Military History Research Articles

World War II and the Theme of Genocide in the Public Memory of Socialist Yugoslavia

The internal Yugoslav massacres and genocide committed during the Second World War left the postwar Yugoslav state with a complicated legacy. How could the new authorities rebuild the country, drawing on the heroic memory of the victories of the communist-led partisans against the wartime occupiers and collaborators, while at the same time explaining the large-scale war crimes and genocide committed by Yugoslavs against other Yugoslavs? This article surveys the ways in which the internal Yugoslav war crimes were described and explained as part of public memory of the Second World War in Socialist Yugoslavia. It explores how the history of massacres and genocide coexisted with the glorious partisan myth and how the history of these massacres in a way contributed to creating a usable memory out of the Second World War. Moreover, it shows how wartime memory was profoundly changed when the history of internal Yugoslav massacres was increasingly understood as part of what Jasna Dragovic-Soso has called a ‘theme of genocide’ during the last decades of the socialist state. The article suggests that the thematisation may have been a logical and necessary rethinking of Second World War history. Yet, it also argues that the substantial revisiting of this history was sometimes accompanied by irresponsible manipulation which contributed to enabling highly problematic types of memory politics both during and after Yugoslavia's existence.

Islamic monuments in Azerbaijan in the XVIII-XIX centuries (based on the documents of the Russian State Military History Archive)

The article presents the history of Islamic religious monuments in the territory of Azerbaijan in the 18th and 19th centuries. The presented scientific article includes research on the mosques and religious beliefs of the population in the territory of Azerbaijan in the 18th and 19th centuries based on the documents of the Russian State Military History Archive. From the documents in the archival materials, it is clear that the most of the population are Muslim and Islamic religious monuments are the majority. The article relies on the drawings of the master plans of Azerbaijani cities kept in the funds of the Russian State Military History Archive. It is clear from the archive materials that economic and cultural life in Azerbaijani cities revolved around the mosques, especially the Friday mosques. Thus, the cities were erected not only around the palaces of khans and rulers, but around the Friday mosques, too. Also, at the end of the study, it is possible to come to the conclusion that Juma mosques functioned not only as the religious places of worship, but also as economic, cultural and social centers. In addition, the significance of the study of the documents stored in the Russian State Military History Archive is that it is possible to restore the historical appearance of Friday mosques in the present period from the drawings stored in its funds.

Keeping the Cold War Cold: Korea, 1966–1976

Abstract During the Cold War, U.S. strategic leaders had to deal with policies and issues in every part of the globe. The main theater was in Europe, but there were other regions that demanded attention. Korea was an important one. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, the peninsula was on the brink of conflict as North Korea initiated a series of operations that were legitimate acts of war. There was a strong desire among South Korean government officials for a military response, but U.S. government leaders said no. Officials in Washington recognized the limits of U.S. power at the time, and designed their responses to maintain the status quo. The story of how the United States handled its undertakings in areas of marginal importance was a chapter in the larger history of the Cold War. A number of historians have suggested that the Third World played a key role in shaping developments in the Cold War, but U.S. actions in Korea indicate something a bit more complicated. Knowing when to become involved and when to limit losses was crucial in how the United States managed events along the periphery of the Cold War.

It’s All in the Backfill: Scrap Heaps, Explosives, and Nausea. Stirring the Soil of a Former WWII Military Base

ABSTRACT Within an archaeology of the contemporary, sites and material remains of the Second World War have in recent years been set more prominently on the agenda of European heritage archaeology. This article presents observations made during archaeological site monitoring of the conversion and remediation of a former WWII military base in Germany. In the course of the project, the sensitivity of the site and its find material against the backdrop of the German history of World War II had to be constantly assessed. Archaeological methods and practices had to be adapted to the specific requirements of the site. Conflicting agendas of various actors and stakeholders involved had to be evaluated, as well as the risks posed by the site’s contamination with unexploded ordnance. Indeed, the backdirt itself, just like the find material it contained, turned out to be a contested and hazardous entity.

Beyond Hannah Takagi Holmes: The Lives and Work of Deaf and Blind Japanese Americans

Abstract Although disability history has made progress in including excluded groups, such as LGBTQIA, BIPOC, and women, it continues to be dominated by white men. Asian Americans have only recently been included, and Asian American disability history has not yet highlighted Japanese Americans. Archives and institutions specializing in disability history center whites, and institutions specializing in Japanese American history overlook disability. Blind and especially Deaf people form the core of existing Japanese American disability history, while physically and especially intellectually disabled people are talked about, rather than sharing their experiences. Military history focuses on able-bodied Japanese American men, despite the large number of Japanese Americans wounded (and possibly disabled) in combat. Disabled Japanese Americans also broke racial, gender, and other barriers, and campaigned for civil rights and redress. But there were also ordinary people. All of them lived and continue to live in a racist, ableist society that erases Asian Americans and disabled people, and especially disabled Asian Americans. According to the Census Bureau, about 1.4 million Asians and Pacific Islanders in America identify as being disabled. It is important that disabled Japanese Americans’ stories and contributions become a valuable part of the Asian American experience.1

Comparison of Operation Trikora and Dwikora in the Context of the Rules of War

This study explores the fundamental differences in the approach and application of the rules of war between Operations Trikora and Dwikora, two significant milestones in Indonesian history related to the defense of national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Operation Trikora was a military campaign against Dutch efforts to seize the territory of West Irian, demonstrating Indonesia's commitment to asserting its claim over Papua and achieving unification with the homeland. Dwikora, on the other hand, was a confrontation with Malaysia that began in 1963, aiming to strengthen national identity and defend sovereignty. The research employs descriptive qualitative analysis, supported by literature reviews, scientific journals, anecdotes, relevant documents, and theoretical frameworks. Through this approach, the study highlights how differences in the rules of war between Trikora and Dwikora reflect each conflict's distinct historical and strategic contexts and their impact on how Indonesia defended its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The findings offer insights into the dynamics of war and diplomacy in Indonesian history and their implications for the development of nationalism and foreign policy. The study concludes that understanding these differences is crucial for appreciating the complexities of war and diplomacy in the context of Indonesian history and its influence on the country's national identity and foreign policy. The analysis provides valuable knowledge that can guide future research and policymaking in related areas.

The VI Century eastern roman empire: Steppe allies, western turks, and herat war

The subject of the Herat War and the Ctesiphon Peace Treaty of 591 is relevant since it reveals important aspects of the political, economic and military history. These events had a significant impact on the fates of the Byzantine Empire, the Persian Empire, and the Chinese Khaganate. The study of these events provides a more comprehensive understanding of the complex interrelationships and dynamics of Eastern politics. The academic paper also attempts to summarize the facts on the history of the “Herat War” of 589 from the standpoint of geopolitical analysis. This study involves analyzing historical sources including chronicles and archaeological data to reconstruct events and assess their consequences. The interpretation and analysis of documents and written sources of the time is also an important aspect in order to understand the motives and strategies of the parties involved in the events.

Participation of military logistics services in the provision of food in Warsaw in september 1939

The fighting in September 1939 has been the subject of a large body of historical literature. Nevertheless, due to the scattered and incomplete source base, many issues require further research and a deeper, broader treatment. This is all the more important because the course of contemporary conflicts, including the ongoing war in Ukraine with the Russian Federation, shows the recurring nature of many experiences in military history. On the basis of a historical analysis of unknown and hitherto unused accounts from the Polish Central Military Archives (PCMA), the Archives of the Polish Institute and the General Sikorski Museum, the Pilsudski Institute in London, supplemented by documents from the PCMA and the literature on the subject, the authors’ goal is to show the crucial problems of food supply for troops fighting in the defense of Warsaw in September 1939. As a research hypothesis, they assumed that despite the planning, organisational, formal and practical difficulties, it was mainly thanks to the initiative and resourcefulness of some officers of various levels and various supply branch structures that the initial chaos was eventually brought under control and food was provided to the fighting troops until the end of the struggle for the Polish capital. This, in turn, had a not insignificant impact on sustaining the high morale and fighting ability of individual units and subdivisions, as well as the civilian population encouraged by German propaganda to leave the city in exchange for - as the invaders put it - freedom and food.

Short report on the excavations of the Legionary Bath of Brigetio in 2023

Since 2015, excavations have been carried out in different parts of the legionary fortress in Brigetio. Due to the systematic geophysical surveys of the praetentura, a large building complex came to light, which could be identified as the bath of the fortress, even before the fieldworks started in the territory. In the area of this building complex, the excavations started in 2021, and continued in the next two years. Now, an approximately 1800 m2 surface of the bath is excavated. During the last season of the fieldwork several heated and unheated rooms and three new (possible) pools and four praefurnia were unearthed. The north-eastern closure of the bath was identified, and parts of the northern apses of the basilica thermarum were unearthed. A huge number of coins and bronze small finds were discovered, and thanks to the brick stamps, some new data have become available on troop movements and military history of the Pannonian ripa.

Бои за Гизель и Майрамадаг в контексте разгрома немецких войск под Владикавказом

The article examines in detail the fighting near Vladikavkaz, and in particular the battles for Gizel and Mayramadag. The battles near Vladikavkaz contributed to the overall victory over the German army in the battle for the Caucasus. The study is devoted to the battles for access to Transcaucasia, the main attention is paid to the battles for specific settlements. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to understand the history of the Great Patriotic War in the regions. Scientific novelty lies in an integrated approach to the analysis of the events of that period. The methodological basis of the study was the memories of participants, collections of documents, archival documents, periodical materials, as well as retrospective and problem-chronological methods of scientific research. The results show that, despite a lot of work on this period, interest in the history of the Great Patriotic War among researchers does not fade, but rather intensifies. The study highlights the importance of war history at the regional level. It was revealed that the blow to the Nazi group of troops in the Vladikavkaz region was the beginning of the offensive of our troops in decisive areas of the fight against Nazi Germany. By the second half of the harsh year of 1942, it was a major defeat for the Nazi troops on the Soviet-German front. As a result, the Nazis had to finally abandon the offensive on Ordzhonikidze, Grozny and Baku and go on the defensive. Having liberated the territory of North Ossetia, our troops continued to develop their victorious offensive and on November 4, 1943 liberated the capital of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic – the city and the railway station.

AVIATION PLANT IN THE MARI ASSR IN 1941–1944: PROBLEMS OF EVACUATION, ACCOMMODATION AND PRODUCTION

The topic of industry evacuation, including aviation, the problems of locating enterprises and organizing their production in the rear regions remains relevant. At this stage, it is worth paying attention to the problem of locating specific enterprises and other problems they faced during evacuation. The purpose of the study is to study, based on the analysis of sources, one of the regional aspects in the history of the Great Patriotic War – evacuation of aviation plant No. 168 in Volzhsk, the Mari ASSR. Materials and methods. The sources were identified in the State Archive of the Republic of Mari El, the State Archive of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History. The main methods were the analysis and systematization of documents. Study results. According to the resolution of the Evacuation Council dated November 11, 1941, Plant No. 168 of the People’s Commissariat of Aviation Industry of the USSR, which had arrived from Ryazan, was located on the production areas of the Volga (Lopatinsky) Woodworking Plant. 10 main workshops were located on the territory of the woodworking plant. The assembly of KC-20 troop-carrying gliders began immediately. In accordance with the decision of the State Defense Committee dated September 13, 1942, plant No. 168 began serial production of UT-2MV light bombers, which required an increase in space and the number of workers, and creation of new production facilities. Special difficulties were caused by the issues of locating two large enterprises on the same territory – plant No. 168 and the Volga (Lopatinsky) woodworking plant: lack of production facilities, living space, problems with provision, construction deadlines, etc. By the decree of the State Defence Committee of the USSR dated October 1, 1944 and by the order of the USSR People’s Commissariat of Aviation Industry and the USSR People’s Commissariat of Railways dated October 31, 1944, Plant No. 168 was relocated to Rostov-on-Don. All production buildings and structures, including unfinished construction of the production building, were transferred to the Volga (Lopatinsky) woodworking plant. Conclusions. Evacuation of enterprises is one of the main issues in the history of the rear regions during the Great Patriotic War. The common problems for all industrial enterprises during this period were the lack of production facilities, electricity, fuel, raw materials, manpower, transport, etc. Despite all the difficulties, plant No. 168, being evacuated to the Mari ASSR, was able to organize the production and output of aircraft.

Volodymyr Revutskyi. Pages of forgotten history. Stories about the past of the towns and villages of Murovanokurylovetskyi district. Zhytomyr, 2023. 555 p.

The article reviews the historical and regional research of Volodymyr Revutsky, which introduces readers to the history of the towns and villages of the former Murovanokurilovetsky district of the Vinnytsia region from ancient times to the present. The book is the first publication in the modern scientific and regional literature of the Vinnytsia region about all the settlements of the region, which gives an opportunity to look holistically at the course of historical events in the region over many centuries. The author managed to objectively reproduce little-known pages of the political, military, and cultural and artistic history of the region against the background of events in Vinnytsia and Ukraine. The scientific novelty of the work is determined by the fact that almost all the material it contains is published for the first time.

Accuracy Evaluation for Plan-Reliefs and Historical Maps Created during WWI in Northern Italy

The availability of digital copies of historical artifacts modeling the territory through the so-called “plan-reliefs” is important for many reasons: the preservation of the artifact if the physical object is damaged or destroyed, the possibility of creating virtual showrooms and providing researchers a tool to study the object combining information from different sources. For these reasons, a set of plan-reliefs created during World War I on the Italian front and kept by the Italian Historical War Museum of Rovereto (Italy) was surveyed to create digital models of the surfaces, which were georeferenced in the ETRS89 datum. A set of historical military maps of the same period was georeferenced to overlay the sets to the surface in the digital representation and to try to infer clues about the cartographic sources used in the historical artifact creation. The best transformation for georeferencing the maps is different depending on the map scale, map origin, conservation status and number of Ground Control Points. The georeferencing process precision and accuracy were evaluated. The digital models created in this study were compared to the official Digital Terrain Model (DTM) provided by the Regions or the autonomous provinces. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, and the combination of the models with the georeferenced maps is used by historians to describe the process used in the creation of plan-reliefs.

Migraine Prevalence, Environmental Risk, and Comorbidities in Men and Women Veterans

Migraine is a prevalent and debilitating condition that substantially impacts quality of life. Investigating migraine prevalence, associated comorbidities, and potential military service exposures in veterans, focusing on gender differences, is crucial for targeted interventions and management strategies. To determine the prevalence of migraine, associated health comorbidities, and potential military service and environmental exposures among men and women US veterans using a large-scale epidemiological sample from the Million Veteran Program (MVP). This cross-sectional study analyzed self-report survey data from the MVP, a large epidemiological sample of US veterans that was started in 2011 and has ongoing enrollment. Eligible participants were selected from the MVP database in 2023. The study included 491 604 veterans to examine migraine prevalence, health comorbidities, demographic characteristics, military service history, and environmental exposures. Data were analyzed from December 2022 to July 2023. Military service and environmental factors, such as chemical or biological warfare exposure, were considered. The primary outcome was migraine prevalence among men and women veterans, assessed through self-reported diagnoses. Secondary outcomes included the association between migraine and health comorbidities, demographic characteristics, military service history, and environmental exposures. Of the 491 604 veterans included in this study, 450 625 (91.8%) were men and 40 979 (8.2%) were women. The lifetime prevalence of migraine was significantly higher in women (12 324 of 40 979 [30.1%]) than in men (36 816 of 450 625 [8.2%]). Migraine prevalence varied by race and ethnicity, with the highest prevalence in Hispanic or Latinx women (1213 of 3495 [34.7%]). Veterans with migraine reported worse general health, higher levels of pain, increased pain interference with work, a higher likelihood of psychiatric and neurological health conditions, and greater lifetime opioid use. Specific aspects of military service, including service post-September 2001 and deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and environmental factors, including Agent Orange, chemical and biological welfare, and antinerve agent pills history, were significantly associated with migraine prevalence. In this cross-sectional study of migraine, the results highlighted gender differences in migraine prevalence and associated health comorbidities among US veterans. The findings emphasized the need for interdisciplinary approaches to migraine management, increased awareness and education efforts, and population-based screening strategies, particularly for women and Hispanic veterans who are at greater risk. Our findings encourage further research into tailored interventions for specific subpopulations and the impact of military service and environmental exposures on migraine and related health conditions.

Joelle M. Abi-Rached. ʿAṣfūriyyeh: A History of Madness, Modernity, and War in the Middle East.

Joelle M. Abi-Rached. <i>ʿAṣfūriyyeh: A History of Madness, Modernity, and War in the Middle East</i>.

Closing ranks: Leadership and the mundanization of the extraordinary in military history

Using examples from military history, this paper takes Alvesson and Sveningsson’s ‘Extraordinarizaton of the Mundane’ article and inverts it. They suggested that what counted as ‘leadership’ was not the acts of formal leaders but the interpretive work of subordinates, who rendered mundane actions by leaders – such as chatting to employees – as extraordinary. Here, I suggest that the reverse process also occurs – the mundanization of the extraordinary. In this case subaltern groups are given mundane tasks to inhibit their achievement of extraordinary tasks, or, when extraordinary tasks are achieved, those same tasks are rendered mundane by their superordinates and thus devalued. Even when successful challenges to this hierarchy of value are made the superordinate culture tends to close ranks against the upstarts and reaffirm the status quo ante, or simply deny the possibility of subaltern groups achieving something so extraordinary.

Keep the Peace at Home to Shape the Peace Abroad: A Study of Elite Influence on Winston Churchill and British Foreign Policy at the Yalta Conference, 1945

ABSTRACT As the end of World War II and a parliamentary election approached, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s wartime authority diminished. The erosion of influence at home could not have come at a worse time for Churchill abroad, who sought to rebuild a postwar world order at the February 1945 Yalta Conference to resurrect Britain’s global influence. Exploiting the erosion of Churchill’s unprecedented wartime powers, formal and fringe political elites pressured Churchill to align his postwar preferences at Yalta with prevailing elite views on major geopolitical issues. In doing so, these elites – which included senior government officials, newspaper editorialists, and members of Parliament – ultimately compelled Churchill to advocate for the United Nations and a free and democratic Poland at Yalta, despite his belief that both plans would undermine Britain’s postwar influence. In examining the critical role elite-leader relations played in shaping Cold War history, this paper seeks to improve the study of democratic foreign policy analysis by emphasizing Kenneth Waltz’s “first image” (the role of a leader’s motivations and intentions) and the role of non-government (or “fringe”) elites. Finally, it concludes that parliamentary democracies are more receptive to elite influence because elites have greater opportunities to drive policy debates and challenge political authority.

Russian aggression in cyberspace as a threat to the national security of Ukraine

The article is devoted to the analysis of Russian aggression in cyberspace. The history of Ukraine's cyber war with the Russian Federation is highlighted, its features and stages are defined. The legislation of Ukraine in the sphere of ensuring cyber security has been analyzed. Proposals were made regarding the directions of reforming the security and defense sector in this area, as well as the implementation of legislative initiatives in the field of countering cyber attacks. The need for the creation and functioning of cyber troops as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was emphasized.

Russian-Ukrainian War: Biographical Discourse on Ukrainian Heroes

In this article, the author addresses the importance of encyclopedic publications aimed at highlighting and popularizing the defenders of Ukraine. These individuals not only protect their homeland in the war against Russia but also, through their successful and heroic deeds, defend the contemporary global order embodying a humanistic, democratic path of civilization development. The Russian-Ukrainian war, lasting almost a decade, with the last two years being full-scale and particularly brutal and destructive, has vividly exposed the gap between Ukrainians and Russians, dispelling long-held notions of fraternal nations. Ukrainians represent democracy, peace, and progress, while Russians embody totalitarianism, aggression, and decline. Throughout centuries, regardless of Russia's political system, it exploited Ukraine by annexing territories, exploiting natural resources, looting archaeological findings, destroying ancient landmarks, appropriating history, culture, language, and ruthlessly targeting talented Ukrainians, depriving the nation of its elite. Today, all masks have been torn off: the leadership of the Russian Federation seeks to permanently resolve the Ukrainian issue, committing genocide on the sovereign territory of Ukraine. Unfortunately, the war has “opened the eyes” of many Ukrainians, prompting them to recall not only the sad moments of its history but also times of glory and world fame. Stories of the victorious regiments of Russian-Ukrainians under Prince Sviatoslav, the daring Cossacks Ivan Sirko and Ivan Bohun, and the exploits of Ukrainians during the First and Second World Wars have come to the forefront. Ukrainian historical scholarship has already produced substantial research on these periods of military history, including encyclopedic formats. The building the biographical references, especially encyclopedias, about heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian war is relevant from various perspectives: not only preserving the memory of contemporary elite Ukrainians but also laying the groundwork for future research in history, including military history, and biographistics.

An extra X chromosome among adult women in the Million Veteran Program: A more benign perspective of trisomy X.

Despite affecting in 1 in every 1000 females, remarkably little is known about trisomy X syndrome (47,XXX), especially among older adults who are undiagnosed. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of 47,XXX among females enrolled in the Million Veterans Program (MVP; mean age 50.2 ± 13.6 years), and compare broad health outcomes between females with 47,XXX and 46,XX matched controls. We identified 61 females with an additional X chromosome, corresponding to a prevalence of 103 per 100,000 females; 27.9% had been clinically diagnosed. Females with 47,XXX had taller stature (+6.1 cm, p < 0.001), greater rate of outpatient encounters (p = 0.026), higher odds of kidney disease (odds ratio [OR] = 12.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9-51.8), glaucoma (OR = 5.1; 95% CI 1.5-13.9), and congestive heart failure (OR = 5.6; 95% CI 1.4-24.2), and were more likely to be unemployed (p = 0.008) with lower annual income (p = 0.021) when compared with 46,XX controls of the same age and genetic ancestry. However, there were no differences in the rates of other encounter types, Charlson Comorbidity Index, all other medical and psychological diagnoses, military service history or quality of life metrics. In conclusion, in this aging and predominately undiagnosed sample, 47,XXX conferred few differences when compared with matched controls, offering a more reassuring perspective to the trisomy X literature.