from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Translation requests of German or other languages.

Moderator: John W. Howard

Post Reply
MadDog
Associate
Posts: 666
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 7:39 pm

from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by MadDog »

Having a little trouble with this one:

Das gelande beiderseits der Dommel und am Kanal war stellenweise versumpft.Es behinderte die bewegung der gepanzerten fahrzeuge. Einige panzer konnten sich erst im Schutz der nacht 19./20. gegenseitig wieder flott machen.

The last sentence is the confusing one. The whole paragrpah sounds something like :

"The terrain on both sides of the Dommel (a river) and the channel was on places swampy. it impeded the movement of armored vehicles. Some armor was immobilized until the night of the 19-20th."

is this about right ?

thanks,

Mad Dog
User avatar
Hiltraut Tieden
Supporter
Posts: 195
Joined: Sat Jun 24, 2006 6:45 pm
Location: Florida

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by Hiltraut Tieden »

Here is what I think the last sentence translates:

A few tanks could restart each other only under cover of night from 19th to 20th.

Hiltraut
MadDog
Associate
Posts: 666
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 7:39 pm

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by MadDog »

I would assume with swampy terrain the trouble would be tanks getting bogged down. I guess we really have to read between the lines.

thanks,

Mad Dog
l3w
Supporter
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:25 am

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by l3w »

I (native German) would read the sentence like this: The terrain was swampy, so it was difficult for the armoured vehicles to manoeuvre. Some of the tanks could get out of the swamp with the help of other tanks only under the screen of the night of the 19-20th.
MadDog
Associate
Posts: 666
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 7:39 pm

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by MadDog »

That sounds pretty reasonable. THanks for the help, everyone.

Mad Dog
hero.
Supporter
Posts: 102
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2009 9:50 am

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by hero. »

Hello !

My interpretation of the german term :
>> ... sich gegenseitig wieder flottmachen ... <<

would be, that indeed some of the of the tanks got bogged down in the swampy terrain.
While achieving to get those free, some of the helping tanks got bogged down, too.
Those could finally got going again by the help of some of the tanks, that had been freed before.

So an alternative translation could be :
...a number of tanks could only free themselves [from the swampy terrain] by mutual assistance.

@l3w : I hope that's not too nitpicking, as the final result is not different from your translation (or Hiltrauds),
but I thought it might give a little more of an idea, what was going on that night.

Best regards :D ,
hero.
MadDog
Associate
Posts: 666
Joined: Thu Feb 20, 2003 7:39 pm

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by MadDog »

Thanks everyone for your translations. "Bogged down" must be part of it, with the reference to swampy terrain.

thanks,

Mad Dog
Quax der Bruchpilot
Supporter
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 8:30 am

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by Quax der Bruchpilot »

..some of the tanks were able to free each other under the protection of the night not before the 19/.20...

or

.. not before the 19/.20 some of the tanks were able to free each other under the protection of the night..
Quax der Bruchpilot
Supporter
Posts: 52
Joined: Thu May 19, 2011 8:30 am

Re: from P-189 (107 Pz Brig)

Post by Quax der Bruchpilot »

"flott" means "quick", "sich flottmachen" means "to repair oneself" and for girls "to apply lots of make up"
Post Reply