History Commons^™

Napalm: More Than A Weapon, Edwin Martini

Edwin A. Martini

This book will explore the military, political, and cultural history of napalm across time and space. Moving beyond the Vietnam War, this book will examine the use of napalm by the United States in World War Two, Korea, and elsewhere, and its proliferation in other countries’ arsenals as well. It will also explore the many cultural representations of napalm in the post-Vietnam war world.

Review Of David Horner,'The Spy Catchers: The Official History Of Asio, 1949-1963', Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2014, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

Critical review of the officially commissioned history of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) published in 2014.

A National Service: Gunners In Vietnam, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

This article provides a voice for three National Servicemen who answered the call and served in South Vietnam. The men come from 12 Field Regiment 102 'CORAL' Battery and 131 Divisional Locating Battery (131 Div Loc) of the Royal Australian Artillery.

Where Right And Glory Lead, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

On an overcast day in Fairbairn ACT on 15 April 2015, a small group of artillery enthusiast was busy putting the final touches on a magnificently restored World War One (WW1) 18 pounder (18-pr) Quick Firing (QF) gun. Today, marked the day that the 18-pr was to be presented and blessed by the Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove.

A Long Shadow, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

An account of the author's grandfather's role in World War 1, its tragic peacetime aftermath, and the legacy of this during the 1960s.

Disillusionment In War Literature, Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Confronting Anzackery, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

Review of the historical novel 'Brothers. Part One: Gallipoli 1915' by John Tognolini, an account of the 1915 Gallipoli campaign based on the experiences of Tognolini's uncles. The reviewer reads and treats the novel as an anti-war text.

Home Front Ww2: Myths And Realties, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

This is a revised version of the author's 2014 Brisbane Labour History Association Alex McDonald lecture. In this paper the author takes apart the right-wing accounts, particularly by Hal Colebatch ('Australia's Secret War, 2013), that demonise the Australian trade union leadership and the Communist Party of Australia for 'treasonous' industrial disputation during World War II.

Our Guys Were Very Good. We Were A Very Capable Battery, In Fact We Were An Arrogant Bunch. We Were Good, Mark Jamieson

Mark Jamieson

This thesis provides an account of the role played by seven veterans who fought in the Battle for Fire Support Patrol Base (FSPB) Coral, 12 May to 6 June 1968, in South Vietnam. The veterans interviewed are from 102 Field Battery Royal Australian Artillery and the First Battalion Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) Mortar Platoon. The veterans’ memories challenge the account given in On the Offensive: The Australian Army in the Vietnam War 1967-1968, the Official History series devoted to the Vietnam War. They believe the Official History is incorrect when it comes to four main matters: the intelligence provided to …

International Military Autobiographies, Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Esmeralda Kleinreesink

International Military Memoirs, Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Waarheid & (Zelf)Censuur. Een Vijf-Landen-Studie Van Militaire Afghanistan Autobiografieën., Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Esmeralda Kleinreesink

The Crusades And The Lost Literature Of The Italian Renaissance, Brian Maxson

Brian J. Maxson

Disillusionment In Afghanistan. Content-Analysis Als Methode, Esmeralda Kleinreesink

Esmeralda Kleinreesink

"Even We Can't Prevent Forests: The Chemical War And The Illusion Of Control", Edwin Martini

Edwin A. Martini

By exploring tactical and strategic uses of chemical agents beyond Agent Orange and the other ‘Rainbow Herbicides’ used as part of Operation Ranch Hand during the Vietnam War, this essay seeks to fill a gap in our under- standing of the chemical war waged by the United States in South-east Asia, and to make a contribution to the growing body of literature devoted to the intersections of military and environmental history. Taking seriously the roles played by both human and non-human actors, it explores how the White House and Pentagon continually attempted, unsuccessfully, to impose more stringent forms of control …

"Incinerating Agent Orange: Operations Pacer Ho, Pacer Ivy, And The Global Legacies Of The Chemical War, Edwin Martini

Edwin A. Martini

Most studies of Agent Orange to date focus either on the wartime use of herbicides or the long-term consequences of that use after the war was over. Lost in that narrative gap is the story of what happened to the 2.4 million gallons of Agent Orange still in possession of the U.S. military after its use had been banned in 1971. In addressing this surplus supply during Operations Pacer IVY and Pacer HO, the U.S. Air Force was forced to navigate a host of new challenges that had sprung up in the decade since the start of the war in …

Osam Bin Laden: A Biography, Thomas Mockaitis

Thomas R Mockaitis

This political biography offers a concise portrait of the world's most infamous terrorist, examining the evoluton of his religious-political worldview.

Iraq And The Challenge Of Counterinsurgency, Thomas Mockaitis

Thomas R Mockaitis

This book situates the Iraq War within its regional context and the history of US counterinsurgency campaigns. It argues that after a failed attempt to take a conventional approach to an unconventional conflict, the US military developed an effective counterinsurgency strategy.

The "New" Terrorism: Myths And Reality, Thomas Mockaitis

Thomas R Mockaitis

The book examins contemporary terrorism within its historical context to discern continuities and change in terrorist activities and ideology. It rejects the idea of a "global war on terrorism" in favor of a long struggle to reduce terrorist threats while eliminating the root causes of terrorism.

Invisible Enemies: The American War On Vietnam, 1975-2000, Edwin Martini

Edwin A. Martini

Beginning where most histories of the Vietnam War end, Invisible Enemies examines the relationship between the United States and Vietnam following the American pullout in 1975. Drawing on a broad range of sources, from White House documents and congressional hearings to comic books and feature films, Edwin Martini shows how the United States continued to wage war on Vietnam "by other means" for another twenty-five years. In addition to imposing an extensive program of economic sanctions, the United States opposed Vietnam's membership in the United Nations, supported the Cambodians, including the Khmer Rouge, in their decade-long war with the Vietnamese, …

Centum Homines: The Prototype Of The Alexander Mosaic And The Military Museum In The Hellenistic World, Peter Nulton

Peter E. Nulton Ph.D.

Although it is generally accepted that the Alexander Mosaic copies a painting of the 4th Century BCE, the attribution of this prototype has never been settled. Numerous attempts have been made to associate it with painters recorded in Pliny's Natural History, notably Philoxenos of Eretria, and Alexander's court painter, Apelles.

If the painting were the work of any artist whose name survives, as strong a case can be made for Aristeides of Thebes as for Apelles or Philoxenos. Since Pliny's comment that Aristeides painted a battle against the Persians follows his treatment of the works of Apelles, he is likely …

George Thomas: Virginian For The Union, Christopher Einolf

Christopher J Einolf

George Thomas was one of the Civil War's most prominent Southern Unionists, known for his heroic leadership at Mill Springs, Chickamauga, and Nashville. A slave owner before the war, he commanded African American soldiers at the Battle of Nashville and the experience transformed him into a stalwart defender of Civil Rights. During Reconstruction, he led the fight against the Ku Klux Klan as the commander of U.S. army troops in Kentucky and Tennessee.

A Time For War: Correspondence, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

A critical discussion of aspects of the Australian martial spirit in response to an essay on the subject by John Birmingham.

Nest Of Traitors, Rowan Cahill

Rowan Cahill

Review of Drew Cottle, 'The Brisbane Line - A Reappraisal' (Upfront Publishing, Leicestershire, 2003), a scholarly study of elements of the Australian ruling class during the 1930s and their close relationships with Japan, and the proposition that in the event of Australia being invaded by Japan during the Second World War, these elements would have collaborated.

The Sanctuary Of Apollo Hypoakraios And Imperial Athens, Peter Nulton

Peter E. Nulton Ph.D.

The Cave Sanctuary of Apollo on the North Slope of the Acropolis at Athens was investigated in 1896-97 and produced a rich collection of inscriptions relating to the cult. These inscriptions are published in full for the first time in this work. The author discusses the history of the cult. Far from being of great antiquity as readers of Euripides' "Ion" have long assumed, the cult was instituted in the time of Augustus when "The Athenians thought it fitting that their archons swear an oath that upheld tradition in connection to Apollo Patroos, but simultaneously honored their 'new Apollo'", the …