Join us at Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City on Tuesday, May 20. Harry’s opens at 11 am for cafeteria style lunch; our meeting will start promptly at 12 noon. See the MEETING INFO menu item for directions. This month’s topic is

Dana Lombardy on “The Battle of the Bulge”

Dana Lombardy is back for part 2 of his presentation on the other World War Two 80th anniversary battle in Western Europe. This time Dana explores the Battle of the Bulge, America’s largest land battle in Europe. Dana created an illustrated history and worked with fellow Hall of Fame game designer Steve Jackson to update Steve’s classic game One-Page Bulge. How close did the Germans come to winning their last major offensive in Europe?

Dana Lombardy was an Associate Online Editor for Armchair General and now does research, writing and design through LombardyStudios.com Dana appeared on television nearly twenty times, including multiple episodes of The History Channel’s “Tales of the Gun” series. He has contributed as an editor, cartographer, graphic artist and designer on many books, games and magazines, was Publisher of Napoleon Journal from 1996-2000, published nine issues of World War One Illustrated, and was consulting historian for the Armistice Centennial exhibit in the San Francisco War Memorial Veterans Building lobby (now on display on the second floor).

Join us at Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City on Tuesday, June 17. Harry’s opens at 11 am for cafeteria style lunch; our meeting will start promptly at 12 noon. See the MEETING INFO menu item for directions. This month’s topic is

Mark Costin on “The Battle of Buena Vista: Training Ground for the Civil War”

This talk describes the 1847 Battle of Buena Vista where the American forces of Zachary Taylor defeated the Mexican army of Santa Anna. The battle saw significant contributions by many future Civil War stalwarts. Particular attention will be paid to the important actions by Jefferson Davis and Braxton Bragg in securing the victory. The talk will conclude with an open discussion of the comparison between the two wars.

Mark Costin is an engineer living in Sunnyvale, CA, working on functional safety for automated and autonomous vehicles. A long time history buff, Mark now has more time to devote to his hobby. He holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, an M.Eng from McMaster University and B.Eng from McGill University.

Join us at Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City on Tuesday, August 19. Harry’s opens at 11 am for cafeteria style lunch; our meeting will start promptly at 12 noon. See the MEETING INFO menu item for directions. This month’s topic is

Wayne Padgett on “Grierson’s Raid”

The talk will be on Grierson’s raid through Mississippi from Tennessee to Baton Rouge. Wayne will go into the details of the actual raid, then contrast it with the John Ford 1959 film on the same subject entitled The Horse Soldiers, starring John Wayne. Wayne will describe Ford’s filming characteristics; i.e., he liked to be on location instead of a studio sound stage.

Wayne Padgett is a native San Franciscan graduating from Lincoln H.S.

After naval service as a quartermaster on a destroyer escort, he graduated from Sacramento State College with a degree in law enforcement. After which, he was a special agent with NCIS, then U.S. Treasury Internal Security Division, and finally U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General retiring in 1990. Concurrent with this, he entered the U.S. Coast Guard reserve retiring as a Lieut. Commander.

His interest in the Civil War has been lifelong, having two great grandfathers and a great-great grandfather who served in the war, all in one South Carolina regiment—specifically the 2nd S.C. Artillery.

Wayne joined the San Francisco CWRT when a friend said that they needed a few more bodies in order to secure a private meeting room at the Irish Cultural Center in S.F. He attended, joined, and eventually served as president for several terms. Upon the demise of the S.F. CWRT, he joined the Peninsula CWRT.

Join us at Harry’s Hofbrau in Redwood City on Tuesday, September 16. Harry’s opens at 11 am for cafeteria style lunch; our meeting will start promptly at 12 noon. See the MEETING INFO menu item for directions. This month’s topic is

Alice Mansel on “Benito Juarez and Lincoln”

How did a poor orphaned Oaxacan indian, Benito Juarez, become the Mexican President? Why did New York financiers give him cash during the US Civil War to push European powers out of Mexico? The story starts with Juarez working as a houseboy in the home of a bookbinder who was a lay Franciscan brother, how he became a lawyer, and ends with Lincoln signing a document about Alta California’s Franciscan missions seized illegally by Americans.

Alice Mansell is a business owner and lawyer who majored in physical sciences and history in college.