French Soldiers on Parade, 1939 Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, and, true to their treaty obligations, Britain and France declared war on Germany. However, neither nation did much to help their Polish ally. With the Germany army heavily engaged in Poland, the French could have launched an attack from the east. Instead, the […]
WINNING THE WAR, LOSING THE PEACE 1914-1939 After the Battle of the Marne ended on September 9, 1914, the Allied and German armies attempted to outflank each other. Failing this, they entrenched and faced off over a no-man’s land. The trenches stretched from the Swiss alps to the English Channel. From time to time each […]
THE SCHLIEFFEN PLAN 1914 On the afternoon of August 3, 1914, two days after declaring war on Russia, Germany declared war on France and began implementing a long-held strategy conceived by the former chief of staff of the German army, Alfred von Schlieffen. The objective was to achieve the total defeat of France in six […]
1850-1914 EUROPE STARTS ON THE PATH TOWARD DESTRUCTION Europe had been totally transformed by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. Following the final defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the continent entered an era during which armed conflicts were usually of limited scope and conducted by small, often professional armies. Total national involvement was rare. […]
Introduction: Portions of this blog have been published before under different headings, but here I attempt to capture the whole history of the wars that shattered western civilization, beginning with the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 and ending with the conclusion of World War II. Its a sad tale of arrogance, folly, devastation and bloodshed. In […]
THE BEST AND THE BRAVEST World War I saw a massive effusion of blood on battlefields all over Europe. It is difficult for us to comprehend the magnitude of the carnage. To illustrate, let’s consider the effect of that war on France. On one fateful day in August 1914 the French suffered approximately 100,000 casualties […]
“The Most Christian King.” That seems like braggadocio, doesn’t it? It reminds me of a story about the member of an obscure Catholic order who said, “We may be small, but in humility we’re tops.” Actually, the title “Most Christian King” was given to the kings of France. Considering the less than admirable conduct of […]
French Army on Parade in 1939 Here I write a cautionary tale about the destruction of a fine army and the ignominious collapse of a proud nation. It is the story of France, 1940. Parts of the story I have told before. This is a more complete account of the events leading up to May-June […]
When France entered World War 2 the number of men available for military service was far fewer that it had been in 1914. Also, the height, weight, and general physical health of enlistees was less than it had been 25 years earlier. The great bloodbath of 1914-18 had taken its toll. The best and brightest […]
1914 (Note: This post is only for those with an interest in military history. In it I describe cataclysmic events in the summer of 1914 when western civilization rushed into war, a war that tore Europe apart and left a terrible legacy that continues to exercise a malevolent influence on our world today. I wrote […]
Jordans-Journey 