Know Your WW1 History: Medieval WW1 Trench Weapons

Medieval WWI Trench Weapons

 

The Brutal reality of Close-Quarter Combat in WW1.

 

 

Know Your WW1 History: April 25, 1915 – WWI Allied Troops Land in Gallipoli

April 25, 1915 – WWI Allied Troops Land in Gallipoli

 

Excellent overview of the Gallipoli campaign debacle.

It is important to note that some historians have attempted to lay the blame of this military tragedy solely at Winston Churchill’s feet (who at the time was the Lord of the Admiralty) but this is not the case as the article states:

Winston Churchill, Lord of the Admiralty, tried to argue for a combined attack by the army and navy; a purely naval attack would merely provide the Turkish artillery with an opportunity to make literal the concept of “turkey shoot.” But the War Minister, Lord Kitchener, declined to provide any troops for Churchill’s navy; he felt they were needed in Europe. Thus Churchill was forced to do his best with the navy, and the inevitable disaster ensued.

Sidebar: The Australian TV series Gallipoli (2015) was really well done and I highly recommend it if you have not seen it.

Stay Alert, Armed and Dangerous!

Military History: World War I Vintage Photo, “Fix Bayonets!!”

French Poilu attacking in an uphill Bayonet Charge in the Argonne in 1915

Read the Original Article at Forgotten Weapons

World War I History: Did The Battle of Jutland Really Matter?

I have been breaking my WWII reading order lately with a couple of WWI History Books by Peter Hart which I wanted to tell you about. The First is The Somme: The Darkest Hours on the Western Front. This book is about one of the bloodiest and some would argue, the most senseless battle’s of WW1 ever fought. The Other book is Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes. What I like about Peter Hart is that he is one of those old school historians that sticks to the facts and does not waste your time with theories. His use of letters and diaries from the actual participants of these battles give his books a personal feel that I really like too. Check them out today. -SF

One of the largest naval battles in history occurred nearly 100 years ago — but the war wasn’t going to be lost in an afternoon.

A century ago, the two greatest fleets of the industrial age fought an inconclusive battle in the North Sea.

The British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet fielded a total of 58 dreadnought battleships and battlecruisers, ships over the twice the size of most modern surface combatants. Including smaller ships, the battle included 250 vessels in total.

The two fleets fought to a draw, with the Germans inflicting more casualties, but still being lucky to escape alive. The Grand Fleet could very easily have annihilated the Germans, an outcome which, however tragic, would not have moved the needle on the rest of the war.

Battle situation

First things first, how could the Germans have won?

The High Seas Fleet faced very tough odds at Jutland. It only enjoyed a numerical advantage near the opening stages of the battle, when the German battlecruisers (commanded by Adm. Franz von Hipper) drew a contingent of British battlecruisers and fast battleships (commanded by David Beatty and Hugh Evan-Thomas) within range of Reinhard Scheer’s German battle line.

We can imagine a different outcome if we alter some of the events at the opening of the battle.

HMS Lion, the flagship of the British battlecruiser squadron, nearly exploded in the early minutes of the battle, after suffering a devastating hit from SMSLutzow, Hipper’s flagship. The early detonation of Lion would have allowed the Germans to build advantage upon advantage; guns targeted at the lead battlecruiser would have focused on the next in line, and so forth.

Read the Remainder at War is Boring

 

World War I History: The Liberators!

An old French couple, M. and Mme. Baloux of Brieulles-sur-Bar, France, under German occupation for four years, greeting soldiers of the 308th and 166th Infantries upon their arrival during the American advance. November 6, 1918. Lt. Adrian C. Duff. (Army)

This is a pretty widely-published photo, but it sure is a good one. It also shows very clearly the US’ horrible excuse for a backpack of the time. For the record, the soldier on the left has a Chauchat in 8mm Lebel (sans magazine) and the soldier on the right has an M1903 Springfield rifle.

Read the Original Article at Forgotten Weapons