The Apache are a collection of Southern-Athabaskan speaking Indigenous peoples who historically inhabited what is now the American southwest and Mexico. They are popularly known for their historical resistance to US expansion as well as their constant state of conflict with the state of Mexico. Some historians even claim that the Apache are the first insurgents ever encountered by the American army. Their tactics and approach to war speaks of a people that equate warfare with total societal war, meaning everyone in the community plays a role and their spirituality, their economy, politics and social interactions all contribute to the Apache way of war.

To help us dive into this subject our guest today is Robert Watt. Robert is a military historian with research interests in the North American Indian Wars 1750-1886 with a primary focus on the Apache Wars of 1860-1886 and, in particular, the study of the Victorio Campaign of 1877-1881. He has written a trilogy of books on the Victorio Campaign of 1877-1881 (2017-2019), several academic articles on the Apache and the US Army, and two Osprey books on Apache Tactics and ‘Apache Warrior’. His article on Victorio’s Tres Castillos campaign was awarded a Moncado Prize by the Society of Military History in 2017.

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On October 26th news broke of the passing of Canadian historian Tim Cook. Tim was a leading voice in the field of Canadian military history and the chief historian and director of research at the Canadian War museum. He is someone I personally have known for most of my academic career and he has been a mentor at times for me during a variety of ups and downs throughout my career. In August I had the pleasure of interviewing Tim about his most recent book The Good Allies, and with the news of his passing I thought it fitting to release this episode right away.

When the Second World War broke out in 1939, it set in motion a deadly struggle between the Axis powers and the Allies, but also fraught negotiations between and among the Allies. On questions of diplomacy, economic policy, industrial might, military capabilities, and even national sovereignty, thousands of lives and the fate of the free world depended on back-room deals and desperate trade-offs between soldiers, diplomats, and leaders.

In North America, Canada and the US strained to forge a new military alliance to guard their coasts and fend off German U-boats and the menace of a Japanese invasion. Wartime economies were entwined to produce a staggering contribution of weapons to keep Britain and other allies in the war. The defence of North America against enemy threats was essential before the US and Canada could send armies, navies, and air forces overseas

Don't forget to check out Curious Canadian History! The other Canyon Entertainment podcast hosted by David Borys

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The Sacred Band of Thebes was an elite military unit of 300 highly trained heavy infantry soldiers (hoplites), famously composed of 150 pairs of male lovers. Formed in the 4th century BCE the Thebans, who came from a uniquely gay-tolerant society, believed that soldiers would fight more ferociously to protect their partners and to avoid showing cowardice in front of them. They were not wrong. The Sacred Band quickly became the shock troops of the Theban army and one of the most dominant phalanx formations of the Ancient Greek world. While most people think of the Spartans when they think of Greek military excellence in the classical world most would also be surprised to know that the Sacred Band went on to not only defeat the Spartans but establish Thebes as a dominant, albeit short-term, power in Greece.

James Romm is Professor of Classics at Bard College and author of numerous books on Greek history and culture, including, Plato and the Tyrant: The Fall of Greece's Greatest Dynasty and the Making of a Philosophic Masterpiece (Norton). Most recently he has published his biography of Demosthenes as part of Yale's Ancient Lives series.

Don't forget to check out Curious Canadian History! The other Canyon Entertainment podcast hosted by David Borys

You can purchase a copy of Punching Above Our Weight: The Canadian Military at War Since 1867 right now at the below links:

Amazon

Indigo

Dundurn

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Indiebookstores.ca

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.