War Horse

Christmas Day I sat in a very full movie theater and experienced a crowd so moved by what they had watched they cheered and clapped at the end of the movie.    It’s such a rare occurrence.   I think I can count on one hand the times in my life where I’ve witnessed clapping after a movie, but the particular movie I saw deserved it.  I just have to wonder how many of those people realized they enjoyed a story that was originally published as juvenile fiction.

Yes!   The movie War Horse was originally published as a book for young adults in 1982 by Michael Morpungo.

The movie could be summed up by five words – a boy and his horse – but it’s so much more than that.   While the main storyline involves a very special horse and a young man who owns him there are other story lines as well involving duty, responsibility, patriotism, etc.  Morpungo expertly weaves a tale about the horse and various people he meets before and during the course of World War I. 

 

The horse ends up entering the war when he is sold to an English cavalry officer.  From there the horse ends up pulling ambulance wagons for the Germans, living with a French girl and her grandfather, and then has the arduous task of pulling German artillery before miraculously meeting up with his owner again following the Second Battle of the Somme in 1918.

Once the horse entered military service I couldn’t help but think with every new scene how great it would be to use the movie in the classroom to enhance a World War I unit.  The realism of no man’s land, the mud and muck of trench warfare, the gas, the barbed wire, the stories where men from both sides would meet up at times under a flag of truce within no man’s land were all part of the real war.  There are many facets of War Horse that would help students key in on content they have learned in the classroom regarding the Great War.

One aspect of the war I have never taught is the use of horses.   One million horses died on the British side alone.  Most folks learn World War I was the first war with modern technology.  This is true since it was the first war where the tank, motorized vehicles, poison gas, etc., were used, but it was actually a war where warfare was in transition.   Cavalry units were used as portrayed in the movie, and as more and more machine guns were utilized the cavalry units were phased out.  In fact, trench warfare had made the cavalry superfluous.   The Germans had disbanded theirs by the end of 1917.

One of the key scenes in the movie involves a disastrous cavalry charge by the British which was filmed appropriately at Stratfield Saye House in North Hampshire, the estate of the Duke of Wellington who along with his charger, Copenhagen, became famous for their heroic exploits during the Napoleonic Wars.  This site indicates:

Copenhagen and the Duke became synonymous and even in retirement from war they remained together.  The Iron Duke, as he was affectionately known, become Prime Minister of Britain in 1828 and rode Copenhagen up Downing Street to No. 10 to take up his new position of leadership….When the great horse died in 1836, at the remarkable age of 29, he was given a funeral with full military honors.  

As technology took over the role of horses began to change.  Since horses were better at traveling over mud and rough terrain many were used for logistical support as many of the scenes in War Horse supported.

   

Artist Alfred Munnings is considered to be Great Britain’s finest painter of horses, and during World War I he worked as a war artist where he painted many scenes and often worked a few thousand yards from the German lines.

One particular painting by Munnings is titled Charge of Flowerdew’s Squadron 1918, seen below, which portrays what is described as “the last great cavalry charge” during the Battle of Moreuil Wood.  

Flowerdew’s squadron rode into the fire of fine infantry companies….more than half of the men in C Squadron were killed.   Flowerdew was fatally wounded.

This link is about another horse and its rider during the Battle of Moreuil Wood.   The article and the recollections regarding the cavalry charge have many similarities to the cavalry charge in the movie War Horse.


I have a feeling War Horse will be receiving several awards over the next year, and I highly recommend the movie to everyone who wants to see an emotional and interesting movie regarding historical content. 

Ring Around the History Topic: A Method of Review

What you see here is a little booklet a group of students created in my classroom once we completed our study of World War I. It’s very simple…just a ring binder and unlined index cards.

The activity begins by asking groups of students to review the notes in their notebook. Working with group members they should create a series of factual statements tracing the events of World War I. Statements should be fairly simple and straightforward.

The number of statements created should correspond to the number of students in the classroom. For this particular activity we needed 18 statements. Class size determines how many statements should be assigned. Now…..before you tell me how lucky I am that in this particular group I only had 18 students let me remind you that the actual class size was larger, but a few of my special needs students had been pulled out for the review and were working with the special needs teacher. Usually this activity would require 24 or 25 statements.

Once students work through their notes and determine which statements best illustrate the event we are studying they use chart paper to write their statements. Sometimes each group uses a different color to write their statements so that they can identify their work once the charts are hanging at various locations around the room.

Once all the charts are hanging up I ask students to grab a clipboard and walk the room. They should look for statements that are similar and statements that different. Do they see any statements that shouldn’t belong? Do they see any statements that don’t really get to the meat of the topic? I ask students to do this part of the activity on their own….no sharing.

Once students have had an opportunity to visit each chart I ask them to return to their original group. At that point they should share what they have discovered, and even it if means cutting out things from their own chart and adding statements from the other groups, they should arrive at a the best series of 18 statements they can.

Finally, I come into the picture. We tackle each statement number, and as a whole class we vote and decide which statement should number 1, number 2, number 3, etc. I write these on the board.

The next day I show students 18 index cards. Across the bottom of each card I have written one fact. On the back of each card I’ve recorded the number that corresponds to the fact. Each student is given one card at random. Their job at that point is to illustrate the fact as best they can.

What we finally end up with is a little booklet that tells the story in basic form regarding World War I. I’ve included our cards below. These little booklets really come in handy later in the year when we are reviewing even more content for that state test that looms in front of us every April.

Here are our little book pages....I've included the captions in case you can't make them. You can click on each page to make the picture larger.....

The causes of World War I were nationalism, militarism, imperialism, and a system of alliances.

Nationalism is having pride in your country. This can lead to “My country is better than your country.”
Imperialism….many countries like France and England made colonies out of other countries to have more power.
Militarism…to protect themselves and compete with each other many countries formed large armies.
Because so many countries were competing with armies and colonies they needed to develop friendships and alliances. “We will help each other if we are attacked.”

On June 28, 1914 events reached a boiling point when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria Hungary was assassinated.

World War I was the first war where the tank and airplane was used.

Poison gas suffocated many soldiers.

Machine guns killed more soldiers than ever before.

Men lived, fought, and died in trenches. Each side was divided by no-mans land.

Germany knew they couldn’t defeat the British navy. They decided to form blockades and use u-boats to sink ships.

The U.S. was upset when Germany sank the ship, Lusitania. 128 Americans lost their lives.

President Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 2, 1917. The U.S. was now in the fight.

In order to have enough soldiers President Wilson signed the Selective Service Act. Healthy unmarried men were drafted to fight.

With so many men fighting American women had to take over jobs that were normally held by men.
President Wilson created the Food Administration to encourage farmers to raise more food.

Americans planted victory gardens so more food could go to the soldiers.

Many Americans bought savings bonds to help pay for the cost of the war.


World War I finally came to an end on November 11, 1918 the day the Treaty of Versailles was signed.

13 Battles Involving Thunderstorms

Some of our greatest battles occurred during severe thunderstorms. Here are a few….check out the links for more information.

1.Battle of Ox Hill (Chantilly)- took place in Chantilly, Virginia on September 1, 1862 during the Civil War. Out numbered 3 to 1, in the dark of night, with a terrible storm all around them…first [Union] General Stevens, then [Union] General Kearny were both killed in action. Stevens [was killed] while actually leading a charge up Ox Hill towards Jackson’s main column on Little River Turnpike, and Kearny [was killed] while riding his horse, alone, into a cornfield trying to determine where the Confederates were and where to send his men….after Stevens charge had been repelled. Stevens charge and Kearny’s rallying ride held the Confederates in check for the night, and gave the rest of the Union army enough time to escape. Congress later named a special medal for honor and valor after Kearny…the Congressional Medal of Honor.

2.Battle of Nanshan-occurred during the Russo-Japanese War on May 25, 1904 outside the present-day city of Dalian, Liaoning, China. During a heavy thunderstorm, the Japanese Fourth Division attacked the walled town of Chinchou (modern-day Jinzhou), just north of Nanzan hill. Despite being defeated by no more than 400 men with antiquated artillery, the Fourth Division failed on two attempts to breach its gates. Two battalions from the First Division attacked independently …finally breaching the defenses and taking the town. With his flank thus secure, General Oku could then commence the main assault on the entrenched Russian forces on Nanshan hill. The Japanese infantry was assisted by a prolonged artillery barrage from Japanese gunboats offshore.

3.Battle of Kursk- was an important battle that took place between the Germans and Soviets from July to August, 1943, during World War II. The battle occurred at Kursk, in Western Russia….[The battle involved] more than 2 million men and 3000 tanks. Kursk has been called the greatest tank battle in history and cost Germany more than 100,000 men and irreparable losses to its previously invincible tank divisions. From this site...the ground was waterlogged, and the weather during the battle featured occaisional thunderstorms….some hampered movements and the roads were in very poor shape.

4.Battle of Monterey Pass-occurred on July 4, 1863 during the Civil War. This battle is one of the most confusing battles of the Civil War and occurred during the retreat from Gettysburg ordered by General Robert E. Lee…Darkness set in during a blinding rainstorm. The Confederates wearing gum blankets, were mistaken as Union troops by General Kilpatrick’s Union calvary and were mixed in with the Union troops.

5.Battle of Evesham- happened during England’s Second Baron’s War and resulted in the defeat of Simon de Montfort against Edward I. The battle began around eight in the morning as a severe thunderstorm began. The battle was a massacre with Simon de Montfort body severely mutiliated….his head, hands, feet, and testicles cut off.

6.Battle of Oriskany – fought during the American Revolution near Oriskany, New York on August 6, 1777. Wikipedia advises this battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign. It also has the distinction of being one of the few battles of the war where almost all of the participants were North American: Loyalists and Native Americans fought against Patriots in the absence of British soldiers…A violent thunderstorm caused a one-hour lull in the battle.

7. Battle of the Hydaspes River – involved Alexander the Great and his men in 325 BC. Alexander wanted to enter India, but this battle proved it would not happen. The Hydaspes was the last major battle fought by Alexander. Although victorious, Alexander’s exhausted army mutinied and refused to go any further into India.

8. Battle of Messines-was fought during World War I in June, 1917. One of the key features of the battle was the detonation of 19 mines immediately prior to the infantry assault, a tactic which disrupted German defenses and allowed advancing troops to secure their objectives in rapid fashion. The attack which was a prelude to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele…At 3:10, the order was given across the line to detonate the mines, which totaled 600 tons of explosives. Of the 21 mines laid 19 were exploded. General Plumer remarked to his staff the evening before the attack, “Gentlemen, we may not make history tomorrow, but we shall certainly change the geography.”…The crest was blown off the Messines-Wytschaete ridge. Audible in Dublin and by Lloyd George in his Downing Street study, the combined sound of the simultaneous mine explosions comprised the loudest man-made explosion until that point. Of the two mines which remained undetonated on 7 June, the details of their precise location were mislaid by the British following the war, to the discomfort of local townspeople. One of the mines was detonated in a thunderstorm on 17 June 1955: the only casualty was a dead cow. The second mine remains undetected, although in recent years its location is believed to have been pinpointed. No-one has as yet attempted its recovery.

9. Battle of Puebla – Ever hear of Cinco de Mayo? This battle occurred on May 5, 1862 between Mexico and France. At some point during this battle heavy rains created a quagmire on the field. Learn more here.

10. Battle of Rain – this battle occurred during the Thirty Years War and is also referred to as the Battle of Lech….I included this battle only to be cute. No rain fell from the sky, but the battle did take place close to the city of Rain, Bavaria. Read about it here.

11. Battle of the Clouds – this battle is also known as the Battle of Warren, Battle of Whitehorse Tavern, or the Battle of Goshen and was fought on September 16, 1777 close to Malvern, Pennsylvania. Moments before a British attack a torrential downpour ensued. Washington and the Patriots were severely outnumbered and tens of thousands of cartridges were ruined by the rain. Washington opted for tactical retreat. Bogged down by rain and mud, the British allowed Washington and his army to escape.

12. Battle of Agincourt- October 1415…Having invaded France, Henry V met a formidable army at Agincourt, a village in the north east. The odds against him seemed hopeless—his troops were exhausted, hungry, suffering from dysentery and hopelessly outnumbered by the enemy. Their plight grew even worse the night before battle, when rain pelted down and, with very little shelter, the English were left soaking wet. Visit the link to find out who won.

13.Okinawa- 82 days of battle between the United States and Japan from March to June, 1945 with one of the highest number of casualties of any World War Two engagement: the Japanese lost over 100,000 troops, and the Allies (mostly United States) suffered more than 50,000 casualties. The much talked-about “plum rains” of Okinawa were to set in and continue day after day. Mud was to become king, and it was impossible to mount large-scale attacks during and immediately after the storms.

Wordless: Anarchy!

This is an image of Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman. They were both convicted of conspiracy against the law and sentenced to two years in the penitentary. They both were fined $10,000 each as well on July 9, 1917.

Based on the year of the conviction you should be able to tell me what war was involved.

After her release from prison she was arrested again and deported to Russia where she was first supportive of the Russian Revolution, but eventually spoke out against the violence and supression of independent voices.

The Emma Goldman Papers is a good site to start with if you want to find out more about her.

A great source for historical images can be found at Teaching Politics

Today is Wordless Wednesday. You can find other bloggers participating by clicking here

Out and About in the Blogosphere

What’s it going to take to fix education? Renewing NCLB? Throwing money at more programs? Giving ME more money for classroom materials? Getting YOUR candidate into the White House? Buying your newest book, video, or program? No, no, no, no….none of those. Mamacita’s got the answer in one simple word…BEHAVIOR.

Recently I updated my history links….several new links over there in my “history academics, topics, and educators” blogroll. Check it out!

Ms. Chili has a display up for Black History Month, and she knows the secret….make them interactive.

The Echoes of the Bugle Fades Away is Ms. Cornelius’ notice that there is only one World War I veteran left to tell the story.

I thought this post for Wordless Wednesday was interesting. Yes, it is the Statue of Liberty, but those are many, many soldiers forming it. Read all about it over there!

This Thursday Thirteen provides some interesting information regarding wild west outlaws and Kitschy-Kitschy-Coo is an interesting site regarding collecting. This post is about collecting vintage greeting cards and provides an interesting look at preserving history.

History Is Elementary has been reviewed not once but twice. I appreciate the honest reviews. We learn and grow when we have input from others.

Forgotten Soldiers of the Great War

The Heritage of the Great War has a section which is dedicated to color images taken during World War I. The picture I posted this week for my Wordless image (click over and look at it) is of North African soldiers, mainly Algerians, cooking their meal during the Great War. The location is Oise, France in 1917.

It doesn’t look like France, does it?

I like to show this image to students because it teachers them images can be deceiving sometimes. What we think we know may not always be relevant, and we must always be willing to accept alternatives to our way of thinking. For example, most of us would not have dated the picture during the Great War (1914-1918) because we assume that the time period is too early for color photography. Most of us assume this because the images we have seen during this time period are black and white. The webpage I’ve linked to goes into an explanation regarding the color images. Here’s a sample:

The first experiments with color photography were carried out in 1904 near Lyon in France, where father Lumière owned a photographic factory. In 1907 the Lumière brothers patented the autochrome process they had invented.

The picture of the Algerians [in my Wordless image] was made with such an autochrome plate. Microscopic grains of potato starch were dyed red, green, and blue-violet, then mixed evenly and coated onto a sheet of glass. A black-and-white emulsion was then flowed over this layer.

During exposure, the grains of potato starch on each plate acted as millions of tiny filters. The light-sensitive emulsion was then reversal processed into a positive transparency.

When viewed, light passes through the emulsion and is filtered to the proper color by the starch grains. The resulting mosaic of glowing dots on glass gives autochromes the look of pointillist paintings.Autochromes were the first true color pictures, and the only industrial color photography process until 1935.

The web page points you to some specific pages where other autochrome images can be found. If you visit make sure you have some time to look around. This site is rather large. It contains many images and great articles. If you plan to use it with students I suggest you consider their age and maturity. Many images are rather graphic. I have used images from this site for my fourth and fifth grade studnets, however, they don’t have free access to it. I generally bookmark what I want them to see or present it in another format.

Now I’d like to turn away from the aspect of the early uses of color photography to examine the use of African troops during World War I. Many of the Algerian solders were known as the Terrible Turcos. It is said they fought so fiercely their French General had a difficult time holding them back when facing a larger enemy force. Many of the Germans were afraid of them. Algerians weren’t the only Africans involved in World War I. Troops from Senegal (seen in the image above) were also used by the French, and the British utilized South Africans. Over 500,000 African troops were used mainly by the French and British to bolster their armies. China, Japan, India, Egypt, and Canada also participated in providing laborers. Very few saw actual combat. Their strength was used mainly for manual labor such as building bridges and unloading ships.

So why would Africans be so willing to help France and Britain during the war? Usually nations assist nations because of ongoing treaties and alliances. In fact, a web of alliances is the main reason we refer to the Great War as a “world” war. However, France and Britain received assistance from some of the nations of Africa not because of desired alliances but because of imperialism which many of the world’s superpowers had been engaging in for quite sometime. France held Algeria and Senegal as colonies and Britain was involved with South Africa. It was only natural to the mother countries to utilize the full resources their colonies afforded them.
One of the saddest and mostly forgotten stories regarding the assistance of African soldiers has to do with a troop ship known as the SS Mendi.

On February 21, 1917 the steamship Mendi was carrying over 600 South Africans who were crossing the English Channel on their way to France through heavy fog. These particular men would not be bearing arms, but would be working as laborers. The SS Darro, a heavily loaded mailship broadsided the Mendi causing it to list sharply to starboard. Lifeboats could not be lowered from that side of the ship and the portside lifeboats were not sufficient to carry all of the men….many of the troops had never seen an ocean and many did not know how to swim. Some jumped from the deck sliding into extremely cold water. The fog made it difficult to see everyone. Many succumbed to the cold.

Another large number simply went down with the ship. Rev. Isaac Dyobha, a chaplain, attempted to calm and rally the men left on the deck. At Dyobha’s urging the men removed their boots and began dancing a death dance. Dyobha encouraged the men by saying:

"Be quiet and calm, my countrymen. What is happening now is what you came to do ... you are going to die, but that is what you came to do ... I, a Xhosa, say you are my brothers ... Swazis, Pondos, Basotho ... so let us die like brothers. We are the sons of Africa ..."

Twenty-five minutes after the Darro had nearly cut the Mendi in two the sinking ship could no longer be seen. The death dancers were gone. The Darro offered no assistance to help with recovery; however another ship, the HMS Brisk, picked up scattered survivors. There was no official recognition from the British government to the families of the dead and missing. No member of the troops who were on the ship received a medal or ribbon. Based on a decision by the South African government only the white officers on board with the troops received any recognition.

An inquiry was held regarding the actions of the Darro and the captain of the ship was blamed for the accident. The ship was suspended for one year from use. Since that fateful day when so many men lost their lives divers hunted for the wreckage. It was finally located in very deep waters in 1945; however it was not officially identified as the Mendi until 1974. Once Apartheid ended in South Africa the history of the Mendi finally entered collective thought. Since then there have been many attempts to honor the dead and to place their memory into the history of World War I.

I like to teach this little known aspect of World War I because it gives a great global aspect to the problem of race relations far removed from the events of the American Civil War.
Those who want to learn more might want to see Let Us Die Like Brothers, a documentary produced by the History Channel and the Commonweath War Graves Commission.