The Legend of Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Hoare

January 28, 2023 by The Tactical Hermit in Africa, Civilian Operator 101, Cold War Files, Cold War History, Guerilla Warfare, Guerilla Warfare History, Military History, Military History Books Worth A Damn, Small Unit Tactics, South Africa, Strategy, Studies in Warfare, Tactics, Tales from the Battlefield, War Documentaries Worth A Damn, Warfare, Warrior Poet, White Culture, White Genocide, White History, White Identity, White Nationalism and tagged Africa, Cold War Files, Congo Mercenary, Mercenary Stories, Mike Hoare, Military History, South Africa, Warfare

I remember reading Congo Mercenary while deployed many moons back.

This guy was the stuff of legend.

Europe Renaissance

Mercenary ‘Mad Mike’ Hoare (1919-2022) was perhaps the best-known of the European mercenaries who fought in the Congo Crisis (1960-1965). Born to Irish parents in Calcutta he was educated in England. A rarity for mercenaries who spend their lives on the frontlines, Hoare, at 101 years old seemingly benefited from the unstinting devotion of a very special and caring guardian angel. A veteran of numerous conflicts, Mike Hoare earned his spurs as an officer in the London Irish Rifles.

What does an army captain do when World War II becomes history? He becomes a chartered accountant of course. When led by Europeans prosperous and peaceful South Africa was a magnet for many disenchanted Britons. Mike Hoare was no exception. The amiable demobbed Brit set up a charted accountant’s business in South Africa.

As a South African citizen, Mike Hoare combined his sense of adventure and soldierly know-how to organise safaris…

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Know Your WW2 History: The Invasion of Poland

January 20, 2023 by The Tactical Hermit in Book Suggestions, Brush-Up On Your History, Historical Study, History Corrected, Know your History, Warfare, World War II History and tagged Beginning of WW2, Historical Study, Invasion of Poland, Know Your WW2 History, Warfare, WW2 History

The History and War Blog did an Outstanding Four Part Series on the Invasion of Poland beginning in 1939.

Part 1: The Attack on Poland 1-17 September

Part 2: Soviet Invasion and the Fall of Poland

Part 3: The Exodus

Part 4: The Aftermath

Also as a cool supplement, Jeff over at The Inch High Guy Blog has a really great post:

Invasion of Poland, 1939 Color Photographs, Hugo Jaeger Collection, Part I.

For further reading and study I recommend the book:

Case White, the Invasion of Poland 1939

Know Your WW1 Weapon’s History: The Flammenwerfer

January 20, 2023 by The Tactical Hermit in Firearms History, Historical Study, History of Weapons, History Remembered, History Roundup, Know your History, Know Your Weapons, Military History, Military News, Military Weapons from the Past, Military Weapons History, Strategy, Studies in Warfare, Tactics, Tales from the Battlefield, Tank Warfare, Warfare, Weapons & Ammo, World War I History, WW1 Era Weapons and tagged Battlefield Tactics, Flamethrowers in WW1, Flammenwerfer, German Weapons in WW1, Historical Study, Know your History, Strategy, Tactics, Warfare, Weapons History, WW1 History

Flammenwefer — World War I German Flamethrowers

It appears the first flamethrower of modern design was patented in Germany by Richard Fiedler in 1901. During the same year, the German army funded his continued work on flamethrower designs. Fiedler, a private citizen, designed several flamethrowers models and presented a working product to the German army in 1905. Based on the feedback he received, two versions of the flammenwerfer were delivered to the army in 1908.

Around the same time, a multi-talented man by the name of Bernhard Reddemann began his own experiments in designing flamethrowers. Reddeman was an officer in a German Pioneer battalion until 1903. At that time, he transitioned to a reserve officer and stayed in a Pioneer unit. Pioneers were specialist troops frequently responsible for the demolition of fortifications, engineering strong points and using specialized weapons.