Viking marauders sack the Clonmacnoise monastery in central Ireland. Medieval monasteries were exorbitantly wealthy and typically overflowed with treasure, which made them tempting targets for Vikings seeking instant riches.
Military Heritage

November 2014

Volume 16, No. 3

A German SS soldier, photographed during the opening hours of the Battle of the Bulge. This is one of a series of photographs from a German camera recovered by Americans during the battle.
Photo: National Archives

November 2014

Military Heritage

Bastogne Must Fall

By Mike Phifer

In the early morning of December 16, 1944, 80-man German shock companies from the 5th Panzer Army slipped toward the American lines in the Ardennes region under the cover of heavy fog. Read more

Veteran Union troops take up a strong position in a ditch as Confederates stream down a hillside on the Thomas Farm in an effort to uncover river crossings for the rest of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early’s Confederate army at the Battle of Monocacy.

November 2014

Military Heritage

A Murderous Fire of Musketry

By William E. Welsh

Major General John Brown Gordon guided his horse past fields where stalks of waist-high corn glistened in the sun. Read more

The German flagship SMS Cöln takes fire from Commodore William Goodenough’s cruisers. Having suffered severe damage, her crew decided to scuttle her in the hope that they would be picked up by ships in close proximity. Sadly, all but one man perished at sea.

November 2014

Military Heritage

Race to Victory

By John Protasio

Commodore Reginald Tyrwhitt of the Royal Navy was in a grave predicament on August 28, 1914. His force was near the German base at Heligoland Bight. Read more

November 2014

Military Heritage

French Fiasco at Dettingen

By David A. Norris

It sounds like it might have been a scene from the Middle Ages. A king of England with sword in hand led his forces against their longtime enemies, the French. Read more

Viking marauders sack the Clonmacnoise monastery in central Ireland. Medieval monasteries were exorbitantly wealthy and typically overflowed with treasure, which made them tempting targets for Vikings seeking instant riches.

November 2014

Military Heritage

The Northern Foe

By Louis Ciotola

The stereotypical Viking and his method of warfare have long been etched in the popular mind. Images of hairy, axe-wielding, and horned-helmeted barbarians raiding coastlines amid a frenzy of rape and pillage have for centuries filled our collective consciousness, as well as our desire to be entertained. 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.

November 2014

Military Heritage, Editorial

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

Lt. Col. John Eager Howard’s Continental infantry breaks up a British charge with a strong volley as Washington’s dragoons prepare to strike the British right flank.

November 2014

Military Heritage, Soldiers

Frontiersman Daniel Morgan

By Simon Rees

The lieutenant had reached the end of his tether. It was time to cut this impudent American wagoner down to size with the flat of his sword. Read more

A Spitfire patrols the southern coast of England in April 1941.

November 2014

Military Heritage, Weapons

The Supermarine Spitfire

By William F. Floyd Jr.

On April 21, 1942, in action over Malta, Flight Lieutenant Denis Barnham of No. 601 Squadron was given credit for downing a German Junkers Ju-88 bomber and a Messerschmitt Bf-109 fighter. Read more

November 2014

Military Heritage, Books

Military Book Reviews for November 2014

by Christopher Miskimon

Within a few weeks of the “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” at Lexington and Concord, the fledgling United States, its army mostly underequipped militia, set out to defeat the British Army. Read more

November 2014

Military Heritage, Games

Revisiting Valiant Hearts: The Great War

By Joseph Luster

The first time we previewed Valiant Hearts: The Great War, it was clear that Ubisoft and developer Ubisoft Montpellier had something special on their hands. Read more