Military History Archives

Iron-helmeted citizen soldiers armed with shields and pikes defend the Milanese carroccio against German cavalry at Legnano.

Military History

Imperial Ambition Denied

By Eric Niderost

Frederick Barbarossa, Emperor of the Romans and one of the great rulers of the Middle Ages, was in the midst of a battle that might determine the fate of Northern Italy. Read more

Prince Edward leads his heavy cavalry against raw recruits from London on the left of Earl Simon Montfort’s line at the Battle of Lewes fought May 14, 1264, in a modern painting by Graham Turner. Edward’s pursuit of the fleeing Londoners had a detrimental effect on the outcome of the battle.

Military History

Monfort’s Last Stand

By William E. Welsh

The narrow barge drifted slowly along the Thames River on a muggy summer day in July 1258. Read more

Prussian King Frederick the Great’s senior officers, including his brother Prince Henry, advised him to halt his attack at Kunersdorf after the Prussian forces had hemmed in the enemy, but he chose to press his attack.

Military History

Slugfest at Kunersdorf

By Victor Kamenir

King Frederick II “The Great” of Prussia faced a formidable challenge at the outset of the campaign season in 1759. Read more

The tide of battle turns in favor of the Allies as French General Pierre Bosquet's division, which had taken up a support position behind the British right flank, engages the Russians.

Military History

A Gloomy though Glorious Triumph

By David A. Norris

As the Battle of Inkerman veered into chaos, British Maj. Gen. George Cathcart stepped into the role of a line officer, leading several hundred men to cut into the flank of an approaching Russian column. Read more

Military History

Charles Edward Stuart Evades the British

By William E. Welsh

One of the “stranger than fiction” stories in military lore involves Charles Edward Stuart’s evasion of British forces following his defeat at Culloden on April, 16, 1746. Read more

Ottoman gunners played a central role in the siege. Their stone shot brought down whole sections of the city’s massive walls, opening large breaches.

Military History

Medieval Bombards at the Siege of Constantinople.

The Ottoman army’s bombards played a key role in its successful conquest of Constantinople during the epic siege of 1453. In the 15th century the great powers of medieval Europe paid talented gunsmiths to build massive bombards to batter walls and shorten the length of sieges. Read more

Military History

17th century Ottoman Janissary Musketeer

The Ottoman janissary corps was recruited from military slaves. These slaves were either prisoners captured by Ottoman armies during the course of war or boys and young men conscripted from occupied Christian populations. Read more

The crew of a British Sopwith Camel flying at 10,000 feet downs the first Gotha on British soil during a night raid on London in January 1918. Germany reinvigorated its strategic bombing campaign late in the war by using Gotha aircraft instead of zeppelins.

Military History

Germany’s Gotha Heavy Bombers

By Eric Niderost

It was the early-morning hours of June 13, 1917, when a group of German aircraft began its final preparations for a very special mission, which amounted to the first fixed-wing bombing of London. Read more

British infantry prepares to assault German positions on Menin Road Ridge. The British squandered valuable time preparing for the Passchendaele offensive, giving the Germans ample time to improve their defenses.

Military History

Hard-Won Victory at Passchendaele

By Mike Phifer

British soldiers fixed their bayonets and waited tensely in the trenches for the order to go over the top. Read more

Military History

Greek Hoplite (8th – 4th century B.C)

By William E. Welsh

Illustration by Peter Connolly

The Greek hoplite was a heavily armored infantryman who fought in a phalanx formation. Read more

English King Richard I wields a broadsword against his Muslim foes in the Holy Land. His leadership in the Third Crusade ensured his place in the pantheon of great medieval commanders.

Military History

Crusader Triumph at Arsuf

By William E. Welsh

The advance of long ranks of scimitar-wielding Nubian and robed Bedouin archers on foot signaled a dramatic change in Ayyubid Muslim tactics against the Frankish army marching south along the Palestinian coast from Acre towards Jaffa. Read more

Much like World War II, many unsung heroes today are saving countless lives.

Military History

Fighting A New World War

By Flint Whitlock

Yes, the world is at war. A surprise attack we didn’t see coming: germ warfare on a worldwide scale by an enemy we can’t see. Read more

Military History

Admiral Satan

By Victor Kamenir

French Admiral Pierre-Andre de Suffren de Saint Tropez did not fit the image of a dashing naval officer. Read more

Boer soldiers armed with Mauser repeating rifles in shoulder-high trenches on the far bank of the Modder River laid down a sheet of fire against the advancing British.

Military History

Boer General Jacobus De La Rey

By William E. Welsh

In the early weeks of the Second Boer War, General Jacobus Hercules De La Rey suggested a way to overhaul the tactics of his fellow Boers in a way that would prove devastating to his British opponents. Read more

Military History

Curt Prufer’s German Espionage in the Near East

By Kevin Morrow

Robert Mors was in serious trouble. Immigration officials had stopped him for questioning upon his arrival at the port of Alexandria, Egypt, from Istanbul, and they immediately became suspicious. Read more

Israeli tanks advance on the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War of 1967. The conflict is one of many covered in a new work on armored clashes in the Cold War.

Military History

Tanks continued to play a central role in regional conflicts that sprang up around the globe in the post-Vietnam era.

By Christopher Miskimon

The Six-Day War began on June 5, 1967, with a lightning assault by Israeli armored units and aircraft. Read more

Military History

The Raven Forward Air Controllers

By William E. Welsh

Raven forward air controller Charles Edwin Engle usually took his Cessna 0-1 “Bird Dog” up to an altitude of 12,000 feet over northern Laos to await the arrival of a flight of inbound A-1E Skyraiders from Thailand. Read more

French General Jean Rapp races towards a calm and self-assured Emperor Napoleon with a captured enemy standard during the height of the Battle of Austerlitz.

Military History

Clash of Empires

By David A. Norris

The Battle of Trafalgar, fought off the southwest coast of Spain on October 21, 1805, was a disaster for French Emperor Napoleon I. Read more

Military History

Paratroopers of the 101st Airborne fought a grueling battle against the North Vietnamese for four weeks in 1969 at Tam Ky.

By Christopher Miskimon

On May 21, 1969, while much of the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, is engaging the enemy, Lieutenant Ed Sherwood’s Third Platoon, Delta Company, is guarding rucksacks. Read more

Surviving veterans of Forrest’s cavalry command posed for a photo during a reunion in 1917. Forrest died in 1877 at the age of 56.

Military History

Hell Hath No Fury Like Nathan Bedford Forrest

Confederate Cavalry commander Nathan Bedford Forrest’s finest hour came in a bloody clash on the muddy roads of Northern Mississippi on June 10, 1864, at a place called Brice’s Crossroads. Read more

Military History

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