The Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union that began on June 22, 1941, involved three million German troops and their allies, against nearly five million Soviet soldiers. Read more
Around 10 am on the morning of September 3, 401 bc Cyrus the Younger’s army was approaching the Babylonian village of Cunaxa, a tiny settlement not far from the Euphrates River. Read more
Ian Fleming’s biography would certainly include creating the famous British spy James Bond, but the author also led a secret life of his own. Read more
By summer’s end 1944 Adolf Hitler, along with much of his staff, began to realize that Germany was in serious danger of losing the war. Read more
Early in World War II, German panzer forces trampled all foes. Confidence suffused the Germans, and their tank designs stagnated. Read more
Sieges are forever imprinted on the collective psyche of the respective combatant armies and nations. The encirclement and storming of a fortress or other well-defended place tends to be among the most storied accounts of any war. Read more
Looking back on the age of fighting sail, a common image is that of battles between huge ships of the line, led by such famous admirals as Nelson and Collingwood. Read more
The North African sky was clear and cold on the evening of February 13, 1943, as American General Dwight D. Read more
The Siberians are coming!” It was a cry that spread terror through the ranks of the German Wehrmacht in the winter of 1941. Read more
In the second week of January 1842, a British lookout standing watch on the ramparts of the old walled city of Jalalabad was suddenly confronted with an alarming sight. Read more
Although Confederate commander James D. Bulloch had a well-rounded naval background, he also proved skillful as a secret agent. Read more
Gisgo, a commander in the Carthaginian army, sat on his horse nervously as he waited with other members of the staff for their general, the now-famous Hannibal, to complete his final inspection. Read more
Like a disjointed, moss-covered, concrete serpent, the French Maginot Line snakes some 800 miles, from the Mediterranean border with Italy northward, until it disappears near the North Sea. Read more
Superficially, Phil Cochran personified the WWII fighter pilot, a combat daredevil, nonchalant about the niceties of rank and zealous in pursuit of what he called “chicks.” Read more
In the cover of darkness and fog, American troops quietly made their way down to the edge of the Niagara River. Read more
Much of Julius Caesar’s military successes in the late Roman Republic stemmed not only from his ability as a leader of men and from tactical prowess on the battlefield, but also from his understanding of the importance of military intelligence. Read more
Pfc. Clayton Jay of Lamesa, Texas, was watching the sunrise from the attack transport Zeilin in the early morning hours of November 19, 1943. Read more
In the Spring of 1944, Japanese Admiral Soemu Toyoda assembled a large fleet of warships at Tawi-Tawi in the southern Philippine Islands. Read more
The distant thundering of Russian missiles and bombs awoke Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, at 4:30 a.m. Read more
The village of Monchy-le-Preux sits on a low hill east of Arras. During World War I, this otherwise minor local became a focal point for the hellish fighting of that conflict. Read more
