BB Archives Page Eight
11 December 1941 Germany and Italy Declare War on USA
Three days after Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared that the USA was at war with Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the USA.
"Benito Mussolini, made his declaration first - from the balcony
over the Piazza Venezia in Rome - pledging the 'powers of the pact of steel' were determined to win."
The Piazza Venezia was the site of a happier moment 12 years later as Gregory Peck tooled around with Anglo/Dutch war survivor Audrey Hepburn on a scooter in the movie Roman Holiday.
US Marines Invade Mogadishu 9 December 1992 to Break Famine
On 9 December 1992, the US Marines entered Mogadishu, Somalia
to break the civil war caused famine. The US left Somalia a little more than a year later after the warlords and many of the citizens of Somalia turned on their famine relievers.
Kofi Anan says it is disgraceful for the world to ignore Darfur. I wonder why the US is not stepping up?
Check out the Forwood ride in Somaliland for a taste of the area.
9 December 1942 Australians Capture Gona from Japanese
I know very little about the Pacific campaign in WWII, but have
begun reading some of the online resources about it. I knew the
Japanese had threatened mainland Australia from Papua and I knew the
Australians fought hard in securing Papua, but I didn't know any of the specifics. Anyway, enough of what I didn't know, because there is a lot I don't know. Today is the anniversary of the Australians taking Gona, Papua. Read more, here.
If you want to know more about motorcycling in Papua, check out Mr BeEm's wesite.
8 December 1944 General Patton's Prayer
General Patton's Prayer sent to the troops of the 3rd Army on 8 December 1944, as they were poking holes in the German frontier, near Saarlautern (now called Saarlouis).
Gaming and Military History and Military Future
Over at Investigations of a Dog, GR is talking lucidly about gameplay and war / battle simulation. He's got 1, 2,and 3 posts on the subject. GR is challenging Niall Ferguson's ideas on the subject.
I agree wholeheartedly with his points on the Battle of 73 Easting, a battle that Battlefield Biker saw up close and personal.
GR's point of WWII detail never being available to the level that
Desert Storm was, is ever more instructional when you consider the
level of detail we will have for battle "post mortems" in a future of networked warfare.
There is something else to consider as well. The point that some
first hand accounts can be uncorroborated by the facts on the ground, which allows a far better understanding of the true nature of the battle. In the past, these type of reports (and I'm talking about altruistically, neutral and non-altruistically motivated accounts) were subject to the individual historian's "belief" or "gut" as to whether they were true or not. Had we not had the technological detail of the 73E, we would probably not understand it as well.
Games may not provide a good training tool yet, but the future will probably provide games with much better sources for analysis and training. these are great posts that are worth a read, including
Ferguson's article.
Reasons to Commute by Motorcycle
Gaijin Biker over at Riding Sun has a running tally on reasons to commute based on real life examples of failed public transportation.
I commuted daily by bike for several years, but thankfully I can now
work from home. I still use it when I need to work in London. No better
way to get around London, except in Westminster, where a deliberate
shortage of parking bays, makes parking legally very hard.
Cool Touring Podcast Site
Check out the podcasts over at The Harley Dude and Beemerman Roadshow.
Check out the lady who has configured a Ural sidecar rig for her wheelchair. Very cool.
An Anniversary and a Reminder
Today is the 65th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
This post from Terrestrial Musing's also reminds us how stupid today's conspiracy theories should look. Hat tip Instapundit
SGT Mom Remembers Goliad
SGT Stryker is writing a book on the "other Alamo"...Goliad. Great little summary of the military history in this post.
Find tours for this area in Motorcycle Journeys Through Texas.
Helmet Laws. EU versus US
Great post on helmet laws and a very interesting discussion in the comments section going on over at Why Bike blog.
Blitzkrieg and Mobile Warfare
Great post on what Blitzkrieg was and wasn't over at Investigations of a Dog.
The Motorcyclist You Don't Know
Hat tip to Dan Bateman at Musings of an Intrepid Commuter
FWB?
Paul, over at On the Road Again wonders if he is becoming a Fair Weather Biker (FWB).
I know the feeling, I commuted daily for several years too, but don't need to anymore. It can be hard to overcome.
My solution? Take a video cam with you, the next few times you are on the train. When the inevitable 45 minute delay leaves you stationary outside a station in the London suburbs, because somebody thought throwing a a drinks machine on the tracks was funny, remember the frustration, anger and regret for having not taken the bike. Ditto for the car. Get caught in a 3 hour jam around Oxford on a Sunday and the bike in the rain is a dawdle in comparison.
Thanksgiving, the Puritans and the English Civil War
There are two things cultural that I really miss about the U.S.
One, is baseball. I truly believe it is the grandest of all sports and games. I'll leave the detail of that for another time. The other is Thanksgiving.
I love everything about Thanksgiving. I love the food, the gathering, no pressure (unless you're cooking), four day weekend, the Autumn air...everything.
Whilst riding around England researching the English Civil War rides, I really got to thinking about what the war was about and why it precipitated the regicide. The Puritans became the bugbear of the Church of England, due to their insistence on a less "popish" church. This schism came in many forms over many years, but eventually meant a reckoning had to come. When you have a King who believes his will is the will of God due to Divine Right, it's hard to argue against the Church and remain loyal to the King.
The English Countryside, Military History and Motorcycle Touring
Having lived and worked in the United Kingdom for the last 12 years, I've had a good chance to see a lot of the countryside of the UK.
However, my recent rides around the English Civil War battlefields have given me a new perspective on the countryside and how much of it remains. There is still a good amount and it is beautiful... and much against my gut, civil planning has made this the case.
I am torn over the level of civil planning required to build in the UK. The liberal in me says, if you own the land, you should be able to do what you want to with it. However, the pragmatist in me knows that the countryside would be quickly overrun by the hordes building houses all over the place. Whilst it is understandable and even agreeable for this to be the case in place like the US, it is open to much more debate in a place the size of Oregon and a population of 60 million. Back on the other hand, why should urban dwellers be subjected to high housing prices and cramped, mid-20th century standards of living just because someone wants to see a 400 year old hedge retained instead of a string of houses. I think, in the balance, I still come down on the side of much less restrictive planning, but not as wholly as I might have at one time.
Prince Rupert and the Revolution in Cavalry Affairs of the 17th Century
Prince Rupert was one of the King's leading Commanders of the
English Civil War. He was trained in the continental wars preceding the 1640s and deployed the most recent theory in cavalry actions. Rupert believed that cavalry was more effective with shock, speed and driving the opposing forces from the field. The Parliamentarians started the war relying more on the traditional tactics of deeper formations and firepower.
Early in the war, Rupert struck several shocking and decisive blows against Parliamentary targets, cavalry and otherwise. Rupert was the leading proponent of striking a decisive blow against London early on to spook the populace and cower the still disorganised Parliamentary forces.
Sir Henry Bard and the price of vainglory
When I first read about the Battle of Cheriton and how the Royalist leadership was effectively split with the arrival of the Earl of Forth onto Lord Hopton's battlefield, I thought it might be able to explain the error by Sir Henry Bard during the battle. I thought the confusion of the command structure may have contributed to a mistaken order or movement. Without knowing anything about him, I had a bit of empathy for Bard.
However, after reading his biography, I now know better. Seems he was just another vainglorious public school boy who sacrificed his entire regiment for the chance of being a hero.
- Login to post comments
