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16 Jun, 31 tweets, 26 min read
The First 100 Days aka Miles Dempsey's diary covering first 100 days of the campaign to liberate North-West Europe.

WO205/9

I'm a passionate believer in the need for transparent, open access history available to ALL - so have at it!

PLEASE #RT, share & dl!/1
#WW2 #SWW #History
It's probably best to mention early on... that if you find this particularly helpful/useful/enjoyable, feel free to sling me a coffee!

ko-fi.com/reassesshistory
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So, I hope this has been of interest.*

I copied this file for my own research (hence quick click & done), but feel it's unwise to leave on my HD when so many (esp international friends) struggle to get archive access.

*Gentle coffee plug below /thread
ko-fi.com/reassesshistory

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More from @ReassessHistory

Jonathan Ware Profile picture
9 Jun
The History of 9 Army Group Royal Artillery

/1
#WW2 #SWW #History
/2
/3
Read 15 tweets
Jonathan Ware Profile picture
8 Apr
So, let's have give this report a bit more thought - and perhaps flip bits on the head.

a) Lack of use of binocs/reliance on cupola/less awareness of incoming fire/losing nerve.

British tank comds tended to unbutton to fight. So their cas rate is higher... /1
#WW2 #SWW #History
Once you seal yourself inside a metal box you lose a huge amount of senses, that said you are less likely to become a casualty to arty/mortar fire etc.

This isn't particularly surprising, but does perhaps indicate German crew should have been more willing to unbutton. /2
But again, there is this key cultural difference between British and German approaches - that underpins a).

Losing nerve is harder to judge, but numerous German tanks were KOed around Rauray so it's likely confidence was undermined & unexpected losses shook tank crews. /3
Read 10 tweets
Jonathan Ware Profile picture
12 Mar
There is so much written about 12th SS-Panzer that it is *very* easy to cobble a book together on them.

It'd take me a few weeks to do, esp if you solely rely on secondary forces.

Their photo record is also extensive, making things *much* simpler. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History
One of the key problems in military history, and history in general, is that researching/writing on new topics is exhaustively time and resource intensive.

At one stage my book's comprehensive biography (pre-edits) was something like 60+ pages of A4 in Times New Roman 10. /2 Image
Hundreds upon hundreds of archival sources, tens of thousands of files within, and I suspect maybe a million pages of read material - before considering secondary sources.

Just to write a book about 53rd Welsh Division who were effectively erased from the Normandy campaign. /3 Image
Read 13 tweets
Jonathan Ware Profile picture
15 Feb
Proud standards rolled up.
Fade to black.

Issue No 54, July '09, appears to be N.V.A. News' final ed, core newsletter for the Normandy Veterans' Association.

E. Slater's (editor) comments are particularly poignant as ultimately legacy was lacking. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History #DDay80
The NVA went from being a proud, national organisation to melting away like chaff in a handful of years by 2014 as age took the members & left no obvious successor organisation.

The NVA died a very slow death with some branches hanging on for several years after last parade.../2
this was further compounded by comparatively few branch collections ending up in regional or national archives, meaning many accounts have been lost a second time round.

The Spirit of Normandy Trust is a successor but lacks the clout of it's illustrious predecessor. /3
Read 12 tweets
Jonathan Ware Profile picture
14 Feb
UK taxpayers throw nearly 1/2 bn A YEAR at DCMS-funded nationals who do little engagement & increasingly seek to lock their publicly owned collections/archives etc behind closed doors.

This is why we get bad history.

Funding reform is needed.

Not this.
#Museums #Heritage
This entire shambles is an exceptionally painful episode in how little Dowden appears to understand his portfolio, UK Heritage PLC and the creative sector in general.

I mean that DCMS has little control over institutions they substantially fund must be frustrating.
These organisations are nebulous corpo-QUANGOs often operating under a veil of dozens of subsidiary companies and various additional charities/trusts to stow away comfortable rainy day funds with director salaries frequently above the PM's own!
Read 5 tweets
Jonathan Ware Profile picture
4 Feb
Stretcher Bearers - not Medics

A glance at British and Canadian SBs in Normandy. /1
#WW2 #SWW #History Image
tldr: the british army favoured rapid casevac, two stretcher bearers run the gauntlet with their stretcher, pop casualty on stretcher (probs already had a dressings applied to wounds by mates) then race them back to a collection point for ambulances to take back to RAP or hosp /2 Image
This was generally felt preferable to in-field treatment by medics not least as 21st Army Group boasted arguably the most advanced medical infrastructure in the world, staffed by exceptionally talented and creative surgical and nursing staff. /3 Image
Read 23 tweets

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