Marine A - Sergeant Blackman

 The identity of Marine A has now been revealed as Sergeant Alexander Blackman, this in itself has generated a lot of debate as to whether or not this was the right thing to do. Secondly Sgt Blackman has now been sentenced to Life with a minimum of ten years to be served. The debate about the naming and sentence has been very interesting to read and to see the support that Sgt Blackman actually has. As ever the debate spans the conventional media as well as social media. The debate seems to focus on the argument that as he was under a lot of pressure when he committed the act and events of the tour had taken its toll on Sgt Blackman. Added to this is the idea that unless you have experienced what Sgt Blackman had been through then you cannot judge him.

The other side of the coin points out the fallacy of that statement and the fact that in many ways it is not the man but the action that is being judged. There is also the recognition that indeed the Sgt was under a lot of pressure and had witnessed quite a bit on this tour of duty.  However as the video shows the Sgt was fully aware of the actions that he was taking and it was certainly not while under fire.

  

 One article highlights an interesting point about the camera footage and the pressures and strains that over ten years of operational deployments has put on the training in the armed forces. The article points out the over familiarisation between the Sergeant and the Privates via the use of the term “mate”. This may seem trivial at first but as the article points out the enlisted men should be referring to Sgt Blackman as Sergeant or “Sarge” at the very least. These terms may seem to be interchangeable and an unnecessary criticism but as the article points out the difference is at the heart of military discipline.   

 There is a growing call for his sentence to be halved or reduced due to mitigating circumstances. Indeed yesterday it was revealed that an appeal against Sgt Blackman’s conviction was to be launched.

For what it is worth I am on the fence when it comes to the sentence, I believe that it was right for Sgt Blackman to face trial and for justice to be seen to be fair. Perhaps the sentence is on the high side, but the appeal will certainly draw this out. The important thing from all of this is that it highlights how we (the British people) ask so much of our military and yet seem to provide the least possible. It is no surprise that a lot of care once former soldiers have left falls to charities such as Combat Stress, Help for Heroes and the Royal British Legion. This is where Sgt Blackman has so far been let down and here is where the argument relating to his mental wellbeing needs to be taken into account and to hopefully wake our government up to the fact that more care both before, during and after tours of duty needs to be in place. The army is certainly not full of soldiers one tour away from shooting POW’s, however there are a lot of serving and former serving soldiers that could do would support and advice. 

Casualty of War

Marine A is due to be sentenced and the resulting media blitz on this case will begin anew. On Monday the Telegraph website published an interesting article on the matter of combat in Afghanistan. Written by a journalist who has embedded with the Royal Marines a number of times, it is not surprising the view point that Chris Terrill takes. Indeed he writes with a knowledge that a lot of commentators do not have.

He finishes the article with “Soldiers are not automatons. They are flesh-and-blood human beings with frailties and vulnerabilities like all of us. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary things on our behalf; risking their lives in combat and having to make difficult and morally confusing judgments in the heat of battle. They don’t always get it right because, sometimes, the stakes are just too high for any one man to cope with.
I believe that if Marine A is a criminal of war, then he is also a casualty of war.”


This is the key point when it comes to sentencing, yes he has done wrong and justice has to be seen to be done, however it has to fit the crime and not be used as an example to other would be transgressors of the Geneva Convention. 

21st Army Group and the Battle of Normandy

With the 70^th anniversary of the D-Day landings coming up next year, we will no doubt see a publishing frenzy about D-Day and the Battle of Normandy. This might not be on the scale of First World War publications but will be significant nether the less. The British and Canadian performance in the Battle of Normandy is a subject of very differing and strong views. One book that has come out in recent months is a reappraisal of the efforts of 21^st Army Group in the entire North West Europe Campaign. ‘Monty’s Men: The British Army and the Liberation of Europe’ (John Buckley) provides a very convincing argument for the delays suffered in the Normandy campaign and highlights the fact that 21^st Army group was drawing the bulk of German Panzer strength on to their front.

This is a view that I tend to agree with, and while there were delays and setbacks the overall campaign achieved the objective of destroying the German Forces in Normandy and also inflicting such catastrophic damage upon long term ability of the German armed forces to oppose the advance on Germany via Normandy.

Due to the losses suffered by German formations (Wehrmacht, SS and Luftwaffe) and the collapse of German resistance in Normandy; the actual timetable and objectives were ahead of the planned dates. The breakout and advance across Belgium became known as the “Great Swan” due to the pace and lack of resistance in the way of 21^st Army Group.

Performance was certainly varied among units that made up 21^st Army Group, but as a whole it performed well and to expectations. Certain Operations could have been carried out better or had more detailed realistic plans (such as Operation Goodwood). However General Montgomery certainly did not help matters both before, during and after the campaign in Normandy had been won. His sweeping statements regarding the level of success that would be achieved by individual operations meant that expectations were high and invariably difficult to meet/ achieve in the best of circumstances. However the plans were required to be bold in order to guarantee the resources that were needed. Goodwood is a prime example of having to twist the arm of the RAF for the use of heavy bombers in a tactical role, something that would not be possible if the scope and aims of the operation were modest.

Over the next few months I plan to delve into the performance of 21^st Army Group in Normandy using a wide range of sources and where time permits plenty material from the National Archives.

This weekend just gone, I had the pleasure of attending the Guild of Battlefield Guides Annual General Meeting Weekend. This was the second year that I attended and matched the standards of the previous one. The level of knowledge in the building was very high as was the enthusiasm for delivering excellent battlefield tours.

It was a great weekend for making contacts and for finding out a number of ongoing projects related to the 100^th anniversary of the First World War.

Battle of Mons- Photosource: Authors Collection

I came away with a renewed commitment to leading a few tours for friends and family next year and for putting some serious thought into starting on the path to the coveted ‘Badge’. Validation for this involves a number of assignments beginning with a 20 minute presentation (stand) on a battle of your choosing. I have a few in mind so it will be an eventful few months of planning and researching a number of stands and hopefully visits as well.  

Syria and The Continuing Conflict

There was a very interesting article published on the Guardian website a couple of days ago (the 18^th of November 2013). The article addressed the growing realisation that the war is shifting or has shifted from a revolution against the government of Assad and is now a full civil war.

The author spends time with three members of a rebel battalion and speaks at length about how there is no unity and how the Assad forces are hitting them from the front and the Jihadist forces are effectively hitting them from behind. It makes for sombre reading as the problems faced are many and paints a clear picture of the danger that faces Syria. Syria being consigned to an ongoing struggle between the myriad groups opposing Assad and the regime. One of the subjects of the article says that this might take 10 years to resolve and for a coherent unified Syria to emerge post Assad. However if Assad were to fall now then the country would become split in to mini states of warring tribes, Islamists and battalions. This would not be a bright future either for Syria or the region. For a glimpse into the confusing world of factional and ideological identities; the accidental wrong identification and beheading of a wounded rebel does not bode well (Article is here).

The article that is the subject of this post does make a very good point when the commander of a rebel battalion states that for the most part the rebels know only how to fight and seize areas from the pro government forces. The Jihadists on the other hand set up governance and a form of stability, this stability is what is helping the Jihadists and more extreme elements gain ground and importantly exercise control even after they have moved on.    

Without stability and a credible alternative to Assad it is an uphill struggle for the rebel forces.

The real question is can stability ever exist post Assad and will there be a credible alternative that is not one controlled by Jihadist factions?

The conflict has been dragging on and certainly shows no sign of slowing down despite the potential tipping point over chemical weapons in the summer. For the Syrian people the future is bleak and likely to involve instability for some time to come. So far casualties have exceeded 120,000 as this article points out. The article also confirms the position that the conflict shows no sign of slowing down.

The comments provided at the end of the Guardian article make for reading that is both alarming and comical. There are some posts of merit in the comments, however a fair number descend into conspiracy and unsupported accusations leveled at various nations. 

Prisoners of War on the Battlefield

Still image from Helmet Camera footage. Photo Source: Ministry Of Defence/PA

The trial of the three Royal Marines accused of executing a member of the Taliban has come to a close with two of them being acquitted and a third known as “Marine A” being found guilty. This has lead to an interesting debate involving a number of serving and former officers from various services relating to the sentence “Marine A” should receive. These range from a call for leniency through to no leniency and “Marine A” facing the full sentence possible as “murder is still murder”. This Article strikes a good balance in discussing such an emotive issue. 

Warfare is never clear cut and the taking of prisoners is always a very dangerous time for all parties involved. There is always the worry that perhaps the enemy combatant is not sincere in their surrender, that perhaps at the first opportunity will seek to harm his captors when there attention is elsewhere. 

This case however is one of the more clear cut ones as the enemy combatant in this case was severely wounded and posed no direct threat to the Marines involved. Indeed it seems that this was carried out with malice and with revenge for the casualties suffered by the Marines unit and the displaying of body parts as trophies. 

While it has to be remembered that the serving soldiers are under a huge pressure and strain, this does not give them a free card in how they behave. It was an exceptionally foolish thing to do and one that brings the British armed forces and the wider forces that are part of ISAF into disrepute. 

Many soldiers,sailors and airmen serve as part of ISAF and this incident involves a very minor percentage, let us hope that it remains this way and cases of this nature will still shock us when they do occur. 

11 November 2013

Another year and another remembrance Sunday full of debate relating to the wearing of the Poppy, the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, foreign policy and the ugly spectre of burning poppies. Each year the debates tend to run along the same lines. Next year will be very interesting with the anniversary of the Great War and the draw down of all forces from Afghanistan. I expect there will be a lot more commentary about what the poppy symbolises, the 'lost generation' and hopefully a lot less relating to Britains foreign policy of the last 12 years.

As we approach the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War the annual Poppy Appeal has become a broader battleground. Parties from both sides of the fence and those with no real interest the political aspects of wearing a poppy have become increasingly vocal.
Last week the national media was full of commentary attacking each view on why the commentator would or would not be wearing a poppy. I think that debate on wearing a poppy is healthy and not something you should stifle even if I disagree with some reasons for not wearing one. The fact that we have a choice to wear a poppy and the fact that we are allowed to decide a reason for wearing one should say a lot about our society. For myself I wear a poppy in remembrance and to support the work of the Royal British Legion. This is especially important given the increase in take up of it’s services over the last ten years due to increased military activity in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

There was a very good article that I read on the website of the Wallstreet Journal. While I knew a little about the Cenotaph and how it was originally meant to only be temporary, the article filled a gap in my knowledge and gave me a better understanding regarding its design and construction.
The article can be found here.


I would also like to advertise a friend’s writing blog as he has written a very short story based on the morning of the 1st of July 1916. He is a budding author so if historical fiction is something that interests you please check it out.

Lessons From The Last War

I have been reading an article (Lessons From The Last War - Predicting The Next War) today regarding nation’s that have prepared for future wars based on the previous war. One of the examples used in the article was the approach of both Germany and France in the lead up to the campaign in 1940. The article argued that while both nations went down very different paths, both could be said to have taken lessons from the last war.

In the case of France it prepared to fight the next war by the standards of the last war and was tied in to a firepower based doctrine for attacking. 

The Germans on the other hand took the lessons from the last war to show that a mobile approach to warfare was needed and that the what was needed was a concentration of armour to force a break through and push for the enemy rear and center of communications etc.

The part of the article that got me thinking however was how the author showed that actually both lessons from the last war were applicable to the war in question. While the German approach worked in part due to the lack of adequate anti-tank weaponry in appropriate proportions, as the war progressed and the anti-tank density increased the French lessons became more applicable to the conduct of the war especially when it came to breaking the determined German defensive positions in Normandy.

The second example used for the article is the lessons from the 1967 ‘Six Day War’ between the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) and Egypt and their application during the war in 1973. Once again the article points out how the lessons were learned and then applied in each case.  The example is concluded that while the IDF suffered significant casualties especially to its tank formations, it still emerged victorious. The author also points out that had the IDF taken a different route as various commentators suggested the casualties might have been greater and Egyptian gains more permanent due to the loss of mobility. Israel drew an important lesson from the 1973 war and that was that the IDF was too small for the wars it was having to fight.

The author concludes the article by making the point that lessons can be learned from past wars but doctrine should not be fixed on these lessons as it is very likely that others have also studied previous wars and drew their own lessons. The author does warn not too be too flexible as the jack of all trades is the master of none. The closing point is one that is applicable to most walks of life; preparation, training, research into past wars and studying the theories will lead to success. 

I can recommend The Journal of Military Operations as not only is it free to access but it also contains good articles written with present day operations in mind. 

Syria and Social Media

Over the last few weeks the ongoing conflict in Syria combined with the use of chemical weapons has been at the forefront of the news. The talk of western intervention has also generated a lot of lot of interest in the media (both mainstream media and smaller media outlets). The reporting has varied massively both on the actual subject at hand and in quality.
One thing that has stuck out in all of this however is how engaging the conflict in Syria has become. Almost daily there are posts appearing in my Facebook feed where friends have either linked an article or given their own opinions on the conflict and any intervention that may occur.
The commentary is a refreshing change from the usual everyday goings on that normally fills my Facebook feed. I have also noticed that virtually every post about Syria is getting a number of responses and debates are taking place, normally leading to further posts by those participating.
The like the journalism on the conflict, these social media posts vary in quality and offer a wide range of views. The most interesting ones tend to be related to US intervention in the conflict with a good number of commentators suggesting that this will be a repeat of Iraq and that Syria doesn't have chemical weapons (or tries to draw comparisons with the Israeli use of White Phosphorus). I find these interesting and normally have to point out that it is not a secret that the Syrian regime has chemical weapons and that the actual question lies in who used them.

While I don't agree with every post that I read relating to the Syrian conflict, I view the coverage on social media as a good thing and further more think that this type of engagement is what is needed for people to actually understand the conflict rather than just relying on their chosen news outlet.

Syria and the use of Chemical Weapons

With the shocking evidence of the use of chemical weapons and the finger being firmly pointed in the direction of the Assad regime, this article from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) offers a solution to the problem of finding out who is the culprit.

Eyes over Syria: Using Drones to Monitor Atrocities

While the article that I have linked from the RUSI website provides a solution for monitoring the conflict within Syria in a very realistic way, it does not solve 100% who was to blame for the latest atrocity.
It must be said that it is highly likely that the regime is too blame for this and action does need to be taken to prevent further lines in the conflict being crossed. However should this atrocity be the basis for Western intervention in Syria?
My own personal opinion is that intervention should be the absolute last resort and ideally should come from a regional state actor. The west can however play its part by imposing embargoes and ensuring that other UN member states adhere to these (such as Russia and China). This however is unlikely as Assad still has friends who can lessen the effects or stop them all togther when it comes to the US and UK.
This is why the use of UAV's (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) can prove to be such a game changer. It will appease Assad's friends in Russia and China, even if it doesn't appease them it will be hard for them to block a UN resolution that does not risk lives and offers impartial surveillance that is available 24/7.
It will give a good indication of what is going on in the country and perhaps lead both sides to the peace table in the long run when both sides realise that they will be held accountable.

A visit to Paris

With it being summer time I ventured to Paris to take in the sights. One thing that struck me was how the city had survived the ravages of two world wars virtually intact.
The streets were great to walk along and feel the history that the city has, a great number of monuments to various wars and conflicts adorn Paris.

Memorial opposite Notre Dame Cathedral, Source: Author's Collection.

I have always had an interest in the Napoleonic wars and some of the statues and monuments were fantastic to look upon and incredible that due to a number of reasons they survived two very destructive conflicts.
It is not just the statues that are a reminder of past wars but also Metro stations such as Bir Hakem (the Metro station by the Eifel Tower).

Arc Du Triumph, Source: Author's Collection.

It was a trip filled with plenty of walking and plenty of mental notes to self to read up more on various periods (not least the French Revolution as I have only a very basic knowledge around this significant event).

From the City, From the Plough

It has been a while since I have had a chance to sit down and write a blog post. I have been very busy with work and other projects. However I have had the chance to read a couple of novels set in and inspired by the Battle for Normandy in 1944.

The first of these was From the City, From the Plough by Alexander Baron.

This was a fantastic read and I could barely manage to put it down. I found the authors descriptions to be so vivid and full of detail. Having read a lot of historical works on the battle for Normandy I found this book to be very realistic and portrayed the fighting very well. Little surprise then that the author is a veteran of the Second World War and the battle for Normandy.

The next book is one that I have very nearly finished. Flesh Wounds by David Holbrook.

This was a lot harder to get into as it starts with a slower pace and a love story. Once you are past that the book again is a difficult one to put down. Again although a novel it is in part based on the author's own experiences during the fighting in Normandy. However where From the City, From the Plough was concerned with an infantry battalion, Flesh Wounds is centered around an armoured yeomanry regiment mounted in the well known Sherman Tank. This gives a very different view to that of From the City, but the author is still able to convey all the detail about the fighting and landscape that made Normandy such a nightmare to fight through.

Aside from reading these two novels I have also been reading up on the German air raids of the First World War. Very interesting as a subject to read about as I have never really known much or had much interest in this as a topic of research.
It has lead to some very interesting information regarding my home town of Eastbourne during the First World War and will no doubt lead to further research.

Drones

 

Source: AFP/Getty Images

I read an interesting but brief article on the use of UAVs this evening. The central part of the article concerned the ability of UAVs to do away with the risks to service personal and questioned whether this is preferred over deploying boots on the ground.

UAVs conduct a lot of reconnaissance missions that would otherwise involve risking either pilots or troops conducting ground reconnaissance. They also allow the ability to strike with out fear of injury to any service personnel.  

However the article does point out that there are people with issues regarding the use of drones for “targeted assassination” and the killing of US citizens by US forces without trial etc. I think this is an area where perhaps UAVs will always have a problem regarding justification. The fact that they allow targets to be killed/destroyed from a distance and with relative ease will always be unsettling, however is this really any different to a guided missile being used from a jet or launched from a naval vessel?

One thing is for certain however and that is they have had an impact in Afghanistan and their use is set to continue for the foreseeable future no matter how loud the dissenting voices get. If given the simple choice of deploying boots on the ground in a risky operation or using a UAV politicians will always choose the latter. 

Here is a link to the article. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9855577/Drones-are-gruesome-but-would-we-prefer-boots-on-the-ground.html

2013 the year ahead

So only two weeks into 2013 and already it is shaping up to be a busy year for me and hopefully a very productive year research wise.

First up I have an ongoing research project for the Redoubt Fortress and Museum. I am currently researching the Royal Artillery for a display that needs refreshing. I have the initial plan for what I think would make an interesting and engaging exhibition.

This research has lead to me reading Paddy Griffiths excellent Battle Tactics of the Western Front: The British Army’s Art of Attack 1916 – 18.

The chapter on the artillery is very interesting and shows that far from just wasting shells in fruitless weeklong barrages, the artillery were innovating and constantly tinkering with various technologies, techniques and munitions. He finishes the chapter by saying that while there may have been wastage in previous battles “a new standard of economy and accuracy had certainly been attained during the final year of the war.”[1] 

I am also doing some research for an independent film “Sixth Monkey” while not related to conflict or military history directly this is useful experience for me. The themes of the film focus on animal rights and activism (or at least these themes I have researched so far). Check out the website for the film Sixth Monkey.

Finally I have a battlefield tour to Nasby to plan for my Wargames group that I belong to, so I have some research to do for that as well as a recce. A battlefield tour to the Market Garden area of operations is also in the pipeline subject to funds and time permitting. This will primarily be with friends as I must admit that I have never visited the area despite writing about Market Garden for my dissertation.

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[1] Griffiths, P.  Battle Tactics of the Western Front: The British Army’s Art of Attack 1916 – 18 P.158