Exaggeration And Angels – The Battle of Mons, 1914
At the start of the First World War, the commanders of both sides expected fast-moving action. They believed devastating modern weapons would open gaps in…
Discipline, Tactics, Personal Skill – Military Might Of Ancient Sparta
Two-and-a-half millennia after they were at the height of their power, the Spartans remain famous as some of the finest warriors in European history. The…
Disaster In The Desert: Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign
Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt was one of the strangest failures in military history. A young general and statesman at the height of his abilities he…
Rommel Attacks El Agheila Fort – The Desert Fox In North Africa
Erwin Rommel’s attack on El Agheila Fort on March 24, 1941, did not lead to fearsome fighting. It was not one of the great battles…
The Battle of the Bulge: A Doomed And Desperate Gamble At The End Of World War Two
A desperate gamble by a struggling army, the Battle of the Bulge was Hitler’s last great attempt to end the Second World War on terms…
The Italian Campaigns – Where Napoleon Built The Foundation For His Legend
Napoleon’s 1796 invasion of Italy was one of the most significant campaigns of his career. It was the offensive that turned him from a rising…
The First Battle of Ypres, 1914 – A Harbinger Of Things To Come
The battles for Ypres were among the defining engagements of the Western Front during the First World War. Ypres became a harbinger of much that…
How Artillery Evolved During The Brutal And Merciless 100 Years War
The Hundred Years War (1337-1453) saw the first appearances of gunpowder artillery in English and French warfare. These fearsome weapons, which had been largely unused…
How Mass Warfare Transformed Nations: Europe’s Military Revolution
Warfare has changed dramatically over the centuries. From small bands defending local communities, it has turned into the clash of vast armies on an industrial…
Bellum Gallicum – Rome’s Greatest Conqueror In His Greatest War – Caesar’s Gaulish Campaign
The Roman invasion of Gaul was one of the most significant wars in the ancient world. It saw Rome’s empire vastly expand, propelled Julius Caesar…
Learning Lessons The Hard Way – The Battle Of Neuve Chapelle, 1915
To the casual observer, it seems that no-one learned anything during the First World War. The same disastrous tactics were repeated over and over again…
The Cactus Air Force: How The Guadalcanal Shoestring Flyers Took On Japanese Zeros – And Won
The Battle of Guadalcanal was one of the most important battles in the Pacific theater of World War Two. Marking the furthest expansion of the…