Rommel, the Bold Swabian

Michael Dorosh

der Spieß des Forums
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
15,733
Reaction score
2,765
Location
Calgary, AB
First name
Michael
Country
llCanada
18809

Earliest reference I can find to the "bloody bucket" monicker in stateside newspapers (in English) is this from a Knoxville paper on 24 September 1944.

And this was in a Pennsylvania paper the same day:

18810
 

Eagle4ty

Forum Guru
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
6,913
Reaction score
5,094
Location
Eau Claire, Wi
Country
llUnited States
As for the original topic, it brings to mind MAD magazine's take on PATTON:

View attachment 18811
There's also a story (true or not, no clue) about Gen Braldley's visit to the front in Sicily to assess morale. Upon his return to Gen Truscott's HQ he remarked, "In my entire visit I wasn't saluted once!" To which Gen Truscott immediately replied, "You should have waved. They're right friendly folks."
 

Michael Dorosh

der Spieß des Forums
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
15,733
Reaction score
2,765
Location
Calgary, AB
First name
Michael
Country
llCanada
There's also a story (true or not, no clue) about Gen Braldley's visit to the front in Sicily to assess morale. Upon his return to Gen Truscott's HQ he remarked, "In my entire visit I wasn't saluted once!" To which Gen Truscott immediately replied, "You should have waved. They're right friendly folks."
I've heard the same story, but attributed to Freyberg (VC) commanding the New Zealanders, responding to Monty.

It's funny (and apt) either way....
 

Actionjick

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 23, 2020
Messages
7,468
Reaction score
4,996
Location
Kent, Ohio
First name
Darryl
Country
llUnited States
Hm, are you sure that they took this nickname from the Germans?

In German, this would translate "Blutiger Eimer", which is not exactly catchy but sounds rather awkward. As such, by gut-feeling it would appear kind of strange (though of course not impossible) that this nickname stuck with the Germans.

In English, though, "Bloody Bucket" sounds much better. So could the nickname be "homegrown"?

von Marwitz
Can you speak to the timidness or lack of boldness of Swabians? Or was that something from wbitd that no longer has relevance in modern Germany? Thanks!
 

WuWei

Elder Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
1,168
Reaction score
915
Location
Germany
First name
Tobias
Country
llGermany
Can you speak to the timidness or lack of boldness of Swabians? Or was that something from wbitd that no longer has relevance in modern Germany? Thanks!
There's the famous story of "The Seven Swabians" who got scared off by a rabbit and then swore to never tell anyone and went on crazy adventures together that they survived by luck and stupidity...


Edit: Minor correction: In the children's book I remember they survive. In older sources, the all drown.
 
Last edited:

Actionjick

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 23, 2020
Messages
7,468
Reaction score
4,996
Location
Kent, Ohio
First name
Darryl
Country
llUnited States
There's the famous story of "The Seven Swabians" who got scared off by a rabbit and then swore to never tell anyone and went on crazy adventures together that they survived by luck and stupidity...


Edit: Minor correction: In the children's book I remember they survive. In older sources, the all drown.
Thanks!
 

Old Noob

Forum Guru
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
2,177
Reaction score
2,330
Country
llUnited States
1st Infantry Division - "The Big Red One"
4th Armored Division - "Patton's Best"
 

Michael Dorosh

der Spieß des Forums
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
15,733
Reaction score
2,765
Location
Calgary, AB
First name
Michael
Country
llCanada
Well known German ones included Schneller ("Speedy") for Heinz Guderian, and Field Marshall Keitel, who served as chief of OKW (Armed Forces High Command) was known as "Lackeitel" which is a German word for "lackey."

Among my favs are Hyacinth Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz, quite a monicker on its own, who was reverentially referred to as "Panzergraf", the Armoured Count.

The British had a number of stock nicknames. If your surname was Clark or Clarke, you were almost always called Nobby or Knobby no matter what your Christian name was. Likewise if you were a Rhodes your nickname was Dusty. The Blackadder writers played with this by referencing a schoolhood chum of George's called "Strangely" Brown.
 

Eagle4ty

Forum Guru
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
6,913
Reaction score
5,094
Location
Eau Claire, Wi
Country
llUnited States
During the fighting at Buna, Papua, New Guinea there were several Smiths in command Positions all named Herbert A. Smith. One Colonel Herbert A. Smith was called "Red Smith" (Cdr 126th Inf Regt), his contemporary Maj Herbert A. Smith (2-126 Inf Regt) was called "White Smith" and MSG Herbert A. Smith was referred to as "Blue Smith" in communicates. I knew COL Herb Smith (Red Smith) and currently know his son Herbert A. Smith Jr. and find it funney that even today Herb Jr has a hard time recollecting which , Red or White, that his dad was.
 

Old Noob

Forum Guru
Joined
Jan 10, 2020
Messages
2,177
Reaction score
2,330
Country
llUnited States
Don't forget that General Smith (commanding the 27th Infantry Division) was relieved of command on Saipan by General H. M. Smith (USMC),
over a difference of combat tactics.
 

Actionjick

Forum Guru
Joined
Apr 23, 2020
Messages
7,468
Reaction score
4,996
Location
Kent, Ohio
First name
Darryl
Country
llUnited States
Don't forget that General Smith (commanding the 27th Infantry Division) was relieved of command on Saipan by General H. M. Smith (USMC),
over a difference of combat tactics.
All I can think of is the Smith Brothers Cough Drops. 🤔
 

Michael Dorosh

der Spieß des Forums
Joined
Feb 6, 2004
Messages
15,733
Reaction score
2,765
Location
Calgary, AB
First name
Michael
Country
llCanada
During the fighting at Buna, Papua, New Guinea there were several Smiths in command Positions all named Herbert A. Smith. One Colonel Herbert A. Smith was called "Red Smith" (Cdr 126th Inf Regt), his contemporary Maj Herbert A. Smith (2-126 Inf Regt) was called "White Smith" and MSG Herbert A. Smith was referred to as "Blue Smith" in communicates. I knew COL Herb Smith (Red Smith) and currently know his son Herbert A. Smith Jr. and find it funney that even today Herb Jr has a hard time recollecting which , Red or White, that his dad was.
Back when British regiments were named after their commanding officers, there were two Colonel Howards, so they further differentiated them by the colour of their facings. The name stuck for centuries for one of the regiments, and several battalions of the Green Howards served around the world in the Second World War, and the name persisted until amalgamation in 2006. Howard's Buffs were more commonly known as "the Buffs".
 

Eagle4ty

Forum Guru
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
Messages
6,913
Reaction score
5,094
Location
Eau Claire, Wi
Country
llUnited States
Don't forget that General Smith (commanding the 27th Infantry Division) was relieved of command on Saipan by General H. M. Smith (USMC),
over a difference of combat tactics.
Yes and no.

LT GEN H. M. (Howl'in Mad) Smith was a known USMC-ophile and had a lasting distaste for US Army personnel in general and MAJ GEN R. A. Smith (US ARMY) specifically. Once the Japanese on Saipan had effectively withdrawn the bulk of their forces on Saipan from the coasts into "Death Valley" interior area of the island, primarily in the sector of "Purple Heart Ridge, Hell's Pocket and Bloody Nose Knob", US Army troops operating in that sector made less progress than their USMC counterparts operating along the coasts that the Japanese had depleted their forces from. Seeing this as a lack of aggression from US Army formations LT Gen H. M. Smith (Corps Commander) relieved MAJ GEN R. A. Smith of command of the 27th ID on the pretext that MAJ GEN Smith had circumvented Chain Of Command by continuing to give orders to his 106th IR that had been transferred to Corp command the previous evening. MAJ GEN Smith contended he was just giving notice to a previously subordinate command to continue their operations as previously determined and notify them of the change of chain of command authority. LT GEN Smith contended this was tantamount to insubordination and that (he) the Corps Cdr should have the only authority to issue directives to his subordinate commands and that MAJ GEN Smith had deliberately overstepped his bounds. The controversy would continue well after the war until MAJ GEN Smith was finally cleared of any charges by a mixed USA/USMC board of inquiry in 1947.
 
Top