1/21
Long, complex🧵
Small mortars as a critical weapons system in urban warfare.
With thanks to @whincupm for his short🧵below.
1. Artillery must be used in urban operations but they do have some challenges when used in the urban environment.

https://twitter.com/whincupm/status/1849708361631015294

2/21
If there is a lack of precision guided munitions large artillery shells, rockets, bombs & missiles are not entirely accurate & can cause extensive collateral damage. Of course, the Russians have demonstrated this time & again in the Russo-Ukrainian War:

1/20
Long🧵with case study attached.

31 years ago Sergeant First Class Matthew Eversmann fought in the Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia 03-04 October 1993. Below are his lessons learned from that particular urban fight.
Lessons are listed in point form first & then fully discussed. 2/20
"- Good, well-trained men will die in combat. NOTHING REPLICATES THIS.
- 'Team' must be solid BEFORE deploying.
- Inside (buildings) is better than outside (buildings).
- Live fire exercises build cohesion and confidence. This took away the initial fright of enemy fire.

1/11
Medium & rather sobering🧵

"Thermobaric (fuel-air) weapons. There is a new type of blunt trauma that has entered the urban environment. In the Second Russo-Chechen War (1999-2000) the Russians introduced the use of large quantities of fuel-air or thermobaric weapons...

https://twitter.com/clashreport/status/1841405062800707823

2/11
...during the Fourth Battle of Grozny (25 December 1999-06 February 2000).
Fuel-air weapons work by initially detonating a scattering charge within a warhead.

🇺🇸
1/4
Short🧵

Leadership (#RLTW)

"You'll never find him this far back."

– A U.S. Army Ranger on 09 September 1943 (81 years ago today) replying (with a slow grin) to an officer who had asked the location of his commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel William Orlando Darby⬇️. 🇺🇸
2/4
Allied forces had just landed at Sorrento, Italy during the Second World War (1939-1945).
Well known to his troops as a leader who literally led from the front, Darby was the founding commander of the 1st Ranger Battalion which eventually became the U.S. Army Rangers.

🇨🇦
1/10
Medium🧵

"We knew at one stage that it was going to be a fight to the finish but he was so cool about it, it was impossible for us to get excited."

- A 29th Canadian Armoured (South Alberta) Regiment soldier discussing the extraordinarily cool & calm... 🇨🇦
2/10
...leadership of Major David Vivian Currie (photo) during the battle of Saint Lambert-sur-Dive, France, 18-20 August 1944 (which began 80 years ago today) in the Second World War (1939-1945). Currie's leadership allowed the Canadians to inflict heavy losses on the enemy.

🇬🇧
1/9
Short🧵

Good for a chuckle.

The Allied invasion of Sicily which occurred 81 years ago today in the Second World War (1939-1945) was also composed of an airborne component in which paratroopers were to land in the late evening/early morning of 09-10 July 1943. 🇬🇧
2/9
During the evening of 09 July 1943 several of the British Airborne Division's gliders were thrown into disarray due to a combination of a thunderstorm & some anti-aircraft fire coming up from the island down below.

🇨🇦
1/7
Short🧵

Up the Johns!

"He came from Canwood in northern Saskatchewan, grew up in the Depression and had very little of this world's goods. He'd never have been the stick man in a British Guards parade but as a dedicated working man there was none better. 🇨🇦
2/7
He landed in the assault wave, gave first aid on the beach and in the battle inland. On D-plus-3, running to a chap he heard calling for help, he was cut down and killed.

1/9
Medium🧵

Current events have thrown into sharp focus the need to understand urban warfare & its historical lessons learned.
May I kindly suggest the following case studies on the @WarInstitute's website & written by both @SpencerGuard & myself. Each case study is... 2/9
...relatively quick to read; each offers a brief introduction, a synopsis of the battle, what we thought were some of the strategic / operational / tactical lessons learned & a short conclusion.

1. Stalingrad, USSR (23 August 1942-02 February 1943):
mwi.usma.edu/launch-announc…

1/9

"I didn't mean to leave the charge, but sometimes it happens. Strength and Honour. Nich."

- The statement written by Captain Nichola Goddard, Forward Observation Officer (FOO) with the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (1 RCHA). 2/9
Captain Goddard wrote the above statement in a "in the event of my death" letter to her family while she was serving with Canada's Task Force Orion in Afghanistan in 2006.

1/4
Short🧵

"Be a man of principle. Fight for what you believe in. Keep your word. Live with integrity. Be brave. Believe in something bigger than yourself. Serve your country. Teach. Mentor. Give something back to society. Lead from the front. Conquer your fears. 2/4
Be a good friend. Be humble & be self-confident. Appreciate your friends and family. Be a leader and not a follower. Be valorous on the field of battle. And take responsibility for your actions. Never forget those that were killed. And never let rest those that killed them."

1/6
Short🧵with case study.

"When the dismounts tried to enter and clear house number 4, they encountered stiff resistance from insurgents armed with rockets and RPKs, we set up security around the base of the house as best we could (and fired) countless .50 cal and MK-19... 2/6
...rounds at the building and we still could not gain a foothold into the house. Every time we tried an insurgent would either fire a rocket down the steps from the 2nd floor or throw grenades down at our dismounts. The (Lieutenant) called the (company commander) and had a...

1/6
Short🧵

Good for a chuckle.

"As we were walking out, we received some more fire. And, here we are, really have no water, haven't really ate, and we had ice cream cones. We don't wanna let go of our ice cream cones, so, like, we stick the ice cream cones in our mouth. 2/6
We're just kinda holdin' them in our mouths as we're opening fire back. And we're running down the alleyways, take big ol' bites outta the ice cream cones, sat there, chew it."

1/8
Short🧵

"Lessons Learned:
- Good, well-trained men will die in combat. NOTHING REPLICATES THIS.
- 'Team' must be solid BEFORE deploying.
- Inside (buildings) is better than outside (buildings). 2/8
- Live fire exercises build cohesion and confidence. This took away the initial fright of enemy fire.
- Warrior mentality is CRITICAL!! TRAIN FOR WAR, NOT NTC, JRTC, etc.
- Everything must be related to combat.

🇬🇧
1/9
Short🧵

Good for a chuckle.

During the Peninsular War (1808-1814) Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, the 1st Duke of Wellington allegedly wrote a letter to the British War Office after he/his staff were consistently pestered by staff officers wanting administrative details. 🇬🇧
2/9

"Gentlemen:
Whilst marching to Portugal to a position which commands the approach to Madrid and the French forces, my officers have been diligently complying with your request which has been sent to H.M. (His Majesty's) ship from London to Lisbon and then...

🇺🇸
1/12
Medium🧵

Good for a chuckle.

During the Battle of Okinawa (01 April-22 June 1945) in the Second World War (1939-1945) the Japanese sensed an opportunity when on 12 April 1945 (79 years ago today) the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt (below) died.

🇺🇸
2/12

"AMERICAN SOLDIERS AND MARINES!
We express our regret over the death of President Roosevelt. We know how this must hurt you. What do you think was the true cause of his death? It was the great American Tragedy now being played on Okinawa.

🇦🇺🇳🇿
1/16
Medium🧵

Good for a chuckle (if you're a Colonial).

A bit lengthy but a story that occurred 10 April 1941 (83 years ago today) during the Battle of Tobruk, North Africa in the Second World War (1939-1945).

Context: Australian soldiers are digging trenches. 🇦🇺🇳🇿
2/16
"So it was late on the afternoon of 10 April, the 2/24th's second day in Tobruk, an extremely pukka British Artillery officer, a Captain, turned up on the front lines with his batman in tow, looking every inch the part of a great military commander surveying the...

🇬🇧
1/5
Short🧵

Good for a chuckle.

Private Arthur Poulter was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for his actions on 10 April 1918 (106 years ago today) during The Great War (1914-1918). The citation & the humorous episode that occurred afterwards: 🇬🇧
2/5
"'POULTER, Arthur, Private, 1/4th Bn., Duke of Wellington's (West Riding) Regiment - 10 April 1918
- At Lys, France, he carried 10 badly wounded men, one after the other, through heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. Two of the men were again shot whilst on his back.

🇨🇦🇬🇧
1/16
Medium🧵

The Battle of Vimy Ridge (09 April-03 May 1917) began 107 years ago today during The Great War (1914-1918).

Some facts & figures that I have gathered from a number of resources over the years: 🇨🇦🇬🇧
2/16

Number of French, British & German casualties fighting for Vimy Ridge in the previous three years of fighting, before the task was given to the Canadians: 300,000;

Number of Canadian divisions that fought at Vimy Ridge: 4;

1/6
Short🧵

"Politicians may...pretend that the soldier is ethically in no different position than any other professional. He is. He serves under an unlimited liability, and it is the unlimited liability which lends dignity to the military profession. 2/6
There's also the fact that military action is group action, particularly in armies...The success of armies depends to a very high degree on the coherence of the group, and the coherence of the group depends on the degree of trust and confidence of its members in each other.

1/4
Short🧵

"You're in the Princess Patricia's now. You are hard! You drink hard! You play hard! You love hard! You hate hard! You can decide what you drink, how you play, who you love. We'll decide who you hate and who you fight."





2/4
- Sergeant Thomas ("Tommy") Prince of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) stating the above to recruits.
From "Intrepid Warriors: Perspectives on Canadian Military Leaders," edited by Colonel Bernd Horn.
Happy Regimental day today to the PPCLI. VP!

1/13
Medium🧵to complement yesterday's🧵below.

"I learned 70% of my leadership lessons from bad leaders. Use them, look at how they're behaving, and tell yourself you will never do that."

– Canadian General (Retired) Rick Hillier.

https://twitter.com/JaysonGeroux/status/1763928948633637108

2/13

"The 10 Diseases of Leadership:

1. Lack of moral courage.

Leaders fail to act and do the right thing even when they know they should.

2. Failure to recognize that opposition can be loyal.

Leaders that have an inability to recognize the moral...