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18TH AND 19TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT

In 1856, American writer and educator Francis Lister Hawks published a two-volume work on Commodore Matthew Perry’s expeditions to Japan between the years 1852 and 1854. Sponsored by the US government, the expedition’s main goals were to open up that isolationist country to the US, as well as lay the groundwork for further expansion into the Pacific region. Hawks wrote in the prefatory note that he was prompted by his “personal friendship for Commodore Perry,” who asked that he “undertake the task” – even though Perry worked with Hawks to compile a larger three-volume work of the same title for the US Senate, which was catalogued under the 33rd Congress (2nd Session) as Executive Document No. 79, and published that same year. (Click image for the complete article)

MEDIEVAL MILITARY HISTORY: c.500-c.1500
Perhaps the most well-known and influential Japanese military manual in Japan and the West was written by an undefeated samurai at the beginning of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings or Go Rin No Sho (1643) is an instruction manual on strategy, outlining his philosophy and techniques for achieving victory in combat, emphasizing adaptability and mental clarity.  It focuses more on the psychology and philosophical aspects of Japanese swordsmanship rather than an in depth study of martial techniques (he rarely goes into specifics concerning techniques or tactics, instead he focuses on how practitioner should react to given situations). (Click image for the complete article) 

AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR: 1775-1783

The conclusion of the American Revolutionary War on 3 September 1783, resonates profoundly in the annals of global history. The signing of the Treaty of Paris on this date marked the formal cessation of hostilities between Great Britain and the United States, inaugurating a new era for both nations.  (Click image for complete article)

EARLY 20TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT

Roosevelt’s involvement with the Russo-Japanese War began with a close following of the battlefield developments. By January, 1905, Roosevelt was seen as a possible peace mediator. In diplomatic negotiations, Roosevelt kept telling his Harvard classmate, Baron Kaneko, that Japan should not make “exorbitant” demands as a price for peace.  (Click on the image for the full article.)

WAR IN FILM AND PROPAGANDA

HBO’s Band of Brothers, which debuted in 2001, stands as one of the seminal achievements in historical television. As the series approaches its 25th anniversary in 2026, its continued influence on audiences, scholars, and broader cultural discourse surrounding the Second World War remains remarkable. (Click Image for the full article)

19TH CENTURY MILITARY HISTORY

On September 10, 1847, on the outskirts of Mexico City, and just two days before the Battle of Chapultepec, Captain George Turnbull Moore Davis, an aide-de-camp of General Winfield Scott, witnessed the execution of sixteen former US Army soldiers convicted of desertion. The hangings that day took place at San Angel. “The sixteen who were executed at our camp were launched into eternity at one and the same moment,” Davis wrote, “each being dressed in the uniform of the enemy in which he had been captured, the white caps being drawn over their heads.” (Click image for the complete article.)

WAR IN THE PACIFIC

The Battle of Peleliu was a pivotal moment in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Codenamed Operation Stalemate II, the battle was fought between the United States and Japan from 15 September to 27 November 1944. The objective was to capture the airfield on the small coral island, which was a part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager.  Click on the image for the full article.

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

The Battle of Antietam, fought on 17 September 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, remains one of the most significant battles of the American Civil War. It was the first major engagement in the Eastern Theater of the war to take place on Union soil and resulted in the bloodiest single day in American history, with a combined total of 22,726 casualties. Click image for full article

D-DAY AND WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE

Operation Market Garden, one of the most ambitious military plans of World War II, was designed to bring the war on the Western Front to an end by the end of 1944. However, the operation turned out to be a costly failure that resulted in the loss of almost one-third of the British 1st Airborne Division, an American unit, and thousands of other Allied troops. (Click image for complete article.)

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on 19-20 September 1863, was a turning point in the American Civil War. The Union forces, under Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans, were defeated by the Confederate Army of Tennessee, led by Gen. Braxton Bragg, in what would become one of the bloodiest battles of the war in terms of casualties. Click on the image for the full article.

WORLD WAR II - WESTERN EUROPE

The Battle of Hürtgen Forest has been regarded as one of the most underreported and least understood battles of World War II. The battle, which lasted from 19 September to 16 December 1944, marked the longest and most grueling battle ever fought by the United States Army on German soil during the war. (Click image for complete article)

WORLD WAR I AND THE INTERWAR YEARS

The Western Front, in the region today called Grand Est, saw the largest number of American soldiers in history fight in the Meuse–Argonne offensive. This epic confrontation was a critical battle in the final year of World War I, lasting from 26 September 1918 to 11 November 1918. This involved the largest contingent of American soldiers in any battle, with 1.2 million soldiers taking part. (Click on the image for the full article.)

WAR ON THE EASTERN FRONT

The discourse amongst historians has revolved around identifying the turning points of World War II, spanning from 1941-42 to the spring of 1943. Winston Churchill considered the Battle of Kursk in 1943 following Stalingrad as the decisive moment. Richard Overy, on the other hand, believes that the years between 1942 and 1944 had several turning points, and specifically, 1943 and the Battle of Stalingrad. (Click image for complete article.)

MODERN WAR AND CONFLICT

The Battle of Mogadishu, also known as the Black Hawk Down incident and in Somali as Maalintii Rangers ('Day of the Rangers'), was a significant conflict during Operation Gothic Serpent. It took place on 3-4 October 1993, in Mogadishu, Somalia, and saw United States forces, under the support of UNOSOM II, engage with the Somali National Alliance (SNA) and local militia from southern Mogadishu. (Click image for complete article)

WORLD WAR I

The First Battle of Ypres was a significant military engagement during World War I that occurred between 19 October and 22 November 1914. This battle was part of the wider First Battle of Flanders that occurred between the German, French, Belgian and British armies. It was fought from Arras in France to Nieuwpoort on the Belgian coast, with the battles at Ypres marking the end of the Race to the Sea. (Click image for complete article)

BATTLE FOR THE SEAS

The Naval Battle of Leyte Gulf was the largest naval battle in World War II and one of the largest in history and a decisive victory for the Allies, and it had far-reaching implications for the course of the War in the Pacific. The battle demonstrated the superiority of Allied naval power and marked the end of Japan's naval dominance. It took place in the waters near the island of Leyte in the Philippines from 23 to 26 October 1944. (Click on image for complete article.)

THE HOME FRONT

The Great Depression was a catastrophic economic event that had its origins in the United States in the aftermath of World War I but soon spread to the rest of the world. The roaring twenties, as they came to be known, brought prosperity and considerable wealth to the Americans. However, the good times were not to last, and a series of economic crises led to one of the most severe economic downturns in human history and ultimately to another World War. (Click image for complete article)

WORLD WAR II IN NORTH AFRICA

The Axis forces had been continuously advancing since the start of the North African campaign in February 1941. The capture of Tobruk by the German-Italian forces in June 1942 resulted in the Axis armies being at the doorstep of the strategically important Suez Canal. However, this advancement stalled in July 1942 at the first Battle of El-Alamein where the British forces successfully blocked the Axis forces. (Click image for complete article)

VIETNAM WAR: 1955-1975

Known in recent years before his death in 2018 as a 'maverick' politician, the late Arizona senator was a U.S. Navy pilot whose five-and-a-half year struggle as a POW in North Vietnam became legendary. John Sidney McCain III was born on 29 August 1936, in the Panama Canal Zone. Growing up in a military family, he was exposed to the navy life at an early age.  (Click image for complete article)

MEDIEVAL MILITARY HISTORY: c.500-c.1500

During Europe’s Age of Crusades in the Latin East (1099-1291 CE) urban fortifications, existing castle improvements and new castle construction became essential elements to the new Catholic occupiers’ strategy to first secure and then expand their foothold in the Levant during the First (1096-1099) and Second Crusades (1147-1149), and hold on to imperiled possessions after the successful Muslim counter crusade by Salah al-Din ibn Ayyub (Saladin in the West, r.1174-1193), and the contraction of Latin holdings from the Third Crusade (1189-1192) forward until the end of the crusading era in the Levant, usually dated with the fall of the Crusader stronghold at Acre in 1291. (Click image for the complete article.)

MEDIEVAL MILITARY HISTORY

The Crusades were a series of religiously motivated military expeditions that took place between 1095 and 1291. The primary goal of the Crusaders was to reclaim the Holy Land from the Muslim infidels who had taken control of Jerusalem. These expeditions marked one of the most significant moments of the medieval era, and their impact on Western civilization remains evident to this day.  (Click image for complete article)

WORLD WAR I: 1914-1918

The Russian Civil War of 1917 marked the beginning of a new era in Russian history. The overthrow of the social-democratic Provisional Government in the October Revolution led to a multi-party conflict, with different factions fighting for control over Russia's political future. The conflict gave rise to the formation of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, which later transformed into the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, spanning most of its territory. (Click image for complete article)

VIETNAM WAR ERA: 1955-1975

The Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War is a significant military engagement that is notable for being the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam. The battle was part of the Pleiku Campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong Massif in the central highlands of Vietnam in 1965. The battle is significant because it set the blueprint for the Vietnam War, with the U.S. forces relying on air mobility, artillery fire, and close air support, while the PAVN neutralized that firepower by quickly engaging American forces at very close range. (Click image for the complete article)

WAR IN THE PACIFIC

The Battle of Tarawa, fought on 20-23 November 1943, was another turning point in the Allied campaign against Japan during World War II. Tarawa, an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, was the most fortified island that the Americans attempted to invade during the Pacific Campaign. The Japanese garrison at Betio, the main island of Tarawa, was heavily fortified with concrete bunkers, seawalls, trenches, and an airstrip, supported by a variety of artillery including heavy and light machine guns and light tanks. (Click image for the complete article)

KOREAN WAR: 1950-1953

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir took place in the harsh and freezing winter of 1950, when the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) of China entered the war to counter the presence of United Nations Command (UNC) troops in North Korea. The Chinese force, numbering around 120,000, launched a surprise attack on the US X Corps, an element of the larger UNC contingent, that was stationed near the Chosin Reservoir. The battle had become one of the toughest and most infamous battles for the U.S. Marine Corps since World War II. Fought over brutal mountain terrain and extreme cold weather in North Korea, temperatures had reached -36 degrees Fahrenheit causing frostbite casualties. (Click image for the complete article)

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: 1861-1865

The Battle of Fredericksburg was one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, fought from 11 December to 15 December 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Union army, led by General Ambrose Burnside, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's forces. The battle was fought in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War, and the two armies represented the largest number of armed men that had ever confronted each other. The battle was fought between the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General Ambrose Burnside, and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee.(Click image for the complete article)

WORLD WAR II: WAR IN WESTERN EUROPE

The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was a crucial moment in World War II’s Western Front. Occurring from December 1944 to January 1945, it was Hitler’s last-ditch attempt to turn the tide of the war around. The Allied forces had already achieved significant victories on the Western Front, and the Germans were on the retreat. The Allied forces' resilience during the battle, despite the losses incurred, signified important psychological victories. The German forces never regained their footing after the campaign, and it signaled the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. (Click image for the complete article)

UPDATES

Benjamin J. Swenson’s discussion was featured in 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT
In 1856, American writer and educator Francis Lister Hawks published a two-volume work on Commodore…
yesterday
Scott Lyons liked Benjamin J. Swenson's discussion Chronicling Commodore Matthew Perry’s Japan Expeditions (1850s) in 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT
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Benjamin J. Swenson posted a discussion in 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY WAR AND CONFLICT
In 1856, American writer and educator Francis Lister Hawks published a two-volume work on Commodore…
yesterday
Erwin Leydekkers liked Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
Aug 25
Jim Gallen’s discussion was featured in The Reader's Corner: Talking About Books and Book Reviews
A Day In September is an account and an analysis of America’s bloodiest day of warfare, September…
Aug 24
Scott Lyons liked Jim Gallen's discussion A Day In September: The Battle of Antietam and the World It Left Behind by Stephen Budiansky in The Reader's Corner: Talking About Books and Book Reviews
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Jim Gallen posted a discussion in The Reader's Corner: Talking About Books and Book Reviews
A Day In September is an account and an analysis of America’s bloodiest day of warfare, September…
Aug 23
Scott Lyons replied to Scott Lyons's discussion "19 September-16 December 1944: Prelude to the Bulge; the Battle of Hürtgen Forest" by Scott Lyons in D-Day and the War in Western Europe
"You're welcome Erwin. October is probably a good time of year. Before the freezing temps and snow. "
Aug 23
Erwin Leydekkers replied to Scott Lyons's discussion "19 September-16 December 1944: Prelude to the Bulge; the Battle of Hürtgen Forest" by Scott Lyons in D-Day and the War in Western Europe
"Scott,
thank you for this, going to The Hürtgen Forest in the first week of October.
Erwin"
Aug 23
Randy Gann replied to Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
"Wow! 268! I scanned the spreadsheet and it has a lot of great movies on it. I'll have to check out…"
Aug 23
Scott Lyons replied to Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
"Great reminder on Tubi and YouTube for free movies. My first two are going to be "Attack" and "The…"
Aug 23
Randy Gann replied to Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
"Scott, 
I have found Tubi and Youtube to also be good sources of free movies. "The Man Who Never…"
Aug 23
Scott Lyons replied to Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
"These movies are definitely worth watching. I've not seen any of those mentioned, but there are…"
Aug 23
Randy Gann liked Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
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Randy Gann’s discussion was featured
As a War movie fan from a young age, I've seen most of these movies and agree they are worth…
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Scott Lyons liked Randy Gann's discussion 10 War Films From the 1950s That Were Ahead of Their Time
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As a War movie fan from a young age, I've seen most of these movies and agree they are worth…
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Aug 14
Frank Decker is going to Historian Craig Symonds with the Military History Club
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Scott Lyons posted an event

Sep 23, 2025 at 12:00pm to Sep 24, 2025 at 2:00pm

Location: Military History Club of the Missouri Athletic Club - Onsite and Virtual Via Zoom

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Frank Decker, W. D. Maske and Howard B Meyers joined War History Network
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Brian Todd Carey’s discussion was featured in Prof. Brian Todd Carey's Medieval Military History, c.500-c.1500
Perhaps the most well-known and influential Japanese military manual in Japan and the West was…
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Scott Lyons liked Brian Todd Carey's discussion Focus on the Literature of War: Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings in Prof. Brian Todd Carey's Medieval Military History, c.500-c.1500
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Brian Todd Carey posted a discussion in Prof. Brian Todd Carey's Medieval Military History, c.500-c.1500
Perhaps the most well-known and influential Japanese military manual in Japan and the West was…
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  • Erwin Leydekkers Hi Scott,
    thank you!
    Erwin
    Aug 3
  • Scott Lyons Another dynamic photo Erwin, thank you my friend. I'm adding the Overlord Museum's website URL…
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BOOK REVIEWS


A Day In September: The Battle of Antietam and the World It Left Behind

by Stephen Budiansky, author

Posted by Jim Gallen on 23 August 2025 at 11:59pm

A Day In September is an account and an analysis of America’s bloodiest day of warfare, September 17, 1862, when the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac clashed along the banks of Antietam Creek near the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland.  The full review · All Book Reviews

BOOKSHELF: NEW FALL TITLES


War Without Mercy: Liberty or Death in the American Revolution

by Mark Edward Lender (Author), James Kirby Martin (Author)

Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: October 7, 2025. Hardcover, 288 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1472872678

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From the publisher: "A number of historians have previously concluded that United States' founding struggle reached a level of ferocity few Americans now associate with the movement for independence. However, these studies have described what happened, without looking in detail at why the conflict took such a violent a turn. Written by two esteemed Revolutionary War historians, War Without Mercy does exactly that."


Three Roads to Gettysburg: Meade, Lee, Lincoln, and the Battle That Changed the War, the Speech That Changed the Nation

by Tim McGrath (Author)

Publisher: Dutton Caliber. Publication date: November 18, 2025. Hardcover, 528 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0593184394

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From the publisher: "These men came from different parts of the country and very different upbringings: Robert E. Lee, son of the aristocratic and slaveholding South; George Gordon Meade, raised in the industrious, straitlaced North; and Abraham Lincoln, from the rowdy, untamed West. Lincoln’s election to the presidency in 1860 split the country in two and triggered the Civil War"


A Short History of Ancient Rome

by Pascal Hughes (Author)

Publisher: Hanover Square Press. Publication date: November 11, 2025. Hardcover, 352 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1335001320

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From the publisher: "Combining impeccable research with riveting and action-packed storytelling, we follow the inception, expansion and ultimate fall of the Roman Empire, inviting readers to walk Rome’s bustling streets, witness the fearsome exploits of its all-conquering army, and step into the opulent corridors of its palaces and pioneering building projects."


After the Fire: Richmond in Defeat (A Nation Divided: Studies in the Civil War Era)

by Nelson D. Lankford (Author)

Publisher: University of Virginia Press. Publication date: September 9, 2025. Hardcover, 368 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0813953366

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From the publisher: "In April 1865, the Civil War, which had consumed the lives of the residents of Richmond, Virginia, for four years, ended in a vast conflagration that nearly destroyed their city. As Confederate troops fled and Union forces streamed in, the world they had known literally went up in flames. None could predict what would replace it when the smoke cleared."


Framing the First World War: How Divergent Views Shaped a Global Conflict

by Michael P.M. Fox (Editor), Aimée Fox (Editor), David G. Morgan-Owen (Editor)

Publisher: University Press of Kansas. Publication date: November 18, 2025. Hardcover, 328 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0700640560

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From the publisher: "This innovative approach to the history of World War I looks at ways in which military actors saw and perceived war, and how that exerted a significant influence over the decisions they made and the actions they took. The character of the conflict that erupted in 1914 defied the expectations of many political leaders and military analysts."


McNamara at War: A New History

by William Taubman (Author), Philip Taubman (Author)

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company. Publication date: September 23, 2025. Hardcover, 512 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1324007166

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From the publisher: "Robert S. McNamara was widely considered to be one of the most brilliant men of his generation. He was an invaluable ally of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson as U.S. secretary of defense, and he had a deeply moving relationship with Jackie Kennedy. But to the country, McNamara was the leading advocate for American escalation in Vietnam."


Till We Meet Again: A Canadian in the First World War

by Brandon Marriott (Author)

Publisher: Simon & Schuster. Publication date: September 30, 2025. Hardcover, 320 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1668208236

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From the publisher: "Not since Timothy Findley’s The Wars, Tim Cook’s magisterial works about the First World War, or Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front has a book about a soldier’s life at the sharp end been told with such humour, gravitas, and in a heart-pounding narrative that drops you behind enemy lines. For at one point, Lester was trapped in a shell hole, a heartbeat away from the Germans setting up their machine gun to mow down his comrades."


Pearl Harbor: Japan's Greatest Disaster

by Mark Stille (Author)

Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: November 4, 2025. Hardcover, 448 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1472865311

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From the publisher: "In this the first comprehensive treatment of Pearl Harbor since the early 1990s. respected Pacific War naval historian Mark E. Stille traces the road to war and the Japanese attack itself. He examines the role of the man behind the operation, Japanese Admiral Yamamoto, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the plan."


Nation in Arms: Five Armies That Made Europe

by Tyler Alexander (Author)

Publisher: Osprey Publishing. Publication date: September 30, 2025. Hardcover, 352 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1472872982

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From the publisher: "History gives us several examples of states who have reconstructed their armies successfully, both on the field of battle but also in terms of how they relate to the state which it is their duty to protect. This book is about five armies who have adapted successfully: the 4th-century Roman army of Constantine the Great; the 15th-century Ottoman army of Sultan Mehmet II; Cromwell's New Model Army of the English Civil War; the Prussian Army of the Napoleonic Wars; and the US Army of the Second World War."


If I Can Get Home This Fall: A Story of Love, Loss, and a Cause in the Civil War

by Tyler Alexander (Author)

Publisher: Potomac Books. Publication date: September 1, 2025. Hardcover, 344 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1640126664

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From the publisher: "If I Can Get Home This Fall chronicles the epic story of Dan Mason, a white man who served in the Civil War as a soldier in the Sixth Vermont Infantry and as an officer in the Nineteenth U.S. Colored Troops. It is a story of these two units from very different realities but with a common purpose."


38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England, and a Nazi in Patagonia

by Philippe Sands (Author)

Publisher: Knopf. Publication date: October 7, 2025. Hardcover, 480 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0593319758

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From the publisher: "In this intimate legal and historical detective story, the world-renowned lawyer and acclaimed author of East West Street traces the footsteps of two of the twentieth century’s most merciless criminals—accused of genocide and crimes against humanity—testing the limits of immunity and impunity after Nuremberg."


The Devil’s Own Purgatory: The United States Mississippi River Squadron in the Civil War

by Peter Fritzsche (Author)

Publisher: LSU Press. Publication date: November 11, 2025. Hardcover, 312 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0807184912

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From the publisher: "The Devil’s Own Purgatory is the first complete history of the Union navy’s Mississippi Squadron, a fleet that prowled the Mississippi River and its tributaries during the American Civil War. The squadron battered Confederate forts, participated in combined operations with the army, obliterated the Confederate fleet, protected Union supply lines, fought a river-based counterinsurgency war, raided plantations, and facilitated the freedom of thousands of enslaved people."


Opening Manassas: The Iron Brigade, Stonewall Jackson, and the Battle on Brawner’s Farm, August 28, 1862

by Peter Fritzsche (Author)

Publisher: Savas Beatie. Publication date: October 17, 2025. Hardcover, 288 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1611217612

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From the publisher: "In the fading light of August 28, 1862, an untested Union brigade of Wisconsin and Indiana men fought an unexpected 90-minute stand-up clash with the Confederate veterans of Stonewall Jackson on the Virginia farm fields of John Brawner. The Rebels recalled a Wisconsin man that day “yelling like demons [in] a roaring hell of fire.” None of them knew the immediate prelude to the far bloodier battle of Second Manassas (Bull Run) had begun."


1942: When World War II Engulfed the Globe

by Peter Fritzsche (Author)

Publisher: Basic Books. Publication date: September 23, 2025. Hardcover, 576 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1541603219

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From the publisher: "n 1942, historian Peter Fritzsche offers a gripping, ground-level portrait of the decisive year when World War II escalated to global catastrophe. With the United States joining the fight following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, all the world’s great powers were at war. The debris of ships sunk by Nazi submarines littered US beaches, Germans marauded in North Africa, and the Japanese swept through the Pacific."


Republic and Empire: Crisis, Revolution, and America’s Early Independence

by Trevor Burnard (Author), Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy (Author)

Publisher: Yale University Press. Publication date: September 16, 2025. Hardcover, 320 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0300280180

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From the publisher: "At the time of the American Revolution (1765–83), the British Empire had colonies in India, Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Canada, Ireland, and Gibraltar. The thirteen rebellious American colonies accounted for half of the total number of provinces in the British world in 1776. What of the loyal half? Why did some of Britain’s subjects feel so aggrieved that they wanted to establish a new system of government, while others did not rebel?"


The Romans: A 2,000-Year History

by Edward J. Watts (Author)

Publisher: Basic Books. Publication date: October 7, 2025. Hardcover, 736 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1541619814

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From the publisher: "Prize-winning historian Edward J. Watts recounts the full sweep of Rome’s epic past: the Punic Wars, the fall of the republic, the coming of Christianity, Alaric’s sack of Rome, the rise of Islam, the Battle of Manzikert, and the onslaught of the Crusaders who would bring about the empire’s end."


Into the Reich: The Red Army’s advance to the Oder in 1945

by Prit Buttar (Author)

Publisher: Gallery Books. Publication date: September 8, 2025. Hardcover, 448 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1472866998

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From the publisher: "In January 1945, the Red Army launched a powerful offensive across the Vistula River to drive the Wehrmacht out of Poland, with the intention of securing a start line for an operation that would ultimately result in the capture of Berlin and the end of the war. But, as Prit Buttar expertly reveals, there were other issues at play."


Midnight Flyboys: The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II

by Bruce Henderson (Author)

Publisher: Gallery Books. Publication date: November 11, 2025. Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1668051412

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From the publisher: "In 1943, the OSS—precursor to the CIA—came up with a plan to increase its support to the French resistance forces that were fighting the Nazis. To start, the OSS recruited some of the best American bomber pilots and crews to a secret airfield twenty miles west of London and briefed them on the intended mission. Given a choice to stay or leave, every airman volunteered for what became known as Operation Carpetbagger."


The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom (The Golden Thread, 1)

by James Hankins (Author), Allen C. Guelzo (Author)

Publisher: Encounter Books. Publication date: August 26, 2025. Hardcover, 1309 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1641773997

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From the publisher: "Where do the threads that form the Western tradition originate, and how were they woven together over the two and a half millennia before 1500? What are the sources of our modern ideas about science, freedom, equality, law, good government, and virtue? These are the questions explored in The Golden Thread, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom, written by James Hankins. The story begins with the seminal culture of the classical Greeks and moves through the Hellenization of the east following the conquests of Alexander the Great."


The History of the Peloponnesian War

by Thucydides (Author), Professor Polly Low Robin Waterfield (Translator)

Publisher: Basic Books. Publication date: September 30, 2025. Hardcover, 752 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1541603387

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From the publisher: "Robin Waterfield’s translation of Thucydides’s sweeping narrative vividly depicts the events of the war between Athens and Sparta that began in 431 BCE and would continue until 404, a conflict that embroiled not only mainland Greece but Greek states from the eastern Mediterranean and as far west as Italy and Sicily. The only extant contemporary narrative of this conflict, Thucydides’s History brims with military, moral, and political reflections, offering critical commentary on challenges that still dominate our world today, from the strife of civil war to the devastation of widespread plague to the nature of political power."


Facing Washington's Crossing: The Hessians and the Battle of Trenton

by Steven Bier (Author)

Publisher: Westholme Publishing. Publication date: September 30, 2025. Hardcover, 296 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1594164439

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From the publisher: "In Emanuel Leutze’s iconic painting of Washington’s Crossing, the American commander gazes confidently through the dawn, envisioning Hessian soldiers asleep that December 25, 1776, in the snow-covered village of Trenton. These Hessians, soldiers from the Germanic principality of Hesse-Kassel hired to the British army by their Landgrave, Frederick II, were in winter quarters, having fought the American rebels from Long Island, through New York City, across New Jersey, to the banks of the Delaware River."


The American Revolution: An Intimate History

by Geoffrey C. Ward (Author), Ken Burns (Author)

Publisher: Knopf. Publication date: November 11, 2025. Hardcover, 608 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0525658672

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From the publisher: "Enriched by guest essays from lauded historians such as Vincent Brown, Maya Jasanoff, Jane Kamensky, and Alan Taylor, and by an astonishing array of prints, drawings, paintings, texts, and pamphlets from the time period, as well as newly commissioned art and maps—and woven together with the words of Thomas Paine— The American Revolution reveals a nation still grappling with the questions that fueled its remarkable founding."


The Memoirs of General William Tecumseh Sherman: The Complete Annotated Edition

by William T. Sherman (Author), Louie P. Gallo David S. Nolen John F. Marszalek (Editor)

Publisher: Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press. Publication date: September 23, 2025. Hardcover, 1152 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0674988354

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From the publisher: "William Tecumseh Sherman’s memoirs were a sensation when first published in 1875, as Americans grappled with the aftermath of the Civil War and its emerging place in collective memory. Today, Sherman’s account remains arguably the most significant work of Civil War military history after that of his friend and commanding general Ulysses S. Grant."


The Maginot Line: A New History

by Kevin Passmore (Author)

Publisher: Yale University Press. Publication date: October 14, 2025. Hardcover, 512 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0300277043

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From the publisher: "The Maginot Line was a marvel of 1930s engineering. The huge forts, up to eighty meters underground, contained hospitals, modern kitchens, telephone exchanges, and even electric trains. Kilometres of underground galleries led to casements hidden in the terrain, and turrets that rose from the ground to fire upon the enemy. The fortifications were invulnerable to the heaviest artillery and to chemical warfare."


Sword Beach: D-Day Baptism by Fire

by Max Hastings (Author)

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company. Publication date: November 11, 2025. Hardcover, 352 pages. ISBN-13: 978-1324117575

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From the publisher: "Between 1941 and 1944, the British army contributed relatively little to World War II. On the unremittingly bloody Eastern Front, no Russian or German soldier had experienced the luxury of having four years to prepare and train for a resumption of the European continental campaign. But on D-Day―June 6, 1944―the lives of British soldiers changed. Thiry-five thousand infantrymen, airmen, and special service operatives were sent headfirst into the whitest heat of war, almost overnight."


The Road to Cisterna: Darby’s Rangers and Their Most Consequential Battle in World War II

by David Lyle Williams (Author)

Publisher: LSU Press. Publication date: September 26, 2025. Hardcover, 400 pages. ISBN13: 978-0807185032

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From the publisher: "The Road to Cisterna is the story of Darby’s Rangers, an elite American army unit in World War II, selected for toughness and specially trained in beach landings and lightning raids deep behind enemy lines. Commanded by Colonel William Orlando Darby, the 1st Ranger Battalion spearheaded landings in North Africa and helped defeat German general Erwin Rommel―the Desert Fox―in Tunisia. Its success inspired the creation of two more battalions led by Darby in the invasions of Sicily and the Italian mainland."


The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb

By Garrett M. Graff (Author)

Publisher: Simon & Schuster. Publication date: August 5, 2025. Hardcover, 608 pages. ISBN13: 9781668092392

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From the publisher: "The building of the atomic bomb is the most audacious undertaking in human history: a rush by a small group of scientists and engineers in complete secrecy to unlock the most fundamental power of the universe. Even today, the Manhattan Project evokes boldness, daring, and the grandest of dreams: bringing an end to World War II in the Pacific."


The Wounded Generation: Coming Home After World War II

by David Nasaw (Author)

Publisher: Penguin Press. Publication date: October 14, 2025. Hardcover, 496 pages. ISBN-10 0593298691

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From the publisher: "In its duration, geographical reach, and ferocity, World War II was unprecedented, and the effects on those who fought it and their loved ones at home, immeasurable. The heroism of the men and women who won the war may be well documented, but we know too little about the pain and hardships the veterans endured upon their return home."


Running Deep: Bravery, Survival, and the True Story of the Deadliest Submarine in World War II

by Tom Clavin (Author)

Publisher: St. Martin's Press. Publication date: October 21, 2025. Hardcover, 352 pages. ISBN-10 1250374472

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From the publisher: "There was one submarine that outfought all other boats in the Silent Service in World War II: the USS Tang. Captain Richard Hetherington O’Kane commanded the attack submarine that sunk more tonnage, rescued more downed aviators, and successfully completed more surface attacks than any other American submarine."


While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East

by Tony Sullivan (Author)

by Yaakov Katz (Author), Amir Bohbot (Author)

Publisher: St. Martin's Press. Publication date: September 2, 2025. Hardcover, 336 pages. ISBN-10 1250345685

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From the publisher: "While Israel Slept tells the gripping inside story of how Hamas, Israel’s weakest enemy, succeeded in launching a surprise attack on one of the world’s most powerful militaries. Through a detailed examination of the events leading up to October 7, 2023, the book exposes the intelligence and strategic failures that enabled this devastating invasion."


The Coming of the Saxons: Adventus Saxonum

by Tony Sullivan (Author)

Publisher: Pen and Sword History. Publication date: October 30, 2025. Hardcover, 224 pages. ISBN-10 1036103099

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From the publisher: "Around the mid-fifth century three Saxon keels cut through the waves towards the southern coast of Britain. They were not the first Germanic warriors or migrants to arrive since direct Roman authority had ended in the early fifth century and would not be the last."


The Atlanta Campaign: Volume 2: From the Etowah River to Kennesaw Mountain, May 20 to June 27, 1864

by David A. Powell (Author)

Publisher: Savas Beatie. Publication date: October 15, 2025. Hardcover, 608 pages. ISBN-10 1611217571

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From the publisher: "The scope, drama, and importance of the 1864 Atlanta Campaign was on a par with Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign in Virginia. Despite its criticality and massive array of primary source material, the operations in North Georgia have lingered in the shadows."


America and the Mexican War of Independence: Insurgents, Patriots, and Brethren in Arms, 1810-1821

by Benjamin J. Swenson (Author)

Publisher: McFarland. Publication date: October 1, 2025. Softcover, 190 pages. ISBN 1476696802

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From the publisher, "In 1810, the Atlantic World was in turmoil. Revolution, pirates, proxy wars and clandestine operations ran rampant. Napoleon had invaded Spain, Louisiana Territory was in crisis, and Americans were preparing to declare war against the British."