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Germany did indeed put Russia out of the war, on 24 August 1939, in the preparation for Fall Gelb. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact didn't just partition Poland, it allowed Nazi Germany to attack in the west with virtually its entire air and land strength - a much greater proportion than the Kaiser's...

Yes, indeed. I shudder to think what might have been if he had been King in 1940 - a 'perfect storm' of Edward VIII, Neville Chamberlain and US Ambassador Joe Kennedy.

Oh, I dunno. It depends what you want to commemorate. As far as Maryland is concerned the fun doesn't start for another four years. Have a look at this link. http://mddailyrecord.com/maryland-business/2010/02/04/war-of-1812-bicentennial-means-moo-lah-for-baltimore/ That's just one of many...

George V wasn't the upper class twit of the year this article makes him out to be.  Wilhelm II and Nicholas II may have had notions of personal influence but George V was much more pragmatic and knew his job was to lead figuratively rather than literally. As for "pampered childhood", George V...

Could it be a biplane? That distinctive v-shape of the riveted strips on the canopy looks like that of a WACO Standard Cabin biplane or Custom Cabin sesquiplane. Both have radial engines and several variants were made. I couldn’t see an engine in the pics but the firewall/mounting plate is...

Thanks for the references. I guess those motions and the British one in the Hastings link you posted have been awaiting action since 2008? My RCAF relative was in the 17.8% and I have always been sensitive to criticism, too, for many technical, industrial and political reasons. I'm sure you can...

Interesting piece. No denying Hastings' point: "A medal would not represent a 21st-century endorsement of area bombing. It would merely be a long-overdue act of justice to those who flew." Awarding a medal might also help resist the notion Allied bombing can be equated with the Holocaust. Did...

Basically you libel someone if you publish (in writing) a false claim that harms their reputation. Your claim has to be published to at least one third party. The exact letter of the law varies somewhat between jurisdictions. Occam is exactly right: the biggest threat is engaging the legal...

Very handy reference, thanks muchly.

I'm prepared to agree with your first two pars. Not sure about double standards, because we can't know when the media respects embargos at military request. Media respects Police embargos all the time. I'm respecting a significant Defence business-related embargo right now. The journalist who...

Please don't judge all media by the conehead who prompted this thread. He's a commentator who makes money by offending people. Commentators are the dark side of my profession and bring the rest of us into disrepute.  Most reporters and editors strive to be fair. Dealing with spin every day of...

Tony Blankley is a very experienced lawyer-politician who should know better than to say things like that about allies. I regret to say he is a member of my profession, too. He was a prosecutor for the California Attorney-General, was editorial writer and editor for the Washington Times (still...

Just so. If British and US units carry 1812 battle honours of one kind or another it seems incongruous there are no honours in Canada, which had the most immediate 'personal' interest in the outcome. "We were all 'British' back then" is not a convincing rationalisation. Back then my ancestors...

Thanks for following through with all of that, OS. 

Can that be done? Or, rephrase: is there a process, and sufficient will to overcome arbitrary barriers? I understand there are legal problems with regard to unit lineage...

Congratulations on your discovery DW. Do you intend to do any more research? I hope you do, and share what turns up. Fascinating stuff.

No response from Fort Niagara State Park so I got off my butt, did some digging and proved Alexander Pope right yet again about ‘a little knowledge’. In my earlier posts I assumed the Postern Gate of Fort Niagara was a postern gate, but it’s not. It became the main gate when the Americans...

I think many civilians have trouble understanding how military folk can hold strong and divergent political views but be perfectly happy functioning within a (necessarily) authoritarian system that gets the job done. There's lots of proof soldiers are politically eclectic. The example that...

Thanks again, OS. I'll try not to abuse your private channel to expertise. I didn't realise they went through the postern, not the gate itself. So, the 100th grenadiers beat their way in through an opening perhaps one man wide! The North Bastion is at the northeastern corner of the fort...

I will contact Fort Niagara State Park, thanks for the tip. I thought it worthwhile to ask this forum first, in case anyone has been to the fort and seen literature or a marker of some sort. People like you have a better eye for what's militarily possible, too. The 'everybody through the main...