The War of 1812 brought great danger to those whose homes sat at the overlap between the home front and the fighting front. Many along the 37-mile long Niagara River witness raids and violence in both directions. The most powerful and destructive operation occurred in December 1813—when it was over, every home along the river […]
A sharp divide characterized the relationship between the home front and the front line during the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. Despite advances in communication technology, most Americans viewed war through a romantic lens, which bore little resemblance to the reality of the soldier experience. Greg Hospodor addresses the gulf between those two perceptions and its […]
In the fall of 1942 and spring of 1943, the British-led Allied forces in Burma were defeated by a smaller but better-prepared and better-led Japanese army. At this crucial time, a little-known officer named Lieutenant General William Slim took command of the multinational force that had known only defeat at the hands of the Japanese. […]
He could reportedly crush a horseshoe with one hand. He was one of perhaps 300 illegitimate children of a Saxon prince. He was a German noble who became a French national hero. Dr. Jonathan Abel shares the tale of Hermann Moritz, later known as Maurice de Saxe, owner of one of the most storied military […]
From August 1914 until the after the Armistice in 1918, Generalmajor Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck conducted a one-sided campaign against the British Empire in east Africa. Lettow-Vorbeck employed superior tactics and stealth against an impossibly large enemy, preserving the lives of his soldiers and civilians while the harsh environment and disease devastated Allied ranks. The Germans […]
When the U.S. entered World War II as a belligerent, its army ranked 17th in the world in terms of capability. In May 1942, Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall plucked a hitherto obscure Corps of Engineers officer from his duties and put him in charge of all Army sustainment operations in what would […]
Join Dr. Harry Laver for an exploration of a man that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower referred to as “one of the few great military leaders of our time.” Air Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder of the Royal Air Force served as Eisenhower’s deputy supreme commander for the June 1944 Overlord campaign in Normandy, and then on […]
Stapleton Cotton, later Field Marshal Stapleton Cotton, first Viscount Combermere, was cavalry commander under the Duke of Wellington for nearly six years in the Peninsula War. Yet, at Waterloo, he was not invited to command Wellington’s cavalry. Mark T. Gerges examines Cotton’s early career in the Peninsula and his role in the command of Wellington’s […]
The unification of Germany was forged by the Hohenzollern dynasty, one of the more remarkable ruling houses Europe ever saw. Given this history, there were high expectations for Frederick William, the eldest son of Wilhelm I, when Prussia began its campaign to unify Germany. Ethan S. Rafuse discusses one of the most fascinating figures in […]
Frank Jack Fletcher commanded carrier task forces in the critical first year of World War II in the Pacific. He served as senior commander in three famous naval battles (the Coral Sea, Midway and the Eastern Solomons), winning all three and damaging the Japanese Navy, which prevented it from accomplishing its operational objectives. John Kuehn […]
The early reign of Philip II of France was an exhibition of poor generalship, but by the early 1200s, Philip had seized most of the counties and duchies under the control of England’s King John. These victories would construct the territorial basis for modern France. Philip’s crowning victory at the Battle of Bouvines in 1214 […]
John Monash was a reserve colonel in the Australian army before World War I, but once the conflict began, he would become a full-time army officer. Promoted to brigadier general, major general and eventually lieutenant general, he commanded the Australian Corps on the Western Front. Monash was one of the first true advocates of combined […]
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