Uncovering the pivotal battles, iconic leaders, and game-changing technology of military history.
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2/15 The Context: 
2/10 For Sea Lion to even begin, one thing must happen: the Luftwaffe must defeat the RAF. Let's assume, for our scenario, that through sheer weight of numbers they achieve a bloody, narrow, and temporary air superiority over the Channel and the South-East coast in late September 1940.
2/10 Our story begins in the 530s AD. The Western Roman Empire is gone, but the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire, under Emperor Justinian I, dreams of restoring it.
2/5 The arrival of Baron von Steuben, a Prussian captain, was pivotal. He didn't speak English but used a translator to systematically drill the soldiers. He introduced discipline, bayonet training, and camp sanitation, drastically reducing deaths from disease. 
1/7 While today, July 12th, is famously known as 'The Twelfth' for commemorating the Battle of the Boyne, a far more decisive and brutal battle was fought on this very day in 1691: The Battle of Aughrim. This was the real military endgame of the Williamite War in Ireland. 
1/10 With the Swedes shattered at Nördlingen, a total Habsburg victory seemed imminent. To prevent this, a new power intervened directly, not for faith, but for power. This is the final, brutal chapter of the war: the French Phase (1635-1648). 
1/10 With the Danes defeated and the Emperor at the height of his power, the Protestant cause in Germany seemed lost. But across the Baltic, a king with a revolutionary new army was watching. The war was about to be transformed. This was the Swedish Phase (1630-1635).
1/10 The Bohemian Revolt was crushed, but the embers of war remained. Fearing the rise of Habsburg power on his borders, a new Protestant champion entered the fray, backed by foreign gold. This is the story of the Danish Phase (1625-1629).
2/10 THE ARMIES: The Bohemian rebels, under Prince Christian of Anhalt, had about 21,000 men. A mixed force of Bohemians, Germans, and Hungarian mercenaries, many unpaid and demoralised after a long retreat. They took up a strong defensive position on the slopes of White Mountain, just west of Prague.
2/10 It all began with a spark. Jan Hus, a Bohemian church reformer, was executed for heresy in 1415. His death enraged his followers, the Hussites, who rose up against the authority of the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund.
2/8 The Holy Roman Empire was a complex patchwork of territories in Central Europe. By the 15th and 17th centuries, religious tension between Catholics and reformers (like the Hussites and later, Protestants) was at a fever pitch, especially in the Kingdom of Bohemia (modern-day Czechia)
2/7 It all ignited in 1494 when King Charles VIII of France invaded Italy to press his claim on the Kingdom of Naples. His powerful, modern army, featuring a formidable mobile artillery train, marched the length of the peninsula with shocking ease, awakening Italy to its own vulnerability. #Renaissance #Warfare
2/12 The German Order of Battle was built on three massive Army Groups, each with distinct objectives:
Boston, 1775. The city is under siege by thousands of newly-formed colonial militia. To break the stalemate, the British plan to seize the high ground on the unoccupied Charlestown Peninsula.
2/7 Hannibal's invasion of Italy in 218 BC was one of the most audacious military campaigns in history. Instead of a direct sea route, he chose a grueling overland journey across the Alps! Why this seemingly impossible path? 
2/6 The Barcids weren't just after land; Spain was rich in resources, especially silver, which was crucial for funding Carthage's war efforts and paying its mercenaries. This economic motive heavily drove their campaigns. 
2/10 Initially, Carthage ruled the waves with its superior navy & experienced sailors. Rome, a land power, was at a massive disadvantage. Early clashes, like the Battle of the Lipari Islands (260 BC), saw Carthaginian fleets easily outmaneuver and defeat the fledgling Roman navy. Carthage used ramming & skilled maneuverability.
2/8 Ottoman Tactics: Grand Vizier Kara Mustafa sent ~20,000 troops, including elite Janissaries, to probe Vienna’s defenses. Goal? Weaken the city before a full siege. They used swift cavalry raids and probing infantry assaults to test weak points. 
2/13 The Call to Arms
2/14 Saladin’s rise began in 1169 when he became vizier of Egypt under the Fatimid Caliphate. His first tactical move was consolidation—he dismantled the Fatimid power structure, aligning Egypt with the Sunni Abbasid Caliphate. By 1174, he controlled Syria, creating a unified Muslim front to face the Crusaders.
2/10 Cyrus first toppled the Median Empire, his overlords. The Battle of Hyrba (c. 552 BCE) is shadowy—Herodotus skips it—but it’s likely where Cyrus ambushed Median forces, flipping the power balance. By 550 BCE, he ruled both Persians and Medes. 