Introduction The Compiègne Wagon was the train carriage in which both the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and Armistice of 22 June 1940 were signed. Before the 1918 signing in the Forest of Compiègne, the wagon served as the personal carriage of Ferdinand Foch and was later displayed in French museums. However, after the successful… Read More
Introduction The Second Battle of Kiev was a part of a much wider Soviet offensive in Ukraine known as the Battle of the Dnieper (1943) involving three strategic operations by the Soviet Red Army and one operational counterattack by the Wehrmacht, which took place between 03 November and 22 December 1943 (The First Battle of… Read More
Introduction Colonel Sir Ronald Thomas Stewart Macpherson CBE, MC & Two Bars, TD, DL (04 October 1920 to 06 November 2014) was a highly decorated Scottish British Army officer during and after the Second World War. He fought with the No. 11 Commando unit and French Resistance forces, becoming infamous among Axis forces as the… Read More
“Determined leadership is vital throughout all echelons of command. Nowhere is it more important than in the higher ranks. Generals who become depressed when things are not going well, who lack the “drive” to get things done, and who lack the resolution, the robust mentality and the moral courage to see their plan through to… Read More
Introduction A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, pre-fabricated, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940-1941 by the British for military use during the Second World War and saw extensive use by British, Canadian and US military engineering units. A Bailey bridge has the advantages of requiring no special tools or heavy equipment to… Read More
Introduction The Munich Agreement (Czech: Mnichovská dohoda; Slovak: Mníchovská dohoda; German: Münchner Abkommen) or Munich Betrayal (Czech: Mnichovská zrada; Slovak: Mníchovská zrada) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy. It provided “cession to Germany of the Sudeten… Read More
“Machines don’t fight wars. People do, and they use their minds.” Colonel John R. Boyd (1927-1997) A United States Air Force fighter pilot and Pentagon consultant of the late 20th century, whose theories have been highly influential in the military, sports, business, and litigation. Boyd inspired the Lightweight Fighter programme (LWF) that produced the successful… Read More
Boot Camp & Military Fitness Institute 