USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Ancient Greek Military:Mercenaries ~ December 16, 2003

Warfare in Hellas ^ | december 16, 2003 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

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ANCIENT WARFARE

Part III: Ancient Greek Military:
 

Mercenaries
Struggle for Hegemony

Mercenaries

Mercenaries were very important in the ancient history. The Greek armies did not need them at first, but later on they were even used in Hellas. Mercenaries were normally used because they were capable of doing something which the army could not do. That is why the Greeks hired Scythic archers, why the Persians used Greek hoplites during the wars against Macedon, and why the Thracian peltast was the beginning of a new type of forces.

 

The Scythic archer. Here you see a typical Scythic archer. The Scythes, or Sakae, were extremely good archers. That is the reason why the Athenian tyrant Pisistratus hired them in the middle of the sixth century. As mercenaries they participated in the battles besides the Athenian phalanx, but inside the city they also were used to maintain the order. They are quite often seen in paintings on Attic vases. However, they were of no use for Athens during the battle of Marathon. They refused to fight their Asiatic brothers, and a group of Sakae even joined the Persian side during the battle. In the fifth century the king of Persia also hired Scythic mercenaries to teach his warriors the art of archery. The equipment of the Scythic archer. The Scythe in the picture is wearing the typical long conical cap, the loose tunic and pants. In his hands he is holding a composite bow which is quite small, but nevertheless was it capable of shooting the arrows over a large distance because of its excellent construction. The bow has a wooden core which is entwined with tendon at the front, and reinforced with horn in the back. When the bow was used the tendon and horn both created both fields of tension which had the same purpose: shooting away the arrow. The tips of the bow are also made of horn, and the string of the bow is attached to these tips. His quiver, or gorytos, is decorated with patterns and he is ready to shoot a three-feathered arrow. He has no armor as he normally could not be found in the front of the battle. Instead he stayed behind and fired his arrows at the enemy, while the heavy armored troops were positioned between him and the opposing forces.

The Scythic way of archery.

The Greeks never saw much use in the bow as a weapon until the end of the Peloponessian wars. This is most likely because they used the bow in a different way than the Scythes did. The Scythes pulled the string back with the index finger and the middle finger of their right hand while the end of the arrow rested between these two fingers. This method was mostly used through the Mediterranean. The Greeks on the other hand held the end of the arrow between the thumb and the index finger, and pulled the string back with the end of the arrow. This way they could not pull back the string as much as the Scythes could. As a result of this they could aim not so well, they were not able to shoot as far as the Scythes, and the arrow had less energy to penetrate armor.

 

The Thracian peltast.

Here we see a Thracian peltast. The Greeks saw the importance of these light troops relatively late. During the Persian wars they noticed how strong the combination of heavy armed hoplites and light armed peltasts and archers was. Originally only the members of Thracian tribes were called peltasts, but later on the word peltast was given to a special form of infantry. Often they opened the battle by throwing their javelins at the enemy. Then they retreated behind the phalanx which was advancing in open formation. The phalanx switched to a closed formation once all peltasts were in safety, and attacked the hostile phalanx. The peltasts advanced again, and pursued the enemy once his lines were broken by the phalanx.

The equipment of the Thracian peltast.

The name peltast comes from the shield that the Thracian tribes used: the traditional pelte. It often was shaped like a partial moon, but it could also be oval or circular. It was made of osier and covered with the skin of a goat or a sheep. The usage of the pelte instead of the heavy hoplon, and the lack of any further armor, made the peltast much lighter and mobile than a hoplite, but it still gave him and advantage when he had to face lighter armed troops like archers in a man to man combat. Another advantage was that they were much cheaper to equip and maintain than a hoplite.
The peltasts were armed with a bundle of javelins. They are normally portrayed with only two javelins, but several descriptions of battles prove that he carried more than two in reality. The actual number depended on the length of the javelins which ranged from one meter to one and a half meter. The javelins were thrown in a very special way which enabled the peltasts to throw their javelins much further. He held the javelin lightly with his fourth and fifth finger, while the second and third finger were hooked around a noose which was attached to the javelin. When the javelin was above his head he released it and gave it a final swing with the noose. In the picture we see a typical Thracian peltast. He is wearing the characteristic high boots and cap made out of the skin of a fox. His colorful cape and tunic are pulled up and tied around his waist to give him more freedom to maneuver.

Peltast against phalanx.

During the Corinthian war the peltasts became so dangerous that they even were capable of fighting an unit of hoplites. The battle of Lechaien gives a good example of this. The Spartans escorted a convoy and met an Athenian group of hoplites. Once they had passed the Athenians they turned around to prevent that the Athenians would attack the convoy in the back. During this maneuver they exposed the unprotected right side of their phalanx to Athenian peltasts. The Athenian peltasts managed to break the Spartan phalanx, and the Athenian phalanx finished the job when the Spartans re-establishing their phalanx again on a small hill.

However, the peltasts had some important advantages during this battle. First of all they caught their enemy in the most vulnerable position, and there was no hand-to-hand combat between the different armies. Normally the losses would be high at the side of the peltasts once they got in hand-to-hand combat with a trained phalanx, and most likely would they not stand a chance, but this battle definitely has shown the increasing ineffectiveness of the phalanx against new and more versatile forces.

 

The Struggle for hegemony

During the Peloponessian war no really significant battles took place. This was completely different during the period after this war: Sparta was the leader of Hellas, Athens wanted to restore her leadership, and the aspirations of Thebes did not end any longer in Boeotia. Needless to say that this resulted in several conflicts. Thebes was superior on the battlefield, but its hegemony did not last for long. Philip of Macedon ended the conflicts

The battle of Leuctra, 371 BC.

A violent antipathy to Sparta in the Greek world at large was created after the Spartans had destroyed the power of Athens in 404. Sparta, under the command of Lysander, had established oligarchies and installed garrisons in several cities. They even raised taxes to afford combined taxes, so they claimed. This way they repeated the huge mistakes Athens had made with her Delian League in the previous century. The only difference had been that Athens had installed democratic puppet governments while Sparta had installed oligarchic ones.

Sparta made another big mistake when it suddenly seized the Theban citadel in 383 and installed yet another puppet government. They now installed a government after the Athenian model as they knew that Thebes would not accept an oligarchy, but this attempt was so clumsy that it soon had turned against Sparta. The citadel was liberated again in 379 with the help of Athens, but Thebes was determined to get revenge while the rest of Hellas had even more reasons to doubt Sparta's role as guarantor of the King's peace. Thebes was even more humiliated by this peace as it had to give up its dominance over the other cities in Boeotia just to please Sparta.

Athens founded her second Athenian Naval Confederacy in 378. The official goal of this second Delian League was a democratic freedom-fight against the Spartan oppressor. It was more likely that Athens simply used the anti-Sparta attitude in the hope of reviving her once formidable empire. The democratic coalition seemed to have lost all its justification when Thebes reclaimed its leadership of Boeotia by reviving the Boeotian League.

Thebes also started to rebuild its army after the Spartan government had been liquidated, and the Spartan garrison had been defeated. Remarkable was that the Theban army only consisted of citizens at the first stage of the Theban hegemony, while the rest of the ancient world became more and more dependant of mercenaries. This was also the time that the famous elite corps of Thebes was founded by Gorgidas: the devoted brothers in arms. Traditionally this corps consisted of 150 homosexual male couples. You should realize that there was nothing perverse about homosexuality in the Greek world, unlike as in many other ancient civilizations. Homer had already mentioned in the Iliad that such a unit could be very useful, and Plato mentions it also as the men would try to compete with their partners in bravery, but they would also be determined to protect their partners.

The commanders.

In Thebes two strong men had come to the front: Pelopidas and Epaminondas. Especially Epaminondas was a brilliant leader and general who was a very flexible person in a rapidly changing world of warfare. The Spartan army was commanded by one of its two kings: Cleombrotos.

The battle.
 

The Battle at Leuctra, 371 B.C.
Sparta	Thebes
Hoplits
10000	6500
Peltasts
1100	1000
Cavalry
1000	1500

The Spartans marched into Boeotia under the command of their king Cleombrotos and stopped at Leuctra, not far from Thebes. Epaminondas knew that his army was severely outnumbered, but realized that he had to face the Spartans nevertheless. He managed to convince his men that an open battle was their only hope and together with their elite unit 'the Devoted Brothers in Arms', under the leadership of Pelopidas, they entered the plains. Cleombrotos placed his army in a half-moon 12 men deep phalanx , with peltasts covering both sides of the phalanx. Epaminondas had completely different ideas. His strategy was based on two principles.

The first principle that a direct fight between two phalanxes could end up in two different ways of fighting. The hoplites could attack each other with their spears, or they could end up with their shields pressed against each other. Two completely different ways with the same result: the phalanx that would loose its formation would become an easy target and would most likely loose the battle. When the hoplites ended up with their shields against each other the battle looked a bit like a rugby match: the side who could press the hardest would break the enemy formation. Epaminondas realized that he could gain an advantage with a deeper phalanx. For the Spartans this tactic was new as they always relied on their spears, but the Thebans had already defeated Athens at Delium with a phalanx of 25 men deep.

The second principle was that one of the main problems of the phalanx had been to keep it going straight forward. It always tended to curl to the right, as the hoplite instinctive moved to the right to gain more protection from the shield of the hoplite beside them. Epimondas used a sloped phalanx with the strong left wing moved forwards. The left wing would destroy the right wing of the enemy, which traditionally consisted of the strongest and most experienced fighters, creating confusion among the enemy and breaking open the right wing. Now the left wing could break through the formation and attack the rest of the hostile phalanx in the side or in the back while the rest of the friendly phalanx got close enough to attack the enemy.

Epaminondas thus placed his army in the formation of a sloped phalanx. The left side of his phalanx was 50 men deep, but because of this he did not have enough men left to form a right wing. Peltasts would cover the right side of his phalanx, while the cavalry and the 'Devoted Brothers in Arms' would protect the left side.



Cleombrotos orders his troops to attack, and his cavalry charges forward. Epaminondas also directs his cavalry to the front where they clash into the Spartan cavalry. The Spartans are outnumbered but manage to hold their position nevertheless until a charge of the 'Devoted Brothers in Arms' forces them to retreat. Now the Theban cavalry can attack on its turn, and they pin down the peltasts and a part of the phalanx down on the Spartan right wing. This way they prevented that the Spartan phalanx would move aside so they keep the strong right wing in place for a direct attack of the 50 men deep Theban left wing.

Cleombrotos finally realizes Epaminondas' plans when the Theban phalanx moves in for the kill. He attempts to reinforce his right wing but the well timed charge of the 'Devoted Brothers in Arms', who form the front of the Theban left wing, leaves him no time for this. Confusion sets in among the Spartans when the Theban shields clashes onto theirs. Cleombrotos is killed in the first stage of the struggle and the confusion among Sparta and its allies becomes even bigger when the weight of the Theban phalanx pushes the Sparta phalanx back.



The Thebans push back the Spartans even further, while the peltasts are destroyed by the cavalry. The Spartan formation breaks in their right wing, but the whole phalanx is so scared at this time that it completely retreats before the Spartan left wing and the Theban right wing had even participated in battle! Pursued by the Theban cavalry the Spartans and their allies flee to their camp. Sparta had lost about 500 men during the battle, while another 500 were killed during the retreat to their camp.  Thebes only lost 300 men.

The results of the battle.

With the destruction of the Spartan power at the battle of Leuctra the decade of Theban hegemony had begun. Leuctra was a defeat for Sparta, but it was not this military defeat which resulted in the end of Sparta. Thebes undertook several offensive actions in the Peloponese during its leadership of Hellas. This resulted in the founding of an Arcadian League under the leadership of the new found city of Megalopolis. Most important however was that Thebes refounded Messenia as an independent state in 369 after many years of helotage. Sparta sank to second-class among the Greek Poleis, and this allowed Thebes and Athens to pursue their rivalry in the vacuum created by the sudden disappearance of Sparta.

 

The battle of Mantinea, 362 BC.

Hellas cheered when the Thebans miraculously defeated the Spartans during the battle at Leuctra. Every city was happy, except Athens. The power of Sparta, the traditional competitor of Athens for hegemony of Hellas, might have been broken and its forces were no longer invincible, but the result of the battle was a very strong Thebes. The Spartan hegemony was over, but the Theban hegemony had only just started while the Athenians firmly believed that their city was the only city that could rightfully claim hegemony over Hellas.

The abuse of the temple fundings of Olympia was in 363 the reason for a conflict between two cities in Arcadia: Mantinea and Tegeia. Mantinea choose the side of Sparta, while Tegeia asked Thebes for support. This resulted in yet another conflict, an ideological one this time, between oligarchic and democratic sympathies. The choice of Athens to openly support oligarchic Sparta shows us how determined the Athenians were to gain control over Hellas again.

Epaminondas hoped to ambush the Athenian forces on the Isthmos when they would march towards Sparta, but Athens decided to transport her forces over the sea. Epaminondas had gathered his army from Boeotia and other northern areas in Hellas, and he had chosen Tegeia as his headquarters. This position was very well chosen as Tegeia had city walls and more than enough provision to support all the forces. On top of that was it situated between Sparta and Mantinea

The commanders.

Thebes was still lead by her greatest leader: Epaminondas. The Coalition on the other hand was lead by a man who was at least as capable as Epaminondas: one of the two Spartan kings called Agesilaos. This man was the successor of the great man of Sparta: Lysander. Lysander wanted to use Agesilaos in his political games, but soon Agesilaos had more power than Lysander and he became the most important leader of Sparta. Lysander had sold the freedom of the Greek colonies in Asia Minor to the high king of Persia in return for support in his struggle against Athens, but Agesilaos did the opposite: he invaded the Persian empire and conquered the same cities. He did not stop there, but entered Asia Minor even further and conquered the area which once had been the old kingdom of Lydia. When he heard that Thebes formed a threat in Hellas he marched back in 30 days, using exactly the same road as Xerxes had used more than a century before him, and defeated the Thebans during the battle of Coronae at 394. Agesilaos was not like any other Spartan king had been before him. His methods were very unconventional for a Spartan king, and he had enormous faith in the power of cavalry.

Phase one: preparations for the battle.
 

The Battle at Leuctra, 371 B.C.
Coalition	Thebes
Hoplits
20000	26000
Peltasts
1000	4000
Cavalry
2000	3000

Epaminondas did not try to force a battle when Agesilaos, one of the two Spartan kings, moved northwards with his army via Pelele in Laconia. Instead he moved his army around the advancing forces, right towards Sparta which was extremely vulnerable without walls and an army to defend it. Unfortunately for him was Agesilaos informed by a deserter, and he had managed to arrive in Sparta just in time. Epaminondas had lost his element of surprise and decided not to attack the city. He turned his army around and now suddenly picked Mantinea as a target.

Lady Luck was also this time not at the side of Epaminondas as the spearhead of his army was suddenly spotted by Athenian cavalry. He had lost his element of surprise again, but what was even worse was that the Athenians managed to stop the spearhead of his army, which consisted of Theban and Thessalian cavalry. This gave Agesilaos time enough to place his army in on the road to Mantinea, just in front of Mantinea. Here the plains were only a mile wide because there were mountains at both sides of the road. Epaminondas had no choice: he had to defeat this army in order to attack Mantinea.

Phase two: the battle.

The Thebans realized that they had no choice and marched towards the waiting army. They entered the plans, and Epaminondas placed his army in the characteristic sloped phalanx with enforced left wing. After this was done he suddenly moved his army a little bit to the west, until he reached the foothills. Once they were on the foothills he gave his troops the order to lay down their weapons. The Spartans were convinced that Epaminondas did not want to fight that day as both parties were tired after marching long distances, and why else would he choose a defensive position in the foothills and lay down his weapons?

Agesilaos commanded his troops to take ease and made himself comfortable. He did not expect that this was exactly what Epaminondas had been hoping for. All of a sudden the Thebans grabbed their weapons and stormed forwards. The irony was that Epaminondas had used exactly the same trick as the Spartans had used during the battle of Aigospotamoi against Athens in 405 BC.



The Thebans used the same strategy as during the battle of Leuctra, and the Spartans had obviously learned nothing of this last battle. The Theban cavalry and peltasts moved forwards at both sides of the phalanx and attacked the cavalry and peltasts of the Coalition. The Theban cavalry and peltasts outnumbered the enemy on the flanks and after a while the Theban cavalry managed to defeat the peltasts and cavalry on the right wing of the enemy. They did not pursue the fleeing peltasts but attacked the right wing of the Coalitions phalanx in the side while the massive Theban left wing crashed into it at the same time.

The Coalition did not expect this maneuver and was not able to hold the formation together. Again the massive Theban left wing pushed the enemy back, just like during Leuctra, and the formation of the Coalition collapsed under this force and the continuous attacks of the Theban cavalry. Unfortunately got Epaminondas injured during this last phase of the battle. He died, but not before he had told the other Thebans that they should make peace with the other Poleis. The Thebans were shocked by his sudden death and did not attack the fleeing enemy anymore.

The results of the battle.

Thebes had defeated the enemy again, but the victory was turned into a defeat with the death of the great leader Epaminondas. From that moment on the political power, aspirations at sea, and the political power of Thebes disappeared in no time. For a strong, and consequent policy, a Polis needed a strong leader who could stand the envy of his fellow citizens. Only a few men were capable of this in ancient Greece: men like Pericles in Athens, Lysander and Agesilaos in Sparta, and Epaminondas in Thebes.

Thebes was no longer the city which it had been under the command of Epaminondas and Pelopidas. The strategy of Epaminondas had always been that the attack was the best defense for Thebes, but after his death they returned to their traditional strategy: they were happy with the control over a few small cities in Boeotia. The remains of her once formidable military power were completely diminished during several small, but exhausting, skirmishes with other cities in northern Hellas. The hegemony of Thebes had not even lasted for a decade...

 

Next Tuesday, continuation of Ancient Greek Military:

Alexander The Great

[LaDivaLoca]

A good morning to my fellow Canteeners,
our Military, Veterans, Allies and your families



Have a wonderful day!


See you all later.

[scouse]

I believe that today is also the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

[Looking for Diogenes]

Interesting. Here is an entry from Wikipedia:
["Devoted Brothers in Arms" = "The Sacred Band"]

********************************************************

Gorgidas was a Theban military leader of the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite corps of paired Theban gay lovers.

The reasoning behind the Sacred Band was that lovers would fight more fiercely and more cohesively at each other's sides than would strangers with no homoerotic bonds. The Sacred Band was 150 pairs of lovers, a total of three hundred men led them to their gallant end on the blood-drenched field of Chaeronea, in 338 B.C.E.

Plutarch chronicled their exploits. Gorgidas, around 378 BC first established the Sacred Band by shoosing couple from his army. Plato had first proposed such a troop in the Symposium: "If there were only some way of contriving that a state or an army should be made up of lovers and their loves, they would be the very best governors of their own city, abstaining from all dishonour, and emulating one another in honour; and when fighting at each other's side, although a mere handful, they would overcome the world. For what lover would not choose rather to be seen by all mankind than by his beloved, either when abandoning his post or throwing away his arms? He would be ready to die a thousand deaths rather than endure this. Or who would desert his beloved or fail him in the hour of danger? The veriest coward would become an inspired hero, equal to the bravest, at such a time; Love would inspire him.?

Plutarch in his Life of Pelopidas said this was Gorgidas' inspiration: ?Since the lovers, ashamed to be base in sight of their beloved, and the beloved before their lovers, willingly rush into danger for the relief of one another.?

The Sacred Band was at first dispersed throughout the front ranks of the regular infantry, with the idea that they would inspire valour, but they were latter arrayed as a unit in order to make their gallantry more conspicuous.

After Thebes was conquered in the Peloponnesian War in 404, bands of guerilla troops fought with the Spartan troops, becoming fierce warriors. Pelopidas recaptured a Theban fortress in 379 and he assumed the command of the Sacred Band in which he fought alongside his former lover General Epaminondas.

The Sacred Band under Pelopidas fought the Spartans in Tegyra, vanquishing an army that was at least three times their number.

The Sacred Band was also responsible for the victory of Leuctra in 371 BC, called by Pausanias the most decisive battle ever fought by Greeks against Greeks. Leuctra established Theban independence from Spartan rule, and laid the groundwork for the expansion of Theban power.

The Sacred Band was eventually destroyed by Philip II of Macedon, who had been held as a hostage in Thebes, and had learned his military tactics there. The remainder of the Theban army fled when faced with the overwhelming forces of Philip and his son Alexander, but the Sacred Band, surrounded, held their ground and died where they stood. Only forty six were taken alive.

Plutarch records the words of Philip, touring the field after the battle in his Life of Pelopidas:?lying all where they had faced the long spears of his phalanx, with their armour, and mingled one with another, he was amazed, and on learning that this was the band of lovers and beloved, shed tears and said, ?Perish miserably they who think that these men did or suffered aught disgraceful!? Philip buried their bodies with honor, setting up the Lion of Chaeronea over them. The grave was excavated in 1881, confirming Plutarch's account.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Diva.

[Radix]

the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

 

Interesting, I can remember walking down Congress Street in Boston, right by the HMS Beaver (Boston Tea Parrty ship replica). On 16 December 1973. There was no indication that the day was different from any other. I saw no evidence if a ceremony of any kind. Granted, the "Museum" was rather new at the time. Still, I did expect to see some official notice. Perhaps, I just missed it. Thanks for the reminder.

 

 Incidently, I worked on the 2nd floor in that buiding in this image. There used to be an Electric Company there on the 1st floor. The rest of the building was warehouse space for a number of different companies, but now (I believe) it is a site full of high priced condos.  The Victoria Station restaurant was a nice restaurant in the forefront of the building. It was comprised of old freight trains and stuff.  Out of sight in the image just  to the immediate right is the Boston Children's Museum. I do not get to be in that area very often, anymore, but most of those establishments are (I believe) moved along.

 

 

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

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[JohnHuang2]

Kudos to the brave men and women of the 4Th ID for nabbing Saddam! God bless them, and God bless all our troops!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

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[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Kudos to the brave men and women of the 4Th ID for nabbing Saddam! God bless them, and God bless all our troops!"

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[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

[The Mayor]

Linda, the message is hidden in the cup everyday.. : )

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

To keep growing in Christ, keep going to church.

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Idaho (BB-42)

New Mexico class battleship
displacement. 32,000 t.
length. 624'
beam. 97'5"
draft. 30'
speed. 21 k.
complement. 1,081
armament. 12 14", 14 5", 4 3", 2 21" tt.

The USS Idaho (BB-42) was launched by New York shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J., 30 June 1917; sponsored by Miss H. A. Limons, granddaughter of the Governor of Idaho; and commissioned 24 March 1919, Captain C. T. Vogelgesang In command.

Idaho sailed 13 April for shakedown training out of Guantanamo Bay, and after returning to New York received President Pessoa of Brazil for the voyage to Rio de Janeiro. Departing 6 July with her escort, the battleship arrived Rio 17 July 1919 . From there she set course for the Panama Canal, arriving Monterey, Calif., in September to join the Pacific Fleet. She joined other dreadnoughts in training exercises and reviews, including a Fleet Review by President Wilson 13 September 1919. In 1920 the battleship carried Secretary Daniels and the Secretary of the Interior on an inspection tour of Alaska.

Upon her return from Alaska 22 July 1920 Idaho took part in fleet maneuvers off the California coast and as far south as Chile. She continued this important training until 1925, taking part in numerous ceremonies on the West Coast during the interim. Idaho took part in the fleet review held by President Harding in Seattle shortly before his death In 1923. The battleship sailed 15 April 1925 for Hawaii, participated in war games until 1 July, and then got underway for Samoa, Australia, and New Zealand. On the return voyage Idaho embarked gallant Comdr. John Rodgers and his seaplane crew after their attempt to fly to Hawaii, arriving San Francisco 24 September 1925.

For the next 6 years Idaho operated out of San Pedro on training and readiness operations off California and in the Caribbean. She sailed from San Pedro 7 September 1931 for the East Coast, entering Norfolk Nary Yard 30 September for modernization. The veteran battleship received better armor, "blister" antisubmarine protection, and better machinery during this extensive overhaul. Gone were the "cage" masts that were such a distinguishing feature of American battleships of her era, now replaced with a tower superstructure supporting up-to-date gunfire controls. After completion 9 October 1934 the ship conducted shakedown in the Caribbean before returning to her home port, San Pedro, 17 April 1935.

As war clouds gathered in the Pacific, the fleet increased the tempo of its training operations. Idaho carried out fleet tactics and gunnery exercises regularly until arriving with the battle fleet at Pearl Harbor 1 July 1940. The ship sailed for Hampton Roads 6 June 1941 to perform Atlantic neutrality patrol, a vital part of U.S. policy in the early days of the European fighting. She moved to Iceland In September to protect American advance bases and was on station at Hvalfjordur when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 and catapulted America into the war.

Idaho and sister ship Mississippi departed Iceland 2 days after Pearl Harbor to join the Pacific Fleet, and arrived San Francisco via Norfolk and the Panama Canal 31 January 1942. She conducted additional battle exercises in California waters and out of Pearl Harbor until October 1942, when she entered Puget Sound Navy Yard to be regunned. Upon completion of this work Idaho again took part in battle exercises, and sailed 7 April 1943 for operations in the bleak Aleutians. There she was flagship of the bombardment and patrol force around Attu, where she gave gunfire support to the Army landings 11 May 1943. During the months that followed she concentrated on Kiska, culminating in an assault 15 August. The Japanese were found to have evacuated island in late July, thus abandoning their last foothold in the Aleutians.

Idaho returned to San Francisco 7 September 1943 to prepare for the invasion of the Gilbert islands. Moving to Pearl Harbor, she got underway with the assault fleet 10 November and arrived off Makin Atoll 20 November. She supported the fighting ashore with accurate gunfire support and antiaircraft fire, remaining in the Gilbert until sailing for Pearl Harbor 5 December 1943.

Next on the Pacific timetable was the invasion of the Marshalls, and the veteran battleship arrived off Kwajalein early 31 January to soften up shore positions. Again she hurled tons of shells into Japanese positions until 5 February, when the outcome was one of certain victory. After replenishing at Majuro she bombarded other islands in the group, then moved to Kavieng, New Ireland, for a diversionary bombardment 20 March 1944.

Idaho returned to the New Hebrides 25 March, and after a short stay In Australia arrived Kwajalein with a group of escort carriers 8 June. From there the ships steamed to the Marianas, where Idaho began a preinvasion bombardment of Saipan 14 June. With this brilliantly executed landing assault underway 15 June, the battleship moved to Guam for bombardment assignments. As the American fleet decimated Japanese carrier air power in the Battle of the Philippine Sea 19 to 21 June, Idaho protected the precious transport area and reserve convoys. After returning briefly to Eniwetok 28 June to 9 July the ship began preinvasion bombardment of Guam 12 July, and continued the devastating shelling until the main assault eight days later. As ground troops battled for the island, Idaho stood offshore providing vital support until anchoring at Eniwetok 2 August 1944.

The ship continued to Espiritu Santo and entered a floating dry dock 15 August for repairs to her blisters. After landing rehearsals on Guadalcanal in early September, Idaho moved to Peleliu 12 September and began bombarding the island, needed as a staging base for the invasion of the Philippines. Despite the furious bombardment, Japanese entrenchments gave assault forces stiff opposition, and the battleship remained off Peleliu until 24 September providing the all-important fire support for advancing marines. She then sailed for Manus and eventually to Bremerton, Wash., where she arrived for needed repairs 22 October 1944. This was followed by battle practice off California.

Idaho's mighty guns were need for the next giant amphibious assault on the way to Japan. She sailed from San Diego 20 January 1945 to join a battleship group at Pearl Harbor. After rehearsals she steamed from the Marianas 14 February for the in vasion of Iwo Jima. As marines stormed ashore 19 February Idaho was again blasting enemy positions with her big guns. She remained off Iwo Jima until 7 March, when she underway for Ulithi and the last of the great Pacific assaults-Okinawa.

Idaho sailed 21 March 1945 as part of Rear Admiral Deyo's Gunfire and Covering Group and flagship of Bombardment Unit 4. She arrived offshore 25 March and began silencing enemy shore batteries and pounding installations. The landings began 1 April, and as the Japanese made a desperate attempt to drive the vast fleet away with suicide attacks, Idaho's gunners shot down numerous planes. In a massed attack 12 April the battleship shot down five kamikazes before suffering damage to her port blisters from a near-miss. After temporary repairs she sailed 20 April and arrived Guam five days later.

The veteran of so many of the landings of the Pacific quickly completed repairs and returned to Okinawa 22 May to resume fire support. Idaho remained until 20 June 1945, then sailed for battle maneuvers in Leyte Gulf until hostilities ceased 15 August 1945.

Idaho made her triumphal entry into Tokyo Bay with occupation troops 27 August, and witnessed the signing of the surrender on board Missouri 2 September. Four days later she began the long voyage to the East Coast of the United States, steaming via the Panama Canal to Norfolk 16 October 1945. She decommissioned 3 July 1946 and was placed in reserve until sold for scrap 24 November 1947 to Lipsett Inc., of New York City.

Idaho received seven battle stars for World War II service.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

From the men in the Military and the Canteen

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

CLICK HERE for Troop Prayer Thread 9

Thank You TEXOKIE

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Excerpt from the Remarks by President Bush in honor of Independence Day
United States Air Force Museum, Dayton, Ohio | July 4, 2003

"...Our nation is still at war. The enemies of America plot against us.
And many of our fellow citizens are still serving and sacrificing
and facing danger in distant places.
Many military families are separated. Our people in uniform do not have easy duty,
and much depends on their success. Without America's active involvement in the world,
the ambitions of tyrants would go unopposed, and millions would live at the mercy of terrorists.
With Americans' active involvement in the world, tyrants learn to fear, and terrorists are on the run..."

Click on a service emblem to send an online
Thank You to a service man or woman in any branch.

Army	Navy	Marines	Air Force	Coast Guard

[E.G.C.]

And a very pleasant good morning to all of our military at home and abroad. Thanks for your continued service to our country.

Good morning to everyone also here at the Freeper Canteen. It's been a little bit windy here the last couple of days. Hanging on to what we can here in SW Ok.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

To every service man or woman reading this thread.
Thank You for your service to our country.
No matter where you are stationed,
No matter what your job description
Know that we are are proud of each and everyone of you.

To our military readers, we remain steadfast in keeping the Canteen doors open.
The Canteen is Free Republics longest running daily thread specifically designed
to provide entertainment and morale support for the military.
The doors have been open since Oct 7 2001,
the day of the start of the war in Afghanistan.
We are indebted to you for your sacrifices for our Freedom.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Good Morning E.G.C. !