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HISTORY IN THE MAKING 2008-2016

Good luck!

We've spent a good many years discussing politics, life, society and history. Most of all, the makers of history. The great events that changed the world - people, places, actions. Small acts have changed its hard-worn course, and effort and circumstance can make of its small actors immortal greats. In line with that sentiment, it seems pertinent now to recognize the potential of those who've made up this community for years, obvious through their contributions to the spirited debate and discussion that has proceeded here. HITM has sadly gone silent, though perhaps not lacking for things to say about making history, but rather for the realization that it is time we all commenced to do so, and make our mark.

Good luck to you all, see you in the history books!
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Military History Thread; North America, Europe, Asia.
Topic Started: Dec 30 2008, 07:24 PM (839 Views)
Ww2nerd
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Scion of the Midnight Sun

I will stress, please do not flame or bring politics in here. We are not examining the causes of war, we are discussing the course of war in these continents, mainly the world conflicts, and the impact these events have had on world history. Cover an interesting battle in your country's history, a pivotal moment, or anything else to do with the military. Next post I make, I'll cover the evolution of the theory of "Paralysis of Enemy forces by Rapid Indirect Approach", AKA, Blitzkreig, from it's beginnings in the minds of Tom fuller and Basil Liddell Hart, to its devestating employment by the panzer aces Heinz Guderian and Erwin Rommel.

I also challenge anybody from Agecomm to guess who I am.

I'll start with a little on the Canadian assault on Vimy Ridge, a major event in the First World war that was part of the larger Neville Offensive, and this victory broke the bloody stalemate that had persisted on the Western Front for many long years.

Not only is this important for the fact that it gained the allies the high ground before the plains, but it was also the most thickly held bastion of defence during the Great War, at the time, firmly in Prusso-German hands.

The British and french had tried to capture this geographic feature on the face of france earlier in the war, but were forced to withdraw with a combined 170, 000 + casualties from the assault. I mention this because it illustrates the defensive capability of this ridge, and also helps to illustrate one of Canada's greatest military feats.

The true "battle" began a week before Easter Monday, 1917. when the Canadian Corp, an army of four divisions, began to bombard the german trenches with a barrage so loud it could be heard all the way to london, and expending astounding amounts of ammunition doing so. This was termed as the "Week of Suffering" by the German forces, forced to take cover almost 24 hours a day.

However, the major part of this battle was begun in the early dawn of Easter Monday, (April 9th) 1917. The troops waited in anxious anticipation of what was to come, an attack that probably felt very similiar to the feelings of the D-Day troops as they homed in on the beaches of Normandy. The cavernous caves that were dug underground (as the trenches had nowhere near the capacity to hold the numbers needed for a successfull attack), are littered with memos carved into the walls moments before they went over. Some letters to wives back home, others a simple maple leaf, marking the beginning of this as a Canadian symbol.

The whistles sounded, and the troops went over the top, against almost impossible odds, preying the six months of intense training prior to the assault would be enough to carry them through. As the first wave left the trenches under the cover of the creeping barrage and counter-artillery fire, canadians flooded up through the caverns. This battle, along with being an amazing feat, is specail because it introduced so many new and effective methods of war to the front. Arthur Currie, the first Canadian to be raised to the rank of general, and who would be knighted for the part he played in this assault, intoduced platoon tactics to trench warfare, and had the corp pioneer the creeping barrage. This assault was a major feather in Currie's cap, and after this, he was generally recognized as one of the finest commanders on the front, and under him, the Canadians never once failed to achieve thier objectives, an impressive record.

Machine gun fire was a threat, but was overcome by the Canadians, and the enemy artillery had been rendered impotent by gas shells. Once in close quarters with the germans, the Canadians fought against rifle fire and grenades, eventually pushing the defenders out. The only part of the attack that took a little extra push was when the Royal Winnipeg regiment was pinned down under hill 170. By the end of the day, Vimy's fate had been sealed, but Currie wasn't content to let the victory go unexploited. Immediately, he went about setting up defenses on the hill, knowing the Germans would come for thier lost prize. He was correct.

A massive counterattack was fruitlessly launched, at a cost of 20, 000 german casualties. The Canadians held off a hail of grenades, and claimed many victims at the point of a bayonet.

That's basically a summarized (?) version of the battle.

The lasting impacts of Vimy were the nationhood of Canada, which gained a seat at the negotiations, and won it its nationhood. It also established the canadians as the stortroops on the front, and from this point on, they spearheaded almost all of the final battles of the war, including the advance across the rhine. A mere 10, 000 of the 20,000 Canadians were casualties, in comparison to the 170, 000 of the Anglo-French assault.

It also ended the stalemate that had persisted on the front, and introduced a certain level of mobility to the front. This was also the first time that the entire Canadian Corp had fought together, as they had always been split up under british command. It was also the first Canadian victory (in terms of being under canadian command for this attack).
"There are strange things done in the midnight sun,
by the men who moil for gold; the arctic trails have their secret tales that'd make your blood run cold...
the Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see...
was that night on the marge of Lake LeBarge, that I cremated Sam McGee."

- Robert W. Service
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DragonLegend
Field Marshal
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Hey, Rommel.
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Ww2nerd
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Scion of the Midnight Sun

DragonLegend
Dec 30 2008, 11:15 PM
Hey, Rommel.

What gave me away?
"There are strange things done in the midnight sun,
by the men who moil for gold; the arctic trails have their secret tales that'd make your blood run cold...
the Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see...
was that night on the marge of Lake LeBarge, that I cremated Sam McGee."

- Robert W. Service
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TheNewRommel1
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Administrator

Are we supposed to put our own analysis' or just yours? lol

Essentially what do we do in this thread?
The heart should only exist to pump blood to the brain and rest of the body anything else is a waste of time and energy.

Love and Hate are only impediments to the human condition.

Imagine what could be accomplished if only the human race could shed our humanity.

When the facts change, my mind changes. What do you do, sir?

AWESOME HITCH (CLICKY)
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Ww2nerd
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Scion of the Midnight Sun

Ummm........
Just inform people about interesting military events and discuss impact I guess...........

Development of theories, tactics, that sorta thing.
"There are strange things done in the midnight sun,
by the men who moil for gold; the arctic trails have their secret tales that'd make your blood run cold...
the Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see...
was that night on the marge of Lake LeBarge, that I cremated Sam McGee."

- Robert W. Service
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DragonLegend
Field Marshal
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Ww2nerd
Dec 30 2008, 11:22 PM
DragonLegend
Dec 30 2008, 11:15 PM
Hey, Rommel.

What gave me away?

Your original Agecomm name. :P
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Fellow
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The Prophet

umm wait so like why not just report these events in individual threads?

I just dont want this to clog up too quickly.
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Ww2nerd
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Scion of the Midnight Sun

That long post for nothing >_<
"There are strange things done in the midnight sun,
by the men who moil for gold; the arctic trails have their secret tales that'd make your blood run cold...
the Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see...
was that night on the marge of Lake LeBarge, that I cremated Sam McGee."

- Robert W. Service
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TheNewRommel1
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Administrator

Just ignore him.
The heart should only exist to pump blood to the brain and rest of the body anything else is a waste of time and energy.

Love and Hate are only impediments to the human condition.

Imagine what could be accomplished if only the human race could shed our humanity.

When the facts change, my mind changes. What do you do, sir?

AWESOME HITCH (CLICKY)
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Fellow
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The Prophet

thanks rommel :lol:
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TheNewRommel1
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Administrator

I try.
The heart should only exist to pump blood to the brain and rest of the body anything else is a waste of time and energy.

Love and Hate are only impediments to the human condition.

Imagine what could be accomplished if only the human race could shed our humanity.

When the facts change, my mind changes. What do you do, sir?

AWESOME HITCH (CLICKY)
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Fellow
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The Prophet

Rommel to tell you the truth your avatar kinda makes you seem meaner than you are. hahahahaha
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TheNewRommel1
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Administrator

lol. Good! mwhaha
The heart should only exist to pump blood to the brain and rest of the body anything else is a waste of time and energy.

Love and Hate are only impediments to the human condition.

Imagine what could be accomplished if only the human race could shed our humanity.

When the facts change, my mind changes. What do you do, sir?

AWESOME HITCH (CLICKY)
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Jack the IV
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Say hello to my little friend
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Wait, rommel is ww2nerd and rommel?
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Fellow
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The Prophet

Welll ww2nerd is emporer rommel which is a different user than Thenewrommel.
though I refer to ww2nerd as emp and the newrommel as rommel. :wacko:
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