Henry Johnson, Known as the “Black Death” – America’s First World War Hero
Henry Johnson was a World War I soldier who singlehandedly beat back a German assault while critically wounded. He was a great American hero and…
Gigantic Underground Mines – The Biggest Explosions of The First World War
One of the common techniques used in warfare during the First World War was mining. There were various mines planted under trenches, then detonated to…
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…
The English Civil War Brought Reforms And Victory To New Model Army
The early years of the English Civil Wars did not always go well for the Parliamentary army. Royalist victories saw the forces of King Charles…
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…
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…
The Battle of the Ourcq – The Americans make their presence felt at the Marne
Although they only arrived in the final year of the First World War, the Americans made their presence felt. The volume of manpower and resources…
The Dawn of the Submarine: U-21 sinks HMS Pathfinder
In 1914 submarines were still a novel idea. Many nations had not utilized them until 1900, Germany not until 1906. Soon their worth would be…
Four Great Disasters of the First World War
The First World War is regarded by many with horror. Ill-considered tactics, stubborn persistence, and a lack of understanding of how war was changing led…
The largest American military operation of the First World War – The Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive was the largest American military operation of the First World War. Engaging over a million American soldiers throughout the last months of…
Forces of Nature – Dealing with Weather in the Trenches of WW1
One of the most important battlegrounds of WW1 was the battle in the trenches. It was gruesome, for many reasons. At times the soldiers would be…
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…