Modern historians tend to overlook economic factors when investigating historical motivations. The first Northern Crusade (The Wendish Crusade), as commonly narrated, was a branch of the Second Crusade, undertaken on behalf of St. Bernard de Clairvaux’s furious pulpit outreach to… Continue Reading →
I received notification this morning that my first Peer-Reviewed article has been accepted for publication. It is an annotated bibliography of Frederick the Great for Oxford University Press (OUP) Online and it has taken me awhile to write it… Continue Reading →
The Battle of Jena-Auerstädt was fought in Germany on 1806 between the French Imperial Army and the Prussian Royal Army. It is actually two separate battles separated by about twenty miles. Both the French and Prussian armies were split leading… Continue Reading →
This massive tome lays claim to being a complete history of Prussia, and if he doesn’t achieve it, he doesn’t miss it by much. It is fairly large at over 700 pages but Dr. Clark has a pleasant writing style… Continue Reading →
The Battle of Sedan, fought on 1 September 1870 displayed the superiority the Prussian Army had attained over the French in the nearly sixty years since their devastating defeat at Jena in the Napoleonic wars. The battle was notable for… Continue Reading →
Since I wrote my MA thesis on the Battle of Königgrätz I figured I would put up a post here noting that today is the 145th anniversary of the battle, which was fought on July 3rd. The battle was significant for… Continue Reading →
The Franco-Prussian war was a modern war although it was not the first of Europe’s modern wars. The Franco-Prussian war was also not a total war because while it was intensive in manpower while it lasted, its limited duration… Continue Reading →
The conventional explanation for why the Western Front in World War I settled into a stalemate is that the power of defensive weapons was stronger than the offensive methods employed. The theory is that the defensive potential of machine-guns,… Continue Reading →
Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) was probably the most accomplished politician that Germany has ever produced. He was almost single-handedly responsible for the emergence of the nation of Germany during the nineteenth century. He was appointed Prime Minister of… Continue Reading →
Is there such a thing? That question hit me this morning as I was reading a book review in an old copy of the Journal of Military History. The book in question was Death of the Wehrmacht: The German Campaigns… Continue Reading →
Well, I figured it is time for another update. I have made the first round of changes to my rough draft and turned them back in and my thesis made it past my professor and is now in the… Continue Reading →
I got my rough draft back from my Thesis professor this morning with the first round of requested corrections. It actually looks much better than I thought it would. There are not as many corrections as I expected… Continue Reading →
Well, I just finished the final revisions to my rough draft before I submit it. It is a great felling. The final paper ended up at 85 pages and it was actually much easier to write than I… Continue Reading →
           The people of Northern Germany known as the Wends were not one homogenous people but rather organized themselves in a tribal structure. The tribes from the Saxon border west were the Wagrians, Polabians, Abotrites, Rugians, Liutizians, and Pomeranians.[1] … Continue Reading →
Jay Luvaas is a professor at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Pa.; he coauthored a series of Battlefield Guides of U.S. Civil War battlefields that became almost instant classics. He has authored several books of military history such… Continue Reading →
© 2026 Battles and Book Reviews — Powered by WordPress
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑
Saved in this browser. Nothing changes for anyone else.