Military History Archives

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

The A-10 Thunderbolt II’s seven-barrel, 30mm autocannon fires a round made of depleted uranium encased in an aluminum shell with a muzzle velocity of 3,500 feet per second.

Military History

Weapons: The A-10 Warthog Attack Aircraft

By Christopher Miskimon

Smoke and haze clouded the skies over Kuwait on February 25, 1991. It was the second day of Operation Desert Storm, the ground operation to eject the Iraqi military from its smaller neighbor. 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

MacArthur’s Brilliant Landing at Inchon, Korea

By Robert L. Durham

A North Korean column consisting of tanks and infantry advanced along a road at dawn on September 17, 1950, to attack the Marines at Ascom City between Inchon and Seoul. Read more

Military History

A Massacre of U.S. Soldiers Started the Second Seminole War

By Eric Niderost

Private Ransom Clark of the 3rd U.S. Artillery was looking forward to the time when his column would finally reach Fort King in the Florida Territory. Read more

The night before the battle, Marius posted 3,000 legionnaires in a nearby wood with orders to attack the tribesmen while they were assailing the Roman fort. The plan worked perfectly, and Marius sallied out to finish off the disorganized enemy troops.

Military History

Roman Revenge at Aquae Sextiae

By John E. Spindler

In the evening hours on a midsummer day in 102 bc, Roman Consul Gaius Marius decided that tomorrow was to be the day to confront the barbarians. Read more

General Hubert Lyautey, the French Resident-General of Morocco, arrives in Marrakesh. Lyautey faced the daunting task of pacifying the country and winning over the hearts and minds of the population, and he succeeded at both.

Military History

Massacre In Morocco

By Simon Rees

In his father’s time, leopards had freely padded across the reception areas of the royal palace at Fez, inspiring awe and trepidation among visitors. Read more

Captain James Lawrence was mortally wounded in the clash between frigates USS Chesapeake and HMS Shannon off Boston in June 1813. The American defeat left New Englanders, many of whom opposed the war, shocked and stunned.

Military History

Deadly Frigate Victory

By William E. Welsh

The late summer day began like many others on the Maine coast. Seagulls wheeled overhead, seals sunned on seaweed-covered ledges, and the ocean pounded rocky headlands. Read more

Military History

Outnumbered Green Berets Defend Camp Nam Dong

By William E. Welsh

Special Forces Team A-726 had been out on patrol far from the unit’s camp at Nam Dong on the night of Friday, July 3, 1964, when radiomen back at the A team camp received an ominous warning from the field. Read more