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 […]
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 […]
As we travelled up the Rhine River, our second stop in Germany was at the city of Koblenz. The city is at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers, and the heights above the place give one a truly impressive vista. The fortress of Ehrenbreitstein in situated on a hill overlooking Koblenz. We toured […]
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 […]
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 […]
Eighty years ago, on September 1, 1939, World War II began with the German attack on Poland. I told the story of World Wars I & II in my post titled “War and Madness.” Now, on the 80th anniversary of that event, I am publishing more details on World War II’s beginning. After World War […]
In the years leading up to World War I, French military thinkers had wavered back and forth over the best strategy and tactics to employ in the forthcoming struggle with Germany. Most of them were not pushing for conflct, but there was a general feeling that war was inevitable. In 1870-71 France had lost a […]
Evil exists. Sometimes people say that all men are basically good, and that we do evil things only when there has been a bad environment, poverty, lack of education or some other unfortunate cause. That is not true. I tend to believe what Johannes Gossner, 19th century Lutheran pastor and philanthropist, once wrote, “The heart […]
Jordans-Journey 