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Forces of Nature (2)

militaryhistorypodcast@gmail.com Author: George Hageman
Sat, May 24,
2008 GMT 22:29:00,

Whether they are seen as acts of God, or as simple climate-related occurrences, natural events have always had a sizeable impact on military operations. At the small end of the scale are the little changes in terrain or weather that may affect a battle or a small war. For example, many armies have postponed their campaigns due to inclement weather conditions, and many militaries have suffered from rampant disease. On the other end of the scale are the times when nature has so much of an impact that the fate of an entire nation or civilization is decided upon it. In the words of Charles Darwin, these are times when âthe war of natureâ results in the downfall of one party and the rise of another.

• Colonization Smallpox: Rampant disease severely weakened the Aztecs and Incas, allowing small bands of Spanish conquistadors (led by Cortez and Pizarro, respectively) to easily overthrow two great empires.
• Revolutionary Wind and Fog: Heavy winds subsided after the Battle of Long Island, allowing American troops to evacuate and fight another day.  Their retreat was concealed by a dense fog.  Later, just before the Battle of Trenton, a heavy fog concealed the Americans long enough to conduct a surprise attack which greatly boosted the morale of the Continental Army.
• Russian Winter: Cold temperatures forced Napoleon to retreat after he failed to conquer Russia and find accommodations in Moscow.  The lack of grass and unfrozen roads resulted in the destruction of up to 75% of Napoleon's Army as it marched back to France.

Whether they are seen as acts of God, or as simple climate-related occurrences, natural events have always had a sizeable impact on military operations.  At the small end of the scale are the little changes in terrain or weather that may affect a battle or a small war.  For example, many armies have postponed their campaigns due to inclement weather conditions, and many militaries have suffered from rampant disease.  On the other end of the scale are the times when nature has so much of an impact that the fate of an entire nation or civilization is decided upon it.  In the words of Charles Darwin, these are times when âthe war of natureâ? results in the downfall of one party and the rise of another.

• Thales' Eclipse: Halted the epic Battle of Halys River, thereby saving one or both of the participants (Lydia and Media) from destruction.
• Kamikaze (Divine Wind): Created a storm that destroying the invading Mongol fleets, thereby saving Japan from foreign conquest.
• Athenian Typhoid: Wreaked havoc throughout Athens, contributing to its downfall in the Peloponnesian War.
• Bering Land Bridge: Facilitated the "invasion" of North America.
• Clouds over Kokura: Obscured the primary target for the "Fat Man" atomic bomb, thereby saving Kokura but resulting in the destruction of Nagasaki.
• Legend of Quetzacoatl: Convinced the Aztecs that Cortez was the reincarnation of Quetzacoatl, thereby facilitating the Spanish conquest of Latin America.

• 2003: Deaths of Saddam's two sons (Qusay and Uday), capture of Saddam, Baathist Purge, National Museum looting, and Bremer's disbanding of the Iraqi Army.
• 2004: Sectarian violence and displacement, Operation Vigiliant Resolve (1st Fallujah), Battle of Ramadi, Battle of Husaybah, Battle of Mosul, Operation Phanton Fury (2nd Fallujah), Blackwater USA, medals of honor.
• 2005: January and December Legislative Elections, Battle of Haditha, Abu Ghraib.
• 2006: Handing three provinces to Iraqi authority, death of Zarqawi, execution of Saddam, Al-Askari mosque bombing, Operation Together Forward (Baghdad), Battle of Ramadi.
• 2007: Battle of Haifa Street (Baghdad), creation of the new Counterinsurgency Field Manual (3-24).

• Lincoln had a dream in which he walked into the East Room of the White House and saw a casket. He asked the soldiers why there was a casket and the soldiers told him that the President had been assassinated. He had the dream three days before being assassinated.
• Robert Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's son, stood by his father's body as he passed away. Strangely, Robert Todd Lincoln would also stand by the sides of Presidents Garfield and McKinley (both shot by assassins) as they lay dying.
• Robert Todd Lincoln once fell onto the train tracks but was saved by Edwin Booth, John's brother.
• Boston Corbett, the soldier who fatally wounded Booth, shot him in the exact same spot that Booth shot Lincoln.

• Vice President Johnson indirectly communicated with Booth on the day of the assassination. He stood to gain the most from the death of Lincoln.
• Confederate Secretary of State Judah Benjamin might have ordered the assassination of the opposing head of state for tactical reasons. Benjamin destroyed all of his records after the surrender, and then fled to England and never returned.
• Secretary of War Edwin Stanton disliked Lincoln for his moderate stance on many issues. Stanton prevented Ulysses Grant (and his military escort) from attending "Our American Cousin" with Lincoln (and potentially saving his life). He also lowered security on the bridge that Booth used to flee into Maryland. He also destroyed a few pages of Booth's diary before it was used as evidence in court.

The Anglo-Dutch Wars were a series of the distinct conflicts waged between England and the United Provinces (modern-day Netherlands) in the middle years of the 17th-century. Fought for different reasons, alongside different allies, and with different results, the wars pitted the two great maritime powers of the period against each other, until both came to realise that the real threat came from the France of Louis XIV. Almost uniquely maritime in nature, there wasnât a single action in the three conflicts in which an English army faced a Dutch one. 

• Negative Effects:
• Oil Fires: Saddam lit oil wells on fire, resulting in extreme air pollution.
• Oil Spills: the oil wells spilled into the surrounding ground and sea, ruining vast expanses of animal habitats.
• Depleted Uranium: DU munitions used by Coalition forces have chemically wounded thousands of Iraqis and Americans.
• War Machines: Military vehicles and structures wreak havoc through the fragile deserts of Western and Northern Iraq.
• Munitions: Unexploded ordinances and explosion craters have wrecked acres and acres of potential farmland.
• Water Pollution: Unnatural or unhealthy chemicals, such as oil and human biomass, have entered waterways in large quantities, thereby rendering them unusable.
• Infrastructure Damage: The lack of leadership in Iraq means that significant environmental problems, such as broken sewage systems, never get fixed.
• Fiscal Allocation: Funds allocated to defense could have been used to pursue environmentalist initiatives.
• Positive Effects:
• Iraq War is a major catalyst for the âalternative energies initiativeâ?.
• Saddamâs ecologically harmful policies will no longer devastate the Iraqi ecosystem.
• Iraqâs relationship with the United Nations has improved, meaning that UN environmental agencies can now safely enter the region.

• Chris Dodd: Army Reserve
• Mike Gravel: Lieutenant, Counter-Intelligence Corps (West Germany)
• Ron Paul: Captain, Flight Surgeon (US Air Force)
• Duncan Hunter: Lieutenant, US Army Rangers

• Kick-off Team: Skirmishers
• Quarterback: Tactical Commander
• Head Coach: Strategic Commander
• Halfback: Light Infantry Reserves
• Fullback: Heavy Infantry Reserves
• Tight End: Heavy Cavalry
• Linemen (offensive and defensive): Heavy Infantry
• Wide Receivers: Light Cavalry
• Cornerbacks: Light Cavalry
• Linebackers: Light Infantry
• Safeties: Heavy Cavalry
• Kicker: Artillery

• Pawns: Heavy Infantry
• Rooks: Artillery
• Knights: Light Cavalry
• Bishops: Light Infantry
• Queen: Heavy Cavalry
• King: Tactical Commander

• A Rations
• B Rations
• K Rations
• C Rations
• LRRP Rations
• MREs

• 1840s: Balloon Carriers are invented
• 1900s: Seaplane Carriers are invented
• 1910s: Modern aircraft carriers are invented
• 1930s-1940s: WWII (five major carrier battles)
  
• Pearl Harbor: Japan's six carriers surprise the United States Navy
• Coral Sea: Japan's three carriers engage America's two carriers (both lose one carrier)
• Midway: America's three carriers engage Japan's four carriers and sink all four, with the help of codebreakers and reconnaissance.  Considered a turning point in the Pacific War
• Philippine Sea: America's sixteen carriers destroy or disable all but 35 of the 500 Japanese carrier-based aircraft
• Leyte Gulf: America's seventeen carriers decisively defeat the Imperial Japanese Navy in the largest naval battle in history
• WWII-present: US Carrier Strike Groups control the seas

• Serbia (Orthodox Christians) under Slobodan Milosevic
• Bosnia (Muslims) under Alija Izetbegovic
• Croatia (Roman Catholics) under Franjo Tudjman

• Athens/United States: wealthy, democratic, powerful navy, supported by numerous smaller states (Delian League/NATO)
• Initially led by Pericles/FDR: rulers during the expansion of their respective nations' geopolitical status
  
• Sparta/USSR: communist, totalitarian, powerful army, supported by numerous smaller states (Peloponnesian League/Warsaw Pact)
• Initially led by Archidamus II/Stalin: rulers during the expansion of their respective nations' geopolitical status
• Thebes/China: Weaker third power allied with Sparta/USSR

• Persian Wars/WWII: Sparta/USSR and Athens/USA were originally allied in the fight against Persia/Axis
• Pentecontaetia/Berlin Blockade: Sparta/USSR and Athens/USA skirmish briefly over intermediate territory (Corinthian Isthmus/Germany)
• Archidamian War/Korean War: Sparta/USSR engages in a land war with Athens/USA over intermediate territory (Corinthian Isthmus/Germany).  Results in a stalemate.
• Pylos Campaign/Suez Crisis: Athens/USA intervenes in territory close to Sparta/USSR in order to gain an economic and political advantage. 
  
• Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis: Sparta/USSR sneaks into the Athens/USA sphere of influence and creates an outpost.
• Aegean Sea Propaganda Campaigns/Third World War: Sparta/USSR provides support to revolutions in Athens/USA's sphere of influence.
  
• Sicilian Expedition/Vietnam War: Athens/USA attempts to contain Sparta/USSR's sphere of influence and fails miserably (loses lives and money).

• Sparta launches a successful, massive land invasion against Athens (Problem: USSR never fought USA over Europe).  Decisive victory at the Battle of Mantinea
  
• Sparta destroys the entire Athenian Navy at the Battle of Aegospotami (Problem: USSR never defeated the American Navy decisively)
• Athens surrendered to Sparta (Problem: The US won the Cold War)

• Athens/United States: wealthy, democratic, powerful navy, supported by numerous smaller states (Delian League/NATO)
• Initially led by Pericles/FDR: rulers during the expansion of their respective nations' geopolitical status
  
• Sparta/USSR: communist, totalitarian, powerful army, supported by numerous smaller states (Peloponnesian League/Warsaw Pact)
• Initially led by Archidamus II/Stalin: rulers during the expansion of their respective nations' geopolitical status
• Thebes/China: Weaker third power allied with Sparta/USSR

• Persian Wars/WWII: Sparta/USSR and Athens/USA were originally allied in the fight against Persia/Axis
• Pentecontaetia/Berlin Blockade: Sparta/USSR and Athens/USA skirmish briefly over intermediate territory (Corinthian Isthmus/Germany)
• Archidamian War/Korean War: Sparta/USSR engages in a land war with Athens/USA over intermediate territory (Corinthian Isthmus/Germany).  Results in a stalemate.
• Pylos Campaign/Suez Crisis: Athens/USA intervenes in territory close to Sparta/USSR in order to gain an economic and political advantage. 
  
• Amphipolis Campaign/Cuban Missile Crisis: Sparta/USSR sneaks into the Athens/USA sphere of influence and creates an outpost.
• Aegean Sea Propaganda Campaigns/Third World War: Sparta/USSR provides support to revolutions in Athens/USA's sphere of influence.
  
• Sicilian Expedition/Vietnam War: Athens/USA attempts to contain Sparta/USSR's sphere of influence and fails miserably (loses lives and money).

• Sparta launches a successful, massive land invasion against Athens (Problem: USSR never fought USA over Europe).  Decisive victory at the Battle of Mantinea
  
• Sparta destroys the entire Athenian Navy at the Battle of Aegospotami (Problem: USSR never defeated the American Navy decisively)
• Athens surrendered to Sparta (Problem: The US won the Cold War)

• Giving maps to all Canadian troops, not just the officers
• Training all Canadian troops on a replica of Vimy Ridge
• Building an elaborate tunnel system underneath no man's land in order to carry men to the enemy front lines more quickly
• Use air support (including the famous Billy Bishop, a Canadian flying ace) to protect against German recon
  

• Operation Rosselsprung: Kidnap Josip Tito (the future leader of communist Yugoslavia)
• Operation Panzerfaust: Kidnap the son of Miklos Horthy (king of Hungary) to persuade him to stay in the Axis
• Operation Greif: Infiltrate behind allied lines at the battle of the bulge and spread chaos and confusion