Organisation
US Army versus âWerewolfâ
U.S. soldiers execute a German guerrilla in the closing days of World War II. Captured âWerewolvesâ like these posed little danger during the postwar occupation of Germany. Army doctrine also followed Western traditions in taking a dim view of guerrillas who violated the laws of war and hid their true identity by shedding their arms and uniforms. When a civilian…
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Frankish Military Organization and Siege Logistics in the 6th Century
Small magnate retinues or âwarbandsâ that fought for glory and plunder, then, can hardly have provided an adequate basis for the 6th-century Frankish armies that fought over fortifications on equal terms with their neighbors. The size of armies is the first issue. The individual siege not only required overwhelming force…
Red Army Shermans of WWII Part I
The story of the Sherman tank in Soviet service during World War II has received little attention outside Russia â or as it was, the Soviet Union. Although from 1941 to 1945, the USSR and the United States were allies, the Cold War commenced almost immediately after the defeat of…
Red Army Shermans of WWII Part II
RED ARMY SHERMAN UNITS This list is far from exhaustive but does go some way towards accounting for the more than 4,000 M4A2 tanks sent to the Soviet Union between 1943 and 1945. During the Cold War the Soviet government deliberately disparaged the importance of the Lend-Lease program preferring to…
THE RHODESIAN SECURITY FORCESÂ I
The armed forces of Rhodesia won virtually every battle and skirmish they ever fought against the guerrilla armies, yet they lost the war. In July 1977, Foreign Minister P K van der Byl said of white Rhodesiansâ resolve never to live under a guerrilla regime: âWe will contest every hill…
RAF in Malaya â The Enemy and Allied Forces I
The Royal Air Force (RAF) and Army Air Corps, based in Malaya, provided multi-role air support to emergency operations. This was either as an independent force of the operation, or in direct cooperation with forces on the ground. There were six facets to the availability of air support: 1.Photographic air…
RAF in Malaya â The Enemy and Allied Forces II
Operation âFiredogâ â the air war against the CTS (Communist Terrorists) during the Malayan Emergency â began in earnest in July 1948 with the formation of an RAF Task Force at Kuala Lumpur. Reinforcements, notably Lincolns from the UK were sent to Malaya and Singapore on detachment. The first to…