The Shield of Rome: Fabius Cunctator
Many generals are overshadowed or underappreciated for what they did for their state; Belisarius who reconquered much of the lost Western Roman Empire and Tamerlane,…
How Success and the Failures of Others Ruined General George McClellan
George McClellan’s reputation is not a good one. As commander of the Union armies early in the American Civil War, he is often credited as…
Fighting for Both Sides: the Spanish Army in the Napoleonic Wars
In 1807, Napoleon’s French armies crossed Spain to invade Portugal. It began a seven-year campaign known as the Peninsular War. For the Spanish, it was…
Alexander the Great’s Elite Hand-Picked Expert Troops: Silver Shields
Alexander the Great was one of the most talented generals who ever existed, but he was helped a great deal by his exceptional army. While…
How the Confederacy Almost Won the American Civil War
Early in the American Civil War, the Confederacy almost won. It was not the complete victory the Union eventually achieved. Rather than conquering their opponents,…
SS Panzer General Sepp Dietrich – one of the principal German tank commanders of WWII
Josef “Sepp” Dietrich was one of the principal German tank commanders of WWII. An SS officer and veteran of WWI, he came from a working…
Single Combat in Ancient Rome
David and Goliath, Hector and Achilles, Romulus and Acro. Great instances of single combat are not limited to these far distant and historically vague events.…
5 Hidden War Messages That Weren’t Found Until Much, Much Later
Messages from the front lines of war or from soldiers currently fighting were, and still are, sent home on a regular basis. Some of these…
Napoleon’s Armies in the Iberian Peninsula
The Peninsula War was the most drawn-out campaign of the Napoleonic wars. French troops entered the Iberian Peninsula in 1807 and along with Spanish forces…
The Rosary Paratrooper – Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte
WWII saw paratroopers become an important part of warfare for the first time. Among the most gifted paratroop commanders was Friedrich August Freiherr von der…
The Siege of Masada: Rome’s Assertion of Authority
During Rome’s centuries as a growing empire it faced countless rebellions and challenges to its dominance of the Mediterranean, the old Italian allies even revolted…
“Smiling Albert” Kesselring; a German General of World War Two
Albert Kesselring had one of the most wide-ranging careers of WWII. A skilled German commander, he was fondly referred to by his admirers as “Smiling…