1. Ens. Donald W. Lynch: the Scars of War by NHHC at Naval History Blog
2. Sinking of the Graf Spee by Steven Terjeson at World War II History
3. Holiday Posters From World War Ii by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
4. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three and the Rescue of Survivors From the Steamship Corregidor, 17 December 1941 by NHHC at Naval History Blog
5. Holiday Cards by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
6. Uss Charles R. Ware – on Navy Tv by NavyTV at Naval History Blog
7. American Civil War: Johnston Takes Command by n/a at About.com Military History
8. Sailing of the Great White Fleet by NHHC at Naval History Blog
9. Historic Preservation: the U S Marine Hospital Louisville Kentucky by thomaslsnyder at Of Ships & Surgeons
10. “The Question Is Settled” by noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Price) at The Sable Arm
11. Christmas for the Troops in Virginia by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
12. Alfred, John Jr., Thomas and William Tate by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
13. Salvatore a. Giunta: Medal of Honor With Ed Tracy by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
14. Hawaiian Christmas During World War Two by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
15. Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: Constantinople Falls by n/a at About.com Military History
16. Uss Drum (Ss-228) Versus Ryuho by NHHC at Naval History Blog
17. Chief Boatswain’s Mate Ernest R. Mahlmann | Naval History Blog by n/a at Other Military History Stuff
18. Bbc News – the Millionaires Who Flew to War by n/a at Other Military History Stuff
19. Remember Triton, America’s Pioneer Nuke Sub by David Axe at Other Military History Stuff
20. Execution 150 Years Ago Spurs Calls for Pardon – NYTimes.com by n/a at Other Military History Stuff
21. The Holocaust We Don’t See: Lanzmann’s Shoah Revisited by n/a at Other Military History Stuff
22. 2 Veterans Relive Battle of Bulge, Rest of War by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

Contents

1. Ens. Donald W. Lynch: the Scars of War by NHHC at Naval History Blog

“War should not be glamorized,” wrote Donald W. Lynch long
after his service as Chief Engineer in destroyer Mugford
(DD-389) during World War Two. He had purposefully put much
of his wartime experiences out of his mind but later, in an
undated letter to a Mugford reunion group, he described why
that was so. Lynch [...]…

2. Sinking of the Graf Spee by Steven Terjeson at World War II History

The Sinking of the Graf Spee These are the actual radio
broadcasts from Dec 17-18, 1939 about the sinking of the
German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Speeoff Uruguay in
South America.

Graf Spee was a German pocket battleship of 10,000 tons
launched in 1936. The Graf Spee was more heavily gunned than
any cruiser and had a top speed of 25 knots and an endurance
of 12,500 miles (20,000 km). The Graf Spee had sunk several
merchant ships in the Atlantic before being attacked by a
British search group consisting of the cruisers Exeter, Ajax,
and Achilles. The damage…

3. Holiday Posters From World War Ii by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

The propaganda posters seen on the US Home Front during World
War II did not go away during the holidays – they just gained
a holiday flair. Hence we have everything from Santa beating
Fascists to Santa buying war bonds to Santa delivering tanks,
planes, and ships. Collected below are a handful of these
holiday posters.++++++[Images courtesy of Skylighters and
Wikimedia.]…

4. Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three and the Rescue of Survivors From the Steamship Corregidor, 17 December 1941 by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Circumstances sometimes compel officers and enlisted people
of the U.S. Navy to perform missions of mercy in the midst of
war, with means not designed for that purpose. These actions
fulfill mariners’ long-time practice of rescue at sea. One
such occasion occurred just before Christmas of 1941 in the
Philippines, with World War II less [...]…

5. Holiday Cards by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

Here are a collection of Holiday Cards from World War Two.
One can see how the war effort became involved in all aspects
of life on the Home Front. One can see from the third card
that American propaganda directed towards the Japanese was
very distinctive along racial lines and regularly put down
the Japanese as a race showing them to be inferior. This
propaganda leaked into all aspects of life on the Home Front
and despite the tremendous heroism demonstrated by the US
units consisting of Japanese troops fighting in Italy, lasted
long after the war ended.+(Front…

6. Uss Charles R. Ware – on Navy Tv by NavyTV at Naval History Blog

Now on NAVY TV – The story of the USS Charles R. Ware
(DD-865). USS Charles R. Ware (DD-865) was named for
Lieutenant Charles Rollins Ware, a hero of the Battle of
Midway. She sailed the seas for 36 years until the Navy
scuttled her on November 15, 1981. This is her story as told
[...]…

7. American Civil War: Johnston Takes Command by n/a at About.com Military History

December 16, 1863 – Gen. Joseph E. Johnston (right) takes
command of the Army of Tennessee from Gen. Braxton Bragg.
Graduating from West Point in 1829, Johnston served as
…Read Full Post…

8. Sailing of the Great White Fleet by NHHC at Naval History Blog

December 16th is the anniversary of the departure of the
Great White Fleet from Hampton Roads on its voyage around the
world. On that date in 1907 the Atlantic Fleet departed on
the first leg of its voyage to San Francisco, California. As
the Panama Canal was not operative yet, the sixteen
battleships, all painted [...]…

9. Historic Preservation: the U S Marine Hospital Louisville Kentucky by thomaslsnyder at Of Ships & Surgeons

A Brief History of Marine Hospitals Prior to the American
Revolution, according to historian Harold Langley, merchant
sailors from the colonies were required to pay into the
British seamen’s hospital fund, even though they may have
little opportunity to receive care at the famed institution
at Greenwich. Early American efforts to provide care to
sailors was left to individual colonies and cities. For
instance, as early as 1730 the Pennsylvania legislature
instituted a tax to provide health care to sailors in
hospitals, and in 1774 passed a law that provided for a
quarantine hospital on Providence–now State–Island, as…

10. “The Question Is Settled” by noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Price) at The Sable Arm

…

11. Christmas for the Troops in Virginia by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

In December of 1941, most US troops that were going to be
involved in the war effort were still based in the
continental US but due to the recent declaration of war, they
were not going to be spending Christmas at home with their
families. Here are a few pictures from the festivities
celebrated at Camp Lee Virginia.+The panzer “Santa”, with
well-filled sack of radios, books, cookies, and other gifts
dear to soldiers hearts, glides up to the door of the
barracks in Camp Lee’s Quartermaster Corps and it isn’t
hampered by lack of snow in Virginia…

12. Alfred, John Jr., Thomas and William Tate by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Alfred E. Tate was born in 1842 in Franklin County,
Massachusetts, the son of John (1815-1900) and Barbara
(1815-1888).Sometime between 1837 and 1840 his parents moved
from England to Massachusetts, and then from Massachusetts to
Michigan between 1844 and 1846, and by 1850 Alfred was living
with his family in Georgetown, Ottawa County, where his
father worked as a laborer.By 1860 Alfred was living with his
family and attending school with three of his younger
siblings. He was also apparently was working as a mill hand
and living at the Paddock boarding house in Georgetown along
with…

13. Salvatore a. Giunta: Medal of Honor With Ed Tracy by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

Ed Tracy interviews Medal of Honor recipient Salvatore A.
Giunta, U.S. Army. He is the first living recipient of the
Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan, and the
first living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions
which occurred since Vietnam.. Originally aired 12/14/10.

…

14. Hawaiian Christmas During World War Two by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

The Waimea Gazette put together a history of Christmas as
celebrated in their community. The discussion of the holiday
season during the war provides insight about the rationale of
those on the home front especially when they happened to be
so close to where the fighting was and had taken place.
Comparing the pre-war festivities in this town to those from
the war shows some of the sacrifices that were made and how
they affected life on the home front. Here’s an excerpt from
the piece: Those who attended these early Ranch parties as
children will never forget their…

15. Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: Constantinople Falls by n/a at About.com Military History

Ascending to the Ottoman throne in 1451, Mehmed II quickly
began making preparations for a campaign against the
Byzantine capital of Constantinople. Besieged numerous times
during its long history, Constantinople had only fallen in
1204 during the Fourth Crusade. Since that time, the empire
had largely eroded leaving the Byzantines with only a small
area around the city as well as with land in Greece. Aware of
Ottoman intentions, Emperor Constantine XI worked to
strengthen the city’s defenses. Laying siege in early April
1453, Mehmed’s first efforts to assault the city failed.
After mining operations also failed in late May…

16. Uss Drum (Ss-228) Versus Ryuho by NHHC at Naval History Blog

USS Drum (SS 228) was on her fourth war patrol, on a mission
to lay mines off the Japanese Home Island of Honshu, when on
12 December 1942 she encountered an escorted Japanese
aircraft carrier heading southbound for Truk. Acting quickly,
Drum’s skipper, Lieutenant Commander Bernard F. McMahon,
fired torpedoes from four of her bow [...]…

17. Chief Boatswain’s Mate Ernest R. Mahlmann | Naval History Blog by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

…

18. Bbc News – the Millionaires Who Flew to War by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

…

19. Remember Triton, America’s Pioneer Nuke Sub by David Axe at Other Military History Stuff

USS Triton. Navy photo. by STEVE WEINTZ In 1960 the
Eisenhower era was ending, and Ike sought valedictory
measures to cap his substantial presidency. To a summit in
Geneva with Nikita Khrushchev, a definitive arms-control
agreement and progress in responding to Sputnik, the White
House added a naval adventure worthy of Captain Cook. The
submerged circumnavigation of the world by the USS Triton
stands as one of the great sea stories of all time, and was
widely publicized in part due to the participation of the
National Geographic Society. Yet 50 years, though most a
lifetime, is only just…

20. Execution 150 Years Ago Spurs Calls for Pardon – NYTimes.com by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

…

21. The Holocaust We Don’t See: Lanzmann’s Shoah Revisited by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

Timothy Snyder Les Films Aleph A scene from Claude
Lanzmann’s Shoah Claude Lanzmann’s Shoah, opening this month
in New York twenty-five years after its original release, is
one of the great works of art of the twentieth century. As it
begins, Simon Srebnik, a Polish Jew who was one of two
survivors of Chełmno, returns to the death facility at
Lanzmann’s request, and sings a song of his boyhood—about a
white house, a house that is no longer—in the language of a
country that was his homeland as it was of millions of Jews
for centuries, a…

22. 2 Veterans Relive Battle of Bulge, Rest of War by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

…

1. Levi S. Tanner by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
2. Countdown for Polaris by NHHC at Naval History Blog
3. Operation Inland Seas by NHHC at Naval History Blog
4. The Uss Idaho: a Greek Battleship (Part 2 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
5. World War Ii: SB2C Helldiver Rolled Out by n/a at About.com Military History
6. Diving History — History of the Navy Diver Rating by NHHC at Naval History Blog
7. Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead! by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
8. James Albert Taber by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
9. Baseball and the Navy: Bob Feller, “the Heater From Van Meter” by NHHC at Naval History Blog
10. Hannings: “Every Day of the Civil War: a Chronological Encyclopedia” by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors
11. Message Home by Naval Air Writer at Naval History Blog
12. Pearl Harbor Through the Eyes of Tai Sing Loo by Proceedings at Naval History Blog
13. Ens. Theodore W. Marshall, a-v(N), Usnr: Perseverance at Pearl Harbor by NHHC at Naval History Blog
14. Those Old Ships of the Line by noreply@blogger.com (Craig Swain) at Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial
15. Crewing a Ship’s Boat by yelpmark@comcast.net (Seaman Rob) at Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial
16. Nc Civil War Symposium: “the Real War Will Never Get in the Books” by matthew.t.eng@navy.mil (Matthew T. Eng) at Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial
17. Readiness and Care of Vessels in Inactive Status by NHHC at Naval History Blog
18. Our Cbs Radio News Man in Berlin Endures an Air Raid by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
19. Punic Wars: Hannibal Surprises at Lake Trasimene by n/a at About.com Military History
20. Preserving Cannons by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
21. The Uss Mississippi: a Greek Battleship (Part 1 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
22. Review of Assignment to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery (Part 2 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
23. Review of Assignment to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery (Part 1 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
24. Pearl Harbor, 69 Years Ago Today by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

Contents

1. Levi S. Tanner by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Levi S. Tanner was born on June 22, 1840, in either Columbus,
Franklin County, or Fairfield, Butler County, Ohio, the son
of the John B. (1815-1903) and Sarah (Peugh,
1819-1881).Maryland native John B. married Sarah, probably in
Ohio where she was born and eventually settled in Ohio by
1840. Levi’s family moved from Ohio to Michigan probably
sometime between 1850 and 1860 when Levi was a farm laborer
working for Zebulon Hinman in Sparta, Kent County. He was
probably living with his family in Chester, Ottawa County,
where his father worked as a farmer. (Nearby lived John…

2. Countdown for Polaris by NHHC at Naval History Blog

This Cold War documentary follows the development of the
Polaris submarine launched ballistic missile and contains
footage of numerous test launches of Polaris as well as the
launching and commissioning of USS George Washington
(SSBN-598). Source: Naval History and Heritage Command,
Photographic Section, UM-23….

3. Operation Inland Seas by NHHC at Naval History Blog

The St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, allowing large ships
to transit from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. That
summer, the U.S. Navy launched Operation Inland Seas, a
massive public relations tour of the lakes by ships from the
Atlantic Fleet. This 1960 documentary, narrated by Glenn
Ford, tells the story. Source: [...]…

4. The Uss Idaho: a Greek Battleship (Part 2 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

The USS Idaho was the USS Mississippi’s sister ship and was
commissioned for the US Navy in 1908. She was subsequently
sold to Greece in 1914 and was then renamed Lemnos. Lemnos
saw minimal action during WW 1, assisted the White Russian
Forces in the 1919 Allied Crimean expedition, and was
decommissioned in 1932 when her guns were removed and used as
a coastal battery. The rest of the ship was sunk by German
Bombers in April 1941 while docked at Salamis Naval Base.+USS
Idaho, fitting out at the Cramp shipyard, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, circa 1906.+USS Idaho…

5. World War Ii: SB2C Helldiver Rolled Out by n/a at About.com Military History

December 13, 1940 – The prototype of the Curtiss SB2C
Helldiver (right) is rolled out. Designed as a replacement
for the SBD Dauntless, the SB2C was plagued by problems
during its design and development process. These led to the
aircraft having an extremely poor reputation when it was
introduced in late 1943. Though the Helldiver was faster and
carried a heavier payload, air crews were reluctant to give
up their “Slow but Deadly” Dauntlesses for the new “Son of a
Bitch 2nd Class.” Also dubbed the “Beast” by pilots due to
its handling, the SB2C eventually proved to be a highly…

6. Diving History — History of the Navy Diver Rating by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Back in the late 1800′s, the very first Diving rating was
Gunners Mate. Instruction in simple diving had been part of
the course at the Gunnery School because Gunners Mates were
assigned as ships divers as a collateral duty. The
introduction of the torpedo, a weapon that revolutionized
Navy warfare caused the Navy to require [...]…

7. Damn the Torpedoes! Full Speed Ahead! by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

+Adm. David G. Farragut, ca. 1863This is a great expression
and actually dates to the Civil War but the meaning of the
word “torpedo” has changed from then to now. These words were
shouted by Admiral David Farragut on the morning of 5 August
1864. Under his command, a large fleet of Union ships was
running the gauntlet of fire from the Confederate defenses of
Mobile Bay as part of a multi-pronged strategy to seize
Mobile, by then one of the last two remaining ports in the
Confederacy which could be used by Confederate blockade
runners. (Wilmington, NC…

8. James Albert Taber by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

James Albert Taber was born around 1843 in New York, possibly
the son of Louisa M. (1810-1879).Massachusetts native Louisa
was married sometime before 1840, probably in New York, and
eventually settled in western Michigan. By 1850 “Albert” was
living with his mother in Hastings, Barry County and by 1860
“James” was working as a clerk and living with his mother in
Hastings, Barry County.He stood 5’8” with black eyes, dark
hair and a light complexion and was 18 years old and possibly
still living in Barry County when he enlisted with his
mother’s consent in Company E on…

9. Baseball and the Navy: Bob Feller, “the Heater From Van Meter” by NHHC at Naval History Blog

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941,
Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
wrote to President Franklin Roosevelt, asking him, “What do
you want [baseball] to do? . . .We await your order.” The
President replied, “I honestly feel it would be best for the
country to keep baseball going.” [...]…

10. Hannings: “Every Day of the Civil War: a Chronological Encyclopedia” by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors

…

11. Message Home by Naval Air Writer at Naval History Blog

In the wake of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, families
back home in the United States with loved ones serving in the
Pacific were naturally worried about their status. Lieutenant
(junior grade) Thomas C. Provost, III, a naval aviator in
Fighting Squadron (VF) 6 serving in the carrier Enterprise
(CV 6), was out at [...]…

12. Pearl Harbor Through the Eyes of Tai Sing Loo by Proceedings at Naval History Blog

Tai Sing Loo was the official Navy photographer of Pearl
Harbor Naval Shipyard during the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor. In this excerpt from Air Raid: Pearl Harbor edited by
Paul Stillwell, Mr. Loo provided a unique account of his
experiences that day. How I Were at Pearl Harbor By Tai Sing
Loo On the 6th of [...]…

13. Ens. Theodore W. Marshall, a-v(N), Usnr: Perseverance at Pearl Harbor by NHHC at Naval History Blog

The first Japanese bombs to fall on Ford Island on Sunday, 7
December 1941, landed close to Patrol Squadron (VP) 22’s
hangar. The surprise attack by the enemy, delivered with
devastating precision at a number of places almost
simultaneously, served as a rude and deadly form of reveille.
Ens. Theodore Wood Marshall, A-V(N), USNR, VP-21’s [...]…

14. Those Old Ships of the Line by noreply@blogger.com (Craig Swain) at Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial

Hard to believe, but at the eve of a war which would feature
use of armored warships, steam propulsion, rifled naval guns,
mines, and primitive submarines, the U.S. Navy retained
several ships-of-the-line on the vessel list. Although most
sat on the stocks out of commission, in 1860 the Navy counted
eight 74-gun and two 120-gun ships-of-the-line.Retention of
such seemingly obsolete vessels was not as absurd as it may
seem. Steam propulsion, a technology still evolving past
infancy, suffered from a few tactical issues. Among those was
slow speed handling in exactly the…

15. Crewing a Ship’s Boat by yelpmark@comcast.net (Seaman Rob) at Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial

Photo courtesy USS Ft. Henry web site.One of the things I
like most about Civil War Navy living history is getting the
opportunity to try doing some of the things “the old salts”
did back then. The first weekend of October 2010, I
participated in a small re-enactment event in the Tampa area.
Dubbed “The Battle of Ballast Point”, the event recalls a
Union Navy cutting out expedition conducted in the fall of
1863 to destroy two Confederate blockade runners – the Kate
Dale and the Scottish Chief hiding up the Hillsborough River,
a major tributary of Tampa Bay. A…

16. Nc Civil War Symposium: “the Real War Will Never Get in the Books” by matthew.t.eng@navy.mil (Matthew T. Eng) at Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial

The History Department at North Carolina State University
invitesproposals for a symposium on the public history of the
American CivilWar.”THE REAL WAR WILL NEVER GET IN THE
BOOKS”The Public History of the American Civil War, a
SesquicentennialSymposiumMarch 26, 2011The approaching 150th
anniversary of the American Civil War provides aunique
opportunity to explore the many ways that public and
academichistorians can work together to engage general
audiences atbattlefields, historic sites, and museums across
the country. OnSaturday, March 26, 2011, the History
Department at North Carolina StateUniversity will host a
symposium to facilitate discussions among CivilWar
interpreters, museum curators, and…

17. Readiness and Care of Vessels in Inactive Status by NHHC at Naval History Blog

After victory in World War II, the United States Navy
initiated a complex process to migrate portions of its
massive armada into inactive status. This 1945 documentary
explains the proper methodology for preparing a warship for
the Reserve Fleet. Source: Naval History and Heritage
Command, Photographic Section, UM-20….

18. Our Cbs Radio News Man in Berlin Endures an Air Raid by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

As mentioned previously, one of the best sources of
information about daily life in the Third Reich is Assignment
to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery, a CBS Radio Correspondent
sent to Berlin to replace William Shirer although their
tenure overlapped for a few weeks so Shirer could show the
ropes to Flannery.On this particular evening, Shirer
accompanied Flannery to the broadcast studio and the two men
arrived early enough to dine at a nearby restaurant. They had
just begun to eat dinner…when the alarm sounded. It was a
startling, annoying, frightening sound, like the long
drawn-out wail of…

19. Punic Wars: Hannibal Surprises at Lake Trasimene by n/a at About.com Military History

Having won a stunning victory at the Battle of the Trebia in
218 BC, Hannibal advanced south into Italy. The defeat led to
a change in the Roman leadership with Gnaeus Servilius
Geminus and Gaius Flaminius becoming consuls. Opposing
Hannibal, Flaminius was cut off from Rome by Hannibal in 217
BC. Pursuing the Carthaginian army, Flaminius was ambushed by
Hannibal at the Battle of Lake Trasimene on June 24. Pinned
on a narrow plain along the lake’s northern short, the Romans
were quickly attacked on three sides. In the fighting, around
half the Roman army was killed, including Flaminius. Only…

20. Preserving Cannons by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

On a few occasions folks have asked me about preserving and
restoring Civil War cannons. While I do spend a lot of time
looking and studying the guns, about the only first hand
experience I have maintaining the pieces is … Continue
reading →…

21. The Uss Mississippi: a Greek Battleship (Part 1 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

The USS Mississippi was the first battleship of her class and
was commissioned for the US Navy in 1908. She was
subsequently sold to Greece in 1914 and was then renamed
Kilkis. Kilkis saw minimal action during WW 1, assisted the
White Russian Forces in the 1919 Allied Crimean expedition,
and became a naval artillery training facility in 1935. She
was sunk by German Bombers in April 1941 while docked at
Salamis Naval Base.+Dressed with flags, off Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, during Founders’ Week, 1908. Note motor launch
off the starboard quarter, with Mississippi’s name painted on
its stern, and…

22. Review of Assignment to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery (Part 2 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

Assignment to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery. First published in
June of 1942. Four stars.Excerpts from Flannery’s book:Like
all broadcasts by foreign radio correspondents, Flannery’s
script had to be approved by a German censor from the
Ministry of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment prior to
broadcast. One of the oddest things Flannery discovered was
this:…the Nazis would not permit the use of the word
‘Nazi.’ They contended it had an uncomplimentary connotation
in the United States and the correct term, anyway, was
‘National Socialist.’Flannery gives a good description of a
man named Paul Schmidt, the main spokesman for the…

23. Review of Assignment to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery (Part 1 of 2) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

Assignment to Berlin by Harry W. Flannery. First published in
June of 1942. Four stars.++When I was researching wartime
Germany for my novel, I found the best books for everyday
details weren’t academic histories or even popular histories
but diaries kept by Germans themselves and books by American
journalists. Harry Flannery replaced William Shirer as the
CBS Radio News correspondent in Germany after Shirer was
kicked out of the country because his broadcasts annoyed the
Germans. Shirer was an author and intellectual. He witnessed
many key events of the 1930s including the French surrender
to Germany in…

24. Pearl Harbor, 69 Years Ago Today by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

Sixty-nine years ago, on December 7th, 1941, the Imperial
Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack against the United
States naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Over 350 Japanese
aircraft attacked in two waves, strafing, dropping bombs and
torpedoes. Four U.S. Navy battleships were sunk, four other
battleships were damaged, and eight other ships were either
sank or damaged. 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed, 2,402
personnel were killed and 1,282 were wounded. The following
day, the United States declared war on Japan, officially
entering World War II. This year’s 69th anniversary coincides
with the dedication of a new $56…

1. The H-Bomber Will Always Get Through by Brett Holman at Airminded
2. World War Ii: Pappy Boyington Born by n/a at About.com Military History
3. Navy Ace Bill Davis and the Last Ship by NHHC at Naval History Blog
4. Best of Civil War Publishing – 2010: My Year in Review by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors
5. December 1, 1921: First Flight of Airship Filled With Helium by Proceedings at Naval History Blog
6. The Cost of War: the Family Perspective: Front &Amp; Center by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
7. Exhibit Essay by noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Price) at Over There
8. Nemesis: Admiral Sir Max Horton and the Defeat of the U-Bootwaffe by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
9. World War Ii Posters by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
10. Review of the Cinderella Service: Raf Coastal Command 1939-1945 by Andrew Hendrie by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
11. A President'S New Orleans Funeral by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
12. Catapult Armed Merchant Ships (Cam Ships) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
13. World War Ii Posters by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
14. The German Home Front: Always Hungry by Charles McCain at Charles McCain
15. Against Original Research by Brett Holman at Airminded
16. Cross Posting: Tactical Radios – Past, Present, Future by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
17. Charles R. Swain by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
18. A Decent Interval: Is It Too Much to Ask? by The Faceless Bureaucrat at Kings of War
19. Joseph Clark Sutton by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
20. Northern Crusades: Victory on the Ice by n/a at About.com Military History
21. An Estimate of the Number of Surviving Union Soldier Photographs by noreply@blogger.com (Ron Coddington) at Faces of War
22. John H. Sumner by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
23. 8-Inch Parrott Rifles – Siege of Yorktown by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
24. Lockheed Hudson – Upper Turret Support Structure Progress by Jamie Croker at Australian War Memorial
25. Maritime Medicine and the Law of the Sea by thomaslsnyder at Of Ships & Surgeons
26. The Forgotten Career of Major Trafford Leigh-Mallory, 1914-1918: a Leadership Perspective by Ross at Thoughts on Military History
27. Ulrich Straus: the Anguish of Surrender by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
28. Political Infighter: the Story of Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer, Usn by NHHC at Naval History Blog
29. World War Ii: B-26 First Flies by n/a at About.com Military History
30. Frozen Chosin by NavyTV at Naval History Blog
31. From Thanh Hoa to Sarajevo: the Odyssey of Admiral Leighton W. Smith by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Contents

1. The H-Bomber Will Always Get Through by Brett Holman at Airminded

Cmnd. 124, Defence: Outline of Future Policy, is one of the
most famous (and infamous) documents in British military
history. It’s better known as the 1957 Defence White Paper,
or the Sandys White Paper after the Minister of Defence
responsible for it, Duncan Sandys. It ended National Service,
committed Britain to nuclear deterrence, and foreshadowed
drastic cuts in conventional force levels. Aviation bore the
brunt of these last. Fighter Command was to be abolished
(though in the end it won a reprieve, at least until 1967)
and a large number of advanced fighter types under
development for the RAF were…

2. World War Ii: Pappy Boyington Born by n/a at About.com Military History

December 4, 1912 – Future Col. Gregory “Pappy” Boyington
(right) is born in Idaho. Attending the University of
Washington, Boyington majored in aeronautical engineering. In
1935, he joined the Marine Corps and began flight training
the following year. Earning his wings, he proved a highly
skilled pilot, but struggled with drinking and discipline
when on the ground. Leaving the USMC in 1941, he joined the
American Volunteer Group (Flying Tigers) in China. Flying
against the Japanese, he claimed six kills (this number is
disputed) before returning the United States in mid-1942.
With World War II raging, he was accepted back…

3. Navy Ace Bill Davis and the Last Ship by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Naval History Blog is pleased to present a guest post by
author Doug Keeney about his friend Bill Davis: In October of
1944, a young Navy lieutenant nosed over his F6F Hellcat and
began a dive towards a Japanese aircraft carrier below. “I
screamed down on the carrier which now completely filled my
gunsights,” the pilot [...]…

4. Best of Civil War Publishing – 2010: My Year in Review by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors

…

5. December 1, 1921: First Flight of Airship Filled With Helium by Proceedings at Naval History Blog

Blimp C-7 was piloted by LCDR Ralph F. Wood from Norfolk,
Virginia to Washington, DC during the first flight of an
airship filled with helium on December 1, 1921. The design of
the “C” model was based upon operational experience and was a
decided advance over the “B”. The “C”s were 192 feet long and
42 feet in [...]…

6. The Cost of War: the Family Perspective: Front &Amp; Center by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

This program was originally recorded at the Pritzker Military
Library in downtown Chicago and features panelists: Kathleen
and Craig Bennett, Karoline Koehler, and Debbie Kious. Front
& Center with John Callaway: The Cost of War: The Family
Perspective. Originally aired 03/23/2005.

…

7. Exhibit Essay by noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Price) at Over There

The following is an essay that I wrote that appeared in the
Henrico County Historical Society’s newsletter:The exhibit
Ready To Do My Part: Henrico County & World War I explores
the events and historical legacies of how American
participation in the First World War directly affected the
citizens of Henrico County.When an assassins bullet claimed
the life of Austrian Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand on June 28,
1914, no one could have foreseen that in three short years 2
million American soldiers would be shipped overseas – or that
116,000 American soldiers would die in the conflict.That
675,000 Americans of all walks of…

8. Nemesis: Admiral Sir Max Horton and the Defeat of the U-Bootwaffe by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz lost the most critical battle of
World War Two: the Battle of the Atlantic. As an admiral he
was second-rate at best, incompetent at worst. As a
strategist and a tactician he was uninformed and tunnel
minded. Morally, he was a weak man of the lowest character.
Why? As one of the top leaders of Nazi Germany, he was well
aware of the foul deeds being committed by the Third Reich
including the cold blooded murder of European Jewry. At
Nuremberg, he perjured himself almost every time he
spoke.+Admiral Sir Max Horton RNToday…

9. World War Ii Posters by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

Other WWII Propaganda Poster postsAnother series of US Home
Front posters. These urge Americans to buy war bonds and
stamps. Like all governments, the United States had to borrow
money to prosecute the Second World War and one of the best
sources of that money were the citizens of the US. Immense
effort was made to entice people into investing their savings
in various types of war bonds both because the country needed
the money and as a way to ‘soak up’ the additional money
people began to make working in war industries. From a nation
with high unemployment and…

10. Review of the Cinderella Service: Raf Coastal Command 1939-1945 by Andrew Hendrie by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

+RAF Coastal Command was the red-headed stepchild of the
British military in World War Two. Its primary function was
patrolling the waters off the coast of the United Kingdom,
providing air cover for convoys, sinking U-Boats, and
attacking German aircraft trying to attack Allied convoys.
This was quite a big job although the Command did not receive
these responsibilities all at once. Because all of their
responsibilities involved coordination with the Royal Navy,
Coastal Command was placed under the tactical command of the
Royal Navy while maintaining its status as part of the RAF.In
terms of priority…

11. A President'S New Orleans Funeral by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

This was one of the first articles I sold to New Orleans
Magazine whom I went on to write half a dozen articles for.
What made this so interesting to me was being able to connect
the history of a past event to the present day. The owner of
the house where the President died even gave me a personal
tour and I was then still a long-haired just graduated Tulane
student. All the other research I was able to do in a private
archive called the Historic New Orleans collection which was
open to researchers. A wealthy oilman…

12. Catapult Armed Merchant Ships (Cam Ships) by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

+The Hawker Sea Hurricane W9182 on the catapult of a CAM
Ship.+An amazing wartime photograph of the cordite rocket
catapult on a CAM ship being fired, propelling the Hurricane
Mk I ‘Hurricat’ into the air at flying speed.In the beginning
years of the war, German aircraft caused so much damage to
Allied convoys that the very unusual expedient of arming
merchant ships with fighter planes was put into practice.
They were designated CAM ships and this was exclusively a
British initiative with only British ships used. This is how
it worked: a merchant ship was fitted with…

13. World War Ii Posters by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

Other WWII Propaganda Poster postsPropaganda posters were
constantly being issued by the OWI (Office of War
Information). These posters in this series are a sample which
focused on the actions being made by the US Navy and the US
Merchant Marine. Poster three points to an effort most
Americans are not familiar with and that is the astounding
expansion of the US Merchant Marine. We built thousands of
ships such as the famous “Liberty ships” of which we built
2,751. These were manufactured in pre-fabricated sections,
shipped by rail to shipyards, and welded together by men and
women hired…

14. The German Home Front: Always Hungry by Charles McCain at Charles McCain

From my novel, An Honorable German:Berlin, January 1943:
…they had to use ration coupons for only the bread and
butter, and for the eggs and sugar that would go into a small
cake for dessert. Max had been issued extra ration coupons
with his leave papers, so Mareth didn’t need to spend any of
hers. The waiter took Max’s large, multi-colored coupon cards
- the orange one for rolls, pink for butter and skim milk,
green for eggs, white for sugar – and cut off the necessary
squares with a pair of scissors. Every waiter in Germany now
carried scissors alongside…

15. Against Original Research by Brett Holman at Airminded

Cross-posted at Cliopatria.] I know. Writing about Wikipedia
is so 2006. And yes, finding errors in Wikipedia articles is
not exactly difficult. But I have a bee in my bonnet which
needs releasing. Wikipedia’s page on the Blitz has a section
entitled ‘Commencement on September 6′. This is how it
currently reads (sans hyperlinks and superscripts): There is
a misconception that the Blitz started on September 7, 1940.
Bombs began dropping the night of September 6 and continued
for the full day of the 7th and on into the morning of the
8th. Saturday 7th was the first full…

16. Cross Posting: Tactical Radios – Past, Present, Future by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

Over the last few days, I’ve taken a bit of a break from
Civil War topics. A recent news article inspired me to dive
into a subject near and dear to my Army experience – tactical
communications. Not the kind … Continue reading →…

17. Charles R. Swain by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Charles R. Swain was born in 1844 in Tioga County, New York,
probably the son of Robert (b. 1821) and Catharine (b.
1824).Charles’s parents were both born in New York and
eventually settled in Tioga County. By 1850 Charles was
attending school with one Julia Lamonte and living with his
family in Barton, Tioga County, New York where his father
worked as a carpenter. Charles left New York with his family,
and came to western Michigan. By 1860 Charles was attending
school with three of his younger siblings, living with his
family in Grand Rapids’ Fourth Ward, Kent County…

18. A Decent Interval: Is It Too Much to Ask? by The Faceless Bureaucrat at Kings of War

A little decency, please. It’s all we ask.

Henry Kissinger will go down in history for many things, but
one of his most interesting contributions is his phrase
‘decent interval’ describing the Nixon Administration’s
desire to have an orderly withdrawal of American forces from
South Vietnam and then some delay before the inevitable
collapse of the Thieu regime. What is perhaps most
interesting about the phrase is the context within which it
was used: Kissinger used it in his discussions with the
Chinese in his secret 1971 trip to Beijing: We are ready to
withdraw all of our forces [from...

19. Joseph Clark Sutton by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Joseph Clark Sutton was born in 1836 in Ontario County, New
York.Joseph left New York and by 1863 had settled in western
Michigan.He stood 5’9” with hazel eyes, black hair and a dark
complexion and was a 27-year-old painter possibly living in
Hastings, Barry County when he became a substitute for David
R. Cook who had been drafted on February 10, 1863, for 9
months from Prairieville, Barry County. He was assigned to
Company E, and joined the Regiment on March 10 at Camp
Pitcher, Virginia. According to Andrew Kilpatrick, also of
Company E, Joseph was a Private...

20. Northern Crusades: Victory on the Ice by n/a at About.com Military History

Fought April 5, 1242, the Battle of the Ice saw Russian
forces turn back the Crusaders. Attacking the Russian state
of Novgorod in 1240 Crusader forces were defeated in the
north by Prince Alexander Nevsky at the Battle of the Neva.
Despite this setback, Crusader forces to the south had
success and occupied a number of key towns. Campaigning in
1241 and early 1242, Alexander succeeded in liberating much
of this territory and then raided further west. Completing
his raid, he withdrew east with Crusader forces led by
Hermann, Bishop of Dorpat in pursuit. Crossing the frozen
surface of Lake...

21. An Estimate of the Number of Surviving Union Soldier Photographs by noreply@blogger.com (Ron Coddington) at Faces of War

Is it possible that 4-million original portrait photographs
of Union soldiers have survived a century-and-a-half? That's
my estimate, and I think it is a fair number — perhaps a bit
conservative.Of course, with any estimate, a few "ifs" are
involved.If 75% of the 2.5-million federal soldiers purchased
one tintype or ambrotype and a set of a dozen cartes de
visite at the beginning of their enlistment, 1.875-million
men would account for 24.375-million photographs.Wow.Now,
take the 1.875-million men, subtract 620,000 war dead
(battles and disease) and you have 1.255-million survivors.
Let's say each...

22. John H. Sumner by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

John H. Sumner was born in 1840 in Boston, Massachusetts, the
son of Samuel Robert (b. 1803) and Jerusha (b.
1806).Massachusetts native Samuel married Maine-born Jerusha
in 1831, possibly in Maine where they lived for some years.
By 1850 Samuel was working as a carpenter and John (listed as
“J. H.” ) was attending school with two of his older siblings
in Somerville, Massachusetts. John left Massachusetts and
moved west, eventually settling in western Michigan where by
1859-60 he was living with one Samuel Sumner (probably his
father) on the north side of Lyon east of Prospect Street...

23. 8-Inch Parrott Rifles – Siege of Yorktown by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

The first combat use of the 8-inch Parrott Rifle came during
the Peninsula Campaign of 1862. When Major General George B.
McClellan encountered Confederate defenses around Yorktown,
he called upon his artillerists and engineers to breach those
lines with a … Continue reading →...

24. Lockheed Hudson – Upper Turret Support Structure Progress by Jamie Croker at Australian War Memorial

The support structure for the upper turret is beginning to
take shape, with repaired and replicated components being
pieced together before installation. This structure is
approximately 1/3 of the way through the fabrication stage.
When complete, the structure will be disassembled, painted,
and then installed into the airframe. Partially completed
upper Turrect support structure Reproduced stowage [...]

…

25. Maritime Medicine and the Law of the Sea by thomaslsnyder at Of Ships & Surgeons

Before the 20th century, individual navies and trading
companies, to a greater or lesser extent, took responsibility
for providing medical services to sailors in their employ.
Very little seems to have been written in the west about the
obligations of maritime nations with respect to medical care
to enemy combatants or non-combatant personnel on the high
seas until the 1907 Hague Convention added sailors to
protections given to wounded soldiers under previous Geneva
Conventions governing combatant nations. Of the Geneva
Conventions drafted in 1949, the second (“Geneva II”)
provides for the amelioration of the condition of sick,
wounded and…

26. The Forgotten Career of Major Trafford Leigh-Mallory, 1914-1918: a Leadership Perspective by Ross at Thoughts on Military History

[Cross-posted at The Aerodrome] This past Friday I delivered
a paper at a conference on ‘New Research in Military
History’. The conference was organised by the British
Commission for Military History, the History of Warfare Group
at King’s College London and the University of Sussex. It was
a great events and interesting to see lots [...]…

27. Ulrich Straus: the Anguish of Surrender by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

Author Ulrich Straus visits the Library to discuss his book:
The Anguish of Surrender: Japanese POWs of World War II.
Originally aired 12/02/04.

…

28. Political Infighter: the Story of Admiral Thomas Hinman Moorer, Usn by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Thomas Moorer stands out as one of the few senior American
military leaders who fought hard with the political
establishment over the conduct of the Vietnam War. As
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from July 1970 to July
1970, Moorer constantly pushed for the authority to strike
targets in the Hanoi area with [...]…

29. World War Ii: B-26 First Flies by n/a at About.com Military History

November 25, 1940 – The Martin B-26 Marauder (right) first
flies. Designed by team led by Peyton Magruder, the B-26 was
created in response to a 1939 US Army Air Corps request for a
new medium bomber. Ordered into production straight from the
drawing board, the aircraft entered service in 1941. As the
US Army Air Forces expanded to meet the demands of World War
II, the B-26′s accident rate skyrocketed due to its
abnormally high landing and stall speeds. This led
inexperienced crews to dub the Marauder the “Widowmaker” and
“Martin Murderer.” Though Martin worked to…

30. Frozen Chosin by NavyTV at Naval History Blog

“Chosin,” one of the winners of the 2010 GI Film Festival,
documents the Battle of Chosin Reservoir and its survivors.
In the winter of 1950, 15,000 U.S. troops were surrounded and
trapped by 120,000 Chinese solders in the frozen mountains of
North Korea. Refusing surrender, the men fought 78 miles to
freedom while saving the [...]…

31. From Thanh Hoa to Sarajevo: the Odyssey of Admiral Leighton W. Smith by NHHC at Naval History Blog

When Leighton Warren “Snuffy” Smith was commander of Attack
Squadron 86 on board the carrier America in 1972, an
intelligence officer approached him and suggested he claim a
target he had not hit: “Just put down that you cratered the
approaches to the bridge or something,” he suggested. Smith
replied, “I didn’t crater the approaches; [...]…

1. The Battle of the North Atlantic: Allied Convoys by Charles McCain at World War II History
2. Discovering Private Walker: Using New Technologies to Catalogue Old Relics by Dianne Rutherford at Australian War Memorial
3. Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton: the Dominion of War by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
4. Inspired by the Hero of the “Planter” by noreply@blogger.com (Ron Coddington) at Faces of War
5. Edward Thomas and Arras, at the Iwm by George Simmers at Great War Fiction
6. Review: a Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
7. 8-Inch Parrott Rifles – Army Coast/River Defense Use by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
8. Privateers &Amp; Pirates: Blackbeard Killed by n/a at About.com Military History
9. Eyewitness Account: Lincoln at Gettysburg by noreply@blogger.com (Ron Coddington) at Faces of War
10. J. Weikert (Althoff) Farm Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
11. Custer Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
12. Slyder Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
13. Spangler Farm Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
14. Benner’s Hill Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
15. Ayres Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
16. Granite Schoolhouse Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
17. United States Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
18. Neill Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
19. North Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
20. Pleasonton Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
21. Sickles Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
22. Bushman Farm Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
23. Sykes Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
24. Cross, Brooke, and Detrobriand Avenues by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
25. East Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
26. Buford Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
27. Humphreys Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
28. Slocum Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
29. West Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
30. Crawford Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
31. South Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
32. Reynolds Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
33. Hancock Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)
34. Thursday, 21 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded
35. Guest Post: Recommission Olympia by Lcdr Claude Berube, Usnr by admin at Other Military History Stuff

Contents

1. The Battle of the North Atlantic: Allied Convoys by Charles McCain at World War II History

There are many battles in World War Two which historians
claim to be the “most important battle of the war.” But the
Battle of the North Atlantic really was the most important
battle of the war. Had we lost, then Great Britain would have
been forced to surrender. U-Boats, Allied escorts ships, and
aircraft from both sides played the major role in this battle
and beginning with this post I am going to post once or twice
a week on the Battle of the North Atlantic. I can do this for
years probably because the Battle lasted all of…

2. Discovering Private Walker: Using New Technologies to Catalogue Old Relics by Dianne Rutherford at Australian War Memorial

Mess tin found at Lone Pine, Gallipoli in 1919
RELAWM07799.004 There is a mess tin on display in the
Gallipoli gallery that is rusted and full of holes. It was
found over 90 years ago scattered with dozens of other pieces
of kit around the Lone Pine position at Gallipoli in January
1919 by staff from the [...]

…

3. Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton: the Dominion of War by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

Authors Fred Anderson and Andrew Cayton visit the Library to
discuss their book: The Dominion of War: Empire and Liberty
in North America 1500 – 2000. Originally aired 01/12/05.

…

4. Inspired by the Hero of the “Planter” by noreply@blogger.com (Ron Coddington) at Faces of War

The story of Robert Smalls’ 1862 capture of the Confederate
steamer Planter from Charleston Harbor and delivery of the
vessel, loaded with cannon, to safety under the protection of
the Union blockading fleet is well known. The escaped slave
(pictured here in an engraving from Harper’s Weekly) from
Beaufort, South Carolina, became an instant celebrity across
the North. Like many events of the war, it inspired poetry,
including this piece that appeared in the Boston Transcript.
The poem appeared a few months after the event. At the time,
Robert’s last name was spelled Smalls and Small. In this
instance, the…

5. Edward Thomas and Arras, at the Iwm by George Simmers at Great War Fiction

I spent a good afternoon yesterday at the Imperial War
Museum, attending an event organised jointly by the Edward
Thomas Fellowship and the War Poets Association. Thomas met
his death at the Battle of Arras, of course, and the two
speakers yesterday afternoon came at that subject from
interestingly different directions. First Sir Martin Gilbert
gave a lucid account of the background of the battle, and its
miserable course. The British only fought there because
Nivelle insisted that the French attack on the Aisne would be
decisive, if a British attack diverted troops and covered the
French flank. It was…

6. Review: a Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution, by
Theodore P. Savas and J. David Dameron (New York: Savis
Beatie, 2010. Paperback, 345 pages main text, 60 pages of
preface and reference, 7 page appendix, 8 page index. $19.95.
… Continue reading →…

7. 8-Inch Parrott Rifles – Army Coast/River Defense Use by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

Having looked at the Navy’s use of 8-inch Parrotts, it is
time I turned to the Army’s use of the type. Like the Navy,
the Army purchased these heavy Parrott rifles with
Confederate ironclads and fortifications in mind. Unlike the
… Continue reading →…

8. Privateers &Amp; Pirates: Blackbeard Killed by n/a at About.com Military History

November 22, 1718 – The pirate Blackbeard (right) is killed
by the Royal Navy. One of the most feared pirates of all
time, Edward Teach was active in the waters of the Caribbean
and North America between 1716 and 1718. A successful pirate
leader, he commanded from his ship Queen Anne’s Revenge until
its loss at Beaufort Inlet in 1718. Known for his blockade of
Charleston, SC in mid-1718, he accepted a royal pardon a
short time later. Unable to stay retired, he quickly returned
to piracy. These actions led the Governor of Virginia,
Alexander Spotswood, to dispatch an expedition…

9. Eyewitness Account: Lincoln at Gettysburg by noreply@blogger.com (Ron Coddington) at Faces of War

Journalist, author, and Librarian of the U.S. Congress John
Russell Young (1840-1899) witnessed the dedication of the
Soldiers’ National Cemetery at Gettysburg on Nov. 19, 1863.
Young (pictured here) covered the event as a reporter for the
Philadelphia Press. His recollection of the appearance and
speech of President Abraham Lincoln highlights the contrast
between what happened in the moment and how we remember it
today, a couple days shy of the 147th anniversary:The
celebration at Gettysburg was on Cemetery Hill. I was sent
there to report for the Press. I sat behind Mr. Lincoln. Mr.
Everett delivered the oration…

10. J. Weikert (Althoff) Farm Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: J. Weikert (Althoff) Farm Lane Named For: The
local farmer who owned the lane. Location: The Valley of
Death. Built: 1841. Altered: 1870. Designer: Unknown.
Description: One-lane earthen drive to what was the J.
Weikert Farm in 1863 (now the Althoff Farm). Runs north/south
from Wheatfield Road to United States Avenue. The lane is
2020′ long and 20′ wide. After Civil War, lane extended North
to access the Masonheimer Farm and the War Department’s
United States Avenue….

11. Custer Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Custer Avenue Named For: General George Custer,
commander of brigade of cavalry. Location: East Cavalry
Battlefield. Built: 1908-1915. Altered: Unknown. Designer:
E.B. Cope. Description: Grass lane that possesses crowning,
side slopes &andside drain swales, but the clarity of these
elements is eroding. Crown and slope area 16′ Wx 18 0LF,
total width 60′, total length 215′. History: Part of the War
Department’s overall park plan. A paper road South of Gregg
Avenue built to provide access to monuments at end of avenue,
commemorating Michigan participants in Cavalry Field
engagement….

12. Slyder Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Slyder Lane (Granite Farm Lane) Named For: John
Slyder, local farmer. Location: Southern end of the
battlefield. Built: 1852. Altered: 1936 (rehabilitation).
Designer: Unknown. Description: Approximately 27′W x 0.318 mi
L, constructed of packed earth & gravel. Provides access to
Granite (Slyder) Farm from Emmitsburg Road to W and to 1st VT
Cavalry monument and D-shaped field as well as woods at base
of Big Round Top to the southeast. A trace portion exists
into the wooded area. History: The current farm lane is
little changed in orientation or composition from the period
of the Battle of…

13. Spangler Farm Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Spangler Farm Lane Named For: Henry Spangler, the
farmer who owned it. Location: Seminary Ridge. Built: 1820.
Altered: Rehabbed in 2003. Designer: unknown. Description:
0.48 miles Lx25′W. Earthen road leading from Emmittsburg Road
to the Spangler farm house and out buildings from West
Confederate Avenue. Altered in 1976 to 22′W near the house.
The 1868 Warren Map shows a road existed west of the Spangler
House to Willoughby Road. History: The Spangler Lane provided
access to the Spangler farm buildings from the Emmitsburg
Road which were part of Gettysburg Battle of 2nd & 3rd day
fighting. On…

14. Benner’s Hill Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Benner’s Hill Avenue. Sometimes called Latimer’s
Avenue. Named For: Maj. Joseph W. Latimer was the commander
of Johnson’s Artillery battalion. Location: Benner’s Hill.
Built: 1905. Altered: 1936. Designer: E.B. Cope. Description:
Avenue measures 32′ R/W with 12′ paved area, total length
0.252 mi, including loop at the south end. Replaced dirt and
gravel road that existed during Gettysburg Park Commission
operation. History: Constructed by CCC to provide access to
Benner’s Hill, scene of Latimer’s Battalion and area used by
Confederates as starting point in attack on Culp’s Hill. Road
was originally established by the Gettysburg Park Commission…

15. Ayres Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Ayres Avenue Named For: Gen. Romeyn B. Ayres,
commander of division in the Fifth Corps. Location: The
Wheatfield. Built: 1906. Altered: Unknown. Designer: E.B.
Cope. Description: 0.303 miles long, 16′ wide, bituminous
treated macadam with telford base. Connects Wheatfield Road
with Sickles Avenue. History: Constructed by War Department
to designate battle lines – here the position held by the
Pennsylvania Reserves and US Regular Infantry. Located West
of Little Round Top at edge of Wheatfield and through Rose
Woods….

16. Granite Schoolhouse Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Granite Schoolhouse Lane Named For: none.
Location: Southern part of the battlefield. Built: 1800.
Altered: 1934. Designer: Unknown. Description: Approximately
20′W paved roadway, 33′ R.O.W. Surfaced with asphalt; the
original road was earthen. The orientation is the same as in
1863 except the eastern terminus shifted northward about
200′. Total length 0.820 mi. Macadamized by NPS early in the
20th Century. History: Road used by various Union troops
during 3 day battle for troop, equipment and supply movement;
it was only road on major battlefield to connect Baltimore
Pike and Taneytown Road. Orientation is much as it…

17. United States Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: United States Avenue Named For: None. Location:
Second/Third day battlefield. Built: 1895. Altered: 1934.
Designer: E.B. Cope. Description: Avenue was originally 20′
wide with telford-based paving. In the 1930s, avenue was
widened and partially realigned at the Trostle Buildings and
repaved with bituminous asphalt. Currently measures
approximately 36′ wide x 0.781 miles long. It begins at
Emmitsburg Road and ends at Sedgwick/Hancock Avenue. History:
Part of the War Department system of avenues designed and
built to provide access to various areas of Battlefield.
United States Avenue is within area of 3rd day Battle and is…

18. Neill Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Neill Avenue Named For: Gen. Thomas Neill,
commander of a brigade in the Sixth Corps. Location: Wolf
Hill. Built: 1880-1896. Altered: Unknown. Designer: E.B.
Cope. Description: Sodded avenue located 0.170 mi NE of
Baltimore Pike, S of Rock Creek. Varies in width, 20′ at east
section, 50′ at northwest section. Total 0.309 mi L, approx.
East section in farm, w/ bovines traipsing through road.
Enclosed by stone walls. History: Avenue includes monuments
connected with engagements or troop movements associated with
the 3rd Day Battle and Wolf Hill. Never completed; intended
to ford creek and to connect with…

19. North Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: North Confederate Avenue (sometimes called Ewell
Avenue) Named For: None. Location: North of town. Built:
1902. Altered: 1935. Designer: E.B. Cope. Description: Avenue
measures 0.356 miles long by 18′ wide. Constructed of
bituminous treated macadam with telford base. Runs from
Buford Avenue and Mummasburg Rd to Doubleday Avenue and
Mummasburg Rd. Alignment was drastically changed to
accommodate the Peace Light Memorial by NPS in 1935-1938.
History: Constructed by War Department to mark position of
Confederate artillery & infantry which attended Federal lines
form Oak Ridge on night of July 1. Shows location of English
Breech loading Whitworth cannons…

20. Pleasonton Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Pleasonton Avenue Named For: Gen. Alfred
Pleasonton, commander of the Union Cavalry Corps. Location:
Near the Union center. Built: 1896. Altered: 1936. Designer:
E.B. Cope. Description: Originally a 16′ wide telford-based
roadway that was widened and paved with bituminous asphalt in
the 1930s. Currently measures 24′ wide x 0.307 mi. long. This
is a connector road between Taneytown Road at east to Hancock
Avenue at west. History: Part of the War Department system of
avenues designed and built to provide access to various areas
within Battlefield Park. Pleasonton Avenue is within area of
3rd Day Battlefield. Named…

21. Sickles Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Sickles Avenue Named For: Gen. Daniel Sickles,
commander of the Third Corps. Location: Southern end of the
battlefield, including Devil’s Den and the Wheatfield. Built:
1886. Altered: 1895. Designer: E.B. Cope. Description: Avenue
measures 0.954 miles long by 18′ wide. Constructed of
bituminous treated macadam with telford base. Avenue split
into 2 sections: starts south from Crawford and Warren
Avenues and runs to Wheatfield Road. It then continues west
of the 1st section, from the Wheatfield Road near Peach
Orchard, northward to the Emmitsburg Road. History: Avenue
was constructed by War Department to follow positions of
Sickles’ command…

22. Bushman Farm Lane by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Bushman Farm Lane Named For: Michael Bushman.
Location: Near Seminary Ridge. Built: 1800 Altered:
Rehabilitated in 2003. Designer: Unknown. Description: Packed
earth and gravel farm lane, about 750′ long, 22′ wide.
Originates at Biesecker Woods and Emmitsburg Road, it leads
east to farm buildings and terminates at Bushman Woods
southwest of Big Round Top. South Confederate Avenue cuts the
southern end into 2 sections. The lane is part of Park horse
trail. History: On July 2, 1863 Hood’s CS Division advanced
across lane to attack the Union left at Devil’s Den & Round
Tops. On July 3, various skirmishes…

23. Sykes Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Sykes Avenue Named For: Union General George
Sykes, commander of the Fifth Corps. Location: Little Round
Top. Built: 1897. Altered: 1935. Designer: E.B. Cope.
Description: Avenue measures 0.138 miles long by 20′ wide.
Constructed of bituminous treated macadam with telford base.
Altered portion includes 10′ wide by 600′ long dirt covered
asphalt trace from woods S of Ave & ends at intersection of
Sykes & Wheatfield Road. Realigned by NPS in 1935-38.
History: Constructed by War Department to follow positions
defended by 5th Corps under command of General Sykes. Located
on Little Round Top & extends from Wheatfield Road to…

24. Cross, Brooke, and Detrobriand Avenues by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Cross, Brooke, and DeTrobriand Avenues Named For:
Colonel Edward Cross, commander of brigade in Hancock’s
Corps; Colonel John Brooke, commander of brigade in Hancock’s
Corps; and Colonel Philip DeTrobriand, commander of brigade
in Sickles’ Corps. Location: The Wheatfield. Built: 1906.
Altered: Unknown. Designer: E.B. Cope. Description: Avenues
measure 0.787 miles long by 16′ wide. Constructed of
bituminous treated macadam with telford base. Starting south
in Rose Woods at Sickles and Ayres Avenues and loops back
northwest to Sickles Avenue, at lower end of the Wheatfield.
History: Constructed by the War Department. DeTrobriand
Avenue extends along the stone wall…

25. East Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: East Confederate Avenue Named For: None. Location:
Culp’s Hill. Built: 1899-1902. Altered: 1934, 1999. Designer:
E.B. Cope. Description: Telford road system originally
measured 20′Wx7241′LF, widened/covered with bituminous
asphalt for motorized vehicles. Now approximately 24′Wx1.308
miles long. Connects Gettysburg Borough and former CS
positions on Middle Street to Slocum Avenue; carriage
turn-around still exists at Spangler’s Spring. History:
Constructed by the War Department to provide access to park
property and monuments associated with Confederate positions
and movements during battle at Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery
Hill. Notes: East Confederate Avenue is closed during…

26. Buford Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Buford Avenue Named For: Gen. John Buford,
commander of a Union cavalry division. Location: North of
town. Built: 1882. Altered: 1902, 2009 (repaved). Designer:
E.B. Cope. Description: Avenue measures 0.63 miles and is 20′
wide. Constructed of bituminous treated macadam with telford
base. Connects north portion of Reynolds Avenue with
southwest end of North Confederate Avenue at the Mummasburg
Road. History: Constructed by War Department for circulatory
purposes and to mark the position of a portion of Buford’s
command during 1st Day Engagement. Located northwest of
Gettysburg on 1st Day Battlefield….

27. Humphreys Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Humphreys Avenue Named For: General Andrew A.
Humphreys, commander of Division in Sickles’ Corps. Location:
Cemetery Ridge. Built: 1915. Altered: 1936. Designer: E.B.
Cope. Description: Land was acquired in 1896, but road was
not built until 1915. Road is bituminous asphalt over telford
subbase and measures approximately 36′ wide x 0.097 miles in
length. Includes pull-off area for parking, added in
conjunction with the comfort station construction. History:
Part of the system of roads within Gettysburg Park designed
and built to provide access to various sections of the
Battlefield. Humpherys Avenue is within area of 3rd day…

28. Slocum Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Slocum Avenue Named For: General Henry Slocum,
commander of the XII Corps. Location: Culp’s Hill. Built:
1884, 1897. Altered: 1934. Designer: E.B. Cope. Description:
Avenue was originally 20′ wide telford-based system, widened,
route altered, and bituminous paved 1930s, approximately 24′
wide x 1.308 mi long. Begins at intersection Colgrove and
East Confederate Avenues and extends to Baltimore Pike near
Steven’s Knoll. Used by vehicles and pedestrians. History:
Slocum Avenue, named after Major General Henry Slocum, weaves
through Culp’s Hill area. It follows much of route laid out
on Culp’s Hill by GBMA and encompasses most of the…

29. West Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: West Confederate Avenue Named For: none. Location:
Runs along Seminary Ridge. Built: 1894. Altered: 1950-1961.
Designer: E.B. Cope. Description: Avenue measures 2.750 miles
long by 20′ wide. Constructed of bituminous treated macadam
with telford base. Runs in the north/south direction from
Fairfield Road to Emmitsburg Road. The road continues beyond
the Emmitsburg Road, becoming South Confederate Avenue.
History: Section 1, 2, 3, and were constructed by War Dept
through area where Confederate artillery and infantry were
positioned on July 2-3, 1863. West Confederate Avenue is
intersected by the Millerstown Road….

30. Crawford Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Crawford Avenue Named For: General Samuel W.
Crawford, commander of the Pennsylvania Reserve Division.
Location: The Valley of Death. Built: 1895. Altered: 1980.
Designer: E.B. Cope. Description: Avenue measures 0.345 miles
long by 18′ wide. Constructed of bituminous treated macadam
with telford base. Runs N/S and connects the Wheatfield Road
with Warren Avenue. Cattle guards were added at both ends of
avenue when Little Round Top was converted to pasture use in
1980-1981. History: Constructed by the War Department through
“Valley of Death,” where Crawford’s Pennsylvania Reserve
Division was heavily engaged on July 2, 1863. From…

31. South Confederate Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: South Confederate Avenue Named For: N/A Location:
Built: 1894. Altered: 1930. Designer: E.B. Cope. Description:
Avenue measures 1.793 miles long by 20′ wide. Constructed of
bituminous treated macadam with telford base. Runs from
Emmitsburg Road to Warren and Sykes Avenues. Various
realignments in 1930′s to accommodate automotive traffic,
leaving the road base in place as an archeological site in
several places. History: Constructed by War Department
through area where CS troops advanced to attack Round Tops on
July 2. It crosses breastworks occupied by Law’s CS Brigade
on July 3. It also extends through area where…

32. Reynolds Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Reynolds Avenue Named For: General John Reynolds,
commander of the Left Wing of the Army of the Potomac.
Location: North west of Town. Built: 1882. Altered: 1897;
1958; 2009 (repaved). Designer: E.B. Cope. Description:
Avenue measures 0.977 miles long by 22′ wide. Constructed of
bituminous treated macadam with telford base. West of
Gettysburg, it extends from Fairfield Road crossing
Chambersburg Pike. It ends at intersection of Buford and
Wadsworth Avenues. The section between US30 and the Wadsworth
statue was altered in the late 1950s. A new bridge was
constructed over the railroad cut in 2009. History:
Constructed by…

33. Hancock Avenue by Jenny at Draw the Sword (and Throw Away the Scabbard)

Road Name: Hancock Avenue Named For: General Winfield Scott
Hancock, commander of the Second Corps. Location: Cemetery
Ridge. Built: 1882. Altered: 1934 and 1961. Designer: E.B.
Cope; road was originally laid out by the GBMA. Description:
Avenue originally constructed of telford-based paving
measuring 25′ wide. Widened & bituminous asphalt paved in
1934 to approximately 36′ wide x 1.237 mi long. Avenue begins
at joining of United States Avenue and Sedgwick Avenue and
loops to Cyclorama Drive. The road was altered with the
construction of the Cyclorama parking lot. History: Part of
the War Department system of avenues designed and built…

34. Thursday, 21 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded

I was going to end this section of the post-blog with
yesterday’s post, but who could resist a front page like
this? It’s so emotive and manipulative. The scene itself is
tragic enough: the mass burial and funeral of 172 men, women
and children killed in the blitz on Coventry last Thursday
night. Another seventy will be buried today. But to that the
Daily Mirror adds (1) portentous capitalisation (‘the Tragedy
of Coventry’); (2) a rousing declaration (‘WE SHALL
REMEMBER!’) combined with a graphic of Coventry in flames;
(3) the archaic insults (‘HUNS RAID’, ‘the Hun’s massacre’).
There’s more…

35. Guest Post: Recommission Olympia by Lcdr Claude Berube, Usnr by admin at Other Military History Stuff

In 1883, Moses Gulesian legally emigrated from Armenia to the
United States. Reportedly penniless, his hard work and
ingenuity made him a self-made millionaire. In 1905 when
Secretary of the Navy Charles Bonaparte proposed sinking the
USS Constitution by using her for target practice, Gulesian’s
sense of patriotism for his new country led him to send a
telegram to Bonaparte: “Will give ten thousand dollars for
the Constitution, Old Ironsides. Will you sell?” Although the
offer was refused by the U.S. government, it created the same
groundswell of support for the ship that had once compelled
Oliver Wendell Holmes…

1. John T. Strong by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
2. Chauncey Strickland Jr. by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
3. Wednesday, 20 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded
4. Monday, 18 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded
5. Sunday, 17 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded
6. A Dominion of the Air by Brett Holman at Airminded
7. World War Ii: Allies Hit Tarawa by n/a at About.com Military History
8. American Revolution: George Rogers Clark Born by n/a at About.com Military History
9. War of 1812: Defeat at Crysler’s Farm by n/a at About.com Military History
10. World Record Flight by Proceedings at Naval History Blog
11. “Paying the Ultimate Price” Corporal Jason Dunham, Usmc by NHHC at Naval History Blog
12. Uss Kirk – (Ff 1087) the Lucky Few by NavyTV at Naval History Blog
13. Guest Post by Liza Schwartz: Remembering Frank Freeland by NHHC at Naval History Blog
14. Congress Allows Arming of Merchant Ships by NHHC at Naval History Blog
15. Albert P. “Scoofer” Coffin and Guadalcanal by NHHC at Naval History Blog
16. Safety First! John Dahlgren and American Naval Ordnance by NHHC at Naval History Blog
17. “I Was Coming Head on at One of Them” Lt. Comdr. William T. Amen by NHHC at Naval History Blog
18. Navy Rips Into Rand by Thomas Rid at Kings of War
19. John J. Stribbling by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
20. Warren Solomon Stone by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
21. Hew Strachan: the First World War by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
22. The Washington Post Goes Whole Hog on the Sesquicentennial by noreply@blogger.com (dw) at of Battlefields and Bibliophiles
23. Allan M. Laing’s “Carols of a Convict” by George Simmers at Great War Fiction
24. Ira W. Speers by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
25. 8-Inch Parrott Rifle, Part 2a by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
26. The P6M Seamaster: Master and Commander of Naught by David Axe at Other Military History Stuff
27. One Hundred Years Ago, 10 November 1910 by UltimaRatioReg at Other Military History Stuff
28. The Battle of Wanat Study by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

Contents

1. John T. Strong by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

John T. Strong was born on June 17, 1842 in Boston,
Massachusetts, the son of George Furzer (1813-1885) and Mary
(Pulsifier Shea, 1816-1893).George left England and
immigrated to the United States where he met and married
Maine native Mary and settled in Massachusetts sometime
before their oldest child Sarah was born in 1838. By 1850
John was attending school with his older sister Sarah and
living with his family in Andover, Essex County,
Massachusetts where his father worked as a book-binder. His
family moved from Massachusetts sometime after 1850, settling
in Lansing and the Delta Center…

2. Chauncey Strickland Jr. by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Chauncey Strickland Jr. was born in 1842 in New York, the son
of Chauncey Sr. (b. 1798) and Mary Ann
(1802-1852).Massachusetts native Chancy Sr. married New
York-born Mary sometime before 1831 by which time they had
settled in New York. By 1850 Chauncey Jr. was attending
school with his five older siblings and living on the family
farm in Royalton, Steuben County, New York. Mary Ann died at
their home in Wayland, Steuben County, New York, in 1852.
Chauncey Sr. eventually moved his family to Michigan and by
1860 he was living with the John Stone family…

3. Wednesday, 20 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded

According to the Daily Express, the ‘ever-increasing power
behind Air Marshal Sir Charles Portal’s master-plan for
crippling Hitler’s war industries’ is beginning to yield
results (1). The giant Krupp factory (nearly always rendered
as ‘Krupps’ in the British press) at Essen had three
‘sections [...] put out of commission’, which must be
considered especially impressive as it is ‘officially stated’
that they ‘has been built underground because of their
importance’. A big ocean liner, SS Europa, was damaged in an
air raid on the Bremen docks. Other targets attacked recently
include the oil industry at Hanover (‘completely destroyed’)
and…

4. Monday, 18 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded

The Daily Mirror likes its headlines big and bold. The one
above takes up two-thirds of the width of today’s front page.
The story is that Arthur Greenwood, Minister without
Portfolio in the War Cabinet (and deputy leader of the Labour
Party; interesting that he is not described as such in an
ostensibly left-wing newspaper) has claimed that Germany is
suffering from aerial bombardment more than Britain — fifty
times more, to be precise (though I’m not sure if that’s just
last week or over the whole war). Partly this is due to ‘The
R.A.F.’s mastery of night…

5. Sunday, 17 November 1940 by Brett Holman at Airminded

I have an embarrassment of Sunday papers now: the Observer,
the Sunday Express, News of the World and The People. The
last named (which has sales of more than 3 million per issue)
has Coventry on the front page, but halfway down and
underneath a photograph of a pig (I couldn’t say why).
US-British cooperation, the brave HMS Jervis Bay and the
Italian evacuation of Koritza in the face of the Greek
advance are the stories which are given top billing instead.

The other three have chosen Coventry as their lead story. The
Sunday Express has this banner headline…

6. A Dominion of the Air by Brett Holman at Airminded

I’ve recently been reading Peter Ewer’s Wounded Eagle: The
Bombing of Darwin and Australia’s Air Defence Scandal, which
I found to be unexpectedly interesting, but not always in a
good way. Wounded Eagle has much less about the Second World
War than I’d thought: much of the early part of the book is
taken up with a detailed analysis of the origins of the
Empire Air Mail Scheme (EAMS) in the 1930s, and then there’s
a long account of the Royal Australian Air Force’s pre-war
procurement policy. There’s a lot of interesting stuff here:
one particular surprise for me…

7. World War Ii: Allies Hit Tarawa by n/a at About.com Military History

November 20-23, 1943 – American forces invade Tarawa (right).
Beginning an “island-hopping” campaign across the Pacific, US
forces moved to strike at Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.
Attacking on November 20, 1943, US Marines encountered fierce
Japanese resistance and were hampered when many of their
landing craft grounded on the island’s reef. Struggling
ashore after taking heavy losses, the Americans fought for
four bloody days to overcome the Japanese defenders. In the
course of the fighting, nearly the entire 4,690-man Japanese
garrison was killed. American losses were a costly 978 killed
and 2,188 wounded. Causing outrage, the high…

8. American Revolution: George Rogers Clark Born by n/a at About.com Military History

November 19, 1752 – George Rogers Clark (right) is born at
Charlottesville, VA. Trained as a surveyor, Clark spent much
of his time as a young man on the …Read Full Post…

9. War of 1812: Defeat at Crysler’s Farm by n/a at About.com Military History

November 11, 1813 – American forces are beaten at the Battle
of Crysler’s Farm. Advancing down the St. Lawrence River in
the fall of 1813, Maj. Gen. James Wilkinson sought to capture
Montreal. Leading a large force of largely green troops, he
was pursued by a small British force commanded by Lt. Col.
James Morrison. On November 11, Wilkinson instructed forces
under Brig. Gen. James P. Boyd to turn and clear Morrison
from the army’s rear. Assuming a defensive position at
Crysler’s Farm, Morrison received the American assault and
turned it back. With the Americans staggering, he launched a
counterattack which…

10. World Record Flight by Proceedings at Naval History Blog

On November 20th 1933, LCDR Thomas G.W. Settle, USN and MAJ
Chester I. Fordney, USMC set a world record balloon flight
into the stratosphere at 62,237 ft. The Soviet Union had
captured the imagination of the world by sending men higher
than anyone had ever gone before. America’s response was made
shortly afterward by a [...]…

11. “Paying the Ultimate Price” Corporal Jason Dunham, Usmc by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Today, the USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) joins the fleet. Here’s
a little bit of background about her namesake. From the
beginning, it seems fate had destined Jason Dunham to join
the Marine Corps. He was born in Scio, N.Y., on 10 November
1981. That same day, the Corps celebrated its 206th birthday.
Dunham joined [...]…

12. Uss Kirk – (Ff 1087) the Lucky Few by NavyTV at Naval History Blog

Now Showing on NavyTV: – the story of the USS Kirk. In late
April and early May of 1975, the destroyer escort USS Kirk
became a haven for refugees fleeing South Vietnam. Kirk‘s
officers and enlisted personnel–trained as warriors–instantly
transformed their man-of-war into a humanitarian assistance
ship. Desperation and anguish gave way to reassurance as
[...]…

13. Guest Post by Liza Schwartz: Remembering Frank Freeland by NHHC at Naval History Blog

It was more than 70 years ago, but Jerry Hoenig clearly
remembers the days he spent as a teenager with his best
friend Frank Freeland. The two Brooklyn boys would go into
Manhattan together to see the old boats at South Ferry and
visit the aquarium. “We used to pal around,” Hoenig recalled,
sitting in [...]…

14. Congress Allows Arming of Merchant Ships by NHHC at Naval History Blog

Prior to the official U.S. entry into the Second World War,
American merchant ships carried needed supplies that
supported the Allies in their desperate struggle against the
Axis powers. Although German aircraft and submarines attacked
American merchant ships when they entered war zones, the U.S.
Neutrality Act of 1936 prevented them from being armed, even
[...]…

15. Albert P. “Scoofer” Coffin and Guadalcanal by NHHC at Naval History Blog

On the morning of 14 November 1942, the eleven transports of
Rear Admiral Raizō Tanaka’s Outer South Seas Force
Reinforcement Force were steaming southeast down the “Slot”
toward Guadalcanal. Filled with more than 7,000 Imperial
Japanese Army troops and tons of ammunition and supplies and
escorted by the ships of three destroyer divisions, these
ex-merchantmen [...]…

16. Safety First! John Dahlgren and American Naval Ordnance by NHHC at Naval History Blog

November 13, 2010 marks the 201st birthday of Rear Admiral
John A. Dahlgren, known to history as the “father of American
naval ordnance.” Dahlgren, however, almost didn’t make it
past his 40th birthday. On 13 November 1849, he was test
firing a 32-pounder cannon to determine its range when
suddenly the piece exploded, killing a [...]…

17. “I Was Coming Head on at One of Them” Lt. Comdr. William T. Amen by NHHC at Naval History Blog

During a fierce battle over North Korea Lt. Comdr. William T.
Amen of VF-111 Sun Downers made the Navy’s first MiG kill, on
9 November 1950. Amen, the Sun Downer’s skipper, led a group
of F9F-2B Panthers flying from Philippine Sea (CV 47) that
covered a strike force of Corsairs and Skyraiders against the
Sinuiju [...]…

18. Navy Rips Into Rand by Thomas Rid at Kings of War

It must be so much fun to be a headline writer for, say, The
Sun. Ok, it’s usually not as dramatic as it sounds. But it
helps to get the reader’s attention. Joshua Rovner and Tim
Hoyt, professors at the U.S. Naval War College, have a pithy
review out on a recent RAND study (pdf) on victory in
counterinsurgency. I won’t comment on the study, as I haven’t
read it. But Messrs Rovner’s and Hoyt’s review is a crisp and
clever analysis that pulls no punches. Have a look. (And yes,
of course, opinions are only theirs, not the Navy’s…

19. John J. Stribbling by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

John J. Stribbling was born on March 15, 1842 in England,
probably the son of William (1818-1899) and Mary Ann (b.
1818).Sometime between 1841 and 1849 William and his family
immigrated to the United States and by 1850 John was living
with his family in Royalton, Niagara County, New York, where
his father was working as a laborer. The family eventually
settled in Michigan. Widower or divorced, William apparently
remarried to one Alvira (1816-1898).John stood 5’10” with
blue eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion and was a
19-year-old farmer possibly living in Delta…

20. Warren Solomon Stone by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Warren Solomon Stone was born on January 4, 1846, probably in
Painsville, Lake County, Ohio, the son of Solomon B. (b.
1822) and Henrietta (b. 1817).Ohio natives Solomon and
Henrietta were married probably in Ohio sometime before 1846
and by 1850 were living in Mentor, Lake County, Ohio where
“Solomon W.” attended school. By 1860 “Solomon w.’ was
attending shcool with his younger siblings and living with
his family in Mentor, Lake County, Ohio. Warren probably
moved to Michigan, probably from Ohio, along with his
parents, shortly before the war broke out, settling in Riley,
Clinton County.Warren stood 5’8…

21. Hew Strachan: the First World War by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

Author Hew Strachan visits the Library to discuss his book:
The First World War. Originally aired 04/21/05.

…

22. The Washington Post Goes Whole Hog on the Sesquicentennial by noreply@blogger.com (dw) at of Battlefields and Bibliophiles

…

23. Allan M. Laing’s “Carols of a Convict” by George Simmers at Great War Fiction

I lived a year in London, But never saw St. Paul’s; All
famous stunts left undone, Nor visited the “Halls.” I lodged
in Royal Quarters, At Majesty’s expense: All round, the walls
of Wormwood Scrubs Were reared for my defence. O, The Palace
at Wormwood Scrubs! The snarling, the sneers and the snubs,
And the long dreary days spent in learning the ways Of the
Palace at Wormwood Scrubs. That is a verse from a poem by
Allan M. Laing, which I first came across in Voices of
Silence, Vivien Noakes’s excellent “Alternative Book of First
World War Poetry”. The…

24. Ira W. Speers by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Ira W. Speers was born in 1844 in New York.Ira left New York
and moved west, eventually settling in Michigan where by 1860
he was a farm laborer living with Nathan Mayfield in
Waterford, Oakland County.He was 17 years old and residing in
Pontiac, Oakland County when he enlisted in Company I on May
13, 1861. He was on detached service as a teamster from
November of 1862 through December, with the Brigade wagon
train (probably as a teamster) in January of 1863, and with
the ammunition train from February through September. In
November Ira was detached with an artillery…

25. 8-Inch Parrott Rifle, Part 2a by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

Harry Smeltzer mentioned this earlier today. Since I was
already discussing the 8-inch Parrott rifles, I will take
advantage of the opportunity to expand upon our Friday
afternoon “discovery.” This 8-inch Parrott case shot was
originally a component of a memorial on the battlefield. The
plastic bag is a standard quart type, roughly 7 to [...]…

26. The P6M Seamaster: Master and Commander of Naught by David Axe at Other Military History Stuff

P6M. by STEVE WEINTZ From the late 1940s to the end of the
’50s, the United States Navy sought to define its role in the
new Atomic Age. The Navy’s first attempt at a strategic
nuclear deterrent, 1949′s super-carrier USS United States and
its whiz-bang air wing, was sunk during heated battles
between dissident admirals and Defense Secretary Louis
Johnson. The Navy next turned to its oldest form of aircraft:
the seaplane. The Seaplane Strike Force was a visionary
concept built upon a new generation of jets and turboprops
that could be deployed and supported by tenders…

27. One Hundred Years Ago, 10 November 1910 by UltimaRatioReg at Other Military History Stuff

The United States had not yet entered the Great War on this
135th Birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Commandant
John A. Lejeune would not publish his call for the
celebration of the birthday of our Corps for another eleven
years. Nobody outside of the intimate brotherhood of Marines
knew who John Lejeune was in 1910. Nor did they know Smedley
Butler, or Wendell Neville, nor Thomas Holcomb. John W.
Thomason, Marine Officer and author of the seminal “Fix
Bayonets”, was still in high school in Texas. Most of the
Marine heroes of the Second World War were small…

28. The Battle of Wanat Study by n/a at Other Military History Stuff

The Battle of Wanat Study – 12 November focus at the U.S.
Army’s STAND-TO!

The Battle of Wanat Study

What is it?

The Contemporary History on the battle of Wanat is a study
written by the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth,
Kan. The study focuses on the July 13, 2008, battle in
Afghanistan’s Waigal Valley during which nine American
Soldiers died and 27 were wounded defending their small
outpost against a much larger force of insurgents armed with
rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons. CSI
conducted an extensive study on the actions that took place
at Wanat in order…

1. 1945 Color Film of the Battleships South Dakota and Nagato by NHHC at Naval History Blog
2. Crusades: Fatimids Surrender Jerusalem by n/a at About.com Military History
3. Dishman: “a Perfect Gibraltar: the Battle for Monterrey, Mexico, 1846″ by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors
4. Abandoned Wiards by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
5. John Mccrae: ‘in Flanders Fields’ by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kendall) at War Poetry
6. Roelof Steffins by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
7. Ambrose a. Stevens by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
8. Elisha O. Stevens by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
9. Joseph Edward Stevens by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project
10. Usn and Usmc in Bolshevik Revolution by NHHC at Naval History Blog
11. American Civil War: Grant Begins at Belmont by n/a at About.com Military History
12. The Longest Winter: the Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War Ii'S Most Decorated Platoon: Front &Amp; Center by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
13. Ocean Views (Secret) by Brett Holman at Airminded
14. Northwest Indian War: St. Clair Routed on the Wabash by n/a at About.com Military History
15. There’s an App for That. . . by noreply@blogger.com (dw) at of Battlefields and Bibliophiles
16. An Alphabet Soup of Confusion: Torpedo Craft in World War Two by Charles McCain at World War II History
17. Reinhart (Ed.): “a German Hurrah! : Civil War Letters of Friedrich Bertsch and Wilhelm Staengel, 9th Ohio Infantry” by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors
18. November at the Pritzker Military Library by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts
19. Strategy and the Singularity by David Betz at Kings of War
20. French &Amp; Indian/Seven Years' War: 1758-1759: the Tide Turns by n/a at About.com Military History
21. 8-Inch Parrott Rifle, Part 2 by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns
22. The Continental Congress Commits to a Navy, 30 October 1775 by NHHC at Naval History Blog
23. Why Do So Many Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Publish Their Memoirs? by The Bunny at Other Military History Stuff

Contents

1. 1945 Color Film of the Battleships South Dakota and Nagato by NHHC at Naval History Blog

The United States takes possession of the Japanese battleship
Nagato at the end of World War II, at Yokusuka Naval Base.
The crew of USS Horace A. Bass (APD-124), moored alongside
Nagato, board the Japanese battleship. In this footage, the
Japanese flag can briefly be seen flying over Nagato, with
Horace A. Bass’s American flag [...]…

2. Crusades: Fatimids Surrender Jerusalem by n/a at About.com Military History

Having taken Antioch in 1098, Crusader forces under Raymond
of Toulouse and Godfrey of Bouillon moved against Jerusalem
the following year. Advancing down the coast, they turned
inland at Jaffa and arrived before the city on June 7. Laying
siege, their initial attacks were defeated by the Fatimid
garrison. Suffering from a shortage of water, they were able
to build siege equipment following the arrival of a Genoese
fleet in late June. After conducting a penitential procession
around the city walls on July 8, the Crusaders made their
final preparations for assaulting the city. Moving forward on
July 13, the…

3. Dishman: “a Perfect Gibraltar: the Battle for Monterrey, Mexico, 1846″ by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors

…

4. Abandoned Wiards by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

I’ve been posting markers from the Stones River battlefield
for the last couple of weeks. One of the war’s largest and
most important engagements, only a portion of the field is
within the National Park boundaries. Even sitting adjacent to
… Continue reading →…

5. John Mccrae: ‘in Flanders Fields’ by noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kendall) at War Poetry

No better time to discuss John McCrae’s ‘In Flanders Fields’
than Remembrance Week, when the poem, or at least a generous
excerpt, will be quoted at countless public events across the
English-speaking world.Rarely has the question been asked:
how appropriate is the poem to an occasion of remembrance? Or
to put it another way, what else might we be submitting to
when we submit to this poem? Lest this seem like a finicky
concern in the context of overwhelming grief, one fact must
be spelt out: in political terms, McCrae could not be more
distanced from Owen and Sassoon…

6. Roelof Steffins by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Roelof Steffins was born on June 28, 1837, in the
Netherlands, the son of Hendrick (b. 1795) and Maatje (b.
1795).Roelof’s family immigrated to America and evnetually
settled in western Michigan where by 1860 Roelof was working
as a lumberman and living with his parents in Blendon, Ottawa
County.Roelof, known also as “Ralph,” stood 6’0” with blue
eyes, light hair and a light complexion and was 23 years old
and probably still living in Blendon when he enlisted in
Company F on May 13, 1861. He was absent sick in the hospital
in August of 1862, but eventually recovered…

7. Ambrose a. Stevens by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Ambrose A. Stevens was born on September 20, 1829, in
Rutland, Jefferson County, New York, the son of Alexander (b.
1799) and Lydia (Peck).Ambrose’s parents were married in 1820
in Jefferson County, New York.Ambrose may have served in the
army during the Mexican War. In any case, he eventually
settled in Watertown, Jefferson County, New York where he
married New York native Marion C. Frazell (1833-1900) on
November 10, 1853, in Watertown, and they had at least one
son, William (or Wallace F., b. 1873). Ambrose was reportedly
“educated for a mercantile profession in New York City,” and…

8. Elisha O. Stevens by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Elisha O. Stevens was born on March 23, 1828, in Vermont, the
son of Truman and Lucy (Bryant).In 1840 Truman was living in
Pawlet, Rutland County, Vermont, and by 1850 Lucy was
recorded as living in Pittsford, Rutland County, Vermont (it
is unclear what became of Truman). In 1850 there was a farmer
by the name of Elisha Stevens, age 23, born in Vermont,
living in Montgomery, Franklin County Vermont, and living
with him were two small children, Sarah, 2 years old (and
born in New Hampshire), and Alva, 5 months old.Elisha was
married to New York native Joanna…

9. Joseph Edward Stevens by Steve Soper at Third Michigan Infantry Research Project

Joseph Edward Stevens was born on July 4, 1836, in Campbell,
Steuben County, New York, the son of Ralph (1811-1901) and
Jane (Miller, b. 1812).Joseph’s parents were married in 1834,
possibly in New York. In any case by 1836 they were living in
Steuben County, New York. Joseph eventually left New York and
moved west, settlingin Michigan by the time he Michigan
native Jane Eliza Bartlett (1840-1903), on March 24, 1858;
they had at least five children: Edward Corwin (b. 1859),
Brainard Wyman (b. 1863), Rufus W. (b. 1865), John Bartlett
(b. 1874) and Estelle Phylora (b…

10. Usn and Usmc in Bolshevik Revolution by NHHC at Naval History Blog

The Bolshevik seizure of power following the 1917 October
Revolution plunged Russia into a protracted and bloody civil
war. The Civil War’s destabilizing affects led to an
international intervention. Among this international group
were Great Britain, France, Japan, China, and the United
States. Between 1918 and 1920, the allied powers deployed
military expeditions to major [...]…

11. American Civil War: Grant Begins at Belmont by n/a at About.com Military History

Novmber 7, 1861 – Brig. Gen. Ulysses Grant (right) fights the
Battle of Belmont. Moving south down the Mississippi River,
Grant sought to raid the Confederate garrison at Belmont, MO,
opposite from the formidable batteries at Columbus, KY.
Landing on the morning of November 7, Grant’s men succeeded
in driving back Confederate forces led by Brig. Gen. Gideon
Pillow. Having captured Camp Johnston at Belmont, Union
forces fell to plundering the Confederate base. Grant, aware
that enemy reinforcements were crossing the river, succeeded
in restoring control and began retreating north to his
transports. Meeting the enemy en route, Union forces were…

12. The Longest Winter: the Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War Ii'S Most Decorated Platoon: Front &Amp; Center by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

Author Alex Kershaw visits the library to discuss his book
The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic
Story of World War II’s Most Decorated Platoon. Front &
Center with John Callaway. Originally aired 2/9/2005.

…

13. Ocean Views (Secret) by Brett Holman at Airminded

Someone on the WWI-L mailing list posted a link to a scanned
book with the rather excellent title Photographs of H.M.
Vessels & Auxiliaries and Other Objects Taken from the Air.
This was printed in August 1918 for the Intelligence
Department of the Admiralty as CB 848 and was very clearly
marked secret, issued in numbered copies so that if it fell
into the wrong hands the security breach could be traced.
There is also the rather odd restriction that This book is
NEVER to be carried in any Aircraft heavier or lighter than
air. Presumably this again was to…

14. Northwest Indian War: St. Clair Routed on the Wabash by n/a at About.com Military History

November 4, 1791 – Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair’s (right) small
army is routed at the Battle of the Wabash. In the wake of
early American defeats during the Northwest Indian War, St.
Clair was tasked with forming a large expedition to attack
the Miami capital at Kekionga. Poorly supplied and consisting
of ill-disciplined and untrained men, St. Clair’s army of
around 2,000 men departed Ft. Washington (Cincinnati) in
October 1791. Slowly moving north, he soon lost half his men
to desertion. Camping at the headwaters of the Wabash River
on November 3, St. Clair failed to fortify his camp…

15. There’s an App for That. . . by noreply@blogger.com (dw) at of Battlefields and Bibliophiles

This looks pretty cool. Certainly the price is right (.99
cents). Civil War Preservation Trust has released its first
virtual battlefield guide, with ready access to “orders of
battle, battle facts, historical photos, troop positions,
chronologies,” battle maps, and video clips of historians
holding forth. Not to mention GPS to tell you exactly where
you are on the battlefield. The potential for this kind of
App is really exciting. Imagine pulling up one of CWPT’s
beautiful maps, locating yourself on that map, and then
reading some after-action reports referring to the spot where
you’re standing. At present, only part…

16. An Alphabet Soup of Confusion: Torpedo Craft in World War Two by Charles McCain at World War II History

Crossposted from CharlesMcCain.com] PT Boats, MTBs, E-Boats,
S-Boots, Torpedo boats all blend together as generic terms
for some type of small, fast torpedo craft. US Navy Patrol
Torpedo boats were only deployed in the Pacific and never
used in the European Theater of Operations but the image of
the PT boat often sticks in our minds as the image of any
other fast torpedo craft.

USS PT-105 running at high speed, during exercises off the
U.S. East Coast with other units of Motor Torpedo Boat
Squadron Five, 12 July 1942

In the decades prior to the First…

17. Reinhart (Ed.): “a German Hurrah! : Civil War Letters of Friedrich Bertsch and Wilhelm Staengel, 9th Ohio Infantry” by noreply@blogger.com (Drew@CWBA) at Civil War Books and Authors

…

18. November at the Pritzker Military Library by Pritzker Military Library at Pritzker Military Library Podcasts

Hear what will be offered at the Pritzker Military Library
this November

…

19. Strategy and the Singularity by David Betz at Kings of War

I see that the Royal United Services Institute has published
the results of a survey of its members’ views on the
Strategic Defence and Security Review. The headline finding:
SDSR was a lost opportunity. For what it’s worth, I seem to
have voted with the majority on all points except on whether
the ‘opportunity’ for deepening UK-France defence cooperation
was welcome or not. But to be honest I can’t summon much
interest in debating the specific points of the review. The
whole thing looks like a
rearranging-the-deck-chairs-on-the-Titanic exercise which
seems to have inspired…

20. French &Amp; Indian/Seven Years' War: 1758-1759: the Tide Turns by n/a at About.com Military History

Regrouping in North America, the British succeeded in
capturing Louisbourg and Fort Duquesne in 1758, but suffered
a bloody repulse at Fort Carillon. The following year British
troops won the key Battle of Quebec (right) and secured the
city. In Europe, Frederick invaded Moravia but was forced to
withdraw after a defeat at Domstadtl. Switching to the
defensive, he spent the remainder of that year and the next
in a series of battles with the Austrians and Russians. In
Hanover, the Duke of Brunswick had success against the French
and later defeated them at Minden. In 1759, the French had…

21. 8-Inch Parrott Rifle, Part 2 by Craig Swain at To the Sound of the Guns

Earlier I introduced the 8-inch Parrott rifle and discussed
the design and production particulars. Time to look at the
functional and operational aspects of the weapon. The 8-inch
Parrotts used projectiles designed by Robert Parrott, of
course, along with those … Continue reading →…

22. The Continental Congress Commits to a Navy, 30 October 1775 by NHHC at Naval History Blog

On 13 October 1775, the Continental Congress voted to
purchase, arm, and fit out two warships for the purpose of
capturing enemy transports “laden with warlike stores and
other supplies.” It was a momentous decision by the
lawmakers, one that prompted Massachusetts delegate and naval
advocate John Adams to crow, “We begin to feel a [...]…

23. Why Do So Many Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Publish Their Memoirs? by The Bunny at Other Military History Stuff

Last night at the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C., a panel
discussion was taped for broadcast on The Pentagon Channel on
Veterans Day. Hosted by Fox News Channel’s Bret Baier, the
symposium served as the kickoff event for the American
Veterans Center’s annual two-day veterans’ conference. The
panel featured several young veterans who were wounded in
Iraq and Afghanistan. They talked candidly to a packed
audience about how they were wounded, how they recovered and
how they are moving on with the next chapter of their lives.
Unlike many former generations of veterans, this cadre of
combat wounded seems…

“A blog carnival is like a roving journal, a rotating showcase of interesting writing from around the blogosphere within a particular discipline. Individual bloggers volunteer to host a carnival on their personal blog, acting as chief editor for that edition. It falls to them to collect noteworthy items, and to sort through suggestions from the community, many of which are direct submissions from authors. On the appointed date (carnivals generally keep to a regular schedule) the carnival gets published and the community is treated to a richly annotated feast of new writing in the field.” (http://www.futureofthebook.org/blog/archives/2005/10/the_blog_carnival.html)

My belief is to construe military history as widely as possible: drums and trumpets, surely. The face of battle, most definitely. But also memorialization, gender, and anything else that seems related to war in all its forms.

Submit potential entries to hwar@comcast.net with the subject header “Military History Carnival Submission.” The deadline is April 15th.

Regional parties, by contrast, are usually much more consistent (though not entirely) in their ideology, policies, and politicians. This gives them a stranglehold on their particular region. But it becomes a reinforcing cycle: the politicians that emerge from a regional party are the ones that are successful in that region. Politicians who do not adhere to the ideological template are marginalized or forcibly evicted from the party. And with each success and each eviction, the party regionalizes itself further and begins the cycle all over again. This is a bad thing for political parties, as it makes it difficult for them to contest national elections and weakens them everywhere but their particular region.

This syndrome is currently at play in Pennsylvania, where Republican Senator Arlen Spector is in danger from his own party. Specter’s relative moderation no longer seems to fit within the increasingly conservative and increasingly Southern GOP, and so he will be challenged in the Republican primary by Pat Toomey, who’s social conservatism fits much more closely with the current template. If Toomey wins, and it seems likely that he will, it is extremely difficult to see him winning against any reasonable Democratic candidate in a state that went for Barack Obama in 2008 by over 10 percentage points. Even if Specter wins, it will be by moving to the right, something that will weaken him in the general election. The likely flip of the second Senate seat in Pennsylvania to the Democrats will continue the regionalization of the Republicans, which will in turn make it more unlikely that Specter-like figures can survive in the party. The big tent is a useful electoral tool; diversity helps win elections. If the Republicans’ tent continues to shrink, there will be less and less room for actual voters.

• Being made by a Democratic President and Democratic Congress for the first time since 1994,
• Being made in a time of catastrophic economic global meltdown,
• Being made as the United States is moving out of one war (Iraq) and moving more deeply into another war (Afghanistan),
• Being made as some of the services are beginning to shift away from a Cold War mentality,
• Being made as the military struggles to rebuild and enlarge itself after seven years of uninterrupted war,
• Being made as all the services are struggle with procurement difficulties in their next generation weapons systems
• Being made as the wide-open spigot of funding that started in the post 9/11 era is finally being twisted shut.

The Obama administration’s first defense budget is a critical one, both to begin the process for dealing with the factors above, and to set a tone of rationality for the coming years of the administration. Before we turn to that budget, let’s peer back at recent defense budgeting history, to get a sense of context. The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 ushered in an era of essentially unfettered defense spending, aimed at winning the Cold War. Defense budgets shot up and remained up for most of the 1980s, reaching nearly 6% of GDP ($840 billion in 2008 dollars).

The end of the Cold War substantially reduced those budgets and the size of the military. What did not change, however, was the essentially unfettered ability of the military to decide its own strategy and purchasing decisions. With the exception of a small period from 1991-1994, the Pentagon essentially on military strategy (“The Powell Doctrine,” for example) and procurement (continued emphasis on Cold War weapons). President Clinton’s difficulties in handling the military essentially led him to abdicate any hard choices about future strategy. There was another brief break from this trend in 2001 as the incoming Bush Administration pushed a self-consciously “transformational” agenda. Donald Rumsfeld tried to break the services from their Cold War mindset, most notably with the cancellation of the Crusader artillery system. All of that stopped with 9/11 and (despite the legendary dislike of Rumsfeld by the military) the military was allowed by American policy makers essentially to run its budgeting ship, with ever increasing funding.

Given this past history, President Obama’s most important responsibility is to enforce realism. Simple sounding in theory, but difficult in practice and notably absent for the last several decades. The two most critical parts of enforcing realism is

• Budget discipline
• Building for Real Wars

First, budget discipline. Perhaps the most pernicious practice of the Bush Administration was the splitting of the defense budget from the budgets for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Defense budget & supplemental budgets, 2001-2008

The latter were paid for with “supplemental budgets” which were passed by Congress separately. The effect was to enforce spending discipline on neither effort. Billions of dollars have been lost in Iraq, while the defense budget has continued to spiral as the military continues to buy larger and more expensive weapons. President Obama seems well on his way to dealing with this one, having announced not only the unification of defense budget and war budgets, but also putting a cap of $537 billion on non-war related defense spending for the next year. As a method for bringing the defense budget under the control, this is a good start.

Second, the Pentagon needs to plan for real wars. This sounds like an obvious idea, but practice has been to plan for potential wars rather than actual ones: wars that the United States might wage, rather than ones they were actually waging. In the Cold War, when the genuine potential existed for a large-scale ground war in Western Europe existed, this practice was marginally defensible, though even then it left the U.S. badly prepared for Vietnam, among other conflicts. But now, when a conventional conflict against China or Russia is all but impossible, and the United States is involved in two counterinsurgencies, the practice is actively dangerous.

F-22 Raptor

The primary goal of the services must be to wage the wars they are actually involved in, not the ones that they believe possible. Doing the former leads to the purchase of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles for the conflict in Iraq and the rewriting of the Army’s Field Manual finally to address counterinsurgency. The latter leads to billions being spent on the F-22, and the use of billion dollar warships to chase pirates off Somalia. The wars that the United States has been involved in in the past few decades have all been asymmetric–against much smaller foes–and a mix of conventional and insurgent campaigns. The defense budget has to focus on preparing for those, not for imaginary conflicts with China. Does that put the U.S. at risk if a massive conventional war comes along? Surely. But no more so than preparing for the large-scale conventional war put us at risk of getting bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this time, America simply does not have the resources to prepare for every contingency no matter how remote. That leaves us only one option: waging the wars we are actually fighting.