Email Conversation Exchange

A conversation space for members of the Military History Society of New South Wales

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> From David Wilson on 2021-07-29 18:58

A quick heads-up on this WFA lecture on Mont St Quentin to be given online by Julian Whippy who has an excellent reputation in the guiding community. 

If I’ve done my search on the time zone clock correctly then 2000hr on Mon 2 Aug (UK time) is 0600hr on Tues morning for us here in the Antipodes (Sydney time).  A bit early for me, I think. However, the advertising notes also say it will be available later on YouTube which is probably where I’ll catch it when it goes up on that platform.

https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/events/online-a-fine-feat-of-war-the-taking-of-mont-st-quentin-1918-by-julian-whippy/

 

> From David Wilson on on 2021-07-22

We did something like this years ago (referring to Royal Australian Historical Society initiative called "Researching Soldiers In Your Local Community"), see link to Ku-ring-gai Historical Society's "Rallying The Troops" books about local men who served in the Great War:

https://www.khs.org.au/large-books/

> From Colin Kay on 2021-07-09 14:16:

There is one stubble difference, at the end of the day it was the Boers who surrendered. 

Not the English who ran away, I had this discussion with my American OC in SVN, he felt that we had used far too many troops in Malaya; again at the end of the ride the Min Yun were hiding in Thailand and the Yanks ran away.

> From David Wilson on 2021-07-09 12:39:
An interesting article and comparison which immediately grabbed my attention. I've been preparing a talk for WEA Sydney on Dien Bien Phu 1954 and in one of the references I used, it said that Lt Gen Navarre (the Theatre Commander in Indochina) had presented his 'Navarre Plan' to the French Govt in July 1953 where he proposed an army of 500,000 men to regain control of the Indochina colony, then comprising Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This army would be made up of:
·        French nationals (regular army);
·        French colonials (regulars from North Africa and West African colonies);
·        Foreign Legion (regulars - mainly displaced WW2 veterans from 'all over Europe');
·        Indochinese nationals (regulars in 3 x national armies)
·        Indochinese militias (locally-recruited and based nationals, i.e. Montagnards etc) 
None of this ever came to pass, of course, which is why the French suffered a series of tactical defeats across Indochina in 1953 and 1954 by the Viet Minh culminating in the battle of Dien Bien Phu which ended on 6/7 May 54 with that garrison being overrun.  Six months later the French were out of Indochina for good. 
I can't find the exact reference to the 500,000 troops demanded by Navarre – I think it's somewhere in Martin Windrow's massive 700+ page, but excellent history "The Last Valley" but I haven't got the page number.

 > From Frances Cairns on 2021-07-09 10:44:

an interesting article and it would make a good talk if someone could take it on.  

> From John McKeown on 2021-07-09 10:32:

Interesting article! Perhaps Kitchener's ruthlessness in rounding up civilians and thus denying

sustenance to the Boer fighters made that campaign simpler than the more "civilised" 

 

Afghanistan war. Regards John

> From Bob Guest on 2021-07-08 09:31:

The comparison with the Boer War is interesting: 

http://www.chrisash.co.za/2021/07/07/i-need-500000-men/