June 1944 – Rome Falls To The Allies In The Second World War
Celebrations in the Streets of Rome On the June 5th 1944, the people of Rome flooded into the streets to welcome the arrival of the…
The Letter That Forced America Into WWI
When the war in Europe was declared, America was determined to stay neutral until a letter forced its hand. It was rather complicated, but Japan,…
Lawrence of Arabia – one of the most mythologised officers in modern military history
Thomas Edward Lawrence is one of the most mythologised officers in modern history. A biography by a journalist, his own writings, and a film about…
Battles of Attu & Kiska: Retaking Lost US Soil During WWII
In the cold, desolate Arctic near Alaska in 1942, Japanese troops quietly invaded and took over two of the Aleutian Islands, considered to be North…
The Long Shadow Of Hitler’s Reich – Surviving Buildings From The Nazi Era
The Nazi government under Adolf Hitler saw architecture as a means of imposing fear and respect. Hitler, like many Germans, had an admiration of the…
Arab Women Shame Their Fleeing Men Back Towards the Fight At The Battle of Yarmouk
Most people are familiar with the general history of the Arab expansion after the death of Mohammad. The Arabs didn’t sit idly in Saudi Arabia,…
We Ask If The Film U-571 Is Fictionalised To The Point of Insult
For fans of 20th-century war-action maritime films, the 2000 picture U-571 should be a good time. Make some popcorn, go ahead. It even won an…
Military Reforms of King Henry The Eighth – He Built Up A Modern Fighting Force In Medieval England
When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, he inherited a nation that was not strong in war. England’s recent wars had mostly been…
War on the Terraces: The Nika Riots
First the stewards and then the riot squad had been unable to deal with the supporters when trouble flared on the stands, and eventually, after…
Amiens: the beginning of the Hundred Days Offensive – The Allies brought enormous resources to bear
In August 1918, the Allied forces began their final great push of the First World War. Later known as the Hundred Days Offensive, this series…
Battle of WWI merchant raiders: HMS Alcantara v SMS Greif
On February 27, 1916, the Norwegian cargo ship Rena steamed out of Cuxhaven on Germany’s North Sea coast. In peacetime, this would not have been…
The Viking Mercenaries of the Byzantine Empire – The Varangian Guard
The Byzantines Hired Viking Mercenaries as Guards The relationship between the Byzantine Emperors and their Varangian Guard was a complex affair. The Byzantines were first…