Ordeal of the USS Bunker Hill

At exactly 9:58 am, on May 11, 1945, a Japanese kamikaze pilot named Kiyoshi Ogawa radioed his base 350 miles away that he had spotted the American fleet lying off the coast of Okinawa. Read more

Two New Games For Civil War Buffs

Mosby’s Confederacy from Tilted Mill Entertainment for the PC and available on both Steam and Gamers Gate is a combined tactical and strategic level game about the mechanics of partisan warfare in the Civil War. Read more

The Disastrous Battle of Carrhae

No man in Rome was richer or more influential than Marcus Licinius Crassus, a member of the powerful First Triumvirate that included Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. Read more

The Battle of Surigao Strait

Dear Editor:

In the December 2008 issue, Mr. David Johnson does a very good job of retelling the story of the only time American battleships engaged and sank their opposite numbers from Japan. Read more

Axis & Allies celebrates Avalon Hill’s 50th anniversary.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary [we now pause for a second while we all feel old], Avalon Hill has released an anniversary edition of its most successful game: Axis and Allies. Read more

Countdown to Pearl Harbor

“I do believe that the United States fleet would not have been in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, had I been the chief of naval operations at that time.” Read more

Racism and the Myth of Henry O. Flipper

The case of Lieutenant Henry O. Flipper, the first African-American cadet to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point, is a fascinating if cautionary tale. Read more

Look down the barrel of a sniper’s gun and “hold breath.”

When considering whether to buy Sniper Art of Victory from City Interactive for the PC, it is worth remembering that the game only costs $20.00. Read more

Questions on the Holocaust

One of the most common beliefs that has arisen since the end of World War II is that America and her allies had as one of their primary goals for fighting the war ending the systematic slaughter of Europe’s Jews. Read more

Pearl Harbor Countdown

Nearly seven decades after the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Navy and Air Force on the morning of December 7, 1941, controversy still surrounds the history-changing event. Read more

The Common Soldier in the Post-Civil War Era

As author Lee Chambers’s new book on Fort Abraham Lincoln (reviewed in this issue) illustrates, the reading public, both in the United States and abroad, remains fascinated by life in the West following the Civil War. Read more

Pearl Harbor Revenge

Dear Editor:

David Alan Johnson’s article, “Pearl Harbor Revenge” (December 2008 issue) was interesting to read, as most books and articles on the Battle of Leyte Gulf focus primarily on Taffy 3’s escort carriers, destroyers, and destroyer escorts trying to hold off Admiral Kurita’s Center Force. Read more

The remains of three USS Oklahoma sailors have been indentified.

When the United States was plunged into World War II at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the largest loss of life occurred with the catastrophic explosion aboard the battleship USS Arizona. Read more

Burut adds an online death match mode to Ubersoldier II.

One of the signs of how many games devoted to the first person portrayal of the in the trenches, down the rifle sight experience of combat in World War II there have been is that Ubisoft is now releasing Brother’s in Arms Hell’s Highway, a big-budget, multiplatform (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) game that recreates the Allies’ defeat by the Germans in Operation Market Garden. Read more

A Megalomaniac’s Lust for Power

Few men have had an impact on world history equal to that of Adolf Hitler. His megalomania resulted in the deaths of millions and redrew the map of Europe. Read more

The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army

One of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century was made in March 1974 by a team of well diggers near modern-day Xi’an, China. Read more

Russians vs. Crusaders vs. Mongols in 3-D

The Golden Horde from WordForge for the PC is a real-time strategy game set during the 13th century, right after the death the Genghis Khan. Read more

Future Civil War generals on both sides received their professional baptism of fire on the killing fields of Mexico.

When war with Mexico erupted in 1846, the United States was woefully unprepared. The regular army was well below its authorized numbers and could only field slightly more than 5,000 officers and soldiers. Read more

The Art of History

If a picture truly paints a thousand words, then Gerry Embleton has painted volumes in his career. As a freelance illustrator of military subjects, he specializes in highly detailed, accurate studies of historical costumes, including period uniforms. Read more

Wounded in ’44

Dear Editor:

In your October/November 2008 issue, Glenn Barnett’s article “Caring for the Casualties” was of particular interest to me. I was wounded on September 10, 1944, flown back to England from the 100th Evacuation Hospital outside of Brest, France, on September 18, arriving at the Army’s 121st General Hospital in the evening. Read more