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Military History Jun 2017 Page 1 A Quarterly Publication JUNE 2017—ISSUE NO. 13 U3A NUNAWADING MILITARY HISTORY GROUP Battle of Passchendaele (Third Ypres) 2017 Program for Term 2 & Part 3 Thu, 1 Albert The Crusades an After mid-1917, and following mutinies in the over-strained French Army, the British Forces had to assume an June Isaacs Alternative View even greater role in the war on the Western Front. For Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, the British commander- in-chief, this provided an opportunity to launch an offensive that he had long wanted. Attacking from Ypres in Thu, 8 Ian Military Conse- Belgium, he planned to drive the Germans from the surrounding dominant ridges and even hoped to reach the June Taylor quences of Code Belgian coast. Following on the success at Messines in June, he unleashed his great attack on 31 July 1917. Breaking Fighting went on, often in appalling weather and despite crippling losses, until November. Finally, with the army Thu, Reg Mystery Topic stuck in muddy fields churned up by the artillery fire, the bloody offensive came to an untidy close. Many would 15 Roberts afterwards call this offensive, actually a series of battles, after the name of the village that had become the last June objective – 'Passchendaele'. MENIN ROAD AND POLYGON WOOD Thu, Brian Life and Times of The Australian infantry divisions joined the Third Battle of Ypres which had been going on since 31 July when 22 Mates a War PHotogra- they took part in the battle of Menin Road on 20 September 1917. Fortunately a change in the weather brought June pher for them better fighting conditions. The side-by-side advance of the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions took them Thu, Tony History of HMAS up to the splintered remnants of Polygon Wood not far from Zonnebeke. The 4th and 5th Divisions then took 29 Wilson Melbourne over and, as part of the wider effort, they attacked on 26 September. In both cases the fighting was bloody. June German concrete pillboxes often blocked the Australians' progress, and many men fell under shell and ma- Thu, Guy The American chine-gun fire. However with heavy artillery support the objectives were taken and enemy counter-attacks held 20 July Hull Civil War off. These systematic step-by-step advances, staying within range of the supporting artillery, pushed the line forward by a few kilometres, but they were made at a heavy cost; in just over a week there were almost 11,000 Thu, Neville First Zulu War Australian casualties. 27 July Betts 1879 BROODSEINDE AND PASSCHENDAELE Thu, 3 Rob Barbary Corsairs The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Australian Divisions captured Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October 1917. It was a vital victo- August Ellis ry. But, then it began to rain. Five days later the 2nd Australian Division suffered heavily in a further attack in the mud. Finally, on 12 October, another attack, involving the 3rd Division assisted by the 4th, was made against the village of Passchendaele atop the main ridge. In the face of heavy fire, the men fought in the mire What’s Inside while struggling to keep up with their artillery barrages. Ground was taken but it could not be held. In wretched Page 2: Our Centenary - World War 1 Timel conditions, with casualties mounting at an appalling rate, the Australians had to fall back. The troops were ine - June 1916 to August 1917 finally exhausted and could do no more; by 15 November they handed over to the Canadians. Page 3: Drones are revolutionising the wa the RAAF fights war I have often thought that many a youngster when he was hit out there on the Passchendaele heights … and he knew that the end had come – must have thought to himself: "well at least they'll remember me Page 4: The US military dropped its largest in Australia". C.E.W. Bean conventional bomb Page 5: Sir Barnes Neville Wallis Page 6 & 7 Napoleon's Planned Invasion of the United Kingdom Page 8: A Vietnam VC Cartoon Page 9: Poets Corner Call for 2018 Contributors Military History Group Members are invited to consider presentations you might like to give or hear next year. Please also let the Convenor, Rob Ellis or Advisory Members know of guest speakers who could be invit- ed to share military experiences which would be of interest to our Members. U3A equipment can be organised and assis- Australian infantry attack in Polygon Wood tance in the preparation of presentations can be given if required. PAGE 2 U3A NUNAWADING MILITARY HISTORY GROUP Our Centenary - World War 1 Timeline - June 1917 to August 1917 NEWSLETTER June 7, 1917 - A tremendous underground explosion collapses the German-held Messines Ridge south of Ypres in Belgium. Upon detonation, 10,000 Germans stationed on the ridge vanish instantly. The British then storm the ridge forcing the surviving Germans to withdraw to a new defensive position further eastward. The 250-foot-high ridge had given the Germans a commanding defensive position. British, Australian and Canadian tunnelers had worked for a year to dig mines and place 600 tons of explosives. June 13, 1917 - London suffers its highest civilian casualties of the war as German airplanes bomb the city, killing 158 persons and wounding 425. The British react to the new bombing campaign by forming home defense fighter squadrons and later conduct retaliatory bombing raids against Germany by British planes based in France. June 25, 1917 - The first American troops land in France. July 1, 1917 - Russian troops begin the Kerensky Offensive attempting to recapture the city of Lemberg (Lvov) on the Eastern Front. The Germans are lying in wait, fully aware of the battle plans which have been leaked to them. The Russians attack along a 40-mile front but suffer from a jumble of tactical problems includ- ing a lack of artillery coordination, poor troop placement, and serious disunity within the ranks reflecting the divisive political situation back home. The whole offen- sive disintegrates within five days. Sensing they might break the Russian Army, the Germans launch a furious counter-offensive and watch as Russian soldiers run away. July 2, 1917 - Greece declares war on the Central Powers, following the abdication of pro-German King Constantine who is replaced by a pro-Allied administration led by Prime Minister Venizelos. Greek soldiers are now added to the Allied ranks. Third Battle of Ypres July 31-November 6, 1917 July 31, 1917 - The British attempt once more to break through the German lines, this time by attacking positions east of Ypres, Belgium. However, by now the Germans have vastly improved their trench defenses including well-positioned artillery. Although the British 5th Army succeeds in securing forward trench posi- tions, further progress is halted by heavy artillery barrages from the German 4th Army and rainy weather. August 10, 1917 - The British resume their attack at Ypres, focusing on German artillery positions around Gheluvelt. The attack produces few gains as the Ger- mans effectively bombard and then counter-attack. Six days later, the British try again, with similar results. The entire Ypres offensive then grinds to a halt as Brit- ish Army Commander Douglas Haig ponders his strategy. Dead and wounded Australians and Germans in the railway cutting on Broodseinde Ridge, in the Ypres sector. Australian troops of 30th Battalion AIF in temporary trenches near Polygon Wood. JUNE 2017—ISSUE NO. 13 PAGE 3 Drones Are Revolutionising The Way The RAAF Fights War Remotely piloted Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) will play a pivotal role in the Royal Australian Air Force’s ability to deliver air power effects in the support of national security interests. The true value of such systems is not to provide a direct human replacement, but rather to extend and complement human capability. UAS extend air power’s endurance by providing potentially unlimited persistent capabilities without degradation due to human fatigue or inattention. The effects provided by UAS range from electronic warfare to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and potentially strike. None of the effects are new to the Air Force, but the means of delivering them is evolving, just as the means to deliver most military effects have evolved over the years. It is important to note that while not all UAS are remotely piloted, all UAS currently operated and being acquired or considered for the Air Force by the Australian Government are re- motely piloted. As such, there is always a human within the system. All UAS in use by Air Force meet stringent airworthiness requirements and follow strict operational guidelines to ensure the protection of other aviators, passengers and civilians on the ground. In fact, some types of remotely piloted UAS currently in operation are proving to be safer that certain forms of manned aircraft. Air Force currently operates the Heron at RAAF Base Woomera in restricted military air- space for training purposes. Heron aircraft have completed more than 27,000 mission hours in Afghanistan providing high resolution intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support to Australian forces and our International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) partners in southern Afghanistan. Australia’s Heron detachment in Afghanistan flew its final mission for Operation SLIPPER from Kandahar Air Field on 30 November 2014. The Australian Government has additionally committed to acquiring the MQ-4C Triton subject to the successful completion of the US Navy development program currently under way. Based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, the Triton will be capable of supporting missions of over 24 hours while covering an area of over one million square nautical miles; an area larger than Western Australia. Together, the remotely piloted MQ-4C Triton and manned P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will provide Australia with one of the most advanced maritime patrol and surveillance capabilities to replace the ageing AP-3C Orion.
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