History | War History

5 Epic retreats in Military History

Andrew Knighton

Can a retreat ever be considered a success? Most are a sign of failure, as armies pull back from the objectives they seek to take…

The Disastrous Roman Campaign of Carrhae

In the middle of summer, 53 BCE the Roman Triumvir Crassus was severely defeated in his campaign into the lands of the Parthian Empire. His…

50 Breathtaking Photos of the Operation Barbarossa, 22 June 1941

In June 1941, Operation Barbarossa began, setting off a bloodbath that was supposed to bring the Soviet Union to its knees. Yet when Adolf Hitler…

1898: Spanish at Guam Thought the Attacking USS Charleston Fired Salute Shots & Asked For Gunpowder To Return the Gesture

Jinny McCormick

Manning a remote island fort, seemingly without any imminent danger on the horizon, must have made for a fairly comfortable post. That was the situation on…

From The Roman Republic to the Third Reich: 4 Other Battles Fought at Thermopylae

The Battle of Thermopylae was quite the epic stand. We have talked about the bravery of the Spartans a thousand times over and made multiple…

10 Biggest Nuclear Explosions

Most of us have seen footage or photographs of the explosions at Nagasaki and Hiroshima: the mushroom cloud, the radius, the devastation. Those, however, were…

Wars Fought For Stupid Reasons: Stray Dog Caused War Between Greece and Bulgaria in 1925

Wars had started over land, resources, religion, and politics. When people say that “wars have been fought over less,” however, they’re usually right; in 1925,…

These Full Color Pictures of the Atlantic Wall Will Blow Your Mind!

The Atlantic Wall went down in history as the main defense line of the Atlantic coast in then-occupied Europe.  A network of bunkers and fortified…

The Real Football War! When El Salvador Invaded Honduras Over a Soccer Game

On 14 July 1969, El Salvador invaded Honduras, leaving thousands dead and displaced on both sides. The war impacted the entire economy of Latin America…

“Never Give Way to Barbarians” The British Abyssinian Expedition of 1868: A Matter of Honor

Damien Peters

It began with the taking of eight British civilian hostages in a faraway country about which most people in Britain knew nothing and cared less. By…

Candia – 21 Years Under Siege Before Finally Surrendering

During the Ottoman-Venetian Wars, the city of Candia, today Heraklion on Crete, was besieged for 21 long years.  The siege of Candia, regarded as one…

2008: British Soldiers in Afganistan Discover British Rifles Lost In 1880 Maiwand Massacre

Imagine slogging through the Afghan sands and sun with your fellow military men and women. There are many hidden dangers to come across – and, surprisingly, weapons…