Tom Tucker was one of the first men from Patton’s Third Army to cross the Rhine River, the last natural barrier to the heart of Germany.

Third Army Crosses the Rhine

Although the U.S. First Army had already captured an intact bridge over the river at Remagen, there was still a rivalry between Patton and British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to cross next. Read more

The fire-bombing raids on Japan constituted all-out war on a civilian population.

War on Civilians

The fire-bombing raids on Japan constituted all-out war on a civilian population. By Sam McGowan

It was a method of warfare that would have been anathema to Americans only a few short years before. Read more

Ships and Galleons of the Spanish Armada Campaign against England.

Ships of the Armada Campaign

By Eric Niderost

The Armada campaign marked the beginning of a new age in naval warfare. Before this time, naval encounters were essentially land battles fought at sea. Read more

For the long-suffering citizens of London, the sight of a Dutch fleet sailing up the Medway River was the last in a string of disasters.

The Father of the Royal Navy

By Eric Niderost

Samuel Pepys is best known for the diary he wrote from 1660 to 1669. Because it was never intended for publication, the diary is frank and even ribald. Read more

During the battle for Hill 111 Sergeant Brian Charles Cooper was in charge of a 10-man machine-gun section of the 2nd Royal Australian Regiment.

Australians at The Hook

By Al Hemingway

During the battle for Hill 111 on the night of July 24-25, 1953, Sergeant Brian Charles Cooper was in charge of a 10-man machine-gun section of the 2nd Royal Australian Regiment located on the extreme right flank of How Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines. Read more

With the fresh memory of their slaughtered comrades , the Roman legionaries at the Long Bridges fought with one thought and one will—revenge.

Germanicus Cæsar

By Michael D. Greaney

In ancient Rome, politics and family were inextricably linked. The incestuous nature of the ruling Julio-Claudian dynasty was well embodied by the brief but notable career of Germanicus, who rose to the heights of power, only to be cast down by his own blood kin. Read more

“Old Ironsides” was a young country’s first formidable weapon of war.

The USS Constitution

By John D. Gresham

Today restored to museum quality and lovingly cared for by a U.S. Navy crew, the USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” is the living symbol of America’s first generation of warships, built in response to external threats that a young United States would have preferred to ignore. Read more

Just before Custer’s Little Big Horn, the southern portion of the U.S. Army pincer felt the fury of the Indians

Rosebud Creek

By Eric Niderost

Around 8 o’clock on the morning of June 17, 1876, Brig. Gen. George Crook ordered his troops to halt along the banks of Rosebud Creek. Read more

To get at England, Bonaparte sets out in grand style to conquer the East.

Napoleon’s Egyptian Adventure

By Jeremy E. Green

By the year 1798, the First Coalition was collapsing. Only Britain remained as France’s implacable foe. With the advent of relative peace, the governing body of France, the Directory, ever in need of cash, now sought new means of employment for the army and its general, Napoleon Bonaparte. Read more

Good information was urgently needed. But once in hand it proved very dangerous indeed.

Cold War Intelligence

By John D. Gresham

Everyone who has ever read a spy novel knows the basic plot line. A scientist has developed a formula, or intelligence operative has obtained secret plans or a roll or film. Read more

Perched upon a wealthy and powerful empire, Charles the Bold attempted to strengthen it, only to face the ferocity of Swiss pikemen.

Charles the Bold

By Jonathan North

On Monday, February 19, 1476 Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (much of what is now eastern France), joined his army beneath the gray ramparts of Grandson. Read more

Hawkeyes and Badgers surprised even themselves in a mad rush on the last Rebel stronghold before Vicksburg.

Big Black River

By Kirk Freeman

Big battles make the history books. But for the soldiers, it was often the smaller, fiercer fights they remembered most keenly later in their lives. Read more

Solferino: Birth of a Nation

Creating the International Red Cross

By Eric Niderost

Henri Dunant, a 31-year-old Swiss banker, was a more or less inadvertent eyewitness to the Battle of Solferino in June 1859, and its myriad horrors left an indelible impression on him. Read more

Black Soldiers, Blue Uniforms

By John Walker

Although several overzealous Union Army field commanders organized African Americans into ad hoc militia units early in 1862 and several black regiments were mustered into service later that year, it wasn’t until after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, that the federal government began actively recruiting and enlisting black soldiers and sailors. Read more

To Watch the Weather

By Marty Morgan

Throughout World War II the Allies enjoyed a certain advantage over the Axis that was purely the product of geography. Read more