Although not as famous as Hastings, Crécy or Agincourt, the 1214 Battle of Bouvines would have far-reaching consequences. In fact, the little-known clash indirectly contributed to the rise of modern-day constitutional democracy. A fighting bishop unhorses and captures a royal bastard in an obscure medieval battle and in one swift blow changes European history for centuries. The event leads…
Category: Military History
Profiles in Courage: “Apache Down”, The One Iraq War Story You Most Likely Never Heard About
When an AH-64 went down near the Iraqi city of Najaf, 12 Army paratroopers unleashed hell on an enormous enemy force. On Jan. 28, 2007, a 12-man Military Transition Team, or MiTT, composed of paratroopers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division was called upon to assist an Iraqi army unit that…
America’s Lost History of Border Violence
What happened 100 years ago was terrible, there is no doubt. But I think we all, Politicians included, need to heed the example this bloody period of border history teaches us. The lesson here is not that we all need to just “to acknowledge the bloodshed.” Just Acknowledging something terrible happened is pointless if you…
Military Defense News: Stop Panicking About Russian “Hybrid” Warfare
There is currently a great deal of alarmist concern, triggered by a recent RAND report, about Russia’s supposed ability to conquer the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, three former Soviet republics that are now part of NATO — and thus drive a wedge into NATO without the West being able to do anything…
Ancient Military History: Caractacus, The Powerful Celtic King Who Defied Rome
This is One of the earlier accounts of Guerilla Warfare used against the Romans during their time in early Britain. Here is a really good timeline of this period for those that are interested. -SF Caractacus was a king and tribal leader of the ancient Britons during the Iron Age and ruler of the Catuvellaunui,…
Military History: Clausewitz and the Crackhouse
The History of Drugs and War is Long and Sordid to Say the Least In 1834, the British Government could not have sent a worse person with the worst set of instructions to China. The British Parliament chose William Napier, a Scottish lord, to be the Chief Superintendent of Trade in East Asia. Lord Napier…
World War Two History: Hitler’s Foreign Legions
For those of you that enjoy WW2 Historical Fiction, check out the book ‘The Last Citadel’ by David L. Robbins. It is about a Spanish Tiger Tank Unit that fought for the Nazi’s on the Eastern Front during the famous Battle of Kursk. -SF “Hundreds of thousands of foreign troops flocked to Nazi Germany to…
Military Weapons From The Past: The British Besal Machine Gun
The Besal Was Wartime Great Britain’s Desperate, Last-Ditch Machine Gun Cheap and easy to make, the weapon was for fighting a German invasion In the autumn of 1940, Nazi Germany controlled most of mainland Europe, France had surrendered and the British Army had evacuated the continent — in the process, leaving behind much of its arms and…
Learning From Terrorist Tactics: ISIS’ Sniper Propaganda
For those of you interested in this subject of Guerilla Snipers and how Propaganda in sniping can often be a valuable weapon in and of itself, I would highly recommend the Book Fry the Brain by John West. -SF Snipers stalk the sprawling battlefields of Iraq and Syria. Hiding, quietly waiting and squeezing off long-distance…
Native American History: The Bloodiest War in American History You Most Likely Never Heard About
On a per capita basis, King Phillip’s War was the Bloodiest War in American History. But being that it dealt with the Native American Indian, it has been suppressed over the centuries while other major “White Man” Wars and Conflicts have been pushed into the limelight. We can never forget events like this. That is…