The Invasion of Crete: The Great Paratroop Invasion Which Was So Costly For The Germans That It Became Their Last
The age of the paratrooper arrived with the Second World War. For a brief yet significant period until the rise of the transport helicopter, paratroopers…
The First Siege of Tobruk: Nazi Germany’s First Defeat on Land
The first victory against the German army in World War Two did not come in Western Europe or amid the ruins of the eastern front.…
10 Countries Invaded by Fascist Italy and Why They Invaded Each One
From the moment it was unified in the mid-19th century, Italy began to harbor dreams of empire. Under the fascist dictator Mussolini, these dreams were…
Seven Very Different Opponents Faced By Victorian British Armies
Maintaining your status as a global power is no easy thing. The British Victorian Army was one of the best equipped and most experienced in…
Why the Allies did not see Hitler’s Ardennes Offensive coming
On December 16, 1944, Allied troops were caught by surprise. A massive offensive by German forces struck west out of the Ardennes region, smashing into…
When Allies Fight: Operation Torch and the Taking of North Africa
North Africa was one of the great battlegrounds of the Second World War. From early on, British and Commonwealth forces faced German and Italian troops…
Samurai, Ninja, Ronin, And More – Seven Different Warrior Classes Of Feudal Japan
Feudal Japan is remembered as the era of the samurai. Like the knights of feudal Europe, they were the expensively equipped warrior aristocracy. They were,…
The British Army Had To Adapt to Fighting in the Americas
Fighting in the Americas was the great challenge facing the 18th-century British army. Whether confronted with French, Spanish, native or colonial troops, they had to…
The Victorian British Army Made Life Better for its Soldiers
Soldiers were seldom treated with great respect by the Victorian British establishment. Despite the prestige given to great acts of heroism and important leaders, the…
When Malaria Sided With Napoleon: The Doomed British Walcheren Expedition That Cost 4,000 Lives
The British expedition sent to Walcheren in the Netherlands in 1809 was one of the boldest moves of the Napoleonic wars. Unfortunately for the soldiers…
Life in Hitler’s Wartime Headquarters
During WWII, Adolf Hitler governed Germany from a series of specially prepared bases. Often located far from cities and the front lines, those places took…
The Duke of Wellington, Napoleon’s Arch-Enemy
Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, was Napoleon’s most famous opponent. In 1808 he led the British, Spanish, and Portuguese forces that defeated the French…