History & Military History
World wars, the Cold War, ancient and medieval history, military technology, Dutch history and the past behind today’s news.
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This reading list brings together items from the sources selected for History & Military History. Open each item at its original source for the complete article, episode or video. This is a selection of current coverage, not a complete archive.
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The Chilean Mining Accident
October 13, 2010. A mining accident in Copiapó, Chile ends as all 33 trapped miners arrive at the surface after a record 69 days underground. This episode originally aired in 2022. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser. Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.
Daily Quiz: 15 October
View Riddle on the source website If you want to test your historical knowledge further, why not try our weekly crossword too?
Illustrated positions/diagrams for Defense of Duffer's Drift?
Basically what the title says, anyone have them or know where I can find them? The original book has a very high level map for each dream but the copies I can find are fairly blurry and indistinct, not that there is a ton of detail to begin with. I'm hoping that at some point in the last *century* since it's been written someone has actually taken the time to illustrate the various entrenchments and positions described in the text! submitted by /u/rmzgrimes [link] [comments]
When would a bayonet charge be conducted (Napoleonic era)?
As I understand, most bayonet charges never really connect as the opposing side has likely fled long before. Despite bayonet charges being a staple on Napoleonic era warfare there surprisingly isn't a lot of casualties produced by bayonet charges with the most common weapons inflicting casualties being muskets followed by sabres and cannons (using this source as reference). Even with muskets being the primary source of casualties countries still used bayonet charges as a shock tactic.
The Lebel 1886 is a personal fascination of mine; what was the context of French military thinking at the time?
So it’s the first smokeless powder rifle, with a tube capacity of 10 rounds. What were French generals/logisticians expecting with this? Why did they adopt it and why was smokeless powder so important in their doing so? Also: It has a really complex and weird loading process. Did this affect their decisions in any way? submitted by /u/GloriousOctagon [link] [comments]
How Hitler Destroyed German Democracy in Just 60 Days #shorts #DOD
How did Adolf Hitler dismantle German democracy in just 60 days? After President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler Chancellor on January 30, 1933, the Nazis rapidly combined existing presidential powers, state institutions, political violence and emergency legislation to eliminate their opponents. After the Reichstag Fire, the Reichstag Fire Decree suspended fundamental civil liberties. Communist and other political opponents were arrested as Nazi violence increasingly operated with state authority. Even under these conditions, the Nazis won only 43.9% of the vote on March 5. Then, on March 23, with Communist deputies prevented from taking their seats and SA and SS forces surrounding the proceedings, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act, allowing Hitler’s government to legislate without parliament. Germany’s democracy wasn’t destroyed in a single coup. Its own institutions were progressively turned against it. #WW2 #Hitler #NaziGermany #WeimarRepublic #Shorts Check out our TimeGhost History YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timeghost Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG5J-K5AYAU1R-HeWSfY2D1jy_sEssNG Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TimeGhostHistory Or join the TimeGhost Army directly at: https://timeghost.tv/signup/ Follow WW2 Day by Day on Instagram: @ww2_day_by_day Follow TimeGhost History on Instagram: @timeghosthistory Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeGhostHistory/ Source literature list: https://bit.ly/SourcesWW2 Archive footage: Screenocean/Reuters - https://www.screenocean.com A TimeGhost chronological documentary produced by OnLion Entertainment GmbH. #timeghost #timeghost #history #historical #history #worldwartwohistory #worldwartwo #ww2 #ww2history #historymatters #maps #cartography #camo
The stolen Native Americans who shaped US history
Between 1492 and 1880, as many as 600,000 Native Americans were enslaved in the area that would become the United States. That’s the figure estimated by historian Linford D Fisher in his book Stealing America: The Hidden Story of Indigenous Slavery in US History – one of the books shortlisted for the 2026 Cundill History Prize. In today’s episode, he speaks to Matt Elton about the extent of this slavery, the impact that it had on tribal communities, and its legacy today.
How the Hundred Years' War Bankrupted England
War is always expensive, and the Hundred Years' War became England's defining financial trap. After legendary victories at Crécy and Poitiers, things unraveled. The Black Prince died of dysentery, King Edward III grew senile, and French coastal raids struck back. Hemorrhaging cash to supply continental garrisons like Calais by sea, England fell hopelessly into debt with Italian banking families—turning royal dreams into an economic disaster. #MedievalHistory #HundredYearsWar #HistoryShorts #BlackPrince #EdwardIII #BattleOfCrecy #MiddleAges #EconomicHistory
Why not send spies to start fires in port cities that housed naval bases? (between the 16th and 18th centuries)
This might be a silly question—I’m not sure—but the other day I was watching a video about the Great Fire of London in 1666, and I found myself wondering: given all the naval wars between France and England from the 16th to the 18th century, why didn't either country send a small team—say, three people—into enemy territory via a neutral merchant ship to start fires in port cities using torches? After all, this was a time when cities were full of timber structures and firefighting forces were scarce and ill-equipped.
The Birth of Oktoberfest
October 12, 1810. Bavaria celebrates the wedding of its Crown Prince with a five-day festival of games, parades—and beer. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser. Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.
Post-WW2, were there any arguments in favor of fixed-wing combat aircraft for the army?
At least for the USA, the air force was initially part of the army before splitting off, leaving the army with helicopters with most fixed-wing combat aircraft going to the air force. During Vietnam, the US Army went as far as hiding an air-to-air kill by an OV-1 from the air force in order to keep their planes. Ever since losing their share of fixed-wing warplanes, has there been any argument about the benefit of the army having its own fixed-wing combat aviation?
The first monkeys to survive space travel
On 28 May 1959, the USA sent two monkeys, Able and Baker, into space. They were the first living creatures to survive a space flight. It was a watershed moment for the American space agency NASA and its rivalry with the Soviet Union and it helped to pave the way for manned space missions. In 2012, Mike Lanchin spoke to Lieutenant Joe Guion, commander of the USS Kiowa, whose mission was to retrieve the rocket's nose cone in the Caribbean Sea.
It seems quite a few officers in the USN right now are worried about the loss of "Early command" opportunities. But is there actually much of anywhere that ships sized to enable that could have a function in the current USN force structure?
In the past Lieutenant Commanders would command Ocean Escorts and minesweepers, and Lieutenants would command things like the Asheville and Cyclone class.
Unguided rocket AA, what were they thinking?
I came across several anti-air rocket systems from WW2 recently. No, not guided by any means. Fliegerfaust (dude), unrotated projectile and the z-battery. Perhaps there was more too. I struggle to find more information on this, especially the fliegerfaust-system.... Did it actually work out in any way at all? submitted by /u/Thermawrench [link] [comments]
How did AWACS communicate and coordinate its data to the Allied Coalition forces during the 1991 Gulf War? Was it all by voice?
Question as titled. These days, data links are all over the place, but I was wondering how AWACS communicated back during the Gulf War when they identified bandits or had to provide confirmation of shoot/no-shoot on potential targets. Particularly interested in that time period as, as far as I know, it was probably one of the busiest time to be an AWACS crew to deconflict who knows how many hundreds of allied planes in the air at the same time
Honest question, what exactly is the role of a sniper?
(this is a follow-up to my previous question) The pop-culture depiction of a sniper (which is the one I primarily know of) is usually that of an uber-elite operator who hunts down and kills high-ranking enemy targets; outside of this exaggerated depiction, the role of a sniper becomes much more murkier and generally unknown to the public outside of "kill bad people from long range".
One Artillery Piece for the Road! - StuG III - Nazi Rearmament 09
Join the TimeGhost Army at https://www.patreon.com/c/TimeGhostHistory or https://timeghost.tv/signup/ The StuG III was built to support infantry. It became one of Germany’s most important tank killers. How did the Sturmgeschütz III go from mobile artillery to a mainstay of German armored warfare? Built on the Panzer III chassis, the StuG traded a revolving turret for a low silhouette, strong frontal protection, and a fixed gun. Originally designed to destroy machine-gun nests and fortifications, it gained a long-barreled 75 mm gun as Germany confronted the T-34 and other Soviet tanks. In “One Artillery Piece for the Road,” Spartacus Olsson follows the StuG III from Manstein’s assault-artillery concept through its development, production, and combat service. We examine its strengths, mechanical limitations, and the struggle between the artillery and Panzer branches over its expanding role. Germany’s most numerous fully tracked armored fighting vehicle also exposes a larger contradiction: Nazi Germany could build practical, economical weapons, yet repeatedly burdened its war effort with costly complexity. What made the StuG different, and why could its battlefield successes never solve Germany’s strategic problems? This episode continues our Nazi rearmament coverage, following Death of Democracy. Which vehicles should we cover next: Panzer I and II, Tiger, or Panther? Tell us in the comments. Check out our TimeGhost History YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/timeghost Between 2 Wars: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrG5J-K5AYAU1R-HeWSfY2D1jy_sEssNG Follow WW2 Day by Day on Instagram: @ww2_day_by_day Follow TimeGhost History on Instagram: @timeghosthistory Follow our Moderators on Instagram! Spartacus Olsson: https://www.instagram.com/spartacusolsson/ Indiana Neidell: https://www.instagram.com/indy_neidell/ Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimeGhostHistory/ Hosted by: NN Director: Astrid Deinhard Producers: Astrid Deinhard and
John B George published his memoir "Shots fired in anger" in 1947 about sniping Japanese soldiers on Guadalcanal and then becoming an intelligence officer in the Merrill Marauders in Burma
I wanted to share this here because this is one of the few memoirs written by an American Army soldier that fought in the Pacific theater soon after the war. Also, he brought his own personal rifle to combat, a model 70 Winchester attached with an Alaskan rifle scope and even went on sniping trips in his free time. Later in 1982 he published an extended and revised edition of "shots fired in anger" about his time in the Merrill Marauders.
Saturday Matinee: Short History Of…
On today’s Saturday Matinee, we hash out one of the greatest conundrums of the early modern world: the longitude problem. Link to Short History Of: https://www.noiser.com/short-history-of Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more. History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser. Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.
The most successful Paralympian in history
Trischa Zorn-Hudson is the most decorated Paralympian in history. Competing across seven games, Trischa - who has been blind since birth - won a remarkable haul of 55 medals. In that time, she also saw the Paralympics go through drastic changes, as competitors campaigned to get similar privileges and rights as Olympic athletes. Trischa shared her memories of her career with Matt Pintus in 2024. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history.
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