“It is certain that the two World Wars in which I have participated would not have occurred had we been prepared. It is my belief that adequate preparation on our part would have prevented or materially shortened all our other wars beginning with that of 1812. Yet, after each of our wars, there has always [...]
Category Archives: Military
July 31, 2009
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April 20, 2009
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And So Ends the Invasion of America
In response to recent events on the American front, the following broadcast was sent declaring the immediate and total cessation of hostilities of the Allied defensive forces. DENVER RADIO ANNOUNCES THE IMMEDIATE AND COMPLETE SURRENDER OF THE NORTH AMERICAN ARMED FORCES It is hereby announced, at 13:00 hours, on the 28th of October, 1943, that [...]
March 14, 2009
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Fire and Maneuver
When attacking and destroying an enemy position, it is normal to employ a tactic called “fire and maneuver”. In the most basic terms, it means that A) one team lays down a base of fire against the enemy position, and that B) another team sneaks around and outflanks the enemy from the side and kills [...]
March 13, 2009
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Iwo Jima: Reunion of Honor
(Image originally from Wikipedia, published under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2)
October 20, 2006
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Willie McBride
Along with my recent interest in Irish folk music, which I’m sure has nothing to do with Miss Northern Ireland, I’ve found a song called Willie McBride. Ah the sun now it shines on these green fields of France, The warm summer breeze makes the red poppies dance, And look how the sun shines from [...]
September 11, 2006
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September 11
I had taken this particular week off. I felt I could use some rest after a long year of coding, and looked forward to brisk walks in the woods. This morning was easy; I had woken up, read the news, had my coffee and made plans for taking a walk, when suddenly the phone rang. [...]
August 26, 2006
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Panzergeneral Heinz Guderian
I have just finished reading “Panzer Leader: The memoirs of Panzergeneral Heinz Guderian“, a fascinating book about the man behind the Blitzkrieg tactics that revolutionized modern warfare. The general himself describes the events during the 1930′s, in building up Germany’s armored force, the invasion of Poland in 1939, France in 1940, and the disastrous events [...]
June 24, 2006
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Tetelestai
Tetelestai is a greek word meaning, literally, “it is finished”. It is not without a sense of achievement that I now have finished reading all six volumes of Churchill’s memoirs. In a way, it feels as though I have myself been a witness to all the workings and dealings of the British Government during the [...]
June 11, 2006
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June 5th, 1944
After at least a year and a half of reading Churchill’s memoirs from the World War II, I have now come to the end of the fifth book. It is the 5th of June 1944. This night, some 160.000 soldiers will cross the English Channel by sea and by air. Airborne soldiers will jump over [...]
March 15, 2006
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Star Trek and the Failure of Common-Sense Tactics
I enjoy watching Star Trek from time to time. I fell in love with Voyager and Captain Janeway, and I’ve lately been going through Episode I of Star Trek Enterprise with Captain Archer. One thing always amazes me, though. The crew of the Enterprise is so blatantly naive. They never hesitate to send a tiny [...]
January 31, 2006
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X Beams, Y Beams and General Martini
In my reading of Churchill’s Memoirs from World War II, I’m now going through the Blitz of London, or Germany’s indiscriminate bombing of England, during the late 1940. It’s very interesting reading. For one thing, it seems as though the whole of England was teeming with a spirit of stout defiance. All alone in the [...]
September 15, 2005
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How World War I Broke Out
For some time, I’ve tried to understand the First World War and how it could break out. WWI rarely gets the attention it deserves because of the much bigger Second World War, but it is fundamentally important to understand it; not only because it shaped the world we live in today, but also because without [...]
April 4, 2005
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Adventures on FLS Assault
So my recent hobby has been the computer game America’s Army, if you’ve ever heard of it. It’s a multiplayer game available free from the official site, and which is developed by the United States Army as a sort of publicity stunt. It’s very good, though. My favorite mission is FLS Assault: A squad of [...]
March 20, 2005
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May 9th – 16th, 1940: The Fall of France
During the night of May 9th – 10th, 126 German infantry divisions and 10 Panzer divisions began their full attack on the Low Countries and France. It occurred with no previous warning, and the German troops acquired near-total surprise at every point in their attack. The army plan of the French, called Plan D, consisted [...]