Military History

From Daily Mail [excerpt]

Coalition forces in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) were able to take down Saddam Hussein’s regime in less than three weeks, with comparatively few casualties. The speed and relative ease of that victory raise two important questions: - Why did the majority of Iraqi forces fail to offer significant resistance? - Why did the Iraqi leaders fail to adopt defensive measures that would have made the Coalition invasion more difficult and costly? A Rand Project Air Force (PAF) analysis of information derived from interviews with former senior Iraqi officials shows that the rapid collapse of the Iraqi resistance was due to a combination of factors: - Saddam mad…

A Navy crew honors its beloved Commanding Officer – The Navy’s first African-American Admiral. Featuring historians, Paul Stillwell and Dr. Gina Akers. View our full Second Saturday Webinar HERE. The post Blog first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation. View the full article

By Leo J. Daugherty III The late Professor Edgar F. Puryear, Jr., who until his death in 2018 was scholar-in-residence at the National Defense University and an authority on American generalship, outlined in his book Marine Corps Generalship (National Defense University, 2009) the three critical components that define Marine leadership in time of war. The first of these components is that the position of command is a lonely one. Generals as well as field grade officers are likewise subject to the same strains and stresses accompanying the execution of military operations. Generals make mistakes. This can be seen in the case of Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith a…

Curious page about British radar and sonars, it worth a viewing: http://www.wstg.co.uk/ivan's%20page.htm

Reviewed by Anton K. Smith Too little is written about the roles and sacrifices of professional women contributing to the war effort in World War II. An established author, renowned historian, and former British sailor, Peter Hore works to correct the deficit in this new book about Britain’s Women’s Royal Navy Service, whose members quickly became known as “Wrens.” Gathering a wealth of information directly from the aging heroes who long kept their secrets, Hore focuses on those Wrens that contributed signals intelligence from an array of coastal listening posts around England’s southern approaches to “Station X,” the code name for Britain’s now famous, war-time cente…

Hans Bethe, Father of Nuclear Astrophysics, Dies at 98 -- 5 page article, interesting historical anecdotes [Excerpt from an article by William J. Broad in today's New York Times www.nytimes.com (registration required, no fee)]

Vintage photos of Australian ships and navy stuff of Kookaburra2011: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/with/5004439760/ Very fine pictures and captions, indeed.

A very detailed and fascinating narrative in six parts by Kristin Ann High in the Avalanche Press site, about the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau history, actions and fate in World War Two: http://www.avalanchepress.com/scharnhorst_1.php

Sea Dart Missile: A Parting Salute (Defense Media Network)

Reviewed by Major Chris Ketcherside, USMC (Ret.) Guidelines for the Leader and the Commander is a collection of chapters, lectures, and manual excerpts General Clarke penned over the course of his career based on his hard-won experiences in positions of leadership in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, as well as in peacetime. Gen. Clarke’s guidelines first force potential leaders to engage in self-reflection, to see if they are truly ready for leadership, and then he discusses, in broad terms. the importance of training, time management, and setting a personal example, among other subjects. This text is very Army centric, but there are numerous basic l…

This Is How the World Could Have Ended (War is Boring blog)

Decima Flottiglia Mas and Operazione EA3: The Raid on Alexandria (Defense Media Network)

Dear Naval Historical Foundation Board Members: Attached you will find a series of documents to be reviewed prior to our Board Meeting on Saturday, 11 June 20122. We look forward to seeing you virtually and briefing you on the latest developments. You can find information about the Annual Meeting and Leighton Lecture, and how to attend virtually, HERE. 2022 NHF Annual Meeting Agenda 2021 NHF Annual Meeting Minutes Annual Report The post 2022 NHF Annual Meeting Read-Ahead Materials first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation. View the full article

From Air Force Magazine, December 2007 The Air Force was taken by surprise in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Nine hours later, it happened again in the Philippines. Full article at the above link.

Interesting link on generic manual of many US Navy weapons. On this page, Mk13 GMLS (Perry-class). Standard missiles are launched at 10 seconds interval, Harpoon at 22 seconds interval: http://www.tpub.com/gunners/169.htm

By Phil Keith with Tom Clavin, Hanover Square Press [HarperCollins], (2022) Reviewed by John Grady “To the Uttermost Ends of the Earth” is one of the best works aimed at a general audience on the naval aspects of the Civil War. Phil Keith and Tom Clavin have brought back to life one of the most rakish figures of the war, Raphael Semmes, the Maryland-born Confederate raider and given much needed attention to John Winslow, the North Carolinian and relentless hunter of his former shipmate who was then commanding CSS Alabama. The CSS Alabama’s record of taking more than 60 vessels registered in the United States during its cruising of the world’s oceans remai…

Air Force One: A History of Presidential Air Travel (Defense Media Network)

This month, we delve into Major League Baseball in the 1940’s, and how wartime affected America’s favorite pastime. We are joined by former Houston Astros TV Announcer, Bill Brown, and naval historian and baseball fan, Paul Stillwell for a densely informative discussion. The post Blog first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation. View the full article