Browsing: Military

A Brief History On July 20, 2017, we eagerly await the mass release of the major motion picture, Dunkirk, the story of the evacuation of over 300,000 British troops from the Dunkirk beach in France in 1940.  The Germans had pushed British and French forces into a pocket around Dunkirk on the English Channel, and it seemed these forces would be killed or captured with no hope of survival.  A miracle was needed.  On Monday, July 17, 2017, we were privileged to see an advance screening of this historical war film. Digging Deeper The film, Dunkirk, shows us that miracle in incredible fashion, taking…

A Brief History On July 19, 1814, Samuel Colt was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and although he lived only to the age of 47 became rich and famous as the man that made the repeating firearm a practical reality.  Here we list 10 of the most important designers of firearms and their components (no significance to the order listed). Digging Deeper 1. Samuel Colt, Revolver. The familiar revolving cylinder pistol is the legacy of Mr. Colt, the man about which it is said, “God created men, and Sam Colt kept them equal.”  The revolver is so closely associated with Colt, that…

A Brief History On July 3, 1863, the Army of the Potomac fought a defensive battle against the Army of Northern Virginia at the Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg.  On the last day of battle, Confederate Major General George Pickett was one of three Confederate generals to lead the final assault on Union lines, lending his name to the battle, a battle that has become synonymous with futility.  Here we list 5 of the most valiant, and yet most futile fatal attacks in military history, with no significance to the order listed. Digging Deeper 1. Pickett’s Charge, 1863. When Confederate Commander General…

A Brief History On July 1, 1916, the five month Battle of the Somme began with horrific results for the British Army, leaving 19,240 men dead on the battlefield and another 36,230 wounded on only the first day!  Known in Britain as The Battle of Albert (July 1 through July 13, 1916), the start to the Battle of the Somme was a portent of the slaughter to come. Digging Deeper With “only” 7000 total casualties the French do not remember this day as particularly noteworthy, lost in World War I, a war of many horrific days.  Nor do the Germans…

A Brief History On June 26, 1794, the army of the First Republic of France (the result of the French Revolution) made the first use of balloons in combat at the Battle of Fleurus against the forces of the First Coalition. Digging Deeper The French army under Jean-Baptiste Jourdan had seized upon the new technology pioneered by the French Montgolfier Brothers to create an observation/reconnaissance balloon that could give military commanders and observers much greater fields of view of battlefields and their approaches, a distinct advantage in battle. Originally, the Montgolfier Balloons were of the hot air variety, but French…