Wars
The King’s War Ends
To set the scene, in mid-1645 the Royalist troops had been badly mauled at the Battle of Naseby (14 June) and Langport (10 July). Charles maintained a stronghold in Wales and had retreated from most of England, but still hoped to link up with his allies in the north, bring in troops from Ireland and then perhaps drag victory from…
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‘Even a Small Invasion might go a Long Way’ I
A flame fougasse demonstration somewhere in Britain. A car is surrounded in flames and a huge cloud of smoke. circa 1940. Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf H(U) – Tauchfahig (U-Panzer / Submersible Tank) ‘I hear from Lancaster in the flats who has just been to Wickham Market in Suffolk, that on Saturday…
‘Even a Small Invasion might go a Long Way’ II
The British built 18,000 pillboxes to repel a German assault. This one is disguised as a garage. The press had been quick to play down the events of 7 September and douse any speculation that may have existed amongst the civil population that an invasion was imminent, following massive air…
FREEDOM WARS: ESTONIA I
Nikolai Yudenich Estonian artillery in war against the Landeswehr The most northerly parts of the tsar’s empire that faced the Baltic Sea, Finland and Estonia, had longstanding ethnic, linguistic and cultural links. Like Latvia to the south, Estonia was home to Estonians, Russians who had settled in the area, and…
FREEDOM WARS: ESTONIA II
Estonian Infantry With some 13,000 men ready for action, the Estonian Army began a counteroffensive in January 1919. British ships were now in firm control of the sea, and on 4 January the two light cruisers, accompanied by the destroyer Wakeful, subjected several Russian positions near Narva to a heavy…
The Thirty Years’ War in Italy
Relief of Genoa by the Marquis of Santa Cruz by Antonio de Pereda. Museo del Prado. map of Italy in 1631 At the dawn of the seventeenth century, Spain’s position in Italy appeared impregnable, but appearances can be deceiving. The Italian princes used their small armies for short campaigns, such…
THE QUADRUPLE ALLIANCE AND WAR WITH SPAIN, 1718-1720 Part II
Siege of St Sebastian, 1719PLAN De la VILLE et du Chateau / et PORT du St: SEBASTIAN / Ataqué par les Anglois dan les du Moy Maÿ / l’Anné 1719 Milazzo, 1718PLAN / de la ville & chateau de / MELAZZO / avec le Camp des Imperiaux, les ouvrages /…