Tag: anzio

Battles of January 22 summaries plus museums, artwork, books, and songs

Battles of January 22 including descriptions of the battles, geographic locations, associated artwork, and museums where a person can find associated artifacts and artwork.

Mini-album of the day (8 songs – Rock and traditional mix): https://youtu.be/vUsZoY9AHxk

1. Battle of Isandlwana

Date: January 22, 1879

War: Anglo-Zulu War

Cause: Following the expiration of a British ultimatum to the Zulu King Cetshwayo to disband his army, British forces invaded Zululand. Lord Chelmsford split his forces, leaving the camp at Isandlwana poorly defended and unfortified while he searched for the main Zulu army.

Result: A decisive Zulu victory. The main Zulu army, numbering around 20,000 warriors, outmaneuvered the British and overwhelmed the camp, killing over 1,300 British troops and allied African levies. It remains one of the worst defeats suffered by the British Army against an indigenous foe.

Paintings & Art Painting: The Battle of Isandlwana Artist: Charles Edwin Fripp Year: 1885

Museums & Artifacts National Army Museum (London, United Kingdom): Holds the famous Fripp painting mentioned above, along with uniforms, weapons, and letters from the conflict. KwaZulu-Natal Museum (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa): Displays artifacts from the battle and provides the Zulu perspective on the war. Isandlwana Battlefield Visitor Centre (Isandlwana, South Africa): Located on the site, featuring a museum with artifacts found on the field and interpretive displays.

Location General: Isandlwana Hill, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Coordinates: 28°21′32″S 30°39′09″E

Recommended Book The Washing of the Spears by Donald R. Morris.

2. Battle of Rorke’s Drift

Date: January 22–23, 1879 (Began late on Jan 22)

War: Anglo-Zulu War

Cause: Immediately following the victory at Isandlwana, a Zulu reserve force of about 4,000 warriors defied orders to remain defensive and crossed the Buffalo River to attack the British mission station and hospital at Rorke’s Drift.

Result: British victory. A small garrison of roughly 150 British and colonial troops successfully defended the station against overwhelming odds for over 10 hours. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, the most for a single engagement in British history.

Paintings & Art Painting: The Defence of Rorke’s Drift Artist: Lady Elizabeth Butler Year: 1880

Painting: The Defence of Rorke’s Drift Artist: Alphonse de Neuville Year: 1880

Museums & Artifacts The Royal Welsh Regimental Museum (Brecon, Wales): Houses a significant collection of artifacts from the battle, including Zulu shields and weapons, as well as the painting of the battle by William Henry Dugan. Rorke’s Drift Museum (Rorke’s Drift, South Africa): The original site has been preserved as a museum, featuring the reconstructed hospital and defenses.

Location General: Rorke’s Drift, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa Coordinates: 28°21′29″S 30°32′12″E

Recommended Book Rorke’s Drift by Adrian Greaves.

3. Capture of Tobruk

Date: January 21–22, 1941 (Town fell on Jan 22) (January 6-22, 1941)

War: World War II (North African Campaign)

Cause: As part of Operation Compass, British and Commonwealth forces (primarily the Australian 6th Division) launched an assault on the Italian-held port of Tobruk to secure a supply harbor closer to the front lines.

Result: Allied victory. The fortress port was captured along with over 25,000 Italian prisoners. It became a vital strategic asset, later famous for the “Siege of Tobruk.”

Paintings & Art Painting: Central Square, Tobruk Artist: Ivor Hele Year: 1941

Museums & Artifacts Australian War Memorial (Canberra, Australia): Holds Ivor Hele’s art, captured Italian equipment, and personal diaries from the “Rats of Tobruk.” Tobruk War Cemetery (Tobruk, Libya): The final resting place for many soldiers who fell during the capture and subsequent siege.

Location General: Tobruk, Libya Coordinates: 32.0761° N, 23.9614° E

Recommended Book Tobruk 1941 by Chester Wilmot.

5. Battle of Anzio (Operation Shingle) (January 22-June 5, 1944)

Date: January 22, 1944 (Start of the amphibious landing)

War: World War II (Italian Campaign)

Cause: Allied forces sought to break the stalemate at the Gustav Line and capture Rome by launching a surprise amphibious landing behind German lines at Anzio and Nettuno.

Result: Tactical surprise was achieved, and a beachhead was established. However, the Allied commander paused to consolidate rather than advancing immediately, allowing German forces to encircle the beachhead. This led to months of bitter stalemate before the eventual breakout in May.

Paintings & Art Painting: Supplies on the Beach at Anzio (Watercolor) Artist: Edward Ardizzone Year: 1944

Museums & Artifacts Anzio Beachhead Museum / Museo dello Sbarco di Anzio (Anzio, Italy): Located in the Villa Adele, this museum displays uniforms, weapons, and photos from the landing and subsequent battles. Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial (Nettuno, Italy): Covers 77 acres and contains the remains of American soldiers who died in the liberation of Italy, including Anzio.

Location General: Anzio and Nettuno, Lazio, Italy Coordinates: 41.4500° N, 12.6333° E

Recommended Book Anzio: Italy and the Battle for Rome – 1944 by Lloyd Clark.

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Tags: military museum, military artwork, battles, Military History, War History, Battle Art, War Paintings, War Art, Military Art, Museum Visit, Art History, Historical Artifacts, Museum Collection, Battlefield Tours, History Museum, Museum Life, History In Art, Historic Preservation, January 22, On This Day, History, Military History, War History, Historical Events, History Buff, World History, Anglo Zulu War, Isandlwana, Rorkes Drift, WWII, Anzio, Operation Shingle, Tobruk, North Africa Campaign

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WWII history book – “No Forgotten Fronts” (Naval Institute Press, 2018) – Lisa Shapiro interview

 

Professor Lisa Shapiro holds masters degrees in literature and management and teaches at San Diego Mesa College. She has previously taught creative writing. She’s written a book based on thousands of archived letters sent by San Diego State students who were in WWII to their professor Dr. Post. I interviewed Professor Shapiro about the book titled “No Forgotten Fronts.”
1:54 – Professor Shapiro talks about her first historical project. It dealt with European medieval historical fiction. Her interest in WWII came out of her work with community college students in San Diego.
3:57 – She began studying war literature and got a second degree in that subject. In the school archives she found letters written to a professor during WWII.
5:46 – Professor Shapiro explains the basis and details of the book. It’s a collection of student letters written to their professor, Dr. Post. He turned the letters into a regular newsletter. He did this through the entire war.
10:16 – Several hundred students participated in writing to Dr. Post. This includes men and women and many wrote repeatedly. People also provided funds to support him. The original documents are in the San Diego State college archives.
12:16 – Professor Shapiro discusses how the US military censors worked with Dr. Post. He took care to keep out sensitive information out of his newsletters.
16:35 – Sometimes students wrote things only for Dr. Post and not the newsletter.
17:16 – Dr. Post was also able to connect two brothers, one of whom was a prisoner of war during the war. Dr. Post even visited their mother to provide reassurance about her sons. One student who was at Anzio wrote that he had lost his marbles and Dr. Post knew he needed some mental comfort. Dr. Post notified a nearby chaplain in Europe from San Diego State to visit this soldier and also gave comfort to the student’s father.
22:54 – Professor Shapiro explains how Dr. Post got information on killed or injured students and how he dealt with that information. Dr. Post would also update information he had published.
27:57 – Dr. Post didn’t have any children. Professor Shapiro discusses how Dr. Post met his wife in college. But both were active in the lives of their students. He also did trick roping and performed for his students. His wife was a singer. Dr. Post did have a nephew in the Marines who would write to Dr. Post.
30:36 – There don’t seem to have been any other people who collected letters from specific groups during WWII. Others have created letter collections after wars.
34:43 – The students loved getting the newsletters.
36:07 – Professor Shapiro focused on the letters that captivated her. The emotion of the letters touched her. She was able to track the stories of specific individuals.
40:28 – Professor Shapiro reads a letter from Herman Adelson who nicknamed himself Little Geronimo since he was a paratrooper. He and the others really believed in what they were fighting for. For good, freedom and democracy.
43:22 – A letter arrived for Dr. Post saying that Herman had died during D-Day and included a eulogy for him. San Diego State lost three members of their championship basketball team during the war. But the community found comfort in knowing what their loved ones had been doing.
48:29 – Professor Shapiro did a lot of reading to brush up on her knowledge of WWII and current events at the time the letters were written. She used Anthony Deevers’ history. She also read a lot of San Diego history. San Diego had a lot of women participate in the war. A lot of San Diego State students became pilots.
53:40 – Professor Shapiro had few problems getting the book published. She had to shorten the book since it was very long at first.
55:02 – Grif Williams was one of the students and was famous for being on the Doolittle Raid. He was taken prisoner eventually and he was eventually a cellmate with another San Diego State student who had been captured in Germany.
59:26 – The website for the book is NoForgottenFronts.com.

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar

Guests: Lisa Shapiro
Host: Cris Alvarez
Tags: war, military, WWII, WWII history, san diego, san diego state, pacific war, d-day, north africa, europe, germany, doolittle raid, anzio