Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 46 i History of War

“I gripped my M-5 in both hands and thumbed the safety catch, assuring myself once again that it was off… My greatest fear now was of making a mistake that might endanger life – especially my own” – Robin Horsfall, Fighting Scared In the 21st century the battle against terrorism has seemingly re-defined war for a new era, where the streets of Western cities are the battlefields, and innocent civilians are turned into military targets. Of course, this form of warfare is sadly nothing new. In 1980 the Iranian Embassy Siege pitted brutal terrorist tactics against the elite training and professionalism of the Special Air Service – all broadcast on live television to stunned audiences. The result showed the world the immense capabilities of the SAS, who would mostly remain…

“WHEN THE SCOTS REFUSED, PUNITIVE ENGLISH EXPEDITIONS DEVASTATED SOUTHERN SCOTLAND” 1332-1357 SECOND WAR OF SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE Although Scotland’s independence was officially recognised in 1328, the English continued to support Edward Balliol – a rival claimant to the Scottish throne – against the infant David II, Robert the Bruce’s son. Despite many Scottish defeats, David managed to keep his throne. 19 July 1333 BATTLE OF HALIDON HILL After Edward Balliol’s short-lived assumption of the Scottish throne after the Battle of Dupplin Moor, Edward III of England openly declared his support and besieged Berwick. A relieving Scottish army was then defeated in Edward’s first notable victory of his career. August 1388 BATTLE OF OTTERBURN Decades of tension and political instability in England encouraged the Scots to invade as far south as Durham.…

As military historians, we are all familiar with battle maps showing the dispositions and movements of troops in battle. Most of these, however, were written by historians who were not present but used the written sources, some of whom were not present themselves. Many such maps come from centuries later and may not be reliable at all. For Pinkie Cleugh, however, we are remarkably well informed of the battle (and the whole campaign) since the Duke of Somerset’s secretary, William Patten, accompanied the expedition and wrote an eyewitness account of the campaign, The Expedicione into Scotlande of Edward Duke of Somerset, and published it less than a year later. Patten’s account includes a map of the battle of Pinkie Cleugh and it is the earliest eye-witness battle map we possess.…

“MANY MONASTIC LANDS WERE DEVASTATED UNTIL DAVID WAS DECISIVELY DEFEATED” DAVID II 1324-71 SCOTLAND THE CAPTIVE GUARANTOR OF SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE David’s reign fell in the shadow of his more famous father, Robert I ‘the Bruce’, the victor of Bannockburn. When Robert died in 1329 Scotland’s independence had been recognised by England for just a year and David inherited the throne aged only five years old. The English acceptance of Scottish sovereignty was extremely reluctant and warfare raged during the 1330s while David was sent to France for his safety. David returned to Scotland in 1341 and led three raids into England to assert his authority against Edward III. As an ally of the French, David then invaded England in 1346 while Edward was campaigning in France. Many monastic lands were…

 Although there is no known portrait of Fritigern, certain aspects of Gothic clothing, armour and weapons are known. Depictions of the Goths are difficult to date precisely to the period of the battle of Adrianople, but sculptures showing them earlier in the 4th Century are remarkably similar to those that date from later, and even from the 5th Century. The styles of hair, helmet, swords and armour here are all typically Gothic for the period and drawn from a variety of sources showing Gothic warriors. “HE IMPOSED A DEVASTATING DEFEAT ON THE FORCES OF THE EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE AT THE BATTLE OF ADRIANOPLE IN AUGUST 378 CE. THIS VICTORY, AGAINST A ROMAN ARMY COMMANDED BY THE EMPEROR VALENS IN PERSON, HAS LONG BEEN RECOGNISED AS ONE OF THE WATERSHED MOMENTS…

 This is a puzzling book. Initial impressions are good – it is hefty, packed with text and photographs and clearly the product of a vast amount of inside information and first-hand knowledge. Once the reader ventures inside, however, problems become apparent. “IT IS HEFTY, PACKED WITH TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS AND CLEARLY THE PRODUCT OF A VAST AMOUNT OF INSIDE INFORMATION AND FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE” Venter, a veteran writer with many publications to his credit, fails to define parameters for his book, resulting in a sprawling, unmanageable work. Even the choice of paper is eccentric, with the type of glossy stock generally reserved for photographs used throughout. The introduction seems not to have been given even the most cursory edit, being littered with tortuous sentences which sometimes change tense midway through. Pushing…

TOM GARNER This issue Tom spoke with veterans of the Siege of Jadotville, a previously forgotten UN campaign that saw outnumbered Irish soldiers fighting for their lives against waves of mercenaries in the thick of the Katanga Conflict (p. 76). ROBIN HORSFALL The Iranian Embassy Siege placed Britain’s special forces on the world stage, showing not only their deadly precision, but also their peerless professionalism. Here SAS veteran Robin recalls Operation Nimrod from the inside (p.26) MICHAEL HASKEW This month Mike spoke with his friend, Vietnam veteran Sammy L. Davis, about the dramatic events that earned him the Medal of Honor, as well as his bizarre brush with Hollywood when Tom Hanks replaced him on the big screen! (p. 68).…

“THE SCOTTISH PIKEMEN WERE DECISIVELY DEFEATED AND SHOWN TO BE OUTDATED BY THE ENGLISH BILLMEN” A great variety of troop types encompassed both sides of the conflict, including not only knights but lightly armoured mounted borderers, wealthy armoured infantry, peasant infantry and highlanders. These troop types used all manner of weaponry from pikes and bills to longbows and two-handed swords. During the period of the wars, warfare developed from ‘typical’ medieval battles into the age of gunpowder. SCOTTISH PIKEMAN THE PIKE WAS ONE OF THE MAIN WEAPONS OF INFANTRY FORMATIONS THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE AGES AND SOME PIKE FORMATIONS (SUCH AS THE SWISS) BECAME FAMOUS Units of lowly peasant infantry were equipped with the long pike because of its effectiveness against cavalry, its relatively cheap cost, and training in its use…

“THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT ALLOCATED A GENEROUS BUDGET AND ORDERED THE SAS TO FORM A COUNTER-TERRORIST TEAM AT THEIR BASE IN HEREFORD, UK. THE TEAM HAD TO BE READY TO MOVE ANYWHERE AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE – THEIR OPERATIONAL NAME WAS PAGODA” Robin joined the SAS in 1978 and was a member of the Nimrod assault team. He went on to serve with the Regiment during the Falklands War, then left the British Army two years later. Today he is a professional speaker, sharing his knowledge with audiences around the world. His autobiography, Fighting Scared, details his journey from a troubled childhood to serving in the world’s elite military and beyond. In this brief history of Operation Nimrod, Robin has included extracts from Fighting Scared, which is available now on Kindle.…

The friendly fire attack on 1st Minesweeping Flotilla off Le Havre was sadly not a unique case during WWII and blue-on-blue incidents occurred everywhere on land, sea and in the air. Despite the meticulous planning, accidents were strikingly prevalent around the time of the D-Day landings. During a simulated exercise on 28 April 1944 eight LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) were practising landing troops into Lyme Bay, England, when nine German E-boats attacked the transports leaving more than 600 Americans dead. To make matters worse, in the confusion a British cruiser then shelled the landing troops with live ammunition that resulted in another 308 Americans being killed. As part of the Normandy breakout in July 1944 Allied aircraft accidentally bombed American positions. The incident was due to miscommunications over poor weather…

The heavy blows that had been dealt by Allied tanks left no doubt that something needed to be done. The mass of orders issued at the front, however, were still useless. “Observation,” “reconnaissance”, “obstacle construction” and “stubborn resistance” could not make up for the lack of effective defensive weaponry. The construction of obstacles required both stable defensive lines and time – two things unavailable to the Germans throughout the second half of 1918. In some areas, minefields were laid and tank traps were dug, but in general, these actions came too late. Plans had been made, up to the spring of 1919, to issue 30,000 AT-rifles, 1,000 AT machine guns, smoke and AT hand grenades, plus 4,500 37mm cannon of various types. The infantry would also have access to 200…

The early 1960s were one of the most dangerous periods of the Cold War, when the world was teetering on the edge of catastrophe. In 1961 alone, construction began on the Berlin Wall and the Bay of Pigs Invasion accelerated the tensions that would manifest into the Cuban Missile Crisis the following year. However, an equally dangerous situation had developed in the Congo, which had global ramifications. In 1960, the Belgian Congo became an independent republic, but the new country was immediately faced with civil war. The provinces of Katanga and South Kasai seceded with Belgian support and when violence erupted, the United Nations deployed peacekeepers – including two battalions of the Irish Army – to restore order. The peacekeeping force was known as the ‘Organisation des Nations Unies de…

 War Stories is a fascinating account of ordinary men and women swept up in the turbulence of war who rose to the challenges of conflict with great acts of heroism and courage. “EACH STORY IS NEITHER TOO LONG OR TOO SHORT AND LEAVES THE READER WANTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THESE FASCINATING INDIVIDUALS” The book is written by the highly respected broadcaster and journalist Peter Snow and his wife Ann MacMillan, who also worked extensively in broadcasting and journalism and is the great-granddaughter of David Lloyd George. Their combined approach to the content has produced an intimate and varied account of fascinating stories of people at war that spans four centuries and four continents. 34 individuals are featured in the book and include Edward Seager, who survived the Charge of…

“THE BOOK IS A DEFINITIVE AND HIGHLY DETAILED PRIMARY SOURCE FOR THE SIEGE, AND DOYLE DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB IN EXPOSING HOW THE IRISH PEACEKEEPERS BECAME PAWNS IN AN INTERNATIONAL STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF SECESSIONIST KATANGA” In recent years the 1961 Siege of Jadotville has come to wide attention thanks to campaigning by veterans and the release of a Netflix motion picture in 2016. It is a compelling tale of how 156 Irish UN peacekeepers inflicted hundreds of casualties against thousands of Katangan rebels and mercenaries during the Congo Crisis without incurring a single fatality. However, their superiors kept the harrowing experiences of the Jadotville veterans out of the public eye for decades in a notorious episode of military injustice. The commander of A Company during the siege was Commandant…

Celebrate the finest fighter plane ever produced, with this luxury gift set courtesy of the Imperial War Museums. The first Supermarine Spitfire squadron was based at RAF Duxford, today IWM Duxford, and the plane was the only British fighter in constant production during WWII. In this exclusive set is a Spitfire-inspired wristwatch, featuring a black aviation dial and Spitfire blueprint design. Also included is a stainless steel hip flask – complete with the motto ‘Verrimus Caelum’ (‘We Sweep the Sky’) – and a quality blueprint umbrella, bearing one of the most popular designs exclusive to IWM. For more information and to find more of IWM’s fantastic gifts and merchandise, please visit: www.iwmshop.org.uk TO BE IN WITH A CHANCE TO WIN, SIMPLY VISIT WWW.HISTORYANSWERS.CO.UK Competition closes at 00:00 GMT…

“THE SITUATION FOR MAURICE WAS NOW DIRE, AND THE ANNIHILATION HE HAD FEARED WAS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY—WITH HIS LINE OF RETREAT CUT OFF, THERE WOULD BE NO ESCAPE” Marking the culmination of Henry VIII’s policy of ‘Rough Wooing’ of Mary to coerce her marriage to his son Edward, Pinkie Cleugh should be better remembered than it is. Even though Henry had died in January 1547, the policy was continued by Edward Seymour, Duke of Somerset, Lord Protector of the nine-year-old Edward VI. Invasion Forces Somerset invaded Scotland in early 1547 with a large army of around 17,000 men, supported by a fleet. He marched along the East coast of Scotland. To oppose this force the Earl of Arran raised an army consisting mainly of pikemen and archers. Sources…

 At the time of the embassy siege, the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was based at Bradbury Lines, Hereford. ‘The Regiment’ consisted of four regular Sabre Squadrons – A, B, D and G – all identical in makeup with a full complement of 70 men, including signallers and support staff. The squadrons rotated every six months, becoming the Pagoda team once every two years. At the start of April 1980, it was once again the turn of B Squadron, with most of the men were on their second or third Pagoda tour. “WITH CONCENTRATED TRAINING AND ALMOST UNLIMITED AMMUNITION, THE MEN WERE EXPECTED TO HIT A FOUR-INCH CIRCLE IN A HUMAN HEAD FROM FIVE METRES WITHOUT AIMING” Training for the Pagoda team consisted of continuous practice assaults on buildings, aircraft,…

Gothic culture was made up of a series of tribes, each with its own chieftain. In our sources these men are often described as kings. Fritigern is named as one such man, originally with another leader, Alavius, but Fritigern soon becomes the main focus of Ammianus’ narrative and called ‘king’ or ‘duces’. The actual organisation of the confederation of these Gothic tribes was much more complex, with each tribe having its own leader and men, but they may well have recognised (or even voted for) an overall leader. Fritigern is certainly presented in such a manner (even termed their king, despite there also being other kings within his confederation). In Ammianus and Jordanes we do get the idea that kings could be chosen (creating a new dynasty) and sometimes we…

 A story as complex as Ireland’s quest for independence needs to be told from both sides. In fact, there are more than two sides, with both British and Irish actions and reactions influenced by multiple viewpoints on either side of the Irish Sea – there was no single opinion in either camp. “COOGAN IS A HIGHLY GIFTED WRITER WHO TELLS AN ENGROSSING STORY PACKED WITH INSIGHT AND, IN MANY CASES, PERSONAL EXPERIENCE” Tim Pat Coogan tackles the Irish side of the struggle, focusing on the formation of ‘the Squad’, a group of assassins also known as the Twelve Apostles. Coogan is up front about the fact that Michael Collins, the revolutionary leader who set up the band of hit-men, can be viewed as either a freedom fighter or a terrorist,…