Post by Diarist on Sept 14, 2015 9:09:37 GMT 1
Well, I survived my second week - it wasn't too bad actually. All the aches have gone and I am now used to reveille at 04:00. Nobody in my platoon has dropped out this week. In addition to physical training we've been practising how to fall in all directions. General Gort is still with us as the Trainee Battalion commander. We've discussed whether to use airborne troops if there is a conflict with Italy. It's no point in keeping our Parachute Regiment secret because we know that the Germans and Russian have them and they probably know about our operation here.
Apparently Vickers and the MoD aren't too happy about my comments in regard to the A9 and A10 tanks - they aren't sexy. I explained that I said that they were not sexy enough! The A10 needs to be more ballistic. 20mm of armour at 45° angle is equivalent to 28mm and the incoming round may glance off. A turret that looks like a box simply isn't smart. We also don't need a tank that can only do 15mph on roads. The ISV that we have proposed will keep their workers busy until we have a better design with the 6pdr tank gun and it won't be obsolete 5 years from now.
He has also been receiving reports from London and Gibraltar. Anthony Eden's tour of Egypt and the Balkans has been a huge success. He also met the Rumanian Foreign Secretary when he dropped into Geneva before his final stop in Paris. Britain and France have now have 15 squadrons in East Africa and 5, possibly 10, Ethiopian squadrons. We shall probably have air superiority and definitely naval superiority. Major Wingate is begging to start operations against the Italians - he has submitted various plans to our HQ in Gibraltar. Intelligence has discovered that all four Italian battleships are either in reserve or in dry-dock undergoing modifications.
I called Sally earlier this afternoon - can't wait to see her again. Until next weekend.