BARRY JOHNSON

BJ

Majored in history as an undergraduate (1965-1972), but never did anything with it. Did computer work all my life. Now that I'm retired, I have time for history again, particularly military history.

Location United States

Activity

  • BARRY JOHNSON replied to BARRY JOHNSON
    The conduct of the war

    They say"professional army", not Territorials and Reserves. Those are not professional soldiers.

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    Week 3 summary

    It's a privilege to hear these lecturers. I'm grateful that they're willing to share their insights. Looking forward to Week Four.

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    The Thiepval Memorial

    It's a fine memorial that I hope to visit some day, and Professor Mark Connelly has done a fine job of introducing it.

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    Accounts of battle in the First World War: The experience of war for the British soldier

    They didn't want to talk about it because they didn't want to think about it. Some forbid their families to mention the war in their presence.

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    The Hundred Days

    German morale collapsed beginning in August, 1918. By one estimate 340,000 Germans surrendered between August and the November Armistice. Their great spring offensive had clearly failed, the British and French, and by November, even the Americans had gotten better at fighting them, they were not being fed, and influenza became an increasing problem. The...

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    The conduct of the war

    These videos begin by stating "When Britain went to war in 1914, it's professional army of three-quarters of a million men was small by European standards and suffered huge casualties in the early battles of the war." Would it be more correct to say "... it's professional army of one-quarter of a million men..."?

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    Volunteerism - feedback

    Once the decision for war is taken, the government has a need to provide efficient administration and give the war a moral purpose. Posters are on way to communicate what is needed. Voluntary enlistment eventually fell short of what was necessary to maintain the army at full combat strength. The National Registration Act of 15 July 1915 Surveyed all British...

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    Britain and the War of 1812

    In addition to the difficulty of actually getting into Canada, the American foray was undone by military incompetence abetted by the fantasy that militia could take the place of an army. The aboriginal tribes were recognized at this time as a security risk. This was part of the justification for the Indian Removal Act fifteen years later, greed being the...

  • BARRY JOHNSON made a comment
    Scum of the Earth?

    Arriving late (7 April) from the U.S. I just heard about the course in April 2020 Stand To!. Recently finished Byron Farwell's Mr. Kipling's Army: All the Queen's Men (1981) covering mostly the pre-First World War era. The little book includes the inside stories of the force and at times it's hilarious. One may wonder how they got anything done, but they...