July 2013

Volume 15, No. 1

COVER: Officers and soldiers of Rome’s Praetorian Guard, from a 2nd-century sculpture.
Photo: The Art Archive / Musée du Louvre, Paris / Gianni Dagli Ort

A modern illustration shows Roman legionnaires on the march. The front ranks typically charged into battle, stopping to hurl their pilum before closing with the enemy using their gladius. In the melee, they used their scutum to knock their opponents off balance.

Military Heritage

Roman Armageddon at Pharsalus

By William E. Welsh

The snow-capped peaks of the Ceraunian Mountains stared down on the sturdy barks hunting for a suitable place to land on the coast of Epirus on January 5, 48 bc. Read more

The men of Company C of the 62nd Armored Infantry Battalion stationed in the village of Bannstein fought desperately to buy time for Maj. Gen. Edward Brooks’s VI Corps when attacked by lead elements of the 361st Volksgrenadier Division in the opening hours of Operation Nordwind

Military Heritage

Like something out of a dream, a soldier walked into the command post. He unspooled a line of wire, hooked a field phone to it, checked the line, and handed the receiver to the officer in charge, Captain Howard Trammell, saying, “Someone wants to talk to you.” Read more

Military Heritage

Jacobite Victory at Prestonpans

By David A. Norris

Before dawn on September 21, 1745, the dragoons and infantry of King George II stood in line of battle in a freshly harvested wheat field. Read more

Military Heritage

“Tripoli Will Be Italian”: Italy’s Colonial Conquests in Libya

By Raymond E. Bell

The Italian sailors sang “Tripoli Will Be Italian” at the rumble of the cannon as ships of the Italian naval squadron left port and sailed south to the shores of North Africa in late September 1911. Read more

Military Heritage

France’s Nightmare in Indochina

By Steven M. Johnson

The waters of the South China Sea shimmered in the sunlight on the morning of April 15, 1847. Read more

Military Heritage, Editorial

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

Military Heritage, Soldiers

Colonel John Allen and the River Raisin Debacle

By Stuart W. Sanders

It had been eight years since Jane Logan Allen’s husband, Colonel John Allen, had departed with his regiment. Read more

Military Heritage, Weapons

The Azimuth “Smart” Bombs of World War II

By Joseph Frantiska, Jr.

As soon as one caveman threw a rock in anger at another, the human race took a giant step forward in warfare. Read more

Military Heritage, Intelligence

Operation Sea Lion: Hitler’s Cancelled Invasion of Britain

By Mark Simmons

Major Graf Von Kielmansegg, an officer in Germany’s 1st Armored Division based near Orleans, France, was dragged from a cinema on the night of August 28, 1940, and told to report to his chief of staff. Read more

World War I French soldiers make flower vases from shell casings.

Military Heritage, Militaria

Trench Art

By Peter Suciu

Art is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but for those who collect militaria there is a special kind of art that requires a special kind of appreciation. Read more

Military Heritage, Books

Petraeus’ COIN Strategy

By Al Hemingway

Hard-charging and charismatic, U.S. Army General David Petraeus, together with a cadre of subordinates, attempted to rewrite the methods used by the military to wage future wars. Read more

Military Heritage, Games

Summer 2013 Military Games

By Joseph Luster

To be properly excited for the upcoming release of ARMA Tactics, created by the folks at Bohemia Interactive, it helps to also be a little pumped for NVIDIA’s Android-based Project Shield handheld. Read more

July 2013

From Around the Network

Prit Buttar’s ‘Meat Grinder’

Santa Anna at Cerro Gordo: Battle for Devil’s Jaws

The Hidden History of Valley Forge

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising