Comparisons of Afghanistan to Vietnam were common during the Bush years but have slowed down considerably since he left office. Â Perhaps there are political reasons for this and perhaps there is just comparison fatigue, I am not really which. Â I bring this up because I had a conversation about this at lunch the other day and it got me thinking about it. Â From a purely military perspective, it strikes me that while the war in Afghanistan is not synonymous with the war in Vietnam there are some parallels that it is perhaps a comparison worth exploring. The story that brought the topic up is here: U.S., Afghans hope to rout expected Taliban offensive.
Patrick Shrier
The Fifth Crusade
           Pope Innocent III (p.1198-1216), who was perhaps the most ardent supporter of Crusade to hold the Papacy, issued the Papal Bull Quia maior in April 1213 calling for a new Crusade to recapture Jerusalem.[1] This Bull set the standard for all future Crusading Bulls; in it, Innocent introduced many new concepts that widened the appeal of Crusading in Christendom. This was the first time that the indulgence had been expanded to include those who could not go on Crusade, they could gain the indulgence by supporting the Crusade financially. Innocent intended for this new Crusade to be led by the church and he worked tirelessly to see the Crusade come to fruition.
           The response to the new call for Crusade was tremendous throughout Europe except for France where the nobility was engaged in suppressing the Albigensian heresy. Duke Leopold VI of Austria (1176-1230) led a large contingent from Austria on Crusade. In Hungary, Andrew II (1205-1235) had taken the cross during the Fourth Crusade but had not fulfilled his vow so he now joined this new effort in its fulfillment. A churchman Oliver of Paderborn the Bishop of Cologne gathered a large army in Northwest Germany, Holland, and Flanders, which he then led on the Crusade himself. Oliver also wrote an account of the Fifth Crusade that is one of the most valuable sources extant. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (1205-1250) also took the cross promising to lead a massive army of Germans but he first had to cement the control of his empire.
The Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade started in 1202, when Pope Innocent III (p.1198-1216), seeking to build on the success of the Third Crusade preached a new Crusade to recover the Holy city of Jerusalem. The kings of Europe were too involved in personal quarrels to participate, so the mantle was taken up by a group of the lesser, mostly French, nobility.
At first, the Crusade appeared to be going nowhere with the major monarchs of Europe either at war, as England and France were, or in flux as was the Holy Roman Empire, with rival claimants to the throne. Thibault of Champagne (d. 24 May 1201) persuaded several members of the minor French nobility to take the cross, the most notable of whom, were Louis of Blois and Baldwin of Flanders. These three lords decided at a council in early 1200 to send a delegation to Venice seeking transport to the Holy Land. The Doge of Venice Enrico Dandolo (1192-1205) agreed to transport the Crusaders and provide a fleet of fifty Venetian manned ships for the sum of 85,000 marks.[1]
The Actual Writing of a Thesis-Part 5
I finished Chapter 2 of my thesis last night, ten days later than I planned, but finished is finished right? it was the chapter about the opening skirmishes and battles of the Königgrätz Campaign. It was fun to write but difficult at the same time. I essentially knocked out a twenty-page paper in two weeks where I normally wrote that much in a month being much more leisurely about it. Now I just have to work extra hard to catch up and get my paper done by the deadline for the rough draft, which is on February 20th. I should be able to do it because the next chapter … More after the Jump…
The Actual Writing of a Thesis-Part 5
I am now a little over half-way through writing my thesis at least going by the Outline I drew up. I got to page 50 last night and am almost ready to start writing the chapter concerning the main battle at Königgrätz itself. I am actually behind on the time-line I set myself because I got hit with writer’s block earlier this week. That is not the first time I have ever been blocked, but it is one of the worst episodes I have ever had. I got over it pretty well tough and have punched out about ten pages since I fiured out a way forward. … More after the Jump…
The Medieval Siege – Part 2
The weapons and techniques used throughout most of siege warfare are remarkably consistent with few innovations. The notable new weapons were the trebuchet, Greek fire, and Cannons.
           Siege towers or belfries were common if unwieldy weapons used at sieges throughout the medieval period. They were often made of wood and were built taller than the walls they would be used to assault. Sometimes towers were wheeled or they could also be built on sleds so that they could be pushed up against the walls. The most difficult part of using a tower was getting it up to the walls in the first place as most towns and castles were protected by ditches or moats. These would have to filled in and leveled out before a tower could be moved into position.
Notable Quotes about Liberalism
I was trolling the internet today and decided to start collecting quotes about modern liberalism and post them here. I will preface this by admitting that for the most part I am conservative both politically and socially. Most of them I think are pithy, truthful, funny, or all three. Well, here they are below the fold:
The Medieval Siege
The siege was the most common type of battle fought during the Middle Ages. Medieval armies and commanders tended to avoid pitched battles unless forced into them by circumstances. Medieval warfare and its concentration on sieges can thus be considered the ultimate in positional warfare as success usually lay with control of castles and strong points and the terrain they dominated.
In the early medieval period, there was not much in the way of new construction of fortifications and therefore not many examples of siege warfare. As the peoples of Europe began to organize themselves and nations and strongmen emerged there was a renewed focus on defensive fortifications that led to the castellation of Europe beginning in the tenth century, which was substantially completed by the end of the twelfth century.
The Third Crusade
The Third Crusade (1189-1192) was launched as a direct result of the loss of Jerusalem to the Muslims in October 1187. The loss of Jerusalem was occasioned by the destruction of the crusaders at the Battle of Hattin on July 4, 1187.[1]Â Hattin was a disaster for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, most of the army was destroyed with only a small party led by Raymond of Tripoli escaping. The king Guy of Lusignan (b.1150-d.1194) was captured as well the masters of the Templars and Hospitallers. All the military monks were executed and most of the prisoners were sold into slavery.
Medieval Fortifications
Fortifications have existed since before recorded history and the Middle Ages were no different. Forts and castles were used throughout the Middle Ages as a means of controlling territory and could even be used in an offensive manner such as the English under Edward I used in the conquest of Wales in the twelfth century.
           Most of the fortifications used in the early medieval period were Roman works that had survived the fall of the empire. Most surviving Roman fortifications were town walls and even if they did not survive completely they were incorporated into new construction whenever possible.
Book Review: Frederick the Great On The Art of War
Jay Luvaas is a professor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Pa.; he coauthored a series of Battlefield Guides of U.S. Civil War battlefields that became almost instant classics. He has authored several books of military history such as “The Military Legacy of the Civil War: The European Inheritanceâ€, “The Civil War: In the Writings of Col. G.F.R. Hendersonâ€, and “Napoleon on the Art of Warâ€. He has also authored many articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Parameters, the Journal of the U.S. Army War College and the Civil War Times Illustrated. Professor Luvaas prefaces his work by pointing out that the book is not a straight chronological … More after the Jump…
Battle Analysis: The German Invasion of Russia in 1941
The German invasion of European Russia was a huge mistake for several reasons, the biggest being that Germany had insufficient forces to win in the first year. Another reason was the force disparity between the German and Russian armies there is also the almost total lack of realistic logistics planning on the part of the German High Command or OKH. The German army did not have contingency plans for a winter campaign and were thus caught flat-footed when Russia failed to capitulate in 1941; this lack of planning was despite the recommendations of such officers as Guderian and Manstein.
The Actual Writing of a Thesis-Part 4
I was getting to the actual writing of a description of the fighting part of my thesis today when something hit me.  I was looking at casualty figures for the various actions and they are decidedly lopsided. Most historians blame that on the Prussian possession of the Needle-Gun but I just don’t buy that, it’s too pat an explanation. As I was thinking about it, it hit me that the Prussians and Austrians fought in completely different ways.
Medieval Weaponry
While weapon archetypes used during the feudal period were the same as that used throughout most of recorded history there were changes and developments in the different weapons and armor.  The spear and all its variants were the most widely used weapon of medieval armies. The spear was the primary weapon used by the barbarian armies’ that conquered the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century. As the lance, the spear continued to be used the most even after cavalry became the decisive military arm in Europe.
The “Vitriol in Public Speech” Debate-My 2¢
Ok, I have been reading quite a bit of news and opinion pieces about the uproar over “vitriolic and threatening” speech since the Tucson shootings last Saturday. What is killing me about this supposed debate is that it is not so much a debate as it is columnists on both sides throwing barbs at each other. It seems to me that the left is trying to play pin the blame on the conservative and conservatives are answering by saying it is not just us the liberals do it too. (both sides just end up appearing childish to me) Wouldn’t it be much better for the conservatives to flat out deny … More after the Jump…