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Posted on Nov 17, 2008 in Armchair Reading

January 2009 Mailbag

By Armchair General

Zulu Great Warriors
In the Sept. 2008 issue of ACG on the Zulus [Great Warriors], it states: "Of all of history’s Great Warriors, none has surpassed the Zulus." Give me a break. Do the editors of ACG own a Time Machine? Think of the Greeks, especially the Spartans. Think of the Roman Legions at their prime. The men of the Foreign Legion, the U.S. Marines, the Prussians. At Isandlwana the Zulus overwhelmed the British by the thousands. At Rorke’s Drift a little over l00 British soldiers, some of them sick, held off over 4,000 Zulus.

I take nothing away from the Zulus’ fighting skills. But to say they were the best warriors in all of history is a huge assumption, very politically correct, and impossible to prove. So many history publications these days are trying their best to put non-white fighters in a very favorable light. And that doesn’t make for good history reporting whether one is white, black, red, brown or green.

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Tom R. Kovach, MN

 

Fighting Words Quote
Folks:
On page 16, "Dispatches – Fighting Words" of the Sep 08 issue the first quotation is wrong. Besides being garbled, the statement was originally made by Gen. Baron Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord in the early 1930s when he was Commander-in-Chief of the Reichswehr. He has been correctly quoted since then. Look it up. One of your advisory board members certainly knows. And your "editorial staff" should know. Incorrect attributions detract from your publication, among other things.

Regards, J T Morgan

Thanks very much for your email regarding the Fighting Words quote in the September 2008 issue. We appreciate you taking the time to set the record straight on this quote.

7 Comments

  1. Dear Armchair General Page 72 Jan 2009 issue

    Acting as Sgt Baker in the scouting mission in operation market
    garden,on Sept 1944, I would not engage the enemy, but I would
    follow orders & radio the time & position of the enemy as they cross the Willemsvaart Canal.

    Best Regards

    warren Olson

  2. Dear Armchair General: Page 76 Jan 2008 issue
    As acting commander of the British Army of 35,000 in
    Spain, on Dec 19, 1808, I would go with the course of action
    two, a guerrilla campaign. I would have General Paget reserve infantry division & Lord Paget’s cavalry division stationed
    at Lugo. I would have Generals Baird,Hope & Mackenzie’s
    divisions working with the Spanish guerrillas in the areas
    of Astorga, Leon & Burgos. This way I think I could cause the
    French of 125,000 the most pain while suffering the least
    losses.

    Best Regards

    warren olson

  3. Gentlemen,

    Before there was Patton, Bradley, and Devers, there was Von Voorhis, Chaffee, and Magruder.
    Much has been written and illustrated about how the first three worked to help bring about ‘the’ victory in World War Two, but fewer words have been written or illustrated about the latter three and their place in the US Army’s Armor history.
    Sooo, how about your magazine devoting either half an issue, or a chapter at the least, to the maneuvers that the US Army competed in during the 1930′-40’s, along with the birth of the US Army’s armor that accompanied and grew with those maneuvers, and the men that led that growth and laid the foundations for those that followed.

  4. Dear Armchair: Very good read!!

    I”m responding to the March 2009 German glider assault on Crete May 1941 as Major Walter Koch, reporting to General Eugen Meindl. Dear General; please pass this note on to the
    Furer, Adolf Hitler: To refuse artillery & panzer support because
    of declaring war on Russia or USA, is mental, because of their
    great manufacturing capacity, you will lose. Also attacking China or India is also mental because of the great gurilla resistance they can mount, you will lose.Why don’t you listen to Mienstien, Gurdeian & Rommel if you want to win this war? Make the Mediterain a Nazi sea & use the middle east for oil!
    Also concentrate on research & hi-tech! To General Meindl, I
    will go with action 3, landing west of the airfield, moving east
    taking the anti-aircraft guns, bridge & Hill 107.

    Best Regards
    Warren

    P.S. Major Koch became a corporal for sending this note & served
    his furer on the Russian front dying in a snow bank in Stalingrad.

  5. I recently purchased your special collector’s edition of the 100 Greatest Westerns. I am disappointed to see that “Lomesome Dove” did not get even an honorable mention. Of all the years I have been watching and collecting westerns I personally believe it is the best western ever made.

    Regards,

    L. Evans

  6. Dear Armchair: Very good read! April 1/2009
    In response to May /09 issue page 52, acting as Lt.Bulkan, I
    would move the men south through the bush,& east to the
    bridge & blow it. Then I would crawl along the road/ditch east
    to the main Chindt force.
    Best regards
    warren

  7. Dear Armchair: Very good read! April1/2009

    In response to May/09 issue page 54, acting as Major Michael
    P. Ryan commanding L co,2nd marine reg, I would like to stop
    or postpone these attacks at Tarawa until the Battles of the Philippines Sea & Leyte Gulf, so as to reduce the loss of lives of our men! Then when the Japanese navy has been beaten, we could bomb Japan from an uninhabited island near by after building an runway. Then we could fire & atomic bomb Japan into submission!

    Best Regards
    warren olson