@SuperbattleshipYamato agreed
Famous WW2 quotes needed
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This is going to be a fun request to work on, which I’ll do in more detail later today, but for starters here are a couple that immediately come to mind.
“My men can eat their belts, but my tanks need gas!”
- George S. Patton
“He either fears his fate too much, or his deserts are small, that dares not put it to the touch to win or lose it all.”
- Bernard L. Montgomery, quoting James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
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“In the Red Army, it takes a very brave man to be a coward.”
- Georgi Zhukov
“The first twenty-four hours of the invasion will be decisive. For the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day.”
- Erwin Rommel
“In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory.”
- Isoroku Yamamoto
(It sounds suitably upbeat when you leave out the second part of what he said, which was “After that, I can guarantee nothing.”
Just as a side note, by the way: General George S. Patton and Admiral William F. Halsey (who very quite similar in temperament and vocabulary) were known for their morale-raising one-liners, but unfortunately these tended to be unprintable. One of the more famous Halsey ones contains terminology that the forum’s software would automatically censor.
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" Before we’re through with them, Japanese language will be spoken only in hell."
Admiral Halsey
" In case opportunity for destruction of a major portion of the enemy fleet is offered, or can be created, such destruction becomes the primary task."
Admiral Nimitz
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Some quotes attributed to Isoroku Yamamoto:
The fate of the Empire rests on this enterprise. Every man must devote himself totally to the task at hand."
This one is the front runner for a Yamamoto quote…
Some quotes for the ANZACs:
I believe the ANZAC quote search will be the most difficult…
Some quotes for the Italians:
Until face to face with the enemy, who inexorably advanced well protected toward sure prey, they cried with the last spark of life, “Long Live Italy!” - Gen. Rodolfo Graziani
This seems to be the best quote (not from Mussolini) so far for the Italians…
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@CWO:
“My men can eat their belts, but my tanks need gas!”
- George S. Patton
“He either fears his fate too much, or his deserts are small, that dares not put it to the touch to win or lose it all.”
- Bernard L. Montgomery, quoting James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose
Good suggestions, really like that Patton quote although a little demoralizing to count in the cheerleader category… I like the ones I have so far in regards to UK and USA.
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@Young:
Some quotes attributed to Isoroku Yamamoto:
The fate of the Empire rests on this enterprise. Every man must devote himself totally to the task at hand."
This one is the front runner for a Yamamoto quote…
Regretably, it’s not a Yamamoto quote. It’s the Z-flag signal which Admiral Togo hoisted at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 (at which Yamamoto was present as a junior officer). The signal was duplicated by Admiral Nagumo just before he launched his air strike at Pearl Harbor.
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@CWO:
“In the Red Army, it takes a very brave man to be a coward.”
- Georgi Zhukov
This one has definitely replaced my earlier Zhukov quote…
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@CWO:
@Young:
Some quotes attributed to Isoroku Yamamoto:
The fate of the Empire rests on this enterprise. Every man must devote himself totally to the task at hand."
This one is the front runner for a Yamamoto quote…
Regretably, it’s not a Yamamoto quote.�  It’s the Z-flag signal which Admiral Togo hoisted at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 (at which Yamamoto was present as a junior officer).�  The signal was duplicated by Admiral Nagumo just before he launched his air strike at Pearl Harbor.
Did Yamamoto really say that he was looking forward to dictating peace with America at the White House in Washington… or was that just US propaganda?
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@Young:
Did Yamamoto really say that he was looking forward to dictating peace with America at the White House in Washington… or was that just US propaganda?
Actually, it’s neither. Yamamoto once wrote a letter in which he argued that defeating the US was not going to be easy; in it, he said that if Japan was going to go to war against the US it had better be prepared to fight a war that could only be won if Japan got all the way to Washington and dictated peace terms in the White House. Yamamoto’s enemies in the Japanese Army quoted his letter out of context to give the impression that Yamamoto was planning to dictate peace terms in the White House. The Americans grabbed onto the Army’s version of the text and used it in their propaganda, apparently unaware that Yamamoto was being misquoted by his own fellow Japanese officers.
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" Until face to face with the enemy, who inexorably advanced well protected toward sure prey, they cried with the last spark of life, ‘Long Live Italy!’ "
- Marshal Rodolfo Graziani
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OK, thanks… The Yamamoto quote provided by Trenacker seems to be the best, and that Italian quote seems to be the best Non-Mussolini quote. Anything, good from ANZAC… all the really good ones seem to be from WW1.
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“We’re not here to take it, we’re here to give it.”
- Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead, commander of the 9th Australian Division at Tobruk, after hearing of a British propaganda article entitled “Tobruk can take it!”
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“This time the Kraut’s stuck his head in the meat grinder, and I’ve got hold of the handle.”
- George S. Patton, during the Battle of the Bulge
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@CWO:
“We’re not here to take it, we’re here to give it.”
- Lieutenant General Sir Leslie James Morshead, commander of the 9th Australian Division at Tobruk, after hearing of a British propaganda article entitled “Tobruk can take it!”
That’s the one… but DAM, the name is longer than the quote itself  :lol:
…Although a few rude boys drinking beers around the game table might taught the ANZAC player
“Ohhh, you like to give it do ya?”
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@CWO:
“This time the �����’s stuck his head in the meat grinder, and I’ve got hold of the handle.”
- George S. Patton, during the Battle of the Bulge
That’s good… but I still like the first one from Patton for what I’m trying to achieve.
“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week” - George S. Patton
It’s got a great fortune cookie vibe to it :lol:
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I gave Morshead’s full name and title because he’s not as famous as officers like Patton and Montgomery. An even more extreme quote-to-name ratio can be found in Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe’s one-worder “Nuts!” (There was a somewhat fictionalized version of this historical event in a movie in which McAuliffe delivers his famous statement verbally to some German envoys, who look at each other in puzzlement, then turn back to McAuliffe; one of them says, “What is this ‘Nuts’? I do not understand.” McAuliffe retorts, “Do you understand ‘Go to hell’, son?” The German nods and answers, “Ja, that I understand.”)
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@CWO:
I gave Morshead’s full name and title because he’s not as famous as officers like Patton and Montgomery.�  An even more extreme quote-to-name ratio can be found in Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe’s one-worder "Nuts!"�  (There was a somewhat fictionalized version of this historical event in a movie in which McAuliffe delivers his famous statement verbally to some German envoys, who look at each other in puzzlement, then turn back to McAuliffe; one of them says, "What is this ‘Nuts’?�  I do not understand."�  McAuliffe retorts, “Do you understand ‘Go to hell’, son?” The German nods and answers, “Ja, that I understand.”)
How is Lieutenant General abbreviated, and was he Sir during the war… or was he knighted afterwards?
The best ANZAC quotes are from WW1…
“I can’t surrender, I’m in command of Australians… and they would cut my throat if I dared”
- Unknown
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@Young:
How is Lieutenant General abbreviated, and was he Sir during the war… or was he knighted afterwards?
You may not need to include everything; it depends on what consistent practice you’ll be using for the other people you’re quoting. Bernard L. Montgomery, for example, was known in full as Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein – and that’s even leaving out his KG, GCB, DSO and PC designations. A good standard form to use for everyone would be simply rank + commonly used form of name (including initials as just initials), without any knighthoods.
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@CWO:
@Young:
How is Lieutenant General abbreviated, and was he Sir during the war… or was he knighted afterwards?
You may not need to include everything; it depends on what consistent practice you’ll be using for the other people you’re quoting. Bernard L. Montgomery, for example, was known in full as Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein – and that’s even leaving out his KG, GCB, DSO and PC designations. A good standard form to use for everyone would be simply rank + commonly used form of name (including initials as just initials), without any knighthoods.
Than I might need help with the ranks once I lock down all the quotes.
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These are the US Army abbreviations…
2LT 1LT CPT MAJ LTC COL BG MG LTG GEN GA
…for these ranks:
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
General of the ArmyThese are the US Navy abbreviations…
ENS LTJG LT LCDR CDR CAPT RDML RADM VADM ADM FADM
…for these ranks:
Ensign
Lieutenant (junior grade)
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain
Rear Admiral (lower half)
Rear Admiral
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Fleet Admiral
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