Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/News/April 2023/Articles


 * Battle of the Great Plains : Yet another entry in Gog's opus on the Punic Wars, in particular the second series. In this 203 BC episode set in modern Tunisia, the Roman army commanded by Publius Cornelius Scipio (better known as Scipio Africanus) fights the Carthaginian and Numidian armies led by Hasdrubal Gisco and Syphax respectively. The result is a resounding away victory for the Roman team.


 * Wilfred Arthur : As Ian put it in his nomination statement, Wilf Arthur had an "eventful air force career, becoming at 24 the RAAF's youngest group captain, barely escaping with his life in a runway collision, and playing a key role in the "Morotai Mutiny" of 1945. Oh yes, the RAAF in World War II had it all: aces, Victoria Crosses, petty squabbling at the highest levels, and mutiny!"


 * Siege of Bukhara : According to AirshipJungleman's succinct description, this incident during the Mongol invasion of Khwarazmia was where "Genghis Khan spectacularly bypassed a static defensive strategy, forced one of Asia's greatest cities to surrender in a week, burnt the place down, enslaved most of the inhabitants, delivered a surprisingly theological speech, and naffed off to do more killing, burning, and enslaving. Very Genghis."


 * Constantine III (Western Roman emperor) : Many people are vaguely aware that the Roman army left Roman Britain around 400 (February 407 to be exact) and never returned, ushering the Dark Ages into England and Wales. Have you ever wondered why? Or who ordered it? Or what happened to them, and why they never returned? Then this is the article for you. In short, Constantine was declared emperor in Britain but promptly left with all the available Roman  troops to take on Germanic troublemakers in Gaul. He won the initial battles, but eventually lost not only his office but also his head, and the rest is history.


 * John Manners (cricketer) : The subject of this article was notable as both a first-class cricketer and a Royal Navy officer who earned the Distinguished Service Cross for his role in the sinking of the German submarine U-1274 in April 1945. In September 2018, at 103, he became the longest-lived first-class cricketer. This is the nominator's first FA -- congratulations!


 * Martinus (son of Heraclius) : Continuing Iazyges' series on Byzantine royalty, this article concerns a caesar of the empire, meaning one in line of succession rather than a ruler. According to Iazyges, Martinus was "tied to dynastic intrigue surrounding an incestuous marriage and preferred succession. He never lived to be emperor in his own right, but instead either died in the process of being emasculated or survived to live out the rest of his life in obscurity on Rhodes." Don't come to these pages if you have a weak stomach...!


 * Battle of Saseno : This article concerns a naval clash between the Venetians and their perennial rivals, the Genoese, in which a Venetian trade convoy was intercepted and destroyed via a ruse rather than through force of arms. The battle took place on 14 August 1264 near Saseno island off the coast of Albania, between a fleet of the Republic of Genoa and a trade convoy of the Republic of Venice. The Genoese commander successfully deceived his opponent about his intentions and sank most of a Venetian convoy.


 * List of British armies in World War II : Another in EnigmaMcmxc's series on British units, this list features army-level formations. The British created seventeen armies (real or fictitious) from 1939 to 1945, although they didn't all exist at the same time. Usually they were commanded by lieutenants-general.


 * Battle of Berea (Catlemur) : The topic of this article is a 1852 British punitive expedition against the Basuto people, conducted in revenge for Basuto cattle raiding. A combination of bad coordination between British commanders, Sir George Cathcart's underestimation of his opponents and determined Basuto resistance resulted in a stalemate. While it was just a bleep on the radar for the British, it forms an important part in the in the history of Lesotho.


 * Keith Park (Zawed) : Keith Park was one of the more famous New Zealanders of the Second World War, commanding No. 11 Group during the Battle of Britain, and then going on to hold senior roles in the Middle and Far East. He was also a flying ace during the previous world war. He retired from the RAF in 1946 as an air chief marshal. Returning to New Zealand, he worked in the aviation industry for a British aircraft manufacturer and then became involved in local politics in Auckland.


 * Ernest Roberts (Australian politician) (Peacemaker67) : Ernest Alfred Roberts was a Labor member of the South Australian House of Assembly from 1896 to 1902 and 1905 to 1908 and then the Australian House of Representatives from 1908 until his death in 1913. Roberts also served as an officer in South Africa during the Second Boer War, with South Australian colonial forces in 1900 and Commonwealth forces in 1902; during the later period of service he raised a unit of the Australian Commonwealth Horse.


 * 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion (Hog Farm) : The 9th Missouri Sharpshooter Battalion formed part of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. When first formed in late 1862, the men had no unique qualifications to serve as sharpshooters and were drawn from a defunct artillery battery, a partisan rangers unit, and infantrymen. The unit's first major battle was the Battle of Prairie Grove in December 1862. During 1863 the battalion served in Arkansas, taking part in several battles. In March 1864, it moved into Louisiana to oppose the Red River campaign, It spent the rest of the war at various points in Louisiana and Arkansas before the Confederate forces in the Trans-Mississippi Theater surrendered on May 26, 1865.


 * Diadumenian (Unlimitedlead and Iazyges) : Diadumenian was the son of the Roman Emperor Macrinus, and served as his co-ruler for a brief time in 218. Diadumenian became caesar in May 217, shortly after his father's accession to the imperial throne. Elagabalus, a relative of the recently deceased Emperor Caracalla, revolted in May the following year, and Diadumenian was elevated to co-emperor. After Macrinus was defeated in the Battle of Antioch on 8 June 218, Diadumenian was sent to the court of Artabanus IV of Parthia to ensure his safety; however, he was captured and executed along the way.


 * USS Marmora (1862) (Hog Farm) : USS Marmora was a sternwheel steamer that served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War. She was built in 1862 as a civilian vessel and purchased for military service for conversion into a tinclad warship. The vessel served on the Yazoo River during 1862 and 1863. In August 1863 Marmora participated in some activities on the White and Little Red Rivers while the Little Rock campaign was beginning, and patrolled on the Mississippi River late that year. In 1864 she participated in another movement up the Yazoo River. Continuing to serve on the Mississippi River, Marmora was declared surplus in May 1865. Nothing further is known about the ship after she was disposed by the Union Navy.