From Small Causes, Great Events - Part 2
by Larry Parker
History fascinates me therefore, unless they were inadequately introduced to the subject in the early years of school, I cannot comprehend why so few people share my fondness for this field of study. No television show can rival the passion and intrigue of the Tudors or the Romanovs. No movie, no matter how convoluted, can equal the devious machinations of the Borgia's or the Medici. No work of fiction comes close to the true story of Rasputin or Robespierre. No video game can match the real exploits of Julius Caesar or Hannibal Barca.
Suppose you were to go to the local theater for a few hours of escapist fantasy. As you settle into the plush seat, popcorn and soda in hand, the lights dim and the movie begins. It is the improbable tale of a minor warlord who seizes power in a poor country torn by civil war. Once in control he rules as a brutal tyrant quickly dashing the peasants' dreams of a just peace. Rebellion follows and the protagonist survives numerous attempts on his life only to fall victim to his own greed when he defaults on a debt owed a more powerful despot. As his enemy closes in, the man who would be king loots the treasury and flees the country.
Soldier: Ed Ramsey, 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts)
by Bob Seals
This meeting engagement on Bataan at the village of Morong, led by then First Lieutenant Ed Ramsey on 16 January 1942, was to be the last horse mounted charge by U.S. Army Cavalry in military history. Surviving early days of defeat and disaster, Ed Ramsey was destined to have one of the most challenging and interesting wartime careers of the Pacific theater during the Second World War. His action packed four years of combat, mostly spent behind Japanese lines, reads like a pulp fiction novel written by a Hollywood screen writer. An illustrative example of an interwar generation of hard-charging Cavalry Army Officers, who worked hard and played hard, Ramsey rose to the occasion after the 8th of December 1941. Refusing to surrender on Bataan in April of 1942, he led tens of thousands guerrillas on Luzon in one of the most successful resistance campaigns of the war against ruthless Imperial Japanese Army occupation forces. His remarkable career in the Second World War encompassed the end of several storied American military institutions, to include the Philippine Scouts and Army horse cavalry, while helping to lay the doctrinal foundation of an Army branch not born until after the war, the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Member Article: A response to Everett L. Wheeler’s review of The Armenian Military in the Byzantine
Empire
by Dr. Armen Ayvazyan
I considered it a great honor, both for myself and my book, The Armenian Military
in the Byzantine Empire: Conflict and Alliance under Justinian and Maurice
(hereafter – the AM), that it was reviewed in The Journal of Military History
(hereafter – JMH, 2013, No. 1, pp. 318-320), one of the most authoritative periodicals
in the field it designates. The review, written by Everett L. Wheeler of the Duke
University, presents the contents, the imprint and other particulars of the publication
as follows: Glendale, Calif. (sic): Editions Sigest, 2012. ISBN: 978-2-91-732939-9
(sic). Note on Armenian personal names and toponyms. Illustrations. Maps. Notes.
Appendixes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. 127.
Member Article: Marching to Timbuktu: The Unwanted Conquest of Mali that Made a Marshal of France
by Dr. Andrew McGregor
When French troops launched a military intervention against Islamist militants in Mali in January 2013, many of those advancing on the legendary city of Timbuktu may have been unaware that it had been 119 years since a French colonial army column under Major Joseph Joffre had entered that ancient trading capital. Rather than a triumph for France, the 1894 occupation was in fact a planned act of insubordination by Joffre and other French colonial officers. The truth was France didn’t want Timbuktu.
Joffre is best known as the commander of all French armies in World War 1 after his victory at the Marne in 1914 was credited with saving France. At the height of his fame in 1915 his military report of the 1894 occupation of Timbuktu was reprinted under the title
My March to Timbuctoo. Unfortunately, Joffre’s account of his campaign along the Niger River disappoints adventure seekers; it is instead a model of dryness and economy of words devoid of personal observations or impressions. Brevity was no doubt called for, as the true story of insubordination, atrocities and war for war’s sake that was behind the conquest of Timbuktu was hardly the material with which to build the reputation of a Marshal of France.
The U.S. Army in Czechoslovakia 1945: An Operational Overview
by Bryan J. Dickerson
From April to December of 1945, the Third U.S. Army conducted operations in and
around the western region of Czechoslovakia. Altogether, three of its corps (XII,
V and XXII) and nine infantry and four armored divisions and two cavalry groups
participated in these operations.
The Czechoslovak operations fell into three distinct phases: Border Operations,
Liberation and Occupation. The Border Operations Phase occurred from 15 April until
5 May. During this time, the 90th and 97th Infantry Division and 2nd Cavalry Group
screened the Czechoslovak border and conducted several limited offensive operations
across the border to protect Third U.S. Army’s left flank as Third Army drove south-eastward
into rumored Alpine Festung (National Redoubt) area of southern Germany / western
Austria.
During the Liberation Phase (5-8 May 1945), V Corps and XII Corps conducted a major
offensive to liberate western Czechoslovakia from Nazi German occupation. The 1st,
2nd, 5th, 26th, 90th and 97th Infantry Divisions, 4th, 9th and 16th Armored Divisions
and the 2nd and 102nd Cavalry Groups all participated in liberating over 3,400 square
miles of Czechoslovakia. Their irresistible drive was only halted by the orders
of Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower approximately on the line
Karlovy Vary – Plzen – Ceske Budejovice. Having been oppressed by the Nazis for
six long years, Czechs in small villages, towns and the large city of Plzen greeted
their liberators with exuberant public celebrations. The phase ended with the German
High Command surrender and the termination of all hostilities.
The Strategic Culture of the Imperial Japanese Navy
by Gary A. Gustafson
With the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, Japan entered into a war against the two most powerful navies in the world, the United States and Britain. An Imperial Liaison Conference on 6 September 1941 approved the “Outline Plan for the Execution of the Empire’s National Policy.” The plan called for three phases. The first phase required the destruction of the US battle line at Pearl Harbor and the capture of resource-rich Southeast Asia. Phase 2 required the consolidation of a defensive perimeter from Burma to Sumatra to the Gilbert Islands to the North Pacific. Phase 3 looked to exploit the natural resources of the captured territory while the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) exhausted American attempts to retake the newly formed Empire of Japan.[3] At a Cabinet Liaison Conference on 1 November 1941, Admiral Nagano Osami, Naval Chief of Staff (NCS), echoed Yamamoto’s earlier thoughts, “We can fight effectively for about two years, but no prediction can be made for after that.” [4] Despite unprecedented success in the first phase of the plan, within ten months the IJN had lost two thirds of its fleet carriers, was quickly losing an attritional campaign in the Solomon Islands, and had completely relinquished the initiative to the enemy.
The Battles of Luneville: September 1944
by Bryan J. Dickerson
The catalyst for this paper was Jenna Carpenter Smith. On Veterans Day 2012, she
contacted me seeking information about her late grandfather, Staff Sergeant Joseph
Carpenter, who had served in the 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Group [Mechanized] in
World War Two. Jenna had contacted me after reading about her grandfather in my
article “The Liberation of Western Czechoslovakia 1945” which is also posted on
Military History Online. I knew Joe Carpenter and his wife Ellin for several years
before their deaths. Joe was one of the many World War Two veterans who have assisted
me with my research on World War Two in Europe and the liberation of Czechoslovakia.
That night, Jenna and I spoke by phone, during which time I shared my memories of
her grandfather and grandmother. I explained to her the role that her grandfather
and the 2nd Cavalry Group played in the European Campaign and share with her some
of the stories that Joe had told me a number of years ago.
Book Review: No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan
Review by Bob Seals
 The Silver Star is our nation’s third highest award for
valor. As per regulations, recipients of the award must distinguish themselves by
extraordinary heroism during armed conflict. To date, after a decade of combat in
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, the United States Army has awarded some
three hundred Silver Star medals to soldiers. For ten of these prestigious awards
to be earned for one engagement indicates a level of heroism rarely seen during
the ongoing War on Terror. Furthermore, such a high number of decorations for valor
can, at times, indicate a mission gone wrong. This is the case very vividly described
in the recent book published, No Way Out: A Story of Valor in the Mountains of Afghanistan,
by the noted authors Mitch Weiss and Kevin Maurer. The book is a quick, gripping
read but one that is deadly serious and should serve as a sober warning to all Special
Operations commanders contemplating sending men into a high risk operation in any
theater of operations.
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Book Review: Into the Fire: A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
Review by Bryan Mitchell Marsh
 Dakota Meyer jumps out of the bullet-ridden Ford Ranger, dodging Taliban machinegun fire and the occasional rocket propelled grenade as he maneuvers through the mud-brick walls of Ganjgal, Afghanistan. It seems that every time he moves, he runs into more wounded Afghan soldiers. Unwilling to leave them to fend for themselves, Meyer keeps picking the wounded up and hauling them back to the sputtering truck. While he’s glad to help these men, they aren’t who he’s really searching for. As the hours pass and the Taliban’s attacks intensify, Meyer begins to wonder if he’ll ever see his friends again.
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Member Article: Military History Online - World War II Game
by Ed Druback
This “After Action Report” (AAR) was intended to be written for a dual audience
even though it is a review of one game played of the infinite variety of possible
outcomes. First and foremost this AAR was written for someone who has never played
a table top war game. If you are interested in the early stages of WWII (through
the fall of France) whether you have ever played a war game or not, I hope I have
made this AAR an enjoyable read.
Member Article: The genius of Sweden’s ‘Lion of the North’
by Steve Wilson
In the skies over a modern battlefield a joint tactical air control team is often
credited for carrying their platoon’s “big gun,” or radio, as devastating airstrikes
are vectored in from aircraft loitering in the battle space where friendly forces
are taking fire. Laser guided munitions, global positioning systems, joint direct
attack munition technology and real-time communications make it possible for military
units to shape the battlefield to their advantage.
Visual Guide to the U.S. Fleet Submarines: Part 1
by David L. Johnston
A cursory review of photographs of the U.S. fleet submarines of World War II often
leaves the reader with the impression that the boats were nearly identical in appearance.
Indeed, the fleet boats from the Porpoise class all the way to the late war Tench
class were all similar enough in appearance that it is easy to see how this impression
is justified. However, a more detailed examination of the boats will reveal a bewildering
array of differences, some of them quite distinct, that allow the separation of
the boats into their respective classes. Ironically, the rapidly changing configuration
of the boats’ appearances often makes it difficult to get down to a specific boat
identification. However being familiar with all of the wartime changes will allow
you to narrow down the date of the photo and when combined with other data will
sometimes get you the specific name.
Member Article: The Evolution of British Infantry tactics in World
War One
by Roger Daene
World War One on the Western Front is often times depicted as a series of senseless
battles where infantry ran across open fields only to be slaughtered by machinegun
and artillery fire. The popular conception is that there were little innovations
in tactics. Wilhelm Balck, a German division commander, had written many articles
and manuals on tactics before the Great War.[1] He said, “Bullets quickly write
new tactics.” After the Battle of the Marne in 1914 and the subsequent German retreat,
the war on the western front became more of a positional war rather than a war of
maneuver. The goal of the Allies and the Germans was to penetrate the enemy’s main
defense lines and exploit any breakthrough. The goal would be hard to attain because
of the unique nature of warfare in World War One. Never before in the history of
the world were so many new weapons introduced or old ones that suddenly became practical
enough to use on a wide scale. World War One would see the introduction of the airplane,
tank, and poison gas which had never been used on any battlefield. Although artillery
had been around for centuries, recent innovations allowed for larger pieces to be
developed that fired a heavier shell even greater distances than ever before.
Lodge Act Soldier: Henryk "Frenchy" Szarek
by Bob Seals
No nation of the world suffered more during World War II than Poland. Having the
geographical misfortune to exist between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, Poland
sustained more losses as a percentage than any other belligerent; an estimated twenty
percent of every man, woman or child in the nation, some 6 million or so by best
estimate.[2] Enduring six hellish years of occupation, partition, deportations,
slave labor and mass executions, the Polish suffering did not end with the unconditional
surrender of the Third Reich on May 7, 1945. Thousands of Polish nationals, to include
soldiers who had faithfully served the Allied cause on various fronts, faced an
uncertain future, part of the enormous 14 million refugee population of Europe displaced
by war.[3] With the Iron Curtain stretching from “…Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste
in the Adriatic,” in the words of Winston S. Churchill, individuals displaced by
the war faced the agonizing choice of remaining in the west or returning eastward
to live in their Stalinist dominated communist homelands.[4]
Member Article: The Sharif and the Sultan of Fishermen: Mohammed
ash-Shaykh, the Rise of the Saadians, and the Emergence of Modern Morocco
by Comer Plummer
It was in Constantinople, perhaps in 1558, or even years later, that on a certain
day a weathered basket containing the rotten head of Mohammed ash-Shaykh toppled
from the ancient Walls of Theodosius. It had hung there for a long time. Just how
long, no one quite remembered. It tumbled into the refuse that collected along the
base, a forgotten memento, uninteresting to even the wild dogs that scavenged there.
Such a spectacle was, for the era, both callous and insipid. Eventually, it would
become a dubious distinction for a Moroccan sovereign. In the final analysis, it
might be described as a nadir that underscored an audacious life. Youngest son of
Shaykh Mohammed ibn ‘Abd ar-Rahmān, Mohammed ash-Shaykh was born in 1488 in the
arid hamlet of Tagmadert, in the Draa Valley of southeastern Morocco. At first,
he was called Mohammad el-Aςghar (Berber for ‘The Younger’), but later he cultivated
the nickname of Amghar (Berber for ‘tribal leader’), which, in turn, eventually
became the Arab equivalent, ash-Shaykh. Moroccan historian Mohammad el-Oufrani
described him as an erudite young man, expert in the Qur’an, and with a lively interest
in philosophy and poetry. And, as one of his favorite verses would indicate, Mohammed
ash-Shaykh also had more than a hint of ambition.
Book Review: Nomonhan, 1939: The Red Army's Victory That Shaped World War II
Review by Larry Parker
 An editorial in the 20 July 1939 New York Times
described the conflict between the Soviet Union and Japan on the border of Outer
Mongolia and the puppet state of Manchukuo as, “A strange war raging in a thoroughly
out-of-the-way corner of the world where it cannot attract attention.” Indeed, geography,
the compulsive secrecy second nature to both combatants and the subsequent outbreak
of World War II in Europe combined to overshadow this little known but nonetheless
critical, battle. Boasting the most extensive use of tanks and aircraft since World
War I, Nomonhan, or Khalkin Gol as it was called by the Soviets, impacted World
War II in areas far beyond the immediate scope of the battlefield.
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Member Article: From Small Causes, Great Events
by Larry Parker
Everyone should understand and appreciate the significance of great events and great
men upon history. Had either Darius or Xerxes emerged victorious in any of the Graeco-Persian
wars, Greek and, as a result, Western civilization would have been terminated in
its infancy, completely changing the world as we know it. Had Islam triumphed at
Chalons (451), Poitiers (732), Lepanto (1571) or Vienna (1529 & 1683) Mohamed's
vision of a worldwide caliphate might now be a reality. Had the Battle of the Virginia
Capes (1781) followed the usual course of events in English versus French encounters
during the period when the Royal Navy ruled the waves, the American Revolution might
have ended in defeat rather than victory at Yorktown. Everyone should also understand
the relationship of cause and effect upon history. Everyone should appreciate that
in the interplay of the myriad details that bring history into being everything
is connected, yet nothing about the chronicle is inevitable, nothing about the saga
is fixed. Few, however, do. Indeed some experts would have us believe there are
no great events, that history is the inexorable result of wide spread trends, mass
movements, the realm of ideas; that individuals do not matter, there are no great
men; that details are inconsequential, minutiae swept up in the vast and overwhelming
tide of human actions. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Member Article: Sow the wind, reap the Whirlwind - The Fate of
the Kido Butai
by Larry Parker
Standing on the bridge of his flagship, the converted battle cruiser Akagi[1]
, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo watched with satisfaction as his well trained air crews
moved purposefully about the flight deck refueling and rearming the Nakajima B5N
(97-2) 'Kate' torpedo bombers, Aichi D3A (99-1) 'Val' dive bombers and Mitsubishi
A6M (0-3) 'Zeke' or 'Zero' fighters. Scanning the task force steaming with Akagi,
Nagumo noted similar activity on the fleet carriers Hiryu, Kaga,
Shokaku, Soryu, and Zuikaku. Escorting the aircraft carriers
of the Kido Butai were the battleships Hiei and Kirishima, the
heavy cruisers Chickuma and Tone, and the light cruiser Abukuma.
Twelve destroyers and seven auxiliary oilers completed the Pearl Harbor Strike Force.[2]
Member Article: Madness in the Mountains: The Charge of the Polish
Light Horse at the Battle of Somosierra
by Alexander Zakrzewski
On the foggy morning of November 30, 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French,
watched impatiently as his Grande Armée lumbered up the rocky slopes of the Sierra
de Guadarrama mountains of central Spain. It was the last obstacle before Madrid
and certain victory over the rebellious Spanish. In anticipation of his advance,
a small but determined Spanish force had fortified the narrow pass that lead through
the sleepy mountain village of Somosierra. As the French advance stalled in the
face of withering cannon and musket fire, Bonaparte turned to 3rd Squadron of the
Chevau-Légers Polonais of the Imperial Guard and impetuously ordered them to charge
the enemy positions. Miles from their eastern homeland, the Polish horsemen dutifully
responded. The result was an unlikely victory and one of the most spectacular cavalry
charges of the Napoleonic Wars.
Member Article: The Second Samnite War Phase 2: The Caudine Peace
by Gordon Davis
Following the disaster of the Caudine Forks in 321 BC, the Roman state was forced
into an unexpected and unwanted peace with the Samnites. For the balance of 321
BC and the following four years down to the end of 317 BC, there followed a cessation
of direct hostilities between Rome and Samnium. Livy (9.1) calls this interlude
the ‘Caudine Peace’ (“Caudina pax”) and as such the period may be viewed as a distinct
phase of the Second, or Great, Samnite War of 327 – 306 BC.[1] The moniker of peace
for the short five-year period, however, needs to be interpreted in a very narrow
sense. The annalistic tradition clearly indicates that there was little actual peace
in central Italy during these five years. The crisis caused by the military disaster,
the most significant to befall Rome since defeat by the Gauls at the river Allia
in 390 BC, quickly led to further misfortune and setbacks for the Latin state. Within
a year, various uprisings rose up on the frontiers of city’s hegemony, which the
Quirite’s were obliged to move against in force. Such was the Roman’s success
in these operations that by the end of 317 BC they had effectively restored the
limits of their previously gained influence. In the final year of the peace, we
can also discern an intent to prepare for the resumption of direct war with Samnium,
which did indeed come to pass in the following year with Rome’s move to besiege
the Caudine fortress of Saticula.
Air Reconnaissance in the Second World War
by Del C. Kostka
In 1919, the great arsenals of the world lay in ruins. After four years of bitter
conflict, weary governments eagerly scrapped the instruments of war that spread
so much carnage and destruction across the continent of Europe. A global peace movement
and tight fiscal budgets conspired to keep military development to a minimum during
the post-war era, and in almost every nation’s air service the discipline that suffered
the most was aerial reconnaissance. It would be a shortsighted policy. Just twenty
years after “the war to end all wars," an even greater global crisis would once
again prove the indispensable nature of strategic aerial reconnaissance in modern,
mechanized warfare. Without question, air reconnaissance had an enormous impact
on military operations during the First World War. Airborne observers provided clarity
and situational awareness for battlefield commanders (Tactical Intelligence), and
air photo interpreters provided information about the enemy’s strength, logistics
and capabilities (Strategic Intelligence). But the intelligence value of air reconnaissance
in the First World War was considered secondary to the role that aviation played
in guiding artillery fire. Airborne artillery spotting, when combined with new wireless
communication and artillery technologies, constituted the most lethal weapon system
of the war. In fact, airborne artillery spotting was so effective that most post-war
military strategists considered air reconnaissance simply an extension of ground
operations.
 The Armenian Military in the
Byzantine Empire Conflict and Alliance under Justinian and Maurice
by Armen Ayvazyan
This book brings to light one of the least known, yet most turbulent periods in
the history of the Armenian military and its complex relationship with the Byzantine
Empire. In its first part, Armen Ayvazyan embarks on a military-historical analysis
of the Armenian uprising against Emperor Justinian’s government in 538- 539. While
revealing and evaluating various tactical elements and stratagems employed by the
Armenian forces, he carefully considers earlier and later evidence regarding their
military operations, including both conventional warfare and high risk missions
such as targeting killings of enemy commanders-in-chief and assassination plots
against the heads of colonial administrations. And in the second part, Ayvazyan
examines the Byzantine attitudes towards the Armenians and their armed forces, revealing,
inter alia, that the underlying source for continuity of the anti-Armenian images
with the analogous Roman tradition of prejudice was essentially geopolitical.
Book Review: The Blood of Heroes: The 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo
Review by Bruce L. Brager
 On March 6, 2012, the thirteen day siege of the Alamo ended
with just about an hour of fighting in the virtual dark. The Mexicans had the place,
not surprising when some 2,000 soldiers fight about 200. Their commander, General
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, also president of Mexico, commanded that “Much blood
has been shed, but the battle is over; it was but a small affair.”[1] Santa Anna
had a strong streak of self-aggrandizement, so in his report to Mexico City the
battle took on elements on one of the major battles in history. Militarily, it might
not have been a major battle, as these things go. But in its influence on history,
the Alamo, and its follow up, was a key turning point in the history of two nations.
Member Article: Cascading Failure: The Roman Disaster at Adrianople
AD 378
by Jeffrey R. Cox
So long as humanity has existed, war has existed as well. Yet given the size of
the earth, the relative youth of humanity the limitation of human habitation to
certain climates and environments, is should come as no surprise that the portion
of the earth that has experienced war, including major battles or significant combat
actions, is very small. What should be much more surprising is that relatively few
places have experienced such combat actions on more than one occasion. Of those
that do, most were the subject of a single campaign. For instance, two American
Revolutionary War battles near Saratoga, New York, combined to stop the British
drive down the Hudson River. Multiple major combat actions were fought in and around
Atlanta during the Civil War campaign to control that city. No less than five naval
clashes were fought in the waters immediately north of Guadalcanal as part of the
World War II campaign to control that island.
Giulio Douhet’s Command of the Air: Designing the Principles for
Cyberwar in the 21st Century
by Holly Senatore
This piece will demonstrate that the theoretical basis for counter cyber offense
is innately related to the conceptual argument proposed by the early air war theorist,
Giulio Douhet (1869-1930). He foresaw the offensive use of aircraft/ bombers strategically
employed in warfare to aim at the psychological, moral, and physical destruction
of the enemy’s homeland in order to bring about swifter end to combat. In the World
War II Pacific Theater, in 1945 General Curtis Lemay successfully utilized Douhet’s
teachings and helped to facilitate the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces.
This piece will secondly explore an overall methodology for forming a cyber- strategy
(the end goal) as it relates to the argument espoused by this early air war theorist
who presaged the vulnerabilities of government, economic, and civilian institutions
caused by air attacks. The means of implementing and executing this goal would loosely
be based upon the US Intelligence Cycle. Since cyber threats are also offensive
in nature, the cyber strategy posed in this discussion would counter these threats
by creating a counter cyber - offense strategy based on denial and deception, and
strategic deflection. Theoretically, this strategy can be accomplished by enacting
the steps of the Intelligence Cycle in reverse.
Ninety Five Theses and the Revolution that followed
by Thomas Leckwold
Martin Luther's Ninety Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences was
nailed to the castle church in Wittenberg, in now modern day Germany, on October
31, 1517. This document was a protest that strongly criticized the practice of selling
indulgences of the Roman Catholic Church, known here after as the Church. The document
was a challenge to church authority that set forth events that permanently changed
the religious, political, and social factors of central Europe, and led to a series
of wars using the pretext of faith, and the role of the Church in the political
structure of Western Europe. Luther's document was not meant to be a call to revolution,
but the social conditions, and economic factors, along with religious convictions
did set in motion a revolution and subsequent conflicts in central Europe.
Member Article: Bullets Quickly Write New Tactics
by Roger Daene
Wilhelm Balck said about tactics, “Bullets quickly write new tactics.” He was a
divisional commander in the First World War and had written many articles and manuals
on tactics before the Great War.[1] After the Battle of the Marne in 1914 and the
subsequent German retreat, the war on the western front became more of a positional
war rather than a war of maneuver. The Allied and German nearly unattainable goal
was to penetrate the enemy’s main defense lines and exploit any breakthrough. New
tactics would be developed after the bullets started flying. The German Army made
some fundamental changes to both its offensive and defensive tactics during the
winter of 1916/1917 and again in the winter of 1917/1918. In spite of all the adjustments,
the spring offensive of 1918 failed. The Germans began questioning and studying
why they failed in their last gamble to win the war.
Member Article: Who Won the Second Lebanon War of 2006?
by Robert Werdine
On the morning of July 12, 2006, members of the Reserve Battalion of the IDF’s 300
Brigade, 91 Division were en route to a routine border patrol on the Israel-Lebanon
border around milepost 105. At about 9:00am, one of their two HUMVEE utility vehicles
struck an IED, and a hailstorm of ATGMs (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) blanketed both
vehicles, killing three and wounding four. Hezbollah militants at once pulled two
of the wounded Israeli soldiers from the wrecked vehicles, and made off with them
across the border. As a diversion, Hezbollah militants elsewhere then launched a
salvo of rockets, mortars, and sniper fire at several Israeli villages and IDF outposts
in the vicinity of milepost 105 to sow confusion and cover the kidnapper’s escape.
A few Israeli Merkeva tanks sent across the border in pursuit yielded nothing, and
one of the tanks hit an IED and was blown to bits, killing the crew. A rescue attempt
to retrieve the dead crew encountered a firefight with Hezbollah, killing two IDF,
and a stream of airstrikes hitting some 69 bridges in S. Lebanon failed to cut off
the kidnappers escape. The Hezbollah cross-border raid/kidnapping was a complete
success.[1]
Interview with WWII Veteran Walter Holy
Interview by Tony Welch
 An
astounding number of American teenagers, both male and female, altered their birth
dates in order to serve their country during World War 11. The practice reached
its peak in 1943. Over time, nearly 50,000 were detected and sent home. Among the
many who eventually managed to enlist, a handful was discovered – court martialed
– and then stripped of any valor awards they might have earned. But the great majority
– some 200,000 -- went unnoticed and served honorably for the duration. Among those
sworn in was Walter Holy (rhymes with ‘moly,’ as in ‘holy moly’). Walter and his
wife Frances reside in Vancouver, Washington, just over the Columbia River from
Portland. There’s a possibility that Walt’s combat boots are still stashed in the
hall closet, just in case. What might Walter be thinking? If you’re never too young,
then you’re also never too old…?
Book Review: Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the
Civil War
Review by Bruce L. Brager
 At night, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, can be a world class
spooky place. The tiny town sits in a triangle of land, a valley surrounded on all
sides by hills, at the point where the Shenandoah River flows north into the Potomac
River. Across the Potomac is Maryland, most dramatically represented by Maryland
Heights, almost literarily looming over the town. Just a few hundred years to the
east is the border of Virginia. To the south and west is West Virginia. Harpers
Ferry was part of Virginia before the American Civil War, before the creation of
the state of West Virginia. Militarily it was in an odd situation. Before the war,
one of the two major Federal armories was in Harpers Ferry, taking advantage of
the ready source of water for hydropower. The war took care of the armory rather
quickly. The Federals tried to burn; the Confederate took what did not burn.
Book Review: Lions of Kandahar: The Story of a Fight Against All Odds
Review by Bob Seals
 Since the horrific events of September 11, 2001, the United
States Army has been engaged continuously in combat operations across the globe.
Army Special Forces, employed in the Foreign Internal Defense mode, have often been
the nation’s weapon of choice against terror, working “by, with and through,” a
partner nation’s security forces. Perhaps due to the nature of Special Forces operations,
and the “quiet professionals” themselves, realistic and first person accounts of
Army SF operations during the past ten years have not been plentiful, or particularly
well written. The recently published Lions of Kandahar, by U.S. Army Special Forces
officer Rusty Bradley and journalist Kevin Maurer, has now broken this paradigm.
The two authors have crafted a superb work which gives the reader a thorough understanding
of SF operations masterfully executed in Afghanistan by the basic building block
of the branch, the Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (SFODA). Commonly
known as the “A Team,” these small, highly trained 12-man units are often little
understood, or appreciated. This book should help to correct any misunderstanding.
Member Article: The influence of Neurotechnology on Just War
by Holly Senatore
This paper will discuss the use of neuroscience[3] by the United States Armed Forces
to further develop emerging technologies in the field of neurotechnology for purposes
of National Security in conjunction with a discussion of its use in terms of Just
War Theory. It will secondly pose the question as to whether or not it is ethical
to continue the use of human research experimentation within the United States Armed
Forces for the development of neurotechnology. The second portion of this question
is examined in conjunction with regard to the possible undermining effects that
this emerging military technology will have on integral aspects innate to any warrior
ethos, such as courage, bravery, and honor and are hence trans-cultural. Neurotechnology
is intended to alter the capability of human cognitive[4] function and manipulate
mental states of US Service-members. As such, neurotechnology and the testing of
it on human research subjects within the United States Armed Forces, or the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) sponsored human experimentation for the
development of neurotechnological enhancements or should only be considered moral
or ethical if used in a defensive war waged for a Just Cause.
Member Article: Turning East: Hitler's only option
by Thomas Tripp
The invasion of the Soviet Union arguably was the most important military decision
Adolf Hitler made in his life. In just a little under four years, it destroyed the
Thousand Year Reich along with tens of millions of innocent lives. Did this
fatal decision go against his belief of avoiding a two-front war or did Hitler feel
he had a small window of opportunity to win a campaign in the East, provided it
was swift, while the British remained isolated on their island? He felt this would
bring about a settlement with Great Britain without the risk of a cross channel
invasion. Hitler in one of his last recorded conversations in the Reich Chancellery
Bunker in April 1945, stated:
Member Article: Fury, Fumaroles and Brimstone - Interview with
George Pickett
by Tony Welch
For seven months – May through November, 1945 – George E. Pickett and three fellow
sailors held sway over what would soon become the world’s most iconic and instantly
recognizable piece of real estate. None of them held a trust deed to the property,
and yet this foursome lorded over their patch of ground with all the authority of
a cop on the beat. Trespassers and interlopers were warned away by a sign reading:
“DANGER – 5,000 VOLTS! KEEP OUT.”
Member Article: The Club Runs: Allied Aircraft Resupply Operations
to Malta, 1942
by Brick Billing
By early 1942 the tiny island of Malta, approximately 100 km south of Sicily, was
effectively under siege. German and Italian advances in North Africa had transformed
the Mediterranean an Axis-held lake, with the nearest Allied bases in Gibraltar
on the eastern end and Egypt on the west. The Axis, realizing Malta’s strategic
position, subjected the tiny island to daily aerial bombardments. Over the course
of two years Malta became one of the most heavily bombed places on Earth as the
German Luftwaffe, and the Italian Regia Aeronautica flew over 3,000
bombing raids in an attempt to neutralize the island .[1] For as long as Malta remained
in Allied hands, British air and sea forces could mount attacks against Axis shipping,
threatening General Erwin Rommel’s supply lines in North Africa. As early as May
1941, Rommel had warned his superiors that: "without Malta the Axis will end
by losing control of North Africa."[2] Standing against this Axis threat were
a series of fighter, bomber, and torpedo squadrons based at Malta’s three airfields;
Luqa, Hal Far, and Takali.[3]
Member Article: Son of an Artilleryman Follows In His Father’s
Footsteps
by Tony Welch
“I was standing on the back porch as he drove away in his car,” says Bob Lamkin.
“And that’s the last I ever saw of him. I was six years old.” Lamkin, now 91, is
referring to his father, Robert L. Lamkin, a veteran of the Spanish-American War
(1898-99) and the Philippine Insurrection that closely followed. The senior Lamkin
served during the latter conflict, which claimed over 4,000 American lives. And
then -- a quarter-century later -- he simply disappeared. What ties could possibly
link – much less bind -- a child to a father who suddenly abandons his family? “What
I remember of my father is that he fought as an artilleryman in the U.S. Army,”
Bob recalls. “My only image of him is from an old photograph. He’s in his uniform
standing beside a 155 millimeter cannon.” This single connective thread, fragile
though it be, would eventually lead Lamkin to a different battlefield half a world
away. In his own time and in his own way, Lamkin managed to forge a path that reunited
him with the father he would never come to know.
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