The Rif Army
The war of the Rif, also known as the second Moroccan War, was fought from 1920 to 1926. Spain, France and the Moroccan Berbers, of the Rif’s mountain region, had joined forces to take control and divide the country of Morocco into even parts. The reason behind this was because they wanted power, like most imperializing countries strive for. What the invading force did not know was that this was not going to be an easy task.
The Rifs, the indigenous tribes of Morocco had joined forces to fight this super power using guerrilla warfare that devastated the Spanish and French forces. Led by Abd al-Karim, the Rifs defeated the Spanish on their initial invasion and took control of large amounts of European weapons (Pletcher, 2008). The Rifs had been known for their fighting skills, knowledge of guerrilla warfare and marksmanship skills. The Rif army composed of roughly 80,000 men were ill equipped and unprepared to fight continuous battles against the Spanish and French armies. They found it very difficult to properly arm the entire army at once (“IHS Jane’s Sentinel”, 2012), so the Rif army had to rely on the survival skills and knowledge of the terrain to defeat the enemies they were faced with. Eventually, after collecting the weapons and equipment from the defeated Spanish and French soldiers, they could properly arm around 20,000 Rif soldiers. However, the weapons and equipment did not stay in good condition for long due to wear and tear of combat.
The Spanish Army
The Spanish forces were mainly composed of reservists from Spain itself. They were poorly supplied and unprepared for this mission. Very few had decent marksmanship skills or proper combat training. A majority of the officers were corrupt which r...
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...its toll on wild life and vegetation alike. For many years after the fact, the people of Morocco felt the pains of the war and it took many years to get the country back to a point where the land could support life and they did not have to worry about where they will get their food and water from. Since the bombings there is high rate of cancer victims that come from this country.
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Made famous by Theodore Roosevelt’s volunteer Rough Rider’s and the Buffalo Soldiers, the Battle of San Juan Hill (July 1, 1898), also known as The Battle of San Juan Heights, was the bloodiest battle of the Spanish American War. After landing on the beachhead, the US V Corps under the command of Major General William Shafter fought their way west toward the port town of Santiago. After an indecisive clash at Las Guasimas on June 24, Shafter readied his men to take the strategic heights around the city, while Cuban insurgents blocked any Spanish reinforcements arriving on the roads to the north, in what would be one of the most decisive battles of America’s “Splendid Little War.” 1
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Warfare was in a state of transition. Older commanders and generals in the French and British militaries were very cavalry and infantry focused. These commanders believed that cavalry, infantry, and artillery would assure victory in any circumstance, against any foe. They clung to the static tactics of the bygone World War I era. World War I had been fought primarily on French soil, and the military as well as the government never wanted that to happen again, therefore they wanted to reinforce their main border against any future German. Little did they know that only twenty two years later they would be bested by German forces in a way that would shock the world. This research will be analyzing many important assumptions, oversights,...
In the Novel by Robert M. Epstein, his military background was identified and how he planned his attacks were broken down so that the average person could understand them. He was the individual who introduced the ideas of modern warfare to the global affairs. The de...
These men had returned with the news of a Spanish outpost with the name Las Guasimas. By afternoon of the same day the Rough Riders had been order to head out to the location of Las Guasimas and eliminate all opposition and secure the surrounding area, the men would camp outside the outpost then attack the next morning. For started, the Rough Riders were at a disadvantage, they were not accustom to the dense jungles of Cuba in which they were fighting in, and did not know the jungles trails like the Spanish did. Yet the next morning the attack commenced, with General Young, commander of the cavalry and regulars, attacked the outpost straight on.
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It not only destroyed the homes of the people who lived there but it also messed with their head. It caused then to think differently and jump to conclusions. Though they eventually recovered the emotional and mental damage stuck with them.