Military History Archives

Although a brave and gallant soldier (and personal friend to King Louis XIV), François de Neufville knew all to well his command shortcomings.

Military History

François de Neufville: King Louis XIV’s Man At Flanders

by Vince Hawkins

François de Neufville was born in 1644 in France, the son of Nicolas de Neufville, the Marquis of Villeroi. Read more

English King Harold Godwinson triumphed over Norwegian King Harald Hardrada in the close-fought Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066. The battle marked the last time the Vikings tried to conquer England.

Military History

Vikings had the Tools and Traits to Succeed

“The woeful inroads of heathen men made lamentable havoc in the Church of God in Holy-island, by rapine and slaughter,” reads the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, referring to the savage sacking of the island monastery off the coast of Northumbria in ad 793. Read more

Had Attila the Hun prevailed at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, both Eastern and Western Roman Empires might have fallen to a man who disdained nearly any form of civilization.

Military History

Attila the Hun & The Battle of the Catalaunian Plains

By Brooke C. Stoddard

History is as solid as bricks. Things happened and they can’t be changed.

But they can be seen with a fresh eye, or they can be noted for effects not apparent at the time. Read more

Military History

Life in the Navy: From the First Spanish Armada to Pearl Harbor

By Keith Milton

The age of the sailing warships lasted less than three hundred years, beginning roughly with the battle of the Spanish armada against the English fleet under Howard and Drake in 1588, and ending at the Battle of Navarrino in 1827, the last major naval engagement fought completely under canvas. Read more

Military History

“The Light Of Battle Was In Their Eyes.”

This year marks the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord, commonly known as “D-Day.” Of course, every military operation had a “D-day,” which simply means the date that the operation is scheduled to begin. Read more

Britains’ range extended well beyond the British Empire, and their stock included dozens of troops from other nations, such as the Danish Gardehussars.

Military History

Britain’s hollow-cast toy soldiers continue to attract collectors decades after their manufacture.

By Joe Wallis

Many militaria collectors can trace the roots of their hobby to their childhood encounters with toy soldiers. For American kids in the 1930s and 1940s, this may have been with three-inch-tall American-made Manoils or Barclays from the local dime store. Read more

Military History

The French sought revenge after the fall of Louisbourg.

In the wake of the impressive victory by American colonists over the French at Louisbourg in June 1745 during King George’s War (1744-1748), the Province of Massachusetts Bay braced for the inevitable raids by the French and their Native American allies on two fronts. Read more

The author prefers artist oil paints over acrylic paints, and uses the finest quality red sable brushes because they are ideal for painting the fine details that transform the figures into works of art. He is shown painting Dominique Jean Larrey, surgeon of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard.

Military History

Painting Military Miniatures

By Michael Cobb

Military miniatures are an extension of the toy soldiers many of us had when we were children. But they are distinguished from the ones we grew up with in that they are painted and detailed to an incredibly high degree. Read more

Military History

The Ohio Valley Military Society’s Show of Shows

By Peter Suciu

The Ohio Valley Military Society’s Show of Shows (SOS) remains the biggest military collectibles event in North America. Read more

Marching south from Acre, Richard the Lionheart's army finally tired on September 7, 1191, of the constant harassment inflicted on it by Saladin's army. Against orders, Knights Hospitaller in the rear guard broke ranks and charged the Ayyubids. The Battle of Arsuf was a decisive crusader victory.

Military History

Brother-Knights Held Vast Power

At the height of their power, the Levantine military-religious orders were a political and military force to be reckoned with not only in the Latin East where they were founded, but also in the Latin West where they had vast estates that funneled manpower and supplies east for the fight against the foes of Christendom. Read more

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris pictured with Colonel Franz Eccard von Bentivegni, an Abwehr counterespionage expert, in Smolensk in Octo- ber 1941. Canaris alienated his superiors when visiting the Eastern Front, warning them not to expose German troops needlessly to the hard- ships of the Russian winter.

Military History

German Chief Spy Admiral Wilhelm Canaris

By Peter Kross

Admiral Wilhelm Canaris was an enigma. During World War II, he headed the Abwehr, the German intelligence service. Read more

Charles of Anjou sails to Rome in 1265 and is crowned the new king of Sicily in a 14th-century manuscript illumination.

Military History

Dreams of Empire

The story of Charles of Anjou is one of the lesser known episodes of Mediterranean history but a significant one. The youngest of several sons of Louis VIII, Charles received a unique opportunity available to few princes so far removed from succession. Read more

Military History

How The Roman Empire Attained Success

By Brooke C. Stoddard

“Augustus found Rome brick and left it marble” is an expression pegged to the first of the Roman emperors. Read more

Although the drama of Alexander the Great's exploits were well-recorded, more factual details pertaining to equipment and tactics have been few and far between.

Military History

Alexander the Great & Macedonian Battle Equipment

By Eric Niderost

The age of Alexander is one of the most celebrated epochs in history, the subject for such Greco-Roman writings as Diodorus, Arrian, and Plutarch. Read more

It is easy to see only the glories of Rome, but it is just as important to bear in mind the horrors committed for the sake of the Empire.

Military History

The Roman Empire: Conquest Above All Else

by Brooke C. Stoddard

“Augustus found Rome brick and left it marble” is an expression pegged to the first of the Roman emperors. Read more

Military History

Principles of Fabian Strategy

“I am sick of Fabian systems in all quarters,” said American patriot John Adams of General George Washington’s strategy against superior British forces during the American Revolution. Read more

The commander of a Japan- ese fighter squadron took it upon himself to attack the Seventh Amphibious Force at the start of the Battle of Biak. Submarine Chaser 699 suffered heavy damage in the attack. Painting by Don Greer.

Military History

Submarine Chaser 699 (SC-699)

By Brad Hall

The crew of Submarine Chaser 699 (SC-699) watched with dread as the Japanese fighter aircraft slammed into the ocean, cartwheeled off the ocean’s surface, and spun toward its deck. Read more

Military History

Heyde Toy Soldiers

By Steve Sommers

About 30 years ago, my wife and I were walking around a big antique toy market on a county fair site. Read more

Military History

A ghost of the Battle of Britain rises from the English Channel.

The slender fuselage of the Dornier Do-17 engendered the German bomber’s distinctive nickname of the “flying pencil.” In the summer of 1940, the Do-17 was an integral component of the Luftwaffe air armada that struck British military installations and cities in the vain effort to bring the island nation to its knees. Read more

Military History

The Song of the Nibelungs

When the Huns swept through the plains of northern Europe in spring 451 on their way to what would become one of the decisive battles of Late Antiquity, the Frankish peoples could do little to resist the swarming bands of horsemen who showed no mercy to anyone in their path. Read more

Military History

From Around the Network

Battle of Berlin: Why it Became the Death Knell for Hitler’s Third Reich

The 90th Division Comes of Age

Battle of Allia: the Gauls Sack Rome

Victory in the Mediterranean