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50 BATTLESTHAT SHAPED OUR WORLD
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V O L U M E V I S S U E 6
December / January 09CONTENTS
COVER STORY DEPARTMENTS
52 50 Battles That Shaped Our WorldMilitary history is world history! War has determined the fate
of nations, created or shifted national boundaries, and in some
cases destroyed entire civilizations. We present 50 battles that
shaped – indeed, are shaping – the world we live in today.
By Andrew Hershey and Jerry D. Morelock
FEATURES
SPECIAL REPORT
42 Al-Qaida’s Media StrategyGuns and bombs aren’t the only weapons used in the
War on Terrorism. By Carl J. Ciovacco
BATTLEFIELD LEADER
46 Rommel’s Panzer Strategy in NormandyHad the German army heeded Erwin Rommel’s advice,
it could have thrown the Allies’ 1944 Normandy invasion
back into the sea. By Bevin Alexander
INTERACTIVE
COMBAT!
71 Hell’s Highway, 1944Choose the correct course of action as Allied paratroopers
face German soldiers during World War II’s largest
airborne operation.
YOU COMMAND
76 Fighting Napoleon’s Armies in Spain, 1808Test your combat decision-making skills as a British
commander opposing the French occupation of Spain.
YOU COMMAND SOLUTION
82 Stalingrad, 1942Historical outcome and winning Reader Solutions to
CDG #28, September 2008 issue.
4 PUBLISHER’S NOTE
6 EDITOR’S LETTER
8 MAILBAG
10 CRISIS WATCH
Analysis ParalysisWhy America’s governmentcan’t understand its enemies.By Ralph Peters
12 DEFENSE 21
The War WithinThe United States’ latest war isbeing fought within the Penta-gon. By Caspar Weinberger Jr.
14 DISPATCHES
Real heroes, destinations,significant events in history,cool gear and more!
22 10 QUESTIONS
General Montgomery C. MeigsAn interview with a provencombat leader who is the epitome of the Soldier-scholar.
26 FORGOTTEN HISTORY
Gettysburg Intelligence CoupThough often overlooked byhistorians, military intelligenceplayed a decisive role in theUnion victory at Gettysburg.
28 LEGENDARY COMBAT UNITS
Canada’s “Van Doos”Le Royal 22e Régiment wonrenown during the Great War,World War II and Korea.
30 GREAT WARRIORS
Red Army Tankers, 1941-45The warriors who led the Red Army to Berlin and finalvictory in World War II.
32 BADGES OF HONOR
Germany’s Pour le MériteThe history of the famous“Blue Max” medal.
34 TIPPING POINTS
“The Bomb”The development of nuclearweapons profoundly altered the course of military historyand world history.
36 SPY WARS
Stealing Our BombHow the USSR’s atomic spieshelped develop the “Russianbomb.”
38 HARD CHOICES
Marshal Foch, 1918Only Foch’s icy nerve preventedthe Germans from winning inthe final year of World War I.
40 LEADERSHIP
John J. PershingTimeless leadership lessonsfrom General “Black Jack”Pershing.
96 PARTING SHOT
Touchdown
REVIEWS86 GAME BUZZ
Dear Sergeant SantaGamers will love these six greatnew titles!
88 VIDEO GAME REVIEW
Warhammer: 40,000: SquadCommand, Crysis Warhead,and Combat Arms
90 WARGAME REVIEW
Europa Universalis: Rome andPanzer Command: Kharkov
92 BOOKSHELF
Sergeant Santa’s Reading ListThese must-read recommenda-tions cover a wide range oferas and subjects.
94 DVD LIBRARY
Sergeant Santa’s Shopping Guide“Small screen” classics to add toyour shopping list this season!
ON THE COVER
Rick Rescorla during the Battle
of Ia Drang, November 1965.
Gen. Hal Moore and Joseph Gal-
loway’s riveting account of the
battle, We Were Soldiers Once ...
And Young, has recently been
followed by their outstanding
sequel, We Are Soldiers Still.
FACI
NG
PAG
E: Z
ACH
ARY
A. B
ATH
ON
TOP
RO
W, L
TO
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ATIO
NAL
AR
CHIV
ES; R
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CAPA
© 2
001
BY
COR
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MID
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ATIO
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ES; B
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ANN
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IS; N
ATIO
NAL
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CHIV
ES; L
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ARY
OF
CON
GRES
S PR
INTS
AN
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OGR
APH
S D
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ION
; BOT
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PETE
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2 ✯ A R M C H A I R G E N E R A L ✯ J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9
More at
armchairgeneral.com
✯
The Other
Napoleonic Wars
What the 1805-12 insurgencies
in Spain and Italy can
tell us about Iraq
and Afghanistan today.
By Pat Proctor
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As the Army of the Potomac’s
I Corps crashed into Henry
Heth’s Confederates the first
day of the Battle of Gettys-
burg, July 1, 1863, a stream
of prisoners was hustled to
the rear of the Union Army for the attention
of John C. Babcock. Babcock, a civilian and
the Army’s order-of-battle specialist, was well
skilled at interrogating prisoners, which he
did throughout the evening. The
rest of the Army intelligence
staff, the Bureau of Military In-
formation, arrived around mid-
night with their chief, Colonel
George H. Sharpe. (See Forgotten
History, July 2008.) Within the
previous six months, Sharpe had
created the first modern all-
source intelligence operation,
and it now faced its ultimate test
in the Civil War’s decisive battle.
E a r l i e r t h a t m or n i n g ,
Sharpe’s chief of scouts ,
Sergeant Milton Cline, rode into
the Union Army headquarters at
Taneytown, Maryland, after re-
turning from a foray behind
Confederate lines. Cline was a
natural actor, bold and cool, and
a master at reconnaissance, thus
he easily passed himself off as a
Confederate. While among his
enemies, he learned that on July
2, vital dispatches traveling from
Richmond, Virginia, for General
Robert E. Lee were expected to
pass through Greencastle, Penn-
sylvania, along the Rebels’
main supply route.
Listening to Cline’s report was
20-year-old Captain Ulric Dahl-
gren, an aide to Union Army com-
mander General George G.
Meade. Tall, dashing and intelli-
gent – and always eager for a
chance to prove his abilities –
Dahlgren immediately volun-
teered to lead a detachment to
seize the dispatches. Realizing that
Dahlgren was just the man for the
job, Sharpe gave him Cline and
three of his best scouts. The
Army’s cavalry corps commander
then added 11 of his cavalrymen.
Two days later, Dahlgren and
his band rode into Greencastle to
the joy of the townspeople, who
had not seen blue Union uniforms
in two weeks. Ordering the citi-
zens indoors, Dahlgren climbed
into a church belfry to observe the
roads. He was just in time, as he
soon saw cavalry approaching –
undoubtedly the Confederate couriers and
their escort. He also saw a Rebel infantry
company guarding a wagon train apparently
loaded with Pennsylvania loot.
Dashing down to the street, Dahlgren hid
his men behind a building. They attacked
just as the two groups of Confederates
reached the town. Surprised at the shouting
Union cavalrymen charging into their midst,
the Confederates bolted. Dahlgren’s men
took 17 prisoners, with Cline personally
grabbing the two couriers.
Upon opening the two dispatches, Dahl-
gren learned one was from the Confederate
Army’s adjutant general and the other was from
President Jefferson Davis. Stunned by what he
read, Dahlgren ordered Cline to form a rear
guard while he alone carried the dispatches to
Meade’s headquarters, 32 miles away.
Meanwhile, the rumble of battle
washed over the countryside as Meade’s
army traded hammer blows with Lee’s
forces all afternoon in some of the hardest
fighting of the war. Again, Confederate
prisoners were handed over to Sharpe and
his staff at the rear, where interrogations
lasted long into the evening.
Though overlooked by mosthistorians, military intelligence
played a decisive role in the UnionArmy’s victory at Gettysburg.
GettysburgIntelligence
Coup
FA S T FA C T S
MEADE’S INTELLIGENCE
TEAM
George H. Sharpe
(1828-1900). As Grant’s intelligence chief, Sharpe
contributed significantly toUnion success. He was
rewarded with key appointments during Grant’s presidency.
John C. Babcock
(1837-1908). Babcock continued his masterful
order-of-battle analysis forthe remainder of the war.
Ulric Dahlgren (1843-1864).Dahlgren lost a leg while pur-suing Lee’s army. President
Lincoln promoted him tocolonel for his Gettysburg
exploits. Dahlgren was killedduring a raid in Richmond,
Va., in March 1864.Milton Cline (1825-?).
Cline served ably as Sharpe’schief of scouts until he wasmustered out of service in
November 1864.
26 ✯ A R M C H A I R G E N E R A L ✯ J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9
PE
TH
O C
AR
TO
GR
AP
HY
FORGOTTEN HISTORY
The Battle of Gettys-
burg, fought over
three days by
150,000 Union and
Confederate troops,
was the Civil War’s
bloodiest encounter,
with 50,000
casualties.
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VITAL STATISTICS
INSTITUTED: 1740 byPrussia’s King Frederick
the Great (evolved from a 1667 medal)
DESIGN: Blue enameledMaltese cross with gold
eagles, the Prussianroyal cipher, and the
legend “Pour le Mérite” NICKNAME:
The Blue Max WORN: Worn at
all times, suspendedfrom a neck ribbon
DISCONTINUED:
November 9, 1918 (endof Imperial Germany,
upon abdication ofKaiser Wilhelm II)
The origins of Prussia and Im-
perial Germany’s highest
award date to 1667, when the
German state of Brandenburg
introduced the Ordre de la
Générosité (Order of Generos-
ity). In 1740, Prussian King Frederick the
Great renamed the medal the Pour le Mérite
(For Merit) and issued it to loyal subjects for
meritorious service. The two names were in
French because it was the common court lan-
guage of the era. Today the Pour le Mérite is
commonly known as the Blue Max, both for
its distinctive color and for one of World War
I’s earliest recipients, aviator Max Immel-
mann. It is one of the most famous military
medals in history.
Although the Pour le Mérite was instituted
by Prussia, it became Imperial Germany’s
highest military award after German unifica-
tion in 1871. It was given not for individual
heroic acts but rather for repeated and contin-
ued gallantry. Hence World War I fighter pi-
lots frequently received the Pour le Mérite as
their aerial victories mounted. During that
conflict, 1,687 of the medals were awarded. A
high-level version with golden oak leaves on
the suspension ring was presented 122 times,
typically to military members of upper rank.
Unlike America’s Medal of Honor and
Britain’s Victoria Cross, the Pour le Mérite was
not bestowed posthumously. (During World
War I, many German soldiers died while their
award recommendations were being pro-
cessed.) And unlike recipients of American or
British decorations, Pour le Mérite awardees
were required to wear the medal on a neck rib-
bon at all times, even during combat.
The Pour le Mérite should not be confused
with its civilian counterpart, the Order Pour le
Mérite for Sciences and Arts, which was creat-
ed in 1842 and is still awarded today. Only
three persons have earned both decorations:
Helmuth von Moltke, Otto von Bismarck and
Hermann von Kuhl. Albert
Einstein received the civilian
medal in 1923, but the Nazis
revoked it in 1933.
COLLECTOR’S GUIDE The Pour le Mérite is
an extremely rare medal
possessed by only a few ad-
vanced collectors – an origi-
nal commands $15,000 to
$20,000. Although not for-
mally issued after 1918, it
was produced in limited
numbers following World
War I. The three firms that
manufactured the medal
from 1914 to 1918 used the
same dies to make it during
the 1920s. Stephen Previtera,
author of Prussian Blue: A
History of the Order Pour le
Mérite, explains that the later
ones “were created for World
War I veterans who had not
received their award.”
Many of the Pour le
Mérite medals for sale to-
day are reproductions, with
the best ones dating from the 1960s and
1970s. While those imitations can fetch rel-
atively high prices (above $100), Previtera
says they “lack the same attributes found in
authentic pieces.”
Collector’s References: The Prussian Or-
den Pour le Mérite: History of the Blue Max by
David Edkins, and Prussian Blue: A History of
the Order Pour le Mérite by Stephen Previtera.
Website: gwpda.org/medals/germmedl/
prussia.html ✯
Peter Suciu has covered military history for more
than a decade and his work has appeared in “Military
Heritage” and “Military Trader.” He has been an avid
collector of helmets for over 30 years.
Germany’sPour le Mérite
The history of the famous“Blue Max” medal.
MED
AL: C
OU
RTE
SY, S
TEPH
EN P
RE
VITE
RA;
IMM
ELM
ANN
: U
LLST
EIN
BIL
D/T
HE
GRAN
GER
CO
LLEC
TIO
N, N
.Y.
NOTABLE RECIPIENTS
PRE-WORLD WAR I
Czar Peter III of Russia
(awarded 1762)Gebhard von Blücher
(of Waterloo fame)Helmuth von Moltke
Otto von Bismarck
WORLD WAR I
Max Immelmann
(Blue Max namesake)Manfred von Richthofen
(Red Baron)Herman Goering
Erwin Rommel
Paul von Hindenburg
Erich Ludendorff
Ernst Jünger
(last living recipient,died 1998)
Max Immelmann,
credited with 15
aerial victories,
became the first
German pilot to
receive the Pour le
Mérite in January
1916. Thereafter,
the medal was
known as the
Blue Max.
The Pour
le Mérite
32 ✯ A R M C H A I R G E N E R A L ✯ J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9
BADGES OF HONOR
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The Germans couldhave driven back the Allies at Normandy on June 6, 1944, ifas Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had
urged, they had posted their formida-
ble panzer divisions directly behind the three locations on the French
coast where the invasion had to occur. However, Rommel – aka the
Desert Fox – and Heinz Guderian, the two most famous panzer com-
manders in history, were embroiled in a huge dispute over the prop-
er way to employ armor. Caught up in this argument, senior German
commanders failed to concentrate tanks where the Allies were bound
to land. This failure cost Germany the war. (For more about Rommel
and Guderian, see Battlefield Leader May 2005 and January 2008.)
UNDER AN AIR UMBRELLA
Guderian, who had a great deal of practice in wide-ranging panzer
sweeps over the Russian steppes, wanted to pull all the panzer divisions
back from the coast and launch a massive counterattack against the Al-
lies after the initial landings. Rommel, who boasted hard-won experi-
ence against overwhelming Allied airpower in Africa, thought the op-
posite. Allied fighters and bombers, he insisted, would destroy the tanks
if they tried to travel along the French roads. Therefore the panzer di-
46 ✯ A R M C H A I R G E N E R A L ✯ J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9
Had the German army heeded Rommel’s advice, it could have thrown the 1944 Allied invasion back into the sea.
B Y B E V I N A L E X A N D E R
B A T T L E F I E L D L E A D E R
January 1944.
Rommel inspects a
German position along
the Atlantic Wall near
Fecamp, Normandy.
UL
LS
TE
IN B
ILD
/TH
E G
RA
NG
ER
CO
LL
EC
TIO
N,
N.Y
.
ROMMEL’SPANZERSTRATEGYIN NORMANDY
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Fighting Napoleon’s ArmiesSPAIN, 1808
Test your decision-making skills as a British commander opposing the French occupation of Spain.
Horrified at the forces of change released by the French Revolution – and the subse-
quent battlefield success of Napoleon, France’s military genius – the reactionary
kings and princes of Europe formed military coalitions that prosecuted wars against
revolutionary France and then Napoleon from 1792 until 1815. Fought across Eu-
rope and over the surrounding seas, the Wars Against Napoleon reached the Iberian Peninsula in
1807. The following year, British leaders determined that the unexpectedly fierce resistance the
Spanish people were mounting against the French occupation of their country provided a rare op-
portunity for British forces to directly oppose Napoleon’s tide of European conquest.
Armchair General® takes you back to
December 1808 in northwestern Spain,
where you will play the role of General Sir
John Moore, commander of a British field
force that disembarked at Lisbon Harbor
the previous October. (See Iberian Cam-
paign map, p. 77.)Your mission is to sup-
port the monarchies of Portugal and Spain
as they resist Napoleon’s attempt to con-
quer and occupy their respective coun-
tries. With nearly all of Europe under
French rule, your army’s presence in Spain
gives Britain a way to strike back at
France’s conquering host. Although the
men under Napoleon on the Iberian
Peninsula greatly outnumber your own,
his forces are spread over the length and
breadth of Spain, while yours are concen-
trated. However, any plan of action you
undertake will not be without risk. Your
force is Britain’s only field army, and its
defeat would be a catastrophic blow to
your country’s ability to oppose Napoleon.
Y O U A R E I N C O M M A N D !
Armchair General® challenges YOU to take command of this historical battle. Here’s how to get in on
the action: READ the article carefully. DEVELOP your own solution to this tactical dilemma.
RECORD your solution on the CDG map and pullout form on pages 79 and 80. SEND to Armchair
General by December 26, 2008.
Winning Reader Solutions will be printed in the May 2009 issue. But those eager to find out the correct COA and read
the historical analysis can log on to armchairgeneral.com/cdg after December 27, 2008.
YOU COMMANDINTERACTIVE
army.” The loss of your force, or a large part of
it, would be a victory for Napoleon from
which Britain would take years to recover. As
you carry out your mission, you must keep
this knowledge foremost in your mind.
Your force is organized into three infantry
divisions commanded by Generals David
Baird, John Hope, and Alexander Mackenzie;
a reserve infantry division under General Ed-
ward Paget; and a cavalry division led by Lord
Henry Paget (Edward’s brother). Although
Spain and Portugal each have regular armies,
they are small, indifferently trained and no
match for Napoleon’s experienced combat
veterans. While you can’t count on incorpo-
rating the Spanish or Portuguese forces into
your war plans, you would welcome their
participation should it be offered.
Notably, the people of Spain are proving
more a thorn in Napoleon’s side than are the
country’s regular forces. Many Spanish civil-
ians have risen up to oppose the French occu-
piers, striking at isolated detachments and
harrying French lines of communications.
These “guerrillas,” as they are known, are ty-
ing up thousands of Napoleon’s more than
125,000 troops in Spain, preventing the
French from launching an overwhelming
force against your army.
The French II Corps is the primary force
opposing you in northwestern Spain. Com-
manded by Marshal Nicolas Soult, the corps’
approximately 25,000 soldiers exhibit a mas-
tery of the battlefield skills needed to win a
pitched battle, and therefore they are dan-
gerous opponents. (See “Napoleonic Tac-
tics,” p. 80.) Yet you realize that the rugged
Spanish terrain can be enlisted as a potent
ally in any encounter.
By December 19, your forces are concen-
trated south of Leon, about 50 miles south-
east of Astorga, which lies at the foothills of
the rugged Cantabrian Mountains. When re-
76 ✯ A R M C H A I R G E N E R A L ✯ J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9
WO
RLD
HIS
TOR
Y/T
OP
HA
M/T
HE
IMAG
E W
OR
KS
THIN RED LINE IN SPAIN
You are aware that you have detractors in
high-level British government circles – some
felt the younger but inexperienced Sir Arthur
Wellesley should have been given command
of Britain’s army. Nonetheless, you have been
chosen to lead the Redcoats as they oppose
Napoleon in Spain. Your instructions read:
His Majesty, having determined to employ a
corps of his troops, of not less than 30,000 in-
fantry and 5,000 cavalry, in the North of Spain,
to cooperate with the Spanish armies in the ex-
pulsion of the French from that Kingdom, has
been graciously pleased to entrust to you the
Command in Chief of this force.
You realize the gravity of the situation and
the importance of the task entrusted to you.
Indeed, as Britain’s foreign secretary George
Canning has observed, your army “is not
merely a considerable part of the dispensable
force of this country. It is, in fact, the British
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Gears of War 2
(epicgames.com) is
squad-level tactical
gaming at its best. Just like the
original Gears of War, this iter-
ation offers frantic action, ex-
citing challenges, and solid
character interaction as Marcus
Fenix and his Delta squad
mates once again battle against
flyers, swarming foot soldiers,
and ‘Mechs as they strive to
end the Locust Horde’s inva-
sion of the planet Sera. They
even grab the aliens and hold
them as shields to absorb ene-
my fire. Cool stuff – as long as
you aren’t an alien.
Supreme Ruler 2020
(paradoxplaza.com)
lets gamers live their
fantasy of world domination.
This second title in the
Supreme Ruler series offers a
more user-friendly experience
than did its predecessor. Gone
are the layers of nested win-
dows; now all relevant infor-
mation is shown along the bot-
tom of the screen. Additionally,
a slick new 3-D engine has im-
proved the visuals. One thing
developer Battlegoat didn’t
change was the in-depth play –
gamers still control everything
about their chosen country,
from the economy to the mili-
tary. Supreme Ruler 2020 is a
deep simulation and not for
the faint of heart.
World in Conflict:
Soviet Assault
(sierra.com) is yet an-
other in a parade of sequels.
But rest assured, it’s one heck of
a good game. The original
World in Conflict, a real-time
strategy game depicting a Soviet
invasion of America, was well
received by critics and fans
alike. Now Soviet Assault –
which is actually less a sequel
and more a port to the Xbox
360 and the PlayStation 3 –
keeps the good times going. De-
veloper Massive Entertainment
states that there is enough new
content to make even the most
cynical gamers want to give the
franchise another go. Players
will find the control scheme in-
tuitive and the graphics pleas-
ing, with vibrant explosions,
lush vegetation, and authentic
depictions of Soviet and Ameri-
can armament. This game is a
1
2
3
Dear Sgt. SantaGamers will love these
six great new titles!
REVIEWS GAME BUZZG A M E B U Z Z P. 8 6 V I D E O G A M E R E V I E W P. 8 8 W A R G A M E R E V I E W P. 9 0 B O O K S H E L F P. 9 2 D V D L I B R A R Y P. 9 4
The combat in World in Conflict: Soviet Assault is as violent as it is stunningly beautiful.
Gears of War 2 is chock-full of exciting action, new features
and eye-catching visuals.
Gamers battle for world domination in Supreme Ruler 2020,
an improved version of its predecessor.
PA
RA
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X P
LA
ZA
EP
IC G
AM
ES
86 ✯ A R M C H A I R G E N E R A L ✯ J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 9
SIE
RR
A
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