Dmitar Tasic interview about his WWI and 1920s military history book “Paramilitarism in the Balkans” (Oxford University Press, 2020)

Dmitar Tasic interview about his WWI and 1920s military history book “Paramilitarism in the Balkans”

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3jlpFQP

Interview Timeline

Dmitar Tasic studies and teaches Balkan history. He’s recently published a book on his studies of the paramilitary groups that existed in Yugoslavia and surrounding regions during WWI and into the 1920s. We spoke about the subject and the book.

(THE AUDIO PLAYER IS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST.)

0:45- Dmitar explains how he got interested in paramilitarism in the Balkans.

2:27 – Dmitar explains why the book covers 1917 to 1924.

6:01 – Dmitar defines paramilitary in this situation.

9:00 – Dmitar talks about the gear of paramilitary forces.

13:17 – Dmitar talks about the type of men who became paramilitaries.

16:04 – Dmitar talks about the organization of these groups and casualty numbers.

21:18 – Dmitar discusses how much democracy there was in these paramilitary organization.

25:42 – Dmitar talks about how Ottoman rule affected the development of these paramilitary forces.

31:00 – Dmitar talks about Ottoman reprisals against [the] uprisings.

33:17 – Dmitar talks how these groups were provided weapons and gear.

36:21 – Dmitar talks about what resources he used for his research.

38:07 – Dmitar talks about some of the research difficulties he had in his research because of the communist regimes.

42:24 – Dmitar talks about reading police reports about paramilitary events. He also discusses how these organizations were able to accommodate themselves with state support.

50:05 – Dmitar talks about the social activities of these groups.

54:55 – Dmitar talks about being impressed by their physical and mental strength.

1:04:33 – Dmitar can be found on academia.edu.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/3jlpFQP

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/paramilitarism-in-the-balkans-9780198858324?cc=us&lang=en&

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar and on Instagram @crisalvarezwarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify Please see historyrabbithole.com for a list of my dozen or so blogs and podcasts. You’re sure to find something you like.

Guests: Dmitar Tasic

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Books, audio interviews, author, academic, podcast, Oxford University Press, Modern War, 

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3jlpFQP

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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How US artillery dominated the Iraq military in the First Gulf War – Interview with L. Scott Lingamfelter

How US artillery dominated the Iraq military in the First Gulf War – Interview with L. Scott Lingamfelter

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3e5qbza

Interview Timeline

L. Scott Lingamfelter was a senior Artillery Officer and Middle East expert when he participated in the First Gulf War as XO of 1st ARTY. He wrote a book detailing his time in that war, including tactical and operational issues, and his thoughts about the geopolitical and strategic aspects of the war. We spoke about the book and the war. Desert Redleg (University Press of Kentucky, 2020)

0:41 – Scott talks about why he wanted to write about his experiences in the First Gulf War.

1:34 – Scott talks about the start of his career in 1973 as an artillery officer and as a Middle East specialist.

3:12 – Scott talks about the use of artillery between the Vietnam War and the First Gulf War.

6:58 – Scott talks about the logistics of moving artillery into the Gulf War theater.

9:43 – Scott talks about the artillery that the division used.

12:15 – Scott talks about the obstacles they faced once they were in the Middle East.

15:23 – Scott talks about the placement of the artillery units and their protection.

18:19 – Scott talks about the size of the division and armament.

19:56 – Scott talks about counter fire.

21:32 – Scott talks about the other threats to the safety and health of the Division. He discusses unexploded and failed ordnance.

24:26 – Scott talks about the threat of chemical attack.

28:03 – Scott talks about dealing with dust and heat.

29:48 – Scott talks about instilling hygiene practices among the troops.

32:47 – Scott talks about resupply issues and the Tapline Road.

35:51 – Scott talks about the casualties on the Tapline Road.

37:29 – Scott talks about what the damage they had wrought in Iraq was like.

40:02 – Scott discusses the amount of firepower used in the First Gulf War.

44:22 – Scott discusses the combat effects of the artillery on enemy morale.

46:21 – Scott talks about the Vietnam veterans that developed the Air-Land battle concept used in the Gulf War.

47:35 – Scott talks about how he presents information in the book.

52:12 – Scott talks about coordination between foreign partners and with other services.

55:09 – Scott was surprised by the dud rate when he went back to his notes. He was also surprised at how good his diary notes were.

59:06 – Scott talks about how he expected the US to return to Iraq to fight Saddam again.

1:01:31 – Scott talks about how he almost became General Schwarzkopf’s aide-de-camp.

1:03:08 – Scott talks about how the book is written from a tactical point of view.

1:06:42 – Scott talks about getting the book written and published. He had to write some difficult things as he saw them.

1:10:11 – Scott be found at copybookwarrior.com. Readers can use the code FS30 on the University Press of Kentucky until the end of July to get 30% of the book.

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/3e5qbza

https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813179209/desert-redleg/

https://www.copybookwarrior.com

Contact Information

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: L. Scott Lingamfelter

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: Books, audio interviews, author, academic, podcast, University Press of Kentucky, Modern War, United States,

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3e5qbza

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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