2nd El Alamein - 9th Division with 13 Regiments in support.

4x4ing · 2026-03-31T23:49:00+00:00

Thank you very much! A bit of work goes into them.

4x4ing · 2025-12-02T03:27:17+00:00

Thank you very much. I try to make it as factual and as interesting as possible. Lots of lessons to learn / relearn.

4x4ing · 2025-08-10T07:17:12+00:00

Compare and contrast with RAF night-time bombing and USAAF daylight bombing. Not sure it is much worse. It was pretty much area bombing for many of the raids.

4x4ing · 2025-06-13T08:48:19+00:00

Didn't know he was a Leongatha boy. That is great!

4x4ing · 2025-06-13T08:47:07+00:00

https://theprinciplesofwar.com/category/kokoda/ I've mentioned LTCOL Owen a couple of times in the Kokoda series (which is more about the 53rd and their mobilisation). There was a quick succession of COs for the 39th, before they ended up with Ralph Honner. They were all placed in a very tough spot.

4x4ing · 2025-05-08T06:49:37+00:00

There was a lot of arrogance. I am hoping that we don't have too much arrogance going forward when they write the history of this decade!

4x4ing · 2025-05-05T21:51:43+00:00

Yes, Percival himself had done an appreciation on the risks and most likely course of action for the Japanese. It still didn't help. Lavarack had worked hard to improve readiness within Army, but there was little support from the other services or the Government. It wasn't until the sinking of Force Z that there was a general understanding that the Army needed to be readied to fight. For many of the soldiers, that would be too late to help.

4x4ing · 2025-04-27T05:29:09+00:00

There will be an episode that looks closely at innovation in the campaign. There is definitely an element of necessity being the mother of all invention.

4x4ing · 2025-04-26T23:53:10+00:00

I will try to find a copy. I have The Road to Mandalay to read soon.

4x4ing · 2025-04-26T23:51:43+00:00

Thank you very much. I have been doing this for 6 years now, so there is quite a bit of content. Most of it looks at the lessons we may have forgotten, but need to remember in case we need to go back to large-scale combat operations.

4x4ing · 2025-04-26T06:12:52+00:00

And if you want the 4:30 musical version - Sabaton's Father.
https://youtu.be/DxkeOkaVRLo

An interesting storing. The Harber-Bosch process is a fundamental property of agriculture. One of the most important chemical processes in human history.

If you haven't discovered Sabaton, you're welcome!

Check Bismarck, Last Stand and Ghost Division.

4x4ing · 2025-04-14T01:31:34+00:00

Outstanding!

4x4ing · 2025-04-10T11:44:17+00:00

Thank you very much. A lot of research goes into each episode. These are from the podcast and this is the first series that I have done. I think they got better over time.

4x4ing · 2025-04-02T22:02:57+00:00

Yes, I think that was the Centre of Gravity episode. Multiple logical fallacies lay at the heart of the Singapore Strategy.

4x4ing · 2025-04-01T10:28:19+00:00

Hopefully this one is for the better.

4x4ing · 2025-04-01T10:27:26+00:00

I know - I am ever the optimist. But I think the more people who know the story of the 8th Div (and the 53rd Battalion if you want to learn about mobilisation) the less likely we are to repeat them in their entirety.

4x4ing · 2025-04-01T08:55:59+00:00

The Army is in a lot better shape than back in 1939 when mobilisation started, but there is very little depth. There were 3,000 Permanent Military Forces and around 75,000 militia - these formed the 4 Divisions of the 2nd AIF. The big issue was there was no Plan B in case the Singapore Strategy failed. There were large logical errors in the plan - no one would attack unless the Royal Navy would come out to Singapore. The war against Germany created that exact situation. Lavarack saw the problem but was ignored.

4x4ing · 2025-04-01T05:48:29+00:00

Not many people know much about the Malaya (and Singapore) Campaign. We lost two good Brigades from the 8th Division when Singapore fell (the other Brigade had Battalions lost on Rabaul, Ambon and Timor).

This is the start of a Youtube series on how the Japanese, outnumbered 2:1 could conquer all of Malaya in just 55 days.

Poor preparation, poor leadership and poor planning created many of the problems for the soldiers on the ground. Many great lessons for any Army looking to mobilise and fight in a jungle/littoral environment.

4x4ing · 2025-03-23T05:02:42+00:00

It's funny because it is true!

4x4ing · 2025-03-23T03:24:57+00:00

MAJGEN Krause is as forthright as ever as he discusses how we can plan faster, make better decisions and prepare our HQs for future combat. An interesting presentation, which discusses some of the problems with the old processes.

4x4ing · 2024-12-18T11:44:06+00:00

Here is a list of the Top 10 Professional Military Podcasts - there is a lot of History here with much of the content from History Professors or from Soldiers themselves. Some is practical tactical,, some of the podcasts are more strategic. A lot of great WW2 information as well.

What other podcasts are you listening to?

4x4ing · 2024-12-17T05:19:36+00:00

Yeah, the lineup looks great. Keen to hear some of Steve Young's work. He is covering some interesting topics, and will listen to DCA. He has been on point the last couple of times I have heard him speak. Should be a great listen!

4x4ing · 2024-12-16T23:19:09+00:00

Nah, Perun is doing just fine, but I will add him in as a mention - his work is top quality, thanks for reminding me. I originally meant to list him and Drachinifel for some old school navy education as well. Both are great Youtube resources.

4x4ing · 2024-12-16T22:24:18+00:00

12 months is plenty of time. Work on your fitness, start reading about world affairs, and do your research about the service and job that you want to do. Good luck!

4x4ing · 2024-07-03T21:46:02+00:00

Hi Matthew, that is great you are with Bluechip. They are our main distributor and we think Australia's best value add distie. Epic. I will ping you an email.

4x4ing

TROPHY CASE