I'm surprise that March 1854 hasn't beem memtioned...
The Russians wanted the Crimea for themsleves so that they had a port that could stay open all year around. This was both for their military and their merchant trade fleet. The UK and France declared war on the Russians and the rest is history. This is where the metal for our. Victoria Crosses come from and also the infamous 'Charge of the Light Brigade'.
Let's hope we don't make the same mistake again 160 years later...
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Flew the six squadrons.
"Forward, the RAF!
"Charge for the SAMs!" he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six squadrons.
"Forward, the RAF!"
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the airman knew
Someone had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six squadrons.
SAMs to right of them,
SAMs to left of them,
AAA in front of them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six squadrons.
Flash'd all their AMRAAMs bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air,
Wraking the gunners there,
Charging a country, while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel'd from the Brimstone's stroke
Shatter'd and sunder'd.
Then they flew back, but not
Not the six squadrons.
SAMs to right of them,
SAMs to left of them,
AAA behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While jet and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six squadrons.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wondered.
Honor the charge they made,
Honor the RAF,
Noble six squadrons.
With apologies to Lord Tennyson and some very brave horsemen, but you get the picture. Short of MAD* there would be little that we could do militarily thanks to successive governments taking a 'peace dividend' and buying uber expensive hardware from a UK Defense Company at well above the market rate in exchange for votes.
We are where we are!
LJ
*Multually Assured Destruction