Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein
The Emperor again ordered Wallenstein’s dismissal in January 1634 and, to prevent betrayal, ordered loyal officers to imprison him and bring him to Vienna, or if necessary, to kill him. Worn down by illness and enmeshed in the tangle of his own conspiracies, Wallenstein could not complete his negotiations with his former enemies before he was caught by officers loyal…
Steamed Victory: The Nemesis I
Iron Steamer Nemesis Attacking a Masked Battery, China 1841 – William Adolphus Knell 1802-1875 Oil on canvas Steam was the nuclear power of the nineteenth century. Relatively clean, efficient, and more reliable than wind or oars, steam power made its worldwide naval debut in the First Opium War. The Nemesis, a 660-ton steamship, was launched on the Mersey River in…
Constantius Stabilises Roman Britain
Constantius In AD 270 Aurelian became emperor, the Gallic Empire collapsed and Britain was once more subsumed into the Roman…
Panzers in Italy I
Italian officers stood dumbfounded before the German General Westphal. He had just delivered an ultimatum: they must not resist Hitler’s…
The Italians enter WWI
From left to right: Ortles, autumn 1917; Fort Verena, June 1915; Mount Paterno, 1915; Carso, 1917; Toblach, 1915. The Italian…
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Ancient Israel – Warfare
Approximate map of the Iron Age kingdom of Israel (blue) and kingdom of Judah (yellow), with their neighbors (tan) (9th century BCE) In the Old Testament war was considered inseparable from human life. Wars were always considered holy in one way or another. Whenever Israel fought a righteous battle, it…
“Benghazi” A Secret African Mission and an African Mission That’s No Secret
May 15, 2014 What is Operation New Normal? It’s a question without an answer, a riddle the US military refuses to solve. It’s a secret operation in Africa that no one knows anything about. Except that someone does. His name is Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee Magee. He lives and…
Wright Tries the Union Center
ONWARD GEORGIANS by Don Troiani Ambrose Wright’s attack on Cemetery Ridge on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The sweeping Confederate attack of July 2 continued rolling northward en echelon, with brigades unleashed one by one similar to a falling row of dominos. The initial attack by Lt.…
OF TOURNAMENTS AND JOUSTS
It is a recognized rule in this game that he who loses most and is most frequently unhorsed, is judged the most valiant and the stronger. VITA EDWARDI SECUNDI, 1307 Tournaments and jousts are the great celebrations of chivalry, and as a knight you will be an enthusiastic participant. These…
Nakajima B6N Tenzan
In 1939 the Imperial Japanese Navy drew up its specification for a carrier-based torpedo-bomber to supersede the Nakajima B5N. The specifications issued by the navy called for very modern characteristics. A maximum speed of 288 mph (463 km/h), a cruising speed of 230 mph (370 km/h) and a range of…
War in the Balkans
Clockwise from top right: Serbian forces entering the town of Mitrovica; Ottoman troops at the Battle of Kumanovo; the Greek king and the Bulgarian tsar in Thessaloniki; Bulgarian heavy artillery. The two wars in the Balkans not only ended the Ottoman Empire’s foothold in Europe but created new states. It…
Catherine the Great’s Wars
Equestrian portrait of Catherine in the uniform of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Allegory of Catherine’s Victory over the Turks (1772), by Stefano Torelli. The geography of eastern Europe – vast spaces, broad plains, large areas of forest, wide rivers, and (in the Balkans) mountainous terrain – meant that the style of…
History and War
War is one of the constants of history, and has not diminished with civilization or democracy. In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war. We have acknowledged war as at present the ultimate form of competition and natural selection in the human species. “Polemos…
Zugkraftwagen
Much use was made in the German Army of ‘Zugkraftwagen’ (Zg.Kw), or towing tractors, with one or more steered wheels at the front and a tracked suspension system at the rear. These were classified not by load· carrying capacity but by trailer load and would be referred to either by…
TYPE UB III (1917-1918)
The Type UB III represents the pinnacle in the design of German attack submarines during the First World War, and this project was undoubtedly one of the best in the world, and during many years. After the war, some of these vessels served until 1935 with the Allied navies. Thirty-seven…