BB Archives Page Four

Before Gettysburg came the preparation of the route north.

After the win at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee
decided to move north to secure provisions for his increasingly ragged
troops. As well as this practical matter, Lee hoped the move would
encourage the peace activists of the north by threatening, Washington,
Baltimore and Philadelphia from the west. Whilst encamped in Culpeper,
Virginia with his infantry (Ewell's and Longstreet's two Corps), Lee's
cavalry under J.E.B. Stuart met a large Federal Cavalry force led by
Alfred Pleasanton near Brandy Station
on 9 June 1863. This ended up being the largest cavalry battle of the
entire war. It ended in a tactical draw, but had two significant
outcomes. First, Stuart was successful in screening Lee's force in
Culpeper and the Union left the field not knowing where Lee was, but
suspected he was amassing a large army on its doorstep. Second, the
aggressive fighting of the Federal cavalry marked the end of Stuart's
domination of the cavalry field in the eastern theatre. The legend of
the southern cavalry had been broken by names such as John Buford.
Regardless of who won at Brandy Station, Lee's army was still in
Northern Virginia and on the move northward with extreme prejudice.

Lee sent Ewell's II Corps to clear the Winchester area of the
Shenandoah Valley of known Union emplacements there. This was to be the
route north and Lee wanted nothing slowing him down when he began his
big gamble. The Union forces at Winchester were commanded by Robert
Milroy and were significantly less than Ewell's numbers. The
emplacements were made up of the the "Star" fort to the west of
Winchester and the main fort in the town itself. Because of the general
havoc created by the advancing Confederates and the Union's shallow
numbers, Milroy had been ordered to withdrawal from Winchester to
Harpers Ferry. However, after skirmishing all around Winchester on the
13th, Milroy decided to try to hold the town. This decision would later
get him relieved of command, but the Confederates would relieve him of
many of this troops before then.

On the 14th of June, Ewell began in earnest by sending Jubal Early's
Division to take the Star Fort during the day and increasing pressure
on the main fort into the evening. As the Confederates closed on
Winchester, Milroy was starting to think better of his option of
withdrawal. After as quick counsel of war, he decided to retreat to the
north. However, Ewell had anticipated this and sent Edward "Allegheny"
Johnson's division to cut him off. Johnson's forces met Milroy's
retreat in the early morning hours of the 15th at Stephenson's Depot on
the Harpers Ferry road to the north of Winchester. Johnson created
havoc around the Federals and the Milroy's command collapsed in panic.
Milroy and some of his cavalry got away, but virtually all of the
remaining infantry were killed or captured along with a great number of
artillery, horses and supplies. By the morning of the 15th, all was
left was to mop up the stragglers.

The road was now clear from Lee to march northward with the
mountains and Stuart's cavalry as a screen. Gettysburg and destiny
awaited.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I'm writing about the Second Battle of Winchester, because I never miss a chance to recommend a ride in the Shenandoah Valley, especially any part of the Skyline Drive. I've also included some lesser known roads in West Virginia that are worth the ride. The Skyline Drive ends near Front Royal which is where Ewell staged from before attacking Winchester.

Book Recommendation: The Gateway to Gettysburg: The Second Battle of Winchester from Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Virginia & West Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Winchester, Virginia area

Technorati Tags: 13 13th 14 14th 15 15th 1800s 1860s 1863 American Civil War Early Ewell Gettysburg Campaign Hancock Johnson June Lee Milroy Shenandoah Skyline Drive US Civil War US-211 US-340 US-522 VA-SR-55 Virginia West Virginia Wincehster WV-SR-251 WV-SR-55 motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

If there is one discernable point where Oliver Cromwell's star
emerged from mere cavalry commander to driving force in the New Model
Army, the battle of Naseby may be it. Cromwell convinced his commander,
Fairfax, to move to an adjacent, more neutral hill, so as to encourage
the Royalists to attack. Cromwell was so confident that he wanted to
goad the Royalists, especially Prince Rupert, into a fight by giving
them a better chance. This level of confidence was not misplaced.
Cromwell's actions, as well as the actions of Prince Rupert, were to
confirm their reputations. Rupert was the European shock trooper with
elan and Cromwell was the disciplined English soldier and stern
Puritan. At Naseby, both armies put forward their "A" teams with Prince
Rupert, Prince Maurice and the King himself present on the Royal side.
Fairfax, Cromwell and Skippon led the Parliamentarian's New Model Army.
There would be no denying the superior force after Naseby.

Although the King was present, Rupert commanded the Royal lines.
Rupert's plan was to crush the Roundhead left with his signature
cavalry charge, which he would lead with Prince Maurice, and then cross
behind the Roundhead centre to turn Cromwell's flank. All of this was
to happen as the Royalist infantry tied down the middle with a quick
and unannounced push (i.e. no artillery preparation). Cromwell was
supposed to be kept in check by Langdale's cavalry and a rough ground
of rabbit warrens and heavy gorse. The first part went well as
Roundhead Ireton's cavalry (Parliamentarian left) was beaten from the
field. However, Rupert's cavalry did not cross behind the New Model
Army's infantry centre, either due to battlefield congestion (the New
Model Army infantry reserve?) or through their excessive exuberance.
Eventually, Rupert's cavalry ended up in the Parliamentarian rear
attacking the baggage trains. One might say it was unplanned, but one
must ignore Rupert's previous actions to call it unlikely. The Royalist
infantry held more than their own and actually worked through the New
Model Army's infantry, only to find the reserve behind the ridge.

The view from the center of the New Model Army Infantry looking North to Dust Hill

Unfortunately for the Royalists, Cromwell also performed to
stereotype. After working through the rough ground on the Royalist
left, Cromwell attacked and dispersed Langdale's cavalry. Then Cromwell
worked over the Lifeguard who had come to the aid of the cavalry only
to join the flight. However, rather than pursue the Royalist cavalry
off the field, Cromwell held a blocking position as his cavalry reserve
completed the encirclement of virtually the entire Royalist infantry.
The King watched the whole thing unfold he and Rupert tried to rally
his cavalry for a counter attack, but thought better of it as he
watched his infantry surrender. To add insult to injury, Cromwell's
cavalry harried them all the way to Leicester.

Naseby was an unmitigated disaster for the King. Virtually all of
his northern infantry was captured or killed. He could never recover
from the loss of such a force this late in the war. The war would drag
on, but the cause was militarily lost on these Northamptonshire fields.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this ride to and from Northampton that criss-crosses the battlefield north of the village Naseby.
There are two major monuments on these roads with the main one, due
north of Naseby on the Sibbertoft Road, giving a sweeping view of the
battlefield and an interpretative board.

Book Recommendations: Cromwell's War Machine & Naseby from Amazon.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Ordnance Survey Landranger 141 (Kettering & Corby) from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Northampton area

Technorati Tags: 1600s 1640s 1645 A14 A4304 A5199 Cromwell English Civil War Fairfax King Charles I Leicestershire Market Harborough Northamptonshire Prince Rupert Thornby motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Of the soldiers who died on 6 June 1944 and in the days and weeks
following, many were never identified. This blog post is a reminder of
the soldiers who died in anonymity to accomplish a task that is almost
incomprehensible to us today.

If you want to read about the campaign to and out of Omaha, check out the US Army's history from 6 June to 24 July 1944.

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1944 D-Day Omaha-beach Unknown-Soldier World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

The new Battlefield Biker ride in Europe.

Technorati Tags: new motorcycle motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

In the early morning hours of May 10th, 1775, a guerilla force from
the New Hampshire Grants area (present day Vermont) with a vainglorious
co-leader crossed Lake Champlain into New York and took the British
garrison at Fort Ticonderoga whilst they slept.

Three weeks after Lexington and Concord and on the very day that the
Second Continental Congress was to meet in Philadelphia, Ethan Allen
(with his brother, Ira, and his cousin, Seth Warner) led the "Green Mountain Boys"
from Hands Cove on the eastern side of Lake Champlain to a landing
point near Fort Ticonderoga. They had a fellow traveller who tried to
assert his control over the party, but seeing him commanding only his
own person at the time, the rough Green Mountain Boys decided to only
allow the poppinjay to travel as co-leader. His name was Benedict
Arnold.

At the time, Ethan Allen was wanted by the New York authorities for
offenses committed in the New Hampshire Grants (Vermont) against New
York settlers. The NH Grants area was claimed by three colonies (New
Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York) and would soon become an
independent Republic in 1777 before joining the United States as the
fourteenth. Allen and his Boys had responded to an approach from
concerned citizens about the safety of the Lake Champlain corridor from
British penetration. The fort at Ticonderoga, on the western shore of
Lake Champlain, was the obvious place to secure against this type of
incursion, so the band of mountaineers set sights on Hands Cove as a
jumping off point. Benedict Arnold was from Rhode Island, late of
Connecticut, but applied to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety to
secure the fort as well. Given permission, but no men, the ever
confident Arnold set out for Hands Cove as well.

After meeting in Hands Cove, Arnold (Mass. Committee of Safety
papers in hand) presented himself as the new leader of the New
Hampshire grantsmen. One can imagine the chuckles the mountain men
suppressed as they listened to the city boy make his claim. Whether
Arnold convinced them to let him become co-leader or if they tolerated
him like the village idiot who claims to be Napoleon, no one will know
(yes, I know Napoleoon was 5 at the time, but the analogy still works).
Either way, the future traitor was on the boat to Ticonderoga that
morning.

After landing, the force quietly made their way up to the fort and
overtook the only sentry. They then proceeded to enter the fort which
was really nothing more than a fortified hamlet of 2 officers, 48 men
and 24 women and children. Finding all of the fort asleep, Allen
announced his presence and his authority and demanded surrender which
was quickly forthcoming. Allen sent Warner further north up the lake to
take the fort at Crown Point as well. Arnold, not to be outdone, went
all the way to Canada to occupy Fort Saint Johns at the intersection of
Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River. Perhaps, realising his
invitation of a rout by British forces, Arnold thought twice and left
the area. Allen took it anyway, but was run off soon thereafter.

As one can easily read, the action on 10 May 1775 was not really all
that important tactically and its strategic importance geographically
at the time was questionable. However, I have left out one important
detail of strategic importance. Fort Ticonderoga, as frail as it was,
housed a large cache of reasonably modern artillery consisting of 44
guns, 14 mortars and one howitzer. The infant Continental Army was
woefully short of artillery and these pieces would begin to play a
decisive role less than a year later at the Dorchester Heights above Boston when used to lay siege to the cooped up British Army and Navy.

As for the main players, Allen was later captured by the British in
Quebec and sent to a Cornish prison. The British army were to run into
Seth Warner and the Green Mountain Boys again near Bennington, Vermont
in 1777 and lose again. Fort Ticonderoga was still to play a major role
in the war as British General Burgoyne took it back in 1777 and used it
as a base to attack further south in his disastrous New York campaign.
As for Benedict Arnold...
after a vain, but generally well-regarded stint as an American
commander, he became the one name that all American school children
learn when being taught about loyalty to the nation.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Lake Champlain is really quite striking and it is easy to travel its
length largely in eye-shot of it. Its importance to the founding wars
of the USA cannot be understated.

Start at the Hands Cove Road in Vermont to see the launch area and go
to the Larrabees Point ferry for a short ride across the lake with Fort
Ticonderoga in view. Visit the Fort, then head north on NY Route 9N to
Crown Point Historical Park and across the bridge into Vermont and the
Chimney Point Historical Park. From there head north following Lake
Champlain from the Vermont side and through the Grand Isle and Hero
Islands, across the Canadian border into Quebec to
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (site of the former Fort St Johns). Google Map of the route.

Book Recommendation: The Glorious Cause from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: New York Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Technorati Tags: 1700s 1770s 1775 American Revolution American Revolutionary War Benedict Arnold Crown Point Ethan Allen Green Mountain Boys May NY-SR-9N Quebec-223 Seth Warner US-2 US-7 VT-SR-17 VT-SR-225 VT-SR-22A motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Sorry for being sparse with new rides lately, but I'm back. Work and
a mammoth ride in the American northeast has precluded much writing.
The ride included 7 states, 1 Canadian province, 4 wars, 7 forts, 10
battles and 2,350 miles on my new (to me) 2003 Triumph Tiger. New posts
are on the way.

Check out the whole ride to get a feel for what's coming.

Below is a picture of the Tiger at the William Wells monument at Gettysburg.

Technorati Tags: 1700s 1755 1759 1778 1800s 1812 1813 1814 1863 American Civil War American Northeast ride American Revolution American Revolutionary War French and Indian War Seven Years War US Civil War War of 1812

Gavin at Investigations of a Dog has posted the first ever Military History Carnival.

Take a look when you get a chance. Gavin has put a lot of effort into this and the first intallment is a humdinger.

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Near the beginning of the French and Indian War between Britain and
France, the city of Oswego, in present day New York, was considered a
strategic location for both the French and the British. The British
held the garrison at the beginning of 1756 and were making plans to
launch operations from there to disrupt the French re-supply of their
inland garrisons of the Ohio Valley. Oswego is where the Oswego River
meets Lake Ontario and the British hoped to use it as a jumping off
point to attack Fort Niagara, on the present day New York / Ontario
border where Lake Ontario meets the Niagara River. Oswego was
important, because it could be re-supplied from Albany, New York which
was firmly in British control. The route from Albany to Oswego followed
the Mohawk River from Albany to near present day Rome, New York, where
boats would be unloaded and goods carried overland along the "Oneida
Carry" or "The Carrying Place" portage to Wood Creek. Wood Creek, then
led into Lake Oneida, then to the Oneida River and finally to Oswego on
the Oswego River's drainage into Lake Ontario. All of this looked good
on paper, but the "Oneida Carry" was only protected by two small forts,
named Bull (on Wood Creek) and Williams (on the Mohawk). The French
decided that to attack Oswego first was too risky, so they decided to
cut it off first. French Governour of Canada, Vaudreuil, sent a small
force under Chaussegros de Lery to capture and destroy both Forts Bull
and Williams.

Around 13 March 1756, de Lery took his force of French regulars (troupes de terre
from various Regiments), Canadian militia and Indians (Iroquis,
Algonquin and Nepissing) from Montreal on a march of privation to the
vicinity of Fort Bull on 27 March 1756. The weather had abused them and
the forced march deprived them of food for several days at a time. By
the time they came to the "Oneida Carry," they were so ravenous, they
did not notice that a member of a sled party that they had raided had
escaped to alert Fort Williams. The Indians felt that the group should
escape whilst they had the chance, but de Lery was an officer of the
continental mode and would have none of it. He had come to disrupt the
"Oneida Carry" and that was what he intended to do. Therefore, the
Indians focussed on ambushing unsuspecting British on the trail and de
Lery took his European force on to Fort Bull.

At Fort Bull, de Lery found a garrison that had been alerted by a
work party who had been ambushed by de Lery's Indian allies. So,
instead of a pushover, de Lery had a fight on his hands. Fort Bull was
more of a supply depot than a true baricaded fort, so the French were
able to fire sufficently well into the fort that the gates were soon
assaulted. Being a gentlemanly European warrior, de Lery asked the
British commander for a surrender, but met nothing but another volley
of fire. This gave de Lery the mandate he needed to kill all he found
inside the fort. Once capitulated, the fort's soldiers found themselves
dying by French bayonettes. The French threw the British weapons in the
swamp nearby and put the fort to fire. Fort Williams dispatched a
relief column, but they were ambushed by the French allied Indians and
turned back. Afterwards, de Lery thought better of attacking Fort
williams as he knew he would not have Indian help and Williams had more
men and artillery to fend off his withering force.

At Fort Bull, the French had lost approximately 3 men and the
British over 100, but most importantly, the French had conducted a
daring winter raid that now denied the British the supply chain they
needed to operate willfully on Lake Ontario. Oswego would fall in
August 1756, but it was effectively silenced in March 1756.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this ride
from Rome, New York along the "Oneida Carry," along Wood Creek, along
the north shore of Oneida Lake and on to Oswego on Lake Ontario.

Book Recommendation: European-Native American Warfare, 1675-1815 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: New York Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Rome and Oswego, New York area

Technorati Tags: 1700s Fort Bull French and Indian War Seven Years War motorcycle touring motorcycles motorcycle-touring battlefields military history military-history

The Creek War was part of the War of 1812,
because the Americans believed, with good reason, that the British and
Spanish were coaxing the Red Stick (anti-US) Creeks along with supplies
and guidance. The fact that the Tohopeka (Horseshoe Bend) stronghold on
the Tallapoosa River in Alabama (see a map of the area) was fortified with European style battlements re-enforced this belief.

After the tactically brutal and ugly fights at Emuckfaw and Enitachopco
in January 1814, Andrew Jackson gathered his new forces and had another
go at the Red Stick Creeks led by the Prophet Monahell and Chief Menawa
with the possible inclusion of the famed William Weatherford (Red
Eagle), a half Scottish, half Creek warrior. Jackson was determined to
make this campaign the last major one in the area by destroying the Red
Stick Creek force at its very stronghold and defended by its best
warriors and leaders.

Jackson took off from Fort Strother in mid March with new Tennessee
volunteers from the eastern part of that state, the 39th U.S. Infantry,
Cherokees and White Stick (pro-US) Creeks. Jackson's target was to be
the stronghold at the horseshoe shaped bend on the Tallapoosa River
that the Creeks called Tohopeka. The new forces were important, because
Jackson's previous foray into this wilderness was with Tennnessee
volunteers who had many complaints about their pay and enlistment
periods. This new force was more motivated and professional. The plan
was to form an envelopement and was designed to trap the Red Sticks in
the confines of the river bow (see a map of the arrayed forces).

Jackson sent his trusty number two, John Coffee, the White Stick
Creeks, some Cherokees and the dragoons to the far side (southern) of
the river to feint a river crossing. Jackson took the main force to
attack the breastworks head on from the north. Jackson opened up with
his limited artillery, but his small guns just bounced shot off the
timbered works. However, the sound of the guns excited some of Coffee's
force and they managed to swim the Tallapoosa and steal some canoes.
This allowed a landing and cut off the Red Sticks' main retreat option.
Whilst Coffee was harrying the Red Sticks near the river, Jackson
ordered a charge on the works. Jackson's force was then able to use the
timber for protection themselves as they fired through the portals from
the outside. Finally, a courageous push over the top that included Sam Houston
(who was seriously wounded) succeeded in breaching the Creek perimeter
with substantial forces. The Red Stick forces fought a determined, but
doomed defense inside the stronghold with Jackson even levelling his
artillery at point blank range into the huts used as a last stand.

The battle resulted in the largest death toll of Native Americans (557
+) in a single battle throughout all of the Indian wars. Monahell was
killed (possibly by Menawa who was fed up with Prophetic devices rather
than fighting), Menawa was severely wounded, but escaped and William
Weatherford escaped only to walk into Fort Jackson (formerly Fort
Toulouse) a few months later to surrender. Weatherford was to play a
key role in encouraging many other Red Sticks to give up to the
Americans.

Horsehoe Bend is seen as the last of the Creek nation living
independently in their ancestral grounds, but this particular Indian
War will forever be associated with the War of 1812, because of the
winning General. Clearing out the Creeks would allow Jackson to focus
on New Orleans nearly a year later with glorious results for Old
Hickory.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this "figure 8" ride starting and ending at Fort Toulouse / Jackson State Historic Site. This takes in the scenic Alabama State Routes 9 and 22 as well as the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park.

Book Recommendation: The Creek War, 1813-1814 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Alabama Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Montgomery, Alabama area

Technorati Tags: 1800s 1810s 1814 27 27th AL-SR-22 AL-SR-49 AL-SR-63 AL-SR-9 Alabama Creek Indians Creek War March Red sticks Tallapoosa River Tohopeka US-231 US-280 War of 1812 White Sticks motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

I was talking with a friend the other day and he had asked me what
my favourite Battle of Normandy book was. I told him it was Max
Hasting's Overlord, because it was the most even handed on the
strengths and weaknesses of all of the armies and commanders in
Normandy in the Summer of 1944. He is harsh on some, but is very
meticulous in making his arguments. An example is that Hastings makes
it very clear that Montgomery was not weak in not taking Caen due to
the circumstances, but he heaps scorn on Montgomery's attempts to
retro-justify his actions.

If you can only read one book on the subject, I recommend this one.

Below are two versions of the book from Amazon.com.

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1944 Operation Overlord World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII Operation Overlord Normandy Max Hastings

The early part of the American Revolutionary War was fought mostly
in the North of the colonies, but after a series of defeats, the
British decided to focus on the southern colonies in their persistant
belief that Loyalist sympathies ran deeper there than the North. The
British had built up a string of victories in the south by early 1781
by chasing down southern militias and defeating them one by one.
General Washington sent one of his best Generals, Nathaniel Greene
south to revive the Patriot effort. Greene had tried to separate his
forces and hoped to catch the British off guard by making them attack
him piecemeal. This had had some success, namely at Cowpens
two months earlier, but it was getting harder and harder to avoid a
major showdown with the British main force. After strategically
retreating across South and North Carolina and preserving his force,
Greene decided to turn and face his pursuer, Redcoat General Lord
Cornwallis. Cornwallis was sure that if he could corner Greene's force
and inflict a decisive defeat on the Rebels, he could soon claim the
American south for the British cause. The field for this critical
battle was in the small hamlet of Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina.

On the cold morning of 15 March 1781, Greene deployed his mixed
militia and Continental Army force of approximately 4,500 in three
lines in depth. The first line was North Carolina militia, the second
Virginia militia and the final line was mainly Continentals. Cornwallis
took his 1,900 British and German professional soldiers and attacked
head on, breaking through the first line quickly, but with serious
losses that he could ill afford. The second line held longer and bled
the British further. However, the British broke through and finally
reached the Continentals where a fierce give and take erupted with
attacks and counter-attacks. The resulting mass of fighting men
confused the situation to the point that Cornwallis felt that he needed
to break up the two armies with grape shot fired into the middle of it.
The artillery killed indiscriminately, but had the intended effect of
separating the armies. At this point, Greene decided to pull away and
save his force. Cornwallis stood victorious on the field, but
strategically hamstrung.

From this victory, Cornwallis headed for the coast for re-supply for
his depleted force. The condition of his army led him to begin his
doomed Virginia campaign which would end later in the year with his
surrender at Yorktown.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Check out this ride that leads to the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park through the Colonial Heritage Byway.

Book Recommendation: Guilford Courthouse: North Carolina from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Greensboro, North Carolina area

Technorati Tags: 1700s 1780s 1781 American Revolution American Revolutionary War Banastre Tarleton Lord Cornawallis March Nathaniel Greene NC-SR-119 NC-SR-150 NC-SR-62 NC-SR-86 North Carolina Pyrrhic Victory US-158 US-29 motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

By early 1915, the lines in northern France had become static and
the trench warfare that WWI is known for had commenced. Many soldiers
and officers found themselves not only green, but found their senior
leadership green in the tactics of the trench as well. New ideas had to
be considered and new tactics developed to break the enemy lines for
any offensive to succeed. The British First Army, under the command of
the often maligned General Douglas Haig, was given the task of taking
the immediate German positions, Neuve Chapelle and finally Aubers
ridge. The First Army was made up of British, Canadians and Indians.

Although the battle is not often associated with the major battles
of the First World War, it is highly significant in the analysis of the
planning, technology and tactical advances of the time. The battle
exhibited major breakthroughs in four key areas.

• The German lines were mapped extensively by aerial reconnaissance by a British air arm that was in its infancy. This allowed;
• Detailed maps to be distributed to the ground forces which
  contained phase lines and timed intervals for movements which were
  co-ordinated with;
• Air support in the attack and;
• Heavy artillery preparation of targets in advance with the lifting
  and shifting of fires in time with infantry movements. More rounds were
  sent skyward in the battle than in all of the Boer War.

These innovations paid off at first with Haig taking the immediate
objective of the German line salient and then the village of Neuve
Chapelle. However, the attack bogged down soon thereafter, well before
reaching the final objective of the Aubers ridge. A competent German
counter-attack was partly the casue, but unforced errors also came into
play. There were several tactical explanations for the halt that are
common to many battlefields;

• Poor weather on the second day limited aerial observation and support which contributed to;
• Poor communications that kept the leadership from knowing where
  things were progressing properly and where they weren't which led to;
• Bad tactical intelligence that led some areas to be allotted more troops than needed and others less than needed which led to;
• The fog of war where things tend to freeze on the senior decision
  level, but local fighting goes on, but is uncoordinated with the larger
  picture.

The battle was a limited tactical win for the Brits, but at a heavy
cost of approximately 12,000 casualties. In the longer term Neuve
Chapelle became the professional template for a new set of tactics that
would become prevalent for the rest of the war.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

This is a great ride when you are going somewhere else in France. It
is only 60 miles from Calais and can be seen on the way to the south of
France, Paris or Belgium with only a minor detour. From Calais, head to
Neuve Chapelle, then take the following circular ride of the area.
This is not a spectacularly scenic ride, but you get to ride along the
British front line from Neuve Chapelle to Fleurbaix (with a British
Cemetary in Fauquissart), then see the Aubers ridge objective, then
down to the pivot point in the line at La Bassee.

Book Recommendation: The Battle of Neuve Chapelle - French Flanders from AbeBooks.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Michelin Map No. 236 Nord de la France from AbeBooks.co.uk

Accor Hotels in the Lille area

Technorati Tags: 10 10th 11 11th 12 12th 13 13th 1900s 1910s 1915 Aerial Reconnaissance Artillery British Calais D-141 D-171 D-947 France French German Haig Lille March N-41 north Rupprecht tactics World War 1 World War I WW1 WWI motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

After defeat in Russia in 1812, Napoleaon was being chased by the
European Allies across central Europe and into France by early 1814.
The Prussian and Russian forces were led by the Prussian Marshal
Blucher and were threatening Paris by early 1814. Napoleon was fighting
for his very survival.

After several battles on the trot, some won, some lost, Blucher
occupied the town of Laon. Laon was trategically important because it
was a major communications crossroads near Paris. Holding Laon would
give Blucher the logistical base to attack into Paris. Napoleon
obviously felt it could not remain held by the enemy. Laon was also a
tactical stronghold due to its placement on a plateau with steep slopes
for defense.

On the first day of the battle (9th), both sides fought skirmishes
for the small towns around Laon. Both sides missed opportunities for
exploitation, but the sun set on the Allies holding the town. On the
second day (10th), Napoleon decided to try the ploy that had worked at
Craonne a few days earlier. Napoleon sent Marshal Auguste Marmont to
deliver the flank attack. Blucher saw what was happening and threw a
decisive counter-attack at Marmont and nearly annihilated his forces
were it not for an exceptional defense by a small number of the Old
Guard. The battle continued, but Napoleon could not dislodge Blucher
from Laon and decided to retire.

The loss at Laon was not the end of Napoleon in France, but Blucher
and the Allies were tightening the ring around Paris and Laon would
provide an important link.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Check out the wooded circular route on the "D" roads south of Laon.

Book Recommendation: 1814: The French Campaign from AbeBooks.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Michelin Map 306: Laon et al from AbeBooks.co.uk

Accor Hotels in the Central Florida area

Technorati Tags: 1800s 1810s 1814 Blucher Crossroads D-1 D-13 D-19 D-7 D-889 D-925 France Laon March Marmont Napoleonic Wars Plateau motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

In the early morning hours of 9 March 1916, Mexican rebel leader
Francisco "Pancho" Villa led a band of Mexican Revolutionaries on an
attack of Columbus, New Mexico.

The background intrigue is far more interesting than the actual battle
battle between Villa and the US 13th Cavalry who were stationed nearby.
US President Woodrow Wilson had tried to manipulate Mexican leaders by
supporting opposition leaders and rebels. Wilson had supported
opposition leader Venustiano Carranzo when dictator Victoriano Huerta
was in power. However, when Carranzo took power, Wilson didn't like him
either, so he supported Villa and his "Villistas," even though Villa
was a known bandit and murderer. When Carranzo changed a bit and began
to court Wilson's administration for support, the US President switched
again. Thereafter, Wilson allowed Carranzo to use US railways and
jumping off points to fight Villa's forces. This enraged Villa.

Villa decided to attack the town of Columbus, New Mexico, just across
the Mexican border. The 13th US Cavalry was totally surprised by the
attack, but responded quickly to the fire once heard by setting up two
machine guns at key points in the town. The Villistas were hit hard
with around 75 killed. 18 civilians were also killed in the business
district of town.

This singular event has very little lasting military significance, but
what happened next is what is remembered. Wilson appointed General John
(Blackjack) Pershing to chase down Villa in Mexico with the limited
approval from Carranzo. Two years later, Villa remained on the run, but
the campaign limited his actions severely and he was never able to
attack the US again. However, Villa was a popular hero in Mexico for
"standing up to the man" and the Carranzo government eventually had to
rescind the permission to chase Villa in Mexico.

Pershing went on to lead the American Expeditionary Force in France at the end of World War I.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this ride from El Paso, Texas along the Mexican border to Columbus, New Mexico then circle back to El Paso through southeastern New Mexico to get a feel for the area. You can check out the

Pancho Villa State Park at Columbus which is on the old site of Camp Furlong where the 13th Cavalry was based.

Book Recommendation: The General and the Jaguar: Pershing's Hunt for Pancho Villa from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: New Mexico Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Southern New Mexico area

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1910s 1916 Columbus Francisco Villa I-10 John J Pershing Mexican Revolution Mexico New Mexico NM-CR-B004 NM-SR-11 NM-SR-549 NM-SR-9 Texas US-85 Woodrow Wilson motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

By the end of 1861, the Union forces had secured Missouri by routing
the Missouri militia that favored secession. In early 1862, the Union
commander, General Samuel Curtis moved his Army of the Southwest into
northwest Arkansas to take the fight to the Confedrates and secure
Missouri from Rebel cross border incursions.

Newly appointed Confederate Army of the West commander, General Earl
Van Dorn decided to take his numerically superior, but logistically
inferior forces to the northwest of Arkansas and push the Union back
onto the back foot in both Arkansas and Missouri.

After several skirmishes in February and early March, 1862, Curtis
settled on favorable ground to the east of Pea Ridge, Arkansas. Van
Dorn knew it was a good position, so decided to split his forces in an
attempt to draw Curtis into a weaker position.

On day one of the battle, Curtis took the north and west of the
position by heading off a flanking movement. The day was carried by the
quick movement of the Union forces, the loss of two Confedrate Genrals
and the capture of a Colonel. Van Dorn led the other Confederate column
to take the south and east near Elkhorn Tavern. On day two, Curtis
regrouped and attacked Elkhorn tavern with heavy artillery support. Van
Dorn held the position but at a tremendous cost in casualties and
ammunition and eventually had to retreat and leave the position to
Curtis.

The Union continued to hold the area and the strategically important state of Missouri for most of the rest of the war.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Begin or end your ride with the tour of the battlefield(also available as an online tour). Outside of the Pea Ridge Battlefield National Military Parkpark take a through the loop ride through the Hobbs State Park and around Beaver Lake.

Book Recommendation: Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Arkansas Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Rogers area

Technorati Tags: 1800s 1860s 1862 6 6th 7 7th 8 8th American Civil War AR-SR-12 AR-SR-23 Arkansas Earl Van Dorn Eureka Springs March Missouri Rogers Samuel Curtis US Civil War US-62 west motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

On 4 March 1941, 500 troops of the British 3 and 4 Commando
units with the company of 50 Norwegian sailors landed on the Lofoten
Islands off the coast of northwestern Norway to destroy fish oil (used
in German ammunition) refining factories and boats. The raid was a
rousing success and almost captured a German enigma machine, until the
German captain of the trawler Krebs threw his machine
overboard. The raid did yield a couple of extra enigma rotors which
helped in the longer term struggle to break the German codes.

For a war weary nation, though, the raid gave the Brits their first
taste of real success against the Germans and put the Germans on notice
that fighting the Btrits would not be a cake-walk.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I've been to Narvik and northwards on the E-6 and eastwards on the
E-10, but I have not travelled to the Lofoten Islands. If the roads
there are the same as the rest of Norway, you'll be smiling.

Take the E-6 and E-10 from Narvik to Melbu. Then take the ferry from Melbu to Fiskebol. Then take the E-10 from Fiskebol to Svolvaer / Vagan, where some of the Commandos came ashore. Check out the Lofoten museum dedicated to the military actions in the area at Svolvaer.

Book Recommendation: Enigma: The Battle for the Code from AbeBooks.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Norway North Road Map: Narvik No. 3 from AbeBooks.co.uk

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1941 4 4th Commandos March Narvik NO-E-10 NO-E-6 Raid World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

In early 1776, the American colonists were trying hard to limit the
area in which British forces, based in Boston, could operate. As long
as the British could retreat to the safety of Boston and its harbor,
General George Washington would not be able to control the eastern end
of Massachusetts. From Boston, British General Howe could re-supply
from the sea and conduct operations with Boston as a base. In fact,
Howe had taken nearby Bunker Hill (albeit with heavy losses) and was
planning more of these types of operations in early March 1776.

Washington knew bold, unexpected and decisive action was needed to
disrupt Howe's plans. In Late 1775, Washington had dispatched Artillery
Colonel Henry Knox to Fort Ticonderoga, a captured British garrsion, to
bring the impressive array of artillery to Boston as soon as possible.
Washington had probably expected it in late Spring, but the big man
Knox drove his oxen and men hard over the lakes, rivers and frozen
terrain of New England to get the 44 guns, 14 mortars and one howitzer
to the outskirts of Boston by early February 1776. Knowing good fortune
when he saw it, Washington wanted to take aggressive action
immediately. Washington wanted to conduct a daring cross Charles River
attack from Cambridge, but his council of war thought it too risky.
Washington's leaders agreed on the decisive action, but wanted to do it
without significant risks to their small and largely untested militias.
The compromise was to take aggressive action on Dorchester Heights which overlook Boston from the southeast.

On 2 and 3 March 1776, the Patriots fired the Knox artillery on the
British in Boston and the Brits returned the favor. Washington had
prepared a river crossing unit to the west of Boston to provide relief,
if Howe tried to break out and disrupt the Dorchester Heights plan,
although it seemed as if he had no idea what was going on. Whilst the
artillery duelled, heavy, but transportable, fortifications were being
fabricated down the hill. On the night of 4 March 1776, General Artemas
Ward's forces used an old ploy of Washington's and put straw on the
wheels of his wagons' wheels to move quietly and began occupying
Dorchester Heights from neighboring Roxbury. With a mammoth effort and
300 ox carts of material moved up the hill, the rebels had constructed
4 works on the heights and the flanks. By daylight on the 5 March,
General Howe awoke to incomplete, but substantial works on the
southeastern hills overlooking the harbor and the city. Howe was
reported as saying, "The rebels have done more in one night than my
whole army would have done in a month."

The British Admiral Molyneaux Shulddown informed Howe that he could
not maintain his ships in the harbor with such a threat. In the
following days, Howe planned a quick counter-attack, but bad weather or
a bout of under confidence or both made him quit Boston. By 17 March,
in agreement with Washington not to destroy Boston if allowed to leave
unmolested, the British had left Boston on ships for Halifax, Nova
Scotia. They would be back, but for now Boston was in the Patriots
hands and the radicals of the American colonies had a lot to crow about.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try Massachusetts state route 3A (MA-SR-3A) from Dorchester Heights down to Plymouth where the colony began.

Book Recommendation: The Glorious Cause from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Massachusetts Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Boston area

Technorati Tags: 1700s 1770s 1776 American Revolution American Revolutionary War Boston Boston British Cordage Halifax Howe Knox MA-SR-3A March Massachusetts Nova Scotia Plymouth Quincy shulddown Ward Washington motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

As part of my research on Operation Bluecoat, I travelled along this road running from Villers Bocage to Vire.

It was a great ride and, just off it, I visited the British cemetery
at Saint-Cahrles-de-Percy, which was quite a moving place. The American
cemeteries have the stark white marble crosses and stars of David, but
are bare except for name, rank, unit, home state and date of death. The
British traditional headstones are made in what looks like the local
Normandy stone, which resembles Cotswold stone, and had all of the
basic data as well. However, the British also allowed the families to
put incriptions on the stones. When I walked along reading the
families' inscriptions, I welled up like I never had in the American
cemeteries. I think the British stones make the visit far more
personal. You feel the pain that parents, wives and children.... many
of whom are still alive today... felt with the loss of huge chunks of
their lives with each man's passing. I recommend this cemetery to
anyone travelling in Normandy. It truly drives home the magnitude of
human suffering, including those back home.

Heres a picture of the cemetery at Saint-Charles-de-Percy;

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this circular route, which takes in Villers Bocage, Vire, Montchauvet, Aunay and Saint-Charles-de-Percy.

Book Recommendation: Operation Bluecoat from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Michelin Historical Map 102: Battle of Normandy from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Caen area

Technorati Tags: 1 1900s 1940s 1944 2 29 3 30 31 4 5 6 August Commonwealth Graves Commission D-114 D-26 D-290 D-407 D-55 D-56 D-577 D-6 D-675 FR-NO July Operation Bluecoat World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

By early 1864, Lincoln was despairing that he could find no General
to prosecute the Union's war against the South in the eastern theatre.
All of his leaders around the Potomac seemed to be frozen with
indecision and a fear of failure. Much to his delight, a plan from a
junior Cavalry General, H. Judson Kilpatrick, came into his view
through Secretary of War Stanton. Kilpatrick knew that his immediate
superiors would either poo-poo the idea or steal it as their own, so he
approached Lincoln's adminstration directly through back channels.
Kilpatrick was proposing a daring raid into the mouth of the lion to
snatch Federal prisoners held in deplorable conditions in Confederate
held Richmond. Kilpatrick's plan suggested more as well. Stanton and
Lincoln were attracted by the idea that a raid into Richmond, apart
from freeing prisoners, would also serve as a huge propaganda victory.
Kilpatrick was summoned to Washington for a private meeting with
Stanton and given the go ahead. Kilpatrick's superior's were not
amused, although had no choice but to support him as he had the direct
support of Lincoln.

Kilpatrick, like many Cavalry officers from the North and South, had
dreams of great daring-do, but was known to some peers and subordinates
as "KillCavalry" for his reckless behaviour. However, many, including
Lincoln, believed that more of this type of risk taking was necessary
to dislodge a stubborn foe in Virginia. Kilpatrick had no problem
attracting another officer of similar ideals, named Colonel Ulric
Dahlgren. Dahlgren, the son of a Union Admiral, had made his name in
previous engagements, including chasing Lee's forces out of Maryland
after Gettysburg, and lost a leg for his work. Having recovered and
sporting a prosthetic, Dahlgren was ready for more grandiose riding.

The operation started just before midnight on the night of the 28th
of February 1864. They were aided by a diversionary attack further west
by General Sedgewick and a Cavalry Brigade commander by the name of
George Armstrong Custer. The diversion drew the Rebels west and cleared
a path for Kilpatrick and Dahlgren. Custer was especially effective in
drawing the Confederates on a wild goose chase as far away as
Charlottesville. Leaving Elys Ford at the Rapidan River, north of
Chancellorsville, Kilpatrick and Dahlgren set out at a good cavalry
pace and reached Spotsylvania courthouse by leap day, 1864. Here, they
split forces with Kilpatrick heading straight into Richmond from the
north with 7/8ths of the force. Dahlgren took a wide, westerly path to
enter Richmond from the southwest with a force of apprximately 500. The
idea was to give the impression that the city was being attacked from
multiple sides and cause panic long enough to get the prisoners out. If
they could destroy a few things in Richmond, all the better.

Kilpatrick continued well through appalling weather of sleet and
high winds. Dahlgren met a slave boy to guide him over a ford-able
point on the James River and was on time, so was feeling pretty high at
this point. Kilpatrick fired flares to see if Dahlgen would respond,
but the weather was so bad that the flares could only be seen locally.
Both drove on, but Dahlgren soon came to grief as the guide led him to
a point at the rain swollen James that they could not ford. Dahlgren
was thrown off track and was furious. The boy probably just did not
know that the river was that high, but this did not appease Dahlgren.
In a fit of rage, Dahlgren hung the boy for treachery. Unable to find a
fording point, Dahlgren was stuck and could not complete his mission.
Kilpatrick had entered north Richmond by now and encountered a force of
old men and clerks, but misread the situation as regular troops. In an
uncharacteristic delay, Kilpatrick hesitated whilst he waited for the
signal from Dahlgren that the southwest attack was on. The "Dad's Army"
force held on well and long enough for re-enforcements to arrive and
drive Kilpatrick off. Kilpatrick now decided to avoid the fate of the
prisoners he had come to save, but left Dahlgren in a bind by pulling
back. Kilpatrick was harried all the way back to Union lines, but
Dahlgren and many of his 500 were to die trying to elude the
Confederates.

The mission was a failure on the tactical as well as strategic
front, but it was to get worse. The Rebels searched Dahlgren's body and
allegedly found orders to destroy Richmond and kill Jefferson Davis and
his cabinet. The Union denied the existence of such orders, but the
outrage in the South had the opposite effect of the propaganda coup
Lincoln had hoped for.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I call this ride the "Rapidan Return."
It covers the path Kilpatrick took to Richmond and then passes over the
James River near Goochland where Dalgren had hoped to cross. It
continues on the beautiful VA state routes 6 and 20 to Charlottesville
where Custer worked the area. the ride finishes near the battlefield
parks of Wilderness, Chancellorsville and Spotsylvania.

Book Recommendation: The Dahlgren Affair from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Virginia Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Richmond area

Technorati Tags: 1800s 1860s 1864 American Civil War Cabinet Custer February Jefferson Davis Leap Year day March Prisoners Propaganda Raid Richmond Sedgewick US Civil War US-1 US-15 VA-SR-20 VA-SR-208 VA-SR-22 VA-SR-231 VA-SR-3 VA-SR-54 VA-SR-6 motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

On 27 February 1776, British Loyalists, made up predominantly of
Scottish Highlanders, decided to take on a known Patriot force near
Currie, North Carolina. The Loyalists were handed their hats at the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge
in an action that destined North Carolina to be one of the first
colonies to push for a declaration of independence from the Crown.

In early 1776, the British were preparing to put down a full scale
rebellion in the north of the North American colonies. At the urging of
the North Carolina governor, they saw an opportunity to put the
fledgling rebellion in the south to rest early and secure a good base
for northern operations. A Scottish clan leader, named Donald MacDonald
(no freedom fries jokes, please) was apppointed Brigadier General and
raised a Scottish Higlander militia of 1,600 from the interior of North
Carolina to fight for the Loyalist cause. They were marching to the
North Carolina port town of Brunswick, south of present day Wilmington,
to meet the British forces of Cornwallis and Clinton in late February
1776. On route, they received word that local Patriot forces were
gathering around Moores Creek, but the Highlanders figured they could
take them and proceeded to battle.

The Patriots in three separate forces, led by Colonels Alexander
Lillington, Richard Caswell and James Moore, arrived from 25 February
1776 and began earthen works on the east and west sides of the bridge.
By the morning of the 27th, they had consolidated behind the eastern
works with two cannons known as "Old Mother Covington and her Daughter."

MacDonald led his force from the west and decided to charge headlong
across the bridge with a lead element of Highlanders, screaming "King
George and broad swords." Behind the works, the Patriots waited until
the lead Scots crossed the deliberately slippery and rickety bridge,
then let loose with a volley of musket, followed by the limbering up of
the elderly mum and her hot progeny. One could imagine the Patriot
reply of "General George and redneck hordes." The Patriot rifles and
gunners put such a world of hurt on the bagpipe serenaded Loyalists
that the whole offensive failed immediately. The losses to the lead
element were horrendous, but the longer term damage was from the
rounding up of 850 prisoners that had been dispersed by the action.

The British plans to subdue the south and then on the north were
superceded by one determined force of North Carolina militia. The Brits
were not to focus on the south again until 1780.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Here's a ride to show you part of North Carolina, much like it was in colonial times. Start in Wilmington, North Carolina and head down to the Orton Plantation, which is near the historical site of Brunswick,
to which the Loyalists were heading to meet with British Regulars and
more Loyalists on that fateful day. Then cut up through the Green Swamp and finally down to the Moores Creek National Battlefield.

Book Recommendation: Decisive Battles of the American Revolution from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: North Carolina Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Wilmington area

Technorati Tags: 1700s 1770s 1776 27 27th American Revolution American Revolutionary War Caswell February Lillington Loyalist MacDonald Moore NC-SR-133 NC-SR-210 NC-SR-211 NC-SR-41 NC-SR-410 NC-SR-53 North Carolina North Carolina Patriot US-17 US-701 US-76 motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

MONTEITH, JIMMIE W., JR.

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 16th Infantry,
1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Colleville-sur-Mer, France,
6 June 1944. Entered service at: Richmond, Va. Born: 1 July 1917, Low
Moor, Va. G.O. No.: 20, 29 March 1945. Citation: For conspicuous
gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June
1944, near Colleville-sur-Mer, France. 1st Lt. Monteith landed with the
initial assault waves on the coast of France under heavy enemy fire.
Without regard to his own personal safety he continually moved up and
down the beach reorganizing men for further assault. He then led the
assault over a narrow protective ledge and across the flat, exposed
terrain to the comparative safety of a cliff. Retracing his steps
across the field to the beach, he moved over to where 2 tanks were
buttoned up and blind under violent enemy artillery and machinegun
fire. Completely exposed to the intense fire, 1st Lt. Monteith led the
tanks on foot through a minefield and into firing positions. Under his
direction several enemy positions were destroyed. He then rejoined his
company and under his leadership his men captured an advantageous
position on the hill. Supervising the defense of his newly won position
against repeated vicious counterattacks, he continued to ignore his own
personal safety, repeatedly crossing the 200 or 300 yards of open
terrain under heavy fire to strengthen links in his defensive chain.
When the enemy succeeded in completely surrounding 1st Lt. Monteith and
his unit and while leading the fight out of the situation, 1st Lt.
Monteith was killed by enemy fire. The courage, gallantry, and intrepid
leadership displayed by 1st Lt. Monteith is worthy of emulation.

From http://www.army.mil/cmh/mohiib1.htm

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Take the ferry from Portsmouth, England to Ouistreham, France then follow the following beach route to the US Cemetery at Omaha Beach.

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1944 6 6th Armor Heroism June Medal of Honor Omaha Beach World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

This is a picture I took on 21 February 2007 on Omaha Beach just
under the infamous German bunker WN62. The men who rest silently on the
plateau above must be proud that one of the bloodiest battlefields of
World War II is now the playground of French parents and children. Note
the little boy running through the ditch with nothing more on his mind
than catching his brother. How many American soldiers died in that
ditch? All I can say is that this picture is as they would have hoped.

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1944 children Omaha Beach playing World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last few days. I've had a lot of
work going, but also I've been preparing for a 2 day trip to the
Normandy coast to visit the D-Day beaches again. My first trip to
Normandy was what inspired me to start Battlefield Biker.

I've been re-reading Overlord
by Max Hastings to get the units and sectors fresh in my head. I am
going to try to spend more time in the British and Canadian sector this
time, specifically around Caen and Villers Bocage. It will be hard for
me to avoid a quick run to Omaha, Pont du Hoc and St Lo, but I'll try
to stay focussed on the Juno, Sword and Gold area.

I'm also going to look into the "Suisse Normande"
and Orne River valley area for some great bike rides. The area is
plastered with scenic routes on the map, so I want to see what they
look like on the ground.

I'm taking the overnight ferry
from Portsmouth to Caen tonight. I'll spend Wednesday and Thursday in
the area, then take the ferry back overnight Thursday and Friday. I
used H-C Travel for the ferry booking and booked my hotel through Accor hotels, which I often recommend on this site.

People sometimes ask me how I book my travel and why I recommend
certain things. I used H-C Travel for this trip, because they have been
able to get me cheaper ferry prices than I can get on my own, but also
because they are excellent for motorcycle travel. David Grist and his
team at H-C Travel know what bikers need and the documentation and
instructions are always clear. I use and have used for years Accor
hotels for business and leisure. What I like about Accor is that their
website seems to work for me every time. Nothing drives me up the wall
more than going through a long booking process and then finding that I
cannot complete the reservation for one reason or another.
Additionally, Accor has a great stable of hotels from the super cheap
to the higher class. I can pick and choose depending on my riding style
planned. i.e. If I am riding long and hard and will arrive late, I
choose Formule 1 or Motel 6 just for a clean bed. If I am looking for a
place to be comfortable and read with a couple of beers in the evening
(like this time), I may book a Mercure or Ibis to get a bar and a
restaurant. If I've got the wife and/or kids in tow, I may go for the
Sofitel or Novotel for a pool and nicer room. You get the picture.

I'm really looking forward to this trip and look forward to sharing some rides, pictures and stories from the trip.

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1944 Bayeaux Caen Calvados D-Day Flers FR-577 FR-D-562 FR-D-6 Juno Normandy Omaha Suisse Normande Sword Thury Harcourt Utah World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

The US Army got its first taste of the German Army in the Atlas
Mountains of Tunisia in mid February 1943. It was not a glorious time
for the untried American II Corps. Exceptionally poor leadership by II
Corps commander Floyd Fredendall led the Americans to a humiliating
defeat in a series of defensives positions and ill-conceived
counter-attacks. Almost 6,000 were killed or wounded and hundreds more
were captured in the battles around Sidi Bou Zid (14th/15th),
Sbeitla(16th) and the Kaserine Pass(19th). The whole action is often
referred to in the aggregate as the Battle of the Kasserine Pass.

In early February 1943, General Erwin Rommel and his German Africa
Corps were in danger of being cut off from its provisions in Tunisia.
The American Army's II Corps had taken up positions in the passes of
the Grand Dorsal section of the Atlas Mountains which were blocking
Rommel's way. Rommel sent two Panzer Divisions to take the passes. They
surprised The American 1st Armored Division, led by General Orlando
Ward, on the morning of the 14th with a well choreographed air and land
maneuver. The disarrayed Americans were ordered by Fredendall to
regroup, with minimal re-enforcements, and counter-attack. Ward thought
this was crazy, but did not object vigorously. Rommel was prepared and
unleashed hell on the unsuspecting Americans with a classic ambush near
Sidi Bou Zid. The 1st Armoured was in a very bad way.

Finally, the Americans were allowed to fall back and re-group. The
next point of defense would be the Kasserine pass, which was an opening
in the range where a road, a river and a railroad track went
through...an obvious point to hold. Rommel knew this as well. After
probing the line sufficiently, Rommel launched. Already learning the
very hard lessons that Rommel was teaching them, the Americans held at
first and Rommel had to try again. The Desert Fox's second attempt was
to prove successful and the way was open for his panzers to rush
through the gap.

Rommel was in open conflict with the Italians and many of his German
colleagues and superiors, so he did not hold the area for long.
However, in conducting the actions around the Kasserine Pass, he had
taught the Americans a great lesson and it was taken to heart fully.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Google maps does not give directions for Tunisia, but this map
clearly shows the points of interest along the P13 highway that runs
from Sfax through Faid, Sibi Bouzid, Sbeitla and Kasserine.

Technorati Tags: 14 15 16 17 18 19 1900s 1940s 1943 20 21 22 Faid February Fredendall Kasserine P13 Rommel Sbeitla Sfax Sibi Bouzid US Defeat Ward World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

An enduring idea the British had about the American colonists during
the Revolutionary War was that many of them were actually Loyalists to
the Crown. The British had spent considerable effort trying to round up
these Loyalists and get them in the fight. After several years of being
disappointed by the lack of Loyalist fervor in the North, the British
became sure that there were more Loyalists to be found in the backwoods
of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. In early 1779, a
Loyalist named James Boyd was dispatched by the British with a open
Colonel commission from Savannah to recruit more Loyalists in the
Georgia interior. He had done this and even fought a few skirmishes
with Patriots when he arrived at Kettle Creek, in Wilkes County,
Georgia on 14 February 1779. His 600 men set up camp on the creek and
many of them set off to forage for food.

Colonel Andrew Pickens was a Patriot commander in the area and he had
heard of Boyd's expedition. Pickens decided to tail Boyd and put a
Georgia whupping on him for stirring up the area. Pickens had with him
Colonel John Dooly, Lieutenant Colonel Elijah Clarke and 340 Patriots.

Pickens caught up with Boyd at Kettle Creek and planned to surprise the
camp. Pickens took a little over half the force and went straight at
the camp. Dooly and Clarke each took half of the rest and went around
the swampy ground on either side of the camp. Pickens's men, however,
were spotted by Boyd's pickets. Boyd was able to get his men behind
rocks and trees and fend off Pickens for several hours. Things were
looking pretty grim for Pickens, because Dooly and Clarke were delayed
in the swamps. Boyd must have been feeling confident that he could see
off this group of traitors. Confident right up to the point that a
musket ball got him. Seeing their leader fall put the panic in the
Loyalists and they all ran for their camp.

About this time, Dooly and Clarke emerged from the swamps and converged
on the camp from opposite sides. The rout was now on and the battle
swung wildly in favor of the Patriots.

Although a small battle of volunteers in the backwoods of Georgia, Kettle Creek
was important. It disabused the British of the notion that the
backwoods of Georgia could be held for the Crown. It effectively ended
the Loyalist cause in Georgia.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

Try this ride through some of East Georgia best country and end up at the Kettle Creek Battleground Memorial.

Book Recommendation: From Crown to Glory: The Journey of a Carolina Family from Loyalty to the King to Revolution 1730-1780 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Georgia Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the East Georgia area

Technorati Tags: 1700s 1770s American Revolution American Revolutionary War Boyd Clarke Dooly Georgia Loyalists Patriots Pickens Tories Wilkes County motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

On 13 February 1862, Union commanding General U.S. Grant's positioning was complete and the time had come to attack Fort Donelson.
The Union forces had spent the 12th of February closing in from Fort
Henry and exchanging picket fire with the Confederates manning the
earthen works of Fort Donelson. The gunboats had also spent the 12th
testing the river batteries and found them tough, but assumed they
could be taken as Fort Henry's had been.

On the morning of 13 February 1862, Grant meant to have a simultaneous push along the right and left, but General John A. McClernand
had jumped the gun and got manhandled by the Confederates, led by
General Gideon Pillow. A push on the other side by General C.F. Smith
was more disciplined and originally successful, but met with the same
fate at the hands of General Simon Bolivar Buckner's troops. Overnight,
a snow and ice storm befell the area and the lines woke on the 14th to
a white landscape, ice laden trees and wounded who had died from
exposure overnight.

On 14 February 1862, Foote was to unleash his gunboats on the Fort Donelson river batteries just like he had at Fort Henry.
However, Donelson was not Henry. Fort Donelson's batteries were on
tiered bluffs overlooking the Cumberland River, which gave them great
range and an enviable angle of fire up close. This was to prove
decisive. Foote was to preclude the ground assault with a show of force
and hopefully take out the batteries. Foote came on and made
considerable progress, until the flotilla got close enough for the
Confederate gunners to zero in. When very close, the Donelson guns were
firing right down on the Yankee ships, delivering devastating blows.
Virtually the entire flotilla lost navigation capabilities due to
direct hits and were floating helplessly down stream. Foote was
seriously injured and many were dead. Donelson would not be another
Henry. The overall Rebel commander, General John B. Floyd, was
ecstatic, because his original mission was to slow down the Yankee
advance long enough to let Rebel troops in Bowling Green, Kentucky
retreat to Nashville unhindered and this he had accomplished. His
follow-on mission would drive the course of the battle, though.

Grant now had to face the very real possibility that his confidence
in taking Donelson was misplaced. The next day would be critical, but
not in the way Grant expected. On 15 December 1862, Grant had to go
meet Foote as the Navy man was too injured to travel to Grant. As Grant
left, he left explicit instructions not to engage with the Confederates
in the belief that the Confederates would not dream of attacking. Grant
met with Foote and asked for whatever force Foote could give the
following day to keep the batteries busy, whilst he attacked on land.
As Grant rode back on the icy roads, he got news that McClernand was
under pressure on the right. The fight was on, but not at Grant's
bidding.

The Confederate leadership of Floyd, Buckner and Pillow had querulously
decided to attempt a breakout around Dover. Buckner was to provide a
rear guard, Pillow, with the help of Nathan Bedford Forrest's Cavalry,
would push McClernand out of the way, then Floyd would lead the
vanguard to Nashville. Pillow and Buckner would then retreat under fire
and provide cover for Floyd.

Pillow's and Forrest's push on McClernand was what the reports Grant
was receiving were all about. Grant made his way forward and heard that
the Rebels were carrying 3 days of rations on them. This told him that
they were trying to breakout. Grant immediately ordered re-enforcements
to McClernand and also told Smith to attack Buckner's rear guard with
force. Smith put such pressure on Buckner that Pillow had to send some
help to stave off a collapse of the rear. Pillow thought this was OK,
because he and Forrest had opend the road near Dover for a retreat.
However, as the Rebels settled back into their positions after opening
the road, a stasis developed. As the intitative ebbed away, Floyd,
Pillow and Buckner traded turns in being optimistic, pessimistic and
openly hostile to each other.

Floyd was a deer in the headlights now. Finally, Pillow wanted to
hold the position and Buckner wanted to ram the forces through the hole
created during the day. Floyd lost nerve and decided to hold the
position. The day ended in much the same position as it had began with
the notable exception of some of Smith's unit occupying some of the
ridge line near the fort, putting artillery in range of the main fort.
It might have continued that way had Pillow and Floyd stuck around, but
both were former Federal officials and feared being tried for treason
if caught. So, under the cover of darkness, they caught the first thing
steaming to Nashville. A small number of Confederate troops also got up
river that night. Forrest, who was disgusted by the trio of Generals,
stomped out and took his cavalry command across a swollen stream and
into the Tennessee darkness. Buckner was left in charge and immediately
drafted a request for terms to send to his old friend, Grant. Buckner
was probably hoping for some leniency based on his previous
relationship with Grant.

The request reached Grant in the early morning and he responded with
what was to make him famous, "No terms except an unconditional and
immediate surrender can be accepted. I propose to move immediately upon
your works." Buckner called him "unchivalrous," but accepted the terms
anyway.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

This is my home ride and I recommend it as one of the most beautiful rides anywhere. It splits the the Land Between the Lakes from North to South.

Book Recommendation: Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign, February 1862 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Tennessee Atlas and Gazetteer 2006 from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the western Tennessee area

Technorati Tags: 12 12th 13 13th 14 14th 15 15th 16 16th 1800s 1860s 1861 American Civil War Buckner Cumberland River February Foote Forrest Land Between the Lakes McClernand Pillow The Trace US Civil War motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

On 12 February 1941, General Erwin Rommel arrived in North Africa as the leader of the German Africa Corps.
The most celebrated German tanker amongst modern U.S. tankers was
actually not a tanker for most of his long career. Before World War II,
he was famous for Infantry Attacks.

Rommel came to North Africa under the command of the Italians, but
immediately made his mark for his initiative and taking the fight to
the British. Rommel went after the force led by British General Richard
O'Connor that had made such a feast of the Italian incompetence in
Lybia in 1940. Rommel quickly smashed the British force, captured
O'Connor and besieged Tobruk. It wouldn't take long until his name
would become synonymous with the Axis effort in North Africa.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

This is the ride I want to do in Lybia. Burdi (Bardia) to Tubruq (Tobruk).

Book Recommendation: Together We Stand: North Africa 1942-1943, Turning the Tide in the West from AbeBooks.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk

Map Recommendation: Map of Lybia from AbeBooks.com

Technorati Tags: 1900s 1940s 1941 Bardia British Burdi Egypt German Italian Lybia Lybia Tobruk Tubruq World War 2 World War II WW2 WWII motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Great video on motorcycle touring.

Hat tip A boy and His Bike

Technorati Tags: motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

Gavin Robinson over at Investigations of a Dog is thinking about starting a blog carnival on military history. I've offered to participate. How about joining us?

Technorati Tags: carnival military history motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

With the war on the Western Front stalemating, Paul von Hindenburg,
Commander-in-Chief of the German armies in the East, and his Chief of
Staff, Erich Ludendorff, came up with a plan. The idea was to
decisively defeat the Russians in East Prussia, so that overwhelming
power could then be transferred to the Western Front. The battle that
ensued was called the Second / Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes.

On 7 February 1915, Hindenburg attacked attacked in the south lakes
in a blizzard. He quickly pushed the Russians back by 70 miles and out
of most of east Prussia. Two days later he attacked in the north lakes
and had the Russians on the run. However, one corps of the Russians
fell back into the primeval forests around Augustow(present
day Poland) and held on for another 10 days before surrendering. This
delay allowed three other corps to escape the German encirclement.
Shortly thereafter, the Russains counter-attacked and ended the German
initiative. The Russians took horrendous numbers of casualties and
captured, but their willingness to take great pain had stopped a total
rout.

Hindenburg was a viewed as the saviour of East Prussia to a weary
German nation, but his grand plan of delivering a crushing blow that
would remove the need for heavy forces in the east had not been
completed. In the south, near the Carpathian mountains, the offensive
had stalled early. The Germans had to continue on two fronts for most
of the remainder of the war. Hindenburg's great rival, Falkenhayn, the
German Chief of Staff, was against the plan, but had to concede under a
withering attack on his reputation by Hindenburg himself. Eventually,
Hindenburg would ascend to take Falkenhayn's place, with Ludendorff
becoming the Quartermaster General.

Motorcycle Ride Recommendation

I have had a great ride in this area, but I was lost worse than
Cooter Brown somehwere west-northwest of Suwalki, near the Russian
border, in the area that Hindenburg's northern prong would have
attacked through on 9 February 1915. A buddy and I spent 3 hours riding
through some beautiful country, but I can't tell you where exactly.
However when we did find ourselves again, we travelled through the Augustow area, then west through the middle of the lakes and can highly recommend it as well.

Book Recommendation: Hindenburg: Icon of German Militarism from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Map Recommendation: Michelin Poland Map from AbeBooks.com or Amazon.com

Accor Hotels in the Olsztyn area

Technorati Tags: 10th 12th 14 16th 17 18th 19 1900s 1900s 1910s 1915 21st 22 22nd 7 7th 8 9 Augustow East Prussia Falkenhayn February German Hindenburg Lithuania Ludendorff Masurian Lakes Olsztyn PO-16 Poland Russian World War 1 World War I WW1 WWI WWI motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields