September 2015

A dance of guesswork and faulty intelligence lead to the greatest one-day allied arctic convoy PQ 17 shipping loss on the high seas.

Convoy PQ 17: A Story of Unprecedented Arctic Disaster

By Keith Milton

First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Dudley Pound stopped tapping his pencil on the oaken desk and slowly leaned backward in the oversized leather chair. Read more

In Search of Sergeant Alvin York: The Man, The Myth, and the Legend.

Sergeant Alvin York: Personal Accounts That Reveal His True Story

By Lt. Col. Taylor V. Beattie

They had spent a cold, wet, miserable evening in October 1918 in a drainage ditch along the Varennes-Fleville road. Read more

The General Wilson had Originally Selected to Lead America in World War I Was Not Pershing, Nor Any Ordinary Officer. It Was General Frederick Funston.

General Frederick Funston

by Shippen Swift

Looking at a 1917 newspaper photo of Frederick Funston, barely 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing just a biscuit over a hundred pounds, today’s reader would wonder whatever made U.S. Read more

Restricted by Naval Treaties, Britain Turned in the 1920s and 1930s to Cruisers, of Which the HMS Cornwall was the First.

HMS Cornwall: a Symbol of British Naval Power

by William R. Hawkins

Following the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 (and roughly four years prior to the construction of the HMS Cornwall), cruisers became a focus of the interwar naval arms race, no less keenly felt by the British, whose survival depended on the sea-lane. Read more

In the first major battle of the Hundred Years War, William de Bohun outsmarted a vastly superior Franco-Breton army led by Charles of Blois.

William de Bohun: Masterful Defense at Morlaix

By William E. Welsh

One of the theaters of war in the Hundred Years War between France and England was the Duchy of Brittany in northwestern France. Read more

During the Spanish American War, the USS Oregon raced against time and distance to evade Spanish and make a case for the Panama Canal.

The Epic Journey Of USS Oregon During The Spanish American War

by A.B. Feuer

Following the Civil War, the United States saw enormous industrial progress. A sense of nationalism also developed, and public opinion was continually enlisted behind an aggressive foreign policy. Read more

The Battle of Kings Mountain was a major defeat for the British Lt. Col. Patrick Ferguson during the Revolutionary War, and his last.

Battle of Kings Mountain: an American Patriot Victory in the Carolinas

By James K. Swisher

The brightly uniformed soldiers that George III of England dispatched to subjugate the rebellious citizens of his North American colonies were at that time possibly the world’s best. Read more

Meinertzhagen’s Haversack Ruse helped break the Gaza stalemate, and even attracted the appreciation of Lawrence of Arabia for its brilliance.

The Haversack Ruse In Gaza Impressed Even Lawrence Of Arabia

by Harold E. Raugh, Jr.

Since the days of the Trojan Horse, military deception and ruse have been effective instruments when used by an innovative commander to deceive and defeat an enemy, minimizing friendly casualties and expenditure of valuable resources in the process. Read more

The Qing Dynasty become embroiled in the Second Opium War of 1860 when Britain forced open trade relations with a reluctant China.

Qing Dynasty And British Empire Clash In The Second Opium War

by Eric Niderost

On June 26, 1858, crowds packed the narrow streets of Tianjin to witness an awesome spectacle: A British diplomat was about to sign a treaty between his country and China. Read more

During the Korean War, U.N. forces retreating to the 38th Parallel were stalled at Funchilin Pass when a section of the bridge was blown.

Americans Faced Blown Out Bridge During Retreat To 38th Parallel

By Marc D. Bernstein

December 7, 1950 dawned bitter cold in the remote mountains of North Korea. More than 14,000 U.N. Read more

American Admirals William F. Halsey and Raymond A. Spruance defeated the Japanese in the Pacific but took different approaches to command.

The Pacific War: Bull Halsey & Raymond Spruance

By Michael Haskew

On the eve of the turning point of World War II in the South Pacific, the U.S. Navy’s most experienced aircraft carrier commander, Admiral William F. Read more

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding led RAF Fighter Command against the bombastic Hermann Goering and the Luftwaffe in the 1940 Battle of Britain.

Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding & Hermann Goering

by Michael Haskew

By the summer of 1940, Hitler’s Nazi war machine had advanced from victory to victory, crushing Poland, overrunning France and the Low Countries, and ejecting Allied forces from the continent of Europe at Dunkirk. Read more

Count Jean Rapp, always in the thick of the fighting, won a battle after Waterloo during the Napoleonic Wars.

Courageous Count Jean Rapp & The Napoleonic Wars

by Blaine Taylor

Had he—and not Emmanuel, the Marquis of Grouchy—been named a Marshal of France on April 1, 1815, General Count Jean Rapp might have helped the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte win the Battle of Waterloo. Read more

Operation Aphrodite was conceived to use an early version of drone to remotely destroy V2 rocket sites.

Operation Aphrodite: Drones versus V2 Rockets

by William Scheck

In 1944, air traffic over southern Britain was almost at the New York City rush- hour level. On any given early morning, heavily laden B-17s and B-24s would be circling, laboriously assembling into formation for runs to targets in France and Germany. Read more

The Irish Rifles (37th New York Volunteers) fought with courage and discipline at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

The Irish Rifles At the Battle of Chancellorsville

By Kevin M. O’Beirne

The city of New York provided more regiments than did many states during the Civil War, and the deeds of several of its regiments, such as the 9th New York “Hawkins’s Zouaves,” 39th New York “Garibaldi Guard,” and 42nd New York “Tammany Regiment” are well known. Read more

Erik the Red became the first Viking to settle in Greenland, while his son Leif Eriksson may have been the first European to visit North America.

Viking Father & Son: Erik the Red & Leif Eriksson

by Michael Haskew

While they are primarily remembered as fierce warriors, who raided far and wide from their homes in Scandinavia, the Vikings were also some of the earliest European explorers who ventured across miles of trackless ocean to previously unknown corners of the world. Read more

France concluded World War I's Triple Entente with Great Britain and Russia in response to the threat of German imperialism across the continent.

France & World War I’s Triple Entente

by Michael Haskew

The French nation was stunned by the catastrophic defeat its army suffered at the hands of a Prussian-led German coalition in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Read more

During the Battle of Roncesvalles, Charlemagne's Franks were frustrated at their inability to punish the Basques for robbing their baggage train.

Charlemagne’s Shame: The Battle of Roncesvalles

by William E. Welsh

Lost to history is what really occurred at the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778 when Christian Basques, thirsting for the loot in the Frankish baggage train, attacked the rearguard as it withdrew following Charlemagne’s short invasion of northern Iberia. Read more

The Vikings worshiped a pantheon of Gods, and a body of Norse mythology and lore developed around them prior to their conversion to Christianity.

Norse Mythology & Viking Gods

by Michael Haskew

The warlike pagan Vikings were introduced to Christianity on many occasions as they raided and settled Western Europe during an era that spanned more than 300 years. Read more

Field Marshals Erwin Rommel and Gerd von Rundstedt disagreed on the use of German panzers during the D-Day invasion, but neither position prevailed.

Field Marshals Erwin Rommel & Gerd von Rundstedt

by Michael Haskew

The Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe was inevitable as the tide of World War II turned against Germany. Read more

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Michael G. Welham’s Combat Divers

Letters From The Eastern Front

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Fighting to Survive