Hi while on the topic of churchill , we need to acknowledge one of churchills bigger contributions to the development of the military tank.
Tanks were first used in combat by the British during World War I as a means to break the deadlock of trench warfare. They were first deployed at the Battle of Somme in limited numbers. During construction, to conceal their true identity as weapons, they were designated as water carriers for the Mesopotamian campaign and referred to as "tanks" (as in "water tank"). Churchill was involved with the development of the tank, which was financed from naval research funds. He then headed the Landships Committee which was responsible for creating the first tank corps and, although a decade later development of the battle tank would be seen as a tactical victory, at the time it was seen as misappropriation of funds.
Thats a coincidence!! I was just reading a magazine article about a Russian origin T-55 battle tank. Although The British were the first to use the tank in combat it was the French who first introduced them (same Wiki :) ) That Winston Churchill had anything to do with it is news to me!
Madan you would be surprised to know that some of the best highways were built by one of the worst dictators, Adolf Hitler. Also the most adorable car of all time, The Volkswagen Beetle, was also heavily funded by Hitler. Adolf Hitler wanted to assert Germany's superiority in all aspects and he used the automobile as a vehicle (pun not intended) for this. The best sports cars, luxury cars, etc all HAD to be from Germany. The VW Beetle was built for the common man and its purpose was to ensure Germany's common man had a car. This was nearly 60 years before Ratan Tata's Nano :):) Although Hitler's intentions were much less honorable than Ratan Tata's.
Yep; the main reason for the autobahns was to ensure a unified Germany by easing the travel of Germans(military especially) to its various neighbors. It was built so well that the roads could withstand really high speeds of automobiles which came much later in the century!! German Engineering at its best, i suppose.
I have worked with one german all my life, and I found it very difficult because of our difference of perceptions. To him a good design comes at whatever cost - to us, cost and shedule could override a good design, and only functionality matters for the moment matters...
Hi had a chance to travel thro punjab on road delhi to himachal via nangal the tremendous investments on that main highway thro panipet and kurukshethra amazed me. i was told in wartime this road transports the bulk of tha rmy to the punjab borders.
so i guess the fly overs there were being made to tank standards
that reminds me of all the half tar, half stone roads in avadi (tank factory), and places where the tanks had slipped on to the road, causing the road the sink a few centimeters with all the tank wheel strips (what do they call the metal belts that run around the wheels on taks?) to leave an impression... you should see it to get an idea of how unsuited normal roads are for tanks...
Actually, almost all transportation works of a certain magnitude in history are done for the benefit of the military.
Take our own railways: built so that the British could move troops easily around the country (the easier to put down any mutinies) for example. Or the extensive US highway network. All built (originally, at least) for the military. That they almost immediately find use inc civilian scenarios shouldn't be too surprising - the country just spent a fortune on that road, and opening it up for civilian use brings in some revenue, both in the form of trade and in the form of tolls.