Inspired by the exploits of the German Fallschirmjager in the blitzkrieg campaigns, Winston Churchill called for the formation of a 5,000-strong Airborne Force in June 1940. From these beginnings The Parachute Regiment became one of the foremost units of the British Army both in World War II and up [...]
At the crescendo of the Second Barons' War were the battles of Lewes and Evesham. It was an era of high drama and intrigue, as tensions between crown and aristocracy had boiled over and a civil war erupted that would shape the future of English government. In this detailed study, Richard Brooks unra[...]
This volume details the life of the English knight during the 13th century, a period in which knighthood became so expensive that many eligible men had to be forced into it by royal command. How the tournament, a highly dangerous but lucrative way of accumulating wealth and status, evolved through t[...]
Many types of cavalryman are established in the imagination of the British public, but the Ironside retains his place as symbolic of the one occasion when the army took an active role in British politics. One reason is that he represents a unique period when ordinary people displaced the established[...]
In the early decades of the 8th century AD, Islamic forces were flooding into Europe through the Iberian peninsula, threatening Frankish and Burgundian territory and raiding it with ever-increasing ferocity. At the battle of Poitiers, also known as Tours, Christian forces under the Frankish leader C[...]
Pursued by British forces, Washington and his remaining 5,000 men resolved on a risky strike against the British and Hessian positions across the Delaware River. Crossing the river, Washington took the Trenton garrison for the loss of only four men, before outflanking Cornwallis' 8,000-strong force [...]
Following the execution of King Charles I in January 1649, the English Parliament saw their opportunity to launch an assault on the Royalist enclave in Ireland. Oliver Cromwell was appointed as Deputy of Ireland to lead a campaign to restore direct control and quell the opposition. The first battle [...]