In September 1940, Italian troops operating from Libya attacked the British forces stationed in Egypt. The British stood in defence of the strategically important  Suez Canal and the oil fields of Arabia and Mesopotamia. In December 1940, however, following the defeat of the Italian army, Hitler ordered General Erwin Rommel’s  Afrika Korps to be sent […]

Narvik is a non-freezing all-year-round Norwegian port, which meant it was possible to transport Swedish iron ore from it throughout winter. This was  important to the German war machine for the production of reinforced steel. “The effective stoppage of iron ore supplies to Germany via the Norwegian transit should be considered one of the most […]

In about 6 or 7 AD, Quintilius Varus became the governor of Germania. His leadership was inept, introducing policies towards the conquered population such as levying high taxes, unjustified cruelty and attempts to force the Germans to adapt too quickly to Roman customs. This was resented by the Germans who wanted to remember their own […]

At the end of 1914, the Western Front had taken the shape of trench warfare. The Russian offensive in the east had collapsed. The Russian Tsarist army had suffered serious defeats in the conflit with Germany. This was not compensated for by Russian victories over Austria-Hungary. The Western powers were unable to supply any real […]