Tag: War

The war in Georgia – grim photographs

VERY IMPORTANT WARNING: The photographs at the links provided contain EXTREMELY GRAPHIC images of dead bodies (including some burnt to death or apparently driven over by tanks or other heavy vehicles) and injured people. DO NOT GO TO THE LINK IF THIS IS LIKELY TO OFFEND OR UPSET YOU! A Russian Internet forum has published… Continue reading The war in Georgia – grim photographs

So Henry Hook wasn’t a boozer after all!

It seems the 1964 film “Zulu” cast unfair and untrue aspersions on the character of Private Henry Hook. In the film Zulu he was portrayed as a drunken malingerer who became a reluctant hero. But while Hollywood was right to show Private Henry Hook as a hero, the rest of his screen depiction was fiction.… Continue reading So Henry Hook wasn’t a boozer after all!

What is Georgia up to?

No, not the US State, the country that was once part of the former Soviet Union. I can’t for the life of me figure out what Georgia’s leaders thought they could achieve by launching an all-out military offensive in the disputed region of South Ossetia. Sure, it’s Georgian territory, but since 1992 Russian separatists have… Continue reading What is Georgia up to?

A fascinating look at World War II

The BBC has put up an audio slide show on its Web site, showing many of the most important reconnaissance photographs of World War II, with two experts discussing why they’re important and what they reveal. Pegasus Bridge, Normandy, June 1944 It’s a fascinating look at how intelligence was gathered in those days, and a… Continue reading A fascinating look at World War II

On This Day: June 6th, 1944

I’m sure newspapers, blogs and other media will be full of the anniversary, but nevertheless, it’s worth remembering that sixty-four years ago, on what’s become popularly known as D-Day, our forefathers stormed ashore at five points on the Normandy coast to begin the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi tyranny. (Click the map and photographs… Continue reading On This Day: June 6th, 1944

Another famous ship’s grave discovered

This year has seen a bumper harvest of famous warships rediscovered. We’ve already looked at HMS Hunter and HMAS Sydney in these pages, and seen how modern imaging sonar can reveal hitherto unforeseen details of ships at the bottom of the sea. The latest discoveries are of HMS Exeter, a York-class heavy cruiser: and HMS… Continue reading Another famous ship’s grave discovered

One of history’s worst-timed decisions

Back in 1967, King Hussein of Jordan was not very popular with his hard-line Arab neighbor states. President Nasser of Egypt called him an ‘imperialist lackey’ for his tepid support of Arab nationalism. Nasser, you will recall, had kicked the UN peacekeeping force out of the Sinai Peninsula, closed the Straits of Tiran to Israeli… Continue reading One of history’s worst-timed decisions