Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 111 i History of War

Ever since the arrival of tanks on the battlefield, tacticians and engineers have devised ways to stop them in their tracks. From rudimentary rifles to sophisticated missiles, a century of anti-tank warfare has produced some of the most innovative and effective weapons systems ever – this issue you can find a high-calibre tour of this fascinating history. Elsewhere, you’ll find the story of Mildred Gillars, better known as Axis Sally, who went from Broadway wannabe to Nazi propagandist. Also this month Edoardo Albert spoke with Dr James Lacey about his new research into the strategies of the Roman Empire – his findings are set to challenge what we think we know about ancient Rome. CONTRIBUTORS ALEX BOWERS This month Alex has taken a look at the story of Mildred Gillars,…

When they first encountered the tank in battle, German soldiers fled in panic. However, they quickly realised that these armoured behemoths, although fearsome, possessed weaknesses. Unwieldy, they often fell into shell holes or encountered obstacles that rendered them immobile. Furthermore, they were susceptible to existing weapons to varying degrees. While machine gun and rifle bullets often glanced off their iron hulls, plunging artillery fire could destroy a tank with relative ease. The flamethrower was another nemesis, provided the infantryman could get close enough to spew the deadly stream inside the vehicle or set fire to a vital area such as its exhaust system. Along with these readily available defences, deep anti-tank ditches were dug to impede the progress of armour, and extensive minefields proved effective as well. The German Army…

Anti-tank weaponry of the post-Cold War era, leaning heavily on the wave of military technology that began to emerge in the latter half of the 20th century, has led to the introduction of potent, man-portable missile and rocket systems as well as accurate, deadly systems fired from ground installations and aerial platforms such as helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned drones. Infantry systems often employ the concept of ‘fire and forget’, enabling a ground operator to aim, fire and then displace to avoid a counter-strike from the enemy; missiles fired from aircraft are often placed on target by sophisticated laser guidance systems. Although such technology has transformed the battlefield, resulting in a continuing advancement in both anti-tank weaponry and the defensive capabilities for the tank to protect itself, some systems have…

As 1776 drew to a close, the rebel army under George Washington had suffered a string of demoralising defeats. Worse than that, they had often proved unable to stand against the larger British army, led by General William Howe. The Americans had broken and run at the Battle of Long Island and during the British landings on Manhattan. They had suffered further defeats at White Plains and Fort Washington and the campaign had apparently ended with Washington in full retreat, scrabbling to hold together the remnants of his army. As Christmas approached, the British settled down for a winter in New York and made plans for their 1777 campaign. Howe prepared an overwhelming combination of operations and the revolutionary cause looked to be on the verge of dying, but while…

“MAJOR PORTEOUS’S MOST GALLANT CONDUCT, HIS BRILLIANT LEADERSHIP AND TENACIOUS DEVOTION TO A DUTY WHICH WAS SUPPLEMENTARY TO THE ROLE ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED TO HIM, WAS AN INSPIRATION TO THE WHOLE DETACHMENT”VC Citation The German was quicker to raise his weapon as he took aim at Captain Patrick Anthony Porteous and fired. The bullet struck Porteous’ left hand, passing into his arm. But the young liaison officer, serving as a temporary major with No. 4 Commando, had little time to feel the pain or worry about the blood gushing from his wound. The enemy steadied his gun, ready for another shot. Surely this was it – the moment he died. It was 19 August, 1942, and Porteous was in Dieppe, France, for Operation Jubilee. While the Canadians were about to be…

“THE TANK WAS FOUND TO BE EFFICIENT, SIMPLE TO USE, RELIABLE AND RUGGED” The US Army’s M24 Chaffee light tank was the replacement for the M3/M5 Stuart light tanks and was a leap forward in light tank design, greatly improving the concept in all directions. It had modern torsion bar suspensions, completely revised welded steel armour, improved protection and, more importantly, a much more potent lightweight 75mm (2.95in) main gun. The Stuarts only had 37mm (1.4in) guns mounted in their turrets. A few Chaffees arrived in Europe just before the Battle of the Bulge started on 16 December 1944. The tank was found to be efficient, simple to use, reliable and rugged. After the end of the war it saw service with many other armies around the world: it was…

WAR in FOCUS CLASH OF KNIGHTS 26 March 1351 Known as the ‘Combat of the Thirty’, an unusual engagement was fought during the Breton War of Succession. Thirty Franco-Breton knights and squires fought the same number of opponents consisting of 20 Englishmen, six Germans and four Bretons in an arranged fight at Guillac, Brittany. The warriors on both sides were said to have “held themselves valiantly” in a hard-fought battle, with the Franco-Breton faction emerging victorious. Fifteen men were killed altogether, including the English commander. WAR in FOCUS TRACTORS AT WAR 28 August 1936 Republican troops perch on a tractor in Barcelona during the Spanish Civil War. In the previous month the city had been subjected to a military rising on 19 July 1936 when Nationalist Spanish Army officers attempted…

Portugal’s 1960-74 colonial conflicts in Africa are some of the era’s lesser-known counterinsurgencies, but there is a lot to learn from them. Despite being a small country with a modest economy and tiny military, Portugal fought three wars in Angola, Mozambique and Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde) for over a decade. Compared to similar conflicts in Vietnam and Algeria, Portugal’s innovative strategies and the fact that a revolution in Portugal ended the war rather than outright defeat on the battlefield, has led to a degree of myth-making about Portugal’s military prowess. Were they as successful on the battlefield as they claimed? And why was Portugal so eager to hold on to its colonies well after the colonial era had come to a close? Imperial legacy Portugal’s regime wanted…

When we think of Transylvania, we usually think of the dark forests, the looming mountains and, perhaps inevitably, Count Dracula. For any visitor planning to pack their stakes and garlic to visit the ancestral home of Bram Stoker’s creation, however, they should prioritise finding room for walking shoes and a camera, and that the very first item on their agenda should be the stunning fortified churches. However, these defensive bulwarks were in fact not designed to hold back the children of the night. “There’s no place for vampires in Transylvania,” affirms Uncover Romania’s Diana Condrea. What there is a place for is the highest concentration of fortified churches anywhere in the world. Standing as imposing monuments to centuries past, these stunning combinations of religious devotion and military defence are the…

Originally built by the Anglo-Norman knight John de Courcy in 1177, Carrickfergus Castle is one of the best-preserved medieval structures in Northern Ireland. Situated in the town of Carrickfergus on the northern shore of Belfast Lough in County Antrim, the castle was strategically important in Ulster for centuries. It was besieged many times by English, Scottish, native Irish and French armies, and was also the place where King William III landed in Ireland in 1690. Briefly captured by the French in 1760 and even the scene of a naval duel during the American Revolutionary War, the castle was garrisoned during WWI and served as an air raid shelter during WWII. It is now maintained by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency as a historic monument. Now open to the public, Carrickfergus’…

ENTER THE TANK 01 Land warfare changes forever when the British Army deploys the Mk I Tank to fight at the Battle of the Somme. The first tank to go into action, the Mk I and its successors replace cavalry on the battlefield, prompting new measures to counter their significant threat. EXPERIMENTAL MECHANISED FORCE 02 Known as the EMF, this British Army initiative investigates and develops the techniques and equipment required for armoured warfare. The first armoured formation in the world, the EMF sometimes eschews anti-tank obstacles, which the Germans carefully observe. GERMAN DEVELOPMENTS To counter Allied tanks during WWI, German forces experiment with grenade bundles and produce the first anti-tank rifles and artillery guns. Obstacles such as widened craters and various infantry tactics are also developed. MAGINOT LINE 03…

The latter half of the 20th century saw improvements in armour protection and firepower for tanks and the upgrading of anti-tank weapons’ accuracy and effectiveness. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, holdover technology prevailed on the battlefield, although there were innovations such as the American Super Bazooka with its 89mm HEAT round. The Cold War gave rise to a new generation of aircraft that served as ground-support weapons in their primary roles, and ground support most definitely included the ability to defeat enemy tanks. The American A-10 Thunderbolt entered service in 1977 and remains active today, famous for its survivability demonstrated during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and for its 30mm GAU-8/A Avenger auto-cannon that fires a depleted uranium armour-piercing round. In 1981 the Soviet Union deployed the…

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CAUDINE FORKS, 321 BCE As Rome began to take the first steps towards empire and pressed her cause to become the masters of the Italian peninsula, she came into conflict with her neighbours. One of the most powerful of these were the Samnites, located to the south. The Samnite commander, Gaius Pontius, sent a soldier in disguise to tell the Romans that the Samnites were besieging a city (which they were not). The Romans were taken in by this subterfuge and marched to relieve the city. Their route would take them through a narrow mountain pass (the Caudine Forks) with only a single entrance and exit. When the Romans entered the pass, however, they found the far end barricaded and their retreat now blocked by the Samnite army. The Samnite…