Compact Warfare
In July 1943 Germany launched Operation Citadel to pinch off the Kursk salient. Tigers, Panthers and Ferdinands met layered Soviet defences packed with mines, guns and trenches, then crashed into massed armour at Prokhorovka. This episode unpacks why Citadel stalled, how Soviet depth and artillery decided the fight, and how the counteroffensives seized the initiative for good. #BattleOfKursk #OperationCitadel #Prokhorovka #EasternFront #WWII #MilitaryHistory #HistoryPodcast
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In September 1759 a silent night run on the St Lawrence put British regulars on the heights west of Quebec. At dawn their two-rank line held fire, then delivered a crushing close-range volley that broke Montcalm’s advance and forced the city’s fall days later. This episode traces the river gamble at Anse-au-Foulon, the short but decisive exchange on the plateau, and how Quebec’s loss unpicked New France. #PlainsOfAbraham #Quebec1759 #SevenYearsWar #JamesWolfe #Montcalm #MilitaryHistory #HistoryPodcast
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In June 1314, Robert Bruce met Edward II near Stirling and turned tight ground, drilled schiltrons, and smart timing into a decisive Scottish win. This episode explains why the approaches mattered, how the spearmen advanced, where the archers were blunted, and how Bannockburn shifted the wider war and Scotland’s future. #Bannockburn #RobertTheBruce #ScottishHistory #MedievalWarfare #Stirling #MilitaryHistory #HistoryPodcast
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In the year 9CE, a Roman army marching through the Teutoburg Forest met a storm of javelins, mud, and deception. Led by Arminius, Germanic warriors smashed three legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus at the narrow defiles near Kalkriese, turning Rome’s advance into a retreat and forcing a strategic rethink on the Rhine. In this episode we unpack the ambush plan, the chaos along the choke points, the desperate night camps, and the aftermath that brought Germanicus’s reprisals and a new frontier strategy. #TeutoburgForest #Arminius #Varus #RomanHistory #MilitaryHistory #Germania...
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From pocket quadcopters over alleyways to long-endurance aircraft striking deep targets, drones have reshaped reconnaissance, artillery, and air defence. This episode covers how sensors and data links make drones powerful, how jamming and counter-drone systems fight back, why logistics and training matter more than hype, and where autonomy and swarms may take the battlefield next. #DroneWarfare #ModernWarfare #MilitaryTechnology #LoiteringMunitions #ElectronicWarfare #HistoryPodcast
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In 1879 the British Empire collided with the Zulu kingdom on the Natal frontier. From the shock defeat at Isandlwana to the desperate stand at Rorke’s Drift and the set-piece victory at Ulundi, this episode explains why the first invasion failed, how firepower and fortification reshaped the second, and how the settlement that followed broke Zulu sovereignty and sparked civil strife. #ZuluWars #Isandlwana #RorkesDrift #Ulundi #MilitaryHistory #SouthAfrica #VictorianHistory #HistoryPodcast
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In 490 BCE a citizen army met an empire on the Marathon plain. Athens and Plataea formed a thin centre and strong wings, charged to beat the arrow storm, and broke the Persian flanks before the enemy could bring cavalry to bear. This episode explains the plan, the ground, the crisis in the centre, and the shoreline rout that sent the fleet sailing for home. #BattleOfMarathon #AncientGreece #PersianWars #MilitaryHistory #Hoplites #HistoryPodcast
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On 26 August 1346, Edward III chose his ground at Crécy and turned a larger French army into chaos. Longbowmen, fieldworks, and disciplined infantry shattered repeated cavalry charges, while early cannon added shock and smoke to the fight. In this episode we track the march, the tactics, the storm-soaked opening, and the aftermath that led straight to Calais. #BattleOfCrecy #HundredYearsWar #MedievalWarfare #EnglishHistory #FrenchHistory #MilitaryHistory #HistoryPodcast
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In June 1942, four Japanese carriers sailed to crush the U.S. Pacific Fleet near a tiny atoll. Codebreakers set the trap, dive bombers delivered the blows, and in five decisive minutes the balance of the Pacific war shifted. This episode breaks down the intelligence play, the torpedo squadrons’ sacrifice, the dive-bomber strikes, and why Midway turned defense into initiative. #BattleOfMidway #WWII #PacificWar #MilitaryHistory #NavalAviation #HistoryPodcast
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On the banks of the River Boyne in July 1690, William III forced a river crossing, turned the Jacobite flank at Slane, and drove James II from the field. In this episode we unpack the plans, the fight at Oldbridge, the upstream maneuver, and the rearguard to Duleek, then trace how Boyne shaped the Williamite War and the wider European struggle with Louis XIV. #BattleOfTheBoyne #IrishHistory #MilitaryHistory #WilliamIII #Jacobite #NineYearsWar #HistoryPodcast
info_outlineFor over 700 years, Christian and Muslim forces battled for control of the Iberian Peninsula in a relentless campaign known as the Reconquista. In this episode of Compact Warfare, we explore the shifting front lines, epic sieges, and enduring legacies of a conflict that reshaped the map of Europe. From the fall of Visigothic Spain to the rise of unified kingdoms and the capture of Granada, it’s a story of faith, politics, and centuries-long warfare.
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