Posts Tagged ‘WWII’

I thought rather than tell you the assortment of things we do in the US Marine Corps Historical Company (USMCHC), I’d take this opportunity to show you through these photographs, which basically speak for themselves:

USMCHC Marines presenting the history of the Corps

History of the Marine Corps - Commandant, Marine Corps, in center

USMCHC 1814 Marines at Ft McHenry where we partner with the NPS to do educational programming

1814 USMCHC Marine Cannoneers - This is our cannon. Marines did double duty in the early days. Marines here are in fatigue dress.

GySgt Tom Williams talking to visitors - Harpers Ferry NHP

1861 USMCHC Marines at Manassas National Battlefield Park, where we also have a partnership

USMCHC Specialist firing a WWII flame thrower, as used in Windtalkers & Flags of Our Fathers

LtGen Ron Christmas chatting with USMCHC Marines at opening of Marine Corps Museum - Quantico

Talking to visitors about the historic Marine Band uniforms the USMCHC just had produced for the Marine Band

USMCHC Marines on board the USS North Carolina giving presentation of WWII Ships Detachment Marines

Normal dress for USMCHC interpreters when presenting educational programs not requiring period uniforms, which is more the norm today. We gear our method of interpretation to the audience and often find not being in period uniform a benefit.

Our active duty Marines often interpret to the public in their own modern uniforms. This is a WWII display at Solomons, MD

1814 USMCHC Marines on firing line at Ft McHenry in full dress.

USMCHC Marines portraying Spanish American War Marines to duplicate a famous photograph of the period

USMCHC Teaching repelling and leadership to JROTC

Early uniform display at the Marine Corps Commandant's House, at his request.

Modern Marines in Combat Dress

The soldiers and Marines we see on the television today in Iraq and Afghanistan are the best equipped in history.  They carry all the paraphernalia necessary to fight a modern war.  Even in WWII, Marines landing on Pacific islands from Navy ships were pretty well equipped for their mission, and that was over sixty years ago.

WWII Navy Corpsman and wounded Marine.

Did you ever wonder what a soldier might have carried on landing from a ship in 1854, during the Crimean War?  Why I’ll bet that’s been a burning mystery for you for many years, or perhaps not.  Well, we folks obsessed with such military history minutia, we inquiring minds, want to know.  I know there’s at least one of you out there.

The British soldiers about to land in the Crimea and face “the Russian Hordes” were not in the best of shape.  Cholera and other illness had taken a toll.  Lord Raglan wanted his men to land with as light a load as possible.  A noble thought, to look out for his troops, but not a well thought out one.

He ordered that the men and officers were to carry specific items in their landing kit.  The rest was to be left behind and would catch up to them later.  Few of these professional soldiers believed that chestnut.  They were even to leave behind their knapsacks, the one place they could secret away personal items to enhance their standard of living on campaign.

They had the uniform on their backs, a spare pair of boots, a pair of socks, a cotton shirt, and a forage cap.  These things were to be rolled into a single blanket, and along with their greatcoats, they were kitted up for the fight.  This blanket roll was to be carried in their knapsack straps.  Any personal items went in their pockets, in their small haversack (which also carried rations), in the blanket roll itself, or fastened creatively to one of the above or their canteen strap.  That included their cup, mess tin and eating utensils.

Off they went.  Landing from wooden ships in long boats and barges, only to be confronted by rain and foul weather.  They had no tents, and were to sleep under the stars, which weren’t there because of the severe rain.

These gross miscalculations were only the beginning of a long, cruel, series of mistakes in judgement and conspicuous incompetence surrounding arguably the most mismanaged war in history.

Private soldier in the Crimea. Apparently a replacement later in the war, since he's wearing his knapsack

Crimean War soldiers as winter set in, heading for a cold night in the trenches before Sevastopol.