Episode 80 – Rebuilding the British Army after 1914

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance talk with Dr. John Hosler about command and control in medieval armies, particularly in Western Europe between c700 and 1450. They begin at the strategic level, characterizing armies and their compositions. They discuss muster, equipment, and pay. They then zoom in to discuss the operational and tactical levels. They conclude by noting that C2 has not much changed in many ways in 1,500 years, despite common belief to the contrary. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

Dr. Bill Nance hosts a reassessment of Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, future King Karl XIV Johan of Sweden, with Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Mike Bonura of DJIMO. They explain why Bernadotte is often seen negatively. They explore if that is an accurate assessment of his career. They conclude with their own thoughts on the topic.

Dr. Jonathan Abel is joined by Dr. Bill Nance to talk to LTC Andy Whitford, PhD, Department of Distance Education, about how the British rebuilt their shattered army after the initial combats in World War I. They outline the British army and its institutions before World War I. They detail the practice of the soldier and manpower policy throughout the war. They conclude by examining how the war and manning policies created a significant legacy in British politics.

Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Bill Nance are joined by Dr. John Kuehn to reassess Admiral Ernest King, commander of U.S. Navy forces during World War II. They outline his background and broad experience in the interwar years, and how he got to the offices he occupied during the war. They discuss his attitudes towards sea power and war planning. They detail his command of the war, including how he handled difficult subordinates like Chester Nimitz and William Halsey. Finally, Dr. Kuehn offers his reassessment of King as a solid and creative war leader for the Navy. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Bill Nance are joined by Dr. Zach Fry to reassess George Meade. They begin with the popular image of him as having commanded only in name at Gettysburg before being superseded by Grant. They explore his background and antebellum career. They detail his war, particularly the leadup to Gettysburg, and the difficulty 1864 campaign. They conclude by determining that Meade was a good, if unspectacular, commander. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Bill Nance reassess Dwight Eisenhower as a commander in World War 2. They discuss his background, his qualifications, and how he got his job as SHAEF commander. They detail his role as the most prominent Allied commander in Europe during most of the war and its challenges. They conclude with some lessons from Eisenhower’s career. History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance host special guest COL. Ethan Diven, Provost and Command and General Staff College Deputy Commandant. They discuss his favorite story from history, the importance of history in the CGSC curriculum, and how students should approach military history. Finally, he offers advice to students entering the course and graduates returning to the force. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance are joined by special guest MAJ James Villanueva, PhD, US Army Mission Command Training Protocol, to discuss US Army amphibious operations in the Pacific in World War II. They begin by discussing the origin and training of amphibious operations in the interwar Army. They detail the difficulties of undertaking them during the war, particularly early when the Japanese still had significant combat power. They conclude by examining lessons modern practitioners might learn from the operations as they look to future conflict in the Indo-Pacific. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

Dr. Jonathan Abel and co-host Dr. Bill Nance launch a new series in which we reassess commanders who have been given a good or bad reputation by historians. We begin with DR. Martin Clemis reassessing William Westmoreland, US commander in Vietnam during the key years of 1964 to 1968, and frequent punching bag for the ultimate defeat there. He explains the typical view of Westmoreland as a bull-headed, unimaginative commander trying to refight World War II in Vietnam. He walks through the reality on the ground that Westmoreland faced and illustrates how more recent historians have argued that Westmoreland was actually correct in his approach, with which he agrees. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” - Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

FM 3-0 Operations 2025 says that “Some combination of maneuver and attrition is typically necessary to achieve victory during armed conflict.” Dr. Jonathan Abel discusses the process of replacements and reconstitution in the European Theater of Operations in World War II with Drs. Bill Nance, co-host, and Dr. Lou DiMarco. They detail how replacements were produced and how the system worked. They explore how reconstitution enabled units to re-man and re-equip after significant loss. Finally, they conclude by examining what modern warfighters can learn from large-scale attritional warfare in the past. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band