The War of The Emperor Go-Daigo
In the early 14th century, the Japanese Emperor Go-Daigo raised an army. He sought to do what his predecessors had failed to – take control…
How Britain And America Learned To Work Together On Intelligence In WWII
When America entered WWII, one of the first orders of business was to find ways to work with the British. With their shared language and…
A Tale of Two Rebels: Allied Support for Desperate Partisan Resistance in World War Two
WWII was not just fought between regular armies. Wherever the Germans invaded, resistance movements sprang up to defy them. Backing those groups was an important…
A Costly Failure: Germany’s Failed Attempts to Infiltrate Allied-Occupied Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was one of the great reversals of WWII. It was followed by the failure of Nazi Germany’s attempts to put…
Nine Reasons Why the South Lost the American Civil War
An extensive amount of effort has gone into studying the American Civil War. The reasons for the war and its outcome remain hotly debated. The…
Takayama Ukon: A Great Christian Samurai
Christianity was not common in feudal Japan. As a foreign religion, it was embraced by a small minority of people including some samurai who were…
How the American Civil War Became a “Total War”
The Civil War mobilized American resources on a scale only matched in WWII. It brought unparalleled destruction to many people. How did an initially restrained…
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…
Nine Reasons Why Hitler Believed That D-Day Was a Feint
One of the most extraordinary things about the D-Day landings of 1944 was Hitler’s response. The German Fuhrer was utterly convinced the attack was a…
Japan’s Onin War – A Vital Moment In The History Of Japan
The Onin War was a vital moment in the history of Japan. It saw the collapse of central authority and the descent of the nation…
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…