Tag Archives: war

Before mass motorisation, dogs were widely used as cheap and efficient pack animals in the Low Countries. In 1913 the Belgian army accepted a small carriage, designed by Lieutenants Blancgarin and Van de Putte, that could mount a Maxim machine gun and ammunition. It would be pulled by sturdy dog breeds such as the BelgianContinue reading “Machine gun dog cart, Belgium, 1914”

Four days into the main phase of Operation Typhoon – the German offensive to capture Moscow – Kampfgruppe Eberbach moved up the Orel-Tula highway. With the Lisiza River bridge quickly captured, Eberbach sent across five tank companies and a battalion of motorcycle infantry to secure a nearby ridge. The crossing site would be held byContinue reading “Ambush at Mtsensk, 6th October 1941”

Soon after the arrival of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in Belgium, C Squadron 4th Dragoon Guards was tasked with scouting north of Mons in order to make contact with the advancing Germans. At around 06.00 hrs on 22nd August, the squadron moved northeast along the Mons-Brussels road. While watering their horses, the dragoons spottedContinue reading “Casteau, 22nd August 1914”

By 1898, support for Cuban independence from Spanish rule ran high in the United States, fuelled by extensive press coverage. After an explosion sank the USS Maine in Havana harbour, war was declared and an expeditionary force of over 16,000 US regulars and volunteers set out from Florida to Santiago – the second largest cityContinue reading “Parker’s Battery at San Juan Hill, 1st July 1898”

As part of the German invasion of Crete (Operation Merkur), two waves of airborne troops would land around Hania and Maleme on the morning of 20th May, followed by drops at Heraklion and Rethymnon in the afternoon. Landing in the first wave, the Luftlande-Sturmregiment was tasked with capturing the airfield at Maleme – a targetContinue reading “Air assault on Maleme, 20th May 1941”

On the night of 30th April 1941, Axis forces launched their second major assault on the port of Tobruk. If it fell, Lt General Erwin Rommel would gain a vital forward base for his advance towards Egypt. With heavy artillery support, German troops and elements of the Italian Trento Division moved forward against the southwestContinue reading “Night attack on Tobruk, 30th April 1941”

With the Byzantine empire in decline and growing Italian influence in the Aegean and Black Seas, the young Ottoman sultan Mehmed II besieged Constantinople in order to secure his position and prevent the city from falling into rival hands. From 6th April 1453 the Byzantine capital faced constant land and sea attacks before the defencesContinue reading “Siege artillery at Constantinople, 1453”

During the surprise ‘Tet offensive’ across South Vietnam, US Marines and ARVN troops fought to retake the old capital of Hue from the two North Vietnamese Army regiments and Viet Cong sapper battalions that had held the city since 31st January. With firepower and mobility constrained by the urban landscape, it was up to MarineContinue reading “Battle for Hue City, February 1968”