battles

War on Film: Zulu Dawn

Taylor Downing reviews the classic war film Zulu Dawn.

Rorke’s Drift Museum

Reviewing the Rorke's Drift Museum, with Taylor Downing.

The Battle of Zama, 202 BC

Neil Faulkner analyses Scipio’s greatest victory.

LEFT The Charge of the Light Brigade and [inset] one of the men who charged: Cornet John Wilkin of the 11th Hussars, photographed by Roger Fenton.

Balaklava: a battle or three skirmishes?

In this second part of his special on Balaklava, Patrick Mercer analyses the events of 25/26 October 1854.

OPPOSITE An officer of the 11th Hussars c.1850 one of the two regiments commanded by Lord Cardigan before the Crimean War, and part of the Light Brigade in the famous charge at Balaklava.

The Battle of Balaklava in Perspective

Patrick Mercer, a Crimean War specialist, takes a critical look at the men in command at one of British history’s iconic battles.

War on Film: Zulu

Taylor Downing reviews the classic war film Zulu.

Legion versus Legion The Late Republican legionary [below] was a heavily armoured, highly drilled, citizen soldier equipped with shield (scutum), javelins (pila), and short stabbing sword (gladius). The soldiers depicted on the Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus [above] are the basis for Peter Connolly’s reconstruction. Those shown on the Mainz relief [right] are somewhat later Imperial legionaries, but they are depicted wielding scutum and gladius in close quarters action in a manner that would have been familiar to Caesar’s men.

The Battle of Pharsalus, 9 August 48 BC

MHM Editor Neil Faulkner analyses Caesar’s greatest victory.

Cynoscephalae, 197 BC

Brian English analyses the battle that broke the military power of Ancient Greece.

The 17th Lancers Regiment at Ulundi, 4 July 1879

MHM Editor Neil Faulkner recalls a classic charge of British cavalry on a late 19th-century battlefield.

Native American leaders: Sitting Bull (1831 1890) [centre right], and Gall (c.1840 1894) [right].

The Battle of the Little Bighorn

25 June 1876. Fred Chiaventone reassesses that most-famous collision between US and Native American forces.

All you need to know about… Themistocles

Themistocles was an ancient Athenian politician and general. He was one of a new breed of elected officials, and went on to become one of the city’s most successful military leaders.

Isandlwana, 1879: Humbling the Great White Queen

‘I can’t understand it!’ That was British commander Lord Chelmsford’s response. Isandlwana was perhaps the greatest defeat inflicted on British redcoats by native warriors in imperial history. Zulu War expert Ian Knight, who has published a major new study, tackles the key question: what went wrong for the British at Isandlwana?

Who was the Greatest Leader of All Time?

The search continues for Military Times’ greatest leader of all time. This month Alexander the Great and George Washington are under the microscope.