The impetus started when I read a book, published in 1890 of "The World's Greatest Generals." I purchased it for my son's summer reading list. One of the generals in this book was John Churchill, who led the campaign during the Battle of Blenheim in the early 1700s.
One of his victories occurred in the German town of Traben-Trarbach, a town I lived in for four years during my tour in Germany in the late 70s. I was flabbergasted, as I never saw a memorial or landmark to this battle.
It made sense, though...Churchill was a Brit, and the French and Germans had fought over this territory for hundreds of years.
I promised myself if I ever go back to school and get an advanced degree it will be in military science.
You know, in preparation of the coming Hard Times.
I work with a diverse group. It’s fun to tell a Chinese dude that his government killed thousands at Tien Amin Square. They have no idea.
Oh, and young people suck. They don’t know squat, and I think it is by design.
I first read about John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough when I picked up a book called The War Game in a used bookstore. It was one of those "most decisive battles" books that covered battles from Thermopylae to WW2, and included Austerlitz, Waterloo, Gettysburg, etc. Each battle had a different historian author. The one that most fascinated me was Blenheim, and it encouraged me to read more about Marlborough and his campaigns. If you are interested in Marlborough, you absolutely should read his descendant Sir Winston Churchill's account: Marlborough - His Life and Times. Make sure you get the unabridged version!
The account of the Blenheim campaign is really exciting when Churchill tells it. The battle itself was not particularly brilliant, as it relied on some French mistakes in order to succeed. But the whole campaign and the way he which he essentially sneaked his army to the Danube while keeping his enemies guessing the whole time is remarkable. He actually fought some better battles, but the Blenheim campaign as a whole is simply an incredible achievement.