One of the storied stands of the Canadian military was at the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in December 1941.
Category Archives: Military, General
China Military Power Expands Into The South Pacific
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A new era arrives in the South Pacific as China flexes military might. Click Through Here
The National Archives Horatio Nelson Site
For The National Archives Horatio Nelson Exhibit, Click Through Here
For The BBCs View Of Important Dates Related To Nelson, Click Through Here
Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels
A poem in honour of the porters on the Kokoda Track during the WWII hostilities:
Many a mother in Australia when the busy day is done
Sends a prayer to the Almighty for the keeping of her son
Asking that an angel guide him and bring him safely back
Now we see those prayers are answered on the Owen Stanley Track.
For they haven’t any halos, only holes slashed in their ears
And their faces worked by tattoos with scratch pins in their hair
Bringing back the badly wounded just as steady as a horse
Using leaves to keep the rain off and as gentle as a nurse
Slow and careful in the bad places on the awful mountain track
The look upon their faces would make you think Christ was black
Not a move to hurt the wounded as they treat him like a saint
It’s a picture worth recording that an artist’s yet to paint
Many a lad will see his mother and husbands see their wives
Just because the fuzzy wuzzy carried them to save their lives
From mortar bombs and machine gun fire or chance surprise attacks
To the safety and the care of doctors at the bottom of the track
May the mothers of Australia when they offer up a prayer
Mention those impromptu angels with their fuzzy wuzzy hair.
– Bert Beros, Australian Digger
Kokoda Front Line: Academy Award Winning Documentary
Damien Parer’s Academy Award winning short film. Click Through Here
Testament of Youth: Coming of Age in WW I
Based on the autobiographical book by Vera Brittain, this 2014 movie gives us a sense of what the world around T E Lawrence (of Arabia) must have looked like as WW I unfolded in Europe. To my mind, very well done.
A riveting indictment of war.
For movie info Click Here.
For the original book, Click Here
The Battle of Coronel: Sunday November 1, 1914
The above picture is of Graf Spee’s squadron leaving Valparaiso November 3, 1914 following the battle.
A German postcard of the thick of the battle
Web references for the Battle of Colonel:
kaiserliche-marine.de (here seen through Google Translate)
Dr. John E. Counts, Chief of Staff, Berlin as the Berlin Wall Fell
Here seen on the mv Regatta during the December 2011 Panama Canal Cruise, Dr. Counts graciously took the time to fill me in on the tenor of those heady days when the Berlin Wall fell. I actually have a piece of the wall at home, so it was fascinating to hear the story from someone who was there. Following his military service, Dr. Counts served as President of the Western New Mexico University for 18 years.
US Naval War College Website
Thanks to the former Academic Dean of the US Naval War College, Captain Howard Burdick (Ret), here’s a link to the US Naval College website: www.usnwc.edu
There are any number of informative articles in the Naval War College Review, and one in particular, Asymmetric Warfare at Sea, gives a great outline of the starting positions of the US and Japan prior to WWII in addition to a detailed recount of the Naval Battles off Guadalcanal, 1942–1943.
I was fortunate to meet with Howard on the ms Rotterdam en route to Lima, Peru, and we discussed a number of the points I bring up in my military lectures: Click Here
Thanks Howard!!!!
True Patriot Love (Video 1996)
Video reference:
7 DVD set from www.morningstarent.com with historical video footage of Canadian troops.
Video footage 3 DVDs from WWI, 3 from WWII and 1 from the Korean conflict.
Daniel W Ostler's Internet Reference Site © 