Winter 2024

Volume 25, No. 4

Cover: A German Panzer IV (Pz.Kpfw. IV) medium tank rolls through the Soviet Union. By 1944 Soviet manpower and armor dominated the battlefield, while the outnumbered and outgunned Germans struggled to hold their gains.

Military Heritage

Breaking out of Hell: The Korsun–Cherkassy Pocket

By Ludwig H. Dyck

On January 26, 1944, in the midst of the Ukrainian winter, the tanks of Gen. Ivan S. Read more

Military Heritage

The Battle of Hagerstown

By Daniel Murphy

Late in the evening of July 3, 1863, Major General James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart was summoned to the headquarters of Robert E. Read more

Germans in their pickelhaube leather helmets and French in red and blue uniforms engage in a brutal skirmish in a wooded section of World War I’s Western Front during the early months of the war.

Military Heritage

French Revenge at the First Battle of the Marne

By Joshua Shepherd

In the early morning hours of September 10, 1914, long lines of gray-clad German infantry formed up in a steady rain that only seemed to dampen spirits. Read more

Military Heritage

Napoleon Bonaparte’s Battle of Marengo

By Eric Niderost

On March 17, 1800, Napoleon Bonaparte closeted himself in his study at the Tuileries Palace in Paris and ordered his private secretary, Louis Fauvelet de Bourrienne, to unroll a large map of Italy and lay it on the floor. Read more

Marcus Licinius Crassus sought glory on the battlefield by following in the footsteps of his idol, Alexander III. It all came crashing down at Carrhae (in modern-day Turkey) at the hands of the Parthian Empire in 53 BCE.

Military Heritage

Marcus Crassus, Alexander and the Battle of Carrhae

By Glenn Barnett

Alexander of Macedon, called “the Great,” died in June of 323 BCE having conquered the mightiest empire yet seen on earth. Read more

Comanche warriors ride into San Antonio, Texas, March 19, 1840, to discuss a potential peace treaty with representatives of the new Republic of Texas.

Military Heritage

The Great Comanche Raid of 1840

By Eric Niderost

It was a colorful spectacle few citizens in San Antonio, Texas, had ever expected to see: a large delegation of Comanches coming in to discuss terms of a possible peace treaty. Read more

Led by Charles VIII, the French enter Florence, Italy. Charles invaded Italy in September 1494, using his powerful artillery to reduce fortifications where he met resistance. The Army arrived at Pisa in November, followed by Florence, before reaching Naples in February 1495.

Military Heritage

Battle of Fornovo: Rising to Crush an Invader

By Jonathan North

Fifteenth-century Renaissance Italian political life was a heady mix of intrigue, provocation and dispute, backed by limited wars and border raids. Read more

The Macedonian fleet ferries soldiers to the foot of the Tyrian battlements during the battle’s climax in this 15th century painting .

Military Heritage, Editorial

Why Study Military History?

By Roy Morris Jr.

As a writer and editor, it’s been my privilege to spend a great deal of time in the company of my betters: ordinary men and women engaged in the often heartbreaking act of making history. Read more

First Maine Cavalry shown skirmishing with Spencer carbines at an unnamed battle in drawing by Alfred Waud.

Military Heritage, Weapons

The Spencer Carbine

By Kelly Bell

Confederate soldiers bitterly called it “that damned Yankee carbine they load on Sunday, and then fire all week.” Read more

Military Heritage, Uniform

Troop Sergeant Major, 11th Hussars, “Prince Albert’s Own,” 1854

This British cavalry unit was raised in 1715 as Honeywood’s Regiment of Dragoons and continued in service through the 18th century before being renamed the 11th Regiment of Light Dragoons. Read more

“The Hanging of Nathan Hale , New York 1776” by Don Troiani.

Military Heritage, Valor

Continental Army Captain Nathan Hale

By Kevin Seabrooke

On the night of September 16, 1776, young Nathan Hale, a captain in the Continental Army, set out across Long Island Sound from his native Connecticut on the armed sloop Schuyler. Read more

Test pilot Commander Frederick Trapnell flew the prototype for this U.S. Navy carrier-based F6F Hellcat and worked closely with Leroy Grumman as the fighter was rushed through production. Navy Hellcats shot down over 5,000 Japanese aircraft.

Military Heritage, Soldiers

Test Pilot Frederick Trapnell

By Mark Carlson

Today, every U.S. naval aviator who straps into a cockpit owes a debt to a man they never met and few have even heard of—Vice Adm. Read more

Military Heritage, Books

Twelve Military History Book Reviews for Winter 2024

By Christopher Miskimon Full Reviews

Ukraine Volume 2: Russian Invasion, February 2022 (Tom Cooper, Adrien Fontanellaz, Edward Crowther & Milos Sipos, Helion Books, South Yorkshire UK, 2023, 76 pp., Read more