In this painting by artist Robert Taylor, a modified RAF Lancaster bomber roars through the night sky after releasing its payload during an attack on the Möhne River Dam in Germany’s Ruhr Valley.

Spring 2026

Volume 28, No. 1

Cover: During his platoon’s search and destroy mission in Vietnam, PFC Milton L. Cook uses his M60 machine gun to spray a tree line in response to sporadic sniper fire. Photo: National Archives

A drawing of the 92nd Illinois Mounted Infantry by John Hillen, a soldier in the unit before he was wounded and discharged.

Military Heritage, Editorial

The Unforeseen Precipice

By Roy Morris Jr.

Every war will astonish you,” American General Dwight D. Eisenhower said after World War II. As the leader of the Allied forces that successfully landed on D-Day and marched into Berlin 11 months later, Eisenhower obviously knew what he was talking about. Read more

In July 1781 a company of African American soldiers of the Continental Army’s Rhode Island Regiment under Lt.-Col. Jeremiah Olney marches through Philadelphia on their way to Yorktown.

Military Heritage, Valor

Black Soldiers in the American Revolution

By Kevin Seabrooke

When the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired at Lexington Green on the morning of April 19, 1775, Black men had already been serving in colonial militias for some time, particularly in New England. Read more

Military Heritage, Uniform

Byzantine Cataphract, 10th-13th Century CE

By Giuseppe Rava

The Byzantine Empire extended from the 4th century through the fifteenth century, with one of the most effective militaries in the world. Read more

Military Heritage, Weapons

French Ships at the Battle of the Capes

By Mark Carlson

Ships of the line represented the pinnacle of military power by the end of the 18th century and would remain the dominating force on the seas for more than 200 years. Read more

The Battle of Svolder by Norwegian artist Nils Bergslien (1853–1928) depicts a small ship of Jomsvikings, a legendary order of Viking mercenaries attacking the carrying King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway around 1000 in the Baltic Sea. Legend has it that Olaf jumped into the sea rather than be captured.

Military Heritage, Books

Nine Military History Book Reviews for Spring 2026

By Kevin Seabrooke Full Reviews

Hammer of the Gods: King Olaf’s Viking Conquest (Don Hollway, Osprey Publishing, New York, NY, 400 pp., Read more

Military Heritage, Simulation Gaming

Rogue Point

By Joseph Luster

While not directly tied to any specific historical military campaigns, Rogue Point recently appeared as a promising cooperative shooter that mixes in a handful of military-inspired classes for action that is heavily dependent on solid teamwork. Read more

Military Heritage, Simulation Gaming

Military Logistics Simulator

By Joseph Luster

There are countless “[X] Simulator” games on Steam and other platforms, from Goat Simulator to Supermarket Simulator, PowerWash Simulator and beyond. Read more

Military Heritage

Hell on Hill 1338

By Edward F. Murphy

The morning calm was shattered by the sharp crack of rifle fire. Though the nearly impenetrable jungle vegetation and a dense layer of fog dampened the noise, the paratroopers of Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade tensed immediately. Read more

Military Heritage

Roar of the Lightning Brigade

By Joshua Shepherd

Convinced that a major fight was in the offing, 33-year-old Colonel John T. Wilder clambered up the branches of a nearby tree as the sun dipped below the horizon. Read more

Cloaked in distinctive white mantles with red crosses, a charge of the “warrior monks” known as the Knights Templar was a fearsome sight. The devout medieval Catholic military order was established to protect Christian pilgrims after the Holy Land was reopened following the First Crusade.

Military Heritage

Bloody Brotherhood

By Kelly Bell

By 1119, the Holy City of Jerusalem had been back under Christian control for 20 years. The soldiers of the First Crusade had secured the city and re-opened it as a center for Christian pilgrimage. Read more

Military Heritage

After Me, The Flood

By Al Hemingway

A full moon in a cloudless sky shone over Germany’s Ruhr Valley on the night of May 16, 1943, meaning that all Royal Air Force (RAF) bombing missions over Nazi Germany had been canceled. Read more

Polish troops from the Vistula Legion, part of Napoleon’s army besieging the Spanish city of Saragossa in 1809, attack the Santa Engracia convent during the building-to-building fighting. Artist Baron Louis Lejeune, who saw service during the campaign as aide-de-camp to Marshal Lannes, depicted himself wounded at the base of the monument.

Military Heritage

The Siege of Saragossa

From the Memoirs of Heinrich von Brandt Translated and with commentary by Jonathan North

Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and Portugal sparked a cataclysmic conflict that shook Napoleonic Europe to its very core. Read more

Military Heritage

When the Gods Die: the Battle of Otumba

By Brian Geeslin

In the morning hours of July 8, 1520 Hernando Cortés, with the remnants of his army of Spanish adventurers and Indian allies, neared the crest of mountains overlooking the plain of Otumba (the Spanish corruption of the Nahuatl name of Otompan), an Indian city dominating the valley along Cortés’s line of march. Read more

Spring 2026

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