History | War History

The Battle of Omdurman: The High-water Mark of British Imperialism

Andrew Knighton

All through the darkness of the night, a British infantryman waits nervously by the banks of the Nile. The Mahdists, infamously bloodthirsty savages, are just…

The British Army Had To Adapt When They Began Fighting in the Americas

Andrew Knighton

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 In Many Ways

Andrew Knighton

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…

A 20th-Century Siege in 1809: The Second Siege of Zaragoza

Gabe Christy

Many consider bitter house to house fighting to be a 20th-century invention, and a 21st-century norm. But in 1809 one Spanish city, Zaragoza, resisted French…

10 Noblemen Who Fought in the French Foreign Legion

Established in 1831, the French Foreign Legion gathers adventurers from all over the world, often ones with a criminal past, who are looking for a…

Must-Know Facts About The Bolo Knife – History, Development And Use Of An Iconic Weapon

Imperial forces around the world, whether they came to the battle with muskets and cannons or machine guns and fighter planes, have come to fear…

5 Of The Bloodiest and Most Devastating Sieges We Tend To Forget

The rebel army of Yan fought against the Chinese Tang army in an attempt to take the Suiyang territory. The Suiyang city was under the…

10 of the Biggest UK War Cemeteries in Europe

Europe is filled with war cemeteries and memorials commemorating the millions of lives that were lost during both World Wars. These sites have become tourist…

Five Facts – Hannibal Barca: Rome’s Most Dangerous Enemy

Hannibal Barca – he crossed the Alps with elephants, supposedly took a sworn oath to forever hate the Romans, and inflicted some of the worst…

Disastrous Reconnaissance Failures From Military History – From The Ancient Rome To The Civil War

Andrew Knighton

Few things are more important in war than knowing what is going on. Good intelligence, such as that gathered by the British after cracking the…

7 Battles Where Terrain was Decisive

Andrew Knighton

Whether used well by a skilled commander or ignored by a disastrous one, terrain can play a huge part in deciding the outcome of battles,…

From The Roman Empire To The Atom Bomb – Four Military Technologies Stolen From the Enemy

Andrew Knighton

In war, one side often adopts the tactics or weapons of another. A lot of the time this is a matter of small shifts, the…