Elite Island Skirmishers of the Mediterranean – Cretan Archers, Balearic and Rhodian Slingers
Heavy infantry is often the driving and decisive arm in ancient battles along with heavy cavalry charges to drive home the victory, but those who…
The Battle of Telamon: A Gaulish Army Trapped Between Three Roman Armies
The Romans and the Gauls had a bitter rivalry that lasted as long as any other in the world. One of the most humiliating events…
The Pros and Cons of Ancient War Elephants
Elephants are generally peaceful and majestic creatures but throughout history, their size and power were used with devastating results on the battlefield. With the adoption…
Commanding Thousands – Approaches to Generalship on Ancient Battlefields
Modern generals are granted access to a multitude of communication and information gathering technologies from satellite imaging to UAVs and infantry equipped with cameras. Ancient…
Some of the Scariest Nuclear Bomb Accidents in History
Nuclear bombs, the ultimate weapons of mass destruction. It would stand to reason that a ridiculous amount of safety protocols would exist to prevent an…
1571 Battle of Lepanto: The Pope’s Naval Crusade – Destroying the Ottoman Empire Naval Supremacy
The Ottoman Empire grew from being a minor power in modern Turkey to controlling much of the Middle East and Eastern Europe. By 1453, they…
Formidable Melee Weapons of Ancient Warfare
In modern warfare, hand to hand combat is a last resort, with combat knives coming out either in stealth missions or in extremely close quarters…
The Greatest Underdog Victories in Pre-Gunpowder Battles
Ancient and Medieval generals were often smart enough to avoid battle against a much larger force but throughout history there are many cases where much…
Medal of Honor – John R. Fox Sacrificed Himself by Deliberately Calling an Artillery Strike on his Own Position
John Robert Fox was an American soldier who was killed in action when he deliberately called artillery fire on his own position after his position…
1453: The Fall Of Constantinople And The End Of The Roman Empire
The Roman Empire didn’t end with the 476 depositions of the Western Emperor Romulus or the Fall of Rome. It continued with solid momentum in…
Movie Mistakes – The Worst Things Hollywood Gets Wrong about Ancient and Medieval Battles
Personally, I love Hollywood historical epics no matter how ridiculously inaccurate they are. Anything that gets history out in the world is okay with me.…
WW2 German Ace Stumbled Across a Crippled B-17 and Escorted It Home
Truly touching moments of humanity, ethics and morals are rather rare in warfare. The Christmas Truce of WWI was an excellent example of such humanity,…