Battlefield historian, life traveler, one time Australian Army officer, annual #AARCStaffRide26 Chief Instructor. RUSI-WA counsellor. #PME enthusiast
Joined February 2017
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403 Photos and videos
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11 Dec 2019
#AusIADSStaffRide examining the reinforced fallback position at the #Bakri Crossroads. Japanese #tank attack destroyed by determined #AustralianArmy #defence. No longer any sign here. @DVACommissioner @ADFinMalaysia #forgottenbattles #tacticallessons @AustralianArmy @AARCAusArmy
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May 27
PTE McDermid, killed today 85 years ago at Retimo. Buried at the magnificent #CWGC in Chania, remembered thanks to @ukingreece. Story told by his OC, MAJ Ralph Honner in the @AWMemorial Official History pp. 268-71 (link below ⬇️). Photo: #AWM 131072 @SOE_Expeditions @CWGC
May 24
Στην έναρξη της τελετής στο Συμμαχικό Κοιμητήριο @CWGC, η ΑΒΥ παρακολούθησε επίσης την τιμητική διέλευση αεροσκαφών της 30ής Μοίρας και των @rafredarrowsτης Βασιλικής Πολεμικής Αεροπορίας @RoyalAirForce.🇬🇷🇬🇧
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Ross Cable retweeted
Following in the footsteps of legends on the 85th anniversary of the battle of Crete. With military historian @RossWCable
#crete #ww2 #85th #anniversary #anzac #legends
youtube.com/shorts/3sjW2Uy73…
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May 5
Why Euro summer is lasting longer each year theaustralian.com.au/busines… via @australian
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Apr 29
Mixed feelings about my trip to Hiroshima. Museum and monuments def designed to sway opinions - confronting to the uneducated.
A pretty city but tourist numbers rivalling Disneyland.
My thoughts remain with the 8,031 Australian service personnel who died in Japanese captivity.
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Apr 26
Yasakuni; a surprisingly good war museum with all the expected omissions… But most surprising to me was the glorification of death and self ‘sacrifice’ throughout the war (not just toward the end). Oh, and all those war criminals deified. The Japanese visit there en masse…
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Apr 26
Absolutely mind-blowing maritime museums at Kure, Japan. Dedicated to the IJN Yamato and JMSDF - mine and submarine warfare branches. There is a 1:10 scale model of the Yamato, blueprints, machine tools, extensive model collection and other items (see 📸). And on the road, a sub!
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Apr 23
Former Kamikaze airfield at Chiran 🇯🇵 centred on the various letters and documents left by the pilots (no 📸 permitted). A recovered Zero and individual memorials to each pilot outside (pictured). A beautiful temple where the pilots said final prayers beside the ‘peace’ museum.
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Apr 23
The same in Australia or just aggregated incompetence backed by political inertia (on both sides)?
Apr 23
It’s very hard not to conclude that this country is now run by people who have actively conspired in the past and who actively work today to do the work of our enemies by removing our defences.
The appalling weaknesses in our defences today seems to be the product of deliberate political purpose, something that these people have been actively working to achieve over more than two decades.
Prove me wrong.
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Apr 23
In reading this I steel myself to visit Hiroshima today - the horror of war has two sides.
Apr 23
I was reading Don McArdle’s account of the rescue earlier today:
“They were fantastic, those American boys. They cleaned all the oil off and gave us vitamin tablets. They gave us the world.”
‘Heroes at Sea’ by Don Wall gives the American account of their condition & treatment.
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Apr 22
The in-depth littoral campaign study of Op ICEBERG for #AARCStaffRide26 concludes with learning integration - ensuring #tacticallessons for modern operations are understood. AAR confirms that #Okinawa is a premium ‘teaching’ #battlefield. @AARCAusArmy @USArmyDoctrine @ArmyUPress
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Apr 20
The field phase of #AARCStaffRide26 ended with Japanese defeat and capitulation. LTG Buckner was the senior US officer to be killed by enemy action in #WW2. The site of his death and memorial at the Peace Park were visited. #forgottenhistory #battlemap #warmap @MatMcLachlanf
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Apr 19
#AARCStaffRide26 follows the muddy withdrawal and pursuit, via the IJN Underground HQ, and considers training and employment of ad hoc forces. In the south is the famous Tomori Lion at the foot of formidable IJA fallback positions that included prepared bunkers. #forgottenbattles
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Apr 18
#AARCStaffRide26 visits Wana Draw and Sugarloaf where the @USMC 6th and @1st_Marine_Div fought costly battles to capture Shuri Castle to force the withdrawal of LTG Ushijima’s remaining force. Bold seizure shown on map and 📸. All is easy today by monorail! @almurray @James1940
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Apr 17
#AARCStaffRide26 breaks through to the intermediate defence line aka ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ to find it’s nothing like the movie. Masterful IJA reverse slope defence, subterranean warfare and counterattacks delay the US Army for a further 10 days. Combined arms = essential. @USArmyCMH
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