Archive for Military News
One Day In The Area Around The Somme
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As with the region close to Ypres, there are many cemeteries, time and again down very small, muddy roads. My 1st intended destination was the Hawthorn Crater. This is one of the mines that was detonated underneath the German front line at the beginning of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The explosion was recorded on film and is routinely shown in documentaries about the Battle of the Somme. After driving around the area for a while, I came across the Newfoundland Park Memorial & Visitors Centre and pulled over to have a look.
It was a part of the British and Canadian Lines on 1st July 1916 when the Battle of the Somme commenced. Some of the trenches are very well preserved and from the Caribou Monument, you can get the perfect understanding of the terrain and the course of attack. It is also frighteningly obvious how far the troops were expected to advance over open space facing of cannon and machine guns.
At Newfoundland Park, I was given directions which helped me to find the Hawthorn Crater and so it transpired I’d driven right past it. It wasn’t long until I arrived back and found the access point via a fairly muddy field. To start with I was hesitant but decided it’s a part of the experience. I got to the side of the crater but it was very over grown so I didn’t venture too far and I was quickly on my way to my next port of call, Ulster Tower. This is a memorial to the Ulster Regiments who performed so well on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Nearby is the Thiepval Memorial which is the biggest British War Memorial on the planet. Each 1st July, a significant ceremony is held here in memory of the dead. The tower can be seen from quite some distance and addititionally there is a motivating visitors centre with information about the battles fought here.
Not far away is the South African Memorial at Delville Wood. The memorial was dedicated to all South African battles, not only those in The First World War. As with all the memorials, Delville Wood is sacred ground but I found this place in particular to be very peaceful and appropriate. I’m not really sure what made Delville Wood stand out for me but for me, there was just something a lttle bit special about this spot.
My final stop of the day was a short one at the site to the east of Amiens where the Red Baron was shot down. There isn’t actually much to see except for a little notice board by the side of the road. The site is situated by a local factory with a prominent chimney. The story of the Red Baron is one of the 1st I heard about concerning The Great War so whilst there wasn’t very much to see, it was something that I wanted to do. The Red Baron was a German air ace called Baron Manfred von Richthofen. From 1916 – 1918, he shot down a total of 80 Allied aircraft and was eventually shot down but ground fire from an Australian unit on 21 April 1918.
What Was The Cold War
Posted by: | CommentsThe conflict that took place between our planet’s two super powers, the USSR and the United States was viewed as the lengthiest non-conflict engagement war of all time. It was known as the Cold War. The 2 sides had various allies; with the NATO lead United States Of America taking care of Western Europe and the Warsaw Pact driven by the Soviet Union controlling the Eastern side of Europe.
The undoing of the USSR in 1991 finished this conflict that began immediately following World War II ended in 1945. During this period there was virtually no genuine military engagement from both sides hence the usage of the word ‘cold’. However all through the Vietnam and Korean Wars, even though the Cold War existed, some shots were fired; albeit indirectly.
The minute Japan and Nazi armies were conquered in the second world war, and this left the 2 dominant powers, the USA and the USSR were left in opposition. Both had different kinds of economies along with the forms of government. The USSR operated a Communist government while the United States ran a capitalist one and as a result of conflict of interest, this descended into direct rivalry.
Let alone unite; both ideologies never saw face to face. The Cold War worsened even more as the Communist values being spread were responses to the Capitalists’ policies. With the fall of the Third Reich, the Soviet Union held a free reign within Europe with its Allies dealing with the many areas that bordered the Soviet Union to the West.
The Iron Curtain came in to existence when Europe was split. Soviet ideals and invasion together with actual growth further prompted anxiety and insecurity in the West. After the implementation of the Truman Doctrine, the West offered military aid and financial help to any countries that opposed Communism. During the early 60′s Europe was dramatically divided into 2 blocks. This made it a possible battlefield for looming World War III and nuclear warfare. Gradually the Cold War had spread out all over the earth with little countries being sucked in, making an even greater split on earth.
Just How The Gallipoli Campaign Is Commemorated
Posted by: | CommentsANZAC soldiers who died while battling in the world’s fiercest wars were buried at Gallipoli. There are tours of the area that will give you an insight at the efforts in the commemoration and preservation of these fallen heroes that make both Aussies and New Zealanders proud.
Beginning 25th April 1915 to 9th January 1916, during World War One, the Gallipoli campaign took place in the Turkish Peninsula of Gallipoli. So they can secure a route by sea to Russia and capture the Ottoman capital, the British joined forces with the French. The operation failed miserably with each side taking heavy deaths and injuries.
This campaign resulted in the first major battle ever undertaken by a combined force of Australians and New Zealand Army Corps better known as ANZAC. The two countries look at this campaign as the birth of national consciousness. The Anzac Commemorative Site is considered the most significant destination and tour sites.
On the morning of 25th April 1915, the 1st Australian Division troops arrived at Anzac Cove on the shoreline situated on the North Beach. It was here where Albert Jacka became the very first Australian to be granted the Victoria Cross. Jacka defended an assault on the part of trench he was holding from several Turkish solders. Having a graphic representation showing you the campaign account, this memorial site holds a commemorative focus. A thought provoking annual dawn service is held here every year on the anniversary. All too often in the cold pre-dawn, 1000′s of pilgrims assemble here to remember the legacy left behind by the fallen World War One heroes.
An additional significant location is the Chunuk Bair Cemetery found on the ridge running on the north eastern side of the Brighton Beach. Among the main objectives of the Chunuk Bair is the Sari Bair Battle of August 6th to 10th, 1915. The New Zealand Infantry Brigade were involved in this attack but the Turkish Army Corps ultimately overran them.
Commonwealth troops who died in battle were buried at the Chunuk Bair Cemetery by the Turks. A total of 632 Commonwealth soldiers are laid to rest here along with around 850 New Zealand soldiers who died on the peninsula. The man behind the Gallipoli campaign was none other than Winston Churchill. The overall Allied losses were over 200,000 and paradoxically, the most successful aspect of the campaign was the withdrawal.
The Battle Of Fromelles In The First World War
Posted by: | CommentsThe Battle of Fromelles during The First World War started on 19th July 1916 and ended the following day. The assault started near to the village of Fromelles in Northern France and was meant to remove the emphasis off of the fight which was taking place 50 miles to the south at the Battle of the Somme which had started on 1st July 1916.
History has implied that this particular battle was quite unnecessary as it cost countless soldiers their lives for little reason. British and Australian troops alike were ordered to storm the frontlines throughout World War I. This battle, which lasted only moments is said to have claimed the lives of no less than five thousand Australians and fifteen hundred British troopers.
It would take ninety four years before these troops were laid to rest in a cemetery, as they were initially buried in a mass grave but now lay to rest quietly at the Pheasant Wood Cemetery which is dedicated to their extraordinary sacrifices. Fromelles was a combined operation between the British and those who were in Australian military troops also called the Australian Imperial Force.
It is thought to have been a failure as the attack itself was unsuccessful in its attempts to create a diversion for the enemy. Amongst the causes historians imply it was a disaster was the fact that the troops were ordered to advance in the light of day, making them a target for the enemy as they were in plain view from the minute they went over the top.
Currently you will see in the Fromelles Australian Memorial Park a statue that honours the various courageous soldiers that were seen carrying out the wounded. One of those troopers Sergeant Simon Fraser from the 57 Battalion tells the story of how he began carrying one of the injured and heard a faint voice asking for aid who he did help pull to safety. Sergeant Fraser would later lose his life the following year as he fought in the Great War.
World War I – White Feathers of The Great War
Posted by: | CommentsThe white feather has totally different symbolic meanings in the American Military compared to the British Army and armies linked to the former British Empire. In the American military, a white feather is a sign of excellence in combat marksmenship. However, in The UK, the meaning could hardly be more different.
As early as the late 18th century, the white feather has been the sign of cowardice. Its origins come from the world of cockfighting as birds with any white tail feathers were viewed as poor fighters. The superior gamecocks were bred without having white tail feathers.
It became very common for ladies in particular to hand white feathers to men of fighting age they spotted in the street. A large number of men were so ashamed by being given a white feather in public, they would find a nearby recruiting office and join the military. Quite a few were destined only to stop an enemy round.
The act of presenting white feathers was so common that a number of the men who had been given them should never have received them. Some men who were home on leave and strolling the streets in civilian clothes were handed feathers. Various other undeserving recipients included men who were dismissed because of injury, were home recovering from injury or those that were clinically not fit to enlist.
The majority of the women who gave white feathers were part of a movement referred to as “Order of the White Feather” that had been started in 1914 to encourage women to give feathers to men who hadn’t signed up with the military. Nevertheless, there were people who thought that the ladies were occasionally somewhat to eager to give out feathers to men that shouldn’t have been given them.
However, one pacifist who refused to fight, was satisfied with the fact he was presented with so many feathers. Fenner Brockway was reported to have said that as a result of refusing to fight in The First World War, he had received ample white feathers to make a fan.
