The Danger Zone (DZ)

Only 15% of American soldiers in World War II, when being attacked by Japanese troops in a suicidal banzai charge, actually fired their weapons at the enemy. True or false? Tag words: banzai charge; phalanx; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; John Keegan; Greeks; hoplites; SLA Marshall; Men Against Fire; Professor Roger Spiller; Vasily Grossman; A Writer at War; blood up; German Landskne...

As the two heavily armed and armoured phalanxes of Greeks finally collided to begin the decisive struggle to determine the victor, the sound made by that collision wasn’t the sound you would have expected. Very far from it. More of that later in the programme. Tag words: Phalanx; charge; hoplite army; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; Plutarch; Corinthian helmet; trot; Spartans; Thebans...

Herodotus tells us that  no Greek could hear even the word Persian without terror . But then Greece found itself in a battle for survival against this power. How was it possible for the Greeks to face and defeat this all powerful empire? Tag words: Persians; hoplites; Herodotus; Histories; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; Spartans; skirmishers; cavalry; Greek warfare; phalanx; Thucydid...

Fill in the blank: Had it not been for the SOMETHING I do not think that we should have won the war. I’ll give you the answer later in the programme. Victor Davis Hanson. Les Carylon. William Manchester. Larry Siedentop. John Keegan. Tag words: CS Lewis; chronological snobbery; Greek phalanx; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; Les Carylon; The Great War; William Manchester; Goodbye to Da...

Who issued this legendary order:  All privates will retreat, all commanders will cover their withdrawal. Victor Davis Hanson Tag words: Phalanx; Persians; Aemilius Paulus; Battle of Pydna; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; Spartans; Battle of Plataea; Thucididyes; History of the Peloponnesian War; hoplites; Aratos; Aristophanies; god Phobos; god Pan; Nelson Mandela; Guderian; Rommel; Is...

True or false? You could grab a Greek’s spear and break its head off with your bare hands. Victor Davis Hanson. Tag words: Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; hoplite; thrusting spear; Persians; Aeschylus; The Persians; Marathon; Salamis; Plataea; Darius; Battle of Thermopylae Pass; Homer;

The Greek phalanx was normally eight ranks deep. Which rank did the Greeks place their best troops in? This is a trick question. I’ll give you the answer during the programme. Victor Davis Hanson Tag words: Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; Shield; Helmet; Greaves; Breastplate; phalanx; hoplite; Spartans; Romans; killing zone; Persians; Persian Wars; Corinthian helmet; coif; phalangites...

The men of Patton’s Third Army had a boast andt the Greeks, who had been at Marathon, had theirs too, that they said to their dying day. What was it? Victor Davis Hanson. Tag words: Patton’s Third Army; Battle of Marathon; phalanx; Herodotus; Persian Army; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way of War; Aeschylus; Battle of Salamis; greaves; a shield; breastplate; helmet; spear; sword; shield; Sparta...

Just after Mardonius had reached Thebes, where he intended to give battle to the Greeks on ground of his own choosing, he was invited by a wealthy Theban man, together with 50 of his most distinguished nobles, to a sumptuous banquet. 50 of Thebans great nobles also attended this feast. One of the Persian nobles there told the Theban that he was seated next to, a remarkable thing. Tag words: Mardon...

At last it was 1933. Hitler kept saying that he knew his destiny to become the Chancellor of the Third Reich would be achieved that year. If it didn’t then he would probably have ended up dead by his own hand. Hitler isn’t universally loved. Even the man who would become the head of perhaps the most feared state security organisation that has ever existed in this world, the Gestapo, Heinrich Mülle...

Themistocles, the Athenian general had master minded the Greek victory at Salamis. But the war with Persia wasn’t won. Mardonius still occupied northern Greece with a large force of elite Persian troops, including the Immortals. Poised to descend on southern Greece, and Athens, yet again. What did the Athenians do to induce Themistocles to stick around, to work a little more of his magic? You woul...

Gratitude – Let me offer the way the King of the Persians displayed his gratitude to the sea captain who saved his life – I bet you can imagine. On second thoughts … definitely not. What about the Athenians? Themistocles, the man who took the right meaning from the Delphi Oracle’s prophecy, no easy thing, then masterminded the whole Salamis thing getting everybody to do what he wanted even though...

As it became clear that the tide had turned against Xerxes at the Battle of Salamis, he made a statement remarkable for its day, but strangely one that we today, in more enlightened times, are completely comfortable with -  My men have turned into women, my women into men. Just now, you should be asking what the hell he meant by that. Tag words: Xerxes; Battle of Salamis; Artemisia; John Marincola...

The brother of which famous author had his hand cut off by a Persian wielding an axe? And what was his hand doing anywhere near someone who might want to do such a heinous thing? This part goes rapidly downhill from there. Tag words: Battle of Salamis; Xerxes; Aeschylus; The Persians; Michael Stephenson; Alan H Sommerstein; Cynegeirus; Herodotus; Histories; Darius; Sardis; Psytaleia; Richard Cohen...

Where does Salamis rate, since the beginning of this history to modern times, in the number of dead in that battle to naval battles like Trafalgar, Jutland and Midway? The answer will surprise you. Tag words: Battle of Salamis; Aeschylus; The Persians; Herodotus; Histories; Victor Davis Hanson; Carnage and Culture; Artemesium; Michael Stephenson; Battleground; Xerxes; Richard Nelson; Warfleets of...

There was a spy, at the very highest level, in the Greek command and he was about to send some vital intelligence to Xerxes, the Persian ruler. If this act of betrayal was ever uncovered it would mean his instant death. Tag words: Battle of Salamis; Divine Salamis; spy; Xerxes; Persians; Pelopennes; Artemesium; Herodotus; Histories; Eurybiades; Athenians; Themistocles; Sicinnus; Joseph Cummins; Tu...

There was an important email from the gods that Xerxes wasn’t copied in on. Boy, I bet he would soon be wishing that he had been. What did it say? Tag words: Xerxes; Delphi Oracle; wooden wall; Divine Salamis; Themistocles; Persia;   Greece; Athens, Sparta; Artemesium; Thermopylae Pass; Eurybiades; Herodotus; Histories; Mnesiphilus; John Marincola; Demaratus; Dicaeus; Demeter; Persephone;

Who was the spy in Xerxes court? And how genius was the way he got his message to the Greeks that revealed Xerxes’ plans for the invasion of Greece? Tag words: Xerxes; Spartans; Thermopylae Pass; Persians;  kill ratio; Darius; Herodotus; Histories; Demaratus; best fighting men in the world; Victor Davis Hanson; Carnage and Culture; JFC Fuller; The Decisive Battles of the Western World; John Lewis...

You’d be surprised at the last words spoken by Leonidas before he died with his fellow 300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae Pass in 480 BC. Then again, maybe you wouldn’t be. Let me tell you what they were and you can decide for yourself. Tag words: Leonidas; 300 Spartans; Battle of Thermopylae Pass; the Immortals; Persians; Mardonius; Hydarnes; Ephialtes; Victor Davis Hanson; The Western Way...

For the last stand at Thermopylae, only some of the Greeks would remain. There were compelling reasons for Leonidas and the Spartans to stay and die. They had been sent to defend the Pass and they would never leave. Well – there’s always one exception I guess, and I’m going to tell you about the one Spartan that got away. One minute, there were two that got away. This is the story of how that happ...

The Greek soldiers blocking the Thermopylae Pass that Xerxes army needed to pour through to get into Greece, appeared pretty warlike and fierce. But Xerxes understood men. He knew exactly what was needed to drive this small band of peasant farmers out of his way and how to motivate his men to achieve this task. Now he was going to unleash them. Tag words: Thermopylae Pass; Leonidas; Persians; Xerx...

As unbelievable as it is, this was Xerxes first move soon after his mighty army arrived at the Thermopylae Pass when he found it was defended and when he discovered that the defenders would not flee. Tag words: Xerxes; Thermopylae Pass; Herodotus; Histories; John Marincola; JFC Fuller; Decisive Battles of the Western World; Adolf Hitler; Leonidas; Spartans; Sparta; Heracles; Hercules; Zeus; Plutar...

You’ll never believe what the Spartans did just before they faced the final attack by Xerxes mighty army – knowing they would be wiped out to a man. Herodotus tells us that they were being observed from a distance by a Persian spy who  watched them in astonishment. Tag words: Spartans ; Xerxes; Thermopylae Pass; Herodotus; Histories; Persians; Heracles; Argo; Golden Fleece; J.F.C. Fuller; Decisive...

Who was it that was crucified – but then was taken down before he died and survived? Tag words: Crucifixion; survival, anatomical effects; emergency room; Dr Mark Eastman; Koinonia House

Now some friction, as Clausewitz called it, was going to enter Xerxes life and planned invasion, in the form of an unknown unknown, in the form of what Herodotus tells us the people in the area called a Hellespontian, which is a south-easterly gale. Perhaps this was the wind that the Oracle at Delphi had told the people of Delphi to pray to. If they did, they must have set up their alter at Thyia,...