250 years of service

In 1990 the British Army had 153,000 regular troops, in 2025 it had 75,000 – its combat power shrunk by more than half. Why did this contraction happen, and what are the implications for the Army’s fighting power?

How the Red Army pushed back German forces and what they discovered in their wake as WWII turned

We ended last month looking at the soldier’s pocket books of the 19th century. Sadly very few of these documents survive. They are NOT included in any Army papers that have been stored over the years.

FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA, USA 11-15 DECEMBER 1862

How the Qin forged a great power from the fragments of the Warring States

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w