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Military Postcards
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Text for the above items : |
La Salle at the Battle of Wagram by Mark Churms (PC) Depicting General La Salle before his last charge before being killed at the Battle of Wagram. |
Victoria Cross Winners of the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry by Harry Payne. (PC) During the battle of Kooshab in the Persian War of 1857, Lt. Moore and Lt. Malcolmson were both awarded the Victoria Cross for acts of bravery. Lt. Moore charged his horse at a solid enemy square, jumping the animal into the deadly bayonets. His horse, though killed in the action, created a gap in the square through which the rest of the cavalry poured, breaking the square. Lt. Moore was now surrounded by the enemy with no horse and with a broken sword. Spotting this peril, Lt. Malcolmson rode back to rescue Lt. Moore in the moment depicted here. |
The Battle of Aliwal by Jason Askew. (PC) The Battle of Aliwal was fought on 28th January 1846 between the British and the Sikhs. The British were led by Sir Harry Smith, while the Sikhs were led by Ranjodh Singh Majithia. The British won a victory which is sometimes regarded as the turning point of the First Anglo-Sikh War. The Sikhs had occupied a position 4 miles (6.4 km) long, which ran along a ridge between the villages of Aliwal, on the Sutlej, and Bhundri. The Sutlej ran close to their rear for the entire length of their line, making it difficult for them to manoeuvre and also potentially disastrous if they were forced to retreat. After the initial artillery salvoes, Smith determined that Aliwal was the Sikh weak point. He sent two of his four infantry brigades to capture the village, from where they could enfilade the Sikh centre. They seized the village, and began pressing forwards to threaten the fords across the Sutlej. As the Sikhs tried to swing back their left, pivoting on Bhundri, some of their cavalry tried to threaten the open British left flank. A British and Indian cavalry brigade, led by the 16th Lancers, charged and dispersed them. The 16th Lancers then attacked a large body of Sikh infantry. These were battalions organised and trained in contemporary European fashion by Neapolitan mercenary, Paolo Di Avitabile. They formed square to receive cavalry, as most European armies did. Nevertheless, the 16th Lancers broke them, with heavy casualties. The infantry in the Sikh centre tried to defend a nullah (dry stream bed), but were enfiladed and forced into the open by a Bengal infantry regiment, and then cut down by fire from Smith's batteries of Bengal Horse Artillery. Unlike most of the battles of both Anglo-Sikh Wars, when the Sikhs at Aliwal began to retreat, the retreat quickly turned into a disorderly rout across the fords. Most of the Sikh guns were abandoned, either on the river bank or in the fords, along with all baggage, tents and supplies. They lost 2,000 men and 67 guns. Comment from the artist, Jason Askew. This painting shows the extremely violent and brutal clash between British cavalry (16th Lancers) and Sikh infantry at the battle of Aliwal. The Sikh infantry formed 2 triangles, a version of the famous Allied/British squares used at Waterloo, but the Sikhs, after firing a ragged volley at the attacking horsemen, dropped their muskets and assaulted the cavalry with their traditional Tulwars (sabres) and dhal shields. These shields are also used offensively, to punch, and to slice with the edge. Although the British horsemen claimed a victory as they felt they successfully dispersed the Sikh triangles, and forced the Sikh infantry to retreat to the nullah (dry stream bed) in the Sikh rear, this opinion is open to debate. The Sikhs traditionally fought in loose formations, with tulwar and shield-taking full advantage of their abilities as swordsmen, blades being weapons with which the Sikhs are particularly skilled in the use of. The Sikhs actually inflicted more casualties on the 16th Lancers than the lancers inflicted on the Sikh infantry. British eye witnesses spoke of the sight of the grotesquely swollen and distorted dead bodies of men and horses of the Her Majesty's 16th Lancers, stinking in the sun and littering the ground at Aliwal - testimony to the progress of their charge. The regiment lost 27% of effectives out of a total strength of over 400 effectives. The lancers were dreadfully hacked about, many being cruelly maimed for life, losing hands and limbs to the slashing strokes of the Sikh blades. The Sikhs had no compassion for the cavalry horses either - many of the poor animals (over 100 by some accounts) had to be shot, due to having their legs hacked clean off, or being literally disemboweled by Sikh Tulwars. In the painting, the central figure with the wizard-shaped Turban, is in fact an Akali - a sect of extremely religious Sikhs, who disdained the use of armour, and often fought to the death with a fanatical and suicidal devotion. |
Frozen Hell, Suomussalmi, Finland 1940 by David Pentland (PC) From their position in a knocked out Soviet T28 tank, the Finnish troops keep up the pressure on the encircled enemy units. |
Defence of the Reichstag, Berlin, 1st May 1945 by David Pentland (PC) On the 30th April, Untersharfuhrer Georg Diers and his crew of tank 314, were ordered to take up a defensive position at the Reichstag buildings. This was one of only two remaining King Tigers belonging to Heavy SS Tank Battalion 503 in Berlin. By that evening they had knocked out about 30 T34s, and the following day led a successful counterattack against the Kroll Opera House directly opposite the Reichstag. Their efforts though, merely postponed the inevitable and by the end of the day the order was given to abandon the position and prepare to break out of Berlin. |
The Desert Fox by David Pentland (PC) El Alamein, October 28th 1943, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel discusses the critical battle situation with the Commanding Officer of the 21st Panzer Division, in front of his Kampfstaffel. This personal mobile headquarters comprised a variety of vehicles including a radio Panzer III, SDKfz 232 radio armoured car, Rommels famous SDKfz 250/3 communications half-track GREIF and captured British Honey light tanks. |
A Perfect Tank Attack by David Pentland. (PC) Singling, Alsace, 20th August 1944. Following the fall of Metz to Patton's 3rd Army, the Allied offensive continued to push deeper into the Saar region. The fight for the small hamlet of Singling was merely one of numerous actions, but in the words of General Fritz Bayerlin commander of the crack German Panzer Lehr Division who witnessed the battle by the US 4th Armoured Division, it was 'the perfect tank attack'. Commander of the task force bearing the brunt of the action Col. Creighton W. Abrams and his men demonstrated the tactical skill and flexibility which, in five months, had made it one of the most formidable forces on the battlefield. |
Thunder in the Valley by David Pentland. (PC) FOB Shank, Logar Province, Afghanistan, July 2012. U.S. Army paratroopers of A Battery, 4th Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team fire a M777A2 155mm howitzer on Taliban positions. |
Search on the Quoile, 1985 by David Pentland. (PC) A joint arms search by members of 3rd Battalion Ulster Defence Regiment and officers of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. |
82nd Airborne by Chris Collingwood. (PC) Superb figure study of the 82nd Airborne in 1944. |
The Black Watch by Harry Payne. (PC) No text for this item |
Robert the Bruce by Chris Collingwood. (PC) In 1306 Robert the Bruce was crowned King of the Scots. In 1309 Bruce controlled most of Scotland north of the Firth and Clyde. Over the next few years Bruce conquered the English Garrisons of Perth, Dundee, Roxburgh, Dumfries and St. Andrews, leaving only Stirling in English hands. On 24th June 1314 Robert the Bruce defeated the English army at Bannockburn. The war dragged on until the peace treaty was signed in 1328, recognising Robert the Bruce as King Robert I of Scotland, and Scotland an independent Kingdom. He died the following year. |
The 29th Bombay Native Infantry (Duke of Connaughts Own Belooch Regt) Field Firing (Marching Order) by Richard Simkin. (PC) No text for this item |
Defence of Hougoumont Farm at the Battle of Waterloo by Jason Askew. (PC) The British 1st Foot Guards and Coldstream Guards rush to defend the gate of Hougoumont Farm against a fierce French attack during the battle of Waterloo. During the battle, the Coldstream Guards lost 97 killed, 446 wounded and 4 missing, while the 1st Foot Guards lost 125 killed and 352 wounded. |
The 1st Bengal Cavalry (Review Order) by Richard Simkin. (PC) No text for this item |
A Gallant Deed by William Barnes Wollen. (PC) How Sir Redvers Buller won the Victoria Cross by the heroic rescue of a wounded soldier in the Zulu War. How Sir Redvers Buller won the Victoria Cross by the heroic rescue during the retreat at Inhlobana, on the 28th March, 1879, in having assisted, whilst hotly pursued by Zulus, in rescuing Captain C. D'Arcy, of the Frontier Light Horse, who was retiring on foot, and carrying him on his horse until he overtook the rear guard. Also for having on the same date and under the same circumstances, conveyed Lieutenant C. Everitt, of the Frontier Light Horse, whose horse had been killed under him, of a wounded soldier in the Zulu War. His VC citation reads: For his gallant conduct at the retreat at Inhlobana, on the 28th March, 1879, in having assisted, whilst hotly pursued by Zulus, in rescuing Captain C. D'Arcy, of the Frontier Light Horse, who was retiring on foot, and carrying him on his horse until he overtook the rear guard. Also for having on the same date and under the same circumstances, conveyed Lieutenant C. Everitt, of the Frontier Light Horse, whose horse had been killed under him, to a place of safely. Later on, Colonel Buller, in the same manner, saved a trooper of the Frontier Light Horse, whose horse was completely exhausted, and who otherwise would have been killed by the Zulus, who were within 80 yards of him. |
Summoned to Waterloo by Robert Hillingford. (PC) No text for this item |
Special Brigade 50 by David Pentland. (PC) Gabes, Tunisia, 21st November 1942. Following the capture of Thelepte and its airfield by US paratroops, Axis forces responded by sending German paratroops to Gafsa, and a scratch force of Italians to occupy Gabes. This force designated '50 Special Brigade' consisted of 6th Infantry Battalion, 557th Semovente Group, (75/18 Assault Guns), and the 15th Armoured Battalion from the Centauro Armoured Division plus 3 Artillery battalions. |
Fuentes Onoro, May 5th 1811 (Ramsays Battery of Horse Artillery) by William Barnes Wollen. (PC) No text for this item |
Grey Cover for Grey Rifles by Chris Collingwood. (PC) Confederate skirmishers of the 19th Virginia Volunteers take over behind a farmhouse during the early stages of the war 1861. |
First to Fight by David Pentland. (PC) St Mere Eglise, Normandy, 6th June 1944. U.S. Paratroops of the 82nd All American Airborne Division, descend on occupied France. |
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