Vladimir Putin is 73 today, the world will be a better place if he never makes it to 74.

Vladimir Putin is 73 today, the world will be a better place if he never makes it to 74.

Trump offered Putin a good deal on Ukraine. Russia keeps the land it stole, will likely see billions in frozen assets unlocked, and regains full membership in the G7. Putin's response has been to retreat into the fog of history. Something about historical roots of the Russia state going back to A.D. 862 with Kyiv as a power center.

Source Christopher Ruddy-Newsmax.

But when? Trump allows Putin far more leeway than he does anyone else, it's getting to the point where we can say, on foreign affairs, Trump's bark is worse than his bite. Perhaps once Gaza has been sorted out one way or another he'll come back to the Ukraine crisis. He doesn't seem to be able to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. 

8 October 1912 - Montenegro declares war on Turkey, the beginning of the 1st Balkan War.

In the years immediately prior to the First World War there were two wars fought in Europe's tinderbox - the Balkans.

The rise of Balkan Nationalism and the decline of the Ottomans led to the newly created Balkan states of Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro joining forces with the more established Greece to form the Balkan League with the aim of expelling the Turks from Europe. They had seen the ease with which Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia unopposed in 1908 and the loose control the Turks had over Macedonia. Kosovo and Albania, so in the autumn of 1912 they struck.

Surprisingly the first to declare war was tiny Montenegro, the least able of the League's members to take on the Turks, but it was an act by the Montenegrin government designed to spur on the others to do the same five days later.  

The result was an overwhelming victory for the Balkan League with Turkish territory in Europe reduced to a small area in Thrace. However the fighting was not over. Bulgaria felt it had not been rewarded sufficiently for its part in the war and in 1913 declared war on her former allies. This time the Turks stayed out with Roumania joining the war against Bulgaria.  

But when? Trump allows Putin far more leeway than he does anyone else, it's getting to the point where we can say, on foreign affairs, Trump's bark is worse than his bite. Perhaps once Gaza has been sorted out one way or another he'll come back to the Ukraine crisis. He doesn't seem to be able to concentrate on more than one thing at a time. 

I'm not going to go over Trump's considerable achievements in such a short time but I do suggest you go to google and check them out, you'll be astonished. Well maybe not.

8 October 1912 - Montenegro declares war on Turkey, the beginning of the 1st Balkan War.

In the years immediately prior to the First World War there were two wars fought in Europe's tinderbox - the Balkans.

The rise of Balkan Nationalism and the decline of the Ottomans led to the newly created Balkan states of Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro joining forces with the more established Greece to form the Balkan League with the aim of expelling the Turks from Europe. They had seen the ease with which Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia unopposed in 1908 and the loose control the Turks had over Macedonia. Kosovo and Albania, so in the autumn of 1912 they struck.

Surprisingly the first to declare war was tiny Montenegro, the least able of the League's members to take on the Turks, but it was an act by the Montenegrin government designed to spur on the others to do the same five days later.  

The result was an overwhelming victory for the Balkan League with Turkish territory in Europe reduced to a small area in Thrace. However the fighting was not over. Bulgaria felt it had not been rewarded sufficiently for its part in the war and in 1913 declared war on her former allies. This time the Turks stayed out with Roumania joining the war against Bulgaria.  

The prelude to WWI.

The war that broke out in July 1914 was only supposed to be confined the the Balkans, but the network of alliances meant otherwise.  

9 October 1760 - Russian and Austrian troops occupy Berlin.

The early years of the Seven Years War saw Prussia fighting alone against the combined armies of Russia, Austria, France and Sweden, her only ally GB/Hanover could only provide minimal support. For four years, led by King Frederick "the Great", Prussia just about held off the continual onslaught until October 1760 when a combined Austro-Russian army of 35,000 made a lightning raid on Berlin. King Frederick was fighting in Silesia leaving the city in the hands of Gen. von Seydlitz, who was recuperating from battle wounds, and 2000 men.

Despite an heroic defence the decision was made to surrender and retreat rather than subject the city to a prolonged siege, so on 9 October the Prussians evacuated to Spandau. However von Seydlitz was unaware that King Frederick was just days away returning at high speed to the defence of his capital and furthermore the Austro-Russian attack was no more than a raid, a demonstration of power, they had no intention of holding the city for long. After just three day on 12 October they left negotiating a ransom of 1.5 million thalers and taking with them arms, ammunition and valuables. 

I remember the film sgt York starring Gary Cooper

10 October 732 - The Battle of Tours.

An important battle from the early Mediaeval era.

Muslim conquerors from North Africa crossed the Straits of Gibraltar in 711 and quickly occupied the Iberian peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal). By the 720s they were pushing into the Kingdom of the Franks (modern France) and only internal squabbles and uprisings in North Africa prevented a full scale invasion until 732 when a 20,000 strong Muslim army marched north to Tours where it met in battle with Charles Martel, Duke of the Franks slightly smaller army (Martel means hammer).

Charles placed the bulk of his men among the trees and invited his opponent to attack with their cavalry. The result was a total victory for the Christian forces, over half of the Muslim army were killed or captured. The victory effectively ended the Muslim expansion north into the heart of Europe.       

11 October 1797 - The Battle of Camperdown.

In 1795 the Dutch Republic was occupied by France and a puppet government installed, the Batavian Republic. The sizeable Dutch navy thus became a threat British trade and security. For the most part the Royal Navy maintained a blockade of the Dutch at their main anchorage of Texel, but in October 1797 while the bulk of the British ships were undergoing a refit at Yarmouth news reached the British commander Admiral Adam Duncan that the Dutch under Admiral Jan de Winter had put to sea evading the frigates keeping watch. 

On 11 October Duncan with 18 warships encountered the Dutch fleet of 21 off Camperdown. In a fiercely fought battle the Dutch were overwhelmed losing 12 ships captured, two of which sank later, 540 killed and 3775 men taken prisoner including Admiral de Winter. Duncan lost no ships but 203 men dead.    

Within days of his return Duncan was created a Viscount and several of his Captains knighted. The Dutch were never again able to mount an effective opposition to the Royal Navy for the duration of the war. 

12 October 1919 - The Last British Troops left Northern Russia.

The Bolshevik takeover in Russia at the end of 1917 so disturbed the Wrest that troops were sent to assist the anti-Bolshevik forces in 1918, the Whites, even though war still raged with Germany and her allies. 

At one point armies from a dozen countries were active on Russian soil attempting to overthrow the Communist regime. The main areas of fighting were the Black Sea and the Caucasus, the Baltic, the Arctic and Siberia. The largest contingents came from Japan (solely in the east), GB in all theatres, France and the USA. 

In the Arctic bases were established at the ports of Archangel and Murmansk where, at its height, over 40,000 allied troops from half a dozen countries assembled. 

The intervention was ultimately a failure and by the summer of 1919 allied troops were being withdrawn, the last to leave were the British from Murmansk on 12 October. In all over 1200 allied troops died during the campaign. 

Only in the Far East did the Japanese hold out until 1922.