World War I

M-1 Garand, “The greatest battle implement ever devised”, Adopted Today 1936

The United States Army was the only combatant to enter World War II who armed their standard infantrymen with a semi-automatic rifle. The rifle was an iconic image of the American GI of our Greatest Generation during the war. And the Garand served from the steaming jungles of the Pacific to the sands of North Africa and across the countries of Europe.

The M-1 Garand was adopted by the U.S. Army as its main battle rifle on January 9, 1936, and served until 1957 when it was replaced by the M-14 rifle which used basically the same operating system. Over 5,500,000 M-1s were produced and the rifle served as the main infantry weapon of the U.S. in both WWII and Korea.

Near the end of World War II, General George S. Patton called the M-1 Garand, “the greatest battle implement ever devised”. It was simple and inexpensive to produce, (the average cost in 1945 was $26 per rifle), easy to operate and maintain and most importantly rugged and reliable.

Looking To Upgrade Their Infantry:

The U.S. Army had been tinkering with the idea of upgrading their infantrymen with a semi-automatic rifle since 1909. Those plans were delayed by the onset of World War I. They stuck with the standard 1903 Springfield rifle which was a bolt-action, five shot weapon in .30 caliber (30-06).

The Ordnance Department announced that they had eight principal requirements for the next generation of semi-automatic weapons in 1921. This new design was to replace the M1903 Springfield which had been in service since 1903. The Army was looking for the infantry to have more firepower than the standard bolt-action rifle. The Ordnance Department required that any new design would have to:

Weigh nine pounds or less
Be well-balanced and adapted to shoulder firing
Be fed by a magazine for quick reloading
Be simple, strong, compact, and easy to manufacture.
Be entirely semi-automatic
Use the .30 caliber service cartridge (30-06)
Function properly without any need for special oil, grease, or other material applied to the cartridge

Enter John C. Garand. Garand had moved to the United States from Canada as a young child and was working in the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts when he submitted a design entry in for the Army’s Light Machine Gun competition. Although his design wasn’t adopted, he was put in charge of developing a semi-automatic rifle.

Garand’s design utilized a revolutionary a long-stroke gas piston system that trapped propellant gasses which would operate the weapon. Initial testing included a new 7mm (.276 caliber) cartridge because the Army believed that if it were lighter, the average soldier could carry a lot more ammo. (Something that is being revisited in every generation). But that was eventually nixed when then Army Chief of Staff, Douglas MacArthur wanted to retain the .30 caliber ammo since the U.S. had stockpiled so much of it.

Garand’s first design had a gas trap system which was a small device fixed near the rifle’s muzzle captured expanding gases and used the pressure to cycle the rifle’s gas piston that ran below the barrel. This long-stroke system’s piston attached to an operating rod which rotated the M1’s bolt to unlock it and open the action. This allowed spent cases to be ejected and a fresh cartridge loaded.

This, however, was found to be unsuitable when carbon would build up and cause malfunctions. Garand soon replaced the gas trap with a gas port where the firing would push gas directly from the barrel to the gas piston, which was a much more reliable design.

The Garand used .30-06 caliber cartridges in 8-round “en bloc” clips loaded into an internal magazine. When the last round was fired the spent clips would be ejected as well and make an audible pinging sound.

The ping has been the subject of many legends, some claiming that enemy soldiers would wait until they heard the pinging sound to take advantage of American troops out of ammo. While some veterans say that during a pitched firefight it was impossible to distinguish the sound over the din of battle, others claim it to be true.

Several years ago, I happened to be at an event where several members of the “Band of Brothers” were present. While they were being peppered with questions, many of their answers were geared toward humor or tongue-in-cheek.

One paratrooper smiled and said he’d always carry an empty en-bloc clip. And if the shooting was sporadic, he’d bounce a clip of his own helmet when one of his buddies fired, trying to catch a German peering up for a shot. He claimed to nail a German that way… myth or truth? We’ll err on the side of the myth here…

The Garand Goes to War:

The Garand M-1 rifle first saw major action during the latter stages of the American invasions of Guadalcanal in the Pacific and of North Africa in 1942 during Operation Torch. The improved rear sight, a big upgrade over the ‘03 Springfield coupled with the semi-automatic rate of fire increased the firepower nearly double that of the 20-rounds per minute that WWI troops could expect.

The only drawback of the weapon was that it tended to be a bit bulky and heavy. But the troops loved its reliability and rate of fire. American infantry squads could easily put down much more fire than their enemy counterparts from Germany and Japan who were still using the bolt-action Mauser KAR-98 and the Arisaka rifles in their militaries.

Production ceased after World War II but when the Korean War kicked off, production was again started back up. Soon after the Korean War, the Pentagon was looking for a replacement for their workhorse rifle and settled on the M-14. That weapon is just a modernized version of the M-1, using the same basic operating system with a detachable 20-round box magazine.

The Army produced a Sniper variant with a scope mounted on the side due to the brass and en-bloc magazine ejecting straight up as well as a Tanker variant, a shorter barreled rifle more suitable for use in and around armored vehicles.

Having a chance to try all three types, the M-1 in any form is a joy to shoot and many marksmanship clubs still use it today. While it was a touch less accurate than KAR-98, the amount of firepower it generated gave it a clear advantage.

Photos: US Archives

Remember Our Veterans Every Day and Not Just Once a Year

Opinion: This has been a busy week in our neck of the woods. We’ve been quite occupied as our town has been preparing for Veterans Day and I can proudly say that our bucolic little burg in the Northeast has never been one to just pay lip service to days like Veterans Day and Memorial Day. They have always put a lot of thought and effort into these events which veterans and citizens can interact.

Our local Veterans Council, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), visited several of the area schools where students, teachers, and veterans interacted both in classrooms and in an assembly. We also visited a local nursing home we spent time with about 20-25 veterans who are getting services there and to also let them know they haven’t been forgotten.

On Saturday morning, the residents of a new development had the Town’s veterans in their community center for a great breakfast where the people donated their time and volunteered to cook for the vets and the community. It is a trend that they started a year ago and helps bring all of us together. A nice touch was around the flagpole in front of the community center was 100 small flags to signify the 100 years since the end of the fighting in World War I.

But the purpose here isn’t to remark on the way the area treats our vets and veterans organizations, which is superb. But the way our unseen and little talked about veterans, the ones who have chronic health problems, substance abuse issues or possibly all three and are on the streets homeless. We can do better by those men and women. Much better.

We all know and are aware of the problems some Veteran Administration Centers and hospitals have had. Several have been awful, while the vast majority have been doing well by our vets. This isn’t an indictment on them…far from it. Nobody foresaw a war lasting as long as the Global War on Terror has. It has stretched on longer than any conflict in our history and still has no end in sight. Some of the young men and women who signed up immediately after 9/11 are within three years of retirement if they remained in the service.

Our veterans have always been there for our country and answered the call when she beckoned. And the country owes them the same loyalty when both the visible and invisible scars of war take their inevitable toll on both the body and mind. Our veterans who served their country faithfully deserve to be treated with the same loyalty that they’ve shown the country when answering its call. In both the VA and civilian healthcare sectors. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Too often, we read about veterans being turned away or forced to wait for months to receive care for the wounds they’ve suffered. That is completely unacceptable. The suicide rate for veterans is vastly above the national average. And many of the veteran community will say that they feel the country wishes they’d just fade away than acknowledge that a problem exists or that they are a burden to the American taxpayers. That’s an indictment on us as a country.

We’re constantly reminded how the cost of freedom never goes away but is continually being paid for in the blood of our troops. Just last week, a member of my old unit, the 7th Special Forces Group, 7th SFG(A), lost a soldier in a training accident. Specialist Nicholas C. Jividen, who was assigned to the group’s 3rd Battalion Headquarters and Support Company, died at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. Meanwhile, the fighting goes on and on in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and countless other places.

Today and all week, everywhere we go, especially in our little hometown, we hear the familiar and very appreciated, by the way, words, “Thank you for your service.” There is always a sense of pride, of their unit and belonging to something bigger than themselves that will always mark our veterans. They also know that they have done their part in keeping America free. Many who have traveled extensively have seen how the rest of the world lives and what a blessing it is to live in the United States where we all take so much for granted.

But in reality, we need to remember all of the country’s veterans. And not just thanking them for faithful service, but by repaying that loyalty, which is a two-way street in taking care of their legitimate health care needs.

As we celebrate the 100-year end of the “War to end all wars” today, it is the veteran who knows that no such thing exists. There will always be “the next one” and they are at the point of the spear representing America’s interest. We also honor all of the vets today, both the young and the old who have responded to the needs of the many.

In a country that supposedly prides itself on valuing our veteran community, don’t we all owe it to them to give them the best available health coverage? So while we truly appreciate the “Thanks for your service” wishes today, let us not forget the ones who need help the most. They’ve answered the call and deserve our respect.

When there are no more homeless veterans and waiting lists for months in advance at the VA, then we can truly say, we thank American veterans for their service. They deserve nothing less.

Photo: Wikipedia

World War I, “The War to End All Wars” Centennial

At the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Armistice to end World War I was to take effect. It ended the bloodbath which consumed Europe from 1914 until November 11, 1918. Nearly 20,000,000 people were dead including 9-11,000,000 troops and a like number of civilians. Another 20,000,000 were wounded.

The United States got involved in the fighting late in the war, in 1917, but by war’s end, had put nearly 5,000,000 men and women under arms. Americans would suffer over 300,000 casualties. Called “doughboys” because the British and French troops considered them Ill-trained and ill-equipped, they had by war’s end did a large share of the fighting that caused the Germans to seek terms.

When the Germans signed the terms of surrender in a train car in France, the had to leave all their conquered territories in Western Europe within two weeks and surrender 5,000 guns, 25,000 machine guns, and 1,700 planes.

With the news of armistice, there were huge celebrations in London to celebrate the end of the war. However, once the initial stage of euphoria wore off, the news was met with a mainly melancholy expression. The huge cost in terms of the young generation was felt by all countries. It was a Pyrrhic victory that nearly destroyed an entire era of Europe’s young.

Unfortunately, the harsh lessons of the “Great War” as it was also called weren’t paid proper heed to and just 21 years later Europe and the entire world was thrust into an even bigger and bloodier conflict.

However, in 1918, the war in Germany had not gone well. They tried to take Paris in a series of offensives in 1918 to try to force the issue, but all of their attacks were rebuffed. In October, General Erich Ludendorff told the government that he couldn’t even guarantee that the front would hold another two hours. The German General Staff believed the situation was hopeless.

Germans Revolt Against the Kaiser:

On the night of October 29-30th, German sailors revolted in the port of Wilhelmshaven quickly spread across the entire country and in just a little more than a week’s time, had led to a proclamation of a republic (Weimar Republic) on November 9.

Kaiser Wilhelm II then abdicated and fled to Holland. Friedrich Ebert, a Social Democrat became the Chancellor. A German peace delegation arrived at the front line in five cars and was escorted thru the bombed-out, devastated areas of Northern France for 10 hours. They were taken to a secret destination where they boarded General Ferdinand Foch’s personal train in the forest of Compiègne. Foch did not, however, take part in any of the negotiations. He appeared when the Germans arrived and then did not appear again until the signing of the documents.

The German negotiators heard about the Kaiser’s abdication while in the train car and were instructed by their superiors in Berlin, with the new government to sign the Armistice. They did this at 5:30 a.m. on November 11. The Germans asked for an immediate cease-fire to prevent the useless and wasteful loss of life of the common soldiers. Foch denied this request, insisting on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month as the official cease-fire and the end of hostilities.

As a result of Foch’s insistence, there were nearly 11,000 casualties, with 2738 killed on that day during those fateful hours waiting for the Armistice to take effect.

The date, November 11th is recognized by many countries and is known as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, Veterans Day and Independence Day. But rather than build grandiose memorials of glory and triumph, the 5000 or so memorials that were built in Britain, revealed the horrible sacrifice paid by the ordinary soldiers of the military. There were to remind future generations of the heavy price and burden paid by the troops.

Events Held in Europe on the Centennial:

In Britain, there are numerous events being planned. The biggest one is to be the National Service of Remembrance in Whitehall, central London, at the Cenotaph paying respect to the men and women of Britain and the Commonwealth who served in the World Wars I & II and in subsequent conflicts. The Royal Family will be in attendance.

After the ceremonies, there will be a poppy wreath-laying ceremony and the sounding of “The Last Post” by a Royal Marines bugler.

In France, both French President Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will preside over a ceremony in Compiègne, at the clearing where the signing of the Armistice too place, said to be “defined by the simplicity of a moment of silent reflection and of tribute”.

President Macron will then give a speech at the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris at exactly 11 a.m. which will be attended by more than 120 foreign dignitaries representing the countries involved in the First World War.

Photos: Wikipedia

William “Wild Bill” Donovan OSS, Awarded the Medal of Honor in WWI

When the name “Wild Bill” Donovan is mentioned, most think of the World War II OSS (Office of Strategic Services) which later became CIA and another part of it branched off to later become the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) of today. But what many people don’t realize is that long before he became the “father of US intelligence”, Donovan was a much-decorated war hero from World War I who was awarded both the Distinguished Service Cross and the Medal of Honor for bravery.

At the end of World War I, Donovan was arguably the most decorated man in US military history at that time, having been awarded all of the top awards for bravery in combat. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the Silver Star.

On this day October 14-15, 1918, the United States 69th Regiment (the famed Irish Brigade of Civil War fame), later renamed the 165th Regiment of the 42nd Division was locked in heavy combat against the Germans at Landres-et-Saint-Georges. Donovan’s actions during this action would ultimately result in him being awarded the Medal of Honor.

Duty in Mexico, Fame in France:

After attending Columbia University to study law and being a classmate of the future president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Donovan was a partner in a law firm in Buffalo, New York when he decided to help form and lead a troop of cavalry for the New York National Guard. His unit was mobilized and sent to Mexico during the punitive campaigns to catch Pancho Villa.

Upon returning from Mexico, Donovan was promoted to Major and joined the “Fighting 69th” which became the 165th Regiment of the famed “Rainbow Division.” Donovan was an officer who led from the front, even as a battalion commander.

He was wounded by shrapnel and nearly blinded by a German mustard gas attack. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre for a daring rescue under fire of a wounded soldier. But Donovan refused to accept it since a Jewish soldier who also took part in the same action was snubbed. After that omission was changed, Donovan accepted the honor.

During the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, the 165th was in heavy action at Landres-et-St. Georges. Donovan, now a Lt. Colonel, led one of three regiments with the objective of capturing an enemy position which was well entrenched on a steep ravine surrounded by machine guns and artillery.

Because of the heavy German fire and strong defensive positions, the other two supporting regiments refused to advance, but Donovan persisted and rallied his regiment and led the advance under absolutely murderous conditions.

Donovan refused to conform to the convention of the times, by not stripping off all of his rank and insignia which was common for officers, he told his men, “They can’t hit me and they won’t hit you!”

The brass were expecting up to 60% casualties from this assault, can you say proper planning?. Despite being hit in the knee and two other times during the battle by enemy fire, Donovan refused to leave the field until all of his men were administered to or removed from the battlefield. While he remained, American light tanks were turning back because of the accuracy and amount of fire they were taking.

Because of the efforts of Father Duffy, the erstwhile Chaplain of the regiment and a close friend of Donovan’s, he was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster (2nd award) to his DSC. The brass was correct in one thing. After the battle was over, 600 of the 1000 men in Donovan’s regiment were killed, wounded or missing in action. They were ripped up in the assault.

After the war, Duffy kept up the pressure on Washington to upgrade Donovan’s DSC to the Medal of Honor. In 1923, he succeeded. Donovan was awarded the Medal of Honor in New York City. In a move that speaks volumes about the men of the unit and how they felt about him, the ceremony was attended by over 4000 veterans.

In another move that speaks more about Donovan than the medal itself, he refused to keep it. He stated that the medal belonged not to him but “to the boys who are not here, the boys who are resting under the white crosses in France or in the cemeteries of New York, also to the boys who were lucky enough to come through.”

Hollywood later made a film about the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and the heroism of Donovan in a classic, “The Fighting 69th” with James Cagney, Pat O’Brien as Father Duffy and George Brent as Major Donovan.

Medal of Honor citation:

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, 165th Infantry, 42d Division. Place and date: Near Landres-et-St. Georges, France, 14–15 October 1918. Entered service at: Buffalo, N.Y. Born: 1 January 1883, Buffalo, N.Y. G.O., No.: 56, W.D., 1922.

Lt. Col. Donovan personally led the assaulting wave in an attack upon a very strongly organized position, and when our troops were suffering heavy casualties he encouraged all near him by his example, moving among his men in exposed positions, reorganizing decimated platoons, and accompanying them forward in attacks. When he was wounded in the leg by machine-gun bullets, he refused to be evacuated and continued with his unit until it withdrew to a less exposed position.

World War II and the OSS:

Donovan was contacted by his old Colombia classmate now President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt to help him find out information about the war in Europe which FDR was certain that the U.S. was going to be dragged into.

Despite being complete opposites on the political spectrum, the two remained close friends and Roosevelt trusted Donovan to meet with King George VI and Winston Churchill. Today’s political leaders should take note.

US Ambassador to England, Joseph P. Kennedy’s assessment was that England was finished and would capitulate to Hitler and Nazi Germany. Donovan’s assessment was much more optimistic and he urged Roosevelt to provide resources to assist England. Roosevelt trusted Donovan’s opinion more than Kennedy’s and as a result, the U.S. began sending war equipment thru the Lend-Lease program.

Maj. Gen. William Joseph Donovan the namesake of the prestigious OSS Society award. OSS photo

With a non-existent national intelligence network, FDR knew the United States needed one, not only for the coming war but in the years to come. He selected Donovan first at the “Coordinator of Information” but then in 1942, as the commander of the OSS. And as Paul Harvey said, and now you know the rest of the story.

Photos: US Archives.

T.E. Lawrence, Born on this Day 1888, Author of Seven Pillars of Wisdom

If you aspire to become a member of the Special Operations Forces community, then the name T.E. Lawrence should be one you become intimately familiar with. Commonly known as Lawrence of Arabia, he was one of the most fascinating characters of the 20th century.

Lawrence was an accomplished archaeologist, British military officer, a foreign diplomat as well as a writer. During World War I, he was a British officer who helped raise a guerrilla army known as the Arab uprising against the Ottoman Turkish Empire during the Sinai and Palestine Campaigns.

He later chronicled his story of the revolt in his book, “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” and wrote for Encyclopedia Britannica an article on Guerrilla Warfare for the 14th Edition in 1929. He used his time fighting the Turks during the war as the basis for it.

Lawrence died in 1935 as a result of a motorcycle accident in England.

Beginnings in the Middle East: Lawrence was working as an archaeologist after studying Arabic in the Middle East in 1910. The British sensed a war coming in the summer of 1914 and co-opted Lawrence and Leonard Woolley into the British Army for the purpose of mapping the Negev Desert, an area the Ottoman Turks would have to cross if they were to attack Egypt.

Under the guise of an archaeological dig, the two men meticulously mapped the area and made note of all of the military significant features including the valuable water sources in the region.

When the British became involved in the war Lawrence enlisted with a commission and was assigned to the Arab Bureau of Intelligence in Cairo. There he became involved with a growing Arab nationalist movement. The Arabs were willing to revolt against the Ottoman Turks but insisted on a British guarantee of an independent Arab state including the Hejaz, Syria, and Mesopotamia. Such an independent Arab state would be beneficial to the British and would ensure the Suez Canal would remain open.

The Arab Revolt: After initial successes, the revolt bogged down and there was the danger that the Turks would recapture Mecca. In October of 1916, Lawrence was sent to survey the situation and evaluate the three sons of Sharif Hussein’s sons: Ali, Abdullah, and Faisal to see which one would be best suited to lead the revolt.

Lawrence deemed Faisal as the one. He became a permanent part of Faisal’s staff at Faisal’s request to the British. He would remain there until the fall of Damascus in October of 1918.

From Wikipedia: Lawrence took part in several operations participated personally in several military engagements:

3 January 1917: Attack on an Ottoman outpost in the Hejaz.
26 March 1917: Attack on the railway at Aba el Naam.
11 June 1917: Attack on a bridge at Ras Baalbek.
2 July 1917: Defeat of the Ottoman forces at Aba el Lissan, an outpost of Aqaba.
18 September 1917: Attack on the railway near Mudawara.
27 September 1917: Attack on the railway, destroyed an engine.
7 November 1917: Following a failed attack on the Yarmuk bridges, blew up a train on the railway between Deraa and Amman, suffering several wounds in the explosion and ensuing combat.
23 January 1918: The battle of Tafileh, a region southeast of the Dead Sea, with Arab regulars under the command of Jafar Pasha al-Askari. The battle was a defensive engagement that turned into an offensive rout and was described in the official history of the war as a “brilliant feat of arms”. Lawrence was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership at Tafileh and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. The Arabs took the lives of 400 Turks and captured more than 200 prisoners.
March 1918: Attack on the railway near Aqaba.
19 April 1918: Attack using British armored cars on Tell Shahm.
16 September 1918: Destruction of railway bridge between Amman and Deraa.
26 September 1918: Attack on retreating Ottomans and Germans near the village of Tafas; the Ottoman forces massacred the villagers and then Arab forces in return massacred their prisoners with Lawrence’s encouragement

Lawrence continued serving on Faisal’s staff but his liaison activities for the British curtailed while he took a more active role in intelligence gathering and conducting raids of the Turks. While Faisal wanted to begin attacks as a conventional force, Lawrence talked him out of this strategy and convinced the Emir that their role was best served as a guerrilla force. He later wrote about the Bedouins as soldiers:

“The value of the tribes is defensive only and their real sphere is guerilla warfare. They are intelligent and very lively, almost reckless, but too individualistic to endure commands, or fight in line, or to help each other. It would, I think, be possible to make an organized force out of them…The Hejaz war is one of the dervishes against regular forces-and we are on the side of the dervishes. Our textbooks do not apply to its conditions at all”.

“The value of the Arab army depended entirely on quality, not on quantity. The members had to keep always cool, for the excitement of a blood-lust would impair their science, and their victory depended on a just use of speed, concealment, accuracy of fire. Guerrilla war is far more intellectual than a bayonet charge.”

In July of 1917, Lawrence led an attack of the Arab guerrillas against the town of Aqaba on the Red Sea. They deftly attacked the Turks from behind and captured the town on July 6th. His British commander General Sir Edmund Allenby, commander of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force wrote a glowing recommendation of Lawrence’s strategy with Faisal after the war.

“I gave him a free hand. His cooperation was marked by the utmost loyalty, and I never had anything but praise for his work, which, indeed, was invaluable throughout the campaign. He was the mainspring of the Arab movement and knew their language, their manners, and their mentality.”

Lawrence was heavily involved in the planning of the attack on Damascus at the end of the war. He tried to lobby the British government on the merits of having an independent Arab state. After the fall of Damascus, he assisted Faisal in the establishment of a provisional Arab government in Damascus.

However, the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between France and Britain, which would give the French a colony of Syria went completely against the promises of independence that he had made to the Arabs and left him frustrated. He returned to Britain as a full colonel.

After the war, he worked for the British Foreign Office and was an adviser to Winston Churchill in the Colonial Office. But he found the work tedious and boring after being a guerrilla freedom fighter in the war. He joined the RAF as a lowly enlisted man in an attempt to live quietly and privately. He developed a taste for motorcycles and owned several of them.

It was riding one of these, a Brough Superior SS100 in Dorset, close to his cottage, Clouds Hill, near Wareham where he was fatally injured. A dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on their bicycles; he saw them too late and swerved to avoid them. He then lost control of the motorcycle and was thrown over the handlebars, suffering severe injuries. He died six days later on May 19, 1935. Lawrence was buried in the churchyard of St Nicholas’ Church, Moreton.

Seven Pillars: In 1926 he first published his memoirs of the war and the Arab revolt with the title Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The title comes from the Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 9:1): “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars”

In it, he described not only his part in the Arab Revolt with Faisal but essays on military strategy, Arabian culture and geography, and other topics. It was a high-priced popular book but he refused to take any royalties from it. Instead, offering his proceeds go to the RAF educational trust fund for the children of pilots who lost their lives in the line of duty.

He later wrote an article for Encyclopedia Britannica on Guerrilla Warfare in conjunction with Sir Basil Liddell Hart in reflections of irregular warfare in a piece that was originally published in the Army Quarterly. It can be found here:

Photos: British War Office Archives

Orange, MA Hosts Armed Forces Weekend Military Expo

The small town of Orange, Massachusetts was the scene of a large Armed Forces Expo over the weekend complete with battle reenactments from the Civil War, World War I and World War II. They even had a flyby with a C-47 Skytrain, complete with markings from the D-Day invasion. A few lucky visitors got to take a ride in the vintage warbird as it skirted above the battlefield.

As the air raid siren sounded, soldiers scrambled on the battlefield and gunshots echoed. Smoke from artillery blasts clouded the air and a warplane droned overhead.

This World War II battle marked the first of three battles reenacted on the last day of Orange’s Military History Expo this year, which took place over Armed Forces weekend.

Reenactment soldiers depicted what a typical battle scene would look, feel and smell like during WWII, complete with accurate vehicles, artillery, and uniforms. At the end of the battle, spectators clapped and cheered.
As she left, a bystander commented to another about the realness of the scene, especially the smell of smoke lingering in the air.
Two more reenactments would be performed in the coming hours: Civil War and World War I. In the meantime, guests could meander through almost 20 acres of military history including WWI trenches, military vehicles from each era — including some horses — camps, first aid tents and more.
The event ran Friday through Sunday, each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
One of the main attractions was a true WWII veteran: a rare C-47 warplane known as Whiskey 7, which some lucky event-goers got to take for a ride. This same plane deployed paratroopers over Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
The warbird flew over the battlefield during the WWII reenactment as spectators craned their necks to catch it in action.
The expo featured tangible military history from the Civil War, WWI, WWII and Vietnam. To add authenticity to the event, signs mimicked the WWII-era Burma Shave signs along the road leading to the battlefields. An announcer in an Armed Forces Radio Service tower occasionally interrupted his announcements with Burma Shave advertisements. In between, WWII-era music played over loudspeakers.
Re-enactors in a variety of uniforms strolled the grounds alongside visitors, many of whom were veterans themselves. Some drove historical military Jeeps around the grounds.
Military vehicles, including tanks and ambulances, were parked throughout the venue so people could tour them. Some younger event-goers got to climb inside.

The interactive, expo is striving to grow each year and the event is designed to show what life in the military was like in each of the eras right up through Vietnam

To read the entire article from Greenfield Recorder, click here:

Photo courtesy Christine Wisniewski, Greenfield Recorder of a WWII reenactment group battle scene

Special Operations Soldiers Honored in Ceremony at Ft. Bragg

Gary Rose was a Green Beret medic in Vietnam and was recently awarded the Medal of Honor from President Trump for actions he performed in a particularly hazardous and dangerous mission there in 1970.

Rose and eight other Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Psychological Operations troops were honored by being named “distinguished members of the Regiment” or “honorary members of the Regiment” in a ceremony at Ft. Bragg, NC.

“They improved the lives of thousands,” he said. “What I did, it pales… It’s just incredible… it’s just an incredible privilege.”

Others inducted as distinguished members of the regiment were retired Maj. Clyde J. Sincere Jr., retired Maj. Steven E. Cook and retired Sgt. Maj. Gilbert R. Turcotte. A fifth Special Forces soldier, retired Sgt. 1st Class Eric C. Moriarty, was inducted as an honorary member of the regiment.
Retired Lt. Col. James P. Kelliher was inducted as a distinguished member of the Psychological Operations Regiment. Air Force Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Lengyel was inducted as an honorary member of the regiment.
Two Civil Affairs veterans, Brig. Gen. Crawford E. Sams and Col. Charles R. Munske, were posthumously honored as distinguished members of their regiment.
Maj. Gen. Kurt L. Sonntag, commanding general of the Special Warfare Center and School, said each of the honorees shared a commitment to service that goes well beyond their time in uniform.
To be selected, a veteran must have made overwhelmingly significant contributions to the welfare of their respective regiments. The honors, he said, pay tribute to past special operators and those currently in the fight.
“This is a day to recognize and applaud the contributions and the members of our special operations regiments,” Sonntag said. “What they do every day is real and important. It might not get all the news that we used to do in the past — we are working in the shadows again — but it is equally important.”
Rose said he was honored by the recognition.
As part of a joint force of Americans, Vietnamese and Montagnards, Rose’s team was inserted deep within Vietnam enemy territory in 1970. When the group came under attack, the Special Forces medic repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while treating the wounded, using his own body to protect the seriously injured.
Rose continued treating the wounded for four days before a helicopter evacuation. When Rose’s helicopter crashed, he again treated the injured until another rescue could be made.

These Special Operations veterans served in a variety of posts, missions and conflicts stretching from World War I up to the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To read the entire article from the Fayetteville Observer, click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

April 4, 1917, US Senate Approves Declaration of War With Germany

When President Woodrow Wilson appeared before Congress on April 2, 1917 asking them to declare war on Germany, it wasn’t a snap or rash decision. Rather it was something Wilson wished to avoid at all costs.

When the first World War broke out in 1914, much of Europe rejoiced, like they were en route to a great adventure that would be covered in glory and over in a few weeks. The slaughter that took place in the fields of Europe would take 18 million dead to finally end the suffering with 41 million casualties.

Unfortunately, the “war to end all wars” would bring scant peace to Europe, less than 21 years later they would once again raise their armies to fight and before that was over, 80 million more would die. Wilson in 1914 was wise to try (unsuccessfully) to keep the United States out of it.

But by then the close ties that the U.S. had with Britain would push the Germans into stupidly drawing America into the fight on the side of the British and the French. Early in the war, the Germans attempting to squeeze the British lifelines on the sea, they sunk neutral merchant vessels, placed mines around English ports and turned the feelings of America against them.

In early 1915, the German decision to conduct unrestricted submarine warfare around Britain would be the tipping point. After sinking an American ship, which the Germans characterized as an “unfortunate accident,” they didn’t stop there.

In May 1915, the Germans learned the cruise liner Lusitania was carrying war supplies. But rather than stop her and allow the passengers to get off, she was torpedoed without any warning, off the coast of Ireland. Over 1200 passengers would die, including 128 Americans. The country was outraged. Wilson demanded reparations and for the German Navy to stop attacking unarmed merchant and passenger ships.

Despite the Germans agreeing to the safety of the passengers before attacking any unarmed merchant or cruise liners, a German U-boat did exactly that, sinking an Italian cruise liner without warning in November of 1915. In that attack, 272 passengers and crew would die including 27 more Americans. Wilson was being dragged into a conflict he was trying to avoid.

The German cause wasn’t helped by the “Zimmermann Telegram” early in 1917. German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to the Mexican government from Washington D.C. It was encoded but intercepted by British intelligence and decrypted.

The German Foreign Office sent an alliance proposal to Mexico. Tensions had been high between the U.S. and Mexico since General Pershing went on a “Punitive Expedition” in 1916 hunting for the bandit Pancho Villa.

In the proposal, the Germans asked that if the U.S. declares war on Germany, that Mexico does the same to the United States. In doing so, Germany promised the return of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.The Germans were convinced that their unrestricted submarine warfare tactic which they were again using would strangle Britain and they needed the United States tied down in their own turf.

The Zimmermann cable as decoded read as follows: We intend to begin on the first of February unrestricted submarine warfare. We shall endeavor in spite of this to keep the United States of America neutral. In the event of this not succeeding, we make Mexico a proposal of alliance on the following basis: make war together, make peace together, generous financial support and an understanding on our part that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The settlement in detail is left to you. You will inform the President of the above most secretly as soon as the outbreak of war with the United States of America is certain and add the suggestion that he should, on his own initiative, invite Japan to immediate adherence and at the same time mediate between Japan and ourselves. Please call the President’s attention to the fact that the ruthless employment of our submarines now offers the prospect of compelling England in a few months to make peace.
Signed, ZIMMERMANN

Germany began unrestricted submarine warfare on February 1, 1917, and that was basically the final straw. The U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with the Germans two days later and the Zimmermann telegram was the final piece of the puzzle. Many people believed at first that the telegram was faked, but Zimmermann himself admitted it to the press.

On April 2, Wilson addressed Congress and the Senate on April 4, passed the following resolution:

WHEREAS, The Imperial German Government has committed repeated acts of war against the people of the United States of America; therefore, be it resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the state of war between the United States and the Imperial German Government, which has thus been thrust upon the United States, is hereby formally declared; and that the President be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to employ the entire naval and military forces of the United States and the resources of the Government to carry on war against the Imperial German Government; and to bring the conflict to a successful termination all the resources of the country are hereby pledged by the Congress of the United States.

The Senate vote was 82-6 with eight Senators not voting. The resolution passed the House on April 6, with a vote of 350-73. One of the House members who voted against the resolution, Rep. Jeannette Rankin of Montana, later became the only member of Congress to vote against declaring war on Japan the day after Pearl Harbor.

By the next October when the Armistice was signed, about 110,000 Americans had lost their lives. The war to end all wars was just the next one.

Photo: Library of Congress