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Confused Heap of Facts

CGSC, Command and General Staff College

Historians from the CGSC Department of Military History discuss topics in military history, ranging from antiquity to the near-present.

education

All Episodes

33:21

Episode 74 - Special Guest COL Diven

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/09/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance host special guest COL Ethan Diven, Provost and Command and General Staff College Deputy Commandant. They discuss his favorite story from history, the importance of history in the CGSC curriculum, and how students should approach military history. Finally, he offers advice to students entering the course and graduates returning to the force.“History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC

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67:46

Episode 73 - Villanueva on Amphibious Operations in...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/09/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance are joined by special guest MAJ James Villanueva, PhD, US Army Mission Command Training Protocol, to discuss US Army amphibious operations in the Pacific in World War II. They begin by discussing the origin and training of amphibious operations in the interwar Army. They detail the difficulties of undertaking them during the war, particularly early when the Japanese still had significant combat power. They conclude by examining lessons modern practitioners might

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66:01

Episode 72 - Reassessing Westmoreland with Dr. Martin...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/08/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel and co-host Dr. Bill Nance launch a new series in which we reassess commanders who have been given a good or bad reputation by historians. We begin with DR. Martin Clemis reassessing William Westmoreland, US commander in Vietnam during the key years of 1964 to 1968, and frequent punching bag for the ultimate defeat there. He explains the typical view of Westmoreland as a bull-headed, unimaginative commander trying to refight World War II in Vietnam. He walks through the reality on

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71:22

Episode 71 – DiMarco on Replacements and...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/07/01

FM 3-0 Operations 2025 says that “Some combination of maneuver and attrition is typically necessary to achieve victory during armed conflict.” Dr. Jonathan Abel discusses the process of replacements and reconstitution in the European Theater of Operations in World War II with Drs. Bill Nance, co-host, and Dr. Lou DiMarco. They detail how replacements were produced and how the system worked. They explore how reconstitution enabled units to re-man and re-equip after significant loss. Finally, they

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55:29

Episode 70 – Operation Southern Watch with Dr. John...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/06/10

Dr. Jonathan Abel and Dr. Bill Nance talk Operation Southern Watch with Dr. John Kuehn, US Navy (Retired). They explain why Desert Storm wasn’t actually the end of the story in Iraq. They explore how the no-fly zones were set up over Iraq, and their purpose. Dr. Kuehn walks through how missions in Southern Watch worked. They conclude with an examination of the strengths and weaknesses of no-fly zones in subsequent conflicts.Listener caution: some explicit language. “History is only a confused

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69:52

Episode 69 – Preparing for MDO: WW2 with Dr. Bill Nance

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/05/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel sits down with Dr. Bill Nance to discuss how the US Army prepared for World War II. They begin with the period of austerity in the 1920s and the three competing Army missions in the Philippines, on the Mexican border, and training at home. They move through the era of rising tensions in the 1930s as George Marshall worked to build cadres for a future conscript army. They conclude by examining the early years of the war and how that system came to fruition to provide the armies that

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61:41

Episode 68 – Moseman on Strategic Military...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/04/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel, joined by Dr. Bill Nance, talk with Dr. Scott Moseman about strategic military intelligence between its birth in the US and the end of World War II. They begin by detailing what intelligence is and how it operates on each level of war. They explain how it came about in the Army and Navy. They explore how it went through a fallow period in the early twentieth century. They examine how it worked in the World Wars, especially the Second Conflict.“History is only a confused heap of

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66:49

Episode 67 – Special Guest Dr. Sanders Marble on...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/03/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance are joined by Drs. Mark Gerges and Sanders Marble, Senior Historian at the US Army Office of Medical History, for a wide-ranging discussion on casualty care in US Army history. They explain how casualty care began in the earliest years of the Army and trace it through the Civil War. They detail how casualty care changed in the twentieth century. They explore the issue in Desert Storm and conclude by speculating on issues with casualty care in future large-scale

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65:49

Episode 66 – Nagel on Race Relations in the US Army...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/02/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel, joined by Dr. Bill Nance, completes the trilogy on race relations in the US Army with Dr. Amanda Nagel by looking at the period from 1920 to World War 2. They examine how the interwar years changed the discussion of the issue. They detail how changes going into World War 2 influenced race relations. They explore how the war changed them, both in the military and at home.“History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan

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100:20

Episode 65 – Bonura on Napoleonic Officers

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2025/01/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance discuss Napoleonic officers with Dr. Mike Bonura of DJIMO. They explain where the officers came from and how they were trained. They detail how Napoleonic command and control and mission command worked. They discuss some of the issues with the system. They conclude with lessons modern officers might take from the period.“History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of ChesterfieldHost: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs

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51:20

Episode 64 – Special Guest Dr. Sam Watson

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/12/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance sit down with special guest Dr. Sam Watson from the US Military Academy at West Point. They have a wide-ranging discussion on officers in the early US republic and the state of military history today.“History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMHDMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan Abel, Mark Gerges, and Bill NanceArtwork: Daniel O. NealMusic: SSG Noah Taylor, West Point Band

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65:12

Episode 63 – He Who Desires Peace, Let Him Prepare...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/11/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel is joined by Dr. John Hosler to discuss the Roman military theorist Vegetius. They discuss Vegetius’s work and its themes. They trace its transmission and influence through the medieval period. They examine its use in early modern France. They conclude by discussing one of the major misuses of Vegetius and similar works. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield Host: Dr. Jonathan Abel, CGSC DMH DMH Podcast Team: Drs. Jonathan

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64:17

Episode 62 – Clemis on Twentieth-Century Vietnamese...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/10/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance continue their discussions about Vietnam with Dr. Martin Clemis. They dive into Vietnamese politics throughout the twentieth century. They begin with major influences on Vietnam like China, France, Marxism, and Buddhism. They detail how politics evolved throughout the century, particularly in the North. They explain how America’s Vietnam War shaped those politics. They conclude by explaining why the US often mis-read Vietnamese politics during its war. “History is

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0:27

Episode 61.5 – Schedule Announcement

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/09/23

A short of announcement that we'll be moving to a once-a-month model for CHF instead of the twice -a-month.

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1:16:27

Episode 61 – Brown on Eisenhower’s New Look

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/09/15

Dr. Jonathan Abel is joined by Dr. Gates Brown to discuss Eisenhower’s New Look policy. They outline the background to Eisenhower’s strategic views via the late 1940s and early 1950s. They explain what Eisenhower’s approach to deterrence was via the New Look and Massive Retaliation. They explore the responses within the Army, particularly the Pentomic Division, to that policy. They then conclude with some lessons learned from the period. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip

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57:26

Episode 60 – Rafuse on the 1862 Valley Campaign

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/09/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel is joined by Dr. Bill Nance to discuss the 1862 Valley Campaign of the U.S. Civil War with Dr. Ethan Rafuse. They discuss the background of the campaign and how it fit into the other Union efforts that spring. They detail the fighting in the valley and how Union efforts failed. They conclude with lessons from the campaign, including Stonewall Jackson’s operational art and leadership. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” – Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield

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1:05:39

Episode 59 – Abel on Early Modern European Military...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/08/15

Dr. Bill Nance interviews Dr. Jonathan Abel about military theory during the early modern period, especially in France. They discuss the gap in knowledge between Machiavelli and Clausewitz that many modern students of the subject have, and how it developed. They detail the theorists who worked between those periods and how theory evolved. They talk about the Military Enlightenment and how it led to the works of Jomini and Clausewitz at the advent of the modern era. “History is only a confused

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1:00:37

Episode 58 - Keuhn talks JC Wiley

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/08/01

Dr. Jonathan Abel is joined by Dr. Bill Nance and guest Dr. John Kuehn to talk about an under appreciated theorist: JC Wiley. They discuss his background and how it shaped his theory. They note his service record in World War II, including his participation in the foundation of the Combat Information Center (CIC). They then explore his theories, including how strategy relates to the other levels of war. "History is only a confused heap of facts." - Phillip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of

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1:01:41

Episode 57 – Clemis on Dau Tranh

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/07/15

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance sit down with Dr. Martin Clemis to discuss Vietnamese communist strategy in the Vietnam War, especially what is known as “dau tranh.” Clemis describes the holistic communist approach that stymied efforts by the French, Americans, and Chinese to defeat it. He traces its origins in Marxism and Maoism, and he discusses how it functioned. Finally, he offers some personal opinions on why the US struggled with dau tranh. “History is only a confused heap of facts.” –

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1:03:05

Episode 56 – Nagel on Race Relations in the US Army...

Confused Heap of Facts ·

2024/07/01

Drs. Jonathan Abel and Bill Nance are back with Dr. Amanda Nagel to talk race relations in the US Army in the early twentieth century. The dig into social and military issues as Jim Crow began its long reign in the US, including the Army. They detail the struggle of Black American officers to find justice and equity in the Army leading into World War I. They discuss some of the influence that that war had on the topic, looking forward to the burgeoning civil rights movement. “History is only

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76 results

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