Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 83 i History of War

At the outbreak of the First World War, the British Empire stretched across the world, but its standing armies were small, suited to small colonial operations and garrison duties. After the outbreak of war in 1914, the British High Command quickly recognised the need for a huge recruitment drive, calling upon thousands of civilians to join the ranks. Lord Kitchener soon became the face of this patriotic call to arms, resulting in the new volunteer forces being dubbed ‘Kitchener’s Army’. These civilians turned soldiers soon found themselves on the front line of a new and devastating kind of war that would change the course of history.…

England and Burgundy had formed a powerful alliance during the latter part of the Hundred Years’ War. Although the alliance ended in 1435, English soldiers continued to serve in Burgundian armies as mercenaries. Charles the Bold employed large numbers of English archers from 1467 and paid them double the amount of the English Crown for their service. Around 2,000 joined the Burgundians following Edward IV’s aborted invasion of France in 1475. Charles referenced the Wars of the Roses when he said that the archers “might as well stay and fight the French as [they] massacre each other in England”. These Englishmen served Charles well during the subsequent Burgundian Wars despite the duke’s defeats. Their archery skills were praised by one chronicler who wrote, “Their arrows flew as thick as the…

Formed on 16 May 1902, the regiment became known as the ‘7th Gurkha Rifles’ in 1907 and recruited soldiers from the area around the Nepali capital of Kathmandu. During WWI, the 7th Gurkhas fought in the Middle East before participating in the Third Anglo-Afghan War in 1919. Its most significant active service came during WWII where its three battalions served across the world. The 2nd Battalion initially fought in Syria and North Africa, where it was captured at Tobruk in 1942. A new battalion was formed to replace it for the Italian Campaign where it earned the rare distinction of its own battle honour at Monte Cassino. Meanwhile, the 1st and 3rd Battalions fought in Burma against Japanese forces where they took heavy casualties. Nevertheless, they took a prominent part…

DRESSED FOR WAR BY JULIE SUMMERS IS PUBLISHED BY SIMON & SCHUSTER PRICED £20 (HARDBACK EDITION), IT’S AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW FROM ALL GOOD BOOK STOCKISTS What were the final few months of World War II like for civilians in Britain? The last few months of the war for British civilians were exhausting. For the previous nine months the Germans had been launching V1 and V2 rockets on London and the southeast with lethal effect. Elsewhere, rationing and shortages added to people’s woes and there was a sense of war-fatigue on the one hand and a growing awareness of the horrors that had been perpetrated in Nazi-occupied Europe. The author Barbara Cartland wrote, “We were glad, but still our hearts refused to sing, the shadow of war still lay over…

Author: Sir Cedric Delves Publisher: Hurst Price: £12.99 When the UK went to war with Argentina over the junta’s seizure of the Falkland Islands, all the signs pointed to a sound defeat for British forces. The war was to be conducted in the South Atlantic, in freezing in mid-winter temperatures. There were also serious concerns about the US administration providing support for the venture. “Weather, distance, the local balance of forces, all these suggested Argentina would win,” says Lieutenant General Sir Cedric Delves in his authoritative account of the conflict. Delves had been in command of D Squadron 22 SAS since the start of 1982. There was nothing to suggest that within a few months his men would be waging war at the gateway to the Antarctic. Yet in April,…

TOM GARNER 2020 has marked the 38th anniversary of the Falklands War, and this issue Tom spoke with retired veteran Major Mike Seear, who served in the 7th (DoE’s Own) Gurkha Rifles at the Battle of Tumbledown (p. 32). PETER DOYLE Peter is a widely published military historian and expert in military terrain, battlefield archaeology, and the First World War. On page 22 he discusses common myths surrounding the origins of Kichener’s Army. WILLIAM WELSH This month William takes a look at how Stephen ‘the Great’ of Moldavia earned his prestigious reputation. Along with his ally Vlad III Dracula, Stephen became renowned in Europe for his resistance to the Ottomans (p. 56).…

CHARLES ‘THE BOLD’ AN AMBITIOUS LEADER, WHOSE REIGN SAW THE FINAL HOPE FOR BURGUNDIAN INDEPENDENCE 1433-1477 As the son and heir of Duke Philip the Good, Charles was thrust into the centre of the Franco-Burgundian conflict from an early age. In 1440, he was married to Catherine, Princess of France, as part of a peace treaty with Charles VII, though she fell ill and died just six years later. Charles was raised with an education fitting for a European prince, spending time in martial pursuits as well as with scholarly study. He was also a member of his father’s Order of the Golden Fleece, though certain actions in later life would prove less than chivalric. He was a one-time companion of the future Louis XI of France, while the prince…

The Hundred Years’ War is traditionally characterised as a relatively straightforward conflict between rival kings of England and France. The war in fact lasted for 116 years during 1337-1453 and its length was immeasurably prolonged by its forgotten third player – Burgundy. In the late Middle Ages, France was the richest kingdom in Christendom with a large geographical size and population. By contrast, England was a small country and should have theoretically never made the dramatic headway that it did in France. By 1422, Henry VI ruled both England and France but his French throne would not have been possible without Burgundian support. The English profited greatly from a civil war between the Armagnacs and Burgundians. Both sides were cadet branches of the French royal family who fought for hegemony…

14TH , 15TH , 16TH BATTALIONS, ROYAL WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENT THE BIRMINGHAM PALS FORMED: 30 AUGUST 1914 STRENGTH: 3,000 MEN These battalions were posted to Italy at different times during the war as well as serving on the Somme. 13TH - 14TH BATTALIONS, YORK & LANCASTER REGIMENT BARNSLEY PALS FORMED: SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER 1914 STRENGTH: 2,000 MEN The 13th Battalion was first posted to Egypt before being sent to France in March 1916. On 1 July, the combined battalions suffered 545 casualties, a loss of over a quarter of their strength. 17TH BATTALION, MIDDLESEX REGIMENT FOOTBALL BATTALION FORMED: 15 DECEMBER 1914 STRENGTH: 600 MEN Founded in Fulham, this battalion comprised of hundreds of professional footballers from 50 clubs including Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Reading. The professional players were also supplemented by amateur…

Distant artillery fire breaks through the summer’s day from the south, alerting the weary men of the Union Army’s Fifth Corps to a fresh assault in some other corner of the field. They have marched relentlessly throughout the night and most of the day to gather here, just south of the small town of Gettysburg, for what they know will be one of the largest engagements of the war so far. The Fifth Corps was initially placed behind the right flank of the Union line, but had been repositioned all day as the two opposing armies gather for battle. A mixture of anticipation, sheer fatigue and fear is etched on every face as the order to move off comes once again. Though just as weary as the men of the…

A SORROWFUL REPORT Churchill is pictured (inset) departing 10 Downing Street on his way to inform Parliament of the attacks on the French fleet the previous day, as part of Operation Catapult. Addressing Parliament, he declared, “It is with sincere sorrow that I must now announce to the House the measures which we have felt bound to take in order to prevent the French Fleet from falling into German hands.” The Prime Minister recounted how French ships in the harbour of Mersel-Kébir, in French Algeria, were entreated to surrender to the Royal Navy, but were subsequently attacked and sunk. This move was condemned by the French government in Bordeaux as well as the Vichy regime. The British attack claimed the lives of 1,297 French sailors, but the removal of the…

Writer: Peter Heather Publisher: Oxford University Press Price: £12.99 Justinian I – also known as Justinian the Great – is perhaps the most famous of all the Byzantine Emperors. In his latest book, historian Peter Heather reconsiders the reign and legacy of Justinian, his quest to recover the lands of the fallen Western Roman Empire and whether his conquests ultimately led to the fall of the Eastern Empire. As Heather explores the political and military history of Justinian’s reign, he disputes two key arguments that have been frequently put forward by other historians. Firstly, he believes that the wars of Justinian were not driven by his desire to reunify the Roman Empire but rather to expand his territory, just like the other rulers of his time. Secondly, he determines that…

Author: Robert Verkaik Publisher: Robinson Price: £20.00 The Boulton Paul Defiant is arguably a forgotten fighter. Plagued by production and technical problems, it was only available in very small numbers in 1940. In May 1940 it proved an effective day fighter over France, scoring several notable victories. However, the changed tactical circumstances of the Battle of Britain meant the type suffered heavy casualties until it was withdrawn from day operations in late August and switched to night fighting. “THE DEFIANTS SUFFERED 33 PER CENT CASUALTIES DESPITE HAVING AN ESCORT OF HAWKER HURRICANES” The Defiant deserves a fresh reevaluation, but regrettably this book does not provide it. Numerous factual errors with dates, individuals and aircraft technicalities are spread across a background that shows an imperfect understanding of the workings of the…

The Burgundian Wars should have been the zenith of the rise of Burgundy to becoming a fully independent state. In less than 100 years, Burgundian dukes had increased their power to such an extent that by the early 1470s, Burgundy had become a strong force between the Kingdom of France and the Habsburg Holy Roman Empire. Not content with ruling vast tracts of lands in the Low Countries and what is now France and Germany, Duke Charles the Bold (r. 1467-77) sought to expand his influence southwards along the River Rhine. In doing so, he came into conflict with the Holy Roman Empire but failed to successfully besiege Neuss. Sigismund, the Habsburg Archduke of Austria, subsequently formed an anti-Burgundian league with the Swiss Confederacy in 1474. The confederacy consisted of…

Popular imagination holds that the volunteer army raised by Lord Kitchener in the opening weeks of the Great War was formed in the wake of a great recruiting campaign; that thousands lined up outside the recruiting offices; and that Kitchener’s Army, as it came to be known, was composed of ‘Pals Battalions’ whose engagement on the Somme in 1916 was to have far-reaching implications for the British nation. But was it really this way? At the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, Lord Kitchener was a national hero; it is therefore not surprising that he would be called to his country’s service as Secretary of State for War. The task facing Kitchener was a huge one. With the six regular divisions of the British Expeditionary Force already committed to…

In 1497 Prince Stephen ‘the Great’ of Moldavia’s most trusted ally turned against him. In the four decades he had ruled the Danubian principality, the Poles had steadfastly stood behind Stephen when he was assailed first by Catholic Hungarians, hoping to recover what they believed were their lands and then by the Muslim Ottoman Turks fanning out in the Balkans. Showing great disregard for his predecessor King Casimir IV’s guardian-like relationship with Stephen, Polish King John Albert had in the final decade of the 15th century negotiated with the Sublime Porte over Moldavia’s territories with scant regard for past precedent as it related to Moldavia. When John Albert entered into a treaty with the Ottomans and confirmed that the Moldavian ports of Chilia and Cetatea Alba, which the Turks had…