There were 9 villages around Verdun before World War I. Now there are none. A 303-day battle will do that to a region, especially during that war. At Verdun alone, the Germans and the French coll...
https://scottmanning.com/content/verdun-and-the-village-that-was/
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of visiting the Low Countries. Among my list of must-do's was the Somme and of course, the Thiepval Memorial. I plugged the address in and headed off in my ren...
https://scottmanning.com/content/that-time-i-tried-to-gps-my-way-to-the-thiepval-memorial/
As many have learned recently, Russia has a naval base in Tartus, Syria. More importantly, we should understand that Russia’s interest in the Mediterranean is a tradition dating back before Wor...
https://scottmanning.com/content/russian-interest-in-the-mediterranean-before-world-war-i/
We are one year from the centennial of World War I, and by this time next year, there will be streams of articles and books on how the war started. Some believe it was “tragic and unnecessary,�...
https://scottmanning.com/content/forget-august-1914-if-you-want-to-understand-world-war-i/
There are three predominate features of the Somme—farms, woods, and cemeteries. The French and British took a different approach with this massive battlefield. Instead of having one giant cemet...
https://scottmanning.com/content/the-norfolk-cemetery-in-the-somme/
The other day, I watched a talk by the late John Keegan on World War I, given at the Cambridge Public Library in 1999. He spent a good deal of time trying to answer why the war was still importan...
https://scottmanning.com/content/keegan-on-british-and-southern-memory-of-war/
I hesitate to write this, as it may seem I am endorsing a candidate. I am not. I think both President Obama and Governor Romney are correct on the issue of America’s navy, but in different ways...
https://scottmanning.com/content/the-importance-of-american-sea-power/
Steven Spielberg's War Horse is a different type of war movie that focuses on animals instead of people. The following are some thoughts with no plot spoilers. The most important aspect is the ma...
On hilltop towering over much of Edinburgh, Scotland, is the city’s castle. The location is rich with military history, as the Scots and English fought over the castle and destroyed it on sever...
Today is Armistice Day. In America, we refer to it as Veteran's Day and honor the living. We have since 1954. After World War II (1939-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953), it was difficult for A...