Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 58 i History of War

“A new crisis is now asserting itself… actions must succeed each other at brief intervals, so as to embarrass the enemy in the utilisation of his reserves” – Ferdinand Foch, on the Hundred Days Offensive One of the most tragic facts of World War I is that towards the final months leading up to the armistice and peace, the Western Front saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the conflict. In the aftermath of the failed German Spring Offensive, the Allies were ready to launch the knockout blow. Applying the costly lessons learnt from previous disastrous campaigns, British and French armies utilised creeping barrages, backed up with swift infantry advances and support from nimble tanks. In Part I of his two-part series on the Hundred Days Offensive, Professor William Philpott…

Although Taylor had arguably scraped his victory at Buena Vista he was hailed as a national hero in the American national press. ‘Old Rough and Ready’ political clubs, called after Taylor’s nickname, almost immediately sprang up after the battle to support his candidacy for the presidency of the USA. Taylor had never even voted prior to 1848 and his political opinions were vague, which made him a vacuum for other peoples’ beliefs. Many southerners believed he supported slavery, while the Whig Party believed he was a firm defender of the Union. In reality, Taylor could be seen to support both views. He owned slaves but didn’t support expanding slavery into the new lands seized from Mexico. At the same time he disagreed with Union states seceding because he had seen…

The 1840s was an interesting crossroads in military technology. Although both the US and Mexican armies were still dominated by Napoleonic tactics and fashions, the technological impact of the Industrial Revolution was becoming apparent in the United States. Mexico had no armoury and relied on antiquated European weapons, but the USA was making leaps forward in weapons, communications, transportation and even the new medium of photography. THE YOUNG GRANT This engraving of a lost daguerreotype reputedly shows Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant (left) with fellow officer Alexander Hays. Hays was later killed fighting for the Union as a brigadier general at the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864. “ANONYMOUS PHOTOGRAPHERS FOLLOWED AMERICAN TROOPS ON CAMPAIGN AND REVOLUTIONISED THE DOCUMENTATION OF WAR” WAR PHOTOGRAPHY Contrary to popular belief, the Crimean War was…

“A SHOT HIT THE DRIVING SPROCKET, AND IF I HAD BEEN A BIT CLOSER IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN MY LEGS OFF” Graham Stevenson lied about his age to join the British Army. A native of Walsall, he joined the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry in Egypt and first served in M3 Grant tanks, before primarily fighting in M4 Sherman tanks between the ages of 17-19. As a member of the British Eighth Army, Stevenson fought at the Second Battle of El Alamein in late 1942 and pushed westwards across North Africa against Axis forces. At the Battle of the Mareth Line, the Sherwood Rangers took part in a successful outflanking manoeuvre at the Tebega Gap against German positions. Stevenson would go on to participate in the liberation of Tunis and was later…

Author: Miles Russell Publisher: Amberley Publishing Price: £9.99 In this fascinating book, Dr Miles Russell attempts to yoke together the archaeological and historical accounts of Britain from pre-history, through its four centuries’ emergence into written history, and its return to legend in the three centuries following the end of Roman rule. To do this, Russell returns to a text that has in recent years been ignored by serious scholars, being seen as a farrago of invention and fantasy: Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain). The problem for historians is that, for the two centuries following the end of Roman rule in Britain around 410 CE, there are precisely three contemporary documents:Patrick’s Confessio and Epistola ad Coroticum (probably dating to the second half of the…

UK Release Date: 7 September Director: David Blair If ever there were a group of people whose actions in real life were so genuinely heroic and worthy of their legendary status, it is without a doubt the pilots and crews of the Polish squadrons that fought in the Battle of Britain. Directed by Scottish filmmaker David Blair, Hurricane tells their story and their part in the valiant defence against Nazi invasion nearly 80 years ago. The cast is led by Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones, Inhumans),and includes, among others, Milo Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), Stefanie Martini (Crooked House, Prime Suspect 1973) and Marcin Dorocinski, probably best known to British audiences from Jack Strong and Anthropoid. With an adventurer’s glint in his eye, Rheon’s committed portrayal of legendary fighter pilot ace Jan…

Stumbling Towards Victory: The Final Year Of The Great War Martyn Lawrence Published by the Royal Armouries, this book benefits from that institution’s immense collection of artefacts and photographs. This is a generously illustrated book – in fact the emphasis is often on the pictures rather than the words (many of the photographs have never been published before) – but there is authoritative writing here as well. In one telling paragraph, the book explains how Germany was crippled by the naval blockade, making it impossible to replace guns when they were captured by the Allies. The German war effort was thus being slowly strangled, rendering the country increasingly vulnerable to advances in arms technology made by the Allies. “THIS IS A GENEROUSLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK – IN FACT THE EMPHASIS IS…

“CHARLES’S SHIELD ACCOMPANIED HIM ON CAMPAIGN DURING THE REBELLION, BUT IT WAS LEFT IN HIS BAGGAGE TRAIN WHEN HE FLED FROM CULLODEN” The Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 was the last serious military uprising on mainland Britain. It was also the final attempt to restore the Stuart dynasty to the British throne against the ruling Hanoverians under George II. Prince Charles Edward Stuart landed in Scotland with a handful of followers but raised a standard of rebellion and gathered thousands of supporters. Edinburgh was captured and Charles inflicted a humiliating defeat against British government troops at the Battle of Prestonpans. He then invaded England and marched to Derby before retreating, and was eventually defeated at the famous Battle of Culloden in 1746. ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ was a poor military commander who…

TOM GARNER This month Tom spoke with two veterans of the North Africa campaign, who in WWII faced each other from opposing sides (p.44). In our new Home Front section, he takes a look at some of the finest military museums to visit this summer (p.86). DAVID SMITH Sherman’s March to the Sea was one of the most controversial campaigns of the American Civil War, which saw a strategy of terror unleashed on the Confederate heartlands. David reveals how the Union gamble paid off (p.72). MICHAEL HASKEW The Whippet was a much faster vehicle than previous tanks, in theory enabling closer support with infantry, and consolidating occupied ground. Mike takes a look inside this innovative vehicle in the Operator’s Handbook this issue (p.38).…

WINFIELD SCOTT THE US ARMY COMMANDER WHO MASTERMINDED THE VERACRUZ LANDINGS AND FOUGHT HIS WAY TO MEXICO CITY 1786-1866 UNITED STATES Scott was one of the most celebrated American commanders of the early 19th century. His first officer appointment was commanding light artillery in 1808, and he distinguished himself in combat many times during the War of 1812. By 1814 he was a brevet major general and commanded US forces during campaigns against Native Americans. In 1841 Scott became the commanding general of the US Army and reached the pinnacle of his career in Mexico. He boldly suggested an amphibious landing at Veracruz, which was carried out unopposed in March 1847. Scott then pushed into the Mexican interior and won a series of battles, including Cerro Gordo, Churubusco and Molino…

The Whippet reached the battlefield in early 1918, and its crews first experienced combat during the German Spring Offensive. The Whippets blunted enemy attacks by covering the withdrawal of British troops and enabling them to re-establish defensive lines. At Hébuterne in northern France, a dozen Whippets caught two battalions of German soldiers on the move and forced them to retire. Once the crisis had passed, the Whippets were assigned to tank battalions in company strength. On 24 April 1918, seven Medium Mark A Whippets rushed to the aid of a Mark IV heavy tank just exiting a fight with three German A7V tanks. The Whippets then caught several battalions of German infantry in the open and shredded them with .303-inch machine-gun fire. Some enemy soldiers were crushed under Whippet treads.…

The Mareth Line was a system of fortifications built by the French before WWII that aimed to defend Tunisia from Fascist Italy. It was dominated by the Atlas Mountains, and the line ran for 35 kilometres (22 miles) between Wadi Zigzaou and the Matmata Hills. By March 1943 Rommel had left North Africa and the overall Axis commander was the Italian general Giovanni Messe. A combined German-Italian force occupied the Mareth Line, but opposing them was Bernard Montgomery, who declared, “We will not stop or let up until Tunis has been captured.” Eighth Army was the numerically superior force in troops, supplies and, most importantly, tanks, but the battle lasted for over a fortnight between 16-31 March. Stevenson and Koenig’s own unwitting encounter took place at a crucial engagement at…

CHANGE OF TYRANTS JULY 1941  A RUSSIAN CIVILIAN UNVEILS A NEW POSTER, THE NAME OF HITLER SPELLED OUT IN CYRILLIC LETTERS History’s short-term memory, facilitated by Soviet efforts to fog over the perfidious treachery, often fails to recall that arch-enemies Nazi Germany and the USSR teamed up to destroy Poland in September 1939 under the banner of their infamous non-aggression pact. That partnership would end violently on 22 June 1941 when German forces swept into the Soviet Union. Hitler was intent on utterly destroying what he saw as the foundation of communism and ‘World Jewry’, and in the process gaining huge territories and resources for the Third Reich, to further the goal of dominating Europe and enslaving or exterminating its peoples. The Germans called the invasion ‘Operation Barbarossa’ after Frederick…

Author: Roger L. Ransom Publisher: Cambridge University Press Price: £31.99 Roger L. Ransom’s book fills a gap on the groaning shelves of World War I histories, by arguing that these four years of massive bloodshed resulted overwhelmingly from an economic conflict. The author, an economic historian, takes war out of the strictures of the battlefield narrative, focusing instead on the economic abilities of the belligerents to meet the requirements of mobilisation. Often left by the wayside is understanding that taking a country to war has a dramatic impact on a nation’s allocation of resources. In the case of the Great War, some countries had to bear serious shortages of supplies and consequently the ability to wage war, mainly as a result of economic blockade. The economic and territorial expansion of…

Author: Simon Forty Publisher: Haynes Publishing Price: £22.99 Hadrian’s Wall follows in a long line of Haynes titles, which started as genuine owner’s manuals for cars such as the Austin Healey and then branched out into subjects as diverse as fighter jets, tanks and nuclear submarines. More recently, the line has entered the word of fictional vehicles, including the publication of a workshop manual for the Millennium Falcon. The focus on Hadrian’s Wall does not seem to sit comfortably within this series, as the cutaway diagrams and in-depth detail on highly technical subjects that are the hallmark of the series are not relevant here. The subject material is undoubtedly worthy of study, and the book is perfectly competent as a guide to the construction and history of the wall, but…

Given that World War I is not remembered for its generalship, the fact that a highly competent and experienced group of senior commanders, who proved their worth during the Hundred Days, had emerged from the conditions of trench warfare may surprise. In a war in which the military arts were refashioned, thinking, practical and determined individuals were needed to take on the responsibilities of high command, to manage complex military machines and to deliver the results that made strategic victory possible. In the French army a group of generals who had held relatively junior commands in 1914 now held the senior commands – Foch himself had started the war commanding XX Army Corps, although by 1915 he was directing a group of armies. What they had in common was a…

“KARL KOENIG AND GRAHAM STEVENSON FOUGHT AT THE BATTLE OF THE MARETH LINE AS ENEMIES BUT HAVE SINCE BEFRIENDED EACH OTHER IN A HEARTFELT DISPLAY OF RECONCILIATION” It is late March 1943, and in a Tunisian mountain pass two teenage soldiers – one German, one British – are fighting in extremely hot, cramped tanks. Their objective: to defeat and possibly kill each other. The soldiers are fighting for their countries and both believe their respective causes are just. As engines rumble, shells explode and machine guns fire, the young men are caught in a bloody battle that will help end the North Africa Campaign, but neither can know if they will survive. Now, after three-quarters of a century, these two foes are indisputable friends. Karl Koenig and Graham Stevenson fought…

“WE THOUGHT THE VERDICT OF VERSAILLES WAS A REAL CRIME AND THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. WHEN WE GOT INTO THE SECOND WAR WE WERE ALL CONVINCED THAT WE WERE RIGHT IN DEFENDING OUR INTERESTS AND COUNTRY” Born in Saxony and brought up in Hamburg, Koenig came from a military family. His father received Saxony’s highest decoration during WWI, while his grandfather received the same award during the Franco-Prussian War. Koenig served in the 21st Panzer Division and was a candidate for officer training in the Afrika Korps. He first experienced combat in a Panzer IV tank at the Tebega Gap and went on to fight in the Tunisian mountains against US forces. Koenig was captured near the coast in May 1943 and was a POW in the USA and…

Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre & Country Park THIS UNIQUE BATTLEFIELD CHANGED THE COURSE OF ENGLISH HISTORY AND IS NOW PRESERVED AS AN EXCEPTIONAL HERITAGE CENTRE The events of 22 August 1485, where Richard III was killed in battle and the Tudor dynasty began, are all on full display at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre. Located near Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, the heritage centre resides on Ambion Hill, where part of Richard’s army camped the night before the battle. An external trail includes a memorial sundial to commemorate the fallen from the three armies of Richard, Henry Tudor and Thomas, Lord Stanley. Two war banners of Henry Tudor (subsequently Henry VII) and Richard, standing side by side next to the sundial, embodies the centre’s motto of ‘Two Kings-One Day’, which aims to…

Author: Craig L. Symonds Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: £25 A single volume covering the entirety of World War II at sea is an ambitious undertaking. With books devoted to the individual theatres, campaigns, engagements and even ships of the vast conflict, the task of compressing it all into under 700 pages must have been daunting. Somehow, Craig L. Symonds has managed to pull off a remarkable feat. Of course, he hasn’t really crammed the entire war at sea into one volume – instead he has judiciously chosen the most relevant events to weave a coherent narrative. He has also avoided the trap of making everything seem thinly sketched or brushed over. Yes, there are major campaigns that are dealt with fairly quickly, but there are also in-depth analyses, where…

Author: Giles Milton Publisher: John Murray Price: £25 There have been so many books written on the events of 6 June 1944 that it takes something special to stand out. Giles Milton has largely ignored the big picture of the Allied invasion of Normandy to focus almost exclusively on the individual experiences of the men and women involved. Milton takes a commendably broad definition of ‘soldier’, including, for instance, the young German woman employed as a wireless operator, as well as the more expected combatants. The story also starts before D-Day itself, covering aspects such as the glider landings that preceded the invasion. Taking an even-handed approach to the experiences of both sides, Milton crafts a gripping narrative, packed with detail. When the story reaches the familiar beach landings, it…