Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that transcends the Sunni/Shia sectarian divide. Sufis (named ‘wool-wearers’ after the traditional garb of the ascetic) can trace their origins back to a recoiling amongst devout Muslims against the worldliness and opulence of the imperial caliphates established by Islamic conquest. The precepts of... More
It is believed that Sun Tzu was a military leader in the ‘Spring and Autumn’ period in ancient China: the Art of War may be a compendium augmented by several authors. As with Machiavelli’s Italy, the time of writing was a period of extreme instability in China, with regional warlords... More
Following Germany’s Blitzkrieg attack and conquest of Poland in 1939, there was an unexpected period of stalemate in western Europe with little fighting and no major conflicts. Britain, however, was expecting a major German air attack so civil defence plans were enforced, including conscription, food rationing and blackout, along with... More
By the beginning of August 1915, the Gallipoli campaign needed reinvigoration; the desperately high casualties from the fighting were beginning to be matched by those from disease. The new plan was an assault at Suvla Bay, to the north of Anzac Cove, where the antipodean forces were entrenched. The landing... More
In 1397, the Kalmar Union was formed uniting Sweden, Denmark and Norway under a single leader. This union was dissolved in 1523 when nobleman Gustav Vasa deposed the Danish king of the Union and became the elected king of Sweden. The Swedes held sway in the Baltic for many years,... More
In 1698 and 1699, Sweden’s neighbours agreed on a joint assault on their overweaning rival. Peter the Great of Russia, Augustus II of Saxony and Poland-Lithuania, and Christian V and his successor Frederick IV of Denmark agreed on a three-front assault. In the meantime Sweden negotiated the support of Britain... More
The Swiss Confederation, despite a series on inter-cantonal religious wars (the Kappel Wars of (1529–31) had survived the religious conflicts of the Reformation, and this relative peace was maintained during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–48). All the major competing powers relied on the professional services of the Swiss mercenaries, and... More
In 1803 Napoleon Bonaparte issued the Act of Mediation, which established the Swiss Confederation. This followed the withdrawal of French troops in 1802 and the Stecklikrieg (civil war), which subsequently broke out, when insurgents fought against the depleted and disillusioned forces of the Helvetic Republic, leading to its collapse. Napoleon’s... More
After driving back German counterattacks at the end of D-Day and fully securing the Sword beachhead, the British amassed their forces in preparation for movement towards Caen. The 21st Panzer Division, initially defending Caen on its own, had lost more than half of its tanks in the counterattack on 6... More
All landings on Sword Beach were channelled down Queen sector as narrow reefs made an approach from any of the other sectors treacherous. Most of the armoured vehicles successfully made it ashore after beach mines had been cleared, however space was tight as damaged vehicles obstructed movement towards the German... More
The Sykes-Picot Agreement secretly planned for the division of the Ottoman Empire between Britain and France upon an entente victory in World War I. It also allocated territory to Russia, whose role was to observe the negotiations. The three powers would take shared responsibility for Palestine and its important holy... More
The ‘Tallboy’ and subsequent larger variant the ‘Grand Slam’ were heavy bombs designed specifically for penetration of heavily reinforced targets. Their designer, Barnes Wallis, had proposed the use of so called ‘earthquake bombs’ which could cause massive structural damage to weakened ground targets by blasting an underground cavity upon detonation.... More