The Nomad Historian

24/04/2023

Sabaton - 1916

As many as 250,000 boys under the age of 18 served in the British Army during World War One, this song commemorates their sacrifice.

Lyrics:

"Sixteen years old when I went to the war
To fight for a land fit for heroes
God on my side, and a gun in my hand
Chasing my days down to zero
And I marched and I fought and I bled and I died
And I never did get any older
But I knew at the time that a year in the line
Was a long enough life for a soldier

We all volunteered, and we wrote down our names
And we added two years to our ages
Eager for life and ahead of the game
Ready for history's pages
And we brawled and we fought and we wh**ed 'til we stood
Ten thousand shoulder to shoulder
A thirst for the Hun, we were food for the gun
And that's what you are when you're soldiers

I heard my friend cry, and he sank to his knees
Coughing blood as he screamed for his mother
And I fell by his side, and that's how we died
Clinging like kids to each other
And I lay in the mud and the guts and the blood
And I wept as his body grew colder
And I called for my mother and she never came
Though it wasn't my fault and I wasn't to blame
And the day's not half over and ten thousand slain
And now there's nobody remembers our names
And that's how it is for a soldier"

This is the official lyric video for "1916" by Sabaton, taken from the "Stories From The Western Front" EP .This lyric video was created using never-seen-bef...

06/03/2023

Here's what we think the 1916 experience was like for the average Tommy. Anyway, compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms. Be well informed....

25/12/2022

The Christmas Truce December 1914

By December 1914 the reality of trench warfare had settled in, and weeks of heavy rain had turned both the trenches and the No Man’s Land that separated them into a cold, muddy wasteland. For those on the Western Front, daily life was miserable, but it was a misery that was shared by enemies who were, in some places, separated by 50 yards (46 metres) or less.

In early December an attempt was made to secure an official truce for the Christmas holidays. Pope Benedict XV had ascended to the papacy just a month after the outbreak of war, and on December 7 he issued an appeal to the leaders of Europe “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” His proposal was rejected, however, this did not stop soldiers at the front from seizing the initiative.

As December 25 approached, the constant soaking rain gave way to frost, and the battlefields of Flanders were blanketed with a light dusting of snow. German emperor William II contributed to the holiday atmosphere when he sent Tannenbäume (Christmas trees) to the front in an effort to bolster morale. On December 23 German soldiers began placing the trees outside their trenches. They sang hymns such as “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”), and voices from the Allied lines responded with Christmas carols of their own.

By Christmas Eve, some lower-ranking British officers had begun ordering their men not to fire unless fired upon. This policy came to be known as “live and let live,” and it would be adopted on an ad hoc basis throughout the war, particularly in less active sectors. Like all implementations of “live and let live,” the officers’ decisions were made without any authorization from above, and the tenuous truce slowly started to take hold. As morning broke on Christmas Day, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, waving their arms to demonstrate that they had no ill intent. When it became clear that they were not carrying weapons, British soldiers soon joined them, meeting in No Man’s Land to socialize and exchange gifts.

In the days following Christmas, violence returned to the Western Front, although the truce persisted until after New Year’s Day in some areas.

Happy Holidays to all, especially those who still on the frontlines and those who never returned.

25/12/2022

The Christmas Truce December 1914

By December 1914 the reality of trench warfare had settled in, and weeks of heavy rain had turned both the trenches and the No Man’s Land that separated them into a cold, muddy wasteland. For those on the Western Front, daily life was miserable, but it was a misery that was shared by enemies who were, in some places, separated by 50 yards (46 metres) or less.

In early December an attempt was made to secure an official truce for the Christmas holidays. Pope Benedict XV had ascended to the papacy just a month after the outbreak of war, and on December 7 he issued an appeal to the leaders of Europe “that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang.” His proposal was rejected, however, this did not stop soldiers at the front from seizing the initiative.

As December 25 approached, the constant soaking rain gave way to frost, and the battlefields of Flanders were blanketed with a light dusting of snow. German emperor William II contributed to the holiday atmosphere when he sent Tannenbäume (Christmas trees) to the front in an effort to bolster morale. On December 23 German soldiers began placing the trees outside their trenches. They sang hymns such as “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”), and voices from the Allied lines responded with Christmas carols of their own.

By Christmas Eve, some lower-ranking British officers had begun ordering their men not to fire unless fired upon. This policy came to be known as “live and let live,” and it would be adopted on an ad hoc basis throughout the war, particularly in less active sectors. Like all implementations of “live and let live,” the officers’ decisions were made without any authorization from above, and the tenuous truce slowly started to take hold. As morning broke on Christmas Day, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, waving their arms to demonstrate that they had no ill intent. When it became clear that they were not carrying weapons, British soldiers soon joined them, meeting in No Man’s Land to socialize and exchange gifts.

In the days following Christmas, violence returned to the Western Front, although the truce persisted until after New Year’s Day in some areas.

Happy Holidays to all, especially those who still on the frontlines and those who never returned.

The official music video for Christmas Truce by Sabaton, from the new album The War To End All Wars.➞ SUBSCRIBE for more Sabaton: https://sabat.one/YouTube➞ ...

05/12/2022

These games had a major impact on my love of military history and in particular my interest in the seconds world war. From Medal of Honor in 1999 on PS1 to Medal of Honor Airborne in 2007 on XBox 360.

24/11/2022

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23/11/2022

13/11/2022

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

- Laurence Binyon

‘Letters Home’ is a short film which tells the story of Tom, a sailor from the Royal Navy 63rd Division, writing his letter home. It’s a personal account on ...

07/11/2022

Tonights watch! 'Our World War' on BBC Three, a three part series based on the first hand accounts of soldiers who served in World War I.

04/11/2022

The closest a film could get to portraying the horrors of war. Brilliant film, amazing cast and outstanding story. Highly recommend watching!

09/08/2021

Tiger 131

Type: Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I H1 (Sd.Kfz. 181)

Completed in January or February 1943, it was shipped to Tunisia between 12 March and 16 April 1943 where it was assigned to No. 3 Platoon in No. 1 Company of the 504th Schwere Heerespanzerabteilung (German heavy tank battalion).
Knowing that the Allies were preparing a major push toward Tunis, the German forces launched a spoiling attack on the night of 20/21 April 1943. 131, along with another Tiger and several other tanks, advanced through a pass on the north side of a hill called Djebel Djaffa but were gradually driven back. Tiger 131 was hit by three 6-pounders from British Churchill tanks of A Squadron, 4 Troop of the 48th Royal Tank Regiment (RTR). One shot hit the Tiger's gun barrel and ricocheted into its turret ring, jamming its traverse, wounding the driver and front gunner and destroying the radio; one hit the turret lifting lug, disabling the gun's elevation device. Finally, a third shot hit the loader's hatch, deflecting fragments into the turret. The German crew bailed out, taking their wounded with them and leaving the knocked-out but still driveable, largely intact, tank behind. The tank was secured by the British as they captured Djebel Djaffa hill. Tiger 131 was the first intact Tiger tank captured by British forces.

Further reading, articles and videos:
• Tank Museum Bovingdon: https://tankmuseum.org/tank-nuts/tank-collection/tiger-i
• Tank Museum Tank Chats:
https://youtu.be/TlXzD5yuJKQ
• Simple History:
https://youtu.be/svir2ClIt_E

08/08/2021

27/06/2021

What remains of Mumbles Hill heavy anti-aircraft battery which consisted of control bunker and four round gun emplacements that housed QF 3.7in heavy anti-aircraft guns.

23/06/2021

St Davids USAAF Crash

Location: Whitesands, St. Davids. Wales
Type: Memorial

History: A memorial to;
• 1st Lt Robert Eugene Lawrence, Pilot, USAAC 8th Air Force, 22 years of age.
• 2nd Lt Hulbert H Robertson, Navigator, USAAC 8th Air Force 23 years of age.
• Flight Officer James Grady Jackson, Co-pilot, USAAC 8th Air Force, 20 years of age.
• S/Sgt William A Brown, Engineer, USAAC 8th Air Force, 21 years of age.

During thick fog, on June 4th, 1943, a Martin Maurauder twin-engined medium bomber of the US Army Air Force crashed into the slopes of Carn Llidi, overlooking White sands, killing all four crew members whilst on the final stage of a ferry flight to the UK from the United States, via South America and Africa.
The crew had taken off from Port Lyauty (now Kenitra), Morocco bound for St Eval in Cornwall, a flight that would have been approximately 1,070 to 1,090 nautical miles. But, due to poor weather and fog, the formation became separated as it neared Britain. Aircraft No. 41-34765 missed St Eval and were headed for the Pembrokeshire coastline. On that day, the Carn Llidi, near St. Davids, was obscured in cloud, the B-26 struck at high speed; the crew didn't stand a chance.
The other aircraft met different fates. One crashed near Llanelli, killing all crew members, one force-landed on a beach in Ireland, two others found RAF airfields, but had minor landing incidents, and the remaining three landed without incident.
Lt Robertson was buried at the American Military Cemetery at Cambridge. Lt Lawrence, Flight Officer Jackson and S/Sgt Brown were returned to the US, after the war, for burial.