Interesting facts of military history

"When the German delegation came to Marshal Foch at the end of the war ( 1918 ) to ask for armistice terms, the Frenchman picked up a paper from his desk and read a set of conditions.
"'But - there must be some mistake,' the leader of the German officers stammered in dismay. 'These are terms which no civilized nation could impose upon another!'

"'I am very glad to hear you say so,' replied Foch gravely. 'No, gentlemen, these are not our terms. These are the terms imposed on Lille by the German commander when that city surrendered.'"

 

Includes videolinks!

BBC NEWS | UK | World War I battlegrounds

 

Vice Admiral Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière (March 18, 1886 – February 24, 1941), born in Posen, was a German U-boat commander during World War I. With 194 ships and 453,716 gross register tons (GRT) sunk, he is the most successful submarine ace ever. Нis victories came in the Mediterranean, almost always using his 8.8-cm deck gun. He fired only four torpedoes, missing once.

( I am sure there will be discussions about the figures of sunk ships but let´s go with the wikipedia numbers for now ).

Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Spanish Civil War and Italians

Not all Italians were pro-Franco. Some Italians who had moved abroad during Mussolini’s time in power, formed the Garibaldi Brigade. They fought on the Republicans side. At the Battle of Guadalajara, Italians fought Italians – something people in Italy had dreaded. In this battle the Republicans won. Mussolini was furious that his ‘volunteers’ had been beaten but blamed the Garibaldi Brigade. Three months after the defeat at Guadalajara, the leader of the Garibaldi Brigade, Carlos Roselli, was found murdered. Mussolini’s secret agents had done this.

::Italy and Germany 1936 to 1940::

 

Watched a documentary on Somme last night:

BBC NEWS | South Asia | India's Somme horrors remembered

Two Indian regiments took part in the first and only cavalry charge of the battle - between the High Wood and Delville Wood area - but were forced to retreat under heavy fire.

Like other advances in the battle, the joint Indian and British assault fell victim to poor communications.

By the time orders came through for them to go forward, the Germans had been able to strengthen their positions and the Indian horsemen and their British counterparts were unable to make progress because of small arms and shrapnel fire.

The cavalry charge on 14 July was conducted by two regiments, the 20th Deccan Horse and the British Seventh Dragoon Guards, who were supported by another Indian regiment, the 34th Poona Horse.

They were ordered to provide back-up to an infantry advance beyond High Wood, near the Carnoy Valley area of the Somme battleground.

The Indians and British suffered 102 casualties and lost about 130 horses.

"This probably reinforced the increasing realisation among British generals that cavalry charges using horses were a thing of the past," says Imperial War Museum historian Nigel Steel.

"The cavalry was only supposed to be deployed after the terrain had been cleared by the infantry. It was not envisaged that they should suffer anything like the same casualty levels as their infantry counterparts."

 

For five days around 1500 artillery pieces bombarded the German trenches in an effort to destroy the protective barbed wire, take out the German artillery and stop the Germans from mounting their defense. This tactic had been tried before but it failed at the Somme for a number of reasons. First, the trenches were too well constructed for the artillery to inflict any real damage. The Germans had had two years to build the trench system here and you could tell. The trenches themselves were 3 metres deep and the dug-outs could be as much as 10 metres deep. Secondly, the shells used by the artillery was totally unsuitable for the purpose. Rather than using heavy shells, the artillery had to use shrapnel shells which had little impact on fortifications. What's more many of the shells were duds. It has been estimated that between one quarter and one third failed to explode. The result was that by the end of the bombardment the German trenches were still largely intact.

What was it like to fight in the Battle of the Somme? Durham University Library 4schools

Oops! That must be one kind of record for duds....

 

Sharpshooter: Henry Norwest - Veterans Affairs Canada

One of the most famous Canadian snipers in the First World War was a Métis marksman who went by the name of Henry Louis Norwest. In his nearly three years of service with the 50th Canadian Infantry Battalion, the lance-corporal achieved a sniping record of 115 fatal shots. The former ranch-hand and rodeo performer also merited the Military Medal and bar, making him one of roughly 830 members of the CEF to be awarded this double honour.

 

Vimy Ridge battle:

Many of the strategies that contributed to the success of the assault on Vimy Ridge were new. Platoons were reorganized to include riflemen, machine gunners and bombers, breaking from the tradition of separating the men by function, mirroring a class system. Enemy gun positions were located using flash spotting and sound ranging. The methods used by the Canadians were extremely successful, eliminating 176 out of 212 German counter batteries.

The infantry used the "Vimy Glide," advancing at a steady pace of 100 yards every three minutes, matching an artillery barrage that was set before them. One solder described the barrage as resembling a lawnmower in front of them, churning the ground. Tunnels called "subways" were dug to the front lines and allowed the Canadians to advance without the Germans seeing them.

The Battle of Vimy Ridge

 

MacAdam Shield Shovel

MacAdam Shield Shovel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The MacAdam shield-shovel resembled the standard portable infantry spade of its day in both size and shape. Its design however required it to prevent the penetration of, or at the very least deflect, enemy gunfire. As a result of this condition, heavier than usual steel was used in the construction of the blade; it measured at three-sixteenths of an inch thick.Heavy steel was also used to make the shovel's detachable handle which measured four feet in length. Unique to the shield-shovel was the inclusion of a 3.5 by 2 inch sight-hole in the blade. In total, the MacAdam shield- shovel weighed 5 pounds 4 ounces.

In 1914, 25,000 shield-shovels were ordered and shipped to Europe for use by the 1st Canadian Division. Preliminary tests however revealed the unfortunate conclusion that the shovel’s blade was incapable of stopping the penetration of gunfire even from the smallest of enemy calibre arms.

 

End of the USSR:

On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned as president of the USSR, declaring the office extinct and ceding all the powers still vested in it to the president of Russia: Yeltsin. On the night of that same day, the Soviet flag was lowered for the last time over the Kremlin.

Finally, a day later on December 26, 1991, the Council of Republics (a chamber) of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR recognized the dissolution of the Soviet Union and dissolved itself.

 

The first officially acknowledged dive-bombing attack appears to have been made by Lieutenant Harry Brown of No 84 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, who sank a small enemy naval craft in 1917.

From Hitler´s Stuka Squadron´s by John Ward

 

THE SINKING OF SZENT ISTVAN

Szent Istvan - the model

In the first decade of the 20th Century Austro-Hungarian Monarchy decided to build four new modern battleships. They were dreadnoughts of TEGETTHOFF class od 20.000 tons which were scheduled to be the backbone of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. Designed by the best Austrian naval architect ing. Siegfried Popper, the class embodied latest German experiences in naval warfare.

The keel for the first ship (VIRIBUS UNITIS) was laid down in 1910., followed by TEGETTHOFF and PRINZ EUGEN.

The name SZENT ISTVAN was chosen for the new battleship in honour of Saint Stephen, the Protector of Hungary. The ship was built in the Hungarian Ganz&Comp. Danubius A.G. in Fiume (today Rijeka, Croatia). It differed from the three other sisterships of the class in several aspects. It had 12 boilers Babcock&Wilcox, two AEG turbines of 25.000 HP and two screws. All ships of the class were armed with the same main armament which comprised twelve 305 mm Skoda cannons in four triple turrets. Secondary armament consisted of twelve 150 mm cannons in side casemates, 20 dual purpose cannons of 75 mm and four torpedo tubes, one each at the bows and stern and one on each side. The armour protection was equally impressive – side armour of 280 mm thickness was considered more than enough against contemporary torpedoes. The SZENT ISTVAN was launched on 17th January 1914. and was ceremonially commissioned and taken over by the Austro-Hungarian Navy on 17th November 1915.

But there was not too much job for capital ships and SZENT ISTVAN spent most of the war moored at the main military harbour at Pola (today Pula, Croatia). Only a few short trips to the sea for gunnery exercises and a two-day trip to Pag island in the Adriatic in March 1916. were undertaken. Of the total of 937 days in the Austro-Hungarian Navy, only 54 days were spent at sea which was far than enough for adequate crew training.

The new Commander-in-Chief of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, admiral Nicolaus (Miklos) Horthy de Nagbanya decided to perform a combat action of the fleet which will bring a certain victory and raise the morale of crews of capital ships of the Navy.

The action started on June 8th 1918. That night VIRIBUS UNITIS and PRINZ EUGEN quietly departed from Pola and steamed south, escorted by destroyers and torpedo boats.

At the same time, two small Italian motor torpedo boats MAS 15 and MAS 21 under the command of Capitano di fregata Luigi Rizzo from Ancona base were waiting in the shadow of Lutrosnjak island for enemy traffic.They waited until the enemy approached within a mile, and then opened up the throttles and started their attack. After penetrating the screen of Austrian torpedo boats without being sighted, both boats launched their torpedoes from the distance of about 400 m, the MAS 15 aiming at the first (SZENT ISTVAN) and MAS 21 at the second battleship (TEGETTHOFF). At maximum speed both MAS managed to evade the chasing escorts and disappeared in the dark. After a short time two large columns of water and spray lifted near the starboard side of SZENT ISTVAN and two explosions were heard. The TEGETTHOFF was lucky - other torpedoes missed.TEGETTHOFF was ordered to come closer and prepare to tow the stricken ship. The captain was hoping to get his ship closer to the Molat island and try to beach it. But these preparations took longer than expected and SZENT ISTVAN was steadily listing to port. At the first morning light, the water was already reaching the main deck. The ship was doomed.

The wreck of SZENT ISTVAN lies 8 nautical miles to the West of Premuda island in Northern Dalmatia. The wreck was first discovered in 1974. by the Yugoslav TV diving expedition, which encountered bad visibility but managed to film some parts of the wreck. After that the wreck was left forgotten for about twenty years. In 1995. the combined Croatian and Hungarian diving expedition was organized, followed by two more. During these expeditions, the wreck was surveyed, photographed and filmed. Some artifacts were raised, such as chinaware from the Admiral’s cabin and brass letters of the ship’s name from the stern. All these artifacts are now exhibited at the History Museum at Pola.

 

Interesting info on the early phase of the USSR:

The mass intakes of new members were usually followed by a membership screening aimed at expelling the uncommitted, the criminal, the incompetent, the "class-alien", and often the political deviant. In the screening of 1919 half the party had been expelled. In 1921 a quarter of the new members were kicked out.

By mid-1924 only 25 percent of secretaries of district party committees ( ukom ) had been in the party before 1917,the figure for those running provinces ( gubkom presidiums ) was only 49 percent. One in forty party members was illiterate, and one in four had fewer than four years of schooling.Some new party members had to ask what the Politburo was....

From "Yezhov The rise of Stalin´s iron fist" by Getty/Naumow

 

Vimy Ridge

Anti-artillery action

To aid artillery operations during the battle, coordinated counter-battery initiatives before the battle were also conducted. Utilizing flash spotting, sound ranging and aerial reconnaissance from No. 16 Squadron and No. 1 & 2 Balloon Company of the Royal Flying Corps in the week before the battle, the counter-battery artillery under command of Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew McNaughton fired 125,900 shells, harassing an estimated 83% of the enemy gun positions.

Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-13 April 1917

On 4.00 a.m. on Monday 9 April the subway entrances were opened. The first wave of the assault went in at 5.30. At the same time the heavy artillery hit 67 of the 69 German artillery positions in the Vimy sector.

 

Wasn't Albert Ball killed by a machine gun placed in a clock tower located in one of the French villages in his sector? I believe that he used to fly by it on the way back to his aerodrome after his missions, to check the time. The Germans took notice of it after awhile.

 

Soviet pilots and Spanish Civil War

Stalin and the Spanish Civil War

Compared to many of the foreign pilots, who were well compensated for their service to the Republic, the salaries of Soviet airmen were quite modest, if not niggardly. A Soviet pilot holding the rank of junior commander had a fixed monthly salary of 3,000 pesetas (approximately $150); a lieutenant, 3,500 ($175); a captain or commander of a unit, 4,000 ($200); a major or squadron commander, 5,000 ($250); and a colonel or head of a flying group, 6,000 ($300). Some Soviets made even less. A report from one V. S. Goriainov indicated that his monthly salary was just 1,600 pesetas ($80), while French pilots regularly received 15,000 pesetas ($750), regardless of the number of sorties. British pilots who flew for the Republic signed generous contracts that guaranteed them a minimum salary of 200 pounds monthly, as well as bonuses for enemy kills and insurance in the event of death. Soviet flyers, by contrast, signed no contracts and received no bonuses.

By the end of the war, 770 Soviet pilots had flown for the Republic. The number of Soviet airmen active at any time varied; as with the delivery of Soviet weaponry, their service was not distributed evenly over the course of the war. A majority of the 770 Soviet pilots flew in 1936-37, and a large portion of the total number were already active just weeks after the first sorties by Soviet pilots in October 1936. On 20 November 1936, for example, 298 Soviet pilots were flying for the Republic, or nearly 40 percent of the total number who would eventually serve. By the end of 1936, 311 pilots had served in Spain; in 1937, 276 airmen flew for the Republic; and in 1938, 183.

Data on Soviet aviator casualties reflects the changing fortunes of the Republican air force. By the end of 1936, the Republic commanded the skies and Soviet airmen outclassed their rivals in every area except, as we have seen, accidents. In 1936, although the largest number of Soviet pilots to see action in any single year were flying for the Republic—311 before the year's end—combined fatalities and pilots missing in action totaled only 21 men, or 6.7 percent. In 1937, fewer pilots (276) flew for the Republic, but the number of dead or missing rose to 47, or 17 percent. In 1938 the rate was nearly identical: only 183 Soviet pilots were engaged in the war, but 31 airmen were lost, or 16.9 percent. In all, 99 Soviet pilots were killed or went missing in Spain.

 

Edith Cavell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edith Louisa Cavell (4 December 1865–12 October 1915) was a British World War I nurse and humanitarian.

Nurse Cavell helped hundreds of soldiers from the Allied forces to escape occupied Belgium to the neutral Netherlands, in violation of German military law. She was arrested on 3 August 1915 and charged with harbouring Allied soldiers, not for espionage.

She made no defence, admitting her actions, and was ordered to be executed by firing squad at 6am on 12 October, less than ten hours after sentence was passed.

The night before her execution she told the Anglican chaplain, Reverend H. Stirling Gahan,who had been allowed to see her and to give her Holy Communion, "Patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone." These words are inscribed on her statue in St Martin's Place, near Trafalgar Square in London.

The execution took place at the Tir National, a state military site (today a memorial, near the State television buildings), where she was buried. Edith Cavell's case became an important article of British propaganda for the remainder of the war.

After the war, Edith Cavell's body was exhumed and returned to the UK.

Because of the British government's decision to use her story as propaganda, Cavell became the most prominent British female casualty of World War. The combination of heroic appeal and a resonant atrocity-story narrative made Cavell's case one of the most effective in British propaganda of World War.

 

There are some things to write about this battle .

The fascists italians volunteers were not true soldiers,only Littorio Division was combat ready and indeed this unit shows it lots of time during spanish civil war and also durinig Gudalajara, covering the retreat (rout) of italian forces. This battle is not a disaster, is a defeat (also the republican loses was highter than natinalist ones), but increased dramatically by propaganda because was the first defeat of fascism, and also for strenghten republicans moral. This defeat hide other important italian victories such as Malaga or Bilbao and hide the importance of italian effort to the nationalist cause.

 

William Leefe Robinson VC (14 July 1895 – 31 December 1918) was the first British pilot to shoot down a German airship over Britain during the First World War. For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the first person to be awarded the VC for action in the UK.

Leefe Robinson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Worcestershire Soldier - Victoria Cross Winners - Lieutenant William Leefe-Robinson

 

Vimy Ridge:

In addition, upwards of 40,000 topographical trench maps were printed and distributed to ensure that even platoon sergeants and section commanders possessed a wider awareness of the battlefield. The objective was to give each platoon a complete picture of the battle plan and a specific task within it, with the intent of reducing the command and control problems that plagued First World War combat.

Battle of Vimy Ridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia