The momentum for the Falaise Pocket encirclement began with the failed German counterattack in Operation Lüttich. This manoeuvre used up the last of their strong combat units in the area, at a time when the Allies were gaining reinforcements and consolidating their control of western France. The prolonged engagements at... More
Following the initial beach landings on 6 June, the five Allied beachheads made mixed progress inland. In the west, assisted by paratroop drops, the British had secured the vital bridges across the Caen Canal, although Caen itself was still firmly in German hands. Juno and Gold made strong progress inland... More
On 13 June the British were continuing their efforts to move towards Caen from the west, when an ambush by a unit of German tanks resulted in an embarrassing defeat at Villers-Bocage. This subsequently marked the shift to more attritional engagements in the area. Between 12–30 June the main activity... More
During the late 19th century Japan emerged as an increasingly militarist power backed by an expanding population and industrial base. Japan became an ally of Britain, remaining so when Britain entered World War I. As a result of the Allied victory in 1918 Japan was awarded the German colonial possessions... More
Following their aerial attack on the US navy in Pearl Harbour (1941), the Japanese rapidly took possession of a vast swathe of the eastern Pacific. This rapid advance left them overextended and vulnerable to counterattack. Meanwhile, the United States rapidly replenished their navy, while their codebreakers managed to intercept Japan’s... More
After the United States’ botched attempt in the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro, Cuba’s Marxist-Leninist leader, Castro made a secret missile agreement with Nikita Khrushchev, the Russian premier. Khrushchev agreed to place Soviet medium range (MRBM) and intermediate range (IRBM) nuclear missile bases in Cuba. America... More
Beringia, a land and ice bridge linking Asia to North America was in existence from about 45,000-14,000 BCE. It is generally agreed that ancient humans reached the Americas by this route during this window. Until recently, it was believed that the arrival was late in the window, and that the... More
At the time of the birth of Jesus Judaea and Galilee were separate political entities. In 37 BCE the Roman client king, Herod the Great (74/73–4 BCE), was proclaimed by the Romans to be the ‘King of the Jews’ with authority over Judaea, Galilee and Samaria. During this period Herod... More
Determined to strengthen the Assyrian Empire and to crush dissent, King Sennacherib (705–681 BCE) turned his attention from Babylon to repress a rebellion in Palestine (701 BCE). King Hezekiah of Judah, the ringleader of the rebels, appealed to Egypt for help. Sidon and Tyre had already fallen and Jerusalem was... More
Having repeatedly failed to breach the Ottoman front, General Murray was replaced as Allied commander in Palestine by Field Marshal Allenby in June 1917. The crux points of his campaign were two enveloping manoeuvres, a year apart. In October 1917, the front extended from Gaza on the coast to Beersheba.... More
After crossing the Meuse, the Germans began their advance towards the Channel at astonishing speed. The French were unable to organize any coordinated counterattack as the German Panzers swept through French-ordered halt lines before the French forces had even managed to occupy them. A few counterattacks were met and overcome,... More
In 1797, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the Papal States signed the Treaty of Tolentino, paying a substantial armistice fee and ceding territory to the invading French. In 1798 Rome was taken by French troops, who established the Roman Republic, a satellite state of the French Republic. After the Battle... More