The 1541 Algiers Expedition

In the late summer 1541, 40 warships appeared off the shores of Sardinia, part of a grand armada gathered by Charles the V of Spain, Holy Roman Emperor. Read more

Confederate Cavalry Leader Turner Ashby

Even in an army not lacking for larger-than-life figures, Confederate cavalry leader Turner Ashby stood out from the crowd. Although not particularly tall—about five feet, 10 inches—there was something about Ashby that commanded attention. Read more

Following the Cambodian seizure of the USS Mayaguez, faulty intelligence led to the debacle on Koh Tang Island.

On May 12, 1975, an American-registered cargo ship, the SS Mayaguez, was suddenly fired upon by Cambodian gunboats and later seized by Khmer Rouge soldiers who boarded her. Read more

Rudyard Kipling’s enthusiastic support for World War I cost him his 18-year-old son, John, who died at the Battle of Loos in 1915, living up to his father’s vision.

The doomed young English poet Wilfred Owen achieved posthumous fame for his heartbreaking poems about common soldiers in World War I, but another British writer has seen his reputation sink precipitously as a result of his quite different take on the war. Read more

A Moment to Celebrate

As I write this editorial, the news is just coming through about the demise of the world’s arch-terrorist, Osama bin Laden. Read more

Late Fall 2011 Cover

Dear Editor:

I have being reading your magazine for several years and I would like to congratulate you on the fine job you are doing. Read more

Bob Drury and Tom Clavin’s ‘Last Men Out’

On April 30, 1975, the American-backed government in Saigon, South Vietnam, fell to the Communists. For those who served in what was then our nation’s longest war, it was a time of sadness, bitterness, and anger. Read more

Battlefield vs. Call of Duty

There is a war being waged. I’m not talking about a real-life struggle in another country, or a virtual facsimile of said war projected from an oversized high-definition television screen. Read more

Robert E. Lee Wanted to Avoid Repeating the Mistakes of His Father

Robert E. Lee never knew his father, Revolutionary War hero “Light Horse Harry” Lee. True, he saw him a few times, on the infrequent occasions of the elder Lee’s visits to his family at their gloomy mansion, Stratford, in Westmoreland County, Virginia But Light Horse Harry, living up to his nickname, was never anywhere for very long—certainly not in the confining bosom of his family. Read more

Shooters Rule At E3

If a single word could succinctly sum up this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo—aka E3, which took place from June 7-9—it would be SHOOTERS. Read more

The Consummate General

As a small child growing up in Missouri, Omar Bradley was taught that honesty and hard work were virtues one should strive for in leading a decent, fulfilling life. Read more

The Japanese perspective has been added to the brand new USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center.

On December 7, 2010, a newly renovated and expanded visitors center at Pearl Harbor opened under the auspices of the National Park Service. Read more

August 2011 Military Games

Could SOCOM 4 have been released at a worse time? Probably not. The latest in Sony’s exclusive line of tactical third-person shooters had the misfortune of coming out right around the time of Playstation Network’s notorious shut-down at the hands of hacker community “Anonymous,” rendering its chief feature, online play, utterly useless. Read more

How the Boston Tea Party Sparked a Revolution

On a wintry night in December 1773, about 70 men, many of whom were disguised as Indians, unceremoniously dumped an estimated 10,000 pounds, the modern equivalent of $1 million, of tea into Boston harbor. Read more

The Korean Occupation of America

War landing on U.S. soil is one of the ultimate worst case scenarios, and as such it’s perfect for the kind of game developer Kaos Studios has whipped up in Homefront. Read more

Confederate John C. Pemberton was not a traitor, as some alleged.

One of the unlikeliest—and unluckiest—Confederate leaders was Pennsylvania-born general John C. Pemberton, who “married South,” as the saying went, only to go down in infamy as the man who surrendered Vicksburg to Ulysses S. Read more

Coming To Your Console This Summer

There are strategy games, and there are strategy games. You know what I mean when I get all italicized like that; I’m talking about the difference between simply sending units out across a grid-based map to do battle, and actually getting the player involved in the diplomacy of war. Read more

Finland: Germany’s Blind Alley

Originally a part of Sweden, Finland was absorbed by Russia in the early 19th century. It was not until the late 1800s, when Russia began to impose new taxes on the Finns, draft their citizens into its military, and station troops within its borders, that Finland yearned for its freedom. Read more

A Passion for World War II History

Dear Editor:

I first bought your magazine for $4.99 at a Borders bookstore and have since subscribed to it. I have enjoyed reading your product for the past three years. Read more

Accused of insulting Hitler, Jackie the dog’s fate was superseded by the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

At the height of its power and with the Third Reich on the verge of initiating its colossal invasion of the Soviet Union, high-ranking members of the Nazi intelligence community literally went to the dogs. Read more