BATTLE OF MONTGISARD

On this day in 1177 King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem & 200 knights defeated Saladin in the Battle of Montgisard, in an early campaign of the Global War on Terror.

The Battle of Montgisard, 1177, by Charles Philippe Larivière


The 16-year-old King Baldwin IV, seriously afflicted by leprosy, led an out-numbered Christian force against the army of Saladin. The Islamic force was routed and their casualties were massive, only a fraction managed to flee to safety.

Saladin planned to invade the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem from Egypt. Learning of Saladin's plans, Baldwin IV left Jerusalem with (according to William of Tyre) only 375 knights to attempt a defense at Ascalon. Baldwin was stalled there by a 26,000-strong detachment of Saladin's troops. Accompanying Baldwin was Raynald of Châtillon, lord of Oultrejordain, who had just been released from captivity in Aleppo (Syria) the previous year. Raynald was a fierce enemy of Saladin, and with King Baldwin too ill with leprosy to personally command, was the effective commander of the Crusader Army. Also present were Odo de St Amand, Master of the Knights Templar - So Mote It Be - Baldwin of Ibelin, his brother Balian, Reginald of Sidon, and Joscelin III of Edessa. Another Templar force attempted to meet Baldwin at Ascalon, but they were besieged at Gaza.

The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291.


Saladin continued marching towards Jerusalem, thinking Baldwin would not dare to follow him with so few men. He attacked Ramla, Lydda and Arsuf, but because Baldwin was supposedly not a danger, he allowed his army to be spread out over a large area, pillaging and foraging. However, unknown to Saladin, the forces he had left behind to subdue the Crusader King were insufficient and now both Baldwin and the Templars were marching to intercept him before he reached Jerusalem.

The Crusaders pursued the Muslims along the coast, finally catching their enemies at Mons Gisardi, near Ramla. Saladin was taken totally by surprise. His army was in disarray, out of formation and tired from a long march. The Islamic army, in a state of panic, scrambled to make battle lines against the enemy. However, in the distance, the Christian army was completely quiet. King Baldwin ordered the relic of the True Cross to be raised in front of the troops. The King, whose teenage body was already ravaged by aggressive leprosy, was helped from his horse and dropped to his knees before the cross. He prayed to God for victory and rose to his feet to cheers from his army. As Saladin's army rushed to prepare, Baldwin began the charge across the sand.

The Jerusalem army smashed into the hurriedly arranged Muslims, inflicting huge casualties. The King, fighting with bandaged hands to cover his terrible wounds and sores, was in the thick of the fighting and Saladin's men were quickly overwhelmed. They tried to flee but hardly any escaped. Saladin himself only avoided capture by escaping on a racing camel.

King Baldwin's victory was total. He had utterly destroyed the invasion force, captured Saladin's baggage train and killed his nephew, Taqi ad-Din's son Ahmad.

Baldwin pursued Saladin until nightfall, and then retired to Ascalon. Deluged by ten days of heavy rains and suffering the loss of roughly ninety percent of his army, including his personal bodyguard of Mamluks, Saladin fled back to Egypt, harassed by Bedouins along the way. Only one tenth of his army made it back to Egypt with him.

Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb (صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب‎ c. 1138 - March 4, 1193) a.k.a. Saladin


Saladin, fearing the tenuousness of both his hold on Egypt and the alliance with his Syrian vassals, spread propaganda that the Christians had in fact lost the battle. Baldwin memorialized his victory by erecting a Benedictine monastery on the battlefield, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, whose feast day fell on the day of the battle. However, it was a difficult victory; Roger des Moulins, master of the Knights Hospitaller, reported that 1,100 men had been killed and 750 returned home wounded.




.

AMERICAN HEROES

Contemplate the images below, and then read on . . .














* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


CONFUSED?


There are many confusing, conflicting aspects to the struggle we are involved in.

Please bear with me while I make my point:

America, and the rest of the civilized world, are at war with an extremely dangerous group of criminal maniacs and their twisted logic.




Up until very recently, the war was known as the "Global War on Terrorism", or G-WOT. I don't know what they're calling it now on citations or campaign medals, but it is important to be aware that we are not fighting 'Terrorism' per se. Terrorism is a tactic, not an enemy in and of itself. What we are fighting is Islamic Fundamentalism, in it's most extreme form.


The question to ask is not "Why do they hate us?"


The question to ask is: "What do they want?"


Consider: there are 1.82 billion Muslims in the world (source: CIA World Factbook). If only one percent of them are Islamic Fundamentalist terrorists, that's 18,200,000 enemy fighters.



This figure, by the way, represents the entire number of soldiers, sailors and airmen who ever served in the German Wehrmacht during the entire course of World War II and the Spanish Civil War (not the force strength of the Wehrmacht at any point).

A terrorist army that large boggles the mind, strains credulity. There are possibly that many sympathizers and auxiliary supporters, but there is no way al Qaeda and it's variants (Taliban etc.) fields and supports that many fighters.

The majority of Muslims are regular folk just like you and me, who want the same things we want: to be left alone, to prosper and provide for their families, to leave their children better off than themselves. As with any demographic, there is a segment of the Muslim community, however, who are susceptible to becoming deranged or disgruntled, like Army Major Nadal Hasan at Fort Hood last Thursday - these sociopaths are found in any population, and their numbers are tiny.

And there is a segment of Muslims who are active, dedicated members of al Qaeda, et al. Despite the fact that the terrorists are capable of inflicting mass casualties, these numbers are also tiny.


Here's my point:

Ordinarily, the modern terrorist ethos is twofold: A) to gain publicity for their cause, whatever it is, and B) to force the State entity into giving concessions.

What is sinister about al Qaeda and their ilk is their plan: they wish no less than to start a global religious war of Muslims versus Christians (Crusaders) and Jews (Zionists). The Islamic Fundamentalists also view secular, sane Islamic nations such as Turkey and Morocco as traitors, and enablers of the Crusaders and Zionists.



Their agenda is to create a limitless bloodbath on such an unprecedented global scale that for all intents and purposes they will have unleashed Armageddon upon us. This is their stated goal. They have stated this numerous times, via video releases, and their writings.

IF we succumb to a xenophobic tendency to embrace a knee-jerk hatred of all things Muslim; IF we lower ourselves to their level - THEN THEY WIN.

It is that simple.

S.L.



The military headstone images preceding this post were originally posted on Frum Forum on 6 November 2009.

IT'S NEVER OVER

On this day, July 15 1974, a military coup overthrew President Makarios in Cyprus.


Presidential Palace, Cyprus, following the EOKA coup, July 1974.

This was the significant event that led to the eventual Turkish invasion of Cyprus, five days later.


Turkish airdrop over Cyprus, 1974

The 1974 invasion against Cyprus was no sideshow: the invasion cost Turkey more than 3,000 dead soldiers, 14 military planes, and 1 warship. Hellenic casualties included 397 killed, 1,269 wounded, 992 missing.


Turkish Armored Personnel Carrier during the invasion of Cyprus, 1974

Also on this day in 1099 - in a distantly related event - Christian soldiers of the First Crusade took the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem after the final assault of a difficult siege.



In accordance with the military customs of the era, a massacre ensued; tens of thousands of Muslims and Jews perished.



Cyprus was a key piece of terrain during the Crusader Era, between 1095 and 1291.

Big Wheel Keeps on Turnin' . . .