Category Archives: War

Bertrand Russell on saving money: 1932

Posted on March 16, 2023 by odeboyz

One of the commonest things to do with savings is to lend them to some government. In view of the fact that the bulk of the expenditure of most civilized governments consists in payments for past wars and preparation for … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Humour, Politics, War | Tagged | Leave a comment

How the German denazification policy worked

Posted on January 26, 2023 by odeboyz

After the war. Karl Höcker1 was arrested and spent eighteen months in a prisoner of war camp before being released. He returned to his old job with the same bank he’d been employed by before the war. In 1952 he … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics, War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Menachem Kaiser ~ Plunder: A memoir of family property and stolen Nazi treasure (2021)

Posted on January 26, 2023 by odeboyz

This quirky book instantly attracted me. The story is straight-forwardly about property in Poland. Jewish Holocaust survivors made it to the USA. Two generations later a grandson tried to prove ownership rights over a house plundered by Nazis. Kaiser’s book … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiography, History, War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Wehrmacht’s Campaigns of 1939, 1940 and 1941: A Guide

Posted on January 19, 2023 by odeboyz

“It is said that God is always on the side of the big battalions.” Voltaire The fast-striking motorized element of the German army in 1941 consisted of only 35 divisions out of 130. Three-quarters of the German army continued to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Importance of the Battle of Warsaw, 1920

Posted on October 13, 2022 by odeboyz

Tsarist Russia was engulfed in a revolutionary civil war, which led to a Bolshevik government in1917. The leader of the Red Army, Leon Trotsky, wanted to end capitalism in Europe. He believed Germany was the key to this. If the … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Joseph Heller* on War

Posted on October 10, 2022 by odeboyz

“What is a country? A country is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by boundaries, usually unnatural. Englishmen are dying for England, Americans are dying for America, Germans are dying for Germany, Russians are dying for Russia. There … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Tagged | Leave a comment

Book Review: George MacDonald Fraser ~ Flashman at the Charge (Flashman 4) (1973)

Posted on October 3, 2022 by odeboyz

 I made the mistake of thinking about the direction of travel that Britain is on. The Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, believes Britain is a global military power. He’s a True Believer not allowing trivialities like evidence to interrupt his beliefs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Literature, Politics, Review, War | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Purchase of Commissions in the British Army, 1683-1871

Posted on September 29, 2022 by odeboyz

The 17th century was transformative. It began with the attempted assassination of James I and ended with a successful invasion and three quasi-legitimate monarchs. The century included three civil wars, the execution of a king, a warrior class seizing power, … Continue reading →

Posted in Finance, History, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Liz Truss: ‘Shirkers and Strivers’ part 2: Cabinet 2022

Posted on September 12, 2022 by odeboyz

The UK “rewards laziness”, does not encourage risk-taking and must strive to emulate the work ethic and low-tax culture in parts of Asia, the five MPs argue in a book due out next month. The authors include Elizabeth Truss and … Continue reading →

Posted in education, Politics, War | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When did the Second World War Begin?

Posted on August 25, 2022 by odeboyz

British school children are taught the Second World War began on 3rd September, 1939. Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, declared war on Germany after they invaded Poland.1 Britain began a European war not the world war. The Second World War … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment