On June 22, 1941, Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich launched its invasion of the Soviet Union, named after Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor of the Middle Ages. That bare, declarative sentence can in no way convey the magnitude of the military, societal, and political catastrophe that began that day with the German artillery bombardment at 2Continue reading “Two Days in June: Soldaten des Reiches”
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Two Days in June
June is an important month for militarily historic events. Many monumental battles and campaigns have happened in June. Why June? In the northern latitudes, June coincides with better, warmer weather, and more daylight. Ideal conditions for military operations. For me, and I suspect some of you too, June is the month when two of myContinue reading “Two Days in June”
War is hell, but contact is a …
For U.S. grunts who served 12 or 13 months in Vietnam no word can describe the particular terror and misery of that war like “contact.” For REMF POGs, War was hell; but for grunts, contact was a motherf__ker, to use the crude argot of the infantrymen. Oddly enough, both sides sought contact to achieve theirContinue reading “War is hell, but contact is a …”
The Perfect Soldiers?
One of the more fascinating aspects of World War II is the role that ideologically fanatical troops played in perpetuating their nation’s militaristic and murderous policies, and the incredibly difficult task they posed for the democratic allied nations to overcome. Germany and Japan had evolved into states where militarism and fanaticism had metastasized. Both evincedContinue reading “The Perfect Soldiers?”
Para Bellum
“(Herrman) Goering was typically quite wrong, but his errors at least reflected the German sense that the Allies had lost the power of deterrence, which is predicated not just on material strength but the appearance of it and the acknowledged willingness to use it.” — Victor Davis Hanson, “The Second World Wars“ When I wasContinue reading “Para Bellum”
Straight Leg
As I read Victor Davis Hanson’s The Second World Wars I am struck by many things. One thing that stands out is the primacy of infantry. Yes infantry, The Queen of Battle. It’s a recurring theme of Hanson’s, also addressed in his awesome book Carnage and Culture; the theme points out that throughout military historyContinue reading “Straight Leg”
War Stories
Throughout my 65 years I have had many conversations with men and women who have experienced war personally. Some of the stories I’ve heard are poignant; some are terrifying; some are sad; some are undoubtedly apocryphal; most I suspect are true. I have learned from all of them. I’ll start with combatants. As a reporterContinue reading “War Stories”
Enduringly Useful
Sometimes when designing military airplanes aeronautical engineers develop types that are so well-crafted that their careers last far longer than intended. There are several examples of that currently in use by the U.S. military. The most notable is the B-52. Originally designed in the 1950s as a platform to deliver U.S. nuclear weapons, the bomberContinue reading “Enduringly Useful”
Moscow or bust
As I finish Jonathan Dimbleby’s excellent book, Operation Barbarossa: The History of a Cataclysm, I am once again struck by all the what-if questions that arise when considering Adolf Hitler’s decision to attack the Soviet Union in 1941. For those of us fascinated with the history of human conflict Barbarossa offers a multitude of layersContinue reading “Moscow or bust”
Airborne, drill sergeant
In U.S. Army basic training in the Vietnam Era the elite status of paratroopers was drilled into us with several marching cadences. The effect was to ensure that all POGs (personnel other than grunts) would feel less than manly if you weren’t headed to Ft. Benning for jump school after your AIT training, preferably 11BContinue reading “Airborne, drill sergeant”
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