---

Home FAQ Historical Modern Fantasy/SciFi Humour The Big Gob Artwork Shows Links Guestbook Email the Commander

Postcards From the Edge - Excuses By Jon Blyth I recently spent a week suffering the ravages of 'flu (pause for sympathetic noises - thank-you). Whilst languishing at home in this fevered state I got to wondering as to how often an individual's incapacity has affected the course of military history. So, here is my suggested list of "excuse-me" notes for people not being where they should be. Please excuse (..........) from the battle/war as he... 1. Fell off his horse while crossing a river and drowned. Frederick Barbarossa, 3rd Crusade 2. Was shot down last night by his own anti-aircraft guns. Marshal Italo Balbo, Italian Commander in North Africa 1941 3. Will be suffering from lethargy at vital moments. Napoleon at Borodino. 4. Recently fell out of a window (taking his court-jester dwarf with him). King Baldwin of Jerusalem, 1st Crusade 5. Is asleep (so you can't have your Panzer support yet). Hitler on D-Day. As opposed to the slackers above, consider Nelson who managed to perform pretty well (!) as a naval commander despite being prone to seasickness. And then there's El-Cid who, despite being dead, routed an entire army (...ok, I know it was just a film). Any other examples out there to make it into a top-ten?