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A paper on the Russo-Japanese War impact on Western Military Thought prior to 1914

(Source: here)

I was reading a little about the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. It is one of those wars starting with the Crimean War and the US Civil War that are labelled as early industrial or modern wars. It has come to be seen as a harbinger for the wars of the 20th century with massed armies, ironclads, rapid fire artillery, etc. During my meanderings around the net I came across this paper  from 1985 for a Masters Thesis on what lessens could have been drawn from the Russo-Japanese War that may have helped senior military officers fight the First World War more effectively.

Siam in the Great War

It is coming up to the anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the fighting in the Great War of 1914-18. Because of the significance of the date most military related blogs mark the day. As my contribution I would like to focus on a minor aspect of the war, the role of Siam. Siam was an independent monarchy when the war started in 1914 and maintained neutrality until 1917 when it entered the war on the allied side. The participation of Siam did not change the outcome of the war but it is a good example of a country participating in a war not because of a perceived threat but to gain favour with major powers.

General Sir John Monash exhibition

The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia currently has a special exhibition commemorating the achievements of General Sir John Monash (Wikipedia, WW1.com). It will be running until 18 October this year. It is a small exhibit but contains some photos showing him throughout his life as well as some of his personal items; including his Same Browne Belt, sword and tin hat. It was an interesting exhibit to wander around and did not take much time but was a good reminder for people just who he was and what he achieved. I recommend it very highly if you find yourself in Melbourne.

Lest we forget

11 November 1918 - 11 November 2008, whether it is Veterans' Day, Armistice Day or Remembrance Day; We will remember them. Thank you.

Asian contingents in WW1

While reading for the previous post about John Woo's movie Red Cliff, I came across this article in the Japan Times about Japan in World War One. It described Japan's brief actions and also how the successes were blunted by Japan's diplomatic failures like the 21 Demands against China. Here is some information about the uniforms of the Japanese Army on service in World War One. While Japan's role in World War One and later in the Siberian Intervention may be known to many, also on the same site is information about the Siamese contingent to World war One. They arrived in Europe in July 1918 and participated in some fighting. With 11 November approaching, it is time again to remember.