How Napoleon’s Empire Empowered European Jews
The beating of war drums has seldom been a good sign for Europe’s Jewish communities. Dispersed by the endless conquests of their homeland, they were…
2 February 1943 – The End of the Battle For Stalingrad. Brutal close quarters fighting was accompanied by bombardments that saw swathes of the city reduced to rubble
The largest and bloodiest battle in the history of warfare, the Siege of Stalingrad lasted over five months and resulted in somewhere between 1.7 and…
Like a Scene From the Great Escape: If PoWs Escaped They Had To Learn Fast To Blend In With The Locals
During WWII, many British servicemen became prisoners of the Germans. Some were captured during the fall of France and the retreat to Dunkirk. Others were…
MI9: The Secret British Organization Set Up in WWII to Help Prisoners Of War Escape
During WWII, thousands of combatants were taken prisoner by their opponents. To help Allied troops who had been captured and to get the best possible…
The Malayan Emergency: Winning Hearts And Minds In The Conflict With Communism
Between 1948 and 1960, a guerrilla insurgency tore Malaya apart. Communist rebels fought against British and Commonwealth troops as well as local military forces and…
Badges of Honor, Tokens of Renown – Ancient Roman Military Decorations
Like most professional armies, the Roman legions used military decorations to acknowledge superior behaviour. Though few looked like medals as we picture them today, these…
Started out as a Biplane: The Grumman F4F Wildcat One Of The Most Valuable American Fighter Planes Of WW2
Despite its slightly odd origins, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was one of the most valuable fighter planes in the US arsenal of WWII. The Biplane…
The Cutting Edge Heinkel He162 Salamander – Another fascinating German Jet Fighter Concept
During WWII Nazi Germany led the world in jet technology. Late in the war, the Germans tried to use their advantage to turn the tide…
An Italian Civil War in Spain: Guadalajara, 1937
Proxy wars have been an ugly feature of military history since ancient times, powerful nations turning others into battlegrounds without risking themselves in full-scale warfare.…
The English Navy Full of Drunkenness, Disorder and the Plague: The Cadiz Fiasco of 1625
The English navy has a reputation as a force to be reckoned with from the 16th century onwards. But in the early 17th century it…
The Ground-Breaking Gloster Meteor – The Only Allied Jet Which Took Part Combat in World War Two
The British Gloster Meteor jet fighter entered service late in WWII. It was a ground-breaking aircraft in an era when aerial combat was changing. The…
Russia’s 1914 Invasion of Germany – The Beginning of WWI on the Eastern Front
In August 1914, fighting broke out between Germany and Russia – it was the beginning of WWI on the Eastern Front. Russia declared war on…