History
The German Two-Panzer Division Counter-Offensive 7 and 8 June 1944 Part I
“If only …” is the theme of much German debate on the first 24 hours of the invasion, rivalling in bitterness the French reaction to Waterloo, or the British view of Jutland. Undoubtedly, national pride plays a part, and therefore some discount must be made. And, of course, it is always easier to fight a battle correctly after it is…
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Mexico – Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana
Mexico was one of only two Latin American countries (Brazil being the other) to furnish combat troops; Mexico provided the 201st Fighter Squadron, which was equipped with U. S. aircraft and trained in Texas. The 201st served in the Philippines Campaign and had two men killed in training and five…
The Saxon Kings of the German Kingdom I
In 962 Otto, who had also gained control of the Middle Kingdom, was formally crowned king of the Romans. The possessor of this title would, in time, be known as the Holy Roman Emperor. The coronation came to be seen as the founding of the Holy Roman Empire, an institution…
The Saxon Kings of the German Kingdom II
German heavy cavalry. 10th century In the meantime a revolt had broken out in Bavaria, where the son of Duke Arnulf, who had died at this time (937), refused to do homage to the sorely oppressed king. But here too Otto was soon master of the situation. The young duke…
The first challenge: Bayezid I’s siege of Constantinople (1394–1402) I
Contemporary Byzantine tradition ascribed the deliverance of Constantinople to a miraculous intervention by the Virgin Mary (Theotokos). Constantinople in 1422; the oldest surviving map of the city. Ottoman troops roaming the outskirts of Constantinople had seized almost all the lands surrounding the city by the year 1391, that is, a…
The first challenge: Bayezid I’s siege of Constantinople (1394–1402) II
Sultan Bayezid breaks the siege at Nicopolis and comes close at night to the besieged castle of Nicopolis and encouarages the castle commander Dogan Bey. Source: HĂĽnername, DoÄźan KardeĹź, Ä°stanbul 1969 When Emperor Manuel II traveled to the West at the end of 1399 in search of financial and military…
The Battle of Kosovo – Reality and Myth
Kosovo Maiden After the battle of the Maritsa River the Ottomans greatly extended their circle of vassals, who were obliged to contribute to the Empire’s further ascent and consolidation by paying annual tributes and joining forces with the sultan in his military expeditions. They placed the urban strip and important…