A quick look at the man behind Axis success in North Africa 1941-1942. Maybe the only Nazi general to come out of the war with his reputation intact, this episode does a flyby on the life of Erwin Rommel.

The conclusion to our coverage of the battle of Diu. Enjoy!

Hello again and thanks for listening! Today we have a very cool little story about the spice trade, Portuguese exploration, Ottoman galleys and the fight for early global trade. To hear what sources I used and get a sneak peek into next week’s episode stick around until the end. Access it can be argued is one of the most consistent reasons for conflicts around the world and throughout history. Japan wanted access to raw materials in its lead up to WWII, Russia has always wanted access to a warm water port which has been the root of countless wars, the US has repeatedly gone to war to gain access or deny access to other countries for various reasons. Access to resources, rare goods, or simply to new markets has driven nations to explore, expand, and ultimately to war forever. With the advent of the age of Sail and Discovery a large number of European countries tried their hand at gaining access to the riches of the Asian East with varying degrees of success. The Portuguese were the first and for a time the only European country to have any real favorable outcome at forcing access and it all stemmed from a nasty little naval battle not far off the coast of a city called Diu.

This time around we head way way back to the Ancient World. On a field in Greece (of course) Philip of Macedon defeated a coalition of Thebans and Athenians, finally asserting himself as the most powerful ruler in the land. His young son Alexander began his military career on the same field and the world would never be the same. From the Sacred Band to the sarissa and everything in between, strap in because we cover a lot in this episode!

In this battlecast we cover the events leading up to (and the battle itself obviously lol) the 2nd El Alamein. The desert, Rommel, and Monty (not to mention a whole lot of tank talk) all play key roles in the titanic fight in the sands. Sacrifice, persistence, and ferocity are the watchwords with witch the British 8th Army won the day and showed the Allies that even Hitler’s finest general could be beaten. We also talk about the modern historical controversy as to how important the battle itself was as opposed to the perception of the victory. Enjoy!

The desert, Rommel, and Monty (not to mention a whole lot of tank talk) all play key roles in the titanic fight in the sands.

In this Quick Hit I cover the victory of the Byzantine army under Heraclius over Persian Sassanid forces. On a plain not far from the rubble of the ancient Assyrian City of Nineveh, Byzantine cataphracts used superior numbers and generalship to bring an end to a decades long war with their eastern enemy. The end of the centuries long conflict known as the Roman-Persian Wars left a power vacuum in the Middle East and it would not be long before that vacuum was filled. An exhausted Byzantium and a crippled Persia meant there was little to slow the rise of the Arabic armies and the march of Islam.

In this episode Angelo the Armorer and I shoot the shit about one of the greatest battles of the Crusades. We cover the various weapons and methods of fighting used by the Saracens and Franks, as well as doing a deep dive into the historical context of the time period. Clocking in at just a tick over an hour, this was a lot of fun to record and at times we get fairly nerdy so be prepared! Thanks for listening and next up will be the Combat of the 30 sometime later this week.

In this episode we cover what many believe to be the single most lopsided naval victory ever -the Battle of Trafalgar! From heroic Nelson in his final battle, the desperate struggle to stop Napoleon from conquering the globe, to the destructive power of the ship of the line we cover it all. Thanks to David Hilowitz and to JerryBryant and Starboard Mess for the music!

This episode we have Dr. Greg Jackson of the History That Doesn’t Suck podcast on to chat about the most significant and maybe most decisive battle of the American Revolution, the battle of Saratoga. Its long and nerdy but we had fun chatting (please forgive the awkward talk over parts) but I think we found a decent rhythm. Greg has some great facts and interesting stories about this wild battle in the woods of New York. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to rate/review on iTunes!