Mike Bechthold 🇨🇦🇺🇦

I guess I still have some work to do!

Jazz for the win! #OscarPeterson

This looks fantastic!

This Saturday I'm speaking at the Military Heritage Day at the Chatham Kent Municipal Airport about Canada and the Liberation of the Netherlands. Also lots of warbirds, military vehicles, and other displays. Hope to see you there!

I refuse to give the NYT my eyeballs, so I can't speak to the specifics of this article. But any historians attempting to use AI for either writing or research should be run out of the field. AI is inherently unable to do anything we need it to do to understand and communicate history.

Israel's Sledgehammer How their air force re-shapes the Middle East

I've blogged about how the Israeli air force has reshaped the Middle East and what others might learn from them markurban.substack.com/p/israels-sl...

Naval Academy history chair resigns over ordered removal of symposium paper Tom McCarthy cited the removal of a paper on grounds beyond its academic standard.

Chair of history department at U.S. Naval Academy resigns after order to remove paper from symposium “for reasons having nothing to do with scholarship.” [James Matheson, Baltimore Sun]

Trump on WW1: "Recently other countries celebrated the victory of World War I, France was celebrating, really. The only one that doesn't celebrate is the USA. And we're the ones that won the war. Without us, you'd all be speaking German right now. Maybe a little Japanese thrown in."

Ignorant c*nt.

h/t @coldwarhost.bsky.social

h/t @coldwarhost.bsky.social

Canada will achieve NATO’s 2% target this year — half a decade ahead of schedule.
 
In an increasingly dangerous world, we will be ready to protect our people, our sovereignty, and our Allies.

A. Lazy
B. Misinformed a
C. Indifferent
D. Stupid
E. All of the above

Time flies when you’re having fun!

Photography on the Front Lines (Part 4): the Second World War In previous posts, I discussed war photography’s emergence in the Crimean War, the American Civil War, and the First World War. This post examines the formation of the Canadian Army Film and Photo…

Yes! Canada had three teams land early on D-Day and not only did they take the photos, but they made arrangements to get it back to England and released to the public asap. Great article on this by @carlajeanstokes.bsky.social: studyofcanada.ca/photography-...

YouTube video by Historica Canada Heritage Minutes: D-Day

Pte Baker survived the landings and the war. He lived to the ripe old age of 80.
Major MacNaughton too survived the landings, but by a twist of fate, he was gunned down later that day while leading his men in Tailleville. His story is told by @historicacanada.bsky.social
youtu.be/-AuKXAftIts
/end

Archie MacNaughton Archie MacNaughton, standing second from the right. Photo taken on 4 June 1944, two days before D-Day. (courtesy of the family of Major J. Archie MacNaughton) From the Canadian Encyclopedia https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/archie-macnaughton

MacNaughton Family Grace, Archie, Margaret and Francis MacNaughton at training camp in Woodstock, New Brunswick. (courtesy of the family of Major J. Archie MacNaughton) From The Canadian Encyclopedia https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/archie-macnaughton

I like to think that the comforting hand with the wedding band belongs to Baker's company commander, Major Archie MacNaughton, a First World War veteran, husband, and father who volunteered at the age of 43 to fight in another war.
3/4

Global News photo courtesy of the Baker Family https://globalnews.ca/news/5319641/finding-pte-baker-d-day-soldiers-identity/

Thanks to the research of Marc Milner we know know that the soldier who looks to the rear is Private George Baker from Liverpool, NS. This touching moment has been commemorated in a coin produced by the Royal Canadian Mint to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
2/4

The most remarkable film shot on one of the most remarkable days in history.
It captures the North Shore Regiment on JUNO Beach near St. Aubin-sur-Mer on D-Day. For me, the most touching moment comes at the end of the clip when a soldier pats his comrade on the shoulder to say, "it will be ok."
🧵1/4

I think the Chancellor’s response generally reflects collective memory among Germans. “Nazis are bad, and I’m glad they lost the war.” It’s such a stark contrast to how so many white Americans remember the Civil War and mythologize the Confederacy.

So then Elon goes "Kill the Bill!" and Trump goes "Elon has TDS!" so Elon goes "I'm the reason Trump won!" so Trump goes "we waste billions on Elon!" so Elon goes "Epstein!" and a corpulent flunkie goes "Deport Elon!" and Elon goes "Impeach!"

And THAT'S why women are too emotional to be President.

YouTube video by Ham and Jam - The WW2 British Airborne Podcast "Hell & High Water" : 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, D-Day Assault 1944 - With Norma Graham

This was released today - appropriate listening, as 81 years ago right now, those guys were landing in Normandy. youtu.be/ku7GZPQTD7Y?...

Awesome!

Word of the Day: “Schadenfreude” 😎

"... The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."

[Note that the date at the bottom - July 5 - is a "typo" added later by Eisenhower. It should say 5 June.]

Transcript of the note:
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available....

Leadership, D-Day, & General Eisenhower.
We know that D-Day was an overwhelming success but 81 years ago today, victory was not a foregone conclusion. Failure was a real possibility. Eisenhower wrote this note to be released if the landings failed. The last line really hits home. #responsibility
🧵

Sad to hear about the passing of Marc Garneau. He was the first Canadian to go into space and flew on three space shuttle missions. RIP.

😂😂😂✊

Trump, Canada, and Golden Dome: What is the Context? We are once again confronted with an old debate that has undergone four iterations in our history, most of which has been forgotten in…

Excellent commentary by Sean Maloney providing historical context about Trump's Golden Dome initiative and possible Canadian involvement.

medium.com/@mk36y1/trum...