Civil Wars #civil war #theanarchy

 Civil wars. A very strange description of something that really, in my opinion is anything but civil. They tend to be very bloody affairs. Civil wars often divide families;  brother fighting brother. cousin fighting cousin and so on. I am going to write about civil wars across the world, not just in Britain. 

When anyone mentions civil wars, people tend to think about the Union & Confederacy of the United States. That civil war must be one of the most discussed, researched and even photographed. There are many more for people to research and learn about. Civil wars in Russia for instance, France, Mozambique, Scotland, China, 

I am starting with the Anarchy. this took place in England & Normandy between 1138 & 1153. King Stephen & Queen Matilda appeared to be the main protagonists. 

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(The problem with blogging about events from over 900 years ago is there are no photographs or quality images!). 

How Did It Begin?

Like many wars, it began by accident. William, son of Henry I died when the White Ship sank in 1120. The line of succession was fought over by Stephen & Matilda. Matilda had been named successor, but was not popular because she was a woman, and also married to Geoffrey of Anjou, who had been at war with Henry at the time of his death. Stephen crossed the Channel from Boulogne and was crowned King on December 22nd. Matilda refused to step aside and war was the result.

Famous Battles & Sieges

1141 Lincoln

How Did It End?

Henry was Matilda's son, and was camped at Wallingford  July 1953 with his army. Stephen's army was also there, but nobles on each side refused to fight. The Treaty of Winchester meant Stephen continued to rule and Henry was to be his successor, the first Plantaganet King of England.

Britain In WW2 -D-Day James Holland States British Not Given Enough Credit on D-Day

Author, James Holland, found at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/10855305/James-Holland-British-troops-not-given-enough-credit-for-role-in-D-Day-landings.html

British troops have not been given enough credit for their role in the D-Day landings, the historian James Holland has argued, as he claims American films portray them as "mincing around with bad teeth, stopping for tea".

Holland, the television historian, said the world has been doing a "massive disservice" to British veterans, who were overshadowed by the more glamorous US troops.

Saying myths about the Second World War had become "very, very entrenched", he added home-grown soldiers were often seen as "mincing around and constantly stopping for cups of tea".

In reality, he said, British forces were far more technologically advanced than usually imagined, providing the manpower and innovation to win the war.

Speaking at Hay Festival, Holland argued it was time to rehabilitate the role of the British in the world narrative of D-Day.

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"I feel particularly strongly about Normandy and the D-Day campaign because there are a lot of myths that are very, very entrenched," he told an audience.

"It's a largely American show still, and Omaha still defines it.

"There is this impression I think – because of Band of Brothers, because of Saving Private Ryan and so on, because Americans had considerably more cameramen and photographers on D-Day – that we still believe that D-Day is a predominantly an American show.

"Yes, the British had a part but somehow they had a junior part of the United States at that time."

"The Americans were tall, six foot two, with amazing teeth. There was a sort of shabbiness about them that's still quite cool; they looked good.

"Americans always, always show this in conjunction with their tall, square-jawed, good-teeth people: Brits mincing through the water like a Carry On film.

"This annoys me."

Holland, who has written books and presented a recent BBC documentary about the Second World War, added it was time for the role of the British to be redefined.

Not only were the bulk of the invasion force, they suffered heavier casualties, embraced new technology quicker and developed critical inventions including the Mulberry harbour, he said.

"There is still this incredible impression, 70 years on, that somehow the only reason the Germans lost was because they took on the scale of the United States," he said. "That they simply couldn't keep up with the economic might of the Americans.

"That it wasn't anything to do with the British necessarily, and actually tactically there was no one to touch them.

"What I realised is that we've been doing this massive disservice to our boys and to Britain; our effort was way more impressive than we think of it today.

"What's impressive is having the nerve to do think 'I could do that'.

"The idea we stood around in the mud singing God Save the King is just not right, it's a myth and we need to move away from it."

"They were not rubbish, mincing around and constantly stopping for cups of tea. They should have huge respect."

Found At: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/10855305/James-Holland-British-troops-not-given-enough-credit-for-role-in-D-Day-landings.html

Jack Higgins - Flight Of Eagles

Yes, I know I should be completing a blog post about D-Day, but I'm finding it heavy going at the moment.

I will be posting a blogpost about the Allied breakout in Normandy soon, but in the meantime here is a review of the excellent Second World War thriller by Jack Higgins; Flight of Eagles.

I have always been an avid reader of Higgins, his thrillers have the usual twists and turns but can also be very dark, they don't always have a happy ending. What I do like about this book is how it ties up with several others, especially Cold Harbour. The main characters in the book are twins, Harry and Max Kelso. Their father was American, the mother German. They both turned out to be great pilots whilst in their teens following World War 1, taking after their father who had been an ace. When their father dies they are separated, one brother staying in the United States, the other leaves for Germany with his Mother - Baroness Von Halder. I don't think this would really happen to any family, would you want to separate siblings, especially twins?

The twins join the R.A.F and Luftwaffe respectively and also like their father, become decorated heroes. Himmler becomes involved and takes a special interest as Baroness Von Halder is conspiring against Hitler with the military elite who also oppose him.

Higgins captures the atmosphere of London under the blitz, you can nearly hear the bombs drop, Brigadier Munro makes his usual appearance and the book begins with the author surviving an air crash and meeting a lifeboat crew who tell him the story of the twins...

I can highly recommend this book, if you haven't read it, order it from Amazon :-)

Waiting.... Would D-Day Be Cancelled Again? #Dday70 #DDay

British Paratroopers Operation Overlord found at: http://www.dday-overlord.com/img/para/gbbritanniques_interieur.jpgca/parachutistes_

The troops waited. They waited in the ports in England. They waited at the airfields. Tonight D-Day was not cancelled. Tonight they went. Even if you are a pacifist please have some respect for those who sacrificed themselves for the liberty of others and the liberty of future generations.Italy had been invaded in 1943, but the invasion of France in 1944 was the path to victory that the Allied armies would follow.

#D-Day70 #D-Day 6th June 1944 #Operation Neptune was a largely British/Canadian Affair

Operation Neptune was the planning for the seaborne invasion of Normandy 6th June 1944. Over 70% of all naval craft which took part belonged either to the Royal or Canadian Navies. The rest came from the United States, Free French Dutch or Norwegian navies.

Over 5300 vessels took part. 57 British Destroyers, 30 American destroyers, and others from Norwegian, Dutch, French navies including HMS Svenner. 4126 landing craft and ships, 2 midget submarines, 736 ancillary vessels, 864 merchant ships and 189 minesweepers made up the bulk of the fleet. 

The Royal Navy provided some heavy firepower including 6 battleships, 2 monitors and 16 cruisers. The U.S Navy sent 3 cruisers and 3 battleships.H.M.S Belfast fired the first shell on D-Day. Imagine waking up in a bunker and looking out of the observation slit and seeing this lot?

The D-Day Fleet

H.M.S Svenner

Read; D-Day 1944 Voices From Normandy, Neillands, R& De Normann, R.










Landing craft were largely made in the United States as the British shipyards were working flat out repairing the existing merchant and war fleets. They were also busy with the Mulberry Harbours.  Landing Craft Personnel (LCP) and Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP) were used on D-Day. they were flat bottomed boats, able to get close into the beach and had a ramp at the front of the vessel which came down so men and vehicles could disembark. This was essential so the boat did not have to waste time turning round and reversing into the beach head.

Landing Craft- Canadian Troops At Juno Beach