Luke Herbert

My latest article asks an unspoken question: Did Iran attempt a commerce raiding campaign in the Indian Ocean? open.substack.com/pub/thelensofh…

“Call me Hugh, only my headmaster calls me Toye” 10 Years of letters between Gen Mohan Singh 1st Commander INA and Col Hugh Toye his postwar interrogator It is very rare for former protagonists to become friends, but Singh and Toye did. It began 49 years ago today 26Mar1977. Capt. Mohan Singh became General Mohan Singh. 1st C/O of the Japanese backed Indian National Army recruited by him from Indian POWs to invade India and evict Britain. He lost faith with the Japanese, was arrested, disbanded the INA, and was exiled for the rest of the war. When it ended, he surrounded and was interrogated by Toye in 1945 in Singapore. In the longest report made on all such interrogations, Toye tried hard but could not hide his admiration for Singh. The report began with a photo of a defiant Singh and Toye speaks of his piercing eyes, his impact on the soldiers and how he strode over the 1st INA, as it was later called. They parted ways and did not hear of each other till 1977. In Oxford that year, Toye who had retired and was doing some research was approached by a young Japanese, Toshio Yokoyama, He was the nephew of Lt. Gen Fujiwara Iwaichi, who as a wartime Major in Army Intelligence had masterminded the alliance with Indian nationalists that led to the formation of the INA. Mr. Yokoyama had in fact just returned from a trip to India where he had stayed with Mohan Singh’s family. Toye immediately wrote to Singh, a letter he received and replied to on the same day, 49 years ago today, 26Mar1977. Thus started a friendship that lasted till Singh died on 26Dec1989. They wrote to each other almost every month and Singh kept not only those Toye wrote to him, but also copies of his replies, so a complete correspondence exists that lasted 10 years (the last letter – see image was on 1Sep1987). The contents are incredible – they both say in these letters more than they do in their memoirs/ published histories, discuss many people prominent in the story, an admission by Toye that focusing mainly on Subash Chandra Bose in his book The Springing Tigers, he had not written a complete history of the INA by – he planned a rewrite but that did not happen, just a 1980s article The First INA that highlighted how the INA was formed, and the roles of Rash Bahari Bose, Giani Pritam Singh and Gen Mohan Singh. As they became friendlier, Toye asked Singh to “Call me Hugh, only my Headmaster called me Toye”. An incredible piece of history, courtesy The General Mohan Singh Family Archive. @PenguinIndia @penswordbooks #Indianarmy #INA

@WarOnTheRocks Excellent insights into the legality around the sinking of the Iris Dena. Also see: thelensofhistory.substack.com/p/did-iran-att…

Beneath a single engagement lies a more complex picture of modern naval warfare. It draws together operational realities and strategic signaling. ow.ly/wNPb30sUCI4

@JAParker29 @WarOnTheRocks An excellent read. The idea of a submarine rescuing survivors doesn't stand up to broader historical scrutiny. Nor was such an act considered illegal under international law in the immediate post-war period.

Pleased to be published in @WarOnTheRocks 👇

@Artemisapphire The folly of gradual escalation meets General Custer.

This is the closest to absolutely mental I have ever seen in my geostrategic career And I've seen some doozies, from Chelmsford to Cardigan

@SpitfireFilly @Iain_MacGregor1 @HoZ_Books @GeorginaCapel A late happy birthday. I hope you had a great day.

Posted on my birthday as well! 🥰 thank you so much @Iain_MacGregor1 @HoZ_Books @GeorginaCapel for having worked hard on the paperback edition of #EagleDays! It will be published on 23rd April 🥰♥️ bloomsbury.com/uk/eagle-days-…

@RobertPicardo I am sorry to hear about Star Trek: Starfleet Academy's cancellation. I would have loved to have seen that show give a nod to 12 O'clock High in a later season.

@Miriam2626 Agreed. The U.S. putting boots on the ground in Iran would result in a stalemate without a way to break the deadlock.

No it will be worse than Viet Nam.

@dick_numbers Luxon's government does resemble a group of red shirts. Ha!

Look, as should be obvious to anyone, Luxon is clearly talking into his Star Fleet communicator. Alright? Alright. Glad that’s sorted out.

@CaptainJackYT I would have loved to have seen where that show might have gone with additional writers to ground the series and time to get going.

It does come across as piss poor management of a franchise that is celebrating its 60th #StarTrek

@dick_numbers Are those Labour supporters former Muldoon backers? Ha!

Every Labour bro on here demanding lockdowns, careless days, fuel rationing etc - you are free to park up yr car & bike, e-scooter or take the bus. No one will stop you.

@davidhall42 Research into power management systems is another unfilled gap.

@Lensofhistory84 Indeed! But at least if Australia replaces oil dependency with solar panel dependency, we’d be working better towards net zero! It could also incentivise the diversification of our electricity sources, which is key for energy security.

An unintended consequence of the Iran war could be an acceleration of the global transition to electric transportation and energy.

@hellomotorbike Luxon's government, like its Australian counterparts, has been swept away by events.

So the many single teachers who commute everyday to work at New Zealand's schools get nothing to alleviate rising fuel costs? Fuck, this government is stupid.

@dick_numbers That assumes those jobs existed in any meaningful number since the 1980s.

Big jumps in the minimum wage since 2019 has been a big contributing factor towards the slow death of low skilled jobs in manufacturing. Did anyone really imagine it wouldn’t?

@Artemisapphire @GoodwinMJ Goodwin blocked you on this platform?

In which @GoodwinMJ attempts blocking interactions forgetting screenshots and tagging exists And in which bragging statistically hallucinatory AI tripe is selling when the world knows it's tripe to make money and manipulate vulnerable people Isn't quite the win he thinks it is

@RevdPye @militaryhistori @GilesMacDonogh @pirateirwin @theskibeagle @MargyMayell @MalcolmCGodfrey @EdnaKB2 @FAB87F @alanhinkes Along with Field Marshal Alexander, a grossly underrated historical figure.

23 March 1981, Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck died in Marrakesh. Career soldier. Early 1941, became C-in-C Indian Army. July 1941, appointed C-in-C Middle East, replaced by Montgomery in 1942. June 1943, again appointed C-in-C India, where gave vital support to Slim's 14th Army.

The "Rules Based Order" that some keep talking about in international relations, was based upon collective ability and will to enforce the order... unfortunately many successive governments in many countries have neither invested in the ability, nor had the will, to do so...

That is spot on and also my conclusion. Nothing was done to prevent China from building artificial islands in the South China Sea. Ukraine has only gotten token support to keep Russian military aggression in check.