Working The Trapline — Ruck-N-Gun; SAS Op; The Badass Younger Brother

 

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself this weekend. Knocked out Part II of the Dunmore’s War series and crushed a FP Biathlon on a glorious Indian Summer day. Got in some challenging pistol drills with Craig Rullman on a cold Sunday morning.

Then I ran across this epic Ruck-N-Gun event. Damn. Guess I need to level up.

Just very damn impressive. Fourteen miles of rugged West Texas terrain; challenging targets.

I love it that these physically demanding run-and-gun events have caught on. I still get some perplexed reactions out at the Pit when people see the kettlebells and the clay array. Adding in physical demands makes the shooting much more challenging — and interesting. And shooting makes a workout much more interesting, too. Beats the hell out of the gym. I’m surprised at the number of people who don’t “get it.” But obviously there are some folks who do.

I found this most inspiring — and there’s plenty more where that came from. Next up:

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The Siege at Princes Gate is the most famous SAS op, because it played out in front of the cameras. Operation Barras is virtually unsung, but …. man…

Damien Lewis recounts it in Operation Certain Death:

This book chronicles the story of the single most daring Special Forces operation since World War Two – Operation Barras; the attempted rescue by the SAS of the British Forces who were being held captive by guerrilla gang the West Side Boys in the Sierra Leone jungle. The West Side Boys were a strange-looking bunch, wearing pink shades, shower caps, fluorescent wigs and voodoo charms they believed made them invulnerable to bullets – an impression re-enforced by ganja, heroine, crack cocaine and gallons of sweet palm wine. In 1999 a twelve man patrol of Royal Irish Rangers, who were training government troops in Sierra Leone, were captured and held hostage by the West Side Boys. They were held prisoner in a fortified jungle hideaway, with severed heads decorating the palisades, defended by some 400 heavily armed soldiers. Operation Barras, the rescue mission, was a combined force of 100 Paras, twelve members of the Special Boat Squadron, helicopters from the Navy and RAF and, spearheading the operation, 40-strong D squadron of the SAS. Against amazing odds the hostages were rescued – over 150 of the enemy were killed. 

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You’ve heard me say it before: History is capricious. Karen Blixen is rightly renowned for Out of Africa and other writings, under the pen name Isak Dinesen. She was married to Bror Blixen, one of the great East Africa hunters, and was the lover of another, Denys Finch-Hatton. All of them legends. Most folks have never heard of her younger brother, Thomas Dinesen.

Thomas managed Karen’s coffee farm in the Ngong Hills. A civil engineer by training, he designed and built the roasting shed that famously burned down, putting paid to the venture in the 1920s. But that was all after Thomas earned a Victoria Cross in the trenches of the Western Front.

Dinesen, a neutral Dane, tried to get into the Great War from the git-go — French Army, British Army, and after 1917, the American Army. Nobody would take him. Finally, he was taken on by the Black Watch of Canada (42nd Battalion CEF) in 1917. The Canadians and the Australians would be the spearhead of the British Army’s war-winning offensive in the summer of 1918.

From Key Military:

Thomas Dinesen was educated at Rungsted State School and the Polytechnical School, Copenhagen. Before the war, he worked as an engineer and in 1914 he became a member of the Academic Rifle Corps, in which he established himself as a first-class shot. After the outbreak of the Great War in August 1914, he tried to join the French and British armies, but they would only accept their own nationals. In his book about his wartime experiences, Merry Hell! A Dane with the Canadians, Dinesen wrote: “But from the very first day of August [1914] I knew that, sooner or later, I should have to leave everything and go in search of the real war. There was – in my set, anyhow – a firm conviction [that] the future of humanity, the continuance of civilisation, the salvation of the world, depended on the subjugation of Germany.”

Dinesen was a keen trench raider, but his first major combat didn’t come until the big push in August. Dinesen was an absolute hellion in the Battle of Amiens, August 12, 1918. His VC citation tells the tale:

“For most conspicuous and continuous bravery displayed during ten hours of hand-to-hand fighting which led to the capture of over a mile of strongly garrisoned and stubbornly defended enemy trenches.

“Five times in succession he rushed forward alone and single-handed put hostile machine guns out of action, accounting for 12 of the enemy with bomb and bayonet. His sustained valour and resourcefulness inspired his comrades at a very critical stage of the action, and were an example to all.”

He wasn’t done yet. More combat on August 21, 1918, earned him the French Croix de Guerre. Somehow, he survived the war completely unscathed. After his time in Africa, he returned to Denmark, farming and writing. He died in 1979 at the age of 86.

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The Battle of Bushy Run was one of the most important battles in Frontier Partisan history. Col. Henry Bouquet used the tactic of feigned retreat to draw his native foes into a kill box, and the Scottish Highlanders that made up a big chunk of his command fought with exceptional courage and fortitude — despite having been ravaged by illness and combat in the Caribbean. The victory there took the steam out of the eastern theater of operations of Pontiac’s rebellion. The Delaware and Shawnee of the Ohio Country agreed to peace, renewed trade, and the return of prisoners.

It seems that the battle has received cinematic treatment in Love, Courage, and the Battle of Bushy Run. The Bushy Run Battlefield ran a screening earlier this month as a fundraiser. Gonna see if I can run this feature down — all I’m seeing is UK availability. It’ll get here eventually…

In 1763, Britain won the world-wide Seven Years War causing the French to abandon the American colonies. With the French gone, the Native Americans feared the British would seek revenge. Ottawa Chief Pontiac convinced many tribes to strike first. Some did so willingly, others were forced to fight. Their ultimate target was Fort Pitt. The combatants on both sides deployed unconventional and often brutal strategies and tactics. Colonel Henry Bouquet, with a rag-tag group of British soldiers, Scottish Highlanders and American volunteers, was tasked with trying to save the hundreds of men, women and children facing certain death in Fort Pitt. The little-known Battle of Bushy Run changed the course of world history. This is that story.

Obviously, not a major production, but reviews have been pretty positive, for what that’s worth.

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’Tis the season when the Land of Fennario is close at hand. In that spirit (as it were)…

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Recently discovered the Estonian folk music of Othala. Evocative of deep forests and ancient connections, this music suits the season, and makes for excellent writing background.

The debut album of “Othala” (2023) marks the beginning of an immersive musical journey that blends ancient traditions with modern sounds. Drawing inspiration from the deep roots of cultural heritage and nature’s primal forces, the album weaves together atmospheric melodies, powerful rhythms, and evocative soundscapes. Othala’s first release serves as a tribute to ancestral wisdom and the eternal connection between humanity and the earth, inviting listeners to explore themes of identity, legacy, and spiritual awakening.