Articles Archive

Henry IV is shown directing the siege of Paris in 1593 in a 19th-century painting by Frederic Ronmy. The Catholic populace feared retribution from the victorious Huguenot king.

“Rally Round My White Plumes”

By Louis Ciotola

On March 14, 1590, King Henry IV of France achieved his greatest military victory on the field of Ivry. Read more

Unstoppable God Of War Alexander At Issus

By Charles Hilbert

Those rare qualities that set the extraordinary military commanders apart from the average ones were present in Alexander the Great, wrote the Greek historian Arrian, who drew on the account of Alexander’s general, Ptolemy. Read more

Napoleon’s Old Guard Infantry

By William E. Welsh

When Napoleon Bonaparte became First Consul of France in December 1799, he consolidated the two seperate guard bodies, one for the directory and one for the legislature, into the Guarde des Consuls. Read more

Viking marauders sack the Clonmacnoise monastery in central Ireland. Medieval monasteries were exorbitantly wealthy and typically overflowed with treasure, which made them tempting targets for Vikings seeking instant riches.

The Northern Foe

By Louis Ciotola

The stereotypical Viking and his method of warfare have long been etched in the popular mind. Images of hairy, axe-wielding, and horned-helmeted barbarians raiding coastlines amid a frenzy of rape and pillage have for centuries filled our collective consciousness, as well as our desire to be entertained. Read more

Fw-190D-13/R11, named ‘Yellow Ten,” was flown by Franz Götz of JG-26. Götz is shown preparing to surrender at the Luftwaffe airbase at Flensburg near the Danish frontier in the spring of 1945 after the airfield was captured by advancing Allied forces. The original plane has been restored and now resides in the collection of the Champlin Fighter Museum. Painting by Jack Fellows.

The Luftwaffe’s Sturmvogel

By David H. Lippman

An American advertising poster for one of their bombers showed a cartoon of a smiling pilot over the captioned question, “Who’s afraid of the big Focke-Wulf?” Read more

Briton Warrior Queen Boudicca

By Ludwig Heinrich Dyck

The lash bit into the flesh of the woman’s back, beaten raw by metal balls tied into the ends of leather thongs. Read more

Smoke billows from distant fires and a German shell explodes on the beach at Dunkirk as Allied soldiers await evacuation from the east mole or directly into the surf in Operation Dynamo, May-June 1940.

Captain George Tennant, Dunkirk Architect

By Jon Diamond

As aptly stated by historian Max Hastings in his book Warriors, “the leaders most readily admired by fellow-soldiers are those who seem committed to do their duty, and also to bring every possible man home alive.” Read more

Iron-helmeted citizen soldiers armed with shields and pikes defend the Milanese carroccio against German cavalry at Legnano.

Imperial Ambition Denied

By Eric Niderost

Frederick Barbarossa, Emperor of the Romans and one of the great rulers of the Middle Ages, was in the midst of a battle that might determine the fate of Northern Italy. Read more

Prince Edward leads his heavy cavalry against raw recruits from London on the left of Earl Simon Montfort’s line at the Battle of Lewes fought May 14, 1264, in a modern painting by Graham Turner. Edward’s pursuit of the fleeing Londoners had a detrimental effect on the outcome of the battle.

Monfort’s Last Stand

By William E. Welsh

The narrow barge drifted slowly along the Thames River on a muggy summer day in July 1258. Read more

The tide of battle turns in favor of the Allies as French General Pierre Bosquet's division, which had taken up a support position behind the British right flank, engages the Russians.

A Gloomy though Glorious Triumph

By David A. Norris

As the Battle of Inkerman veered into chaos, British Maj. Gen. George Cathcart stepped into the role of a line officer, leading several hundred men to cut into the flank of an approaching Russian column. Read more

Commandos 3 – HD Remaster

By Joseph Luster

It’s time to return to the world of Commandos once again. The vaunted series previously had a pair of respected remasters to its name, and now another is on the way in the form of Commandos 3 – HD Remaster. Read more

Sniper Elite 5

By Joseph Luster

For fans of brutal sniping action, there aren’t many substitutes that can match what the Sniper Elite series brings to the table. Read more

Sprechen sie Deutsch?

By Christopher Miskimon

Gottfried Kurt “Joe” Guennel’s family escaped Germany just after Hitler and his Nazi Party came into power in 1934. Read more

This War of Mine: Final Cut

By Joseph Luster

Polish developer 11 Bit Studios first released This War of Mine back in 2014, and the mark it left remains. Read more

Ambushed in Suoi Cat

By Christopher Miskimon

The troopers of the 1st Squadron 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in an armored column in Long Khanh Province, South Vietnam, on December 2, 1966, waited at their base camp for an order to move out on an escort mission. Read more

Monty’s Folly

American Generals privately gloated over the failure of British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s Operation Market Garden in September 1944. The British had conceived the idea, although Allied units from many nations participated in the operation. Read more