Go to stage 3

Discussing the implications of the Chinese seizure of Taiwan from the Dutch in 1662

I blogged about the 350th anniversary of Koxinga seizing Taiwan from the Dutch here. I was therefore very pleased to see an article by Tonio Andrade, author of Lost Colony, in The Diplomat discussing what the battle can tell us about war with China. I agree that some points may be drawing a long bow but there is still some interesting food for thought.

But the war also has lessons for today, because among the factors that enabled the Chinese to win was a rich, effective, and, to Westerners, mysterious military tradition – a strategic culture that provided a discernable boost to Chinese warcraft. The Dutch, famous in Europe for their weapons, tactics, and logistics, found themselves hopelessly outclassed by the Chinese. Since military leaders in China today are still deeply imbued with this traditional military culture, it behooves us to study it.

A report about the WW2 mutiny of US African-American troops in Australia

I came across this article from the Australian ABC news about a local Australian historian, Ray Holyoak, discovering documents talking about a mutiny by US African-American troops around Townsville, Australia in WW2. It seems that the mutiny was very intense with machine guns and anti-aircraft guns being used by the mutinying soldiers to fire on the tents of their white officers. Despite 600 troops form the 96th Battalion, Corps of Engineers, being involved in the disturbance and firing over 700 rounds, the casualties were thankfully light with only one person killed but dozens wounded. The webpage also has a video and audio link to further reporting.

"For 70 years there's been a rumour in Townsville that there was a mutiny among African-American servicemen. In the last year and a half I've found the primary documentation evidence that that did occur in 1942," Mr Holyoak told AM.

The end of war, at least amongst developed nations...or is it?

(Source: www.toonpool.com)

I was listening to an interesting podcast titled, are wars on the decline, that was based on a segment from the Australian Radio National progam, Late Night Live in which a journalist as well as an academic were interviewed about research showing that war was on decline across the globe. The academic was Professor John Mueller from Ohio State University who has been researching this trend for a number of years while the journalist was Peter Hartcher from the Sydney Morning Herald. Peter had also written an article touching on the issues covered in the podcast. Below is a quote from the article.

There has been a pronounced decline in the number of wars and the deadliness of war in the world. One expert, John Mueller, professor of political science at Ohio State University, writes: "We may be reaching a point where war - in both its international and civil varieties - ceases, or nearly ceases to exist, a remarkable development that has attracted little notice."

The grave of Captain Joseph Drury RN in Bogor, Indonesia - buried in 1835

The gravestone of Captain J. Drury RN who died in 1835 and is buried in Bogor, Indonesia

I was recently in Bogor, Indonesia (formerly known as Buitzenzorg during the Dutch Colonial period and had an opportunity to visit Kebun Raya, the famous tropical botanical gardens founded by the Dutch in 1817. I am not much of botanical garden person but I was interested in checking out the old Dutch gravestones to see what military history there may be there. I was surprised therefore to see the above gravestone in what was described as a Dutch Cemetery given the nationality of the deceased and his date of death. I had previously blogged about the British invasion of Java in 1811 but knew that the British had departed in 1816 so I could not figure out the connection between a Royal Navy Captain in Bogor, well away from the sea, and Java in 1835, well past the British occupation period.

Just a reminder 'The Fall of Singapore' on Discovery Channel Asia, Wed 8 Feb at 20:00 JKT

A still from 'The Fall of Singapore' (Source: Discovery Channel asia)

Just a reminder that tomorrow night, Wednesday 08 Feb 2012, at 20:00hrs JKT (21:00 BGK) 'The Fall of Singapore' will premiere on Discovery Channel. The promotional video is here. I am not expecting great things from the documentary as the advertisements already seem to be full of hyperbole but I suspect that it will at least provide a good summary of the main events. I am sceptical about claims of startling new information, I suspect that they mean information that is already available but packaged into a TV documentary for the first time. I am not expecting great things but I am prepared to be amazed and hope that I will be.

Some pictures of the old fortifications on the South Head of Sydney Harbour

Sydney Harbour is one of the most beautiful harbours in the world but despite its wonderful vistas it is still a harbour and therefore it has been a location worth defending. Its beauty now conceals a number of sites throughout the harbour and its surrounds that were built for more worried times. Over the recent Christmas break I was in Sydney and went for a trip around a few of the old fortifications. The weather in Sydney over summer tends be gorgeous and wondering around old fortifications in a beautiful harbour setting under sunny weather conditions is a great way to spend a day. I have placed a number of pictures below that will hopefully show what can still be found in just one part of the harbour. North Head, Middle Head and Bradley's Head all have fortifications, some of which are more complete than the fortifications that I discuss below. I grew up around the South Head side of Sydney Harbour so it was nice to return there for a look around.

The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) sign on South Head that explains about the fortifications.

Interesting article in Stars and Stripes about the WW2 Nagasaki leadership bomb shelter and the atomic bomb

 

A really interesting article from Stars and Stripes about the Tateyama air raid shelter in Nagasaki and what happened on the day that the second atomic bomb exploded in 1945. The shelter was effectively closed after World War Two and then forgotten until recently when it was opened to the public. It seems like it would be an interesting place to visit and, as the writer says, to think about what occurred in that shelter on that day in August.

Testimony from those within would later indicate that Nagano had a feeling that Nagasaki would be next, despite knowing very little about this new weapon. Some even reported that he called the meeting to discuss the evacuation of civilians from the city. If that is true, he never got the chance....Nagano finished his introduction, and at 11:02 a.m., the lights in the shelter went out.

There are accompanying photos in the article and a video, which I have also linked to above.

Disquiet in Indonesia about a suggestion for TNI to buy an Israeli UAV

 

(Source: Kabar-Terkini)

There was a certain amount of disquiet in Indonesia about a plan by TNI to buy UAVs from Israel. The Head of Commission 1 of the DPR (Indonesian Parliament) responsible for overseeing and reviewing government decisions on defence has called on TNI to explore other options rather than buying a UAV from Israel. His reason for objecting was that Indonesia was banned from purchasing weapons because it was accused of being a human rights violator (this was probably a reference to the recent Dutch parliament actions to block a sale of Leopard 2 MBTs to Indonesia) yet Israel was a major human rights violator, especially against the Palestinians. The Head of Commission 1, Mahfud MD, was a former Indonesian Defence Minister under President Gus Dur and has been very critical of some recent military procurement intentions.

1 February marks the 350th anniversary of Koxinga's seizing of Taiwan from the Dutch

Koxinga (Source: Wikipedia)

While reading the current edition of the BBC History Magazine, I noted in the calendar of February events that on 1 February 1662, 350 years ago, the Ming loyalist Chinese leader of mixed Japanese and Chinese heritage, Koxinga, effectively ended the 38 year Dutch rule of the island we know as Taiwan. The wikipedia article is reasonably long about Koxinga or if you want more then there are three books to consider.

Jonathan Clements Coxinga and the Fall of the Ming Dynasty

Tonio Andrade How Taiwan Became Chinese: Dutch, Spanish, and Han Colonization in the Seventeenth Century and Lost Colony: The Untold Story of China's First Great Victory over the West