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.