- Naval History – Norman Friedman writes that when it comes to warships, bigger is usually better, and the most successful vessels are often those that are adaptable to changing times and technologies.

Der Spiegel – Kaiser’s African Gunship Enjoys New Lease on Life Almost 100 years ago, the German Kaiser ordered a warship to be secretly constructed and carried in pieces over mountains to help hold on to Germany’s prize African colony. The battered ship is now receiving help from an unlikely source — the German state [...]

San Diego Union Tribune – A look at what saved the frigate Samuel B. Roberts when it hit an Iranian mine in the Persian Gulf 20 years ago.more…

New York Times – Paul Kennedy takes a historian’s view of some current naval trends.more…

Daily Telegraph – Major Mike Norman shares his memories of defending the islands against an over-whelming Argentine force of 3,000 soldiers.more…

Daily Telegraph – Patrick Bishop, who sailed 8,000 miles with the Task Force to recapture the Falklands, and is the author of Winter War which I think is one of the best histories of the Falklands War, describes the highs and lows of the campaign against the Argentines, and explains how victory transformed the national [...]

International Journal of Naval History – On July 10, 1881, U.S. Army First Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely sailed north in command of a small polar expedition. After making an unexpectedly easy passage,the expedition settled into a well-supplied base they named Fort Conger and began their mission of scientific exploration and astronomical observation. After that, everything [...]

International Journal of Naval History – Between 1860 and 1890 Britain greatly expanded her formal and informal empire, and her commercial activity, while avoiding war with any other major power. Although this period witnessed a revolution in the technologies of war, communication and transport, and profound changes in the European state system Britain secured her [...]

Naval War College Review – The British and French forces that saw action during the abortive Suez invasion of 1956 produced a “copybook” performance in military terms. But flawed political decisions are likely to lead to flawed operational strategy, and today the entire episode is remembered as an embarrassing failure.more…

Naval War College Review – The first attack on Fort Fisher, during the American Civil War, failed utterly; the second succeeded magnificently. The commanders of the latter learned from the experience of the former; the lessons of both attempts were valuable for the great amphibious operations of the mid-twentieth century, and they remain instructive today.more…

International Journal of Naval History – The most ambitious and effective defense project undertaken during the Cold War next to the hydrogen bomb succeeded completely, made not a sound, and remained invisible for a half-century. Dreading an increase in the capability and geographical reach of a Soviet deep-water submarine force, the U.S. Navy decided in [...]

Leatherneck – “A hard-boiled crowd” of old Corps warriors in Santo Domingo broke in the new lieutenant.more…

Marine Corps Gazette – Hints of maneuver warfare in the 19th century U.S. Civil War.more…

Leatherneck – Louis Cukela: Eccentric for certain. Marine warrior and hero? Most definitelymore…

Leatherneck – In Vietnam, Marine engineers blasted and built roads and bridges that are still used today.more…

Naval War College Review – Alfred Thayer Mahan and Admiral Sir John Fisher disagreed about capital-ship design and the utility of history as a guide to formulating naval policy, but the main difference between their ways of thinking about strategy was over the best means of defending the British empire in a maritime war. Where [...]

Naval War College Review – A Russian historian of the 1962 Cuban missile crisis argues from archival evidence that while authority to use tactical nuclear weapons was never delegated to local Soviet commanders, it was only with difficulty (and the assistance of the Navy commander in chief) that hard-liners were prevented from pushing through a [...]

Leatherneck – Internationally acclaimed writer and artist John W. Thomason was a Marine first and foremost.more…

Naval War College Review – The 1940 British air attack on the Italian battle fleet at Taranto Harbor has rightly been celebrated. However, measuring the success gained against the objectives assigned, the attack can be assessed only as a limited tactical victory with limited operational impact-a priceless opportunity lost.more…

Air Force – Contrary to popular belief, land-based airpower played the key role in decimating Japanís World War II shipping.more…