Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Blockade

Union Blockade 700x477

Blockade

Rather than just dig into the definition we thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A on this particular word.

What is a blockade?

A blockade is an effort to cut off supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally.

Is it legal during war?

Yes, but only if it is actually effective and the rights of neutrals are respected.

What is Blockade Running?

Simply put, efforts to get through a blockade to get supplies in or other things out.

Is it just a naval term?

It used to be but now it is possible to use aircraft to effect a blockade. In modern terms it is more about the results than the methods.

Has the United States ever been under a blockade?

Yes, during the American Revolution the British Navy was able to effectively cut off the American Colonies from outside trade. Some supplies did manage to slip through, thankfully.

Also during the War of 1812 by the British again. This one proved a little less effective due to the fledgling US Navy.

So has the United States  ever instituted a blockade on another country?

Oh yeah.

During the Mexican-American War (1846-48) the US instituted a blockade of the Mexican ports on the Pacific and Gulf Coast.

During the American Civil War (1861-65) the US set up a blockade of the Confederate States of America (the legality of this was often question by the European powers due to the fact that the Confederacy was never recognized as an actual nation.)

The Spanish-American War in 1898 saw the US blockading Puerto Rico and Cuba.

A blockade of Japan during WWII (1944-1945).  Wait a second. They were only blockaded for one year? Technically yes as a legal blockade could not be commenced against Japan until the US had undisputed control fo the area.

Technically the US was also involved in an air blockade (No Fly Zone) against Iraq (1991-2003) and was part of the NATO force that blockaded Yugoslavia (1993-1996)

Did I miss any?

Civil War, Uncategorized, Vietnam, WWII

Battlefield Communications

Battlefield Communications

Battlefield Communications

Communication on the battlefield has always been a major concern of armies. In the early days, leaders could shout commands to their troops. Even with a relatively small number of men and close quarters, this became almost impossible.

Some armies developed a system of flags that could be waved during a battle that would pass on the orders of the general to their men. This increased the distance over which the commands could be given. It did rely on the men being able to see the flags. As the size of the battlefields grew the less valuable this method became.

Eventually, music became the standard. Drums and trumpets translated commands down the line and to anyone within earshot. Much more effective than flags, but as the size of armies grew so did the size of battlefields. Battles were being fought over miles now and even relaying orders from the leaders to the men either took too long or were too easily misunderstood.

During the Civil War, the telegraph changed everything. President Lincoln could stand in the War Office in Washington and get real-time updates of a battle in Tennessee. Heck if he wanted (and occasionally he did) he could give orders to Generals commanding on the front lines. (They loooved that.)

Fast forward a hundred years and the advent and proliferation of radios like the one above battles could be fought by men on one side of an ocean commanding men on the other.  Today we have satellites and near instantaneous communications with nearly any point on the globe. We’ve come a long way.

Word and Phrases, WWII

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Doodlebug

Image result for doodlebug
What a cute little doodlebug!

Doodlebug

The first thing comes to mind is a pet name for a little kid. That is how I always heard it and when I hear it I think, “Awwww…” So that is what I thought it was.

It turns out that doodlebug has been around the American vernacular for a very long time but came to more prominence during WWII. American soldiers stationed in the UK during the war gave the nickname to the German V1 bombs that were being hurled against the British.

Now you may think that based on the word doodle, or “to play about”, that the name was given based on the sometimes erratic patterns the bombs would take to their targets. But no. See the name doodlebug was also given to a type of mini race car that was popular in the 1930’s. As it turns out the V1 in flight sounded a lot like the straight-through exhaust system of the mini-cars. So the name stuck.

 

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Shavetail

Shavetail

Shavetail

 

In the US Army a “shavetail” is a new officer, usually a 2nd Lieutenant, who is fresh out of OCS (Officer Candidate School). Their distinctive short haircuts set them a prat from the more experienced officers. The term has come to be used to mean anyone who is inexperienced with their jobs.

It goes back to the days when the Army used pack animals, such as mules, to haul supplies. New animals would require some breaking in to be of much use, one that was accomplished the handlers would shave their tails. This let everyone know that they were new and set them apart from their more seasoned compatriots.

Basically, calling some a shavetail means use caution as they are new on the job.

 

 

American Revolution

Don’t Mess with the Overmountain Men

Don't Mess with the Overmountain Men

 

A New Strategy

With the war in America blossoming into a world war, the British had to come up with a new strategy. Settling for a stalemate in the north they moved the active theater south. The idea being that they could pacify the rebels and let the strong loyalist population regain control of the regions, thus re-establishing the region to the crown. In May 1780 the plan kicked off with the capture of Charleston after a siege that saw a sizable patriot force surrender. In August of that year the British and American forces meet at Camden. The British succeeded in not only winning the battle, but caused the American army to all but disintegrate. With organized resistance removed in South Carolina, the British looked to implement their plan of turning the area over to the loyalists.

Enter Patrick Ferguson and his band of loyalists. Building on the support for the crown in the region, Ferguson began a campaign of rooting out rebels and restoring the countryside to British rule. Far from just a lone detachment, Ferguson’s corps was integral to the plans of General Cornwallis. It would act as the left flank of the army. It would also be the main defense for the string of British outposts in the west. Ferguson was effective enough in his actions to allow Cornwallis to move forward with his plans of invading North Carolina, Ferguson however made one major mistake.

The Overmountain Men

Looking to extend control over the mountains into the frontier, Ferguson issued an edict that anyone who did not cooperate with the Crown would be hung. Needless to say this caused a great deal of agitation to the men on the frontier. They were called the “Overmountain” men for where they lived. After Ferguson called them out their resistance to the British began to stiffen. The Americans raised a large force of militia and struck out to take Ferguson down. Hearing that he was being shadowed by this force, Ferguson decided to take a stand on Kings Mountain and force a confrontation.

On October 7, 1780, he set up his position on the heights and awaited the rebels. What transpired was one of the largest battles of the war that contained no “regulars”.   The rebels advanced from multiple directions using rocks and trees for cover.  They were able to us a withering fire to great effect against the loyalists.  In less than an hour the position was over run. Ferguson was dead. The British left flank becmae completely exposed.

The victory for the rebels at King’s Mountain effectively crippled the loyalist cause in the south. It also forced Cornwallis to rethink his strategy. This set the stage for patriot resurgence in the area. Suddenly the south was in play once again.

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words and Phrases: Boot Camp

Image result for boot camp

Boot Camp

Familiar to many of you as training camp for the military. When you join you go to Boot Camp to learn how to be a soldier. But where does that name come from?
Well, it is based on military slang that dates back to the 1890’s. Men who joined the Navy or Marines were called “boots” due the leather stockings they wore. By the 1920’s the British Army started using the term to mean any sort of training camp.
In the US however it referred to the Navy Recruit Training Center in Great Lakes, IL and the USMC Recruit Training Depots in Paris Island, SC and Sand Diego, CA.
Though it is used for other things such as a quick training session or a disciplinary camp, that is where it originally came from.
Vietnam

Victor Charlie AKA The Viet Cong

A Viet Cong Military Uniform

The Viet Cong

During the Vietnam War the United States and her allies faced off primarily against two forces. The People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) which was the regular army of North Vietnam was one of these groups. The other was the National Liberation Front (NLF), also known as the Viet Cong. This was a mostly irregular force that carried out guerrilla campaigns against the United States and South Vietnamese military. That snappy “uniform” above belongs to one of those fighters.

The NLF was a political organization that formed in South Vietnam which had a communist bent. It also had its own army, the People’s Liberation Armed Forces of South Vietnam (PLAF). Most of the fighters were from either South Vietnam or Cambodia, which made things very confusing because the South Vietnamese were supposed to on our side.

The PLAF (commonly referred to as the Viet Cong) served both as guerrilla fighters, as mentioned) and served alongside the regular PAVN forces. It was also their job to organize resistance in the South and often they would prepare entire villages for mobilization.  Numerous and hard to eradicate they managed to get their own nickname from the Americans, Victor Charlie or V-C based on the letters in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Effectiveness?

Where as the PAVN had a hard time in stand up fights against the US, the Viet Cong were able to operate in almost an untouchable fashion. Their greatest operation came in 1968 during what has come to be called the Tet Offensive. In a single stroke the VC carried out coordinated attacks across the South, over 100 including against the US Embassy in Saigon.  Eventually defeated the VC were never really able to gather any serious strength again and returned to the guerrilla war. Major offenses after this would be carried out by the regular army. Even in defeat though the found a modicum of victory. The US will to fight in Southeast Asia was dealt a devastating blow. The war would go on, but the focus became not so much winning, but getting out alive. (Open to interpretation, but yeah.)

In 1976 the war officially ended with the North soundly defeating the South. Once the two countries were united the PLAF was officially disbanded. This is just a brief look at the Viet Cong, there is a lot to tell about them, more than can fit here. In total it is estimated that the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong war dead totaled close to half a million. Each one of them fighting for a cause they believed in. One theme you should always find in this blog and these articles is to realize that even the people we think of as enemies are fighting for something.  Sometimes it never hurts to remember that.

 

WWII

A Controlled Crash

A Controlled Crash

A Controlled Crash

That above is a glider of the model used by the Allied forces during D-Day. A glider, if you are not familiar, is a plane shaped vehicle that has no engines, is towed by another plane and when released, glides gently to the ground.

That is until you load it with infantrymen, equipment, and everything needed to confront the Nazi’s. At that point it basically becomes a rock that falls quickly and instead of the nice soft landing, generally becomes a controlled crash. Sounds terrible doesn’t it? Well, it was, but it served a really good purpose.

First of all, gliders once released from their tow plane are basically silent. No noise means they are more difficult to find in the sky and thus more difficult to shoot down. It also makes it harder to determine where the will land.

Second of all, the troops that were parachuted onto a battlefield, they would often scatter and be dispersed. This means that it would take longer to get them into the fight and time would be lost getting them organized. Coming in with a glider meant the troops would land in the place and in theory be ready to get into the fight. (If they survived the landing.)

Lastly, they were cheap. Most of the trips for these were one way, as many did not survive the experience. So they were made of the wood and cheaper materials, which meant the could be mass-produced cheap.

End of an Era

The end of WWII saw pretty much the end of gliders. The advent of helicopters pretty much replaced them for military use. Unlike gliders, helicopters can pick the troops back up after the battle is over. Today some special forces teams will use gliders for their missions, but pretty much the gliders were something that had its one specific moment in time.

Uncategorized

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Shebang

Shebang in Andersonville, GA

Shebang

Most likely you have heard the phrase “the whole shebang” before. Something like. “Wow, he made a mess of the whole shebang.” That use, meaning “a matter of concern” comes to us around 1869.

The first recorded use of shebang was in 1861. It referred to a small lean-to or shelter in a prisoner of war camp. For the most part during the Civil War prisoners were kept in enclosed spaces where they had to fend for themselves. Often they would dig a trench and use whatever the could to cover it. This became their home for the duration.

Where did shebang come from? There are two possibilities.  It could have come from Louisiana Confederates. Where it derived from the word chabane which means covered hut, lodge or cabin in French. It could have also come from the Irish word shebeen, a cabin where unlicensed liquor is sold and drunk. Either one sounds plausible. Based on the number of Irish that served in both armies during the war I would tend to lean towards the latter.

It would be my best guess that since everything a prisoner owned was kept in his shebang, after the war it became used in the form we know today.  Especially if used to mean the entirety of something. “They took care of the whole shebang.” “They left the entire shebang behind.’ Conjecture? Sure but gosh darn it sure does quack like a duck!

 

 

American Revolution, Frontier

The Siege of Louisbourg

The Siege of Louisbourg 1758

The Siege of Louisbourg

The map above is an original showing the siege action that took place at Louisbourg during the French & Indian War. Louisbourg is located on Ile Royal, the modern-day Cape Breton Island in Canada. The fortress was the key to St. Lawrence waterway and the interior of Canada. As long as the French held out, any British campaigns in Canada would be very difficult.  In 1758 it took the British six weeks to take the fort and opened up Quebec to attack the next spring.  That is not the story for today though.

The real story is that years earlier in 1745 the fort had already been taken from the French. Not by the British Army however, but by brave men from New England (with a little help from the Navy.) This was one of the first military wins against a foreign power in the annals of American military history.

The Siege of Louisbourg (The First One)

In 1744 the War of the Austrian Succession broke out in Europe with the main combatants being England and France. It did not take long for the conflict to spill into the North American colonies.  As was the case in the next war the French fortress at Louisbourg stood in the way of the British war effort. Talk of trying to take the fortress in the colonies made the rounds, but the British were not all that enthused about the idea. In the end it was decided that it would just be too darn expensive to launch an operation.

Massachusetts Governor William Shirley  would not take no for an answer. He thought that the fortress could be taken with just a few men and made a proposal to the General Assembly, which pretty much denied it deferring to their British overlords. Shirley would not be denied however.

In all he arranged for 3,000 volunteers for land duty and another 1,000 for the naval duty. with backup coming from a British fleet in Jamaica. In a campaign that lasted a little more than a month the Colonists were victorious and Louisbourg was theirs!

The Fallout

When news of the victory reached the colonies there was elation. Spontaneous celebrations of the “Citizen Soldier” ran rampant. Fireworks and liquor were widespread. This was the birth of the idea that the common man, the militia, were just as powerful as the “regular” army. It was this victory that sat in the minds of the next generation of Americans when war began brewing against the British.

Speaking fo the British. The victory was not quite received as well. The common man on the street thought the victory was incredible. The Government though, were not as thrilled. Unknown to the colonists a peace treaty was in the works and the victory caused issues. In a move that would later come back to haunt them the British handed the fort back over to the French.

When news of the return of the fort reached America the colonists felt betrayed. They had fought hard and well and won a great victory over the mighty French. Only to see their victory wiped out. This was a slight that would stick in the colonists craw for many years and would even be brought up during the march to revolution.  So in many ways, the First Siege of Louisbourg had much more of an impact than the second.

 

 

People, Places and Things from US Military History

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