Divisions: 25th "Grand Ducal Hessian" Division

The 25th Division (25. Division), officially the Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division (Großherzoglich Hessische (25.) Division), was a unit of the Prussian/German Army.It was headquartered in Darmstadt, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Hesse. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XVIII Army Corps (XVIII. Armeekorps) when that corps was formed in 1899. The division was disbanded in 1919 during the demobilization of the German Army after World War I.
As the formal name indicates, the division was raised and recruited in the Grand Duchy of Hesse.

Evolution of the Grand Ducal Hessian Division

The Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division was officially formed on December 20, 1842 as the Infantry Division Command (Infanterie-Divisions-Kommando), but the division-strength Hessian Army had been around before that date. During the Napoleonic Wars, Hesse fielded a division-strength troop corps (Truppenkorps). In 1820, as part of the Hessian troop contribution to the German Confederation's Federal Army (Bundesheer), Hesse reorganized its army into two brigades of infantry, 1/2 company of horse artillery, two companies of foot artillery, one light horse regiment, one trains company and one sapper (later pioneer) company. This force was placed under the Infantry Division Command in 1842. On February 5, 1849, this force was redesignated the Grand Ducal Army Division (Großherzogliche Armee-Division). The organization of the Grand Ducal Army Division in 1858 was as follows:

• Army Division Staff
• Guard NCO Company
• General Quartermaster Staff with Pioneer Company
• Guard Light Horse Regiment
• Grand Ducal Artillery Corps
• Two infantry brigades of two regiments of two battalions each (8 total battalions, each with 5 companies).

In 1860, cavalry was expanded to brigade strength. In 1867, Hesse, on the losing side of the Austro-Prussian War, entered into a convention with Prussia on military matters and reorganized its division along Prussian lines. The division was redesignated the Grand Ducal Hessian (25th) Division. It formally became a part of the Prussian Army in 1872 in accordance with the military convention of June 13, 1871.
The organization of the division at the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 was as follows:

• 49. Infanterie-Brigade
  
  • Hessisches Leib-Garde-Regiment Nr. 1
  • Hessisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 2
  • Hessisches Gardejäger-Bataillon Nr. 1
• 50. Infanterie-Brigade
  
  • Hessisches Leib-Regiment Nr. 3
  • Hessisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 4
  • Hessisches Leibjäger-Bataillon Nr. 2
• Hessische 25. Kavallerie-Brigade
  
  • Hessisches 1. Reiter-Regiment
  • Hessisches 2. Reiter-Regiment

Combat chronicle

During the Franco-Prussian War, the Grand Ducal Hesse (25th) Division was subordinated to the Prussian IX Army Corps, along with the 18th Infantry Division. The Hessians fought in the battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte, and then participated in the Metz. It then fought in the Noiseville and the Second Battle of Orléans.
During World War I, the Grand Ducal Hesse (25th) Infantry Division served on the Western Front. It fought in the opening campaigns, including the Allied Great Retreat which culminated in the First Battle of the Marne, and the subsequent Race to the Sea. After a period in the trenches, the division was heavily engaged in 1916 in the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme. In 1917, it fought in the battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres. In 1918 it participated in the German Spring Offensive and ended the war resisting the subsequent Allied counteroffensives. Allied intelligence rated the division as first class.

Legend: Spitfire

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used into the 1950s both as a front line fighter and in secondary roles. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the war.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (since 1928 a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs). Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. The Spitfire's elliptical wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than the Hawker Hurricane and several contemporary fighters. Speed was seen as essential to carry out the mission of home defence against enemy bombers.
During the Battle of Britain there was a public perception that the Spitfire was the RAF fighter of the battle; in fact the more numerous Hurricane actually shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many different variants, using several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030hp (768 kW), it was adaptable enough to use increasingly more powerful Merlin and the later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines; the latter was eventually able to produce 2,035 hp (1,520  kW).

Now but then: Battle of Britain: Day 79 – 26th September 1940

Once again the Luftwaffe launched an attack on the Spitfire works at Woolston near Southampton. It was carried out by over 70 aircraft from Luftflotte 3. In a 5 minute attack the installation was hit by over 70 tons of bombs. One bomb hit a shelter killing 30 of the workers. Production was halted. However only one or two aircraft were wrecked. A number were damaged but were repaired within a couple of days to be delivered to squadrons. The German aircraft which had attacked were intercepted by 10 Group Squadrons. Both the RAF and the Luftwaffe lost 9 aircraft each.
That night, in London a bomb exploded on the corner of Denbigh Street and Belgrave Road trapping people in an underground shelter. Liverpool docks were also hit and the Standard Motor company in Coventry suffered £100,000 worth of damage.

266 Squadron Operational Record Book – 26 September
Cold – visibility moderate. Practices included formation flying – cloud penetration and dog fighting. 14 pilots proceeded to Sutton Bridge and carried out Air to Air firing programme. One Spitfire II aircraft piloted by PO R.J.B. Roach sent to Hendon for demonstration of factory observers. Wg Cdr J. Barwell from Headquarters, no. 12 Group, visited Squadron respecting training of new pilots. Pilot Sgts K.C. Pattison, W. Sadler and J.A. Scott posted to no. 611 Squadron for flying duties.
Reported Casualties (RAF Diary 26th September 1940):
*  Enemy: 33 confirmed, 11 probable, 13 damaged
*  Own: 10 aircraft with 3 pilots killed or missing.

Legend: Destrier

The destrier is the best-known war horse of the medieval era. It carried knights in battles, tournaments, and jousts. It was described by contemporary sources as the Great Horse, due to its size and reputation.
The term destrier is derived from the Vulgar Latin dextarius, meaning "right-sided" (the same root as our modern dexterous and dexterity). This may refer to the fact that it was led by the squire at the knight's right side (or led by the right hand) or to the horse's gait, (possibly leading with the right).
While highly prized by knights and men-at-arms, the destrier was actually not very common. Most knights and mounted men-at-arms rode other war horses, such as coursers and rounceys. These three types of horses were often referred to generically as chargers.

The word destrier does not refer to a breed, but to a type of horse: the finest and strongest warhorse. These horses were usually stallions, bred and raised from foalhood specifically for the needs of war. The destrier was perhaps more suited to the joust; coursers seem to have been preferred for other types of warfare. They had powerful hindquarters, able to easily coil and spring to stop, spin, turn or sprint forward. They also had a short back and well-muscled loin, strong bone, and a well-arched neck. From medieval art, the head of the destrier appears to have had a straight or slightly convex profile, strong, wide jaw, and good width between the eyes. The destrier was specifically for use in battle or tournament; for everyday riding, a knight would use a palfrey, and his baggage would be carried on a sumpter horse (or packhorse), or possibly in wagons.

There are many theories as to what type and size destriers attained, but they apparently were not enormous draft types. Recent research undertaken at the Museum of London, using literary, pictorial and archeological sources, suggests war horses (including destriers) averaged 14–15 hands (1 hand = 101.6 millimetres or 4 in), and were distinguished from a riding horse by their strength, musculature and training, rather than their size. This estimate is supported by an analysis of medieval horse armour located in the Royal Armouries, which indicates the equipment was originally worn by horses of 15 to 16 hands, about the size and build of a modern field hunter or ordinary riding horse. It is probable that the modern Percheron draft breed may be a descendant in part from the Destrier, though it is probably taller and heavier than the medieval horse. Other draft breeds such as the Shire claim destrier ancestry, though proof is less certain. Equestrian statues in Italy suggest a "Spanish" style of horse that today would be referred to as a Baroque horse, such as the Andalusian horse, Friesian horse, or even a heavy but agile warmblood breed such as the Irish Draught. Modern estimates put the height of a destrier at no more than 16 hands, though with a strong and heavy physique. Modern attempts to reproduce destriers usually involve crossing an athletic riding horse with a light draft breed. One example is the "Spanish Norman", bred by crossing a Percheron with an Andalusian.
A good destrier was expensive. 7th century Salic law gives a price of 12 solidi as weregild, or reparational payment, for a war horse, compared to 3 solidi for a sound mare or 1 solidus for a cow. In later centuries destriers became even more expensive: the average value of each of the horses in a company of 22 knights and squires in the county of Flanders in 1297 compares to the price of seven normal coursers. The price of these destriers varied between 20 and 300 livres parisis (parisian pounds), compared to 5 to 12 livres for a normal courser.

Now but then: Battle of Fromelles

This was the first battle outing on the Western Front of the Australian Imperial Force and was planned to distract German forces away from the Somme. In these 24 hours the Allies gained no ground and around 7,000 men were killed, wounded or captured, more than 5,000 of them Australian. The Allied plan was the same as many others at that time - bombard the Germans with artillery fire then rush their line with infantry. The main problem in this instance was that there were no trenches in the German second line so men remained exposed and were cut down by machine gun fire. In a truly magnificent cock up orders for a second attempt were given then retracted without telling all the Australian forces and they went over the top alone. Not able to hold the trench-less positions, more men fell to the heavy machine gun fire during the retreat. Australian losses on that day were more than they had sustained in a 24 hour period, ever.

Tanks: Merkava

The Merkava (Hebrew:  מרכבה , Chariot) is the main battle tank of the Israel Defense Forces. Since the early 1980s, four main versions have been deployed. The "Merkava" name was derived from the IDF's initial development program name.
It is optimized for crew survival and rapid repair of battle damage. Through the use of spaced-armor techniques and quick-replacement modular designs, the design team was able to incorporate composite armor, a derivative of rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) and Chobham armor. Additionally, the space between the inner and outer hulls is filled with diesel—an economical storage method and a means of defeating HEAT rounds.
Following the model of contemporary self-propelled howitzers, the turret assembly is located nearer the rear than in most main battle tanks. This gives the crew additional protection against a frontal attack by putting the engine between them and the attack. This arrangement also creates more space in the rear of the tank that allows increased storage capacity, as well as a rear entrance to the main crew compartment allowing easy access even under enemy fire. This allows the tank to be used as a platform for medical disembarkation, a forward command and control station, and an armored personnel carrier. The rear entrance's clamshell-style doors provide overhead protection when off- and on-loading cargo and personnel.
It was reportedly decided shortly before the beginning of the 2006 Lebanon War that the Merkava line would be discontinued within four years. However, on 7 November 2006, Haaretz reported that an Israeli General Staff assessment had ruled of the Merkava Mark IV that "if properly deployed, the tank can provide its crew with better protection than in the past," and deferred the decision on discontinuing the line.

Now but then: Battle of Arbedo

One of the few defeats suffered by the Swiss in the fifteenth century. On 30th of June 1422 The Swiss Confederation was raiding south over the Alps, and gaining territory in the northern Po Valley. Their actions provoked Filipppo Maria Visconti, who sent his best generals against the invading Swiss. The Swiss were outnumbered two to one, and despite initial successes against an Italian cavalry charge, they were soon put under serious pressure by a combination of crossbow fire on the flanks, and columns of dismounted men at arms in the centre. The larger Milanese force began to push back the Swiss, who were only saved from total disaster by the appearance of a band of foragers, who the Milanese were convinced represented a major new force. When the Milanese force pulled back to reform, the Swiss fled the battlefield, having taken heavy casualties.