# Commands given in war that still inspire **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 29, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301 "2022-12-29T21:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/41 "2022-12-31T03:56:02Z")
“By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged!” “Never give in, never surrender!” - Alan Rickman both though some Churchill guy may have co-opted the later. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/42 "2022-12-31T08:33:25Z")
Not quite a command, but Elizabeth I’s speech to the troops at Tilbury awaiting the Spanish Armada is pretty powerful rhetoric: [Speech to the Troops at Tilbury - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_to_the_Troops_at_Tilbury) Are we allowing fiction? Shakespeare’s _Henry V_ has some stirring examples - "Once more unto the breach’ and the speech before Agincourt. They were clearly in Churchill’s mind for some of his best-known wartime speeches. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/43 "2022-12-31T08:40:36Z")
> [@TheCuse](#): > > To the German Commander, > > N U T S ! > > The American Commander" It gets even better when the Germans were confused as to what he meant and asked for clarification; > [@](#): > > “What does this mean?” the Germans asked of the “nuts!” message. Harper discussed how to explain the American slang with Pfc. Ernest Premetz, a medic who spoke German. “Tell them to take a flying shit!” Harper said. Instead, Premetz turned and faced the Germans. “Du kannst zum Teufel gehen,” Premetz said, telling them they could go to hell. > > “And I will tell you something else,” Harper added. “If you continue to attack we will kill every goddam German that tries to break into this city.” > > “We will kill many Americans,” Henke replied. “This is war.” > > “On your way bud and good luck to you,” Harper said. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/44 "2022-12-31T14:29:00Z")
Not a command exactly but “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” is pretty inspiring. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/45 "2022-12-31T16:16:20Z")
“Never give **up**. Never surrender!” was Tim Allen’s line, not Rickman’s. Although Alan did speak it once. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/SJ2hJezvd2I/maxresdefault.jpg "Never give up! Never surrender!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ2hJezvd2I) ---
**Author:** ![burt-lancaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@burt-lancaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burt-lancaster)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/46 "2022-12-31T16:35:46Z")
“Come on you sons of bitches do you want to live forever” ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2022, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/47 "2022-12-31T18:34:04Z")
My Google-fu is failing me, but I I once read of a US army group that was surrounded by Germans during WWII. When the Germans sent someone under a white flag to discuss terms of surrender the America commander said something to the effect of “I’m sorry, we cannot accept your surrender because we don’t have enough men to take you all prisoner.” ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/48 "2023-01-01T00:52:05Z")
That’s a scene from _A Bridge Too Far_, and not an American, but a Brit. Whether it happened during the real life battle, I don’t know. Scene: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pILlitb8Acc/maxresdefault.jpg "A Bridge Too Far | “We Can’t Accept Your Surrender” Scene | MGM Studios") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pILlitb8Acc) ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/49 "2023-01-01T01:03:27Z")
That may explain why I couldn’t find it. Oddly enough, though, I’ve never seen the movie; maybe I just read a description of that scene somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/50 "2023-01-01T01:23:01Z")
Huh, according to the Wikipedia page on the incident, a closer translation is “Russian warship, go sit on a dick”. We want to be sure that we’re using the proper terminology when addressing Russian warships, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/51 "2023-01-01T13:48:11Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > That’s a scene from _A Bridge Too Far_, and not an American, but a Brit. Whether it happened during the real life battle, I don’t know. > > Scene: > > [https://youtube.com/watch?v=pILlitb8Acc](https://youtube.com/watch?v=pILlitb8Acc) The character in the movie is fictional but based on Major Digby Tatham-Warter. The character dies in the movie but Digby survived. He was truly a unique character: He carried an umbrella because he couldn’t remember passwords. He led a bayonet charge wearing a bowler hat. Disabled a German armored car by sticking his umbrella through the vision slit and poking the driver in the eye. He rescued a chaplain who was pinned down by enemy fire by bringing him to safety under his unbrella. Before being captured at Arnhem he radioed “Out of ammo, God save the King.” He escaped captivity and spent a long period of time behind enemy lines before getting back to the British. ---
**Author:** ![FrenchDunadan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frenchdunadan/32/5449_2.png) [@FrenchDunadan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrenchDunadan)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/52 "2023-01-01T19:51:10Z")
“Haut les têtes! la mitraille c’est pas de la merde!” (heads high, it’s canister shot , not shit") Colonel Lepic charging with the horse grenadiers at Eylau 1807 and the following is more epic! ---
**Author:** ![Celtic\_Kitsune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celtic_kitsune/32/12086_2.png) [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2023, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/53 "2023-01-02T08:03:37Z")
“When they attack us they will see our faces and not our backs.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy Broadcast on the day of the invasion I thought, you deserve to win, just for that. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2023, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/54 "2023-01-02T08:42:13Z")
“Occasionally, one must conjure up enough courage, close one’s eyes and jump off the platform of the Kiyomizu.” -Hideki Tojo on the eve on the war. [![](https://howtojapan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/image4-6.jpg) ](https://howtojapan.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/image4-6.jpg) Said temple. Those brave words always inspire me to stop and f\*cking think before doing something reckless and foolhardy. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2023, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/55 "2023-01-02T11:34:02Z")
> [@Celtic\_Kitsune](#): > > “When they attack us they will see our faces and not our backs.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy “I don’t want a ride, I want ammunition” Volodymyr Zelenskyy ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/56 "2023-01-05T00:43:22Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Nitpick: Perry’s Perry was quoting Lawrence (as you pointed out, yourself). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/57 "2023-01-05T00:50:00Z")
In 1912, the German Kaiser visited Switzerland and asked a Swiss minister what the 250,000 strong Swiss army would do if Germany attacked with 500,000 troops. Reply: “Shoot twice and go home.” ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/58 "2023-01-05T04:41:42Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > > [@dtilque](#): > > > > Nitpick: Perry’s > > Perry was quoting Lawrence (as you pointed out, yourself). Hmm, I can’t figure out why I made that nitpick. You are correct. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/59 "2023-01-05T05:34:55Z")
I feel like you have confused each other. Perry quoted Lawrence with the somewhat misleading and not altogether inspiring “Don’t give up the ship.” But after the battle, in reporting on the victory, Perry wrote “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” ---
**Author:** ![Celtic\_Kitsune](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/celtic_kitsune/32/12086_2.png) [@Celtic\_Kitsune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celtic_Kitsune)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2023, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301/60 "2023-01-05T06:02:58Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > “I don’t want a ride, I want ammunition” Volodymyr Zelenskyy He has definitely risen to the occasion, maybe we should all elect comedians as our leaders, though some may argue we already do that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commands-given-in-war-that-still-inspire/977301.md?page=4)