When the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington Green on the morning of April 19, 1775, Black men had already been serving in colonial militias for some time, particularly in New England. Read more
Ships of the line represented the pinnacle of military power by the end of the 18th century and would remain the dominating force on the seas for more than 200 years. Read more
Dialing things back a moment from WWII, let’s enter the trenches of WWI with the help of a recently-launched contender known as Over the Top: WWI. Read more
For those just joining us in the ‘hole, the elevator pitch is war on a massively-multiplayer scale, with players zooming in close to control individual soldiers that each have their own crucial role to play in battle. Read more
Analyzing war and its outcomes remains an important exercise—for tactical, political, humanitarian and a whole host of other reasons—though not all critics or analysts will agree on the ideas that emerge from such scholarship. Read more
By Patrick J. Chaisson
Seaman Franz Machon was enjoying a smoke on deck when lookouts sounded the alarm. “Enemy aircraft!” they shouted before dropping down inside their vessel, a German Type IXC submarine named U-512. Read more
The heavy staccato thumping of a Browning Automatic Rifle echoed throughout the small French village. “Who’s doing all that firing?” Read more
When Rashid Ali seized power in Baghdad in 1941, his coup provided Nazi Germany with a key piece of its world strategy for victory. Read more
Major Henry B. McClellan should have had a quiet afternoon. At dawn on June 9, 1863, Union cavalry had launched a surprise attack on Maj. Read more
In the summer of 1944, the 5th Amphibious Corps under Marine Lt. Gen. Holland M. Read more
One month after the disastrous French defeat at Poitiers in September 1356, a large English army besieged Rennes in eastern Brittany. Read more
By Nathan N. Prefer
Despite his nickname, General Henry Harley (“Hap”) Arnold was unhappy. In early 1945 he was having major problems with one of his own special projects, the development of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress strategic bomber, for which he had often risked his career. Read more
Admirers of arms and armor should at least make ONE pilgrimage to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Read more
Not all those who died in World War II died in combat. There were also illness, heart attacks, cancer, friendly fire … and accidents. Read more
The African American Tuskegee Airmen took the fight to a well-trained and deadly enemy with a ferocity and tenacity that World War II aerial combat required. Read more
On August 24, 1862, newly promoted Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate States Navy called his largely English crew to the quarterdeck of his new command, the 220-foot battle cruiser Alabama, lying off the coast of Terceira in the Azores. Read more
On maps of the Pacific, it’s barely visible––a mere, seemingly insignificant speck in a vast ocean. Its name––unlike Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa––is virtually unknown today. Read more
Ivan IV Vasilyevich, first czar of all the Russians, has gone down as one of history’s most notorious despots, infamous for the terrors he carried out among his subjects. Read more
Although Britain has a number of war museums, the Imperial War Museum (IWM) is acknowledged as the Holy Grail of them all—the one you must visit when in London. Read more
By the time of his death in 1582, he controlled 30 of Japan’s 68 provinces, was the commander of the greatest samurai army in his country’s history, and had earned the distinction of being the first of the three great unifiers of Japan. Read more
