Al Nofi's CIC
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Issue #21, Febuary 8, 2001 |
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This Issue...
- Infinite Wisdom
- la Triviata
- Short Rounds
- Mosquitos at War
- "Lights! Camera! Revolution!"
- From the Archives
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Infinite Wisdom
"Avoding war and keeping it at bay is not always in the power of those who want it."
--Charles V,
Holy Roman Emperor,
King of Spain.
La
Triviata
- Desertion among American troops on the frontier during the late nineteenth century was so common that one Secretary of War suggested it might be the best way to populate the west.
- The Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, governor general of Poland in 1831, is reputed to have expressed his opposition to war becaue "it soils the uniforms of the soldiers and loosens their discipline."
- From D-Day to the surrender of Germany, Allied forces operating in Northwestern Europe were supplied with approximately 970,000 motor vehicles.
- There are at least nine towns in the United States named in honor of Napoleon's victory at Arcola, eight named for his triumph at Marengo, six for Lodi, two each named after Auerstadt and Jena, plus one for Ulm, as well as at least a dozen named in honor of his defeat at Waterloo.
- The annual manpower loss through disease and desertion in the French Royal Army on the eve of the Revolution of 1789 was approximately 11.5%, roughly 20,000 men out of 173,000.
- At the peak of World War II the U.S. Army provided recruits with 472 hours of basic training, only 20 of which were devoted to close order drill.
Short Rounds
Mosquitos at War
Aside from enemy shot and shell, the troops engaged in the Normandy Campaign during World War II also had to contend with a plague of mosquitos, unusually large and aggressive ones at that.
One night, after a particularly fierce bout with the mosquitos, one soldier remarked to an MP, "Are they shooting those things at us, or are they self-proppelled?"
To which the MP replied, "One touched down on the fighter strip here today, and they put 200 gallons of gas into him by mistake before he took off."
"Lights! Camera! Revolution!"
Usually depicted as a crude, ignorant, though amiable rustic, the famed Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa was actually an astute, thoughtful leader. A good organizer, his armies were well fed, well supplied, and surprisingly well-trained. The families of the troops were provided with medical, welfare, and educational benefits.
More...
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