Operation Goodwood – Good, Bad and Ugly for Montgomery
In July 1944, Allied armies were fighting the Nazi German occupiers in Normandy, northern France. They had successfully gained a foothold and were pushing inland…
Author: Andrew Knighton
Articles by Andrew Knighton:
Cold War Recon – 5 Soviet and Warsaw Pact Reconnaissance Vehicles
The Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies used a wide range of vehicles for reconnaissance during the Cold War. Main battle tanks and infantry…
13 Roles Soviet Women Filled in WW2
As they started running out of manpower, many nations in the Second World War turned to their womenfolk to staff their war machines. In most…
Disaster in the East – 1915 Winter Offensive Against Russia
At the start of 1915, the Central Powers had high hopes for the Eastern Front. By launching massive attacks early in the year, they hoped…
The USSR’s Extraordinary Women Snipers of WW2
During the Second World War, the USSR used more women in combat than any other country. Among them were hundreds of remarkable snipers. Soviet Snipers…
Third Battle of Artois WWI – A Grand Plan
For the French, the First World War was about more than stopping an aggressive nation. The Germans had invaded north-eastern France and held land there…
German Counterattack at Sbeitla – The Valentine’s Day Offensive
Desperate times sometimes call for desperate action. It was through just such an event that, in February 1943, American troops avoided disaster outside the Tunisian…
General Elwood Quesada: Air Tactics Innovator and Friend to Ground Troops
During the Normandy campaign of 1944, one air commander gave the ground troops the close support they wanted. That man was General Elwood “Pete” Quesada.…
Air Power in the Battle for Normandy
When the Allies invaded Normandy in June 1944, one of the most important advantages they had was their air power. The Royal Air Force (RAF)…
Second Battle of Champagne WWI – High Hopes and Lessons Learned
The goals of the First World War were more personal for the French than for their British allies. The Germans had invaded parts of France…
Recovery on Rails: Ambulance Trains of World War One
During the First World War, both sides suffered horrifying numbers of casualties. War on an industrial scale left hundreds of thousands of men in desperate…
Closing the Falaise Gap in WWII – Dramatic Achievement or Missed Opportunity?
The closing of the Falaise gap was one of the most dramatic moments in the Second World War. Allied troops cut off a large part…