The Red Baron: Manfred von Richthofen, Famed WW1 Flying Ace
The greatest fighter ace of the First World War, Manfred von Richthofen, was born on the 2nd of May 1892. Becoming an officer cadet at…
BIG FIGURES: The 1945 Fall of Germany – 1,696 Transport Planes & 1,348 Gliders – 1,147 Fighter Planes
1,696 Transport Planes and 1,348 Gliders They were the aircraft used to transport American and British paratroopers in Operation Varsity on March 24, 1945. Combined…
The History and Development of Fighter Plane Weapons
In the space of just over a century, fighter planes developed from being non-existent to being a vital part of warfare. Along the way, their…
An Age Of Brutal Conflicts – The Vikings and The Franks
Two great military forces dominated Europe in the 9th century. On the mainland was the Frankish Empire, a kingdom covering modern France and much of…
Fighting For Favor, Fighting For Fame – Recruiting Armies In The Unforgiving World Of Medieval England
Recruiting an army could be a difficult business in the Middle Ages. Most people’s lives consisted of farming small patches of land. When people didn’t…
The Channel Dash Was Hitler Trying to Save His Ships – A Fast-Moving Naval Battle Of WWII
Most of the naval action of WWII took place in the vast spaces of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but there were also confrontations in…
Many of Germany’s finest tacticians & commanders of WWII served in the panzer forces. One of those men was Walther Nehring
First World War Born in 1892, Nehring entered the German army in 1911. At the start of WWI, he was sent to the Eastern Front…
Hermann Ramcke, German Marine Turned Paratroop General
In an American prison cell, a former German officer sat writing a letter to his captors. The war was over, but his concern for his…
Blood and Discipline: What it Was Like to Fight in a Roman Battle
It’s the first century AD and the Roman army is at the height of its power and professionalism. You’re part of that army – a…
The Mongol Invasions of Japan and the Origin of the Word “Kamikaze”
In the 1270s and 1280s, the menacing forces of the Mongols attacked Japan. Through courage, determination, and good luck, the Japanese drove them off. It…
In Feudal Japan, This Ambitious Warlord Rose To Blood-Soaked Victory, Then Was Betrayed
During the 16th century, Japan was politically fragmented. Warlords fought for control of local provinces. The weak government of the shogun could not maintain the…
Six Times Hitler Refused to Face the Reality of his Military Situation
As Fuhrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler was Nazi Germany’s supreme military and political commander. Unfortunately, he could also be obstinate to the point…