Monday, August 20, 2012

Black.


This is coolbert:

"black — adj - 10. causing or deserving dishonour or censure"

Here we have from the Middle Ages the Black Prince. A military man of renown his reputation as such acknowledged.

Edward of England.

"Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales . . . (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376) . . . more recently been popularly known as the Black Prince. He was an exceptional military leader, and his victories over the French at the Battles of Crécy and Poitiers made him very popular during his lifetime."

The Black Prince an advocate of chivalry as that term understood but not always a practitioner of same.

"his chivalric tendencies were overridden by expediency on many occasions. The Black Prince's repeated use of the chevauchée"

"[the] strategy (burning and pillaging towns and farms) was not in keeping with contemporary notions of chivalry"

As to the chevauchee:

NOT only arson and pillage but murder and rape of the peasantry as well. And NOT ONLY occurring but encouraged and tolerated as what was desired by the most senior commander. De-moralize and intimidate the civilian population and goad your enemy into ill-advised action, a challenge that could not be ignored.

Edward referred to by the sobriquet "Black Prince" that term the origins of which not totally agreed upon:

* "that it is derived from Edward's black shield, and/or his black armour."

* "that it is derived from Edward's brutal reputation, particularly towards the French in Aquitaine."

From much more modern times we also have another Black Prince.

Junio Valerio Borghese. From that era of the Second World War [WW2] an Italian fighting man of repute, a devoted and convinced fascist to the very end.

"Prince Junio Valerio Scipione Borghese (6 June 1906 – 26 August 1974), nicknamed The Black Prince, was an Italian Navy commander during the regime of Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and was a prominent hard-line fascist politician in post-war Italy."



Prince Borghese a talented and courageous naval officer commanding the Italian Decima Flottiglia MAS. Decima MAS pioneering naval commando and special operations as that term understood at the present time.

In the aftermath of Italian surrender to the allies, Prince Borghese continuing the fight on the side of the Germans Decima MAS noted for anti-partisan warfare activity - - brutal and unremitting combat with no-holds-barred!

"He chose to continue fighting with the Italian Social Republic (RSI) alongside the German Armed Forces (Wehrmacht)"

It should be noted that subsequent to Italian surrender, Decima MAS naval special operations contingents fought both with the allies and the Germans. If an invasion of Japan had actually occurred [fall 1945], American and British naval commando units as trained by personnel from Decima MAS would  have seen action!!

coolbert.


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