The Limits of Foresight On the Road To The Great War One hundred years ago today, long lines of British infantry climbed out of their trenches in the Somme region of France and hurled themselves at the entrenched Germans. The next 24 hours would turn out to be the bloodiest day in British military history,…
Tag: Military History
World War I History: ‘A Good Kick’ -The Story of the Ball That Led To One of The Bloodiest Battles in History
One hundred years ago Friday, as the last shells of a week-long bombardment crept off into the fields of northern France, British Army Capt. William P. Nevill kicked a football into no-man’s land. It was a few minutes after 7:30 am on July 1, 1916, and one of the bloodiest engagements in the history of civilization — the…
Crusader Corner: The Attack On The ISIS Convoy Is a Tactic As Old As War
Personally, I got a lot of satisfaction watching these ISIS camel turds get wiped off the face of the planet, I hope you do too.-SF Killing retreating soldiers has a long — and totally legal — history As the Iraqi army overran the last of Fallujah’s neighborhoods remaining in the Islamic State’s hands this week, more than 500…
Military History Book’s Worth A Damn: Pumpkinflowers
Matti Friedman, Pumpkinflowers: A Soldier’s Story (Algonquin Books, 2016). Iraq veterans finally have their book; a manuscript that really deals with the whole of the Iraq experience. After over a decade at war in Iraq, we now have the best first-person account, not only of fighting against the insurgency, but also what it felt like to come…
World War II HIstory: Nazi Propaganda Exploited Sherman’s March as “Lost Cause”
In the months before the Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe, the Wehrmacht’s propagandists warned those living under German occupation that America’s armies would not be as forgiving. In the pages of Signal, a bi-weekly magazine funded by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and intended for foreign audiences, the Nazis invoked William Tecumseh Sherman’s march across the…
Profiles in Courage: CIA “Officer A” Saved Lives At Benghazi
Casualties sustained during the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, could have been much higher if it was not for the work of a mysterious CIA officer, according to an official report from the House Select Committee on Benghazi. The report, released Tuesday, noted that U.S. military support did not…
Military History: 8 Legendary Military “SNAFU’s”
Everyone makes mistakes … militaries included. The internet is packed with YouTube videos, news stories, and Facebook pages dedicated to bizarre military blunders. Just a few months ago, Task & Purpose even reported about a British helicopter that created a literal shit storm by blowing down a row of porta-potties. In most cases, if a…
War Documentaries Worth A Damn: “My Fighting Season”
“My Fighting Season” captures the chaos and brutality of life on the frontline of the Afghan War. Last year, actor-turned-filmmaker Ricky Schroder, released the first installment of his six-episode documentary series called “The Fighting Season,” which chronicles the U.S. military’s efforts to bring the war in Afghanistan to a close after 13 years of grueling…
Military History: 10 Amazing Military Deception Operations
Deception operations have been employed in warfare throughout history, with the earliest mentions being in works like Virgil’s Aeneid describing the Trojan Horse during the Trojan War. The Greeks invented smokescreens for use during the Peloponnesian War, and there are countless other examples of deception tactics that have both worked and failed. This list comprises…
World War II History: Faces From The Beach – 06 June 1944
My father’s generation accomplished some cool stuff, but were they really the Greatest Generation? – I hope not. I hope that Millennials and each succeeding generation of Americans far exceed the accomplishments of the last but it is hard to argue with the humble patriotism, intestinal fortitude and tenacity of the WW2 generation. On 6…