Ching Shih – the most successful pirate in history

Ching Shih was a powerful pirate lord who lived between 1775 and 1844. This woman is considered to be the most successful pirate in history. Under her command her fleet engaged in conflict with the major nations of the time including the British Empire, Qing dynasty and Portuguese Empire. Yet how did this woman who started life as a prostitute rise to such power?

Unfortunately, not a lot is known about Ching Shih’s early life. We do know she was born in Guangdong province China in 1775 under the name Shih Yang. She worked in a floating brothel as a prostitute in Canton under the nickname Shih Heang Koo. It was while working here a pirate captain Zhèng Yi who commanded the notorious Red Flag Fleet noticed Ching Shih’s beauty and desired to be with her. There is some debate as to how Zhèng Yi and Ching Shih came to be married which has sadly been lost to history. Some believe it was as a result of Zhèng Yi ordering a raid on the brothel, while others believe it was a formal proposal on the condition Ching Shih would have some power within his fleet and obtain a share of the plunder. However, it happened, Ching Shih and Zhèng Yi began to lead the Red Flag Fleet together as husband and wife.

Under the couple’s leadership the Red Flag Fleet grew from 200 ships to more than 600, then growing even further under the Cantonese Pirate Coalition with former rivalling pirate fleets. Upon Zhèng Yi’s death on the 16^th November 1807 in Vietnam, only 6 years after their marriage presented Ching Shih an opportunity to rise to become a pirate lord herself. She could have stepped down allowing Zhèng Yi’s second in command to take control, however not wanting to return to a life of prostitution and herself craving glory took charge by obtaining the support of her husband’s most powerful family members. 

Once Ching Shih has taken control of the fleet she began the task of uniting the fleet by issuing a code of laws. This included all plunder having to be presented to the fleet before it could be distributed. Disobeying orders was punishable by beheading on the spot and no one was allowed to steal from villages that supplied their fleet. Furthermore Ching Shih set strict rules regarding the treatment of captured prisoners especially female ones. Any female captives who were considered “ugly” were to be released unharmed. But any pirate who wished to take a captive as his wife was free to do so as long as he remained faithful. Unfaithfulness and rape were both punishable by execution under her command.

Ching Shih and the Red Flag Fleet took control over many coastal villages stretching from Macau to Canton. Ching Shih was nicknamed “the Terror of South China” as she robbed towns, abducted people and executed others. She even had cruel punishments for those who resisted her, such as nailing rebels feet to her ship’s deck and beating them. The Chinese government in an attempt to defeat her engaged in a series of battles which ultimately led to Ching Shih taking over the government ships. Ching Shih’s reputation was growing as people believed she could not be defeated by the Qing dynasty, British or Portuguese.

Due to the appearance that they could not be defeated, the Chinese offered amnesty to all pirates in a hope of ending Ching Shih’s reign. In 1809 Ching Shih finally began to suffer a series of defeats at the hands of the Portuguese Navy at the Battle of the Tiger’s Mouth. In their final battle in 1810 at Chek Lap Kok the Red Flag Fleet surrendered to the Portuguese and took the amnesty offered by the Qing Imperial Government, which also allowed her to keep any loot they had obtained over the previous year.

Ching Shih gave birth to a son in 1813 and a daughter later on. In 1822 Ching Shih moved the family to Macau and opened a gambling house and brothel while also joining the salt trade. Later in her life she served as advisor to Lin Zexu during the First Opium War in battling the British Military in 1839. She reached the end of her life in her bed surrounded by her family in 1844 and the age of 69 having lived an extraordinary life in a very rags to riches story.

 

(Disclaimer – I do not own the images used in this article, they are purely for educational purposes and the rights belong to the original artists)

Walther Wenck “The Boy General”

Walther Wenck was the youngest General of the branch in the German Army and a staff Officer during World War Two.

He was born on the 18^th September 1900 in Wittenberg. In 1919 he joined the Paramilitary group Freikorps and in 1920 joined the Army of the Weimar Republic. During 1939 until 1942, Wench was Chief of Operations for the 1^st Panzer Division. In 1942 he was an instructor at the War Academy, chief of staff for the LVII Corps, and then the 3^rd Romanian Army on the Eastern Front.

In 1944 he was made chief of staff of Army Group South Ukraine, it was here that he first got the attention of Adolf Hitler with his report on conditions on the Eastern Front saying “As you see my Fuhrer, the Eastern Front in like Swiss cheese, full of holes”. He was reprimanded for using informal language but Hitler commended the “liveliness” of his report!

On the 10^th April 1945, Wenck was appointed commander of the German Twelfth Army in the west of Berlin to guard against the advancing American and British forces. However, as the allies made gains in the Western and Eastern fronts towards Berlin, the German’s lines were backed toward each other. As a result, Wenck’s army’s area of control to his rear and East of the Elbe River had become a vast refugee camp for German civilians fleeing the Soviets in the East. Wenck took great pains to provide food and shelter for the refugees and at one stage the Twelfth Army was feeding more than a quarter of a million people every day.

On 22^nd April 1945 and the Battle of Berlin raged, SS-General Felix Steiner retreated leaving Wenck’s Twelfth Army as Hitler’s last hope of saving Berlin. Wenck was ordered to disengage the Allied forces to his west and attack east, linking up with the Ninth Army to battle the Soviets encircling Berlin. Wenck’s forces met heavy Soviet resistance outside Potsdam and neither the 9^th or 12^th armies were able to progress towards Berlin. However, Wenck’s eastward attack toward Berlin had also been aimed specifically at providing the population and garrison at Berlin with an escape route to areas occupied by Western Allied forces.

On the night of April 28^th Wenck reported to the German Supreme Army Command that his Army had been forced back and that no attack on Berlin was possible. Instead, Wenck moved his forces towards the forest of Halbe and linked up with the remnants of the Ninth Army. “Comrades, you’ve got to go in once more” Wenck said, “It’s not about Berlin anymore, it’s not about the Reich anymore”. Their task was to save the people from the fighting and advancing Soviets. Wenck’s actions successfully evacuated tens of thousands of troops and civilians across the Elbe River to safety and surrender to Western forces, with Wenck himself being the last one who crossed the river.

Invasion of Iceland

In 1918, after years of Danish rule Iceland became an independent state, but remained in union with Denmark. Iceland declared itself a neutral country without a defence force.

As World War Two developed the Germans launched Operation Weserubung on the 9^th April 1940, invading both Norway and Denmark. Denmark fell within a day and was occupied by the Germans. With Denmark defeated the British government sent Iceland’s government a message stating that Britain was willing to assist Iceland in maintaining her independence but would require facilities in Iceland to do so. Britain also invited Iceland to join the war as an ally, but they rejected Britain’s offer.

On April 12^th Britain took over the Faroe Islands. With the occupation of Norway and Denmark, the British became concerned that Germany would try to establish a military presence in Iceland which would be an intolerable threat to British control of the North Atlantic. The British were also very eager to obtain bases in Iceland to strengthen their Northern Patrol.

 

As the situation in Norway deteriorated, the British Admiralty came to the conclusion that Britain could no longer do without military bases in Iceland. On the 6^th May Churchill presented the case to the War Cabinet. Churchill maintained that if further negotiating with the Icelandic government were attempted, the Germans might learn of them and act first. A more effective solution was to land troops unannounced and present the Icelandic government with no other option.

The allies became increasingly concerned by the strategic importance of Iceland and the number of German diplomats present in the country. In an attempt to deny Iceland to the Germans, the British Royal Navy and Royal Marines took part in an operation, code named Operation Fork, on the 10^th May 1940 to invade Iceland.

The operation was organised hastily with much of the plan being conducted on route. The force had very few maps and most were of poor quality, including some drawn from memory, and no one in the force was fluent in Icelandic. The British intended to land all their forces at Reykjavik where they could overcome resistance and defeat local Germans. To guard against a German counterattack by sea, they would secure the harbor and send troops by land to nearby Hvalfjörður. The British were also worried that the Germans might airlift troops, as they had done with great success in Norway. To guard against this, troops would drive east to the landing grounds at Sandskeið and Kaldaðarnes. Lastly, troops would be sent by land to the harbor at Akureyri and the landing ground at Melgerði in the north of the country.

On May 3^rd 1940 the 2^nd Royal Marine Battalion in Surrey were made ready to move in two hours to an unknown destination. The troops were mostly new recruits and only partially trained. On May 7^th the force headed to the harbor at Greenock and made to board the cruisers Berwick and Glasgow. There were numerous delays and as a result, they didn’t leave until May 8^th and even left large amounts of equipment on the piers. The cruisers were not designed to take a force of this size and conditions were cramped. Despite good weather, most of the marines developed severe seasickness and one of the new recruits committed suicide on route.

At 01:47 on May 10^th, they launched a Supermarine Walrus reconnaissance aircraft to scout enemy submarines that the British were convinced were operating from Iceland’s harbors. Despite orders not to fly over Reykjavik itself, it flew several circles over the city making considerable noise, waking up a number of people and losing the element of surprise.

Werner Gerlach, the German consul was alerted to the aircraft and suspecting what was about to happen drove down to the harbor. Using his binoculars, he confirmed his fears before hurrying back home to arrange the burning of all his documents.

At 03:40 an Icelandic policeman saw a small fleet of warships approaching that were about to violate Icelandic neutrality. A boat loaded with 400 Marines landed at the harbor at 5am and a crowd had assembled along with several police. The locals were asked not to interfere with the British Troops so not to cause conflicts between them and the Icelanders, although some of the locals protested the British presence.

Operations began in Reykjavik, a notice was posted on the post office in broken Icelandic that British Forces were occupying the city and asked for cooperation in dealing with local Germans. The telecommunication and broadcasting services were quickly put under British control to prevent news of an invasion reaching Berlin.

Priority was put on finding the German consulate. British troops were relieved to meet no resistance and simply knocked on the consulate’s door. He protested against the British invasion saying Iceland was a neutral country, only to be reminded in turn that Denmark had also been a neutral country. The British discovered a fire upstairs with a pile of documents burning. They then extinguished this and were able to salvage a number of records. The British rounded up and captured the Germans in Iceland without resistance.

On the evening of 10th May, the government of Iceland issued a protest, charging that its neutrality had been “flagrantly violated” and “its independence infringed”, noting that compensation would be expected for all damage done. The British promised compensation, favorable business agreements, non-interference in Icelandic affairs, and the withdrawal of all forces at the end of the war. Resigning themselves to the situation, the Icelandic authorities provided the invasion force with de facto cooperation, though formally maintaining a policy of neutrality.

Although the British action was to forestall any risk of a German invasion, there is no evidence that the Germans had an invasion planned. After the British invasion, the Germans drew up a report to examine the feasibility of seizing Iceland. The report found that while an invasion could be successful, maintaining supply lines would be too costly and the benefits of holding Iceland would not outweigh the costs.

Battle of Islandbridge

In 919, a number of Irish Kings joined together to try and expel the Vikings from Dublin once more. The native Irish coalition was led by Niall Glúndub, overking of Northern Ui Néill and High King of Ireland against the Dublin Based Vikings of the Uí Ímair led by Sitric Cáech.

The ruling Vikings of Dublin had been expelled from the city in 902, however this was only temporary and Viking raids continued into Irish settlements.

In 914, a large fleet came to the previously Viking held city of Waterford and in the following year more settled in Limerick.

In 917 two prominent members of the Vikings of Uí Ímair, Ragnall and Sitric Cáech sailed two fleets to Ireland. Ragnall landed in Waterford and Sitric landed at Cenn Fuait in Leinster. Several Irish kings joined forces to try and drive the Vikings away again. At the Battle of Mag Femen in Brega the Vikings won a great Victory over the Irish forces and then another at Cenn Fuait. Sitric led his men on a triumphant return to Dublin re-establishing Viking control and installing himself as King while Ragnall returned to England.

In 919, the Irish Kings Niall Glúndub of Northern Ui Néill, Áed mac Eochocáin of Ulster, Máel Mithig mac Flannacain of Brega, Mael Craibe mac Duibsinig of Airgilla, Conchobarmac Flann of Mide and Cellach mac Fogartaig of South Brega intended to push the Vikings from Dublin. The Irish Kings were emboldened by the departure of Ragnall back to England and marched against the Vikings.

The Irish forces and Vikings met near Islandbridge (modern day County Dublin) on the 14^th September 919. The battle was a disaster for the Irish, the Kings Niall Glúndub, Áed mac Eochocáin, Máel Mithig mac Flannacain, Mael Craibe mac Duibsinig, Conchobar mac Flainn and Cellach mac Fogartaig were all slain in the battle along with many Irish nobles. The failure of the coalition to drive out the Vikings ensured their hold on Dublin remained strong until 1014.

 

 

(I do not own the rights to the images used, they are artist’s own impressions)

Women at War

With the UK recently allowing women into combat roles, we decided to take a look at the role of a few women in conflicts throughout history as this is not a new thing. For as long as conflicts have occurred, women have fought and died alongside men. The following post will be highlighting some of these events and individuals from antiquity to modern day.

Lady Fu Hao

During the 13^th Century BC in China, King Wu Ding was known for forming alliances by marrying a woman from each of the neighbouring tribes, one of these 60 wives was Lady Fu Hao. She took advantage of this marriage and slave-society and rose through the ranks, even leading troops into battle. The Shang Dynasty had been at war with the Tu-Fang for decades until they were defeated by Fu Hao in one decisive battle. She also led soldiers in the following wars against the neighbouring Yi, Qiang and Ba. Fu Hao became the most powerful military leader of the time.

Amage the Sarmatian Queen

 

Amage was the wife of the Sarmatian King Medosaccus in the 4^th Century BC. Polyaenus writes that her husband was more interested in luxury and himself than the country, and as such Amage took over as regent. The Scythians kept sending raiding parties into the Crimea (the Bosporan Kingdom was then an ally of the Sarmatians). Amage sent a message to the Scythian king to cease harassing her people. He ignored her request and she marched 120 warriors to the Scythian camp covering 140 miles in one day. When Amage arrived they took the Scythians by surprise, Amage’s troops killed the King, most of his family and guards only sparing the King’s son because he took an oath to obey her and to not continue the assault on her allies.

Queen Zenobia

Zenobia was a queen of the Palmyrene Empire during the 3^rd Century in Syria, who led a revolt against the Roman Empire. After her husband’s death in 267 she became ruler and expanded the empire, having conquered Egypt and expelling the Romans by the year 269. She ruled Egypt for 3 years until she was defeated in 271 by the Romans.

 

Æthelflæd Lady of the Mercians

Æthelflæd was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex. She became the ruler of the Mercia in 911 and was known as a formidable military leader and tactician during the Viking invasions of England. She built a series of fortresses in the West Midlands and by allying herself with her brother, King Edward of Wessex, she was able to move against the occupying Danes in the South of England.

Ida of Austria

Ida of Austria raised and led her own army towards Jerusalem during the Crusades of 1101, she and her army were among those ambushed at Heraclea Cybistra. It is reported that she fell in the attack.

 

 

Maire o Ciaragain

Maire was an Irish warlord from Armagh in the 15^th Century. She led the Irish clans in revolt against the English Pale as well as the Earldom or Leinster and the Earldom of Ulster.

Abbakka Chowta

Abbakka was the Queen of Ullal who fought the Portuguese in the 16^th Century. The Portuguese made numerous attempts to capture Ullal but Abbakka was able to defeat each of their attacks for over four decades. Due to her bravery she became known as the Fearless Queen and is one of the earliest Indians to fight the colonial Powers.

Maria Wittek

Maria Wittek served in the Polish Army and associated organisations since she was 18 years old. During the Invasion of Poland in 1939 she was the commanding officer of the Women’s Military Assistance Battalions. She fought in the Warsaw Uprising and was promoted to Lt.Colonel. After the Warsaw Uprising was defeated she avoided being taken prisoner by the Germans and left the ruins of Warsaw among the Civilians.

 

There are of course thousands more examples of Women actively serving in conflicts from all around the world, but we’ve tried t0 highlight some of the least well known stories in this topic.

Eric Stanley Lock DSO, DFC & Bar

Eric Lock was born on the 19^th April 1919 in Bayston Hill, England. Lock had his first flying experience when he was 14 years of age as a birthday gift from his father.

During 1939 with the prospect of war breaking out and the possibility he would have been called up to serve, Lock made the decision that he would rather serve as an airman. He joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve at the age of 20. It was only after three months that he was called up and began his flight training.

As of September 1939 at the outbreak of World War Two, Lock joined the RAF as a Sergeant Pilot where he undertook further training at RAF Little Rissington’s Flying School. In May 1940 he became a commissioned Pilot Officer and was assigned to Number 41 Squadron at RAF Catterick in North Yorkshire.

Eric Lock married his girlfriend Peggy Meyers in July 1940 before returning to his unit and soon began combat patrols over the North of England.

This was largely defending British Airspace against Luftflotte 5 who were operating out of occupied Norway. Number 41 Squadron mostly remained out of the main conflict of the early stages of the Battle of Britain.

By the 15^th August 1940 the Luftwaffe attempted to stretch fighter command by sending fighter aircraft to attack the North of England which they believed to be mostly undefended. It was in this battle that Lock won his first victory shooting down a Bf 110 heavy fighter.

In September 1940 Number 41 Squadron was redeployed to RAF Hornchurch in Essex due to a need for more fighter aircraft in the South of England. On the 5^th September he successfully shot down two Heinkel He 111s, but upon following the second Heinkel down, he came under fire from a Messerschmitt Bf 109, damaging his Spitfire and wounding his leg.

The following day he ignored medical advice and the pain in his leg, as he took to the skies again and shot down a Ju 88 along with 2 Bf 109s and a Bf 110 on the 9^th September. These brought his total number of victories to 9 enemy aircraft destroyed, earning him the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Lock continued his performance against Axis aircraft, winning an additional 15 victories throughout the Battle of Britain earning him the Medal Bar for his Distinguished Flying Cross. Number 41 Squadron were given 4 weeks’ rotation rest after this intense period.

They returned to RAF Hornchurch at the start of October 1940. Lock’s victories continued soon after, winning on the 5^th October and the 9^th October. He shot down an additional 2 Bf 109’s on the 11^th October and 20^th October bringing his kill score up to 21, making him the most successful allied ace of the Battle of Britain.

Unfortunately, within six months of becoming one of the most famous plots of the RAF, his Spitfire crash landed in the English Channel after being damaged by ground fire. He was posted Missing in Action on the 3^rd August 1941 and was never seen again.