Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 39 i History of War

“The day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured” – President Woodrow Wilson, 2 April, 1917 Not long ago I was sifting through issues of The War Illustrated, Britain’s weekly magazine produced during WWI and WWII. The profundity of reading a publication 100 years old was not lost on me, so I’m delighted that one of those issues has now inspired this publication, a century later. In 1917, the USA finally broke its neutrality and entered WWI – a major event for the country and the world. In June that year, The War Illustrated’s cover featured an unnamed Texan volunteering in France, who upon hearing the…

October-December 1899 THE BOER OFFENSIVE After declaring war, the Boer republics invaded the Cape Colony with more than 30,000 commandos. The outnumbered British won some initial tactical victories but were then besieged at Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafeking. 10-15 December 1899 ‘BLACK WEEK’ The British suffered three embarrassing defeats in less than a week. The battles of Stormberg, Magersfontein and Colenso all saw the British endure significantly heavier casualties than the Boers. 23-24 January 1900 BATTLE OF SPION KOP Arguably the most famous Boer victory of the war, the battle saw the British incur 1,493 casualties as they attempted to capture enemy positions on a steep hill. The defeat delayed the relief of Ladysmith by a month. 15 February - 18 May 1900 RELIEF OF THE BRITISH GARRISONS After the shock…

In later life they would wage a war of words against each other over Indian Independence, but during the Boer War, Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi both served the same side. Both also bore witness to the slaughter on Spion Kop. By 1900, Churchill had left the British army without winning the medals he believed he needed to launch his political career. Seeing the Boer War as an ideal opportunity to earn fame instead, he got a job as a war correspondent for the London Morning Post and headed to Natal intent on making himself headline news. Having already dramatically escaped from a Boer POW camp just weeks earlier, Churchill was with Warren’s column when it encountered Spion Kop. He spent much of 24 January galloping between Thorneycroft and Warren…

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE The iconic symbol of the battle, the Spitfire was fast, manoeuvrable and responsible for downing 529 enemy aircraft with 230 losses. HAWKER HURRICANE The Hurricane was the most numerous RAF aircraft during the battle and shot down 656 German aircraft (particularly bombers), which was more than the Spitfire. BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT A distinctive two-seat fighter with a four-gun turret, the Defiant had no forward firing armament and was vulnerable to enemy fighters. It was quickly withdrawn from the battle. BRISTOL BLENHEIM This light fighter-bomber suffered heavy losses during the Battle of France but it was better suited as a night fighter and flew missions to bomb German-occupied airfields. GLOSTER GLADIATOR An anachronistic biplane, the Gladiator was the least numerically important fighter during the battle. Based at RAF Roborough,…

EDWARD MANDELL STONE ENLISTED: 2 AUGUST 1914 A 1908 Harvard graduate, Stone enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. By October, he was with a machine gun section in northern France. Wounded by shrapnel on 17 February 1915, he died 12 days later. Stone is considered the first American to die as a result of combat during World War I. CHARLES SWEENY ENLISTED: 1914 A major in the US Army at the war’s outbreak, and graduate of the US Military Academy, Sweeny joined up with the French Foreign Legion and was seriously wounded. He received the Croix de Guerre and Legion of Honor for heroism in combat. He returned to the US Army in May 1917. FRANKLIN JUDE GARY ENLISTED: 1915 Major Frank Jude Gary of Sioux City, Iowa, enlisted at…

The Committee on Public Information engaged in a vigorous propaganda effort through rallies, parades and encouraging performers to produce patriotically themed entertainment. The image of a stern Uncle Sam appeared on recruiting posters across the country and Liberty Bond drives generated cash to finance the effort to defeat ‘the Hun’. The Espionage and Sedition Act of 1917 gagged much of the domestic opposition to American involvement in WWI. A landmark test case, Schenck v United States, was actually decided after the war. On 3 March 1919, the US Supreme Court ruled that activities that posed a “clear and present danger” or could result in a crime, such as dodging the draft, were punishable by law. Americans enjoyed the hit song Over There, written by George M Cohan, sauerkraut became Liberty…

This map charts Pizarro’s expeditions between 1524-33 and their routes show the faltering starts he made towards his goal. Pizarro always departed from Panama City and his expeditions were unique for being the first European voyages to explore the western South American coastline. The first two expeditions were largely failures that were confined to island-hopping and hugging the coast. By comparison, the third expedition was an unqualified success and saw Pizarro sail and march all the way from Panama City to the Incan capital of Cuzco.…

“TO COMPLETE THIS SINISTER LOOK, THE FREIKORP’S LINE INFANTRY AND HUSSARS WORE A SHAKO THAT DISPLAYED THE SYMBOL OF A HUMAN SKULL” Due to their mostly black uniforms – only the sharpshooters and lancers wore green, black being the colour of death and revenge – the Duke’s Freikorps (Free Corps) (whose motto and battle cry was “Sieg oder Tod” meaning death or victory), was colloquially known as “Schar der Rache” (Host of Revenge), “Schwarze Legion” (Black Legion), “Die schwarzen Krähen” (The Black Crows), “Die Schwarzen” (The Blacks) or most commonly, “Die schwarze Schar” (The Black Host). The colour had been chosen to mourn for the French occupied homeland, the death of the old Duke and that the young Duke’s wife, Princess Marie of Baden, who had died during childbirth in…

“THE ALLIED VICTORY WAS NOT ACHIEVED BY A READILY MADE BLUEPRINT STRATEGY AVAILABLE IN 1914” Author: Rob Johnson Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: £25 Released: Out now One of the most important things to come out of the centenary of 1914 is the general consensus that World War I has been treated as a primarily Western European affair for too long. Excellent publications have demonstrated how the conflict played out on previously neglected fronts, including Eastern Europe or indeed the Middle East. The latest scholarly account of the latter theatre of war is Rob Johnson’s book The Great War And The Middle East. Drawing on intensive research in various archives, Johnson’s thorough account highlights the strategic importance of the fighting in the Middle East. The Ottoman territories became a central…

DENIAL HISTORY IS ON TRIAL IN THIS RIVETING COURTROOM DRAMA CERTIFICATE: 12A DIRECTOR: MICK JACKSON CAST: RACHEL WEISZ, TIMOTHY SPALL, TOM WILKINSON, MARK GATISS RELEASED: OUT NOW “Not all opinions are equal,” declares American academic and historian Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz), to the British press after her victorious day in court. It’s a line that bears repeating and clinging to in today’s ‘post-truth’ world, where poorly argued internet memes appear to carry as much as veracity as expertise and genuine facts. It’s also meant as a stinging rebuke to the likes of David Irving, a historical writer who spent much of his time attacking the Holocaust and denying Hitler had any knowledge of it Benefitting from an excellent script by David Hare, Denial is brilliant. Timothy Spall’s portrayal of Irving…

TOM GARNER This month Tom sat down with pilot ace Wing Commander Paul Farnes, who reveals his experiences of combat during the Battle of Britain, as well as why the Hurricane was the superior aircraft (page 28). MARC DESANTIS For those with an interest in all things brutal and Medieval, Marc takes you back to the pivotal Battle of the Golden Spurs, where sturdy Flemish rebels faced off against heavily armoured French knights (page 38). MIKE HASKEW Commemorating the centenary of the USA’s entry into WWI, Mike takes a look at the journey from isolation to armed action, as well as the stories of the first Americans to fight on the Western Front (page 46).…

MOUNTED INFANTRY LOYALTY: BRITISH EMPIRE YEARS IN OPERATION: 1899-1902 HORSEMANSHIP For mounted infantrymen, the horse was merely a means of (often slow) transportation for moving in columns, British Empire troops received only basic instruction in how to ride a horse. MILITARY INTELLIGENCE Not only was knowledge of the local terrain limited, but British commanders frequently failed – often out of sheer arrogance – to carry out reconnaissance patrols, believing the Boer insurgency to be an inferior enemy. MARKSMANSHIP Often completed hurriedly, firearms training was limited, with troops receiving no instruction on how to shoot from the saddle. After the war, the British made concerted efforts to improve the marksmanship of recruits. MORALE Victorian Imperial ideology was a powerful force. Many troops – recruited throughout the empire – came to fight…

“ALTHOUGH THE WAR WOULD CONTINUE FOR TWO YEARS, ROBERTS’S ACHIEVEMENTS MEANT THAT A BRITISH VICTORY WAS INEVITABLE” FREDERICK ROBERTS THE ELDERLY ARCHITECT OF BRITISH VICTORY YEARS: 1832-1914 LOYALTY: BRITISH EMPIRE The British victory in the Boer War has largely been credited to Lord Kitchener, whose harsh scorched-earth policy and infamous implementation of concentration camps forced the final Boer surrender in 1902. Nevertheless, it was his predecessor Field Marshal Lord Roberts who successfully annexed the Transvaal and Orange Free State and made the Boer defeat inevitable. Born into an Anglo-Irish military family, Roberts was commissioned into the British Army in 1851 and was posted to India. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857-59, he won a Victoria Cross at Khudaganj when he saved the life of a loyal sepoy and captured a…

Although many of them were technically violating the law of the land, up to 50,000 Americans joined the Canadian Army prior to their own country’s entry into World War I. Others wore British or French uniforms in the trenches or flying combat aircraft. Among the best known expatriate Americans were those of Canada’s American Legion, the 97th, 211th, 212th, 213th and 237th Battalions of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Recruited from across Canada in 1915-1916, these battalions participated in heavy combat on the Western Front. One such engagement occurred at Vimy Ridge on 9-12 April 1917, just after the US declared war on Germany. An eyewitness recalled dozens of Americans in Canadian uniform producing small US flags, tying them to their bayonets and executing a spontaneous charge against a German trench,…

The auction is being held at Special Auction Services in Newbury, Berkshire UK and bidding can take place in person, online or via telephone. For information, visit www.specialauctionservices.com or email mail@specialauctionservices.com.…

Although the introduction of European diseases such as smallpox assisted the Spanish in their subjection of stunned civilisations, their own weapons and equipment also played a significant part. The conquistadors were technologically superior to the indigenous Americans in every respect, although their equipment was surprisingly more Medieval than modern in some ways. All Spanish soldiers carried the traditional staples of armour and swords, and both were largely manufactured in Toledo, Spain, which was renowned for its metalwork. Swords were unknown in pre-Columbian America but Toledo swords were formidable and would not pass inspection until they could survive full-force impact against armour or bend in a half-circle. The armour that protected an early conquistador was usually a full plate suit that consisted of a breastplate, arm and leg greaves, a throat-protecting…

“HE IS ARGUABLY PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EPITOMISING THE SPIRIT OF THE YOUNG, DASHING FIGHTER PILOT THAT HAS SINCE BECOME LEGENDARY” Writer: Tom Neil (Introduction by James Holland) Publisher: Amberley Press Price: £16.99 (Paperback) Released: 15 October 2016 Along with Wing Commander Paul Farnes, Wing Commander Tom Neil is only one of two surviving ‘ace’ fighter pilots from the Battle of Britain. Aged 96 as of January 2017, Neil flew Hawker Hurricanes with 249 Squadron during the Battle of Britain as a pilot officer, where he flew 141 combat missions, destroyed 13 enemy aircraft and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar by the end of 1940. By the time WWII was over, he had scored a total of 14 kills and he has now written a vivid memoir detailing…

“THE BOOK CERTAINLY DESERVES TO BE READ BY ALL WHO WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE CONFLICT” Authors: Patrick Gregory and Elizabeth Nurser Publisher: The History Press Price: £20 Released: Out now History books on the, brief but costly, US involvement in World War I have become more numerous in the lead-up to 2017, which marks the 100th anniversary of the United States’s entry into the war. An American On The Western Front is a recent example of this general trend. At its heart is the story of one US soldier, Arthur Clifford Kimber, who left Stanford in order to serve in Europe. One of the first US soldiers to reach the Western front, Kimber wrote some 160 letters to his mother, which paint a vivid…

“ALTHOUGH THE OPERATION WOULD HAVE BEEN EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL, THE EXTRACTOR WAS A SIGN OF MEDICAL IMPROVEMENTS” Surgery in warfare is always a painful business, but until relatively modern times it was positively horrific. Until the 19th century, soldiers were treated without anaesthetic and during the British Civil Wars of the mid-17th century, wounded men were subjected to bone saws, skull elevators and sometimes this ominous bullet extractor. Designed to remove musket balls, the extractor was inserted into the wound and would follow the path of the ball until it was found. Once contact was made, the mechanism on the end of the extractor would be turned to screw into the soft lead of the ball, before being removed from the body. Although the operation would have been excruciatingly painful, the…

“THORNEYCROFT’S MEN ANNOUNCED THEIR VICTORY WITH THREE LOUD HURRAHS THAT RANG OUT ACROSS THE VELDT. LITTLE WERE THEY TO KNOW, HOWEVER, THAT THE REAL BATTLE WAS YET TO BEGIN” As the 19th century drew to a close, Britain’s quest to seize the vast gold fields that South Africa’s Boers had discovered in The Transvaal wasn’t going well. When war had broken out three months earlier, Boer militias had struck pre-emptively against British bases in the region, laying siege to the garrisons at Mafeking, Kimberley and Ladysmith. It was a move the British hadn’t expected. They, after all, were masters of the greatest empire the world had ever seen. How could a bunch of uppity farmers and prospectors have the impudence to take them on? Their response was to raise a…

Francisco Pizarro as he might have appeared during the conquest of the Incan Empire in the early 1530s. His face is based on portrait dating from around 1540 and his beard would have been of some interest to the Incas, who were unused to seeing facial hair. His full suit of armour (which includes the famous “Morion” helmet) would have been vital for his protection in Peru where the conquistadors were vastly outnumbered. The sword is based on a blade that reputedly belonged to Pizarro and would have been made of tough Toledo steel. Pizarro also probably wore a red sash and cape to mark him out as an officer and commander. In 1542, a Dominican friar called Bartolomé de las Casas was reflecting on his life experiences. As one…

1824 A minor dispute between King Alaungpaya of Rangoon and the British East India Company leads to an inconclusive war. A second conflict takes place in 1852, with dismal results for the Burmese. 1881 Relishing its local autonomy, the Karen ethnic group organises a national association to prepare for statehood and assert its rights amid increasing British influence on Burma’s domestic politics. 1886 The Third Anglo-Burmese War begins in November 1885. Within two months, the city of Mandalay is in British hands. Burma is annexed on 1 January and a colonial administration is imposed. 1948 After Burma is granted the status of a Crown Colony in 1937, local nationalists agitate for full independence. The British leave for good on 4 January and the Union of Burma is created. 1949 Disagreements…

CANTEEN The wooden canteen was first introduced in 1793. Trotter & Sons, the main manufacturer, had made 200,000 of them by 1803. Yet canteens were not standardised equipment, and a number of other types made from wood and tin were available to British troops throughout the Napoleonic Wars. The Brunswicker’s canteen is marked BLJ for Braunschweig Lauenburg’sche Jäger. BAYONET The Brown Bess Bayonet was the standard infantry bayonet issued from 1722 to around 1840 for use with the musket of the same name. It was made with a socket that fitted over the barrel of the musket and had a slot that slid past the fore sight. Later, bayonets would have a locking catch. The blade was offset to one side allowing the soldier to load the musket without injuring…

“WITH THE EYE OF A SEASONED DOCUMENTARIAN, REES MOVES CONFIDENTLY THROUGH EVENTS AND PRIMARY SOURCES, MANY OF WHICH ARE SEEING PRINT FOR THE FIRST TIME” Writer: Laurence Rees Publisher: Viking Price: £25 Released: Out now “Today I will once more be a prophet: If the international Jewish financiers in and outside Europe should succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will not be the Bolshevisation of the earth, and thus the victory of Jewry, but the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.” So spoke Hitler at the beginning of 1939, but there was nothing mystical about his insight. This was a self-fulfilling prophecy and that’s the conclusion at the heart of this powerful new volume from Rees, the broadcaster and historian responsible…