African Standby Force

The African Standby Force (ASF) (French: "Force africaine en attente") is an international, continental African, and multidisciplinary peacekeeping force with military, police and civilian contingents that acts under the direction of the African Union. The ASF is to be deployed in times of crisis in Africa. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, serves as the Force's Headquarters. Douala, Cameroon, was selected in 2011 as the site of the AU's Continental Logistics Base (LOGBASE).
In 2003, a 2010 operational date for the force was set.
Origins.
Before the founding of the African Union (AU) in 2001, its predecessor Organisation of African Unity (OAU) did not provide appropriate tools for a collective and comprehensive acting of African states in times of violent crisis, mostly due to the shared value of non-interference into the internal affairs of states. During the 1990s, a series of violent conflicts in Africa, most importantly the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda, urged the African states for a change in their common security collaboration. After the establishment of the AU in 2001, the non-interference clause of OAU was not longer valid. The Constitutive Act now gave the AU the right to intervene in a member state in grave circumstances, namely war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.
The same year, a new African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) was presented, in order to build and strengthen African capacities for managing and resolving conflicts on the continent. The APSA comprises five pillars that complement one another: A Peace and Security Council, a Continental Early Warning System, a Panel of the Wise, a Peace Fund, and an African Standby Force. The ASF is therefore a constituting element of the APSA.
The establishment of the ASF was directed by the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, which was signed in July 2002 and entered into force in December 2003. The key document explicitly recognized the roles of the RECs in promoting peace and security in Africa.
For that reason, the final concept for the ASF, presented in the Maputo Report of July 2003, at the time provided for five regional Standby Brigade forces: A North Africa Regional Standby Brigade (NASBRIG), an East Africa Standby Brigade (EASBRIG); a Force Multinationale de l'Afrique Centrale (FOMAC); a Southern Africa Standby Brigade (SADCBRIG); and an ECOWAS Standby Brigade (ECOBRIG). The same document defined six ASF deployment Scenarios. The organization at that time agreed on force levels of about 15,000 soldiers continentwide.
The ASF Policy Framework Document from May 2003 aimed the development of the ASF in two phases:
Three ASF Roadmaps were developed to guide the operalization of ASF:
The ASF Roadmap III recognized that most goals of Phase One were not met until 2010 and therefore set the date for the achievement of the Full Operational Capability (FOC) to 2015. In December 2013, an assessment of the African Standby Force by an AU Panel of Experts concluded that the ASF is unlikely ro achieve FOC in 2015 without major efforts made by all stakeholders.
Composition.
Article 13 of the Protocol Relating to the Establishment of the Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU) foresaw an ASF to be composed of standby multidisciplinary contingents, with civilian and military components in their countries of origin and ready for rapid deployment at appropriate notice.
For that purpose, the Protocol urged the member states to take steps to establish
standby contingents for participation in peace support missions decided on by the PSC or intervention authorized by the AU Assembly. The strength and types of such contingents, their degree of readiness and general location should be determined in so-called Peace Support Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and shall be subject to periodic reviews depending on prevailing crisis and conflict situations.
Mandate.
According to the PSC Protocol, signed in 2002, the ASF should enable the PSC to perform its responsibilities. Article 13 of the Protocol specifically directs the following functions to the ASF:
According to the Protocol, the ASF is suggested to cooperate with the United Nations and its Agencies, other relevant international organizations and regional organizations, as well as with national authorities and NGOs, where appropriate. The detailed tasks of the ASF and its modus operandi for each authorized mission are to be considered and approved by the Peace and Security Council upon recommendation of the Commission.
Mission Scenarios.
The Maputo Report and The Policy Framework for the Establishment of the ASF from May 2003 mentions six scenarios for the deployment of the regional contingents of the Force in Peace Support Operations (PSOs), ascending in their complexity of structures, management efforts and resources for deployment and sustainment.
As long-term goals for the deployment of the Force, it was planned that scenario 1-4 should be able to deploy in 30 days (possible only if pre-mandate actions have been taken), scenario 5 should complete deployment in 90 days, with the military component being able to deploy in 30 days (possible only if pre-mandate actions have been undertaken), and finally, Scenario 6, implied that will be important the AU can deploy a robust military force in 14 days.
The ASF Roadmap III demanded the six mission scenarios for PSOs to be revised and adopted to new paradigms of Peacekeeping.
Rapid Deployment Capability.
The ASF Policy Framework and the Roadmap for the Operationalization of the ASF called for the establishment of a "Rapid Deployment Capability" (RDC) capable of intervening, within fourteen days, in cases of Genocide and gross human rights abuses under Scenario 6. The RDC was decided to be an integral part of the regional Standby Forces to be deployed at the entry point, as a precursor to the deployment of a larger mission. At the end of 2013, the Expert Panel of the AU stated that the goal, recommended in Roadmap III, to test, evaluate and operationalize the RDC by 2012, was not met.
Current Status.
Exercises.
From 2008 until 2010, the training and capacity building cycle AMANI AFRICA I (meaning “peace in Africa,” in Swahili), designed to evaluate the effectiveness ASF for an AU mandated peace support operation (PSO) was conducted by the African Union in collaboration with the European Union. It climaxed in the first continental exercise, called a Command Post Exercise (CPX), of this kind in Addis Ababa. AMANI AFRICA I focused mostly on validating policies and processes, at the continental strategic level, in employing the African Standby Force within the broader African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). According to the AU, it provided objective evidence to support proposals for further organizational and operational developments of training, procedures and multidimensional capacities of the ASF.
The African Union Commission (AUC) is planning to conduct a field training exercise (FTX) in October 2014 in Lesotho at the climax of an ongoing training cycle known as AMANI AFRICA II. According to the AU, the AMANI AFRICA II cycle aims at enabling the ASF to achieve its FOC by 2015 and especially at "validating the capacity of the African Union to grant a mandate for the use of a Rapid Deployment Capability, as an initial operation for scenario six and lead in the process, a fully-fledged multidimensional peace operation (scenario 5)."
Each regional force is not on the same level of development.
In January 2006 Ishaya Hassan of Nigeria was promoted to major general and assigned as the chief of the standby force staff, located in Addis Ababa. Hassan later died, and as of 2007(?) (2013?) no replacement had been found. The position was vacant for at least three years.
North African Regional Capacity.
The North African Regional Capacity was created to fill a sub-regional vacuum in North Africa. The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) has been dormant since its establishment in 1989. Throughout the last two decades, revitalizing the AMU proved to be very difficult due to political dynamics amongst member states. Thus, there was a need to create a regional mechanism to enable North African countries to contribute to the African Standby Force. This is why in mid 2007 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was drafted to establish NARC.
In the absence of a joint secretariat to coordinate cooperation amongst NARC member states, Libya voluntarily played this role during the initial phase of starting up NARC which lasted for three years (2005-2008). Later on, the second meeting of NARC Ministers of Defence held in Tripoli in December 2008 approved a recommendation to establish an executive secretariat to be located in Tripoli. Subsequently, the NARC Executive Secretariat and Planning Element were inaugurated in April 2009. It was however, expected that staff from other member states will join the Executive Secretariat and PLANELM in September 2010. While both Egypt and Algeria had identified staff for the two elements, these countries were yet to sign the hosting agreement with Libya, and in some cases the deployment of staff was constrained by domestic considerations including promotions and retirements. Meanwhile, progress in generating the civilian officers for the PLANELM lagged even further behind; this essentially meant that the NARC PLANELM was purely military in 2010.
While the Brigade HQ to be located in Cairo and the two logistic depots to be located in Algiers and Cairo have been identified, they have yet to be made operational, due to political and bureaucratic constraints within the member states. Furthermore, it seems that creating, rostering and deploying a civilian component is somewhat problematic due to the voluntary and individualistic nature of this component and the lack of AU strategic guidance in this regard.
It was reported via the "Africa Research Bulletin" that U.S. Army Africa's commanding general, Major General William B. Garrett III, had made a visit in early May 2010 to Tripoli to discuss relationships between the United States and Libyan land forces. He met Libya's chief of staff for Army Mechanised Units and Executive Director of the NARC, Major General Ahmed Oun.
On 28 May 2010, the NARC Executive Secretary, Major-General Ahmed Oun, signed, on behalf of NARC, the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the African Union, the Regional Economic Communities and the Regional Standby Brigades of Eastern Africa and Northern Africa, at the Headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa.
It was reported in January 2011 by Magharebia that Algeria was to host the NARC headquarters. Under an agreement made on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, Algeria was planned to become the seat of both NARC headquarters and the force's administration.
The "Arab Spring" (2011) led to a major setback in the establishment of the NARC.
Members include Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Western Sahara. Morocco and Mauritania are now more closely associated with ECOWAS peace efforts, and Tunisia did not become actively involved in the NARC.
ECOWAS Standby Force.
The ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) is a standby arrangement made up of military, police and civilian components and which is consistent with Chapter VIII of the United Nations Charter which provides for regional peace and security arrangements. A partial legal basis is given by Article 21 of the ECOWAS Protocol Relating to the Mechanism for Conflict
Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security of December 1999.
In 2005, a team of ECOWAS P3 Development Partners (AU, EU, USA, UK, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany and Netherlands), the UN Standby High-Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) together with the ECOWAS Mission Planning Management Cell (MPMC) met and produced an overarching framework document for the operationalisation of the ESF. The ECOWAS Operational Framework phased the process by first of all establishing an ESF Task Force (ESFTF) with 2773 soldiers of all ranks which was certified in 2009 in the form of a logistics exercise. The Task Force is structured into two infantry battalions (Western and Eastern) and a composite logistics battalion. The Western Battalion is led by Senegal while the Eastern Battalion is led by Nigeria.
The ECOWAS Main Force was intended to number 3727, to build to complete a brigade of 6500 of all ranks to be ready by 2010. The initial Task Force is intended to be rapidly deployed and then the more robust, long-term Main Force is required afterwards.
There is no formal Memorandum of Understanding between the ECOWAS Secretariat and the ECOWAS Members States on Force generation. However, the MOU has been drafted, and meanwhile (2010), there is a firm commitment of the different States leaders to provide personnel and facilities to facilitate any deployment of the Force.
The Headquarters (HQ) of both the ESF and the ESFTF are co-located in Abuja, Nigeria. However, the Planning Element of the ESF is weak compared to the Task Force PLANELM. For now (2010), the PLANELM of ESF has no civilian component. The military and police components are fully operational. The Logistic Depot of the Force, still to be built, is planned to be established at Freetown, Sierra Leone. Land has been allocated in this regard by the Government of Sierra Leone, and the United States of America’s Government is providing support for the establishment of the Logistics depot.
In the violent conflict in Mali since 2012, ESF could not operate in a timely manner to prevent a further escalation of violence in the country.
ECCAS Standby Force.
Members include São Tomé and Príncipe, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of the Congo, Angola, Burundi, and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The ECCAS Standby Force, or in French, Force Multinationale de l’Afrique Centrale (FOMAC), was established in 2006 at the ECCAS Yaoundé Summit, well before the African Standby Force (ASF). It was established under the framework of ECCAS’ Peace and Security Council, known as COPAX. The COPAX is the decision making organ of the ECCAS on all issues concerning peace and security.
The absence of a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ECCAS and its Members States relating to FOMAC remains a big obstacle. The only binding legal framework governing the FOMAC is the document known as "Catalo 2010", signed February 28, 2008 in Libreville, Gabon by Member States. Under this arrangement, Members States pledged a force of 4800 (police, military and civilians) personnel and 6 airlift aircraft.
The Planning Element (PLANELM) of the FOMAC was established in July 2006 in Libreville, and it consists of representatives from the various ECCAS member states. ECCAS has opted for a big multidimensional Planning Element of 36 out of which 24 are already sitting. The ECCAS has opted for a non-permanent Brigade headquarters. In their view, the brigade headquarters would be established when a peace operation is authorized and would then be led by an individual State or a group of States, in coordination with the PLANELM. ECCAS has not developed yet a Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC).
Eastern Africa Standby Force.
In the East of the continent, the regional agent of ASF is known as the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF), since 2007 led by a Coordination Mechanism (EASFCOM). While ECOWAS, SADC and ECCAS have established PLANELMs within their respective regional protocols already in place, the EASF is an entirely different regional arrangement co-existing with several East African communities.
The EASF operates with the vision to contribute to regional and continental peace
and stability in the region, through a fully operational and multidimensional joint and
integrated Eastern Standby Force ready for deployment by 2015, with an Initial Operational Capability by 2010. In this regard, EASF has developed a Strategic Development Plan 2010-2015 approved during the second Ordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government held in Moroni, Comoros, in March 2010.
EASF's Brigade HQ and Logistics Base (LOGBASE) are both located at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while the Planning Element (PLANELM) is co-located with EASFCOM in Nairobi, Kenya. All 10 EASF Members States are represented within the PLANELM.
The PLANELM is conducting capacity building activities within itself as well as within Members States of the region to ensure that all the multidimensional elements of the Force are on standby in their respective countries for AU peace support operations. In this regard, the International Peace Support Training Center (IPSTC), located opposite of EASFCOM in Nairobi, provides assistance.
Completing a first cycle of exercise, EASF reached its Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in late 2009. Completing the second cycle, EASF conducted a second FTX in Jinja, Uganda in May 2013. with 1,290 participants (military, police, civilian), to test EASF's deployment and mission implementation capability.
SADC Standby Brigade.
The SADC Standby Brigade was launched on August 17, 2007 in Lusaka, Zambia, with initially, a military and police component. The civilian component was subsequently established.
The members who have signed the initial agreement include Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Angola, and Mozambique.
The Planning Element (PLANELM) of the SADC SF has been established with the military, police and civilian components, but is experiencing shortfalls in staffing. The strategic level training of the Force is conducted under the framework of the Southern Africa Defense and Security Management (SADSEM) through a network of academic institutions while operational training is conducted by the Regional Peacekeeping Training Center (RPTC) located in Harare, Zimbabwe. Other capacity building and training activities are conducted through series of exercises in the region.
The Main Logistic Depot (MLD) will be built in Gaborone and the Government of Botswana has allocated land for the establishment of the depot. SADC unlike other RECs and RMs has limited number of partners due to a policy of self-reliance on issues of peace and security. SADC decided not to establish a permanent mission headquarters, but to do so only in the event of a deployment.
Internal Revision.
The ASF Roadmap III recognized major difficulties in the establishment of the ASF. Most importantly, it recognized that ASF was not able to reach its Full Operational Capability (FOC) by 2010, a goal that was set in previous Roadmaps and key documents. Therefore, the experts set the new date for the FOC to 2015. Furthermore, in the policy document it is observed that the ASF still lacked the ability to manage complex peacekeeping operations as specified in the ASF Roadmap II. Similarly, the AU experts ascertain that the RECs/RMs did not reach the full capacity to deploy a mission headquarters for Scenario 4 involving AU/regional forces. Other problems were seen in a low level of awareness and commitment among the different stakeholders as well as a lack of institutional capacity and effective coordination between the AU and RECs/RMs. Additionally, there was a slow development of the civil component in comparison with the other components. Concerning the political process, the Roadmap mentions that there was at the time no written procedure governing AU political decision making and subsequent Mission planning. Therefore, the experts stressed the need for the finalization and adoption of a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the use of the ASF for AU mandated missions in order to clarify the relationship between the AU, RECs/RMs and member states.
The Roadmap also outlined several fields of progress in the development of the ASF. These achievements include the production of a set of common policy documents, an annual continental training program, and improved training standards within nations and standby forces that could be used collectively, albeit at an initial operational capability at the moment, mainly for logistic and institutional reasons. Notable progress was also ascertained in the development of a harmonized Rapid Deployment Capability (RDC) concept. Lastly, the Roadmap saw progress in the evolution of the police component, notably in the area of policy development and the establishment of management capabilities at the strategic level of the AU and the operational level of the RECs/RMs.
Achievements in the development of the Force to be reached in the period between 2010 and 2015, as stated in the Roadmap, are an "ASF Vision to be presented to AU Summit in January/February 2012; a staffed, trained and fully operational PSOD by December 2011; a fully operational RDC by December 2012, to be confirmed by the continental exercise AMANI AFRICA II; and finally, a fully operational ASF by December 2015 to be confirmed by the continental exercise AMANI AFRICA III."
From July to December 2013, the AU conducted an assessment of the status of development of the ASF through an Independent Panel of Experts. One of the findings of the assessment was that it would be unlikely for the ASF to reach its FOC until December 2015 without major efforts by all stakeholders.
Criticism.
One important criticism of the ASF is the accusation that, due to the delay in its establishment, the Force could not be used as a tool of peacemaking in the latest occurrence of crises in Africa, such as the fight against the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, the war in Somalia, as well as the ongoing conflict in Eastern D.R. Congo.
Another criticism is the fact that the RECs/RMs have very different perceptions on whether the AU or the UN should mandate the employment of the ASF. For instance, SADC and ECOWAS tend to prefer UN Security Council authorization. This lack of consensus on the mandatory authority leads to the AU's current inability to mandate a mission.
Furthermore, it was claimed that the UNSC would tend to caution against regional interventions without its authorization, whereas the AU would have interpreted the status of the PSC as a legitimate authority within the framework of Chapter VIII of the UN Charter relating to Regional Arrangements.
One major obstacle to assessing the achievement of ASF's FOC is a missing clear definition of the FOC.


Norman Leyden

Norman Fowler Leyden (October 17, 1917 – July 23, 2014) was an American conductor, composer, arranger, and clarinetist. He worked in film and television and is perhaps best known as the conductor of the Oregon Symphony Pops orchestra. He co-wrote with Glenn Miller the theme "I Sustain the Wings" in 1943, which was used to introduce the World War II radio series.
Early years.
Norman Leyden was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to James A. and Constance Leyden. He graduated from Yale University in 1938, attended Pierre Monteux's Domaine Musicale in Hancock, Maine, in 1961, and earned a master's (1965) and doctoral degree (1968) from Columbia University (where he also taught for several years). He married Alice Curry Wells in 1942 in Duval County, Florida.
Music career.
He began his professional music career playing bass clarinet for the New Haven Symphony Orchestra while attending Yale. Leyden joined the United States National Guard in 1940 for a planned year of volunteer work and enlisted as an infantry sergeant on February 24, 1941, in New Haven, Connecticut. His enlistment papers give his height as six foot two and his weight as 165 and give his specialty as a musician or band leader. During World War II he served in the Army Air Force for five years.
While Leyden was serving as a master sergeant in Atlantic City and rehearsing music, Glenn Miller heard Leyden perform. Miller said to him "For a Yale man, you don't play bad tenor". Miller called on Leyden in September 1943 to conduct the Moss Hart Army Air Force spectacular "Winged Victory". This was a big musical play in Broadway's Shubert Theatre with an all service band. The show started in November 1943. Leyden next requested the opportunity to arrange for Glenn Miller, and was accepted and served as one of three arrangers for Miller's Air Force Band. His first arrangement for the band was "Now I Know". Sometimes, Leyden would write more complexity into the score than was desirable. Miller told him once "Hey Norm, it was a nice try. But remember it ain't what you write, it's what you "don't" write". In 1943, Leyden composed the theme music for the wartime radio series "I Sustain the Wings" with Glenn Miller, Chummy MacGregor, and Bill Meyers. The radio program ran from 1943 to 1944. Leyden also arranged for the reorganized Glenn Miller Orchestra of Tex Beneke. In August 2000, he led the Air Force Falconaires of the Air Force Band of the Rockies in a PBS television special, "Glenn Miller's Last Flight".
Between 1956 and 1959, he was musical director for Arthur Godfrey's radio program. He also worked as musical director on "The $64,000 Question" (including writing the theme music), and as the musical director of "The Jackie Gleason Show", originally called "You're in the Picture" (1961). He also organized the Westchester Youth Symphony in White Plains, New York, in 1957 (an organization he led until 1968). As a staff arranger at RCA Victor he composed and arranged music for Disney and other musicals including "Cinderella", "Alice in Wonderland", "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "Winnie the Pooh", "Peter Pan", and "Pinocchio". Leyden also conducted and arranged for many well-known artists including Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Don Cornell, Vic Damone, Johnny Desmond, The Four Lads, Johnny Hartman, Gordon MacRae, Mitch Miller, Ezio Pinza, Frank Sinatra, Jeri Southern, and Sarah Vaughan.
Leyden moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1968 to take over the Portland Youth Philharmonic (then the Portland Junior Symphony) while long-time conductor Jacob Avshalomov went on sabbatical. He also joined the music department at Portland State University. He began his longstanding relationship with the Oregon Symphony in 1970 as associate conductor. This lasted for 29 seasons plus 34 seasons as conductor of the Oregon Symphony Pops. Over one million people attended his Oregon Symphony Pops concerts. In May 2004, he retired and was honored with the lifetime title laureate associate conductor. Leyden also served as the music director of the Seattle Symphony Pops for eighteen seasons, and as conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's Prairie Pops for eight seasons. He also conducted the Chappaqua Orchestra as its second music director before moving to the West Coast. He worked with Portland-based band Pink Martini and can be heard performing a clarinet solo on the title track of the band's second album, "Hang On Little Tomato".
Leyden's personal music score library, housed in an airy basement studio, included over 1,200 symphonic arrangements and 300 big band works. Into his 90s, Leyden continued to practice the clarinet every day. On Wednesday October 17, 2007, he conducted a 90th birthday concert with the 17-piece Norman Leyden Big Band at Portland's Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, titled Norman's Big Band Birthday Concert. He became one of just two classical musicians to be inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame in 2008. He performed with Pink Martini in Seattle in August 2012, and on July 19, 2013, he debuted at the Hollywood Bowl, again with Pink Martini.
Leyden died on July 23, 2014, of an unspecified cause.
On August 28, 2014, the Oregon Symphony performed a memorial concert in Leyden's honor at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland.


Harvard Surgical Unit

The Harvard Surgical Unit (sometimes called the Harvard Medical Unit) was a volunteer contingent of medical personnel from Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital who provided medical assistance to the British Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War I. It was organized in June 1915 and was demobilized in January 1919. It operated General Hospital No. 22 of the Royal Army Medical Corps, located in Camiers, France.


7th Carrier Air Group

The 7th Carrier Air Group was part of the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm and was formed on 30 June 1945. It was based on the aircraft carrier for service in the British Pacific Fleet and contained 820 Naval Air Squadron flying the Grumman TBF Avenger, 887 Naval Air Squadron and 894 Naval Air Squadron flying the Supermarine Seafire and 1700 Naval Air Squadron flying the Fairey Firefly. It was disbanded in March 1946.


28th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment

The 28th Massachusetts Infantry regiment was the second primarily Irish American volunteer infantry regiment recruited in Massachusetts for service in the American Civil War. The regiment's motto (or cry) was "Faugh a Ballagh (Clear the Way!)"
Recruitment and training.
The 28th was raised in Boston and received its initial training at Camp Cameron in Cambridge and Somerville. The unit underwent additional training at Fort Columbus in New York Harbor before being dispatched in early 1862 for its first active duty assignment.
Service in the war.
After serving briefly under Gen. Benjamin Butler in the Carolinas and with the 9th Corps during the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia's first campaign into the North, the 28th Massachusetts was assigned to the II Corps as the fourth regiment of the famed Irish Brigade, commanded by Brig. Gen. Thomas Francis Meagher.
By April 1862 the 28th was at Daufuskie Island in South Carolina. A number of companies were sent to Tybee Island, Georgia to set artillery positions. Twenty-two died of malaria and other illness. The regiment came under heavy musket and artillery fire during the Second Battle of Bull Run.
Known for their distinctive Tiffany-embroidered green flag and Gaelic war cry, "Faugh a Ballagh" (Clear the Way), the Irishmen of the 28th Massachusetts saw action in most of the Union Army's major eastern theatre engagements – Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and the siege of Petersburg – and were present for Gen. Robert E. Lee's surrender to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House.
Upon completion of their original three-year term of service, many of the 28th's veteran soldiers elected to return to Massachusetts. But a sufficient number re-enlisted by January 1, 1864, to justify the continuation of the regiment as a five-company battalion of "veteran volunteers" until the end of the war.
During the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lt. Col. George W. Cartwright was severely wounded, placing Captain Andrew P. Caraher, commander of Company A, in command of the regiment during the Maryland Campaign. Following the Battle of Antietam, however, command of the 28th Massachusetts was given on October 18 to Col. Richard Byrnes, who although himself Irish, had been a regular officer and a 1st lieutenant in the 5th U.S. Cavalry. Although resented and protested by the other officers of the regiment, Byrnes served with distinction and was wounded on June 3, 1864, while leading the Irish Brigade at the Battle of Cold Harbor. He died nine days later.
At Fredericksburg, the regiment was put in the middle of the Irish Brigade and led the charge, as they were the only regiment of the brigade that had the distinctive green flag, and since their commander wanted to make it clear to the confederates that they were facing the Irish Brigade, the 28th was planted in the middle.
Stage actor Lawrence Barrett served as captain of the regiment's Company B, but served for less than a year, resigning in August 1862. Father Lawrence Stephen McMahon was a curate at Holy Cross Church, Boston and served as chaplain from 1863 to 1865. He later became Bishop of the Diocese of Hartford.
Casualties and mustering out.
Among all Union regiments, the 28th Massachusetts ranked seventh in total losses. Roughly one-quarter of the 1,746 men who served in the unit were killed, died of wounds or disease, taken prisoner, or reported missing.
The surviving veterans of the regiment marched in Washington, D.C., during the Grand Review of the Armies that celebrated the war's conclusion, then traveled home to Massachusetts, where they were paid and discharged from the service at Readville in June 1865.


200th Infantry Division (German Empire)

The 200th Infantry Division (200. Infanterie-Division) was a formation of the Imperial German Army in World War I.


President of Zaire


Second Corinth Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Corinth of the American Civil War on October 3 and 4, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. Order of battle compiled from the army organization, return of casualtiesand reports. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
Army of the Mississippi.
MG William S. Rosecrans
<br>
Army of West Tennessee.
MG Ulysses S. Grant (not present)
Detachment commanded by BG James B. McPherson


Matsushiro, Nagano

Matsushiro () was a historically important town in Hanishina District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. In 1966, it was incorporated into Nagano City.
In general.
Matsushiro was a thriving town as the center of Matsushiro Domain under the Sanada clan during the Edo period of the 17th to 19th centuries. In the Meiji period of the latter half of the 19th century, there was a thriving silk industry there.
During the last days of World War II, Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters was built in the caves of the near-by mountain. In 1966, Matsushiro was incorporated into Nagano City, and remains as Matsushiro-machi, Nagano City.
Matsushiro is now famous as a thriving sightseeing area.
Transportation.
About three kilometers south on Prefectural Road 35 () from Nagano Station of Hokuriku Shinkansen, Shinetsu Main Line and Shinano Railway Line. About one kilometer south on Prefectural Road 35 from Nagano Interchange () of Jōshin-etsu Expressway.


29 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search) Group

The 29 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search) Group, formerly 29 Engineer Brigade, is an engineer formation of the British Army responsible for Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search. Its headquarters were at Aldershot.
History.
The brigade had its origins as 29 Engineer Group formed in Glasgow in 1961. It was expanded and became 29th Engineer Brigade in 1967. By 1982, the brigade headquarters moved from Edinburgh to Imphal Barracks York with signals support at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Isby and Kamps wrote that around 1984-85 the brigade consisted of 72 Eningeer Regiment, 73 Engineer Regiment, 74 Engineer Regiment and 105 (V) Plant Squadron, with 72 and 73 Regiments supporting 2nd Infantry Division and 74 Regiment supporting 1st Infantry Brigade.
In around 1989, the brigade's units included 71, 72, 73 Engineer Regiments, 105 Plant Squadron, 117 Field Support Squadron, and 873 Movement Lights Squadron. After the Options for Change reforms, the brigade disbanded.
In 1997, the brigade was reformed as 29 (Corps Support) Engineer Brigade from the Central Volunteer Headquarters, Royal Engineers. It was given responsibility for administering a series of Specialist Teams Royal Engineers ('STRE's). Its headquarters was established at Aldershot. It had been renamed 29 (Land Support) Engineer Group by 2008 and, because its main capability was Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), it had been renamed 29 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search) Group by 2011.
Structure in 1997.
The following was the structure when it was reformed as a corps support engineer brigade in 1997:
After reformed as an engineer brigade for the ACE Rapid Reaction Corps, plans were made for the brigade to take under command other units from other ARRC engineer regiments. Therefore, under an operational deployment 101st (Netherlands) Engineer Battalion, 5th (Polish) Engineer Regiment (two battalions), 6th (Italian) Engineer Regiment, and A (Turkish) Engineer Company would all fall under its operational control.
Current Organisation.
The brigade exists as 29 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search) Group under 8th Engineer Brigade. The structure is as follows:
The group is tasked with "[Supporting] both deployed operations and Homeland Defence. The Group locates and disposes of conventional and improvised explosive threats. It provides technical expertise to ensure that the Army’s ammunition is fit for purpose and all forms of Search capability including Military Working Dog support."
Commanding Officers.
Commanding Officers of the group included:


First Winchester Union order of battle

The following United States Army units and commanders fought in the First Battle of Winchester (May 25, 1862) of the American Civil War. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
Union Forces near Winchester.
MG Nathaniel P. Banks
Department of the Shenandoah.
MG Nathaniel P. Banks


Fragments (Torchwood)

"Fragments" is the twelfth episode of the second series of the British science fiction television series "Torchwood", which was broadcast on BBC Three on 21 March 2008.
The episode follows four members of the alien-hunting team Torchwood having flashbacks to how they were recruited after getting trapped under debris.
Plot.
Synopsis.
After the team gets signs of an unidentified life form, they (apart from Gwen, who is running late) go to investigate. Searching an abandoned building, the team discover they've been trapped and the building explodes. The explosion causes the team to be trapped in various places; unable to contact each other. Gwen and Rhys arrive (Rhys having given Gwen a lift), and as they dig everyone out, the team's lives flash before their eyes revealing how Jack, Ianto, Owen, and Toshiko were recruited by Torchwood.
Jack's story.
In the Victorian era, Jack is picked up by two women - Alice Guppy and Emily Holroyd - who have noticed his immortality and his numerous references in public to the Doctor. They examine him, which includes attempting to kill him. Jack recognizes that the technology being used during the interrogation is more advanced than Earth technology of the time. They identify themselves as being Torchwood members and offer Jack a job. Jack initially declines the offer after learning that they view the Doctor as a threat. He agrees to the assignment after being told that if he doesn't cooperate he will be treated as a threat himself. He takes an assignment, which is to capture an alien. While they have the alien in a small cell, one of the officers pulls out a gun and shoots the alien in the head without warning. Jack disagrees with this policy and refuses the next assignment they try to give him. Jack goes to a bar, where a young female fortuneteller comes to his table and offers to read his cards. After ignoring his refusal, she tells Jack that he will meet the Doctor again...but not for another century. Needing something to do with himself until then, he returns to Torchwood and opts to join as an employee.
Still working for Torchwood in 1999, Jack returns to the Hub from trying to stop the Millennium Bug (which he claims 'has 18 legs and a poisonous stinger') to discover that Alex, the present team leader, has murdered the rest of the team out of fear of the future. He has in his hand a locket, and claims to have seen the future and killed the rest of the team as an act of mercy (he apologises to Jack that he can't do the same for him). Based on the vision from the locket, Alex states that the next century is when everything changes and that Torchwood isn't ready for it. He then commits suicide, leaving Torchwood to Jack as a "reward for a century of service." With the rest of the team dead, Jack needs a new team.
Toshiko's story.
Toshiko's story takes place five years earlier when she was working for the Ministry of Defence. After her boss leaves one night, she breaks into the security room where she obtains secret files for a Sonic Modulator. Tosh begins constructing a basic version of the Modulator, and once complete, takes it to an unknown location. She gives it to a woman, one of her mother's captors, in trade for her mother's release; but in seeing Tosh's potential, they decide to have her work for them. Tosh refuses, and so the captors set off the Sonic Modulator, sending an ear-piercing sound around the room and bringing Tosh and her mother to the floor, as their blood vessels begin to pulse violently. At that point, however, UNIT soldiers break in and arrest them all. Tosh is locked in an empty cell and told that she now has no rights. She is denied communication with anyone, and will not receive any information concerning her mother.
After living in solitary confinement for some time, she is visited by Jack. Jack states that she'll be imprisoned indefinitely unless she agrees to work for him. He recognised the high amount of talent Toshiko had after coming across the Sonic Modulator and realising that the plans she was working from were wrong, meaning Tosh had virtually made it herself. Toshiko agrees to Jack's offer of five years work and is released from prison.
Ianto's story.
Ianto first encounters Jack by helping him fight a Weevil 21 months earlier. Ianto asks for a job, but is rejected by Jack after Ianto was found to have worked for Torchwood London. The next morning, Ianto gives Jack coffee as he exits the Hub. Jack recalls knowledge about Ianto, stating that he researched him after he was able to identify a Weevil. Ianto again asks for a job, as his old job was lost when Torchwood One was destroyed, but Jack states that he had severed all ties with Torchwood One and refuses. That night, Ianto steps in front of the SUV, and once more asks for a job. After Jack threatens to run him down, Ianto explains he is pursuing a pterodactyl. After a long battle (in which Jack implies he survived Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event), the two manage to sedate the creature. Finding themselves pressed together on the ground, they experience a moment of sexual tension, before Ianto excuses himself. Jack tells Ianto that he expects to see him at work the following morning.
Owen's story.
Owen's flashback shows him working as a regular doctor and planning a marriage four years previously. His fiancée, Katie, who exhibits signs of Alzheimer's, is discovered to have a brain tumour and is admitted for an operation. Jack enters, apologising to Owen. Jack enters the operating room with Owen following to discover all the hospital staff inside dead. Jack says that an alien parasite was residing in Katie's brain and emitted a toxic nerve gas when threatened, which has killed her and the operating surgeons. Jack attempts to take the brain, but Owen protests and Jack chloroforms him. Owen wakes up in hospital, but because Jack has erased all evidence of himself, Owen has no proof of ever encountering him. After concluding that Owen is suffering from grief, the doctors prescribe him three months' rest. At Katie's grave, Owen finds and confronts Jack, realising he wasn't imagining things. Seeing Owen's potential and love for his job, Jack convinces him to join Torchwood as their medic.
Epilogue.
The team escape the building to discover the SUV is missing. Jack receives a holographic message, as pictured, from Captain John Hart, who reveals that he had placed the bombs and shows Jack an image of his brother Gray. He then vows to tear Jack's world apart, so Jack will spend time with him.
Production.
Cast notes.
Clare Clifford had played Kyle in the Fifth Doctor story "Earthshock".
Critical reception.
Ben Rawson-Jones of Digital Spy reacted highly positively saying 'this episode demonstrates the power of the ensemble cast', praising the narrative structure and acknowledging the 'gripping twist ending.' The fansite Androzani.com, who react mostly negatively to Torchwood, say 'It's not entirely stellar. But when it does work, it works very nicely indeed.' This episode is also a favourite among the fan base.


Serpent Crest

Serpent Crest is an audio play in five episodes based on the long-running British science fiction television series "Doctor Who". It is written by Paul Magrs, and stars Tom Baker as the Fourth Doctor and Richard Franklin as Captain Mike Yates. It was released on five CDs by BBC Audiobooks between September and December 2011 and is a sequel to 2009's "Hornets' Nest" and 2010's "Demon Quest". They feature multiple actors, but four of the episodes contain some degree of narration by different characters, the exception being the first episode, "Tsar Wars".


Labour Corps (British Army)

The Labour Corps was a British Army unit formed in 1917 for manual and skilled labour on the Western Front and Salonika during the First World War. In previous centuries the British Army had fulfilled this role through the Royal Pioneer Corps (1762-1763), the Corps of Pioneers (1795-1800) and the Army Works Corps (1855-c.1856). Though it disbanded in 1921, it is often seen as the predecessor to the Royal Pioneer Corps of the Second World War.
History.
Earlier in the war the Army Service Corps had formed labour companies to work docks and railways and unload ships and the Royal Engineers had formed eleven labour battalions for manual work. From December 1914 onwards each infantry division had also been provided with a Pioneer Battalion, with full infantry training but usually used in manual and skilled work and thus consisting of those with experience in those areas. From early 1916 onwards conscripted men with health too poor for fighting were also assigned to these battalions, twelve of which had been formed by June that year.
On 22 February 1917 an Army Order formed the Labour Corps, turning the pre-existing Infantry Labour Companies and Infantry Labour Battalions into 203 Labour Companies. The Corps as formed also included Depot Labour Companies (renamed Reserve Labour Companies later in 1917) back in the United Kingdom as well as seven Labour Battalions converted from the Works or Infantry Works battalions of the King's (Liverpool Regiment), the Devonshire Regiment, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Middlesex Regiment and the Durham Light Infantry. All these would be commanded by forty-two Labour Group Headquarters. Later in 1917 eight Labour Centres were added to the Corps, one for each of the eight home commands, as were the existing Infantry Works Companies (renamed Home Service Labour Companies) and Agricultural Companies.
In 1916, Colonel Richard S. H. Moody raised, from the Devonshire Regiment, and took to France, as Commander, a battalion of the Labour Corps, which he commanded from 1917 to 1918, after which he retired from active service. By November 1918 the Corps numbered around 389,900 men.


General of the Cavalry (Germany)

General of the Cavalry () was a General of the branch OF8-rank in the Imperial Army, the interwar Reichswehr, and the Wehrmacht. It was the second-highest General officer rank below Generaloberst. Artillery officers of equivalent rank were called "General der Artillerie", and infantry officers of equivalent rank "General der Infanterie". The Wehrmacht also created "General der Panzertruppen" (tank troops), "General der Gebirgstruppen" (mountain troops), "General der Pioniere" (engineers), "General der Flieger" (aviators), "General der Fallschirmtruppen" (parachute troops), and "General der Nachrichtentruppen" (communications troops)


Colin Schmitt

Colin J. Schmitt (born June 20, 1990) is an American businessman and politician serving as a member of the New York State Assembly from the 99th district, which covers parts of Orange and Rockland Counties.
Career.
Schmitt was born on Staten Island. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics with minors in theology and religious studies from the Catholic University of America.
Career.
He started his political career in the office of then-Assemblywoman Ann Rabbitt, becoming the youngest aide to ever be hired in the Assembly. After graduating from the Catholic University of America in 2012, Schmitt joined the staff of State Senator Greg Ball, and later worked as the chief of staff for New Windsor.
Schmitt is also a commercial real estate agent and a sergeant in the Army National Guard.
New York State Assembly.
Schmitt first ran for office in 2012, campaigning for the Assembly's 99th district. He lost in the primary to Goshen Mayor Kyle Roddey, who in turn lost in the general election to Democrat James Skoufis.
Schmitt ran for the same seat again in 2016. He won the primary uncontested but lost to Skoufis in the general election, 53% to 47%.
In 2018, after Skoufis had declared his campaign for the 39th district of the State Senate, Schmitt announced he would run for the 99th district for a third time. He defeated Democrat Matthew Rettig with 53% of the vote, and was sworn into the Assembly on January 9, 2019.
Personal life.
Schmitt lives in New Windsor with his wife, Nikki Pagano-Schmitt.


Pea Ridge Confederate order of battle

These are the units and commanders who fought for the Confederacy in the Battle of Pea Ridge. The Pea Ridge Union order of battle is shown separately.
Army of the West.
Maj. Gen. Earl Van Dorn
Left Wing (Missouri State Guard).
MG Sterling Price (w)
<br>
At the beginning of 1862, Price commanded about 8,000 soldiers. About half of these soldiers were organized as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Missouri Brigades while the rest remained in seven Missouri State Guard "Divisions" that were hardly larger than regiments.


Order of battle for the Kokoda Track campaign

This is an order of battle listing the Australian and Japanese forces involved in the Kokoda Track campaign from 21 July – 16 November 1942.
Australian forces.
Source:
Japanese forces.
Source:


Belmont Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Belmont of the American Civil War. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
Union Forces.
Grant's Expeditionary Command, District of Southeast Missouri.
BG Ulysses S. Grant
From Paducah, Kentucky.
BG Charles Ferguson Smith
Cooperating unit not subject to Grant's command, from Ironton to St. Francis River


Catalan Company

The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company (Catalan: "Gran Companyia Catalana", Latin: "Exercitus francorum", "Societatis exercitus catalanorum", "Societatis cathalanorum", "Magna Societas Catalanorum") was a company of mercenaries led by Roger de Flor in the early 14th century and hired by the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos to combat the increasing power of the Anatolian beyliks. It was formed by "almogavar" veterans of the War of the Sicilian Vespers, who had remained unemployed after the signing in 1302 of the Peace of Caltabellotta between the Crown of Aragon and the French dynasty of the Angevins.
Origin.
The military demands of the Reconquista stimulated the formation of the elite light infantry known as the "almogavars" on the Iberian peninsula during the 13th century. These troops were used quite effectively by the Crown of Aragon for other imperial ventures in the Mediterranean, particularly the War of the Sicilian Vespers. They were typically organized in companies ("societates") of 20 to 50 men, following a chief of recognized military skill. The signing of the Peace of Caltabellotta in 1302 terminated that struggle in Sicily, leaving the "almogavars" without immediate employment. James II of Aragon and his brother Frederick III of Sicily saw the threat this posed to civil order. While Frederick would have liked to retain some of them for the defense of Sicily, they could not, by custom, be forced to do so. Instead, many of the "almogavars" were recruited into a "company of companies", led by the Italian mercenary Roger de Flor, to be paid in Byzantine service.
This organization was referred to by the (hostile) Angevin and Papal chancelleries as the "[Magnas] Societas [exercitus] Catalanorum", the [Great] Catalan [military] Company. The Sicilian chancellery referred to them as "Francorum", "Frankish", rather than "Catalan", in deference to the non-Catalan members of the Company. However, the written letters produced by the Company were mainly in Catalan.
Arrival at Constantinople.
The Great Catalan Company departed from Messina with 36 ships (including 18 galleys) transporting about 8,000 men (1,500 cavalry, 4,000 "almogavar" foot soldiers and an indeterminate number of servants and auxiliary personnel). The exact figures are a matter of dispute, for although the numbers provided by Ramon Muntaner are trusted by later historians Francisco de Moncada and George Paquimeres, the contemporary Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras gives a total number of only 1,000 men.
After a brief stop at Monemvasia, the company arrived at Constantinople in January 1303, where it was received by the Emperor and housed in the district of Blachernae. The Emperor arranged the wedding of Roger de Flor to his niece, the 15 year old princess Maria Asanina, daughter of the Tsar of Bulgaria Ivan Asen III and Irene Palaiologina. De Flor was named "Megas Doux" (Great Dux, i.e. Commander of the Imperial forces).
The arrival of this new mercenary contingent upset the balance of power that supported the Byzantine Empire. It especially irritated the Genoese, who saw the arrival of the Catalan Company as an intrusion by the House of Aragon into the area of influence of the Republic of Genoa i.e. the Eastern Mediterranean and the Byzantine Empire. Armed conflict was not long in breaking out, with 3,000 Genoese killed (including their leader Rosso del Finar) in what was called the in September 1303.
Campaigns in Anatolia.
Battle of the Cyzicus (1303).
Following these incidents and the recent defeat of the Byzantines in the Battle of Bafeus, the emperor ordered Roger de Flor to move his "almogavars" as soon as possible to the battle front in Anatolia in modern-day Turkey. Transported there in the fleet commanded by the Catalan Admiral Ferran d'Aunés, Roger de Flor's troops disembarked at Cape Artake, near the ruins of ancient Cyzicus. They soon achieved a great victory against the Karasid Turks in the Battle of the Cyzicus in October 1303. The "almogavars" made a surprise attack on the Oghuz Turkish camp located at Cape Artake, killing about 3,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry and capturing many women and children.
After this victory, Roger de Flor decided to postpone a planned march to the besieged town of Philadelphia and spent the winter on Cape Artake, a position that provided good defenses and an easy means of supply. During this period temporarily left the company after a disagreement with Roger de Flor, putting himself in the service of the Duke of Athens. Roger de Flor, on the other hand, took advantage of the lull to travel with his wife to Constantinople with four galleys, claim payment from the Emperor and discuss with him the next campaign. Andronikos II happily paid Roger de Flor and entrusted him with the liberation of Philadelphia.
On his return to Cizicus, Roger de Flor found that his undisciplined troops had already spent twice or triple their pay and had been out plundering. Greek historians say that the region of Cizicus was devastated by the looting of the almogavars, to the point that the sister of the Emperor Andronikos had to go to the city to exhort Roger to immediately move his troops to Philadelphia.
Battle of Germe.
The 1304 campaign began with a month's delay due to continuous disputes between the "almogavars" and their Alan allies, which caused 300 deaths in the forces of the latter. Finally, in early May, Roger de Flor began the campaign to raise the siege of Philadelphia with 6,000 almogavars and 1,000 Alans. Philadelphia at that time was suffering from a siege by Yakup bin Ali Şir, governor of the Germiyanids from the powerful emirate of Germiyan-oğhlu. After a few days, the "almogavars" arrived at the Byzantine city of Achyraus and descended by the valley of the River Kaikos until they arrived at the city of Germe (now known as Soma), a Byzantine fortification that had previously fallen to the Turks. The Turks who were there tried to flee as fast as possible, but their rearguard was attacked by the troops of Roger de Flor in what came to be called the .
Battle of Aulax and liberation of Philadelphia.
After the victory in Germe, the Company resumed its march, passing through Chliara (modern Kırkağaç) and Thyatira and entered the valley of the Hermos River. On their way, they stopped in various places, abusing the Byzantine governors for their lack of courage. Roger de Flor even planned to hang some of them; naming the Bulgarian captain Sausi Crisanislao, who finally obtained a pardon.
Upon learning of the imminent arrival of the Great Company, Bey Yakup bin Ali Şir, head of the coalition of the Turkish troops from the emirates of Germiyan-oğhlu and Aydın-oğhlu, decided to lift the siege of Philadelphia and face the Company in a suitable location (Aulax) with his 8,000 cavalry and 12,000 infantry.
Roger de Flor took command of the Company cavalry, dividing it into three contingents (Alans, Catalans and Romans), while Corbarán of Alet did the same with the infantry. The Catalans achieved a great victory over the Turks in what would come to be known as the , with only 500 Turkish infantry and 1,000 cavalrymen managing to escape alive. After this battle de Flor made a triumphant entrance into Philadelphia, being received by its magistrates and the bishop Teolepto.
Having already accomplished the principal mission entrusted to him by the emperor, Roger de Flor decided to consolidate the defence of Philadelphia by conquering the nearby fortresses which had fallen into the hands of the Turks. Thus, the "almogavars" marched north towards the fortress of Kula, forcing the Turks who were there to flee. The Greek garrison of Kula received de Flor as a liberator, but he, not appreciating how a seemingly impregnable fortress could be allowed to fall into the hands of the Turks without a battle, beheaded the governor and condemned the commander to the gallows. The same harshness was applied when, days later, the "almogavars" took the fortification of Furnes, located further north. After that, de Flor returned with his troops to Philadelphia to claim payment for his successful campaign.
Occupation of Magnesia.
The captains of the Company then resolved to attack the maritime provinces of the Ottomans. From Philadelphia the Company retreated through the valley of the river Hermos and entered the prefecture of the city of Magnesia (modern Manisa), the only territory of Anatolia that remained under the control of the Byzantines. Magnesia had solid walls and was a few miles from the island of Chios, where the Catalan Company fleet was anchored under the command of Ferran d'Aunés. In the circumstances, Roger de Flor decided to occupy the city and establish his headquarters there, and to transfer there his spoils of war and to garrison it with his troops. From the viewpoint of the Greeks, Roger de Flor began to act not so much as a mercenary or military leader, but as the governor of all Anatolia, thus winning the enmity of the prefect Nostongos Ducas and the governor of the city of Magnesia, Demetrios Ataliota. Nostongo Ducas traveled to Constantinople to report the situation to the emperor, thereby causing consternation in the capital.
Battle of Tire.
After leaving his spoils and a small garrison of "almogavars" in Magnesia, the troops of Roger de Flor arrived at the city of Nif (Nymphaion), where he received a request for aid from two inhabitants of Tire. It appeared that the surviving Ottoman troops of the battle of Aulax had united with those of the Emirate of Menteşe-oğhlu and begun a joint attack on Tire. Roger de Flor divided his force into two and ordered one half to return to Magnesia. The remaining troops under de Flor made a forced march to arrive at the walls of Tire in the dead of night, entering the city without being spotted by the besieging Turks. The began the following morning, when the Turks assembled on a plain near the city to prepare the assault, expecting to find in Tire only a small garrison of Greek soldiers.
Inside Tire, Roger de Flor ordered his seneschal to prepare a detachment of 200 men on horseback and 2,000 "almogavars". When the Turks approached the walls, the troops led by Corberán of Alet rushed out of the city and attacked the Ottomans, who in a short time suffered the loss of 700 men on horseback and even more infantrymen. In panic, the rest of the Turkish cavalry fled to the mountains chased by the "almogávar" cavalry. Corberán of Alet decided to continue the attack on the retreating Turks as they began to climb the mountains, ordering his cavalrymen to dismount and climb after them. In response, the Turks harassed the "almogavars" by throwing stones and firing arrows, one of which killed Corberán of Alet, striking his head at a moment when his helmet had been removed. The "almogavar" troops, shocked by the death of the seneschal of the Company, interrupted their pursuit and retreated to Tire carrying the corpse of Corberán of Alet, thus allowing the surviving Turks to escape.
When the troops returned to Tire and informed de Flor of the death of his seneschal, he ordered that Corberán of Alet be buried with all honors in the Church of San George, located two leagues from the city, and that his tomb be beautifully decorated. The Company remained stationed in Tire for eight more days.
Arrival of Bernat of Rocafort.
In the course of the battle of Tire, Bernat de Rocafort arrived at Constantinople from the Kingdom of Sicily. Bernat had not joined the Company the previous year after refusing to accept the terms of the Peace of Caltabellota that forced him to return two castles he had conquered in the Kingdom of Naples. Finally, in July 1304, he decided to join the Company and weighed anchor for Constantinople with 200 cavalrymen, 1,000 almogavars and 2 galleys. There he was received by AndronikosII, who informed him that the Company was on the island of Chios. Bernat then made for Chios, where he met the fleet captained by Ferran d'Aunés, and together they sailed to Ania (modern Kuşadası). Once in Ania they were received by Ramon Muntaner, who led Bernat to Ephesus, where he met Roger de Flor. De Flor named Bernat the new seneschal of the Company (replacing the late Corberán of Alet), and gave him his daughter (who had been previously engaged to Corberan) in marriage and provided him with 100 horses and money for his men.
Roger de Flor and Bernat de Rocafort then marched to Ania, but not without first asking for further war contributions in Ephesus, again accompanied by numerous abuses and looting by the "almogavars". After his departure Roger de Flor entrusted the safety of Tire to the Aragonese Diego de Orós with 30 cavalry men and 100 infantrymen.
Battle of Ania.
For their part, the surviving troops of the Emirate of Aydin managed to regroup around Ania, frightening its population. In the face of this provocation, the "almogavars" decided to charge immediately against them, in complete disorder and without receiving orders from any of their captains. In spite of the disorder they were victorious at the , killing 1,000 cavalrymen and 2,000 Turkish infantry.
After this new victory the captains decided to return to the eastern provinces, seeking a great confrontation with the Turks in the interior of Anatolia, since the limited number of soldiers of the Company did not allow a war of occupation.
Battle of Kibistra.
In July 1304, the Company began to march through the regions of Caria and Lycaonia, linking up with the road which the Crusaders had followed two centuries earlier on their way to the Holy Land. Finally, the Company reached the Cilician Gates at the foot of the Taurus Mountains, which separated the region of Cilicia from the Christian kingdom of Little Armenia.
As the cavalry advanced to reconnoitre the land, they discovered in a valley a large contingent of Ottoman troops (20,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry). They were remnants of previous defeats, regrouped and ready to ambush the Company. Once discovered, the Turks descended to the plain and both armies prepared for a great battle, , in the open field at Kibistra. (August15, 1304).
In spite of the numerical disparity between the forces Roger de Flor did not avoid the combat, but put himself at the head of the cavalry. Bernat de Rocafort and Marulli did the same with the "almogavars", who showed great spirit, celebrating the victory before even engaging in combat and uttering their famous war cry "Awake iron, awake!" whilst they hit the ground with the end of their spears.
At last the troops of the Great Company rushed to meet the Turkish troops and the battle begun. At first the Turks asserted their numerical advantage, but even as the battle seemed to be swinging in favor of the Ottomans, the "almogavars" charged again and managed to breach and destroy their line. The battle continued until twilight before the remains of the Ottoman army fled away, chased by the almogavar cavalry until almost dawn. The "almogavars" spent the night with their weapons in hand, waiting for a Turkish counter-attack which never occurred.
The following morning Roger de Flor proceeded to survey the battlefield, surprised by the magnitude of his victory. No fewer than 6,000 cavalry and 12,000 Turkish infantrymen had been killed in the battle. The "almogavars" then began to shout out their wish to continue the march through the Taurus mountains to Little Armenia and to quickly recover what the Byzantine Empire had lost over many centuries, but their captains judged the idea reckless.
Byzantine betrayal and Catalan revenge.
Following the important victory of Kibistra, the Company decided to return to Ania and spend the winter there, as a lack of knowledge of the terrain made an advance very dangerous. During this retreat, crossing country previously conquered by the Turks, Greek historians report numerous examples of looting, abuses and cruelty by the "almogavar" soldiers, worse according to them than was suffered under the Ottoman yoke.
Siege of Magnesia.
Arriving at Magnesia, however, the Company was informed of a terrible event. The local population, with its captain Ataliote at the head and with the support of the Alans, had beheaded the garrison and stolen its treasure. Informed of this, Roger de Flor immediately laid siege to the city.
But the siege had to be lifted shortly afterwards by order of the Emperor Andronikos, who requested the help of the Company to defend the prince of Bulgaria (Roger's brother-in-law) from an uprising led by his own uncle. The historian Nicephorus Gregoras, however, claimed that the Emperor's request was a pretext to disguise the impossibility of the Company breaking the resistance of Magnesia. At that time the 500 Alans who still remained on the side of the Company deserted.
Murder of Roger de Flor and massacre of Adrianople.
After two years of victorious campaigns against the Turks the indiscipline and the character of a foreign army in the heart of the Empire were seen as a growing danger, and on April30 1305 the emperor's son (Michael IX Palaiologos) ordered mercenary Alans to murder Roger de Flor and exterminate the Company in Adrianople (modern Edirne) while they attended a banquet organised by the Emperor. About 100 cavalry men and 1,000 infantrymen perished.
After the murder of de Flor the local Byzantine population rose up against the Catalans in Constantinople and killed many of them, including at the main barracks. Prince Michael ensured that as many as possible were killed before news reached the main force in Gallipoli. Some however escaped and carried the news of the massacre to Gallipoli after which the Catalans went on a killing spree of their own, killing all the local Byzantines. The memory of this devastation would last in the memory of the towns of the area for centuries, just as the monks of Mount Athos would prohibit the entrance of Catalan citizens until the year 2000.
Siege of Gallipoli.
Byzantine troops, consisting of 14,000 cavalry men and 30,000 infantry, made up of Greeks, Alans and Turcopolos, surrounded Gallipoli. , the new leader of the Company, being besieged, sent ambassadors to Sicily to ask for help.
D'Entença planned a raid against Constantinople, first taking and looting the island of Propóntide and then departing for Recrea with 5 galleys, leaving in Gallipoli a garrison formed by 206 horsemen and 1,256 infantry, commanded by Ramon Muntaner (as captain of Gallipoli) and Bernat de Rocafort (as Seneschal). On the way back to Gallipoli d'Entença's fleet ran into a larger fleet of 18 Genoese ships. D'Entança was welcomed aboard but then treacherously captured and taken to a Genoese stronghold in the area. He would later be released.
The small force left in Gallipoli nevertheless agreed to defend the site and their honour to the death and bored holes in the remaining ships to ensure there was no escape. On 21 June 1305, they sallied forth to meet the Byzantine army and fought with such ferocity that they totally overwhelmed them, killing many thousands of the enemy for the loss of only a few men.
Battle of Apros.
The Catalan Company then marched to Thrace, leaving a few families behind in Gallipoli. After three days marching they came across, near Apros, the Byzantine army of 6,000 cavalry and even more infantry under the Emperor's son Prince Michael.
The Catalan forces lined up in front of the Byzantine army, which included a large contingent of Alans as well as many Turcopoles. Despite the Imperial Army's numerical superiority, the Alans withdrew after the first charge, whereupon the Turcopoles deserted "en bloc" to the Catalans. The Catalans inflicted heavy losses and even Prince Michael was injured and had to leave the field, followed by his army. The Catalans had won the day but slept with weapons in hand in case of a Byzantine counter-attack.
When 60 Catalan prisoners in Adrianople heard of the victory they resolved to break out but could only climb on the roof of a tower. The local population were eventually driven to set fire to the tower in which most of the Catalans perished. Those that jumped were set upon by the crowd.
Dominion over Thrace.
The Catalans proceeded to ravage Thrace for two years, assisted by the return of Ferran Eiximenis d'Arenós, with whose help they captured several towns.
Battle of Mount Haemus.
The Company decided to have a showdown with a tribal group known as the Magasetas, who were based in the vicinity of Mount Haemus and had been involved in the murder of Roger de Flor. They withdrew troops in preparation from the various towns of Thrace such as Pacia, Modico and Rodesto which they had been occupying. Leaving a garrison in Gallipoli to look after the women and their possessions the main bulk of the Catalans set off in search of the Magasetas. After several days they located them and counted 3,000 cavalry and 6,000 infantry plus their baggage train.
The battle took place next day on a plain at the foot of the Mount Haemus where the Magasetas made a defensive wall of their wagons. Once again the superior Catalan cavalry and infantry overwhelmed the enemy, killing their general Gregorio. Of the 9,000 fighting men of the Magasetas only 300 survived. The women and children tried in vain to escape on tired horses.
Internal confrontations and the end of the Company.
Internal division.
Subsequently, the Catalan Company suffered a period of internal confrontation provoked by the disputes and interests of foreign powers eager to control it. Thus FredericIII of Sicily assigned the crown Prince Ferdinand of Majorca to Gallipoli as captain of the Company. This move was contested by Bernat de Rocafort, while others such as Berenguer d'Entença and Ferran Eiximenis d'Arenós accepted the appointment. The fight ended with the departure of Ferran and the Prince and the death of Entença, leaving Bernat de Rocafort as head of the Company. The administrator Ramon Muntaner also would leave the Company, later writing a chronicle about its history.
After this period of internal struggle, Bernat de Rocafort offered the services of the Company to Charles of Valois to strengthen his aspirations to the Byzantine Empire. In 1309, Thibault de Chepoy, the representative of Charles of Valois, ordered the arrest of Bernat de Rocafort and sent him to Naples, where he would starve to death the same year.
Move into Greece.
By 1308, the resources of the Gallipoli peninsula were exhausted and the company headed west towards Greece, reestablishing themselves on the peninsula of Kassandra in Chalcidice. From there they attacked and pillaged the locality, including Mount Athos monastery. Unable to capture Thessalonika they moved further west and south, by 1309 reaching the region of Thessaly, in what is now central Greece.
Battle of Halmyros.
In 1310, the new leader of the Company Roger Deslaur offered his services to WalterV of Brienne, Duke of Athens, and cleared the duchy of all his enemies in less than a year. The Duke, however, did not pay the amount agreed upon for their services, which unleashed the wrath of the Company. The Company decided to declare war on the duke and met him at the Battle of Halmyros on March15, 1311. The battle itself was a decisive last victory for the Catalans, despite being outnumbered by the Frankish forces of Athens, which included 700 knights. Walter V and most of his knights were killed, leaving Athens at the mercy of the Company.
Duchies of Athens and Neopatras.
In a short space of time, the Company assumed not only the control of the Duchy of Athens but extended its dominions to the city of Thebes and the region of Thessaly, converting the latter into the Duchy of Neopatras, where they established themselves as feudal lords. In 1312, they accepted the overlordship of the Aragonese crown of Sicily and adopted a new seal bearing the head of St George. As a consequence of their taking possession of the duchies in the name of the Crown of Aragon and refusing to return them to their legitimate heirs, the Pope demanded the Company return the territory, excommunicating its members in 1318 when they declined.
Both duchies remained in the hands of the Great Company as vassals of the Crown of Aragon until 1388–1390, when they were defeated by the Navarrese Company commanded by Pedro de San Superano, Juan de Urtubia and the Florentine troops of Nerio I Acciaioli of Corinth. The descendants of the latter then controlled the duchies until 1456, when they were conquered by the Ottoman Empire. By that time, the Great Catalan Company had ceased to exist.


List of admirals of the fleet (Thailand)

Chom Phon Ruea (, ) or Admiral of the Fleet is the most senior naval officer rank of the Royal Thai Navy. Today it is only ceremonially held by members of the Thai Royal family. The Royal Thai Army equivalent is known as just "Chom Phon" and "Chom Phon Akat" for the Royal Thai Air Force.
The King of Thailand as Head of the Royal Thai Armed Forces is automatically made a Chom Phon upon accession. The rank was formally created in 1888, together with all other ranks of the military by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who wanted to modernize his Armed Forces through western lines.


Lou Diamond

Leland "Lou" Diamond (May 30, 1890 – September 20, 1951) was an American serviceman who served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Early years.
Leland Diamond was born in Bedford, Ohio. His parents, Herbert Caleb Diamond (1864–1932) and Mima Ellenor (1866–1921), were Canadians from Belleville, Ontario. His father was the youngest of the famed Diamond Brothers of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP), who served in the Red Deer District of Alberta in the 1880s. He is descended from the Hudson River Valley Algonquin-Mohican Diamond family of the pre-American-Revolution era. His ancestors were United Empire Loyalists John Diamond (1759–1845) and Christiana Loyst (1765–1842), from Dutchess County, New York, who fled to Fredericksburgh, Ontario after the Revolution.
The “Master Gunny” was a member and frequent visitor of the Toledo, Ohio Jewish Serviceman's USO Club sponsored by the National Jewish Welfare Board (NJWB) in 1943 as indicated by his registration card coded as a NON-JEW with a hole punched in the top left hand corner. Diamond was a practicing Episcopalian as noted in the notes of journalist Marc Parrott who was present at Master Gunny Diamond's Episcopalian funeral services.
He enlisted in the Marine Corps in Detroit, Michigan, July 25, 1917 at the age of 27, listing as his former occupation "railroad switchman". He was assigned Marine Service Number 98912.
World War I.
As a corporal in January 1918, he shipped out from Philadelphia aboard the USS "Von Steuben" bound for Brest, France. He saw action with the famous 6th Marine Regiment in the battles at Chateau Thierry, Belleau Wood, the Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne. Promoted to the grade of Sergeant, he marched to the Rhine with the Army of Occupation. At war's end, "Mr. Leatherneck" returned to America, and received an honorable discharge.
Inter-war period.
Railroading, and civilian life in general, did not suit him, and on September 23, 1921, Diamond re-enlisted.
"Mr. Marine" itched for more action and he soon got it in Shanghai, with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment. But the Sino-Japanese controversy, in Diamond's opinion, was "not much of a war," and on June 10, 1933, he returned to the United States, disembarking from the USS "Henderson" (AP-1) at Mare Island, California. By then he was a gunnery sergeant.
Diamond returned to Shanghai with his old outfit, the 4th Marines, ten months later; was transferred to the 2nd Marines in December 1934; and returned to the States in February 1937. Two years after his promotion to master gunnery sergeant on July 10, 1939, he was assigned to the Depot of Supplies at Philadelphia to help design a new infantry pack.
World War II.
Following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Diamond shipped out to Guadalcanal with Company H, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, arriving at the beaches August 7, 1942. He was then 52 years old.
Though not a "spit-and-polish" Marine, Diamond proved himself an expert with both 60- and 81-mm mortars, his accurate fire being credited as the turning point of many battles on Guadalcanal. Among the many fables concerning his Guadalcanal service is the tale that he lobbed a mortar shell down the smoke stack of an off-shore Japanese cruiser. It is considered a fact, however, that he drove the cruiser from the bay with his harassing "near-misses."
General A.A. Vandegrift, Commander of the 1st Marine Division, and later Commandant of the Marine Corps, wrote a letter of commendation that states in part:
After two months on Guadalcanal, physical disabilities dictated his evacuation by air against his wishes. He was moved to the New Hebrides and later to a hospital in New Zealand, where he somehow acquired orders to board a supply ship for New Caledonia. There a friend ordered him back to Guadalcanal – the supposed location of his old outfit. Upon his arrival, however, Diamond discovered that the 1st Marine Division had shipped out to Australia, a distance of over . Diamond made the trip, without orders, by bumming rides on planes, ships and trains.
But Diamond was destined not to see any more combat. On July 1, 1943, he disembarked from the USS "Hermitage" (AP-54) at San Pedro, California, and twelve days later was made an instructor at the MCRD Parris Island, South Carolina. He was transferred to Camp Lejeune on June 15, 1945, and joined the 5th Training Battalion with the same duties.
Retirement.
Diamond retired on November 23, 1945, and returned to his home in Toledo, Ohio.
Death.
His death at the Great Lakes, Illinois, Naval Training Center Hospital, September 20, 1951, was followed by a funeral, with military honors, at Sylvania, Ohio. Journalist Marc Parrott notes that Diamond's funeral service was Episcopalian. He was laid to rest at Toledo Memorial Park in Sylvania.
Legacy.
Actor Ward Bond portrayed Diamond in an episode of the television
series "Cavalcade of America" entitled "The Marine Who Lived 200 years."
It aired on June 1, 1955; a copy has been located at the Marine Corps Museum.
The Filipino-American actor Lou Diamond Phillips was named after him by his father, a Marine Corps C-130 Crew Chief.
Although Diamond is sometimes referred to as "highly decorated", his only personal decoration was the Secretary of the Navy Commendation Ribbon, which later became the Navy Commendation Medal. Diamond's other awards include:
Diamond was also entitled to the French Fourragère (Croix de Guerre 1914–1918) as a personal award, since he had participated in earning it with the 6th Marines.


Jerry Cannon

Nelson "Jerry" Cannon is a retired military general and the former sheriff of Kalkaska County, Michigan. In 2014, Cannon ran for Congress in Michigan's 1st congressional district, losing to Dan Benishek. Cannon is a member of the Democratic Party.
Education.
Cannon holds an associate degree from Wayne County Community College, as well as a B.A. in criminal justice from the University of Detroit, obtained in 1976. Cannon holds a master's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University and a master's degree in strategic studies from the US Army War College. Cannon has taught criminal justice at Northwestern Michigan College.
Military career.
After graduating from high school in 1967, Cannon served in the Vietnam War as a Marine. Cannon was honorably discharged as a sergeant in 1970, after which he joined the River Rouge Police Department. In 1977, Cannon enlisted in the Michigan Army National Guard and joined the Kalkaska County Sheriff Department. Cannon served as sheriff of Kalkaska County from 1987–2004.
From 2003-2004, Cannon served as the commander of the Joint Detention Operations Group Joint Task Force Guantanamo. "Roll Call" reported that Cannon doesn't think his service at Guantanamo should be seen as unpatriotic, saying of it, "I've done that gladly. I've done that proudly. I would do it again." He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2004, assuming command of the 177th Military Police Brigade in Taylor, Michigan. He was promoted to Major General in 2006 as Commanding General of the 46th Military Police Command in Lansing, Michigan.
Cannon served two deployments in Iraq during the Iraq War. His first deployment was 2008-2009 where he served as Deputy Commanding General responsible for developing Iraqi police forces. His second deployment to Iraq was 2010-2011 where he served as U.S. Forces-Iraq Provost Marshal General and Deputy Commanding General for Detention Operations. After his last deployment in Iraq, he returned to the Michigan Army National Guard and in February 2012 was placed in the Army Retired Reserves, effectively signaling his retirement from the military.
2014 congressional candidacy.
In August 2013, Cannon announced that he would challenge Republican Congressman Dan Benishek in Michigan's 1st congressional district. Cannon ran unopposed in the Democratic primary on August 5, 2014. He was defeated by Benishek in the general election.
Cannon was endorsed by the Sierra Club, and the League of Conservation Voters. Nancy Pelosi's campaign committee has donated to Cannon's campaign.
In January 2014, Cannon was interviewed by a reporter from the "Daily Mining Gazette". The day after the interview, the reporter called Cannon to ask follow-up questions. The person who answered the phone identified himself as Cannon, and went on to express his dislike of the Affordable Care Act. Cannon's campaign denied that he had made the anti-Affordable Care Act comments, and the newspaper later revealed that the reporter had dialed the wrong number and had spoken with a Cannon impersonator, and not Cannon himself. Cannon's campaign subsequently confirmed his support for the Affordable Care Act. Cannon has noted his belief that the "worst thing that could be done" to the Affordable Care Act is to "throw it all away."
Personal life.
Cannon has a wife, Elizabeth. The Cannons live in Fife Lake, Michigan.
Cannon is a member of the Kalkaska Memorial Health Center Board of Trustees, chairman of the Garfield Township Parks and Recreation Committee, and a board member of the Northern Michigan Law Enforcement Training Group.
Controversy.
Cannon came under public scrutiny in November 2018 after a widely shared online police body camera video depicted Cannon offering to "take responsibility" for Midland County Sheriff Scott Stephenson - after he had been found drunkenly slumped over in his car on the side of a Kalkaska County Road - in an apparent attempt to stop Stephenson from being arrested and jailed for drunk driving.
The body camera footage depicts Stephenson begging the responding Midland officer and Cannon, the Garfield Township Police Chief who was off duty at the time, to not send him to jail. After Stephenson's pleas, Cannon can be seen stepping away from the scene to make a phone call, only to return and explain nothing could be done, saying: "I'm not the sheriff anymore...[a]nd the old days and ways are gone."


Accensi

The term Accensi (Singular: "accensus") is applied to two different groups. Originally, the "accensi" were light infantry in the armies of the early Roman Republic. They were the poorest men in the legion, and could not afford much equipment. They did not wear armour or carry shields, and their usual position was part of the third battle line. They fought in a loose formation, supporting the heavier troops. They were eventually phased out by the time of Second Punic War. In the later Roman Republic the term was used for civil servants who assisted the elected magistrates, particularly in the courts, where they acted as ushers and clerks.
Infantry.
History and deployment.
"Accensi" appear to have evolved from the old fifth class of the army under the Etruscan kings when it was reformed by Marcus Furius Camillus. The fifth class was made up of the poorest soldiers in the legion who were equipped with slings and perhaps a small shield. They acted as skirmishers, screening their own formations and disrupting the enemy. It is likely that engagements with the Samnites and a crushing defeat at the hands of the Gauls taught the Romans the importance of flexibility and the inadequacy of the phalanx on the rough, hilly ground of central Italy.
Camillan system.
In the early Camillan system of organisation of the 3rd and 4th centuries BC, men were sorted into classes according to wealth, the "accensi" being the poorest. "Accensi" were armed with slings which they used to hurl stones at enemy formations. They fought as skirmishers, wearing only a tunic and sometimes carrying a small round shield.
In this type of legion, the 900 "accensi" formed 15 maniples, military units of 60 men each, which were in turn part of 15 "ordines", larger units made up of a maniple of "triarii", a maniple of "rorarii" and a maniple of "accensi". The "accensi" stood in the last line of the legion, behind the front line of "hastati", the second line of "principes", the third of "triarii" and the fourth of "rorarii". In a pitched battle, the "leves", javelin armed skirmishers who were attached to maniples of "hastati", would form up at the front of the legion and harass the enemy with javelin fire and cover the advance of the "hastati", spear armed infantry. If the "hastati" failed to break the enemy, they would fall back and let the "principes", heavier and more experienced infantry, take over. If the "principes" did not break them, they would retire behind the "triarii", who would then engage the enemy in turn — hence the expression "rem ad Triarios redisse", "it has come to the "triarii"" — signalling an act of desperation. The "equites", cavalrymen, were used as flankers and to pursue routing enemies. The "rorarii", the poorer reserve soldiers, and "accensi", the least dependable troops armed with slings, would be used in a support role, providing mass and supporting wavering areas of the line.
Polybian system.
By the time of the later Polybian system of the 2nd century BC, "accensi" had been phased out. "Velites", light skirmishers, would now fulfill skirmishing duties and troops that would usually have gone into the accensi would now be excluded from service.
Civil servants.
As with the lictors, accensi were usually professional civil servants, providing assistance to the elected magistrates during their term in office. In the courts, they summoned witnesses, kept track of time, and helped keep order. Outside of the courts, they escorted the magistrate and acted as heralds.


Michael Hudson (Medal of Honor)

Michael Hudson (1834 – December 28, 1891) was a sergeant serving in the United States Marine Corps during the American Civil War who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Mobile Bay.
Life and career.
Hudson was born in 1834 in County Sligo, Ireland, and after immigrating to the United States he joined the Marine Corps from Brooklyn on September 12, 1861. He was a sergeant assigned to the Marine Detachment aboard the when it was sent to fight in the American Civil War. On August 5, 1864, during the Battle of Mobile Bay the "Brooklyn", along with several other ships waged a campaign against several confederate controlled forts and gunboats. During the battle the "Brooklyn" suffered severe damage and several men on board were killed. Hudson continued fighting through the 2-hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram . For this action he received the United States militaries highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor December 31, 1864.
Hudson was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on October 25, 1865. He died December 28, 1891 and is buried in Maple Hill Cemetery Charlotte, Michigan. His grave can be found in section C, lot 49.
Medal of Honor citation.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps. Born: 1834, Sligo County, Ireland. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864.
Citation:
On board the U.S.S. "Brooklyn" during action against rebel forts and gunboats and with the ram "Tennessee" in Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864. Despite severe damage to his ship and the loss of several men on board as enemy fire raked the decks, Sgt. Hudson fought his gun with skill and courage throughout the furious 2-hour battle which resulted in the surrender of the rebel ram "Tennessee".


Mobile Bay order of battle

The order of battle for the Union and Confederate forces at the Battle of Mobile Bay on August 5, 1864.
Union.
Navy.
Commander : Rear Admiral David Farragut
14 wooden ships:
4 ironclad monitors:
Army.
Commander : Military Division of West Mississippi — Major-General Edward R. S. Canby (not present)
Confederate.
Navy.
Commander: Admiral Franklin Buchanan (captured)
1 ironclad:
3 gunboats:


Edward S. Aarons

Edward Sidney Aarons (1916 – June 16, 1975) was an American writer who authored more than 80 novels from 1936 until 1975. One of these was under the pseudonym "Paul Ayres" (Dead Heat), and 30 were written using the name "Edward Ronns". He also wrote numerous stories for detective magazines such as "Detective Story Magazine" and "Scarab".
Among other works of fiction, Aarons is known for his spy thrillers, particularly his "Assignment" series, which are set all over the world and have been translated into 17 languages. The 42 novels in this series starred CIA agent Sam Durell. The first "Assignment" novel was written in 1955, and Aarons continued writing the series until up to his death.
Early life.
Aarons was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a degree in Literature and History from Columbia University. He worked at various jobs to put himself through college, including jobs as a newspaper reporter and fisherman. In 1933, he won a short story contest as a student. In World War II he was in the United States Coast Guard, joining after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He finished his duty in 1945, having obtained the rank of Chief Petty Officer.
"Assignment" series.
Fictional CIA agent Sam Durell is the protagonist for all of the stories in this series. Though the publisher listed these as the “Assignment series”, it is just as well known as the “Sam Durell series". In later editions, the publisher also used “Sam Durell” in the blurb immediately after the front cover - For example, "Assignment Ceylon" has “This is number thirty-six of the famed Sam Durell novels—one of the bestselling suspense series in the history of publishing.” One consistent element is that all of the story titles started with the word “Assignment.”
The stories were written over a span of 28 years, from 1955 to 1983. Each book set, more or less, in the time it was written.
When initially issued the stories were not numbered and the publisher showed the list of available stories in the “Assignment” series in alphabetical order though often the alphabetical list did not include all of the previous stories. Later re-prints numbered the stories based the order in which they were first published though the list of stories just before the title page was still in alphabetical order. The list is shown in numbered/published order here. Each story is a standalone work and while they can be read in any order reading them in the order given here will provide some continuity as there are occasional references to people or incidents from previous assignments.
The publications were inconsistent in their formatting of the title with many editions using five dots as in "Assignment . . . . . Angelina" on the title page though some used a dash, others used a colon, and a few break the title on two lines with no punctuation. The formatting on the front covers was also mixed with most editions breaking the title onto two lines though a few had two lines with the "Assignment" followed by a hyphen or colon. The spines tended to use a hyphen though a few use a colon and "Assignment Ceylon" had no punctuation. For consistency, all of the titles are listed here with a hyphen.
After Edward S. Aarons' death in 1975 his brother, William B. Aarons (1914-2002), continued to publish the series as executor of the Edward S. Aarons' estate. Volumes 43 to 48 state Will B. Aarons as the author but were ghost written by Lawrence Hall.<br>
Among his early works are "The Art Studio Murders" (1950) and "The Decoy" (1951).


General Assault Badge

The General Assault Badge () was a military decoration awarded during World War II to personnel of the German Army, Waffen-SS and "Ordnungspolizei" (order police) who supported an infantry attack but were not part of specific infantry units and therefore did not qualify for the Infantry Assault Badge. It was instituted by General Walther von Brauchitsch on 1 June 1940.
Design.
The decoration, designed by the Berlin-based firm of Wilhelm Ernst Peekhaus, was an oval disk that measured by by wide. A wreath of five oak leaves runs around the circumference on each side of the medal with a pair of acorns at the base. Inside the wreath is a large Wehrmacht-style eagle with folded wings grasping a swastika which itself surmounts a crossed bayonet and stick grenade. The medal was held in place on the uniform with a pin and catch.
From 22 June 1943, the medal was adapted with a small plate at the base with either 25, 50, 75 or 100 to recognise those soldiers that had taken part in numerous attacks. These were known as grades II through V, accordingly. On the Class IV and Class V badges the oak leaves which run around the circumference on each side of the medal, along with the bayonet and hand grenade, were larger in size. Further the wreath was gold in color.
Criteria for award.
The medal was originally designed for presentation to combat engineers, as well as members of the artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank who supported infantry units in combat. It could also be awarded to medical personnel attending to battlefield casualties in "close combat conditions". Prior to the introduction of the Tank Destruction Badge, the General Assault Badge could be conferred for the single-handed destruction of tanks or armoured vehicles.
Other determining factors for award:


Order of battle at the Battle of Lowestoft

The ships that participated in the Battle of Lowestoft, a naval engagement between the English and Dutch off the English port of Lowestoft on 13 June (New Style) 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War. 95 English ships (later rising to 100 when ships joined during the battle), commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York, faced 107 Dutch ships led by Jacob van Wassenaer, Baron Obdam. The battle ended in a victory for the English, capturing 9 Dutch ships and sinking 8 others, for the loss of only one ship (the "Charity").
British fleet.
Although the fleet list dated 10 May (20 May N.S.) names 109 vessels of the 6th Rate and above, 19 had been detached for other duties before the battle, while 5 previously unlisted vessels had arrived. Thus there were 95 ships at the commencement of the battle. 5 of the detached vessels rejoined the fleet during the battle, bringing the total to exactly 100 ships. This total included 24 hired merchantmen (indicated as such in the 'Notes' column).
The White Squadron.
The White (or Van) Squadron was under Prince Rupert - his flagship being the "Royal James".
The Red Squadron.
The Red (or Centre) Squadron was under the Duke of York - his flagship being the "Royal Charles".
The Blue Squadron.
The Blue (or Rear) Squadron was under Earl of Sandwich - his flagship being the "Royal Prince".
Of the ships which had been on the 10 May fleet list but had been detached (excluding the five which rejoined during the battle), the merchantman "Good Hope" had been captured by the Dutch on 20 May, the "Merlin" was in the Thames, the "Coventry" and "Lizard" were at Portsmouth, the "Little Mary" at Plymouth, the "Paradox" at Scilly, the merchantman "Maryland" was in Harwich ("defective"), the "Success" in Lowestoft, the "Speedwell" at Newcastle, the "Little Gift" in Ireland and the "Truelove" in the Downs. Three more were engaged in scouting - the "Paul", "Hector" and "Blackamoor" (a pink). None of these was larger than 5th Rate.
Dutch fleet.
The Dutch fleet comprised 107 ships carrying 4,864 guns and 21,613 men. Of these 107 ships, 81 were ships of the line from the five Dutch Admiralties, while 11 were hired merchantmen from the Dutch East India Company ("Vereenigde Oostinische Compagnie"), indicated by "VOC" in the lists below. There were also 9 frigates and 6 three-mast yachts. The Admiralty to which a ship belonged as indicated by a letter in parenthesis preceding the name:
No attempt can be made to indicate order of battle as the Dutch had not adopted the line-ahead system at this date, but the ships are indicated by squadron, within each of which the order of precedence is given, with the ships of the admiral, vice-admiral and rear-admiral listed first.
Other Dutch ships.
Four ships were left behind in the Texel when the fleet sailed on 23/24 May, due to shortage of men. These were the Amsterdam Admiralty's "Zuiphen" (36), "Groot Harder" (38), "Leiden" (36) and "Kat" (21).