The Memoirs of Herbert Carlton

Editor’s note: Noted military writer Bud Feuer especially enjoys discovering first-person accounts and diaries. He found the following in “a junk shop” written in pencil on brown wrapping paper. Read more

Operation Olive: Autumn Assault in Italy

Allied forces had been fighting their way up the Italian peninsula since landing at Salerno on September 9, 1943. Read more

Draper Kauffman’s Underwater Demolition Team

Lieutenant Commander Draper Kauffman was crawling across a moonlit beach on enemy-held Tinian Island when he first noticed the sound of voices. Read more

Napoleon’s Egyptian Adventure

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

Cold War Intelligence

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

The Army ‘Cave Men’ of Iwo Jima

After 36 days of ferocious combat, the island of Iwo Jima was declared “secure” by departing U.S. Marines on March 26, 1945. Read more

Seven World War II Book Reviews for Winter 2025

The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini and Hitler–How War Made Them and How They Made War (Phillips Payson O’Brien, Dutton Books, New York NY, 2024, 544 pp., Read more

Charles the Bold

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

The USS Constitution

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

Hell at 21,000 Feet

Four miles above the snow-covered city of Steyr, Captain Jack Horner peered down through his Norden bombsight in a desperate attempt to identify the target. Read more

Classified: France ’44 (DLC)

It didn’t take long for Classified: France ‘44 to add to its base game with some expansions, and the second DLC touched down back in May 2024. Read more

World War Armies

In the realm of competitive World War II games, there are plenty of options out there for folks who want to go head-to-head against like-minded wargamers. Read more

Mick Ryan’s ‘The War for Ukraine’

The war in Ukraine is a mix of the old and new. Both sides fight with a combination of weapons that date back to the Soviet Union and which were created after the war began and are still being refined. Read more

Alex Kershaw’s ‘Patton’s Prayer’

The German Ardennes Offensive threatened the Allied lines in December 1944. While it was a crisis, the situation also presented an opportunity. Read more

Mark Galeotti’s ‘Forged in War’

When the Battle of Austerlitz turned against the Alliance of which Russia was part, it was the cavalry of the Russian Imperial Guard who managed to capture the only French regimental eagle of the day from the 4th Line Regiment. Read more

Tom Feigel and Larry Weill’s ‘Super Slick’

Within a year of graduating high school, Tom Fiegel received his draft notice. Entering the army, he was soon assigned to aviation. Read more

Kenneth M. Swope’s ‘ Struggle for Empire’

Zuo Zongtang (1812-1885) rose from rural poverty and obscurity in Hunan Province to become a powerful Han Chinese official in a nation controlled by the Manchu. Read more

Michael L. Kelly and Peter Burbank’s ‘The Gunner and the Grunt’

By Christopher Miskimon

Michael Kelly, the Gunner, flew fire support missions in a UH1 helicopter. Peter Burbank, the Grunt, served as an infantryman, relying on the support those helicopters could give him in battle. Read more

James Stejskal’s ‘Mission Iran’

After American Embassy personnel in Tehran were taken hostage in 1979, the US military organized a rescue mission known as Operation Eagle Claw. Read more

Timothy J. Orr’s ‘The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 (3)’

The Battle of Gettysburg is one of the most pivotal and important battles in the American Civil War and in American military history. Read more