Things Change or People Die
Sometimes events in history force the creation of new ideas to replace what has becomes obsolete. Weapons, strategy and tactics have always been marked by change on the battlefields of history to deal with new threats.
While obsolete weapons wind up in a museum, and outdated tactics are preserved in text, once a martial art has been deemed no longer useful on the battlefield it still survives as a sport or as a hobby thanks to groups of enthusiasts who keep up the style to preserve part of their culture.
The list of martial arts that are currently being taught is staggering, but this list shortens dramatically when you look for those that could still make the grade in a modern combat situation. And while all martial arts are fun to watch and learn, it is important for the public to understand that a martial arts style should only be called “self defense” when it has modern application. (Fat lot of good your Whooping Crane Kung Fu is going to do against a semi-auto .40 caliber Glock!)
After years of constant warfare Japan’s Samurai did not have time to develop, a sport or style of hand-to-hand fighting that looked impressive. Their only concern was surviving when they were unarmed.
Those running martial arts schools at the time fully knew that the strikes, chokes, takedowns and kicks they taught were only meant as a way to rearmed oneself on a battlefield if you found yourself horseless and weaponless.
As Japan began updating its medieval nation in 1868 and taking a more prominent role on the world stage, the battlefield proven elements of their unarmed combat systems were updated and preserved even through foreign military influence ( Japan would have Germany train its army and the British train its navy).
In the early 20th century, William E. Fairbairn, a British police officer would make the long trip to train in Judo and Jujutsu at the Kodokan Institute in Tokyo.
When WWII broke out Fairbairn and fellow Police Officer Eric Anthony Sykes (both served with the Shanghai Municipal Police) headed back to England to teach what they knew about unarmed combat in preparation for a Nazi invasion.
When newly promoted Colonels Fairbairn and Sykes took command of the British Homeguard, (The last line of defense) was in no shape to do any fighting. Filled with older men who were not able to perform standard military service, they were armed only with hand tools and rusty shotguns because the military had nothing to spare after abandoning much of its equipment in Dunkirk.
This did not deter Fairbairn who set about teaching the Homeguard what he had learned in Japan. Soon every local unit would learn how to disarm an attacker, take out a sentry with their bare hands, and fight with common weapons like axes and pitchforks. If England was going to be invaded, the population was not going to go quietly.
No sooner had that assignment been completed was Fairbairn and Sykes sent to train allied troops at a secret camp set up by America’s Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Many Americans were skeptical about what the older police officer could teach them about fighting. (After all, the British were still losing the war.) But Fairbairn showed the effectiveness of his training on the very first day of training as he effortlessly threw a rather large, young American officer into the crowd of amazed officers.
Under Fairbairn’s tutelage, these elite men became America’s first Special Forces unit and handled assignments including everything from guerilla warfare, sabotage of enemy equipment, intelligence gathering, and local resistance training. Special units all over the world took the war and their combat proven martial training to Nazi Germany and even Imperial Japan (Ironic, isn’t it?).
With 1000’s of field reports highlighting the successful application of this unarmed fighting system that began in Japan, was refined in Europe, and proven during WWII; it is the ONLY “martial art” with legitimate, documented, and proven evidence of success under combat conditions.
Because of this rich lineage and proven history, when the “passing of the torch” of this knowledge fell upon our shoulders, we knew we needed to do something special to keep these absolute self-defense “truths” in the forefront of all the junk and nonsense that the modern martial arts world has become.
While we have added modern educational elements to enhance the learning process, the techniques and methodology of our WWII and Samurai forefathers remain unaltered and as brutally effective as it ever was.
Many martial arts are useless in real world situations. They may be fun sports and good for fitness, but they are not effective in real combat. To find a good combat martial art we have to begin with the samurai. They practiced Jujutsu and designed the system with only real world combat in mind. Refined by the Europeans and battle tested during World War II Jujutsu has continued to adapt to the ever changing battlefield.
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Chateau D’Annecy: The Little Castle That Could
In the 13th century, having been forced from their comfortable homes at Lake Leman, the Counts of Geneva fled from a hostile situation into the town of Annecy, France. As early as the 12th century, Annecy had been privilege to a small measure of fortifications, however with the arrival of the Counts - who took over the fortifications as their new home - several new towers and wings were built onto the fortifications, creating what is known today as Le Chateau D’Annecy.
Although many portions of the castle would later be rebuilt, the initial work on the castle was completed between the 12th and 16th centuries. Its position in the department of Haute-Savoie was only obtained by France in 1860, when the French government annexed two nearby parcels of land: Savoie and Haute-Savoie. Annecy thus became a municipality in the region, though Annecy Castle was originally recognized as the capital of the county of Geneva. In time, the castle fell victim to several fires, eventually leading to its abandonment in the 17th century.
The Tour de la Reine, or Queen’s Tower, is the oldest building in the castle. It was constructed in the 12th century, and has surprisingly thick 4-meter walls. Inside the tower are a number of trapdoors, ladders, and even a covered walkway, connecting it to the adjoining towers and providing sturdy protection for anyone attempting to move safely through the building. Later construction added a main gate and courtyard to the Queen’s Tower, making this the primary entrance to the castle complex.
There are several sets of residential buildings at the Chateau, the oldest dating to around 1333, with a forty-meter deep well dug in 1371. A second residency was built in 1539 by Charlotte of Orleans, called the Nemours Dwelling, and it was only twenty-three years later in 1562 that a third residency was constructed to serve as a barracks for the palace troops.
Two additional towers, the towers of St. Peter and St. Paul, served as base units for the castle ramparts. Although built in the late 14th century, they were soon destroyed and rebuilt in 1430 - but only lasted until the early 16th century. After several further attempts to remain in Annecy Castle, it was eventually abandoned.
The town of Annecy took ownership of the castle in 1953, and was able to restore enough of the building to house a museum and a small observatory. Despite its troubled history of continual rebuilding, Le musee-chateau d’Annecy still dominates the old town’s skyline, and provides a fascinating glimpse into late Medieval architecture.
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The Story Of U.S. Navy In The Battle Of Guadalcanal
The Navy is a branch of the military that defends the United States by sea. In November of 1942 they were called upon to defend it from the Japanese. Since Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941 the United States had suffered from a shortage of battleships. The battle of Guadalcanal is very important in history as it signified the end of the Pacific War with the United States walking away the victor.
Yet this victory was not one that happened easily. The long battle that ensued resulted in the loss of several battleships for both sides as well as casualties. Two of the Japanese battleships were on a mission to destroy the United States naval base located at Guadalcanal. They Japanese wanted to control this area to stop the United States and other countries from using it as a place to get necessary supplies.
The United States found themselves with only two battleships left to possibly use against the Japanese fleet of more than 8,000. The USS Washington and the USS South Dakota were both put into action. This was against the United States policy that stated that battleships were not to be used in confined spaces as was the case in this battle. Yet those in charge of the decision choose to do so anyway.
The four day battle was a combined effort of navy ships and air force planes dedicated to protecting this naval base and the waters. The Japanese found the United States to have an excellent strategy in place - during the day the airplanes attacked the ships from above. At night they were attacked by the two US battleships.
After their defeat, the Japanese stopped trying to take control of Guadalcanal. By January of 1943 the only Japanese aircraft or ships in the area were those coming to remove the remaining Japanese forces on the island. They were all evacuated by February of 1943. This defeat eventually led to the Japanese losing power over the surrounding areas of the Solomon Islands.
The willingness of the United States military branches to work closely with each other made a significant difference in the outcome of the Battle of Guadalcanal. The decisions of those in charge of the navy to engage the battleships when it was against policy also was a very important factor that helped decide a US victory over Japan. Guadalcanal was one of the key battles in the Pacific, and it was a US victory due to the wisdom and bravery of them men involved.
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The Post-War Influence On Calligraphy
From about the year 1930 calligraphy writing and lettering had made such progress that it had become a subject in the training of Art Teachers and was taught by the immediate followers of the two who had given their lives to its cause. Lettering of Today, first volume, published in 1937, showed the work of some of these who had taken up the craft and were in their turn passing it on to the new generation.
Under post-war conditions the subject suffered a setback; writing materials had suddenly become scarce and expensive. The supply of quills, which had been so good and plentiful from Russia and Canada, was completely cut off. They were large turkey and Hudson Bay goose.
Indian ink, which had been imported from New York in convenient one-ounce bottles, was no longer in stock, and Chinese “stick” from those who had made it for centuries had been reduced to small end pieces almost too small to hold and grind. England has never produced a thin black ink suitable for both small and large manuscript writing; those made here have either been off-black or too thickly charged with gum to produce a really thin fine quill stroke on vellum.
Various trades had used hematite burnishers in the course of their work, such as the burnishing of gilded edges of books and the brightening of silverware that had been gilt. These burnishers had been found to be the best tools for the work of the manuscript gilder, and a number of scribes bought from trade suppliers or had them cut and polished in Germany. This supply has been cut off for ten years. Vellum could still be bought as it was a product of our own; but the quality was different. The finest raw hides came from Scandinavia and these were denied us by the Government; in consequence modern writing has greatly suffered.
The trend of calligraphy today is that it has fallen away from the idiosyncrasies of Graily Hewitt and mainly follows the general line laid down by Edward Johnston; there are, however, certain exceptions and differences creeping in which are inevitable. This was expected and often encouraged by him when he talked of the future.
He had examined the work of past generations, learned what they had to teach and then based his alphabets and concepts of page design on the whole of the mediaeval movement, from early growth, middle glory and final decay.
A few modern scribes have done the same in some measure, the result of which can be seen in the following pages. The majority have learned and followed what they have been taught by the early followers of Edward Johnston and, as it is to be expected, have lost a certain amount in the process.
Some have clung to the middle period of his work while others have been interested in what he produced in the latter part of his life; some have interpreted, some have misunderstood: but for the most part writers have chosen the alphabets which rely on the swift-stroke of the pen rather than those which were based on early Roman MSS. such as uncials, or the insular half-uncials of the Lindisfarne Gospels.
The result has been that the italic hands are favored and that the Foundational Hand, which Edward Johnston founded on, a tenth-century psalter has sometimes been given an italic bias.
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What Happened to the Marines?
Rivalries aside, most people agree the Marine Corp trains some of Uncle Sam’s toughest warriors.
Sadly, the Marines, like so many military organizations, have fallen prey to political correctness in modern times.
In 2001, the Marines switched from their battle proven close combat methods in favor of a system that is designed to “subdue” rather then kill an attacker. Funny, I never thought the Marines had a problem with killing people before…And the scumbag terrorists sure don’t seem to have a problem killing us.
Since the Marines were first founded in 1775 at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, PA, Close Quarter Combat (CQC) training was heavily emphasized in their training.
Although many people know about their skilled sharpshooters who fired from the rigging of ships, it is important to remember that the Marines also pioneered close combat techniques as they boarded enemy ships using rifles and swords.
For over a century Marines fought in every major conflict battling pirates, guerillas, and other enemies of the United States. The Marines were tough fighters, but when the United States entered World War I, some new training would make them lethal.
The First World War brought a number of changes to the Marines. The Corp grew rapidly in size and the Germans would give the Marines the nickname “Devil Dogs.” To meet the challenges of trench warfare, the Marines also improved their close combat training.
The man largely responsible for the new training was Anthony J. Drexel Biddle who joined the Marines as a captain at age 41. Though he was new to the military, the wealthy socialite was an experienced boxer and began to share what he knew with the Marines. He taught bayonet and close combat techniques based upon fencing, boxing and wrestling.
During the inter-war years, other men joined Biddle to improve the training. Captains W.M. Greene and Samuel B. Griffith who had been stationed in Shanghai trained with British police officer William Fairbairn.
Fairbairn had been in over six-hundred street fights and authored several books on close combat. He eagerly shared what he knew with the American Marines. They also learned shooting techniques from Fairbairn’s best friend and firearms expert Eric Sykes.
The Marines learned well, and soon Fairbairn’s techniques became part of the Marines’ CQC training.
The Marines’ close combat system would be further influenced by others during World War II, as the Marines fought in a brutal island hopping campaign in the Pacific.
Marine John Styers who was a student of Biddle’s took what he learned and wrote Cold Steel. Originally, a series of articles in Leatherneck magazine Styers showed Marines how to fight with a knife and a rifle with a bayonet. He showed that unarmed combat training could help Marines perform even better with their weapons.
The Marines also learned from another student of Fairbairn, Army Colonel Rex Applegate. Though a crack shot, Applegate made it clear that hand-to-hand combat training was necessary part of CQC.
While the Marine Corp close combat system went through a number of other changes and names, each reincarnation of the system held on tightly to the lessons and methods of Biddle, Sykes, Fairbairn, & Applegate as the concept of battlefield survival was always kept in mind.
In the 1980’s the system began to fall. With the rise in popularity of various martial arts, many Marines began abandoning the authentic, documented, and proven “simplistic” methods of combat in exchange for the mysteries of modern martial arts and psuedo science (aka completely unproven crap).
In 1996, the Marines began evaluating their close combat training and determined that a new system would be developed to deal with Missions Other Than War (MOTW).
Previously all training (even the junk in the 80’s) was designed with the concept of “kill or be killed”. The new system is more concerned with peacekeeping operations and non-lethal force…EXTREMELY stupid for men trained to be our frontline.
The new Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) is like a piss poor combined version of Tae Kwon Do and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.
Not only is it nothing like the battle tested techniques the Marines have used successfully for over 200 years, but by mish-moshing together two martial sports (neither of which have battlefield proven documentation) someone is going to get killed.
Listen, in Iraq and Afghanistan its all about close combat and engaging the enemy in tight quarters. The Marines need a solid CQC system not a politically correct way to play patty-cake with the enemy.
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Remembering the Battle of Iwo Jima
When Joe Rosenthal snapped the iconic photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, he knew it was a special sight, but probably never imagined the lengths the snapshot would travel in history. It was his capturing of the Battle of Iwo Jima, during the Second World War that became one of the most well known depictions of the war. From this image, a host of stories, life histories, movies, and books have emerged, namely the most recent Clint Eastwood film by the name of “Flags of Our Fathers.”
It was a Friday, February 23rd, 1945, approaching 1:00pm. The Marines had only landed at Iwo Jima four days earlier and Rosenthal, a photographer with the Associated Press, was visiting the island on one of his daily checkups. The news of a flag raising ceremony atop a volcano named Mount Suribachi came to his attention and upon his arrival, he immediately raced to the southern tip of the island with his trusty camera in hand. Rosenthal was too late to capture the first raised flag, but as he reached the summit, he noticed a different group of Marines readying to raise a second.
Attached to a stretch of pipe, a large American flag was geared for flight into the air in one of the most triumphant events throughout war history. Rosenthal was able to position his short stature on a pile of rocks and click his camera at just the right moment to produce the famous photo you see of six war heroes raising Old Glory: John Bradley, Harlon Block, Michael Strank Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, and Rene Gagnon.
The flag raising on Mount Suribachi was important in the strides towards success because through intense fighting, the Marines were able to capture the highest point of the island within the first week of combat. Sadly, three of the original flag raisers did not live to see the final triumph.
Once the photograph hit the American public, Rosenthal was heralded as the responsible party for bringing home such a moving symbol of victory. The photo was passed across the world, even gracing the February 25th Sunday newspapers. Numerous magazines displayed the photo on their covers, and in later years, the United States Marine Corps War Memorial was fashioned from the influential image. A stamp was also created in its likeness.
Remembering the Battle of Iwo Jima through the well-known photo prompted a series of film adaptations of the events and lives of those involved. In the Clint Eastwood-directed “Flags of Out Fathers,” the life stories of the six men who raised the flag unfold. Rosenthal”s presence and involvement is also mentioned.
Before the Eastwood”s Hollywood blockbuster was created, the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard produced a 1945 documentary titled, “To the Shores of Iwo Jima.” In 1949, John Wayne starred in the “Sands of Iwo Jima,” where Tony Curtis took on the role of flag raiser, Ira Hayes in the 1961 film, “The Outsider.” As for Rosenthal, he won a Pulitzer Prize for the infamous snapshot, where its impact continues to mesmerize throughout the years.
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First Defeat Of The Axis Powers On Land
My vote for the first Axis defeat would be the Italian attack into southern France. Some very outnumbered, and demoralized, second line troops managed to stop Mussolini’s legions cold. In the vast scheme of things, it did not matter, but it showed what could be done.
The battle of Britain was an ongoing battle even after the Greeks beat the Italians. It was also not a land battle, I should have mentioned first land battle.
The successful defense of France against the Italians is very admirable and I have read about it. But there was no incursion and occupation of Italian possessions by the French. I would also like to add that the French actually had ceded territory to the Italians after that battle as well. So, in my book, that is in no way, shape or form a defeat inflicted on the axis. A ‘victor’ doesn’t give up territory to a “beaten” force right after a battle.
The Greeks not only expelled the Italians from Greece proper, but initiated an invasion into southern Albania (at that time, Italian territory) and managed to expel the Italian army from one third of the portion of Albania, occupying it themselves and had inflicted tens of thousands of casualties/dead in addition to taking in thousands of prisoners. In essence, it is the first offensive victory over the axis powers.
Italy attacked Greece on October 28 1940 and suffered the first Axis defeat. Though Hitler had no plans for Greece at that time, he was forced to send troops to occupy Greece (since Greece’s neutrality was broken) on April of 1941. This resulted in the delay of Operation Barbarossa and the loss of precious troops. I understand, human nature being what it is, that we all want to put our ancestors and heritage in the best possible light, but I think the best heading you can accurately put on this thread is “Early defeat of AN Axis Power”.
I wasn’t trying to denigrate either you or the Greek Army. I don’t have “considerable heartburn”, although I might be getting there. All I said was that your original thread title was inaccurate. You responded by changing the ground rules. My second post (with a “sigh”) explained exactly why it was inaccurate. You then changed the thread title to include “(on land)”. That’s fine - one complaint down (although I tend to agree with Belisarius) - but it doesn’t address my other complaint, which was that the Greeks defeated Italy, not “the Axis powers”.
Well since you put it that way, and want to get technical, I can get technical as well. If you really want to split hairs, this war which was the first axis defeat on land probably cost them (yeah both of them)the whole war (The Russians and the Germans admitted as much anyway)since the Germans and Italians had to delay their plans for the invasion of Russia for a couple of months with this diversion ( time to invade Greece and time to prepare the invasion of Russia ). This caused the Axis to invade in the Russian winter. The Battle of Stalingrad ( a pivotal battle no?) would probably not happened as well.
I know it’s not a widely held belief because of some odd reasons or another, that the Greeks could have “conceivably” been directly or indirectly responsible for this but the statements of the German generals alone is enough proof for me. If you have any doubts I can post links to them, they are statements which were made at the Nuremburg trials. However, the measure of resistance was paid considerable homage to by German officals.
Hitler’s Chief of Staff, Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel stated “The unbelievably strong resistance of the Greeks delayed by two or more vital months the German attack against Russia; if we did not have this long delay, the outcome of the war would have been different in the eastern front and in the war in general.”
A speech Hitler made at the Reichstag in 1941 said of the campaign: “It must be said, for the sake of historical truth, that amongst all our opponents, only the Greeks fought with such endless courage and defiance of death.” The diary of Joseph Goebbels 9 April 1941: “I forbid the Press to underestimate the Greeks, to defame them… The Fuehrer admires the bravery of Greeks.”
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The US Marine Corps: A Brief History Of The Marines
The original incarnation of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) was born in 1775 during the Continental Congress in a resolution sponsored by John Adams. The USMC fought diligently throughout the American revolution but, after the Treaty of Paris in April 1783, it was dissolved only to be reestablished in 1798.
Following this reestablishment, the USMC was involved in military actions against France and Barbary pirates. During the War of 1812, the USMC participated in many naval operations and fought with Andrew Jackson in New Orleans. After the War of 1812, the USMC spent the next few decades protecting a variety of American interests all over the world.
During World War I, the USMC had over 30,000 members actively serving and fighting. Of those, one-third were either injured or killed in combat. It was during WWI that the 4th Brigade earned the title of “Devil Dogs” because of their heroic and patriotic actions at a number of battle sites.
It was within the two decades prior to World War II that the USMC began to prepare for amphibious battle, which they used with high degrees of success during the war. Notable points of battle include Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After World War II, the USMC participated in post-war occupations of Japan and Northern China.
Although the USMC took part in all of the wars, and many smaller skirmishes, after World War II, they weren’t engaged in numbers similar to WWII until Operation Desert Storm. However, the USMC has proven itself to be as effective in small and specialized operations as it is in massive military engagements.
As the war on terrorism continues to grow and spread around the world, they are likely to be one of the first lines of defense for America. Together with other specialized squads, America can use them in the war against terror.
The U.S. Marines have already been used extensively in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as other areas in the war on terror. The Marines have a unique combination of speed, skill, and power that allows them to fight in a variety of conditions. They aren’t as “good” as special forces like the navy SEALs, and they don’t have as much power as the Army, but they strike a happy balance that makes the Marines one potent fighting force.
The U.S. Marines have proudly defended out nation for many years, and I trust that they will continue to do so for many more.
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History of Military Tanks Of WW I
The first tanks didn’t have turrets in World War I until the development of the French light tank called the FT-17. This French tank set the design of tanks to modern day even thou it only had a machine gun for is main weapon. Many World War I tanks were huge compared to the early days of tank in World War II. At the Start of WW2 most tanks had a 37mm cannon.
Also before World War II the development of mobile radio sets that could be used inside tanks meant that tanks to work together as groups with out a person hanging outside of the tank with flags.During World War 2 tanks got larger up to the point of the 50 ton Tiger tanks. With larger size meant larger weapons.
The Soviets with the IS-2 tank had the largest production tank gun of WW 2 with a 122mm cannon. The IS-2 was the Soviet answer to the German Tiger and King Tiger tanks which had an 88MM cannon. The US built the M-26 Perishing with a 90mm Cannon. Armor during WW2 was mainly steel but Post WW2 the developed of guided missiles and SABOT rounds meant the development of new types of armor. With new armor and larger main guns tanks also got shorter. The closer to the ground a tank was the harder to hit. Vietnam was not a big tank war.
The US mainly used tanks as mobile artillery since they would sink in many of the rice paddies of Vietnam. The North Vietnamese did use T-34 and T-55. During the 1972 invasion the US used helicopters armed with guided missiles to destroy large numbers of North Vietnam’s Soviet built tanks. In the 1960 and 1970s tanks started to receive laser sights, night vision and other enhancements to increase their ability to fight.
The Israelis developed explosive armor to defeat shaped charge rounds and missiles. British and American researches came up with armor based on depleted uranium. One big modern change is the development of smooth bore guns. Older tanks had rifled tubes which helped spin the shell as it fired. This helped stabile the shell in flight. Smooth bore guns last longer than rifled tubes and for about the same weight can fire a large shell. The Original M-1 had a 105mm main gun. The M1A3 uses a 120mm main gun as does the German Leopard 2.
Other new weapons are the use of missiles instead of shells. Some tanks carry missiles that fire out of the main gun. Some are laser guided or infrared guided. Modern tanks now use wireless networking to talk to helicopters, other tanks, artillery, command posts and even local close air support aircraft. This networking will speed how fast a tank works on the modern battlefield. Working together with other battlefield weapons will make the tank more deadly and useful for years to come.
The Tank was a culmination of technology developed before World War 1. The first tank is believed to have been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the late 15th century. It was never built. The Army of Great Britain in World War I needed a device that could break thru the line of trenches that the Germans were building in World War I. Using Gasoline engines, naval steel plates and tracks the British built the first working tanks. They were called tanks in the hope that Germans would think they were water tanks.
In the summer of 1915 the British tested their tanks in England. The tanks were rushed into production and were on the battlefields of France in Sept 1916. The first tanks were slow but they were invulnerable to machine guns and rifles. Only artillery or mechanical breakdown could stop most tanks.
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A Brief Overview Of The History Of Cyprus
The island of Cyprus has a rich history that is steeped with mythological gods and demi-gods. It is said that on this island that the gods mingled with humans.
No one can really say for certain when Cyprus was founded. This beautiful island can be dated as far back as 6,000 B.C.
Many ancient historical events took place on the island of Cyprus. Alexander the Great fought the bloody battle, which freed Cyprus from Persian rule in 333. After his death, the beautiful Island fell under Roman rule, becoming the first country to be ruled by Christian missionaries such as Saint Paul and Saint Barnabas.
Around the 1st century B.C. a series of earthquakes destroyed everything on the island of Cyprus and it was not until the 1st century A.D. that they were able to begin rebuilding.
Frank Guy de Lusignan ruled Cyprus ruled Cyprus. This era was known as the Lusignan era. It was under Frank Guy de Lusignan rule that many of the buildings, rich in the gothic design of the era were built. The Cathedral of Ayia Sophia in the city of Nicosia, the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in the city of Famagusta and the Bellapais Abbey are just a few of the incredible buildings that were built.
The Lusignan rule ended when queen Catherina Cornaro relinquished her rule to Venice in 1489 to Venice.
Venetian of this era viewed Cyprus as a strong hold, a strategic battleground that could become impenetrable. It was ordered that the beautiful gothic buildings be torn down and a great wall erected around the Island. This was monumental undertaking for the times, and when it was completed it was believed to be undefeatable.
The men and women of Cyprus have fought many battles to keep their freedom. Some they have won and some they did not. In 1570 A.D., the great wall was penetrated by ottoman troops and the city of Nicosia was slaughtered. This was the greatest slaughter in the history of Cyprus, 20,000 people were killed. The Ottoman troops marched on throughout Cyprus forcing the Venetians to surrender.
The Ottoman rule continued until the Greek War of Independence in 1821.
Given the choice to convert their religion to Greek Orthodox or Islam, or be put to death, The Archbishop of Cyprus, his bishops and hundreds of community leaders chose death and were publicly executed.
The people of Cyprus have always fought to gain their independence. Some of the battles were won and some were lost. The struggle continues today, although it is through diplomatic methods instead of the old ways of war.
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