The battles of the Isonzo (1 to 10)

The first battle of the Isonzo, 23 June-7 July 1915, was the first of eleven Italian offensives on the Isonzo front that failed to achieve a breakthrough
The second battle of Isonzo, 18 July-3 August 1915, was a renewed Italian offensive that made some minor progress
The third battle of the Isonzo, 18 October-3 November 1915, was perhaps the least successful of the series of twelve Italian offensives on the Isonzo
The fourth battle of the Isonzo, 10 November-2 December 1915, was the final Italian offensive of 1915, and made little more progress than the previous three.
The fifth battle of the Isonzo, 9-17 March 1916, was a short lived offensive launched at the request of Britain and France
The sixth battle of the Isonzo, 4-17 August 1916, was the most succesful of the eleven Italian offensives on the Isonzo.
The seventh battle of the Isonzo, 14-17 September 1916, was the first of three short-lived offensives launched on the Isonzo front in the autumn of 1916.
The eighth battle of the Isonzo, 9-12 October 1916, was the second of three short-lived offensives launched on the Isonzo front in the autumn of 1916.
The ninth battle of the Isonzo, 1-4 November 1916, was the third of three short-lived offensives launched on the Isonzo front in the autumn of 1916.
The Tenth battle of the Isonzo, 12 May-8 June 1917, was one of the more succesful of the Isonzo battles, and saw the Italians advance towards Trieste and east from Gorizia before the offensive ran down.

Vistula River and the first battle of Warsaw

The battle of the Vistula River, 28 September-30 October 1914, saw a German invasion of south western Poland defeated by a much larger Russian army.
The first battle of Warsaw, 19-30 October 1914, saw a German army retreat from Warsaw in the face of overwhelming Russian numbers

The Gorlice-Tarnow Offensive

The battle of Gorlice-Tarnow, 2-10 May 1915, was a rare breakthrough battle during the First World War. The German victory at Gorlice-Tarnow threatened the entire Russian line and eventually forced the abandonment of Russian Poland
The battle of Lemberg, 20-22 June 1915, was a short-lived Russian attempt to defend Lemberg in the period after the German breakthrough at Gorlice-Tarnow
The third battle of Warsaw, 5 August 1915, saw the Germans occupy Warsaw in the aftermath of their victory at Gorlice-Tarnow.
The siege of Novo-Georgievsk, 10-20 August 1915, saw a Russian garrison 90,000 strong captured by the Germans after the fall of Warsaw.

McDonnell F-101A Voodoo

The McDonnell F-101A Voodoo was a long range fighter with limited nuclear strike ability that entered service in 1957

Me 163, Me 210/ 310/ 410 and Me 262

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet was a jet powered fighter aircraft that appeared far to late to have any impact on the course of the Second World War
The Me262 Schwalbe (Swallow) was the first jet fighter to enter combat and in doing so, earned a place in history, being the most advanced aircraft of the period to fly and achieve operational status.
We add an alternative article on the Messerschmitt Me 210, 310 and 410 aircraft, designed as replacements for the Bf 110.

Gudrun Ensslin (1940-1977)

Gudrun Ensslin (1940-1977) was the true female leader of the Red Army Faction, a terrorist gang better known as the Baader-Meinhof gang.

Bolimov and Second Masurian Lakes

The battle of Bolimov, 31 January 1915, was a minor battle on the eastern front best known for the first use of poisoned gas during the First World War
The Second battle of the Masurian Lakes, 7-21 February 1915, was a German victory in East Prussia that pushed the Russians out of Germany but failed to achieve its wider aims.

Lemberg, Krasnik, Komarow, Gnila Lipa and Przemysl

The battles of Lemberg, 23 August-12 September 1914, were a series of battles in Galicia that saw the Russians force the Austro-Hungarians back to the Carpathian Mountains.
The battle of Krasnik, 23-25 August 1914, was a minor Austrian victory during their 1914 Galician campaign.
The battle of Komarow, 26 August-1 September 1914, was a minor Austrian victory early in their invasion of Galicia.
The battle of Gnila Lipa, 26-30 August 1914, saw two Russian armies push back an Austrian army back to the west of Lemberg.
The siege of Przemysl, 24 September-11 October and 6 November 1914-22 March 1915, saw the Russians capture a major Austrian fortress on the border between Austro-Hungary and Russian Poland.

Battles of the Ludendorff Offensives

The Ludendorff Offensives were a series of German attacks designed to win the First World War before large numbers of American troops could enter the fighting.
The Second battle of the Somme, 21 March-4 April 1918, was the first of General Ludendorff’s five great offensives launched during the spring and summer of 1918.
The First battle of Villers-Bretonneux, 30 March-5 April 1918, was part of the second battle of the Somme and saw an Australian counterattack defeat a German attack close to Amiens
The Battle of the Lys, 9-29 April 1918, was the second German offensive of 1918, aimed at the British in Flanders.
The Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux, 24-27 April 1918, was a renewed German attack towards Amiens, defeated by a night attack.

Second Artois, Aubers Ridge and Festubert, 1915

The second battle of Artois, 9 May-18 June 1915, was the main Allied offensive of 1915 on the Western Front. It ended in costly failure

The battle of Aubers Ridge, 9-10 May 1915, was the first British contribution to the wider second battle of Artois. It ended in abject failure

Messines and Armentieres, 1914

The battle of Messines, 12 October-2 November 1914, was part of the Race to the Sea, the series of battles that decided the line of the western front. It became part of the wider battle around Ypres.

The battle of Armentières, 13 October-2 November 1914, was part of the Race to the Sea, the series of battles that decided the line of the Western Front as trench warfare took over in the autumn of 1914.

Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, 1858-1930

Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien, 1858-1930, was a British general of the First World War, best known for his success at Le Cateau during the retreat to the Marne.

Ju 290, He 177 and He 219

The Junkers Ju 290 was a long range German transport aircraft produced in small numbers as a bomber

The Heinkel He219 Uhu (Owl) was potentially one of the Luftwaffe's best and most effective night-fighters but suffered from the misjudgements of senior members of the government and the Luftwaffe

An alternative article on the Heinkel He 177 by Peter Antill.

Malayan Emergency

The Malayan Emergency (1947-1960) was a British victory won against an attempted Communist revolution in Malaya.

Brigadier General Charles FitzClarence, VC

Brigadier General Charles FitzClarence, VC, was one of the few senior British officers to be killed in action during the First World War

SMS Leipzig

SMS Leipzig was a German light cruiser sunk at the battle of the Falklands, 8 December 1914

Yser, Nonne Bosschen, 2nd Ypres and Arras

The battle of the Yser (18 October-30 November 1914) was the northernmost battle of the Race to the Sea, the series of battles which decided the location of the Western Front after the outbreak of trench warfare on the Aisne in early September 1914

The Battle of Nonne Bosschen, 11 November 1914, was the last major German attack on the British lines during the first battle of Ypres.

The Second battle of Ypres, 22 April-25 May 1915, saw the first use of poisoned gas on the western front.

The Second battle of Arras, 9 April-17 May 1917, was the British element of the Allied spring offensive of 1917. It is best known for the capture of Vimy Ridge by the Canadian Corps.

La Bassee, 1st Ypres, Langemarck and Gheluvelt

The Battle of La Bassée, 10 October-2 November 1914, was part of the Race to the Sea and helped decided the location of the Western Front in Flanders.

The first battle of Ypres, 19 October-22 November 1914, saw the British and French defeat repeated German attempts to break their lines in an attempt to capture the channel ports.

The Battle of Langemarck, 21-24 October 1914, saw the first major German attack during the first battle of Ypres

The Battle of Gheluvelt, 29-31 October 1914, was the nearest the Germans came to breaking the British lines during the first battle of Ypres.

Broodseinde and Poelcappelle

The battle of Broodseinde, 4 October 1917, was the last of three successful bite and hold battles launched by General Herbert Plumer during the middle phase of the third battle of Ypres
The Battle of Poelcappelle, 9 October 1917, was the first of three mud stained battles that ended the third battle of Ypres.

British Generals: Gough, Byng and Maxse

General Sir Hubert Gough (1870-1963) was a British general who rose to command the Fifth Army during the First World War, but failed to distinguish himself in that role.
General Sir Julian Byng (1862-1935) was one of the most able British generals of the First World War. His most famous battle was the well planned victory at Vimy Ridge
General Sir (Frederick) Ivor Maxse, 1862-1958 was a British corps commander of the First World War best known for his over-rapid retreat during the Second Battle of the Somme

The Role of Intelligence in War

Today we add an article on the role of Intelligence in War

SHIPS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

HMS Monmouth was a British light cruiser sunk at the Battle of Coronel, 1 November 1914
HMS Good Hope was a British light cruiser sunk at the Battle of Coronel, 1 November 1914
HMS Canopus was a pre-dreadnaught British battleship who missed the battle of Coronel but took part in the battle of the Falklands
SMS Scharnhorst was a German heavy cruiser who took part in the victory at the battle of Coronel, 1 November 1914, but was sunk at the battle of the Falklands, 8 December 1914
SMS Gneisenau was a German heavy cruiser who took part in the victory at the battle of Coronel, 1 November 1914, but was sunk at the battle of the Falklands, 8 December 1914

Antwerp, Cambrai and Second Marne

The Third Battle of Antwerp, 1-10 October 1914, was the final phase of a more prolonged period of fighting around Antwerp that had begun during the third week of August 1914 when the bulk of the Belgian army had fallen back from its initial front line to a new line based around Antwerp. It ended with the surrender of the city on 10 October.
The Battle of Cambrai, 20 November-7 December 1917, was the first large scale tank battle in history.
The Second Battle of the Marne was the turning point of the First World War on the Western Front. It began as a German offensive (the Champagne-Marne Offensive, 15-18 July) but ended with a successful Allied counter-attack (the Aisne-Marne Offensive, 18 July-5 August) which saw the German army pushed back almost to the line it had occupied before their great success during the Third Battle of the Aisne
The Champagne-Marne Offensive, 15-18 July 1918, was the last of Ludendorff’s five offensives of 1918 that had come close to breaking the Allied lines
The Aisne-Marne Offensive, 18 July-6 August 1918, was the second phase of the Second Battle of the Marne (15 July-6 August) and marked a major turning point in the fighting on the Western Front in 1918.

Ulrike Meinhof

Ulrike Meinhof is without doubt one of the most famous female terrorists in history. She was a co-founder of the left wing German terrorist group the Red Army Faction (RAF) which also became known as the Baader-Meinhof gang

Eugene Bullard

Eugene Bullard (1894-1961) was the first ever Black fighter pilot, serving with the French Air Force during the First World War.

Time line of Japanese military history to 1400 AD

Today we add a time line of Japanese military history to 1400 AD

SHIPS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

The SMS Dresden was a German light cruiser of the First World War that took part in the battles of Coronel and the Falklands
The SMS Nurnberg was a German cruiser that took place in the victory at Coronel but was sunk at the Falkland Islands.
HSM Glasgow was the only Royal Navy warship to survive the Battle of Coronel (1914). She then took part in the Battle of the Falklands at which the victorious squadron from Coronel was destroyed.
HMS Indomitable was an Invincible class battle cruiser that took part in the battles of Dogger Bank and Jutland and survived the First World War
HMS Inflexible was an Invincible class battle cruiser that took part in the Battle of the Falklands and the Battle of Jutland, as well as seeing service in the Mediterranean

Coronel, Falklands, Neuve-Chapelle, Vimy Ridge and Noyon-Montdidier

FIRST WORLD WAR
The Battle of Coronel, 1 November 1914, was the worst British naval defeat of the First World War
The Battle of the Falklands, 8 December 1914, saw the defeat of a squadron of German cruisers under Admiral Maximilian von Spee
The Battle of Neuve-Chapelle, 10-13 March 1915, was a small scale battle in Artois fought in advance of the main Spring offensives of 1915.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-13 April 1917, was one of the best planned battles of the entire First World War. Part of the wider Second Battle of Arras it saw the Canadian Corps capture Vimy Ridge in a single day.
The Battle of Noyon-Montdidier, 9-13 June 1918, was the fourth of General Erich von Ludendorff’s great offensives of the spring and summer of 1918

Andreas Baader

Andreas Baader was probably one of the most famous terrorist leaders of the 1970s and is still well known today.

Army of God

The Army of God is a good example of a low level fundamentalist terrorist groups

Second Battle of the Aisne, 16 April-15 May 1917

The Second Battle of the Aisne, 16 April-15 May 1917, was a failed French offensive that ended with the replacement of the French Commander in Chief and a general mutiny in the French army.

Third Battle of Ypres

The Third Battle of Ypres, 21 July- 6 November 1917, was one of the more pointless and badly handled battles of the First World War, and is famous for the Passchendaele Mud
The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, 20-25 September 1917, marked a change in British tactics during the Third Battle of Ypres and resulted in a small British victory
The Battle of Polygon Wood, 26-27 September 1917, was an Australian victory during the Third Battle of Ypres
The First Battle of Passchendaele, 12 October 1917, was an entirely unsuccessful attack during the Third Battle of Ypres
The Second Battle of Passchendaele, 26 October-10 November, was the final phase of the wider Third Battle of Ypres (often known as Passchendaele)

Battles of the First World War

The Battle of Mulhouse, 7-9 August 1914, was a minor French offensive in Alsace that ended with an rapid retreat in the face of a German counterattack
The Battle of Haelen, 12 August 1914, was a minor Allied victory early in the First World War, which saw a German cavalry Corps defeated by dismounted Belgian cavalrymen.
The Battle of Loos, 25 September-14 October 1915, was the British contribution to the unsuccessful Allied autumn offensives of 1915
The Second Battle of Champagne, 25 September-6 November 1915, saw the failure of the main French effort in the autumn offensive of 1915.
The Battle of Verdun, 21 February- 18 December 1916, was the longest and bloodiest battle of the First World War. It saw the failure of a German attempt to bleed the French army white

COBRA

COBRA (or Cabinet Office Briefing Room A) is the British committee that meets to decide how the Government will respond to a crisis.

TREATIES OF THE NORTHERN WARS

The Peace of Stolbovo, February 1617, ended the Swedish-Russian War of 1613-1617
The Treaty of Vienna, 1 December 1656, saw the Emperor Ferdinand III agreed to help the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania during the Northern War of 1655-60.
The Treaty of Vienna, 27 May 1657 saw the Emperor Leopold agree to provide 12,000 troops to aid the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania in the Northern War of 1655-60

Battles of the Frontiers of France

The Battle of the Frontiers of France, 20-24 August 1914, refers to a series of four separate battles, stretching from the Swiss frontier to Mons in Belgium, each of which saw German armies achieve their main objectives.
The Battle of Lorraine, 14 August-7 September 1914, began as the main French offensive of 1914 and ended in a German counterattack.
The Battle of the Ardennes, 20-25 August 1914, saw the failure of a French attack into the Ardennes.
The Battle of the Sambre or Charleroi, 21-23 August 1914, was a German victory over a French army during their advance through Belgium.
The Battle of Mons, 23 August 1914, was the first battle fought by the BEF during the First World War. The BEF delayed the German advance for a day before being forced to retreat to avoid being cut off.

American Civil War battles

Today we catch up on a backlog of American Civil War battles:
The Union capture of Ship Island, 17 September 1861, gave the US Navy a useful base on the Gulf Coast
The Battle of Port Royal, 7 November 1861, was a major Union victory early in the American Civil War that demonstrated how difficult it would be for the Confederacy to defend its coastline
The Battle of Pea Ridge, or Elkhorn Tavern, 7-8 March 1862, was the biggest battle fought west of the Mississippi during the American Civil War.
The Battle of Island No. 10, 7 April 1862, was a Union victory that further reduced Confederate control of the Mississippi river
The Battle of South Mountain, 14 September 1862, was a delaying action that helped Robert E. Lee unite his army to fight at Antietam
The Battle of Old Fort Wayne, 22 October 1862, saw the defeat of a pro-Confederate Native American army.
The Siege of Lexington, 18-20 September 1862, was the high point of Confederate success in Missouri.
The Battle of Prairie Grove, 7 December 1862, was a minor Federal victory in north western Arkansas that effectively ended a period of campaigning in that part of the state
The Battle of Helena, Arkansas, 4 July 1863, was an unsuccessful Confederate counterattack aimed at relieving the pressure on Vicksburg
The Battle of Pine Bluff, 25 October 1863, was a minor cavalry battle in the aftermath of the Federal capture of Little Rock, Arkansas
The Action of the Rappahannock Redoubts, 7 November 1863, was a minor battle in the aftermath of Gettysburg
The Battle of Sabine Crossroads, 8 April 1864, was the first of two battles that ended any chance of Union success in the Red River campaign
The Battle of Pleasant Hill, 9 April 1864 was the second of two battles in two days that ended any chance of success for the Red River campaign
The Second Battle of Kernstown, 23 July 1864, was a minor Confederate victory in the Shenandoah Valley

Six First World War battles

The Siege of Tsingtao, 18 September-6 November 1914, was the only battle of the First World War to take place in the Far East and saw Japan captured the German port of Tsingtao on the coast of China.

The Third Battle of the Aisne, 27 May-3 June 1918, was the third of General Ludendorff's great offensives during the summer 1918. It saw German troops reach within forty miles of Paris before the advance was stopped.

The battle of Cantigny, 28 May 1918, was the first American offensive of the First World War.

The Battle of Château-Thierry of 3-4 June 1918 was part of the Allied response to the German Aisne offensive of 27 May-7 June 1918

The Battle of Belleau Wood, 6-26 June 1918, was part of the Allied counterattack that came at the end of the Third Battle of the Aisne and an early victory for the American army in France

The Battle of St. Mihiel, 12-13 September 1918, was the first major independent American offensive of the First World War and saw the Germans forced out of the St. Mihiel salient

Focke Wulf Fw 190

For our air war theme we add an article on the Focke Wulf Fw 190, the best German piston engined fighter of the Second World War and an alternative article on the He 111 by Peter Antill.

John Winthrop Hackett

John Winthrop Hackett Junior (1910 - 1997) was an Australian and British soldier who served at the battle of Arnhem. After the war he rose to command the British Army on the Rhine before retiring from the army to take up an academic career.

Entebbe Raid

We add an article on Operation Jonathon/ Operation Thunderball/ The Entebbe Raid, 3rd/4th July 1976, one of the most daring counter terrorism operations ever conducted

Cell System

The ‘Cell system’ is an effective and long established method of organisation for terrorist or resistance groups.

POLISH-SWEDISH WAR 1600-1629

The Polish-Swedish War, 1600-29, was a long war for control of Livonia, complicated by the claims of Sigismund III of Poland-Lithuania to the Swedish throne which he had lost in 1599

The Battle of Kircholm, 27 September 1605, was a major Polish-Lithuanian victory during the Polish-Swedish War of 1600-1629

Battles of the Nordic Seven Years War

The Battle of Bornholm, 30 May 1563, was the first fighting of the Nordic Seven Years War, coming before the official start of the war.

The battle of Gotland, 11 September 1563, was an inconclusive naval clash during the Nordic Seven Years War

The battle of Gotland-Öland, 30-31 May 1564, was a chaotic two day battle during the Nordic Seven Years War that saw the destruction of the massive Swedish flagship Mars

The Action off Warnemünde, 12 July 1564, was a minor naval clash of the Nordic Seven Years War close to Rostock

The battle of Öländ, 12-13 August 1564, was a minor Swedish naval victory over a combined Danish-Lübeck fleet during the Nordic Seven Years War

Northern War 1655-60

The Northern War of 1655-60 was one of three wars that involved the majority of the Baltic powers of the time.

The Surrender of Ujście, 25 July 1655, saw the virtual collapse of Polish resistance to the Swedish invasion of 1655.

The Swedish Danish War, 1657-58, was a short conflict that ended with a disastrous defeat for the Danes

The Swedish-Danish War, 1658-60 saw the Danes regain some of the ground lost in the war of 1657-8

The Peace of Copenhagen of 6 June 1660 ended the Swedish-Danish War of 1658-60.The Peace of Oliva, 3 May 1660, ended the Northern War of 1655-60

Alternative articles on aircraft

Today we add a series of articles by Peter Antill which give a different view on the following aircraft: Dornier Do 17, Messerschmitt Bf 110, Junkers Ju 87, Junkers Ju 88 and Junkers Ju 288
We also add an article on the Dornier Do 18 four-seat coastal reconnaissance flying boatWe add an alternative article on the Messerschmitt Bf 109 by Peter Antill and a brief account of the early history of the Jet fighter in the Soviet Union.

Battles of the Great Northern War

The Raid on Archangel, 6-7 July 1701, was an unsuccessful Swedish attempt to attack the Russian port of Archangel by sea.
The Battle of Køge Bay, 4 October 1710, was an inconclusive naval battle during the Great Northern War. Two days after the battle itself the Swedish fleet captured a convoy of transport ships sailing into the bay
The Battle of Fladstrand, 11 May 1712, saw a Swedish squadron fail to defeat a smaller Danish force that was observing Gothernberg
The Battle of Femern, 24 April 1715 was a Danish naval victory over a Swedish squadron raiding in the western Baltic. Almost the entire Swedish fleet was captured by the Danes.
Action off Fladstrand, 10 April 1717, a minor naval encounter of the Great Northern War
The battle of Lake Ladoga (26 June 1702) was the first of two small boat actions that forced the Swedes to withdraw from Lake Ladoga
The battle of Lake Ladoga of 7 September 1702 was the second of two small boat actions that forced the Swedes to withdraw from Lake Ladoga
The Battle of Lake Peipus, 31 May 1702, was the first of three Russian attempts to sieze control of the lake
The Battle of Lake Peipus, 7 August 1703, was the second of two Russian attempts to gain control of the lake
The Battle of Lake Peipus, 17 May 1704, was the third Russian attempt to sieze control of the lake. It was successful, exposing Dorpat to Russian attack.
The Battle of Narva, 30 November 1700, was a major Swedish victory over a Russian army outside Narva early in the Great Northern War
The Battle of Kliszów, 19 July 1702, was an important Swedish victory early in the Great Northern War
The Battle of Fraustadt, 13 February 1706, was a major Swedish victory during the Great Northern War that brought Charles XII as close as he was ever to get to victory.
The battle of Punitz, 28 October (Swedish Style)/ 7 November NS 1704, was a minor victory for Charles XII during the Great Northern War over a Saxon army in Poland.
The battle of Holowczyn, 4 July 1708 (NS), was a Swedish victory during Charles XII’s attempted invasion of Russia in 1708. It cleared his route to the Dnieper River
The battle of Malatitze, 31 August 1708 , was a minor battle during the Swedish invasion of Russian of 1708 which saw Peter the Great attempt to pull the Swedish army out of position
The battle of Rajowka, 10 September 1708, was a minor engagement during the Swedish invasion of Russia of 1708
The battle of Lesnaja (28 September OS, 29 September Swedish Style, 9 October NS 1708) saw the defeat of a Swedish supply column that had been attempting to catch up with Charles XII’s main army during his 1708 invasion of Russia
The battle of Erastfer, 9 January 1702, was an early Russian victory over a Swedish army during the Great Northern War
The action off Lindesnaes of 26-27 June 1714 was a frigate duel between the Swedish Olbing Galley (carrying 28 guns) and the Danish Løvendals Gallej (20) during the Great Northern War
The action off Reval of 28 July 1714 was a missed opportunity for a Russian naval victory during the Great Northern War.
The battle of Gangut, 6 August 1714, (also known as Hangö or Bengstörfjärd) was a significant Russian naval victory during the Great Northern War, won by the Russian galley fleet.
The battle of Gottska Sandö, 4 June 1719, was the first naval victory won by Peter the Great’s new deep sea navy. It came in the final stage of the Great Northern War, after the death of Charles XII of Sweden