Sundries & Such.

This is coolbert:

Herewith a number of miscellaneous items from a variety of sources each with a military dimension

First and thanks to the tip from Al:

1. Tungsten 1914. The Great War. WW1.

"It was the belief of some Allied military experts that in six months Germany would be exhausted of ammunition. The Allies soon discovered that Germany was increasing her manufacture of munitions and for a time had exceeded the output of the Allies."

"The change was in part due to her use of tungsten high-speed steel and tungsten cutting tools. To the bitter amazement of the British, the tungsten so used, it was later discovered, came largely from their Cornish Mines in Cornwall."

Tungsten a by-product of the mining and smelting of tin! Those tin mines of Cornwall ancient and historically vital to weapons and munitions manufacture even from the time of the Bronze Age!!

Now as extracted from the excellent Internet web site The Mad Monarchist:

2. War of 1812.

"It is worth remembering that one of the reasons for the War of 1812, cited by the United States, was the conscription of U.S. citizens into the Royal Navy. In fact, most of these were men who had been British sailors who had 'jumped ship' for the peace and better wages of the American merchant marine and who had then taken U.S. citizenship. However, in those days, the British government did not recognize the right of any British subject to renounce their nationality. You were British by virtue of the blood in your veins and some piece of paper from the American republic could not change that or absolve you of your allegiance to your lawful king"

Aspects of this I was not aware of. American citizens forcibly impressed into military service by the Royal Navy a casus belli. American citizens however by choice and not necessarily birth, still by the British considered to be subjects of the Crown!!

Additionally and finally as extracted from an article as seen at the Internet web site isegoria.net:

3. Sanctions Hermit Kingdom.

"Remember that economic sanctions are not measures short of war but, as Herbert Hoover and others reminded us, measures of total war. Sanctions foster government control and rationing, do not injure the military, and victimize merchants and intellectuals. Avoid the creation of 'hermit kingdoms'"

KOREA! Long referred to as the "Hermit Kingdom" and a reputation for isolation that was well deserved.

Sanctions not necessarily an act of war in all instances and not always a measure of war as I understand it. Close but not totally so in all circumstances.

coolbert.