Brian Wolfe

I agree with you completely. The items that are produced in my shop all have individual markings on the bottom. These are usually sun bursts or spirals, but they are all different. Why? For the same reasons you have given. What I was getting at in my blog was not so much, "why bother to write a blog", as perhaps reconsidering the type of blog; that is to say its content. These thoughts are the product of too many long days at the lathe and too little rest. Regards Brian

I suppose it could be a fireman's sword, however, most firefighter's bugles are actually magaphones and lack the "handle" which would denote a bugle. I think it may indeed have been an add-on but this may have been siver plate or other shinny metal option and therefore necessitiated a separate attachment. Just an opinion with no backup proof of course. Regards Brian

Hi James, A search of my books on European swords also turned up nothing concrete. It certainly has the overall look of being German and the shape of the sword and bugle makes me think cavalry, however the trophy of arms symbol looks a little French in design. I wonder if this was a sword made for export to other countries rather than for use by the home nation's military. I hope others will be of more help, that wouldn't take much as I have not been able to shed much light in the identification. Nice sword regardless. Regards Brian

Hi Paul, Too dry? I'm not familiar with that term. I think your research papers would be a great addition to the GMIC and the blog section would be the perfect home for them I hesitate to use the statement, "That's exactly what this forum needs", in case members think there is something lacking in the forum (even though I have just used the statement). I believe well researched and written papers would help to elevate the GMIC in the area of education, which is what we are about. There is nothing wrong with the "show and tell" or "need your help" posts as that makes a form interesting and informative as well. However, having said that, there is a need for more advanced material for those who, like ourselves, crave more in depth information. I look forward to reading your work. Regards Brian

Hello Marc, Allow me to extend a belated welcome to the forum. I've been distracted for a while, therefore just looking in once in a while, and then somehow missed your post. I see the good old SMLE .303 and the FN FAL but that it for me without going to the "books" or the internet. Rather than cheating I will submit my response and thereby refresh this post on the open forum. Please keep posting when you can, even though this section is not one of the more active ones it is an interesting one. Regards Brian

Thanks for the comment. I remembered that I had that book; or thought I had it. So I turned the office and collection room upside down looking for it. In the end I found the book...on the book shelf! Last place I would ever look as I seldom return books to the bookshelf. Anyway the book I have is titled How To Lose A Battle, a collection of military blunders edited by Bill Fawcett. Thanks for reading my blog. Regards Brian

Can we learn from history? In my last blog we looked at the battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) where classic errors were made and perhaps the first opportunity for those following after to learn. The Egyptians left large gaps between their divisions allowing the Hittites to exploit those gaps and move on the command HQ. There were, of course, perfectly good reasons for the gaps between Egyptian divisions, all of which were covered in my last blog. What may have not been as clear was the first recorded tactical error by the Hittites. Their exuberance to exploit the gap between the Egyptian divisions resulted in their chariots out-pacing the infantry and therefore supporting troops. With the Hittites slower chariots surrounded by the Egyptian infantry and their faster deadlier chariots they were destroyed. Jumping ahead 1,300 years (give or take a few decades) to 9 CE we look at the three Roman Legions, the 17, 18 and 19th, under Publius Quinctilius Varus in the Teutoburg Forest of Germany for our next example. Following earlier victories over the Germanic tribes a young man named Arminus was sent to Rome as tribute. He was educated as a Roman and became a trusted confidante of Varus. If this were a plot of a movie we would think the outcome of this alliance between Varus and Arminus was obvious. Too bad Russel Crowe wasn’t there to advise Varus, but history didn’t have two millennium to wait for benefit or Mr. Crowe’s wisdom. As a little background information we should note that the brilliance of the Roman military machine was firmly rooted in maneuvers involving two armies meeting in open fields, a luxury not afforded in the close confines of the dense forests of Germania. We now find Varus leading his legions in a column miles long weighted down by equipment and baggage trains along with the usual camp-followers. The Romans were confined on both sides by forest and forced to trudge along mile after agonizing mile of seemingly endless wilderness. Even the most inept armchair general will tell you this is a classic example of a need for advanced as well as flanking scouts. Varus was not a complete fool (at least not a “total” fool that is) and indeed did employ both advanced and flanking scouts. The error was that these scouts were from “loyal” German troops recommended by the equally loyal Arminus. Those “loyal” Germanic flanking scouts quickly disappeared, moving ahead to join their tribesmen in the ambush ahead, as did the advanced scouts. The location for the German ambush was carefully planned with the area being even more restrictive than had been the case prior to this. On one side there was a steep incline while the other side of the trail was an impassible swamp. This allowed the Germans to fire on the Romans from both flanks while the different elevations assured that one side was not in direct line of fire from the other. Added to this a severe weather front moved in soaking the Romans and their equipment increasing the weight each Roman was carrying by more than double. The Romans couldn’t advance up the incline which was also fortified, they couldn’t attack the swampy ground as doing so would find them mired in the soft ground and easy targets for the Germans. Retreat was blocked by their own baggage train and transport so continuing along the trail was the only option. An option that proved even more disastrous than holding their ground. Due to the rough ground and a continuous rain of missiles the Roman column was not all moving at the same speed. This left gaps in the column which the Germans were quick to exploit. In the end this led to the ambush by the German tribesmen crushing the three legions. Many books, the internet and even recent documentaries have stated that the Romans were lost to a man. Research into original documents from that time by real historians has found that several Romans did survive the massacre and found their way back to Roman territory. The Emperor Augustus has been said to have uttered in frustration, “Quintili Vare legions redde!” (Quinctilus Varus give me back my legions!). Looks like not even the most powerful man in the world of the time could command the dead. Documentaries have also stated that the Legions Eagle standards were lost forever, however there is evidence that some if not all of the lost eagles were recovered. The series “I Claudius” states that the Germans were eventually conquered, however even though there were some punitive actions taken against the Germans, probably the reason for the recovered eagles, the German territory east of the Rein was never conquered. Before The National Enquirer, the yellow journalism of the tabloids and television documentaries perverted historical facts and research in favour of sensationalism and profits history was researched by serious historians. Military leaders have been schooled in tactics of the past and cautioned about the errors of those who came before. Leaving gaps in your columns to be exploited by the enemy was to be avoided while watching for and exploiting the same errors by your opponents was of paramount importance. So, don’t leave gaps in your column and don’t out-pace your supply and support troops…sound advice…right? There are many examples of military errors, far too many for a blog. As well there are good examples of military leaders learning from history, applying what they have learned, only to find things didn’t go as planned. In my next blog we’ll look at a couple of examples of this from the 20th century. Thanks for reading my blogs. Regards Brian

Hi Dave, Glad to help. The number on the mount is most likely, in my opinion, an accountability number. The NCO shin-guntos have a number on the base of the blade and this same number can be found on the scabbard (they should match). LIke most weapons, when the sword was issued these accountability numbers were recorded under the soldier's name. It may be possible that the number on your scabbard mount is also stamped on the tang of the blade. There may be a bamboo pin holding the handle on the tang which can be driven out and then you can remove the handle. This should not harm the handle but if you try this be sure you keep track of the order in which the fittings have been assembled on the guard. I see a spring catch on the sword to hold it in the scabbard. Is there a corresponding notch in the scabbard? These swords have been copied to a great extend in China so the values have dropped on the originals somewhat (at least over here). When I first started collecting Japanese swords there were no copies so we had life and collecting easy. I should mention that you should not be concerned (not that you were) about weatern style numbering as the Japanese used this system for marking their weapons. Regards Brian Oops, bad memory. I meant to also say, one of the nice features about your scabbard is that it has the leather field cover. Again in my opinion, this makes the sword more collectable. Regards Brian

Hi Dave, It looks to be the standard WWII Army Officer's shin-gunto. It looks to be in pretty good condition from the photos. The blades were machine made though there were a good number of hand made "family" blades mounted in these grips. You would have to take the handle off and look at the tang to see if it was marked by the maker. I see no hamon (wavy line caused when blade is quenched) which would lead me to think it is not an old blade. Nice specimen. Regards Brian

The Middle East and Propaganda I’ve often heard the statement that man (mankind) is unable to learn from history. As a general statement this is, of course, ridiculous. As an example we tend to no longer defecate in our drinking water; with the exception of the City of Victoria, British Columbia that still dumps their raw sewage into the ocean. To be fair it is not actually drinking water and it does serve to give people like me something to be smug about while committing some other violation against the environment; so thumbs up Victoria. What the statement regarding learning from history usually refers to is the history of human conflict. On an individual human level it would seem to be true as far as abusive marriages as can be attested by any police officer. People in abusive relationships, when and if they “escape”, will often find another abusive partner. On a national level involving military engagements we may not actually be able to learn from history due to several reasons. The fact that the histories of wars are usually written by the victors and often by those who shape their books to favor themselves and or their careers flooding the shelves of libraries and book stores. Another nemesis of accurate histories is propaganda; in order to learn from history we must know what the truth is and identify the perversions of the truth. I suppose this should not be a total surprise as US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson said in 1918, “The first casualty of war is truth”, so why would there be an incentive to set the record straight post war, especially for the victors? Propaganda certainly has its uses and after all we need to know that we are ethical while the enemy are evil agents of Satan; “Gott mit uns” leaps to mind. Propaganda can be a most useful tool especially in time of war and actually amounts to misinformation and out and out lies, usually directed at the very people the government is meant to be protecting. It’s a little like being caught by your wife with your mistress and having the presence of mind to introduce her as your long lost niece; it might work, as long as you actually have a brother or sister. If not….plan “B”. Plan “B” works every time and I would share it with you but I know you want me to get back to the subject at hand. Propaganda can take different forms and intensities. For example in an effort by the British to conceal the reason for an increase in RAF night mission successes against Luftwaffe bombers the rumor was started that the pilots had been consuming vast quantities of carrots which accounted for their superior night vision. The success of this propaganda had lasting effects well after the war, and managed to keep the use of radar a secret for a lot longer than a policy of silence would have accomplished. An example “from the other side” involves the 2nd Waffen SS Panzer Division Das Reich after the D-Day invasion when they were taking a pounding by the allies. The movie going public in Germany were informed through the news reels that Das Reich was making significant advances and the allies were reeling from the might of the Division as well as other German troops. The truth was that while the division and the German military in general was a force to be reckoned with Germany fought mainly a war of defense and tactical withdraw until the allied victory. This brings me to an example, perhaps the first example, of an incident in the Middle East involving a world super power, weapons of mass destruction and the cover-up propaganda that many still hold as the truth today. Cover-up in the Middle East Near the border of modern Syria and Lebanon was situated the city of Kadesh, on the Orontes River. Kadesh itself controlled the trading routs between to great areas and the control of Kadesh was paramount. Over the centuries the Egyptian and Hittite Empires had been at odds. Egypt had been in one war after another in an attempt to reclaim their empire and in 1274 BCE the Hittites under Muwatalli II threatened to conquer the city of Kadesh. The Hittites greatly out-numbered the Egyptians by over two to one especially in infantry; the interesting fact about the battle is that the Hittites never had the chance to employ their infantry and while they out-numbered the Egyptian in chariots the Egyptians were far superior. Think of comparing a modern fighter jet (Egyptian chariot) to a propeller driven transport plane (Hittites). Kadesh was in relative close proximity to the Hittite Empire while the Egyptians faced a two month march to the city. The Egyptian Army was led by Pharaoh Ramesses II at the head of the Amun Division. Three other divisions joined this force, the Re, Ptah and Seth divisions named for the areas from which they were raised. Each area or the prominent city of the area had a particular God and these divisions were named in honour of those Gods. While crossing this huge expanse of desert area each division took its own course rather than as a single army. This would lead to a tactical error by Ramesses as we will see later on. While to the modern Armchair General this splitting of the divisions may seem an obvious error, however, there are other factors at play. For the most part wars were won or lost in one decisive battle and usually by only one Egyptian division which was the division of that particular area. This makes the Kadesh campaign a rather unprecedented undertaking. The second factor and perhaps the most important one is that living off the land during a two month trek is a lot easier for one division rather than an army of four times that size. Therefore each division taking its own path to Kadesh made perfect sense. Upon arriving just south of Kadesh Ramesses formed up his divisions but rather than combining the divisions into one large force he left a great deal of space between them. A tactical error that almost cost him the war. This seems to be an error that has plagued the military for centuries and I’d like to explore this in more detail at another time. Acting on intelligence that the Hittites were almost 200 miles away and were afraid of the Egyptian army Ramesses decided to cover the 11 miles between his army and the city of Kadesh as quickly as possible. The advance was made with the vast distances between the divisions remaining in place. The intelligence proved to be a trap and the Hittites were upon the Re Division with their chariots catching the Egyptians unprepared. The Re Division broke and some headed for the nearby Amun Division commanded by Ramesses while others turned their route around to the rear of the Hittites who were now closing on the Amun Division. One might say that the day was the Hittites to lose as the future looked bleak for the Amun Division and the whole of the Egyptian army. At this point several factors came into play, which is often the case in warfare, which saved the day for Ramesses. Along with the defenders of the Amun Division the Hittite chariots encountered the materials that often surround an encampment along with tents and abandoned Egyptian chariots. This slowed the leading Hittite chariots and the next waves started to “jam up” as progress slowed to a stop. This made the Hittite chariots easy targets for the Egyptian archers. Remember those Re Division chariots that had turned their route and headed towards the Hittite rear and flanks? One of the advantages of being a God-King when your solders see that you are in peril they come to your aid with an unmatched fanaticism. Added to this the Path and Seth Divisions closed on the Hittite flanks. The Hittite Emperor, Muwatalli II had also made a tactical error in allowing his chariots to advance too quickly and without the support of his archers and infantry; both of which played no part in the battle. It would seem that front line troops out pacing support and supply has been a problem for a long time. The aftermath saw both sides claiming victory over the other and I suppose in an odd way they were correct as neither side actually lost so it could be said that a draw is when both sides, in a manner, win. Ramesses II had his “claimed” victory commemorated on the walls of the temple at Karnak, showing how he, almost alone, crushed the Hittite foe. Ah, propaganda at its best! Propaganda that may be still seen today, over 3,000 years after it was carved. The positive aspect of this conflict, regardless of the victor, was that not only was this the first documented military action it resulted in the first known peace treaty in history. Who knows, perhaps in another 3,000 years we’ll see peace in the Middle East; I’ll keep you posted. Regards Brian

Hi Irish, I could not agree more. So much history and so little time to research and write. Hi Chris, Thanks for your comments. I hope I didn't apprear to be discouraged as that was not my intent; it was just an observastion. Perhaps more of a passing thought would be a better way to put it. Please check back after the turn of the month as I have a new blog on the back burner awaiting a final polish before posting. Regards Brian

Very nice Chris. Regards Brian

Thanks Jock, your comments are most appreciated. While I am indeed working on my next blog dealing with an incident in the Middle East, which it is, the mention of the incident was a bid of a teaser, so no one should be insulted or upset. I've been engaged in a new business venture which has taken off far beyond what we were prepared for and even though I am retired I find myself in the shop from 08:30 until 17:00 hrs. five days a week just to keep up with the sales. Not complaining, however, it has cut into my hobby and collecting time. Regards Brian

I find the un-named groups of Pakistani medals most interesting and much like the common un-named British (and Canadian) WWII groups represent a period of history in themselves. Certainly one should be careful not to pay a lot for un-named groups they are well worth collecting and study. Sadly research into any group is almost impossible. Please keep us updated on your decision to add these to your collection. Regards Brian

What’s The Use? At times I wonder of what use there is in researching then writing articles for the membership here at GMIC. Now I read that over I realize how nasty that sounds therefore let me explain. For the most part we all have an interest in history, especially military history; therefore we also possess a more than average knowledge in that field. It is rather like preaching to the choir, so-to-speak. Those only interested in accumulating collectables for the ownership of said items probably hold only a slight passing interest in the subject. This means they will most likely simply pass by such articles while those with the interest will soon see that they have about the same degree of knowledge as I. As an example, a recent reply to a post posing a question about a certain medal of Independent India made me want to go on and on about the history between India and Pakistan and the subsequent conflicts. Rather than doing so I suggested that if the reader was interested in this history they should refer to the internet which is filled with information on the subject. I’m not too lazy to compose a condensed article on any historical subject it is just a matter that I have more to do with my time, limited as it is becoming, than take on what is often a redundant exercise. So what is it I’m saying, or trying to say? I’m saying, for me at least, my time and efforts may be better used in passing along information that may be of help in research, preservation, restoration etc. If you have read this far and are bored then please scan to the last paragraph for a possible helpful tip for research. Another example of what I am getting at is from a resent discussion regarding learning from history, which I still plan on using for a future blog, where the topic of WWII fortifications was broached. I said that one of the best examples of a fortified line, that failed of course, was France’s Maginot Line. I further used the example of Finland’s so-called Mannerheim Line. One of the participants expressed puzzlement at the mention of these defences while another forcefully exclaimed that he was not aware Finland was even involved in WWII, as if trying to instigate an argument. Well, there went my encouragement to continue any discussion with the group and with it the possibility of enlightening them regarding the use of the tactic called, “Motti”, against the Soviet troops. I did suggest that if they were interested they could always Google the topic. That doesn’t mean there are no topics to discuss as there is a plethora (I was wondering where I could fit that word in) of topics and perhaps many that would encourage intelligent debate or at least discussion. In one of my planned upcoming blogs I want to discuss an issue in the Middle East involving a major world power, weapons of mass destruction and the propaganda and political cover up that followed, one that has been accepted by the population at the time and by many to this very day; but that is for the future. Last Paragraph (as promised) My brother-in-law, a computer genius in reality, told me of something that might help some members in their research. I have a very tough time with facial recognition, unless I actually meet someone face to face. Photos of a group of soldiers and separate photos of individual soldiers, even in the case of brothers, prove very difficult to impossible for me to identify. I usually refer to my wife, Linda, who has an uncanny talent for facial recognition. This “tool” involves Google Photos (I think that is the correct name) and the saving of photos to something called the Cloud. This program has a facial recognition option and it can and does recognize people in different photos and point them out. The program can also “look” at a photo of an adult and pick out their baby pictures! I was thinking that perhaps some of the membership might be able to use this to assist in finding a certain soldier within a group etc. I do hope this helps someone; my wife would not appreciate emails from the membership for help in facial recognition. Regards Brian

An interesting thing about Garaj Star for Operation Black Thunder and the absence of a separate star for Operation Blue Thunder is that there was a reluctance among many soldiers to wear the Garaj Star once issued, especially for those still serving in the Punjab area. There is a ribbon for the Garaj Star which is worn more often that the star itself but even this was not overly welcomed by many service people who qualified. The reason is a matter that the operations were internal and against what can only be seen as "their own people", in other words against fellow Indians. I will leave the details of the operations to you, the reader, to search out on the internet as much has been written about this period of history. All pervious battle Stars were for actions against other nations such as Pakistan. The history of the conflicts between India and Pakistan, while short as far as history is concerned, is most interesting and well worth study. "Fall out" due to the conflicts continues to the present day, much as between North and South Korea. Regards Brian

Hi Laurence, David's question (thank you David) started me on a quest as I was sure I had an example in the collection, I was surprised to find I do, in fact, not have one; so much for my memory. I thought that perhaps I could take a photo of an example from Ed's book (giving full credit of course) but was even more surprised to find none there either. This leds me to think that it has to be quite rare indeed. I had to search but there is mention of the Suraksha clasp to the Samanya Seva in Ed's book but it is under the Garaj Star on page 111 near the bottom of the page. Regards Brian

Hi David, There was discussion regarding a separate medal for Operation Blue Thunder, however because the Garaj Star for Operation Black Thunder was so unpopular it was decided not to issue a medal for this. This and other such operations saw a clasp to the Samanya Seva Medal 1965. This was the Suraksha (Security) clasp. Originally the General Service Medal 1947 was issued with the Suraksha clasp. I hope this helps answer your question. Regards Brian

Has the world gone mad? Answer: Yes......next question? Seriously, I think people want something that was from a police officer who was "there" but not necessarily on the case of Jack the Ripper. As a personal example, I have a Region of Peel Police forage cap (Ontario, Canada) that was issued and worn during the time of the Paul Burnardo investigation. He is a notorious killer and I won't go into detail here. I knew some of the officers who were on that case so in a way the cap is a reminder of them and not the killer. I'm sure many of the Met police medals in my collection were to officers who knew of the case of JAck the Ripper at the time but then unless we are actually talking about this subject I don't view the medals or their recipients as associated with that case. As the "value" of my collection goes up there is still no urge to part with them...so yes the world, and I perhaps, have gone mad. Regards Brian

The Japanese used their rifles with the bayonet attached and were trained to shoot with bayonet in place. I suspect the problem with other armies was that they were drilled firing their rifles without bayonets afixed and when they needed to use them the additional weight threw off their aim. I have read that the Japanese used their rifles afixed so as to be more in line with the old code of Bashido. Regarding the plug bayonet, I agree with Peter, however I would like to pose this thought. Imagine the surprise when one side used the socket bayonet for the first time against a foe still using the plug bayonet. Both sides would advance after what would seem to be the final volley prior to afixing their bayonets and then one side stopped and let fly with yet another volley being able to do so due to the construction of the socket bayonet. Military advances often follow such battlefield surprises. Regards Brian

The movie should be coming to a theater near you soon, though it will be sub-titled in Australian. (Wise guy). Regards Brian

Also found on Buddhist and Hindu statues as well as used by Native Americans. Good post and one I hope others will add to. Regards Brian

Thanks for the comments. Sorry about the late reply, I've been working on my new book, "Procrastination - Gift from the Gods or Curse". So far, after two years, I have my pencils all sharpened and lined up plus two different coloured pads of paper close at hand. Regards Brian

Learning From History – A Rant One of the aspects of the New Year’s season that I dislike the most, aside from the obligation to congregate in herds at parties, is being expected to converse pleasantly with the attendees. I don’t mind parties at our house as I can simply remove myself either to the office downstairs (aka the Home Office) or the shop and work on a project...and I have been known to do so. Yes I am a solitary rather anti-social type who has been lucky to have found a wife who can tolerate my rather, at times, rude behaviour. I don’t blame myself for my attitude; people like me seldom do, the problem is with those who refuse to stick to conversations and opinions well within their own knowledge and comfort parameters. For example I don’t attempt to converse about sports, entertainment, automobiles or motorcycles and or their repair. I don’t know about these topics and quite frankly don’t care. In my defence I will stand by and listen with feigned interest, a glass of cola in my hand to provide the visual mistaken assumption that partial impairment is the reason for my glazed over eyes and not mind-numbing boredom. Inevitably at sometime during this personal purgatory someone will wander into my areas of interest, one being history and its associated politics. In such rare moments the dragon awakes! The mind sparks to life, eyes glisten with interest and the senses near salvation at the prospect of fresh meat in the form of an intellectual discussion. The first comment has been answered with the disappointing, “No one wants war” and then “If you don’t learn from history you’re doomed to repeat it”. It looks like their arsenal of knowledge on the subject has been spent and now they are starting to withdraw to a safer topic. But no! They have wandered into the sanctum sanctorum of my mind, my lair; like innocent lambs and they will not suffer me to allow them leave unscathed. To the statement “No one wants war” I reply that someone must want it as we sure as hell are engaged in them often enough. In regard to learning from history I throw out the challenge for the fellow to support his statement. I can see the fright in their eyes, smell the fear; they are mine, mine I tells you, and now I intend to destroy them utterly and completely. It’s about now my wife swoops down like an angle from the heavens and brings with her a sense of peace and calm, changing the subject to the relief of all but yours truly. They have no idea just how lucky they were, unfortunately you dear fellow member know all too well, based on my other blogs over the past year. I do feel a twinge of remorse for you having to read these pieces, but then upon contemplation, it could simply be a touch of heart burn. I’ll close off this tongue-in-cheek blog now and let it stand as an introduction to more serious discussions within the next few weeks on the topic of learning from history, or the inability to learn from it. Happy Year to all, from the Home Office, deep beneath the ground in New Hamburg, Ontario Canada Brian

It's good to see you posting once again and with such interesting additions. Many thanks for reviving this post. Regards Brian