Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/News/October 2010/Articles

Your military history newsletter – Issue LVI, October 2010

Front page • Project news • Member news • Article news • Editorial

New featured articles

ARA Moreno (The ed17): ARA Moreno was a
Decommissioned in 1949, Moreno was scrapped
in Japan beginning in 1957.
December 1964 South Vietnamese coup (YellowMonkey): Before dawn on December 19, 1964, the
fait accompli that had been handed to them, because they strongly desired to win the Vietnam War and needed to support the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
. Instead, Taylor's searing verbal attacks were counterproductive as they galvanized the Vietnamese officers around the embattled Khanh.
Over the next few days, Khanh embarked on a media offensive, criticizing US policy repeatedly for infringing Vietnamese sovereignty and declaring the nation's independence from "foreign manipulation". Khanh and the Young Turks began preparations to expel Taylor before changing their minds; however, Khanh's misleading tactics had rallied the Young Turks around his fragile leadership for at least the short-term future. The Americans were forced to back down on their insistence that the HNC be restored and did not carry through on Taylor's threats to cut off aid, despite Saigon's defiance.
Nguyen Chanh Thi (YellowMonkey ): Lieutenant General Nguyễn Chánh Thi (February 23, 1923 – June 23, 2007) was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). A strong-willed and independent-minded officer, Thi oversaw I Corps with a great deal of autonomy from Saigon, and the other officers felt threatened. This was accentuated by Thi's alignment with Buddhist activist movements in his region, traditionally a Buddhist stronghold. The Buddhists were opposed to expansion of the Vietnam War and the American leadership viewed Thi very negatively. In early 1966, feeling more confident about his hold on power, Ky orchestrated Thi's removal and announced that Thi would be going to the US for medical treatment, but in reality into exile. Thi refused to go along with Ky's false story and wanted to stay in Vietnam, and this led to civil unrest in I Corps, where Thi was popular. The disquiet escalated into open rebellion by pro-Thi military units in the I Corps, allied to Buddhist anti-junta activists who were calling for civilian government and an end to the US-driven war expansion policy. After three months of virtual secession, Ky's forces quelled the dissidents, and Thi emigrated to the US, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Pedro II of Brazil (Lecen & Astynax): Pedro II (Portuguese pronunciation:
second and last ruler of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. His father's abrupt abdication and flight to Europe in 1831 left a 5-year-old Pedro as Emperor and led to a grim and lonely childhood and adolescence. Pedro II grew into a man with a strong sense of duty and devotion toward his country, who turned Portuguese-speaking Brazil into an emerging power in the international arena. The nation was distinguished for its political stability, freedom of speech, respect for civil rights, vibrant economic growth and especially for its functional representative parliamentary monarchy. Under his rule, Brazil was victorious in three international conflicts and prevailed in several other international disputes and domestic tensions. Pedro steadfastly pushed through the abolition of slavery despite opposition from powerful political and economic interests. A savant in his own right, the Emperor established a reputation as a vigorous sponsor of learning, culture and the sciences. He won the respect and admiration of scholars such as Charles Darwin, Victor Hugo and Friedrich Nietzsche, and was a friend to Richard Wagner, Louis Pasteur and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
, among others. The reign of Pedro II came to an unusual end—he was overthrown while highly regarded by the people and at the pinnacle of his popularity and the same men who had exiled him soon began to see in him a model for the Brazilian republic. A few decades after his death, his reputation was restored and his remains were returned to Brazil as those of a national hero. He is usually ranked as the greatest Brazilian ever.
SMS Baden (1915) (Parsecboy): This
the scuttling of the fleet
. However, British sailors in the harbor managed to board Baden and beach her to prevent her sinking. The ship was re-floated, thoroughly examined, and eventually sunk in extensive gunnery testing by the Royal Navy in 1921.

New featured lists

List of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy (Sturmvogel 66): The
laid down
in 1906. All told, eighteen were built in five classes. In service, they used their speed to run down smaller and weaker ships but were less successful against heavily armoured ships.

New featured topics

Bayern class battleships (Parsecboy): The Bayern class was a planned
interned ships in Scapa Flow
. Bayern was successfully scuttled but Baden was beached by British guards to prevent her from sinking.
Rivadavia class battleships (The ed17 ): ARA Rivadavia, named after
her class; her sister ship was Moreno. They were the first and last battleships built by the Argentine Navy. The contracts for Rivadavia and "Moreno" were offered to a number of foreign shipyards and proposals from several of them were incorporated into the final design, which was ordered from the Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts. Rivadavia was commissioned on 27 August 1914; Moreno was completed in March 1915. As Argentine was neutral, neither ship saw active duty during either world war. Moreno was scrapped
in Japan in 1957, and Rivadavia in 1959.

New featured pictures

The Custer Fight (1903), by
Battle of Little Bighorn
.
A
F-16
jet in flight for the Solo Display Team
President Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th President of the USA (and a General during the Civil War)
12 February 1988, the Soviet frigate "Bezzavetniy" intentionally collides with USS Yorktown (CG-48) in what some observers have called "the last incident of the Cold War".
Japanese battleship Yamato in her final configuration on April 7, 1945.

New A-Class articles

Battle of Kalavrye (Constantine): The Battle of Kalavrye (also Kalavryai or Kalavryta) was fought in 1078 between the imperial forces of
Dyrrhachium, Nikephoros Bryennios the Elder. The two armies clashed at Kalavrye on the Halmyros river. Alexios Komnenos tried to ambush Bryennios' army but failed, and the wings of his own army were driven back by the rebels. Alexios barely managed to break through himself with a few men, but succeeded in regrouping his scattered men. Reinforced by Turkish troops, he lured the troops of Bryennios into another ambush through a feigned retreat. The rebel army broke, and Bryennios himself was captured. It is one of the few Byzantine battles described in detail, and hence a valuable source for studying the tactics of the Byzantine army
of the late 11th century.
Battle of Kapyong (Anotherclown): The Battle of Kapyong, also known as the Battle of Jiaping (
27th British Commonwealth Brigade establish blocking positions in the Kapyong Valley, on a key route south to the capital, Seoul. The fighting helped prevent a breakthrough on the United Nations Command central front, and ultimately the capture of Seoul. Today, the battle is regarded as one of the most famous actions fought by the Australian and Canadian
armies in Korea.
Battle of Taegu (Ed!): The Battle of Taegu was an engagement between
Naktong River
and assault the city.
Chaplain-Medic massacre (Ed! ): The Chaplain-Medic massacre was a
NK 3rd Division. One group of 20 critically wounded US troops was stranded at the top of a mountain, with an unarmed chaplain and a medic
(who escaped), and were killed by a North Korean patrol. Publicity following the massacre led to North Korean commanders setting out stricter guidelines for handling enemy captives.
Chilean battleship Almirante Latorre (The ed17): Almirante Latorre, named after
super-dreadnought battleship (Spanish: acorazado) built for the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile). Construction began soon after the ship was ordered in November 1911, and was approaching completion when she was bought by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy for use in the First World War. Commissioned in September 1915, she served in the Grand Fleet as HMS Canada for the duration of the war and saw action during the Battle of Jutland. Canada was repurchased by Chile in 1920.In September 1931, crewmen aboard Almirante Latorre instigated a mutiny which the majority of the Chilean fleet quickly joined. After divisions developed between the mutineers, the rebellion fell apart and the ships were returned to government control. The old battleship survived until 1958, when she was sold for scrapping
in Japan.
Hill 303 massacre (Ed!): This
Battle of Pusan Perimeter
. The massacre provoked a response from both sides in the conflict. US Commanders broadcast radio messages and dropped leaflets demanding the senior North Korean commanders be held responsible for the atrocity. The North Korean commanders, concerned treatment of prisoners of war, issued stricter guidelines for handling enemy captives.
Hadong Ambush (Ed!): The Hadong Ambush was an engagement between
North Korean People's Army
, who held higher ground. The North Korean forces divided the American force and killed most of its commanders, resulting in hundreds of casualties. Decimated in its first engagement, the 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment was later disbanded and merged with other units.
Japanese battleship Kongō (Cam): Kongō (金剛, "indestructible") was a warship of the
Formosa Strait
on 21 November 1944.
HMS Liverpool (C11) (SoLando): HMS Liverpool (C11), named after the port city of
China naval stations, and with the Mediterranean and Home fleets. Badly damaged during Operation Harpoon in June 1942, she spent the rest of the war at Rosyth Dockyard, Scotland
for refitting. Liverpool returned to service in 1945 and was decommissioned in 1952.
Lam Van Phat (YellowMonkey ): Major General Lâm Văn Phát was an officer in the
Nguyen Khanh
in September 1964 and February 1965. Although both failed, the latter caused enough instability that Khanh was forced to resign and go into exile. Phat went into hiding and was sentenced to death in absentia although he evaded capture for three years until surrendering. By this time, the political landscape had changed and Phat was allowed to go free.
Lindsay Hassett (YellowMonkey): Arthur Lindsay Hassett
batsman, described by Wisden as, "... a master of nearly every stroke ... his superb timing, nimble footwork and strong wrists enabled him to make batting look a simple matter". However, the eruption of World War II interrupted Hassett's progress. He enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force, serving in the Middle East and New Guinea before being chosen to captain the Australian Services cricket team that played the "Victory Tests" in England during the months immediately following Victory in Europe Day. A cheerful character with a poker face
, Hassett was for his sense of humour and diplomatic skills.
List of battleships of the Ottoman Empire (White Shadows): Following defeats by Greece and its modern navy during the First Balkan War, Ottoman Navy Foundation sought to improve its poor quality battleships by buying new ships from the West. They purchased several from the United Kingdom but these were confiscated at the outbreak of World War I, outraging Ottoman public opinion. In response, the German Empire gave two modern vessels to the Ottoman Navy, influencing the Ottoman decision to join the war on the side of the Central Powers. During World War I, because of their poor state, many of the Ottoman battleships remained in port and saw little or no action.
List of breastwork monitors of the Royal Navy (Sturmvogel 66): The breastwork monitor was developed during the 1860s by the Royal Navy, as an improvement of the basic monitor design developed during the American Civil War. Conceived primarily for harbour defence, they needed no masts, sails or rigging to supplement their engines and mounted one twin-gun turret at bow and stern, each with a 270° arc. Described by Admiral George Alexander Ballard as being like "full-armoured knights riding on donkeys, easy to avoid but bad to close with", most were scrapped during the first decade of the 20th century.
Order of battle of the Battle of Long Island (Magicpiano): The Battle of Long Island was a decisive British victory early in the American Revolutionary War and the opening battle in a successful British campaign to gain control of New York City in 1776. The American forces were commanded by Major General George Washington and the British forces by Lieutenant General William Howe. On August 27, 1776, Howe made a successful flanking maneuver around the American left while occupying the American right with diversionary battle. As a result, a significant portion of the American army became entrapped and surrendered after its retreat to the entrenched position was cut off. With a siege of the position looming, General Washington successfully withdrew his remaining army to Manhattan in the early morning hours of August 29.
SMS Kronprinz (1914) (Parsecboy): SMS Kronprinz ("His Majesty's Ship Crown Prince") was the last
Crown Prince Wilhelm. The battleship was armed with ten 30.5-centimeter (12.0 in) guns in five twin turrets and could steam at a top speed of 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)^*
.
Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria (Constantine): Sviatoslav's invasion of Bulgaria refers to a conflict in the eastern Balkans beginning in 967/968 and ending in 971. It involved the Kievan Rus', Bulgaria, and the Byzantine Empire, and led to the collapse of the Bulgarian state and the occupation of much of the country by the Rus'. An ensuing direct military confrontation between the Rus' and Byzantium ended with a Byzantine victory. The Rus' withdrew and eastern Bulgaria became part of the Byzantine Empire. However, territory in the central and western Balkans remained outside imperial control, leading to a Bulgarian revival under the Cometopuli dynasty.
Thomas C. Kinkaid (Hawkeye7): Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (1888 – 1972) was an
amphibious operations, and the last naval battle between battleships in history. Later he became a member of the National Security Training Commission and served with the American Battle Monuments Commission
.