Category: Military
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3106 – The Battle of Königgrätz, 3 July 1866
The battle of Königgrätz (also known as the battle of Sadowa or the battle of Chlum) was the most decisive clash between the armies of Prussia and those of Austria and her allies during the short, seven-week long, Austro-Prussian War in 1866. The war itself is also known under several different titles. Königgrätz was also…
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3105 – War in the Philippines
At the end of the 19th century tensions had been high between the United States and Spain, the point of friction being Spanish colonial rule specifically in Cuba. When the USS Maine mysteriously exploded in Havana harbour, it pushed the American President McKinley into war with Spain. Ostensibly the war was to support rebels fighting…
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3104 – Thomas Henry Kavanagh – The ‘First’ Civilian Victoria Cross
When the Indian Mutiny broke out in May 1857, members of the Honourable East India Company became involved. Soon, several outstandingly brave deeds by them and other volunteer civilians were reported back in England but there was no official way to recognise civilian valour in times of armed conflict. It became clear that the warrant…
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3103 – Interwar Naval Treaties and Battleship Development
At the end of the First World War France and Italy had wanted the German High Seas Fleet divided between them, Britain and the USA wanted it scuttled, which Germany did anyway without permission. The resulting Treaty of Versailles imposed strict limits on size and number of warships the newly constituted German government was allowed…
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3102 – The Battle of Marathon, part 2
On the field of Marathon, the Persians and Athenians faced off against each other for days on end. Finally, when it was the strategos Miltiades’ day of command, the Athenians took action. Herodotus tells us that: ‘The Athenian army moved into position for the coming struggle. The right wing was commanded by Callimachus – for…
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3101 – The Battle of Marathon, part 1
‘On September 10th 490 BC, hoplites from the Greek city of Athens faced an invasion force sent from the enormous and powerful Persian Empire to the east on the field at Marathon, a bay 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometres) northeast of Athens. The Athenians were outnumbered but the result would not be what anyone expected.’ This…
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3010 – Artemisia of Halicarnassus
In his account of Xerxes’ invasion of Greece, the historian Herodotus goes out of his way to give an account of Artemisia, female tyrant of Halicarnassus, before, during and in the aftermath of the battle Salamis in 480 BC. This account, and Artemisia herself, are remarkable for a variety of reasons but the idea of…
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3009 – Battle of Landguard Fort: A dreadful spectacle as ever any English man saw
There have been very few occasions since the 1300’s when a foreign navy or army have been able to damage English ports and land troops, but this occurred twice within a month during June and July 1667. The Dutch raid on the River Medway is fairly well known, a humiliating defeat for the Royal Navy. …
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3008 – The Rise of Naval Aviation and the Aircraft Carrier
For centuries naval warfare consisted of vessels in relative close proximity to one, another fighting it out. This combat might take the form of ships in the ancient world ramming, or with the development of gunpowder vessels would launch broadsides at short range into the opposition. There would be many technological advances in naval warfare,…
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3007 – Days of Valour: The Victoria Crosses awarded during the Siege, Relief and Retaking of Lucknow
The Residency complex at Lucknow was under siege. It had been since late June 1857. It was now October. A small relief force had broken through from Cawnpore but it was then too weak to enable the combined garrison to break out. The combined garrison now contained fewer than 3,000 men, British soldiers, civilians, and…