“A number of armies and navies have gone down in history for the cruelty, depravity and (dare we say it?) creativity of their punishments.” FREDERICK THE GREAT famously remarked that his soldiers must fear…
Heavyweights — The Monster Super Tanks of World War Two
“Small, thinly armoured and under-gunned, the first tanks of World War Two were light-weights when compared to the lumbering beasts that would lurch off production lines within a few short years.” TO…
The Warfare Underground — A Brief History of Siege Tunnels
BY THE END OF 1914, the trench warfare on the Western Front had bogged down into a bloody stalemate. But the German army thought it had come up with a scheme to break…
The First Dogfighters — How History’s Earliest Combat Pilots Improvised Aerial Warfare
“Many of the principles of air to air combat still in use today were improvised on the fly (literally) by pilots who were making it up as they went along.” THE WORLD’S…
Final Notes — ‘Taps,’ ‘The Last Post’ and Other Songs for the Fallen
“Both the Last Post and Taps share a common lineage. Each are derivatives of a Dutch tune from the 1600s called the Taptoe.” (Originally published on July 11, 2012) TAPS, THE SONG THAT’S…
The Chinchas War – Inside the Little-Known Conflict Between Peru and Spain Over Animal Turds
“The resulting two-year naval conflict would see ships captured, cities bombarded, ports blockaded, economies destroyed, and governments toppled.” WHEN IN 1864, a hotheaded Spanish admiral wanted to punish Peru for a perceived…
The Sawbones Will See You Now – A History of Battlefield Medicine
“There have been a number of leaders in the long history of military medicine that helped improve and modernize patient care. Here are a few of them.” “A PHYSICIAN is worth more…
Two-Wheeled Warriors — A Brief History of Bicycles on the Battlefield
“Bike riding infantry could carry heavier loads father and faster than men on foot, and riders would still have the energy to charge into battle, even after hours of pedalling.” THE BICYCLE (as…