February 2013
Foreword
The USCMH is affiliated with
the International Commission
of Military History and takes
part in its international projects,
including contributing to its
publications, the International
Bibliography of Military
History, and participating in the
annual international military
history congresses.
In this issue
XXXIX ICMH…..…………..………..1
President’s Column……………….. 2
ICMH Call for Papers…………......4
ICMH Military Hist. Workshop..4
ICMH Bulgaria Retrospective....4
USCMH Annual Lecture…….......5
USCMH at Society for Mil. Hist..5
USCMH Endowment……………..6
ICMH News…………………………..6
ICMH Bibliography………………...7
Call for Papers……………..………...8
News and Information……………10
Call for New Members…..………..10
In Memoriam………………………...11
Officers, Trustees………….………..11
International Congress on Military History in Torino (Turin), Italy
ICMH Congress for 2013 Announced
Pat Harahan
Vice President ICMH
The Italian Commission of Military History will host the International
Commissions of Military History ICMH) congress this year. The Congress
will be held in Torino or Turin, Italy from September 1 -6, 2013. The city is
located in northern Italy, near the Alps Mountains. It was the capitol of the
Kingdom of Sardinia which was the Italian kingdom which led the unification
of all the Italian provinces into the nation of modern Italy in the 19th Century.
The theme of the congress will be “Combined and Joint Operations in the
History of Warfare.” Scholars from 44 nations will participate in the
congress. The United States Military History Commission (USCMH) holds a
competition each year for American scholars who would like to present a
paper at the international congress. If you are interested, see the Call for
Papers section written by USCMH Vice President, Dr. Randy Papadopoulos.
The Italian Commission will announce a website for this congress in a few
weeks. It will contain information on the congress' registration forms and
fees, hotel accommodations, and information on any post-Congress tours
across Italy. We will inform all USCMH members, once this information is
available.
Pat Harahan
Vice President, ICMH
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
Page 1 of 11
President’s Column
Richard Stewart
President, USCMH
It has been a generally good year for the U.S. Commission on Military History. Our membership continues to
increase, although not at the pace that I would wish. My challenge last year for everyone to recruit one
additional member has been only partially successful in that we added 25 to our roster: a nearly 25% increase.
But often we lose close to that number every year due to lapsed memberships. Only if we can keep our current
membership steady and then add another 23 or 25 next year will we be well on our way to doubling our
membership over the next few years. On the more positive side, our financial picture continues to improve
with additions to our endowment, especially from the ever generous Breidenthal-Snyder Foundation. Our
financial position remains healthy overall.
We had outstanding representation at the International Congress meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria, this past August
and early September. The U.S. delegation was 32 strong, an excellent number considering, well, the Congress
was in Bulgaria. And the American dinner on Wed. night, 29 August, was for many the highlight of the
Congress. We had almost all the Americans in attendance, of course, but also numerous international
attendees, some 16 as our guests, for a total of 69 attendees. International friends included colleagues from the
Netherlands, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Bulgaria (of course), Ireland, Israel, Austria, Argentina, and
even Serbia. We also were joined by the U.S. defense attaché to Bulgaria, COL Schultz. It was an excellent
setting for a dinner and I think everyone truly enjoyed themselves.
The U.S. was also very well represented on the program. Five members of the U.S. Commission presented
papers at the Congress: Brian Linn talked about aspects of Elvis’ army—the U.S. Army in the early Cold War;
John Hosler, talked about military technology in the middle ages with his paper on the writings of John of
Salisbury—by the way his travel was sponsored by a grant from USCMH; Robyn Rodriguez, a new Ph.D. and a
new member, presented a paper on the German military mission in China before World War II and she also
was sponsored by USCMH with a travel grant. Pat Harahan presented his own study on the early days of the
Post-Cold War, eliminating the 43rd Strategic Rocket Army in the 1990s, and his travel was paid for by Pat
Harahan . . . no grant for him! And finally, I presented a short study of some of the less than successful
technological attempts of the Army of the Cold War entitled, appropriately I think: “It seemed like a good idea
at the time.”
In addition to panels and social events, USCMH representatives were on hand for the Archives committee of
ICMH (Lynn Stewart), the Bibliography Committee (Richard Stewart and Jim Hogue filling in for Rick
Herrera), and the Education Committee (Bart Hacker). In short, we were well represented at all levels of the
Congress.
After some mixed messages, the Commission is also charging on with soliciting and judging new books for the
first award of the Brigadier General James L. Collins, Jr. Book Prize in Military History. The search will be
open until the end of December 2012 and the first Collins Prize will be awarded at the annual meeting next
year: November 2013. The Commission Vice President, Randy Papadopoulos, has been busily sending out new
announcements to various venues to drum up support for more submissions. Part of the reason for the
establishment of an endowment for the Commission was so that we would always have sufficient cash reserves
to award prizes like the Collins prize and also to continue to be able to award travel grants to the ICMH annual
Congress.
Randy and I have also been busy in working with the Society of Military History to present a USCMH
sponsored panel at the New Orleans annual SMH meeting in March on aspects of the military in the Cold War.
The panel was accepted just recently! Randy will chair the panel and presenters will include our own Ed
Marolda on the 7th Fleet in the Pacific in the early Cold War, the Center of Military History’s Bill Stivers
presenting on the U.S. Army in Berlin in the late 1940s, and a young scholar just now working on his Ph.D., Mr.
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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Eric Setzekorn of George Washington University who will be talking about the U.S. Army Military Advisory
Assistance Group on Taiwan as they attempted to rebuild the Nationalist Army of Chiang Kai-shek. I will be
providing the commentary. The SMH is an important recruiting ground for our organization as well as being
THE most important scholarly venue for the profession of military history and I hope this panel will provide us
additional visibility. See you in New Orleans!
Finally, at the annual business meeting I established a special committee to explore the possible venues and
themes for a USCMH sponsored ICMH Congress sometime in 2017 or 2018. Former President Hans Pawlische
has agreed to chair the panel and many other members have agreed to assist. They will make their panel report
to the Trustees and Officers at the next scheduled business meeting, tentatively set for 24 March next year and
then we will decide what we wish to propose to the ICMH for a possible Congress bid. It will mean a lot of work
for everybody, but I think it is time for the US Commission, the largest and strongest of the international
commissions, to host the ICMH again. And, by the way, the tentative date of next year’s annual meeting in DC
(exact location to be determined) is 16 November, so mark your calendar now!
In short, we are a healthy organization financially, in strength, and in scholarly endeavor. I hope that in the
year ahead we can continue to improve in all these areas. I still would like every member to get out and find
one other historian or friend of history and get them to join our organization in the next year. Also, please
consider joining me (and many of the officers and trustees) in contributing any amount you can afford to our
endowment fund so that as an organization we can support young scholars and provide a stable foundation for
the Collins Prize. And join me, as well, in New Orleans for SMH and our prospective panel and in Torino for
the annual ICMH Congress. Thank you.
P.S. ANNOUNCING THE NEW SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE U.S. COMMISSION: After 6 years Pat
Harahan is finally getting a rest from being our faithful Secretary General (and is now the august Vice President
of the International Commission—that should keep him busy) and passing his duties on to Dr. Donald F.
Bittner. Join me in welcoming Don to his new duties and in thanking Pat for all that he has done for the
Commission over the years. Well done Pat!
International Commission of Military History Meeting Call for Papers
Randy Papadopoulos
Vice President, USCMH
The United States Commission on Military History (USCMH) solicits papers for presentation at the 39 th annual
Congress of the International Commission of Military History (ICMH), meeting in Torino, Italy, between
September 1 and September 6, 2013.
The theme of this 75th anniversary ICMH Congress, hosted by the Italian Commission of Military History, is
“Combined and Joint Operations in the History of Warfare.” Papers should address what are today termed
“Combined,” that is, multinational, or “Joint,” meaning inter-service, themes.
On behalf of the International Commission, the USCMH solicits papers on these themes for presentation at the
Congress. All American presenters at the Torino meeting must be members of the U.S. Commission, and must
apply through it to receive consideration. The U.S. Commission also offers up to two travel stipends in the
amount of $1,500 to young scholars presenting in Torino. The Italian Commission is offering doctoral
candidates reduced rates for registration and hotel accommodation and will publish a volume of proceedings
following the Congress.
To submit your paper proposal for consideration, please forward the following to USCMH Vice-President, Dr.
Randy Papadopoulos, at: randy.papadopoulos@navy.mil:
-a one page paper proposal outlining the topic and prospective sources, along with an outline of
theoretical or methodological approach
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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-a short (1/2-page) professional resume
The deadline for submissions is 1 March 2013. In addition, final versions of the papers must be delivered to
the Italian Commission for translation no later than June 2013.
International Commission of Military History Workshop
Like in former years the Educational Committee of the International Commission of Military History invites
young Ph.D. students to take part in a workshop for young scholars who are still working or have just finished
their Ph.D. thesis on a subject dealing with “MEMORY, DOCUMENTARY SOURCES, AND WAR”.
The purpose of the workshop is to give young scholars the opportunity of discussing their projects with young
as well as experienced colleagues from more than 40 Countries.
We expect a talk of 30 Minutes. A Printed version will be published in the conference proceedings to be
published in 2014.
In Return we offer a reduced congress fee and student accommodation
Applicants should offer papers dealing with
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The Development of the Memory on War since ancient Times,
The Importance of Memory and Commemoration for the Military, Governments, and the Populace,
The Role and Forms of Memory and Commemoration and their Impact upon the Politics of National
Identity,
Memory and Commemoration in War Museums, War Memorials, Public History, Art and Literature,
Documentary Sources dealing with Memory and Commemoration.
Applicants should send their proposals to the Secretary General of the Educational Committee, Prof. Dr.
Michael Epkenhans (Center for Military History and Social Sciences, Potsdam, Germany).
Email: michaelepkenhans@bundeswehr.org
The Deadline for submitting Proposals is March 31, 2013.
The Educational Committee will inform all applicants about the acceptance of their proposal no later than
June 1, 2013.
A Retrospective on the 2012 International Commission on Military History
by Robyn L. Rodriguez, Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command
Member, USCMH
The 38th Congress of the International Commission on Military History took place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 25
August to 1 September 2012. The conference brought together internationals scholars from several fields
including history, museum studies, and archival and library sciences. The US delegation was well represented
with approximately twenty-five participants. The theme of the conference was warfare and technology and
scholars presented research on a variety of topics spanning from ancient history to the post-Cold War world.
Historians examined technology not only in the context of military utility but also in terms of the broader
social, political, and cultural implications. The panels on the Cold War were particularly interesting as the
conference brought together scholars, many of whom had served in various national defense institutions on
both sides of the Iron Curtain. The scholars from museum studies discussed their research, which utilizes
material artifacts and culture as their primary source base. Their fascinating presentations opened up a new
dialogue with historians about expanding the traditional primary source base and contextualizing artifacts in
history.
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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Thanks to a generous grant from the US Commission on Military History, I was able to travel to Sofia to
participate in the conference. At the conference, I presented my research on the transfer of technology between
Germany and China during the 1930s and its impact on World War II. A Fulbright grant during the 2010-2011
academic year supported my research in Germany for this paper. I conducted most of the research for this
paper at the Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv in Freiburg and the Politisches Archiv des Auswärtigen Amts in
Berlin. At the conference, I was able to receive feedback from the international audience as well as network
with a number of German scholars who were interested in my research topic.
In addition to the scholarly presentations and discussions, the conference program also afforded the
participants the opportunity to experience the city of Sofia and learn Bulgarian history and culture. The
welcome ceremony was held at the National Defense Academy. Scholars had the opportunity to become
acquainted with one another and were treated to a lovely display of traditional Bulgarian folk dancing and
singing. Participants were also treated to a special after-hours visit to the Bulgarian military museum, which
offered fascinating exhibitions of military technology from the Thracian times through the Cold War. One day
of the conference was dedicated to a visit to the Rila Monastery, which is one of the most famous Eastern
Orthodox monasteries in Europe. The origins of the beautiful monastery date back to the 10th century and it
played a significant role in preserving the Bulgarian language and culture during various foreign occupations.
After the monastery, the attendees were treated to an outdoor lunch of traditional Bulgarian cuisine as they
enjoyed folk music, which even included the unique-sounding Bulgarian bagpipes. The farewell reception and
dinner was held at the Bulgarian National History Museum. The conference participants had the opportunity to
explore the museum prior to their final Bulgarian dinner together before departing.
U.S. Commission on Military History Annual Lecture
On 27 October 2012, Professor John Hosler of Morgan State University delivered the thought-provoking paper
“Canons not Cannons: Warfare and the Five Lateran Councils, 1123-1517.” Professor Hosler, a member of the
U.S. Commission, opened his discussion by outlining the decisions of the five Lateran Councils, ecclesiastical
meetings hosted the Catholic Church in the 12th, 13th and 16th centuries. Among other issues, the councils
addressed military questions, specifically the prohibition of jousting and tournaments, limiting crossbow use,
condemning the employment of mercenaries and halting inter-Christian warfare, the “Peace of God.” That last
prohibition would free up Catholic Christians to fight in the period’s armed pilgrimages, the Crusades.
Professor Hosler’s talk raised a central question: what awareness did the Catholic Church possess of military
issues and to what extent did it attempt use such knowledge to shape matters throughout the medieval and
early modern periods? His answer was unequivocal: the Church’s leaders understood much about military
affairs. Their willingness to shape events included mandates for types of military units—prohibiting the hiring
of “heretic” mercenaries—maintaining civil peace—banning jousting with its attendant risks to participants’
souls—and limiting warfare—sanctioning battle only at certain times of the year. The councils also chose to
impose early versions of arms control, restricting use of the crossbow solely to battling non-believers. That
some of these constraints failed, with tournaments continuing despite very strict ecclesiastical penalties against
them on paper, does not diminish the Lateran Councils’ influence during the medieval and early modern eras.
For Professor Hosler, the Catholic Church’s continuing focus on military issues enhances the councils’ records
value as historical sources for scholars today.
U.S. Commission on Military History at the Society for Military History
Annual Meeting
As an affiliate of the Society for Military History, the U.S. Commission will co-host a session at the Society for
Military History meeting, in New Orleans, Louisiana, taking place between 13 and 17 March 2013. With the
title, “U.S. Perspectives on the Cold War in Europe and the Pacific,” Commission members will show the
breadth and depth of their work. An outline of the session follows:
Panel Chair: Dr. Randy Papadopoulos, Secretariat Historian, Department of the Navy.
Panel Presenters:
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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Dr. William Stivers: U.S. Army Center of Military History. “The American Decision to Remain in Berlin: The
Strategic-Political Debate of 1948-49”
Dr. Edward Marolda: Retired Chief Historian, U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command. “Impact of the U.S.
Seventh Fleet on the Cold War in Asia”
Mr. Eric Setzekorn: Graduate Student, George Washington University. “Formosa U.S. Army MAAG: Army
Building in a Cold War Hotspot”
Commentary: Dr. Richard W. Stewart, Chief Historian, U.S. Army and President U.S. Commission on Military
History
In addition, the Commission will have a display table promoting us—if you’re attending the SMH, please drop
by and visit.
USCMH Endowment Fund
One of the things that makes life worth living, in my opinion, is the sense of satisfaction one gets in giving
something of oneself to improve the world and help others. We have that opportunity in our own organization
when we each take a moment and donate what we can to the USCMH Endowment Fund.
This Fund, which was just set up last year, is the key means by which the Commission will build for the future.
The goal, as established by the Board of Trustees and by your vote, is to build up the Endowment Fund so that
is healthy enough to support the long-term grant program of the Commission. Interest from the fund will
provide travel grants to young scholars to attend the annual Congress of the International Commission and
provide the money for the new Brigadier General James L. Collins, Jr. annual Book Prize in Military History.
In short, the Endowment Fund, if it is healthy, will guarantee the future of our Commission and its active
engagement in promoting and supporting military history in the United States and the world.
I would ask each of you to take a moment and consider making a donation, of whatever size, to the USCMH
Endowment Fund so that you are helping support your organization and its future. Your donation is also, I
hasten to state, tax-deductible since the Commission is a registered 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit organization.
Definitely a win-win!
So, please send your check to our esteemed Treasurer, Geoffrey P. Megargee, at: 5314 26th Road North,
Arlington, VA 22207, made out to USCMH, and specify that it is for the Endowment Fund. You’ll be glad you
did.
International Commission of Military History News
Pat Harahan
Vice President, ICMH
The ICMH is an international group of 41 national commissions which holds an annual congress in a different
city of the world each year. In recent years, ICMH Congresses have been held in Europe, South America, and
Africa. Approximately 250 historians, military archivists, and military officers attend these annual meetings.
They present and discuss papers, hold seminars that review bibliographical, archival, and other historical
issues. Younger historians are welcome; special sessions for graduate presentations are held in every congress.
New books and publications by historians in a variety of nations are discussed in formal meetings.
During 2012, the ICMH Congress was held in Sofia, Bulgaria. According to Piet Kamphuis, ICMH, the
Bulgarian Commission, “deserves great praise” for its organization and hosting the meeting. More than 225
scholars attended the meeting, held from 25 -30 August 2012. Professor Dmitre Minchev led the Bulgarian
Commission and he welcomed the military historians, diplomatic historians, archivists, and military museum
specialists, explaining the theme “technology and Warfare.” The opening plenary session usually has an official
form the national government, the Minister of Defense, and then remarks on the theme from the ICMH
president, and a keynote address by a senior scholar. This year, Colonel Professor Dr. Renier Pommerain,
Germany, spoke on the topic “From Stone Age Ax to Nukes – Technology and Warfare.”
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As the congress proceeded throughout the week, there were a series on organizational meetings involving the
ICMH executive officers, ICMH Board members, national commission presidents, and all participants at the
congress. During the final session, Dr. Jordan Baev, chair of the Congress' Scientific Program explained that all
of the papers presented, as well as the remarks at the sessions, would be edited and placed into a ACTA book,
to be published in 2013.
During the meeting, the ICMH president, announced that future congresses would be held in Torino, Italy in
2013, in Paris, France in 2014, and probably Beijing, China in 2015. The president declared that there was
great interest in other cites and national commissions wishing to organize and host an international military
history congress. He asked the national commissions to prepare and submit proposals for holding a meeting
during the years, 2015 – 2020. Secretary-General Ervin Schmidl announced that the ICMH would publish a
new expanded website during next year.
Finally, Professor Esat Arslan, Turkey, presented information on an international conference in Istanbul,
Turkey. The theme of the conference was “The Balkans and the History of the Balkans from the XIVth Century
to the Present.”
If you are interested in the activities of the International Commission of Military History, contact Pat Harahan
at harahan@verizon.net. The group publishes an interesting newsletter, twice a year.
Toward a New ICMH Bibliography
The Bibliographical Committee of the International Commission on Military History held a marathon
meeting in Rio de Janeiro during the annual congress. There are quite a few changes to report, ranging from
the committee’s new leadership, the new publisher, and some changes to the International Bibliography of
Military History (IBMH). The committee elected Dr. Mauro Mantovani, Department Head of Strategic
Studies at the Swiss Military Academy at ETH Zurich, president of the committee. Dr. Mantovani, who has
extensive experience editing professional journals and a number of publications to his credit, will serve as
editor-in-chief of the revamped IBMH.
Following many years of generous support underwriting the IBMH the Swiss Ministry of Defense, the ICMH
contracted with Brill, a well-regarded Anglo-Dutch publishing house, to publish biannually the organization’s
bibliography. The IBMH, much as before, will continue to serve as an annotated bibliography highlighting
publications in national and international military history. The IBMH will focus on brief, critical reviews of
recent scholarly works worthy of international attention or significant to each member commission’s national
military historiography. The IBMH will also occasionally publish historiographical essays addressing the state
of military history in a member country or focusing on a specific topic. Previously the IBMH published
multilingual entries, but will now publish solely in English. For the USCMH, this will certainly ease the issue of
translations. More information on the IBMH can be found at:
http://www.brill.nl/publications/journals/international-bibliography-military-history.
One of the issues of concern to USCMH members is the low number of US entries relative to the great
number of works written by US authors. No country publishes as many scholarly books on military history
as the United States, but, unfortunately, this is not apparent in the IBMH. In conversations with Dr.
Mantovani and Brill, I stressed that reviewers customarily receive a book in exchange for their review of it
and that this may be a factor in the small number of US contributions—IBMH reviewers do not receive a
book. Discussions over this are ongoing. We are also discussing the possibility of moving the IBMH in the
direction of an essay-oriented journal publishing historiographical articles rather than entries. As
discussions continue, I will update you. In the meantime, should you be interested in contributing to the
IBMH, please feel free to drop me a line at raherrera57@yahoo.com. Instructions for authors can be found
at: http://www.brill.com/files/brill.nl/specific/authors_instructions/IBMH.pdf.
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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Call for Papers and Panels
Northern Great Plains History Conference
26-28 September, 2013
Hudson, WI
The Society for Military History (SMH) sponsors sessions at the NGPHC. We encourage graduate students as
well as faculty, government, and independent historians to submit proposals for papers or sessions. We view
“military history” broadly across time and encourage material, social and cultural approaches, as well as
military themes informed by other social sciences like archaeology and political science. The SMH Conference
Coordinator works closely with the Conference Program Chair to ensure the strongest possible conference. We
coordinate session development and scheduling and welcome those attending to volunteer as session chairs
and commentators.
The SMH and the First Division Museum, Cantigny, co-sponsor the SMH-FDMC prize for the best paper by a
graduate student in military history, valued at $400. Instructions for submission will accompany acceptance of
your proposal, so please indicate if you wish to be considered for this award. The NGPHC sponsors a separate
graduate paper prize. The SMH and FDMC sponsor the SMH-FDMC prize for the best paper by an
undergraduate student in history, valued at $200. The NGPHC welcomes graduate and undergraduate
students, and faculty, government historians, and independent scholars. *This is a particularly good
opportunity for graduate students to make a conference debut and begin networking with colleagues.*
In addition to a full slate of sessions, the SMH sponsors a lunch during the conference, a field trip of military
history interest (TBD) and a dining-out on Saturday afternoon. Hudson, WI is about 30 minutes from the
Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.
Please send a one page paper proposal and c.v. or, for a full session proposal, send a one page session proposal,
and a one page abstract for each paper, and c.v.s for all participants, to: sankeymhist@gmail.com. Deadline: 1
April 2013.
Histoire sociale / Social History Special Issue on “Canada’s Great War: 100 Years On”
Social historians in Canada have increasingly come to see the Great War as a significant social phenomenon,
nationally, imperially, culturally, politically, economically, demographically and globally. As we approach the
centenary of the Great War in 2014, Histoire sociale/Social History would like to publish a special issue that
integrates military studies with social history to interrogate the effects of the Great War on men, women,
children, families, labourers, ethnic minorities, and Aboriginal peoples. We invite papers from any subfield of
social history, whether studies of home, work, volunteerism, or life on the European battlefield, for this special
issue entitled “Canada’s Great War: 100 Years On”, to be published in May 2014.
Through this special issue, we hope to revisit the complex social worlds of wartime Canada, welcoming studies
on wartime mobilization, internment, reconstruction, women’s war work, Veteran’s Affairs, or the gendered
underpinnings of the Military Voters and Wartime Election Acts. Any paper that is innovative in interpretation,
sources, and method and that interrogates the social history of the Great War will be considered. The deadline
for submissions is May 31, 2013.
Authors are invited to visit the journal’s website for presentation guidelines and send their submissions in
electronic format – an e-mail attachment in Word is preferred – to the following address: Histoire Sociale /
Social History Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5 Email: hssh@uottawa.ca
Website: http://www.hssh.uottawa.ca. Guest Editors: Jeffrey Keshen and Jarett Henderson, Mount Royal
University.
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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CALL FOR PAPERS
The experience of minorities in the First World War is one of the most significant, yet least developed aspects
of the conflict’s history. It is now over twenty years since the major conference on ‘National and Racial
Minorities in Total War’ which spurred the highly influential volume: Minorities in Wartime. With the
centenary of the First World War fast approaching, it seems a particularly appropriate time to revisit this
subject.
Over the preceding decades, there have been massive shifts in the writing of ethnic and minority histories,
which have started to excavate areas of convergence as well as departure. At the same time, our understanding
of the social and military history of the First World War has expanded massively. No longer is the history of the
conflict confined largely to the trenches of the Western Front. It now encompasses everything from noncombatants and the home front through to occupation and the memory of war.
The aim of this two-day conference is to mesh recent developments in the military history of the First World
War with those in the field of minority studies. We welcome proposals covering any ethnic or national minority
group involved in the conflict. There is no limit to geographical area, though we are aiming to focus primarily
on the main belligerent nations.
Potential themes and questions may include, but are by no means limited to:
 Minorities as both opponents and enthusiastic supporters of the conflict
 Minorities as prisoners of war
 Racism, antisemitism and exclusionary politics during the conflict
 Religious and ritual practices during the First World War
 The experience of minorities in the armed forces
 The decoration and promotion of soldiers from minority groups
 Responses to colonial troops and their wartime experience
 The treatment of minorities in territory occupied during the war
 Enemy aliens: Internment, repatriation and social hostility
 The remembrance (and forgetting) of minority combatants
Please send abstracts (max 300 words) and a short biography to: ww1minorities@chester.ac.uk by 31 May
2013.
Keynote Speakers: Professor Tony Kushner (University of Southampton) Professor Humayun Ansari OBE
(Royal Holloway)
Venue and Conference Information: The conference will take place on the 14th and 15th April 2014 at the
University of Chester.
Medical History of WWII San Antonio, Texas, US
Deadline: September 2013
MEDICAL HISTORY OF WWII
In March 2014, the Army Medical Department Center of History and Heritage and the Uniformed Services
University of the Health Sciences will be co-sponsoring a conference on the medical history of WWII.
It will be hosted at the Army Medical Department Museum in San Antonio, Texas.
Presentations on all facets of medicine and the war are welcome, including consideration of the repercussions
of the war on the practice of medicine, medicine in various campaigns, effects on the home front, and related
topics.
Presentations should be 30 minutes long, and two-paper panels are welcome.
Contact: Dr Sanders Marble, Office of Medical History, US Army, sanders.marble@us.army.mil
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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News and Information
During the year, twenty-five (25) historians joined the USCMH. Some were graduate students, and some were
young historians working at colleges and universities across the United States. Others worked as historians for
the federal government, either for one or more of the military services, or they worked as interpretative
historians at one of the parks in the National Park system. A few were distinguished historians, interested in
international military history. Finally, the most characteristic feature of the group is their diversity in ages,
subject interests, and location. We welcome all of them.
Some recent new members:
Ron Spector
Paul Sayles
Garth Rader
William A. Stivers
Louise B. Ketz
Daniel R. Thompson
Drew Lewandowski
Marc R. DeVore, USCMH member, has just released Financing National Defense, Policy and
Process, Information Age Publishing, which he co-authored, 2012.
Call For New Members
Ricardo A. Herrera
Trustee, USCMH
The USCMH needs more members in order to broaden the commission’s reach and maintain its vitality.
As an affiliate of the International Commission on Military History, the USCMH provides an entrée and forum
for scholars and those with an interest in military history in an international context. The annual meetings of
the ICMH have proven excellent venues for the exchange of ideas and for extending the circle of military
historians and friends of the discipline. On behalf of the USCMH, I urge each member to recruit one new
member this year, and help spread the word about the USCMH. Membership is easy and it’s inexpensive. To
help prospective recruits join, have them contact Don Bittner, our new Secretary General at: or
bittnerdf@verizon.net. Include mailing information and email address please!
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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To join the USCMH, all you need to do is send the information below along with a $30 check made out
to the U.S. Commission on Military History to our Secretary General, Don Bittner, at USCMH, Attn: Dr.
Donald F. Bittner, Secretary-general, P.O. Box 129, Quantico, VA 22134-0129. Please include in
your application your name, organizational affiliation, specialty, email address, mailing address, and phone
number.
In Memoriam
Prof. Raimondo Luraghi, Professor Emeritus of the University of Genoa and formerly full Professor of
Contemporary History, was a member of the ICMH Board from 1990-2000. He was the founder and first
President of the Società Italiana di Storia Militare. Decorated with the Silver Medal for Military Valour in the
Second World War, he served as an officer of the Guardia alla Frontiera. Professor Luraghi was the leading
military historian of his age; his masterpiece was the Storia della guerra civile americana, published in 1966,
with many successive editions and English translations. He received several Fulbright fellowships to teach at
American universities. An inveterate internationalist, Professor Luraghi had many friends and colleagues in the
United States.
Officers, Trustees, and Key Committee Members
President: Dr. Richard Stewart: Riwist@cox.net
Vice-President: Dr. Randy Papadopoulos: randy.papadopoulos@navy.mil
Secretary-General: Dr. Don Bittner: bittnerdf@verizon.net
Treasurer: Dr. Geoffrey Megargee: gemegargee@ushmm.org
Recording Secretary: Fred Borch
Newsletter Editor: Michael Doidge
Representative to ICMH Bibliographical Committee: Dr. Ricardo A. Herrera
Representative to ICMH Archives Committee: Ms. Lynn Stewart
Representatives to ICMH Military Education Committee: Dr. Barton Hacker, Dr. Charles P. Neimeyer, and
Col. Gian Gentile
USCMH Newsletter, February 2013
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