“The God of War” – Soviet Artillery of the Cold War
The Russian army referred to artillery as “the god of war.” Its destructive power not only shattered enemy formations but also transformed the shape of…
Baptism by Fire – The Birth of the US Rangers in World War Two
Today, they are one of the most famous military formations in the world. In November 1942, however, the US Rangers were a new and untested…
The Battle of Williamsburg – A Massive Withdrawal Over Difficult Ground
On the night of May 3, 1862, Confederate forces began a withdrawal from the defenses around Yorktown. For a month, they had been waiting for…
Tanks and Fighting Vehicles – The Development of Military Technology Between The Wars
Between the World Wars, the most powerful nations turned their attention to improving vehicles for use in wartime. WWI had established the value of the…
The Battle of Britain – One of the Most Important Aerial Campaigns in History
The Battle of Britain was one of the most important aerial campaigns in history. It stopped Nazi Germany’s westward expansion and prevented the invasion of…
Field Marshal Walter Model: a German Commander of WWII
In the fall of 1943, following the failure of an offensive in Russia, Hitler complained to his commanders about the quality of their troops. What…
The Invasion of Poland in the Opening Stages of World War Two
The invasion of Poland was one in a long line of acts of Nazi German aggression. It was also the one that tipped Europe into…
The Fall of Berlin at the End of the Second World War
The capture of Berlin by the Red Army was not the final act of WWII, but in Europe, it was a dramatic symbol of the…
Handheld Firearms – Hundreds of Years of Transformation and Improvement
Handguns have gone through many changes over the centuries. From simple gunpowder weapons to sophisticated modern firepower, they have repeatedly been transformed and improved. Early…
Second World War Fighter Planes – Rapid Development of an Essential Technology
Shifting Propellers The propellers of WWII planes were significantly more advanced than those of previous generations. Variable-pitch propellers, developed in the late 1930s, increased the…
The Age of Concrete and High Explosives – Massive Fortifications Of WWII
The most iconic images of European fortifications are the castles of the Middle Ages – towering constructions of stone made obsolete by the arrival of…
The Desert Fox: Erwin Rommel – One of the Most Famous German Commanders of WWII
Few 20th-century generals have earned such legendary status as Erwin Rommel. The Desert Fox was one of the most famous German commanders of WWII, second…