Incoming Exocet…?

Ha!Ha!…

We have only a couple of them used againt ships….

Come on!….

Armand

Tango you allegedly launched 10 of which 3 hit their target plus one that was decoyed from HMS Invincible onto the Atlantic Conveyor, a few more the a couple and ships helicopter were out doing their thing every time the Argentines attacked.

Armand, if Argentina only used a couple then why did they approach France for a resupply (which was denied)? Read what Black Bull wrote and consider this- how many Argentine, US, British or other "western" politicians have been in, or let their offspring go into, harm's way?

I'm not a fan of Andrew, nor some of the other royals, but Andrew did his bit and a reasonable person would acknowledge that.

Nobody said that the Exocet were bad or that we have none of them… we have (I saw the firing of one of them from land) a few and of course we ask for more to France… they refused…

The Exocets were fired against ships… never against helicopters…. so few and expensive to did that…

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Armand

The Exocets were fired against ships… never against helicopters…

You know that the choppers weren't targetted, but were used to drop chaff, to try to spoof the missiles away from the ships. You can probably list the hazards of doing that, as well as the hazards of just flying a helicopter in a war zone, or even an exercise.

You just don't want to give Prince Andrew any credit, for what ever reason. Or does your view extend to any person with the British forces in the Falklands?

They put their name into the hat and were lucky it was not drawn, same as millions of their subjects. They deserve respect for that.

"…You just don't want to give Prince Andrew any credit, for what ever reason. Or does your view extend to any person with the British forces in the Falklands?…"

None of them… I sustain that he was not in danger because of the Exocets…

Armand

You go and hover with with a big cloud of metal next to you with Exocets flying around, not to mention the bombs dropping, AA fire and the odd Skyhawk flying under you while getting out of of Dodge

None of them… I sustain that he was not in danger because of the Exocets…

Not being the actual target of the Exocet perhaps, but getting in the way of an inbound missile- specifically aimed at your chopper or not- could be terminally disconcerting, would you agree, Armand?

The need to act as part of the counter measures against Exocets put Andrew in harms way. Flying a chopper in airspace, where enemy aircraft were wont to wander with aggressive intention, put him in harms way. Being on board a RN ship in the Falklands War was being in harms way, for that matter.

Are you just splitting hairs for the sake of it, mate? :-)

You go and hover with with a big cloud of metal next to you with Exocets flying around, not to mention the bombs dropping, AA fire and the odd Skyhawk flying under you while getting out of of Dodge

Not the sort of thing to liven up a boring Saturday night, BB?

I must admit I'm a bit surprised, Armand. Most here, you included, are respectful and even handed when it comes to the Falklands-Malvinas War, even those like us who are from the belligerent nations.

I dislike Andrew intensely, but I can not deny his service.

Anyway, getting back to more interesting things, you said "I saw the firing of one of them [Exocet] from land" – can you expand on that matey? Was it an exercise or did you witness the 12 June attack on HMS Glamorgan?

Best wishes,

Nick

It was against a British Ship… I remember how we wait time to time at the radar when it went near the misile range… untill it did… don't remember it name now.

I always respect all the soldiers/civilians who were there… (well not all… many officers from our side were bastard/cowards)

Now.. about the concept of "fight"… I have mine… you have yours… no harm here…

Armand

Dal Gavan,

quite a few recent US politicians served in combat in the House of Representatives, a few from the Senate. Can't think of any whose sons or daughters have been recently. I thought I would give them some credit. 🙂

From 2020

Subject: Veterans in the 117th Congress, by the numbers


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35th OVI.

Thanks for the very surprising link, mate. I wouldn't have expected that number- and it's an historical low!

We have several veterans in federal parliament, but to the best of my knowledge only two that qualify for an INF Combat Badge or Combat Award. The others served well to the rear (Diego Garcia or our FSB in the UAE) in staff or loggie slots, in ships or were front seat passengers in aircraft. They still served and deserve full credit for that. The vast majority of our pollies never served, even in reserve forces.

NP, welcome

Armand – thanks for that, it's really interesting.

I went aboard the Glamorgan (the ship hit in the attack) about a year later, spoke to many of the crew who were there at the time and saw the damage. It had been repaired, of course, but the scars were visible. As I recall the exocet hit abaft the hanger on the starboard side pretty much at deck level and skewed across the flight deck, hitting the hanger and igniting the helicopter fuel.

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Goose Green, the attack you witnessed was pretty much at the end of the war on June 12.

I suspect we will probably never agree on the Falklands/Malvinas, but at least here on TMP there is respect for those who served on both sides and I can certainly sympathise with Argentina's claim even though I don't agree.

My best wishes, matey, and a belated happy 25th May.

Nick

Thanks my friend…

I was not at Goose Green… but I remember the hard job those two guys did to put the only Exocet for work… and the waiting… minute by minute… untill the hit…

What a "white" war was compared with Ukraine…

Some info here if you could used translator…

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Regards
Armand