British Military History For Dummies

British Military History For Dummies

Bryan Perrett

Language: English

Pages: 467

ISBN: 0470032138

Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub


A plain-English guide to Britons in battle, from the Roman invasion to the ongoing Iraqi war
Charging through the Britain's military past, this accessible guide brings to life the battles and wars that shaped the history of Britain-and the world. The book profiles commanders, explains strategies and tactics, and covers key developments in weaponry and technology.

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Canterbury, Kent (see ‘Fighting from the Start: The Ancient Britons’, earlier in this chapter, for more on hill forts). The veteran Roman 7th Legion formed a testudo (meaning ‘tortoise’) by locking shields to provide protection, and beneath this built up a ramp of timber, earth, and brushwood against the fort’s defences. Simultaneously, a barrage of ballista (catapult) bolts, arrows, and sling shots forced the defenders to keep their heads down. Once the ramp was high enough, the legion rushed.

(the Middle Saxons); and Sussex (the South Saxons). Add to this Surrey and Hampshire, the latter forming the basis of the powerful West Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and you can see how tight was the Saxon hold on the southeast of the island. Chapter 3: Arthur, Alfred, and Aethelstan: The Dark Ages Meanwhile, the Jutes had established themselves on the Isle of Wight and the Angles had taken over in what became Norfolk and Suffolk (respectively the North and South Folk). Riding to the Rescue: King.

Narrowly won a battle at Maldon in Essex. Worried stiff, Ethelred paid them to go away. It was an act of incredible stupidity, and his subjects contemptuously described the payment as Danegeld. Every year the Danes came back, caused trouble, and demanded more Danegeld – and every year the price went up. In 1002 Ethelred really flipped. He had several thousand Danes of both sexes and all ages massacred at Oxford in the belief that it would give the rest something to think about. It did. Svein.

Regarded by many as the first of the global wars. Possessing the West Indies Possession of the West Indies was critical to the economies of the major European powers, because the islands produced sugar in the large quantities required for the newly fashionable drinks of tea, coffee, and chocolate, as well Chapter 8: O’er the Hills and Far Away: Marlborough Country and Beyond as spices that had previously been obtainable only in the Far East. These commodities produced enormous profits that.

With Johnny and George’ earlier in this chapter for more on Germain’s role). On 4 August, in response to orders from Clinton, Cornwallis occupied Yorktown, on the tip of the Virginia peninsula. This proved to be the deciding moment of the war. By land and sea, Washington and his French allies closed in. Cornwallis believed that Clinton would keep him supplied and despatch reinforcements should the need arise, but at the critical moment the Royal Navy temporarily lost its command of the sea at the.

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