Forthcoming Military History Conferences/Lectures

Next meeting of SMATs:The Battle of Preston, 1715. June 14th, at 1930.
SMATS (South Manchester Tactical Society)

 

"Exploding the mysteries of the Bomb Census

National Archives
Ruskin Ave.,
Kew,
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 4DU

30 June


14:00-15:00

Was your family or local area affected by air raids during the Second World War? This talk will explain how you can research details of bombing incidents using the maps, photographs and other records originally made for the Ministry of Home Security's Bomb Census, which are now held at The National Archives. Important sources for researching Second World War bombings are also held in archives elsewhere and the talk will reveal how this additional information can help you build a much richer picture of the past.
Andrew Janes has worked in the Advice and Records Knowledge department at The National Archives for three years, specialising in maps and related records."

 

The 3rd Modern Conflict Archaeology Conference,

University of Bristol October 22nd 2011

The provisional list of speakers and their synopses has just been been posted to the conference Blog site.

Franco’s bunkers and Hitler’s dreams in Canary Islands: The heritage nobody wants to inherit.
Artemi Alejandro-Medina. University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

During the Second World War Franco’s regime (1936-1975) was supporting Nazi Germany. For the Germans, Gran Canaria was the ideal place for a U-Boats operations base. The negotiations between the two countries started and Franco hurried into fortifying the islands. A new navy base was built and also a secret underground torpedoes warehouse. The British, concerned by the strategic side of the place, decided on an invasion plan of the islands. The fear for an Allies landing did not disappear until the late 40s. The economic, technical and human effort deployed was colossal in an exhausted Spain after the Spanish Civil War. The Germans role is still unknown.
This paper deals with the Francoist heritage in Canary Islands and how it was related with the World War II. Why it is an abandoned and uncomfortable heritage and how it has revived dark ghosts of the past. Socially, it will give us a picture of how the trauma persists today.
This case is the result of a multidisciplinary approach to the study of the conflict, covering; Industrial Heritage, landscape, historical and economic research and future initiatives in Environmental management, Community Archaeology groups and a museum for the memory and meaning.


Aging Artefacts and Memory: Problems In Contemporary Combat Aircraft Archaeology
Terence Christian. University of Glasgow.

With a production total of nearly one million units, aircraft represent the largest composite artefact classification of the Second World War. Even with such vast production numbers, less than five-percent of operational aircraft remain. Indeed, the majority of the extant five-percent only exists in a wrecked state amongst the forests and fields worldwide. Due to both the wreck sites’ proximity to areas of human habitation and their global distribution, the past 70 years have seen thousands – if not millions – of hillwalkers encounter, handle and re-deposit aircraft wreck site artefacts. It is argued that the increased attention given to WWII wreck sites through popular media, coupled with the ease of artefact identification in the Internet age, endangers wreck sites’ contextual integrity.
By using historic photographs; Ministry of Defense crash dossiers; and modern archaeological surveying and soil chemistry analysis to examine Scottish WWII aircraft wreck sites, this paper addresses the long held belief that such archaeological sites are unmodified time capsules. In demonstrating large-scale human alteration of artefact distribution prior to geological encasement, this paper investigates the ecological impact of developing archaeological sites and examines the deletion of culture-specific technology in the post-modern age. Selections of a new aircraft archaeology-specific methodology will be presented as a means to both compensate for tourism induced site modification and to direct future resource management.


The Spanish-Cuban-American War (1895-98): the potential for archaeology in an almost forgotten 'modern' conflict.
Alberto P. Martí. University of Leicester.


The war for Cuban independence, which began as the latest attempt in a series of insurgency movements against the Spanish rule, led to a major international conflict between Spain and the United States in 1898. In the end, after less than four months of open hostilities, Spain accepted the loss of the majority of its remaining overseas colonies in the Caribbean, South-eastern Asia and the Pacific.
The so-called 'Disaster of the 98' became the starting point for a U.S. foreign policy that has shaped the military and political history of the 20th century.
Surprisingly, it has not been until quite recently that archaeologists have slowly started to explore this crucial conflict through its spaces and material remains. The potential for this approach looks really promising, as it might offer new insights into modern phenomena such as the precocious use of (re)concentration camps or the expression of contested memories related to 'humanitarian' interventions. In this paper I will review the state-of-the-art and identify some possible directions for the future archaeological research in this area.


Spooky spectres or sacred symbolism: conflicting interpretations of the Hell-Fire Caves.
Aisling Tierney. University of Bristol.

The Hell-Fire Caves at West Wycombe are the source of much modern-day speculation. Built under the direction of Sir Francis Dashwood in the mid 18[SUP]th[/SUP] century, their original purpose is clouded in mystery. From the 1950s, a descendent of Dashwood opened the cave system as a tourist attraction and began altering its features for both safety and amusement.
Today, the caves are the site of a bustling family tourist trade, complete with a café and kitchy merchandise. The owners regale the visitor with tales of hauntings and the paranormal. Children are invited to join the School of Witchcraft for courtyard games, face painting, and spooky fancy dress competitions.
It is not only tourists who visit the site, however. The cave complex has become an important spiritual mecca for many followers of modern occult and alternative religions. Their interpretations range from readings of secret symbols to associations with Satanism
This paper will analyse the conflicting interpretations presented by the caves’ owners and that of one particular spiritual group. A further contrasting assessment, from an archaeological perspective, will be presented in order to show how the physicality of the cave complex has been reinterpreted to suit the needs of each group.


Remembering and Forgetting at Concentration Camp Sites: A Case Study from the Netherlands
Greta van Lith. University of Cambridge.


Camp Westerbork. Camp Vught. Camp Amersfoort. These are just some of the names of the transit and penal camps left behind in the Netherlands by the Nazis at the end of World War II. As the Dutch began the process of national recovery in the post-liberation era the physical landscape was littered with the remnants of penal and transit camps, a reminder of the recent occupation and the baggage of victimhood, loss, and collaboration. The Dutch psychological landscape was deeply affected by the experience of occupation and the legacy of the perpetration of the Holocaust on Dutch soil. Historians and heritage professionals began the processes of responding to the concentration camp sites and forming a national patriotic narrative of the Dutch wartime experience, including and sometimes excluding the story of the Holocaust. This paper uses the penal and transit camp sites in the Netherlands as a lens for looking at the change in the Dutch national memory of the Holocaust from the immediate aftermath of the war to the present day; from “retrospective glorification” (Lagrou, 2000) to a narrative dominated by a recognition of the exceptionalism of the Jewish experience. This paper aims to shed light on how the Dutch views of the Holocaust affected the display and management of concentration camp sites today.



Kaiser Bill, Asterix and The Mad Brute - the Pickelhaube as cultural symbol
Martin Brown. University of Bristol.


From British Sign Language to Asterix via the mantelpieces of Great War veterans the Pickelhaube helmet has become inextricably associated with Prussian militarism and the German Army of the Great War. While the helmet became the signifier of a barbaric enemy for the allied propagandists, it remained part of the German military panoply, even after its utility ceased on the battlefield. Today the helmet retains its value as widely recognised trope of an imagined Germanitas but it has also been subverted in popular culture, everywhere from outer space to the top shelf, via the heads of family pets. Nevertheless, the pickelhaube remains a potent military symbol, still seen on the parade ground as an symbol of power and prowess.
This paper will examine the mutability of the pickelhaube as symbol and examine the contested and sometimes comic nature of the artefact, exploring the value placed on it during the conflict and in more recent times.


Picturing War: A recently-discovered diary from the First World War.
Matt Leonard. University of Bristol.


Stranded midway between the mass destruction of industrialised war and the personal struggle for survival are the uniquely mediating objects of conflict that are the pocketbooks, sketchbooks, and diaries kept by those who fought in the trenches. These intimate objects communicate to us, often in everyday language, the mental and physical landscapes in which the soldiers lived, fought, were wounded, and sometimes died. This paper investigates the diary written by William Albert Muggeridge, who served in France and the Middle East as a Rifleman. During this time, he kept a pocketbook, and filled it with drawings and pictures representing the worlds he encountered. This object survives today, despite the fact that all other records of his military service have long since disappeared. Muggeridge’s illustrated diary communicates his identity and memory, as a pen-and-ink memorial to the man, and the fallen.


The Post-Conflict Response of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to the built heritage of the Japanese Occupation
HyunKyung Lee. Cambridge University.


This paper aims to explore the relationship between the built heritage and the formation of national identity through architecture dating to the period of the Japanese Occupation in South Korea. I will focus on the post-conflict response of South Korea to the built heritage of the Japanese Occupation, and will also look at the conflicts between Korean tradition and Japanese modernisation that are apparent by the changes in the built heritage. Moreover, I will investigate the changes of perception and treatment of the built heritage by South Koreans throughout different political presidencies starting from the Liberation (1945) to the present. Four case studies will be examined to see the current use and the style of the commemorative events influenced by South Koreans in the present.
Even though the impact of trauma on built heritage has been theorized by, among others, Bevan (2006), and Foote (1997), these relate only to European and American contexts. Due to significant changes in the treatment of heritage sites during different periods of presidency, these models cannot adequately describe the Korean situation. As a result, I will propose a model that describes the impact of occupation on built heritage, which is tailored to the Korean situation.


Tales from the Broken City: redefining the meaning of home during the bombing of British cities.
James Greenhalgh. University of Manchester.

The house as home has been conceptualised as the haven of safety and controlled space in the urban environment. Situated in a familiar neighbourhood, its importance as a defensible delineated area- crucial in the process of locating ourselves in space, creating place and as a psychological touchstone where we retreat from the world- has been stressed by many writers. However, as cities were reframed as landscapes of fear during the bombing campaigns of the Second World War, the intersection of the meanings of home with destruction and death also brought into focus the relationships of individuals with the home and city. As historians and archaeologists this interplay between the physical and conceptual is essential to our understanding of the past. Consequently, this paper deals with the manner in which ideas of home were altered by the effects of bombing and looks at the process by which this occurred. Crucial to this is the idea of the home in mid-twentieth century Britain and I argue that whilst the Blitz was an act of physical destruction, which brought with it concerns about shelter, possessions and physical harm, bombing also transgressed conceptual boundaries of the home, altering the relationship of the individuals to their homes.


On Conflict, Cacti and Material Culture: an Archaeological Anthropology of the Chaco War and its Aftermath
Esther Breithoff. University of Bristol.


The Gran Chaco is a vast and underpopulated lowland semi-arid lowland plain in South America. From 1932-1935, it also was the setting for the bloodiest and one of the most obscure wars in 20[SUP]th[/SUP] of the twentieth century South America. The Chaco War was a tragedy for the indigenous peoples of the area, and beyond, as they were the proxies of the Hispanic elites who created and prosecuted the conflict. Academic research, however, has primarily focused on the military history of the war, largely neglecting the indigenous experience of this armed conflict. The Mennonites form another group which has largely been neglected in the history of the Chaco War. They are an evangelical free church which originated in the Low Countries of northern Europe during the sixteenth-century Reformation era. Persecution and restriction of religious freedom continuously forced them to emigrate, and in 1927 the first group of Mennonites arrived in Paraguay with the hope of starting a new life in the Chaco wilderness, where they established both relationships with the soldiers and the indigenous people. The Mennonite introduction of agriculture and western Christian values, and the arrival of industrialised warfare with the Bolivian and Paraguayan armies, imposed themselves onto a predominantly hunter-gatherer landscape, resulting in a fusion of three completely different worlds amidst the Chaco’s thorny shrubs and arid plains. This paper is an attempt to identify new landscapes and objects generated by the destructive force of modern warfare, to locate their archaeological remains, and to analyze their altered meanings in the context of material culture anthropology.


Desert Fort – Archaeology of the French Foreign Legion
Richard Jeynes.


The French colonial operations in Morocco during the early twentieth century were relatively unknown by many in France, or anywhere else in the world. The Great War overshadowed the whole operation whilst the use of foreign troops in the twenties and thirties kept campaigns from this period out of public attention.
The campaigns were hard fought and the fighting between the French occupation forces and the Berber tribes was particularly fierce. Many forts and smaller outposts were constructed by the French in an attempt to dominate large areas of terrain. Most were eventually abandoned and destroyed by the French army or overrun and destroyed by the Berber. A few forts that did survive were either taken into use by the Moroccan army, converted into hotels and cafes or used as “quarries” for building material by local farmers. As such there remains very little evidence in the archaeological record of these important structures.
The proposed presentation will report on the results of a recent expedition ( March 2011) to locate and study the remains of one fort, and associated outposts, located in SE Morocco.

Dragon’s Teeth: The Archaeology of Second World War Anti-invasion Defences in Wales
Jon Berry. University of Birmingham.


The preparation of defences against a possible German invasion profoundly affected the landscape of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. A wide range of defensive structures were built and the majority subsequently demolished. As part of ongoing research into the anti-invasion defences of Wales, this paper addresses the establishment of the chronology, location, type and extent of the defences constructed at a national scale, with a view to identifying useful areas to be used as case studies. Confronted by a virtual absence of published information, the researcher has applied a methodology that combines traditional archaeological approaches with historical documentary sources, including archived aerial photography and military war diaries. This paper will focus on progress achieved. Research to date has focused on the undertaking of an archaeological desk-based assessment to gain information about the known or potential archaeological military defence resource within Wales. The appropriateness of utilising an archaeological approach to research the recent past will be examined. The merits of employing a cross-disciplinary and complementary approach will be discussed. A landscape scale of analysis rather than a site-specific approach is advocated. An overview of deep archival research at The National Archives will be presented.



See Modern Conflict Archaeology Conference. October 22nd. 2011 for detaIL

 

"The Centre for Battlefield Archaeology Postgraduate Conference
‘We go to gain a little patch of ground’: postgraduate research in conflict archaeology'
First call for Papers7[SUP]th[/SUP] - 9[SUP]th[/SUP] October 2011, University of Glasgow
Email: conflictpg@gmail.com
The Centre for Battlefield Archaeology at the University of Glasgow is hosting a three-day postgraduate conference bringing together researchers working within the field of conflict archaeology. It is intended that this conference be a postgraduate answer to the Fields of Conflict conference cycle. The first Fields of Conflict conference, held in Glasgow in 2000, represented a significant horizon for those eager for the opportunity to share pioneering research in the burgeoning field of conflict archaeology. In the last decade, conflict archaeology has transformed from a radical sub-discipline into an established, yet dynamic, academic subject covering a myriad of research avenues.
This postgraduate conference will bring together postgraduate researchers from around the world, providing a platform to present a new generation of research in the field of conflict archaeology. It is hoped that this conference will address a perceived lack of forum for the discussion and presentation of postgraduate work in all facets of conflict archaeology and will in turn foster a vibrant postgraduate research community that forges intellectual, international and interdisciplinary connections. We go, therefore, ‘to gain a little patch of ground’ (Hamlet IV.iv.18).
Papers will cover a wide range of research interests, reflecting the multifaceted nature of conflict archaeology, covering all time periods from the ancient to the contemporary.
Papers will examine topics such as:

• Methodologies and new approaches
• Landscapes of conflict
• Warfare, violence, resistance
• Politics and propaganda
• Memorialisation, remembrance and forgetting
• Imprisonment / internment
• Colonial encounter
• Heritage management of sites of conflict and public engagement
• Battlefield tourism, thanatourism
• Recreation, re-enactment and ersatz experience
• Ethics of studying violence and conflict
• Investigating and interpreting uncomfortable / problematic histories
• Recovery of remains

In addition, delegates are invited to participate in student-led workshops and round table discussions during the final afternoon of conference proceedings (more information to follow).

We are currently still accepting proposals for A0- and A1-sized research posters. If you would like to present your research as an academic poster, please send a 250-300 word abstract to conflictpg@gmail.com by 1 September 2011.
Selected papers from the conference will be published in a special edition of the Journal of Conflict Archaeology.
Watch this page for updates – a provisional programme will be coming soon.

For further information contact Natasha Ferguson, Jennifer Novotny or Jonathan Trigg.
Centre for Battlefield Archaeology
University of Glasgow
Gregory Building
Lilybank Gardens
Glasgow G12 8QQ
+44 (0)141 330 2304
conflictpg@gmail.com


Keynote speaker
The keynote speaker is Dr. Tony Pollard, University of Glasgow. He has carried out battlefield and conflict related archaeological projects in the UK, mainland Europe, Africa and South America. His interests range from 18th-century warfare, particularly in relation to the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland, to the archaeology of the First and Second World Wars. A co-organiser of the first Fields of Conflict conference, Dr. Pollard has long been at the forefront of research in conflict archaeology. His talk will explore (what?).
The keynote speech will be given on Friday evening, 7 October at the Officer’s Training Corps Drill Hall. This will be immediately followed by a welcome reception at the Drill Hall with a cash bar.

Conference dinner
The conference dinner will be held on Saturday, 8 October at Mother India, 28 Westminster Terrace, Glasgow G3 7RU (see Mother India, Indian Restaurants Glasgow, Indian Food Glasgow for more information). The price is £18.50 and includes starters, entrees, and bread and rice from a set menu. The menu includes vegetarian options.
We ask that you pay the conference dinner fee in advance, no later than Friday, 23 September so that we can finalise the booking for our large party. Though places may be available on the day, these will not be guaranteed.
Please advise us well in advance if you have any special dietary requirements or allergies.
To view Mother India’s set price menu, click here.
(add menus if we can get them)

Field trip
On the morning of Friday, 7 October, we will be offering an artefact handling session led by European Arms & Armour curator Ralph Moffat, at the Glasgow Museums Resource Centre, Nitshill. A minibus will pick you up at 09.30 and transport you directly from the Archaeology Department (Gregory Building) to the Resource Centre, returning to the Archaeology Department at midday. For a sneak peak at some of the items in the Glasgow Museums collection, see Glasgow Museums - Collections Navigator
There is no charge for this session, however, please register here as soon as possible. Places are extremely limited, due to restrictions on how many people are allowed in the museum stores at one time.
If you have any questions or require additional information, email conflictpg@gmail.com
Link to the online web registration form here



For further information contact Natasha Ferguson, Jennifer Novotny or Jonathan Trigg.
Centre for Battlefield Archaeology
University of Glasgow
Gregory Building
Lilybank Gardens
Glasgow G12 8QQ
+44 (0)141 330 2304
conflictpg@gmail.com"

University of Glasgow :: Centre for Battlefield Archaeology :: Centre's PG Conference

 

I have just uploaded a list of Military History talks and conference that are taking places this academic year in the UK. Have a look here:

Events « Birmingham "On War"

Ross

 

"The Third Modern Conflict Archaeology Conference is being help at Bristol University on October 22nd.

Visit the Conference pages at Modern Conflict Archaeology Conference. October 22nd. 2011 for further information about the day and venue.


Places are limited and if you wish to attend then you are requested to register in advance.


John Winterburn"

 

"Captivity in Twentieth Century Warfare: Archives, History, Memory".
17 and 18 November 2011 in Paris

Supported among others by the Institution d'histoire du temps present, the *London School of Economics and Political Science*, the University of Paris Ouest Nanterre* *and the Institut de recherche strat?gique de l'Ecole militaire (DMPA-Minist?re de la D?fense), the themes of the conference are 'The history of captivity in the study of war phenomena, of
(de)mobilizations and *sorties de guerre'*:

*Language and 'traces' of captivity*

*The role of the law and camp systems*

*Interactions between captivity and societies*

*Capture and liberation - two experiences that demarcate captivity*

 

"TAG 2011, better known as CentralTAG, the 33rd Annual Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference, will be hosted by the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, University of Birmingham between 14th-16th December 2011. See conference web site at: http://centraltag.wordpress.com/
Action Stations! Towards an Understanding of the Impact of Militarisation on Twentieth-Century Landscapes
Conflict in the twentieth century had a profound impact on the landscape which has created a distinctive, rich and diverse archaeological record. The proposed session will focus on conflict as an agency of transformative change in both its constructive and destructive states, as well as its execution, modes of expression, impact and subsequent resonance.
The British government’s prosecution of the philosophical doctrine of offensive deterrence for much of the twentieth century drove a massive construction programme by the armed services and their civilian parent ministries at home and abroad. The construction of a range of new military offensive, defensive and support establishments required the acquisition, alteration, abandonment or destruction of pre-existing landscape features and structures, which were predominantly civilian in character.
This session will provide a forum where the development of conflict archaeology as a specialist area of practice can be assessed and new developments showcased. Papers that explore the theoretical and conceptual dimensions of conflict as an agency of change are sought for this session, particularly those from the recent historical past, although case studies from other periods in time will also be welcome.
To ask a question, express potential interest, or to submit an abstract please email Jon Berry at JAB743@bham.ac.uk / jonathan.berry@wales.gsi.gov.uk. Abstracts should be no more than 200 words and include the proposer’s title, name, affiliation and contact details, including e-mail. The Call for Papers ends at close of play on Friday 28th October 2011."

 

Shock and Awe: A Conference on the History of Aerial Bombing

November 2011 marks the centenary of a world-historic event.

An Italian pilot, Guilio Cavotti dropped the first bombs from an aeroplane on to the oasis of Tagiura outside Tripoli.

The development of aerial bombardment was more than just a military revolution.

It changed both war and peace.

It redrew the legal and moral boundaries between civilians and combatants, spread the theatre of war into new environments and expanded the battlefield, making cities into places of mass death and taking warfare into private, domestic spaces.

The conference Shock And Awe: a hundred years of bombing from above will mark this anniversary and explore important elements of the century of bombing that followed the fateful attack on Tegura.

This multi-disciplinary event brings together internationally renowned critics, sociologists, geographers, philosophers and historians to reflect on all aspects of a hundred years of bombing from above.

It will develop a conversation between very different historical experiences and cases of bombing and establish a cosmopolitan conversation about these difficult issues.

The conference will be held at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Shock and Awe - A Conference on the History of Aerial Bombing | Home

Ross

 

NORMANDY 1944: Command, Operations and Tactics

9.30 am-5.30 pm

Saturday 5 November 2011

A day seminar by members of the Department of War Studies of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

In memory of Ian Daglish, author and historian

Department of War Studies in conjunction with The Sandhurst Foundation, RMAS

The Department of War Studies has been at the forefront of operational and tactical analysis of the 1944 Normandy Campaign through the series of published works under the editorship of Dr Simon Trew involving members of the Department, and the seminal work on the British Army in the campaign by Dr Stephen Hart. Since 2008 the Department has run tactical leadership studies on the ground for the Commissioning Course with Exercise NORMANDY SCHOLAR. This seminar represents the fruits of this research and study.

Venue: Amiens Theatre, Old College, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, GU15 4PQ

Programme:

0930-1000: Coffee and Registration – Wellington Room, Old College Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

1000-1015: Normandy 1944: Command, Operations and Tactics: Introduction – Dr Duncan Anderson, War Studies

1020-1100: ‘69th Infantry Brigade at Gold Beach: Evaluating the First Twenty four Hours’ – Dr Christopher Pugsley, War Studies

1105-1145: ‘Elite Warriors or Mediocre Soldiers? The Role of the Waffen SS in the Normandy Battles, June-August 1944’ – Dr Peter Lieb, War Studies

1150-1230: ‘Introduction to Combat: 3rd Armored Division at Villiers-Fossard, 29-30 June 1944’ – Dr Simon Trew, War Studies

1230-1330: Hot buffet lunch with wine, Wellington Room, Old College

1330-1410: ‘Marching Up to the Top of the Hill and Marching Down Again, 5DCLI at Hill 112, 10-11 July 1944’ – Dr Claus Telp, War Studies

1415-1445: ‘The Crisis in Command in 51st Division, June-July 1944’ – Dr Chris Mann, War Studies

1450-1530: ‘Allied Technical and Tactical Development in Normandy: The Case of the Canadian Army’s First Use of Wasp Flame-Throwing Carriers at Assy-Montboint, 14 August 1944’ – Dr Stephen Hart, War Studies

1530-1600: Coffee and Tea, Wellington Room

1600-1640: ‘Seizing the Bridgehead at Jort: Polish 1st Armoured Division, 14-16 August 1944’ – Dr Paul Latawski, War Studies

1645-1730: Final Questions and Dispersal

1800: Drinks, Ante Room, RMAS Officers Mess

An application form can be downloaded here:

Normandy, 1944: Command, Operations and Tactics « Birmingham "On War"

Ross

 

NORMANDY 1944: Command, Operations and Tactics

9.30 am-5.30 pm

Saturday 5 November 2011

A day seminar by members of the Department of War Studies of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

In memory of Ian Daglish, author and historian

Department of War Studies in conjunction with The Sandhurst Foundation, RMAS

The Department of War Studies has been at the forefront of operational and tactical analysis of the 1944 Normandy Campaign through the series of published works under the editorship of Dr Simon Trew involving members of the Department, and the seminal work on the British Army in the campaign by Dr Stephen Hart. Since 2008 the Department has run tactical leadership studies on the ground for the Commissioning Course with Exercise NORMANDY SCHOLAR. This seminar represents the fruits of this research and study.

Venue: Amiens Theatre, Old College, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley, GU15 4PQ

Programme:

0930-1000: Coffee and Registration – Wellington Room, Old College Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

1000-1015: Normandy 1944: Command, Operations and Tactics: Introduction – Dr Duncan Anderson, War Studies

1020-1100: ‘69th Infantry Brigade at Gold Beach: Evaluating the First Twenty four Hours’ – Dr Christopher Pugsley, War Studies

1105-1145: ‘Elite Warriors or Mediocre Soldiers? The Role of the Waffen SS in the Normandy Battles, June-August 1944’ – Dr Peter Lieb, War Studies

1150-1230: ‘Introduction to Combat: 3rd Armored Division at Villiers-Fossard, 29-30 June 1944’ – Dr Simon Trew, War Studies

1230-1330: Hot buffet lunch with wine, Wellington Room, Old College

1330-1410: ‘Marching Up to the Top of the Hill and Marching Down Again, 5DCLI at Hill 112, 10-11 July 1944’ – Dr Claus Telp, War Studies

1415-1445: ‘The Crisis in Command in 51st Division, June-July 1944’ – Dr Chris Mann, War Studies

1450-1530: ‘Allied Technical and Tactical Development in Normandy: The Case of the Canadian Army’s First Use of Wasp Flame-Throwing Carriers at Assy-Montboint, 14 August 1944’ – Dr Stephen Hart, War Studies

1530-1600: Coffee and Tea, Wellington Room

1600-1640: ‘Seizing the Bridgehead at Jort: Polish 1st Armoured Division, 14-16 August 1944’ – Dr Paul Latawski, War Studies

1645-1730: Final Questions and Dispersal

1800: Drinks, Ante Room, RMAS Officers Mess

An application form can be downloaded here:

Normandy, 1944: Command, Operations and Tactics « Birmingham "On War"

Ross

 

New Research in Military History: A Conference for Postgraduate and Early-career Historians

18 November 2011

This conference, organised by the British Commission for Military History in association with the History of Warfare Research Group at King’s College London, intends to highlight the breadth and depth of research being undertaken by postgraduate and early career historians in the field of military history.

The British Commission for Military History's New Research in Military History conference is a recently established forum for those are engaged in research in military history or related disciplines to meet other new and established scholars and to present a paper in a supportive environment. We aim to provide an opportunity for postgraduate and early-career historians to present their work to a wider audience of practising military historians. The British Commission for Military History is the pre-eminent association for professional military historians in the UK, dedicated to the promotion and discussion of military history in its broadest sense. This conference is designed to introduce younger scholars to the Commission, whose members will also be in attendance.

The conference will include a keynote lecture by Brian Holden Reid, Professor of American History and Military Institutions at King’s College London. It will take place at the Strand Campus of King’s College London, in the War Studies Department, King’s Building, room K6.07. Instruction on how to reach the campus and the War Studies department can be found at
King's College London - Strand Campus

The conference is free to members of the British Commission for Military History. For non-members and interested parties the fee is £10. The fee includes tea, coffee, and sandwich lunch on the day.

If you wish to attend the conference please print out and return the form below, and send it by Monday 14 November 2011 to the address below.

Conference Organisers

Paul Harris
Ross Mahoney
bcmhnewresearchers@gmail.com

Conference webpage - BCMH New Research in Military History Conference « Birmingham "On War"

Conference Proceedings

08:45 – 09:15: Registration (Room K6.07, War Studies Department, King’s College London)

09:15 – 09:25: Welcome and Introduction by Professor William Philpott (King’s College London) Secretary General of the British Commission for Military History

09:30 – 10:50: Panel A1 – Ancient and Medieval Warfare
Ilya Berkovich (University of Cambridge) ‘The Use of Missile Weapons in the Manipular Legion’
Dr Laura Crombie (Independent Scholar) ‘A ‘French Armada’ or a ‘Brief flirtation’? French plans to invade England in 1385 and 1386’
Dr Robert Jones (University of Leeds) ‘Liveries, Ensigns and Russet-coated Captains: Military Revolution through the lens of Martial Display’

09:30 – 10:50: Panel B1 – The Writing of the History of Warfare
Grace Huxford (University of Warwick) ‘The Reality of Experience: Autobiography and Military History’
Julia Dawson (King’s College London) ‘More than Just Bombing: A Critical Examination of The Official History of the War in the Air 1917-1918’
Dr Lars Peder Haga (Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy) ‘Stalin’s Confused Conquerors: Two Soviet Soldier-Writers on Eastern Europe’

10:50 – 11:10: Coffee

11:10 – 12:30: Panel A2 – Warfare in the Early Modern Age
Marco Giani (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) ‘Venetian Warfare in the Age of Palmanova: Paolo Paruta’s Discorsi Politici (1599)’
Dr Adam Lyons (University of Birmingham) ‘Rankers for North America: Mass Promotion in the Army of Queen Anne’
Catherine Scheybeler (King’s College London) ‘Jorge Juan y Santacilia’s Mission to London: An example of Eighteenth-Century Naval Espionage’

11:10 – 12:30: Panel B2 – Warfare in the 19th Century
Richard Dunley (King’s College London) ‘The Royal Navy’s Coastal Assault Strategy during the 1878 Straits Crisis and the Development of Offensive Mine Warfare’
Edward Gosling (University of Plymouth) ‘The Advantages of the Army: A Revised Assessment of the Childers Reforms 1880 – c.1905’
Paul Ramsey (University of Calgary) ‘Spenser Wilkinson and British Strategy before the Boer War’

12:30 – 13:15: Lunch

13:15 – 14:35: Panel A3 – The First World War (I)
Jeff Cleverley (King’s College London) ‘Defeated before even a shot had been fired? The planning of the Suvla Bay landings at Gallipoli, August 1915’
Stuart Mitchell (University of Birmingham) ‘Constructive Disobedience: ‘Consent and Evade’ in the Great War’
Rob Schafer (Pennsylvania State University) ‘With Good Cheer and Chocolate: The Role of Everyday Stimulants Amongst Soldiers During the Great War’

13:15 – 14:35: Panel B3 – The Second World War
Benjamin Coombs (University of Kent) ‘“Tanks for Russia”, 1941-1945’
Iain Johnston (University of Cambridge) ‘The British Commonwealth Air Training Schemes in World War Two’
Dr Jonathan Fennell (King’s College London) ‘New Research on the British Army in the Second World War’

14:40 – 15:40: Panel A4 – Fortifications and Terrain in War
Victoria Henshaw (University of Birmingham) ‘Structures of Oppression? Scotland’s Fortifications c.1700-1750’
Neal Dando (University of Plymouth) ‘Gazala, right battle – wrong ground?’ the impact of terrain on Eighth Army’s tactical battle, May-June 1942’

14:40 – 15:40: Panel B4 – War and Society
Nicholas Beeching (University of Birmingham) ‘The Provincial Press & the Outbreak of War: A Unionist View in Worcestershire’
Dr Alan Allport (Syracuse University) ‘The British Working Man in Arms in the Second World War’

15:40 – 16:00: Tea

16:00 – 17:20: Panel A5 – The First World War (II)
Michael LoCicero (University of Birmingham) ‘A Moonlight Massacre: The Night Operation on the Passchendaele Ridge, 2 December 1917’
Simon Justice (University of Birmingham) The Organization of Defeat – BEF Defensive Preparations during the winter of 1917/18
Dennis Williams (University of Birmingham) ‘Forgotten in Flanders: British Second Army in the Hundred Days 1918’

16:00 – 17:20: Panel B5 – Small Wars and Insurgencies
Spyridon Tsoutsoumpis (University of Manchester) ‘Sources of morale among Greek resisters (1941-1945)’
Jacob Stoil (University of Oxford) ‘The Saison de Chasse: Successful Counter Insurgency in Palestine’
Dr James Hudson (Independent Scholar) ‘Operation Allied Force: A Doctrine Dilemma?’

17:30 – 18:15: Keynote Lecture by Professor Brian Holden-Reid (King’s College London)

18:15: Drinks Reception sponsored by the Society for Military History

 

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[TD="align: left"]Wed, October 19, 2011

Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC)

The lecture takes place in the Visitor and Education Center Multi-Purpose Room. The building opens at 6:45 p.m.; the talk begins at 7:15 p.m., and the question period concludes around 8:30 p.m. All are welcome! For further information, please call (717) 245-3972.

October 19, 2011 (Wednesday)

Perspectives in Military History Lecture Series with Dr. Lewis Sorley
Independent Scholar

Title: "Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam"

Is this man the real reason the Vietnam War was lost? How did he get there, why did he fail, and how did he last so long? Unless and until we understand General William Westmoreland, we will never understand what happened to us in Vietnam, or why. An Eagle Scout at fifteen, First Captain of his West Point class, Westmoreland fought in World War II and Korea, rising rapidly to command the 101st Airborne Division and become Superintendent at West Point, then was chosen to lead the war effort in Vietnam.

That turned out to be a disaster. He failed to understand a complex war, choosing a flawed strategy, sticking to it in the face of all opposition, and misrepresenting the results when truth mattered most. In so doing he squandered four years of support by Congress, much of the media, and the American people. The tragedy of William Westmoreland provides lessons not just for Vietnam, but for America's future military and political leadership.

Dr. Lewis Sorley, a retired Army officer and then civilian official of the Central Intelligence Agency, is a third-generation graduate of the United States Military Academy who also holds a doctorate from the John Hopkins University. He has served on the faculties at West Point and the U. S. Army War College. His Army assignments also included leadership of tank and armored cavalry units in Germany, Vietnam, and the United States and staff positions in the offices of the Secretary of Defense and the Army Chief of Staff. His publications include Arms Transfers under Nixon; Thunderbolt: General Creighton Abrams and the Army of His Times; Honorable Warrior: General Harold K. Johnson and the Ethics of Command; Honor Bright: History and Origins of the West Point Honor Code and System, and A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. He also has numerous edited works. This lecture is based on his most recent work.


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Thu, November 3, 2011

War in the Ruins: The American Army's Final Battle Against Nazi Germany

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC)

The lecture takes place in the Visitor and Education Center Multi-Purpose Room. The building opens at 6:45 p.m.; the talk begins at 7:15 p.m., and the question period concludes around 8:30 p.m. All are welcome! For further information, please call (717) 245-3972.
November 3, 2011 (Thursday)

Brooks E. Kleber Memorial Reading in Military History with Dr. Edward G. Longacre, Independent Scholar

Title: "War in the Ruins: The American Army's Final Battle Against Nazi Germany"

 

Dave,

I would love to watch this lecture, but will be in N. Arizona in early November, not Carlisle Barracks. Any chance a video of the lecture will end up on the AHEC website or YouTube? Unfortunately, not all the AHEC lectures appear online, and I wish very much that they did.

BoA

 

"Next meeting of South Manchester Tactical Society (SMATS)

The Boer Army 1899 -1902

Tuesday 8th November 7.30pm

Presented by (Anthony) David Jones

Anthony David Jones is the author of The Boer Army 1899-1902: A Military Handbook: The Organisation, Experiences and Methods of the Boer Army and several articles on the armies of the two Boer republics during the Second Boer War, (tweede vrijheidsoorlog)

In this talk he will examine the organisation, methods, tactics, uniforms and weapons of the Boer forces during the almost three years of war.

If you think that the Boer Commandos were comprised solely of bearded eagle-eyed farmers in civilian clothes and bush hats armed with German Mausers (like our gents in the picture on the website) be prepared to be surprised.

Hear about the Boer importation of Radio transmitters and the attempt to get the British to pay for the shells fired at them. Learn about the Britsh ship owner carrying cannons to the Boers but telling his MP friend about it so as to inform Army intelligence. And much more ...


Future Fun! Christmas special ... we are looking to have a special meeting for December, to celebrate the festive season, in our venue at Hyde.
to include HOT FOOD .... (I was keeping quiet on that bit, till our illustrius treasurer got it sorted!)

Various small (fun) contributions rather than a single speaker. More detail later.

and the useful stuff at the bottom ...


Venue

Scout Building, Knivton Street, Godley, Hyde, SK14 2PU.​

this is an ex-scout hut in Hyde, owned by a wargaming group, who are very pleased to provide a venue for us.

Location of the new venue is available on the SMATS webpage here:
SMATS South Manchester Tactical Society

I am assured that this is very accessible by public transport - namely trains from Mcr Piccadilly run to the Newton for Hyde station, which is a 4 minute walk away.

For those of us with independent transport, it is very near junction 3 off the M67. This location might seem to be a little bit away from our traditional home, but I have friends living nearby in Hyde, and I know the journey doesn't take as long as you might initially think.

Website
http://www.smats.org.uk/"

 

Via Tim Cockitt-
"Seasons Greetings people
Just a reminder for next week's SMATS meeting - the Chritmas SMATS has always been an excellent meeting.

Christmas Special
13th December 2011 at 7.30pm
Our annual Christmas meeting always takes a different format.
We invite you to bring along if you are able a short contribution - to run for 5 to 10 minutes (5 mins preferred). I've had an interesting range of contributions already ... I expect I may need to put names "in a hat" to determine the order, on the night.
Contributions might be:
a) An amusing quiz - may include pictures, soundbites, objects
b) An amusing brief talk - e.g. Tim will continue his annual contribution of "Military Eccentric of the year"
c) Some other amusement
Don't worry if you don't have a contribution, all are welcome and a lively discussion is guaranteed!
Food will be a choice of hotpot and mild/medium strength curry (Yum!)
Admission £3 per attendee including food.and the useful stuff at the bottom ...
Venue

Scout Building, Knivton Street, Godley, Hyde, SK14 2PU."​

 

Amateur!

 

"The next War Studies Seminar at the Centre for War Studies at the University of Birmingham is an Air Power Seminar and is being given by:

Ross Mahoney(University of Birmingham)‘Leadership Effectivness: Understanding a Key Metric of Operational Military History – The Case of Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory‘​

The event will be on 17 January 2012. The Seminar meets on TUESDAYS at 5.30 p.m. in Lecture Room 1, 1st Floor, Arts Building."
Air Power Seminar at the University of Birmingham – Ross Mahoney « Birmingham "On War"