The MegaMilitary Project | Online Edition #551

Welcome to MegaMilitary

MegaMilitary takes an entirely new look at the history of warfare through the ages. We take as a starting point the people behind warfare and look at their involvement, leadership and impact on the outcome of battles, campaigns and wars over centuries.

The history of how warfare developed from the chariots of the ancient world to the smart weaponry of the 21st century is complex. It is not the intention of MegaMilitary and the (small) team behind it to cover every war and battle in detail. Instead, campaigns and conflicts that exemplify major developments in tactics and the waging of war have been chosen for our content.

Biographies

Thomas Edward Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)

One of the 20th century's most iconic characters was Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888–1935), known as "Lawrence of Arabia". Though not a career soldier, his World War I achievements changed the outcome. In fact, this amateur soldier helped create the contemporary Middle East.

Jan Christiaan Smuts

Smuts was born near Riebeeck West (near Malmesbury), Cape Colony on September 24, 1870. The son of a member of the…

Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck

Born in Saarlouis, Lettow-Vorbeck was the son of a prominent Prussian army officer. Marked from birth for a military…

General Matthew Bunker Ridgway

Matthew Bunker Ridgway was born on the 3rd of March 1895, in Fort Monroe, Virginia. When he was a little boy, he got…

Colonel Jacqueline Cochran

Jacqueline Cochran, an American pilot, was best known as the wartime head of the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASP)…

General Curtis E. LeMay

When Curtis LeMay was four years old, he told himself that someday, when he was old and big enough, he would fly an…

Conflicts & Wars

Albania during World War I

Albanian independence from the Ottoman Empire was finally achieved because of the Balkan Wars, and Albania was recognized as a sovereign and neutral…

East Africa during World War I

When Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Emil von Lettow-Vorbeck stepped ashore in German East Africa in January 1914, nobody guessed that within five years he…

Afghanistan during World War I

The presence of Afghanistan on its frontier had caused much trouble for British India, and the outbreak of the World War instigated consternation for…

Aden during World War I

From its annexation in 1839, Aden (now part of Yemen) had been part of British India, under the authority of the governor of Bombay; its position was…

Military Myths, Mysteries, Legends & Curiosities

The Capture of the German Rocket Secrets (1945)

In February 1945, Peter Beasley, who was serving as a colonel in the U.S. Army at the time, received a summons to Washington while he was engaged in combat in Europe. Henry L. Stimson, Secretary of…

A German in Paris (17th August 1914)

On the 17th of August 1914, the Parisians woke up to find thousands of paper leaflets blowing around the boulevards and streets. The puzzled…

Beating Hitler with Humor (1940)

It’s a late night in London in 1940, and Austrian exile Robert Lucas is writing at his desk. Bombs are raining down on the city every night, Hitler’s…

Prisons, Prisoners & Camps

Nazi Camps Detailed Explanation, Overview & Map

When the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power in Germany in 1933, it wanted to set up the perfect Nazi state. The Nazis wanted to stamp out any opposition to their rule, so they set up a…

Chieti, Campo 21 (P.G. 21) Prison Camp (1942)

Campo 21 (P.G. 21) at Chieti, on the Adriatic coast near Pescara, was typical of the prison camps operated by the Italian armed forces during World War II. The camp comprised eight single-story…

Military Chaplains in the War

According to international law, chaplains are considered to be protected personnel who are not subject to internment as POW’s. They are to be…

Bicycle Camp Batavia (1942)

One of several Japanese POW camps on Java during World War II, Bicycle Camp was in Koenigs Plein (Kings Place), a suburb of Batavia (now Jakarta,…

Prisoner Accommodation

Detaining powers face many challenges when handling prisoners of war and civilian internees, not the least of which is the need to provide…

Dachau Concentration Camp (1933-1945)

As the first Nazi concentration camp, Dachau set the tone for all subsequent facilities of this type. The rationale for the establishment of the camp…

Latest Video...

Dark Secret of the Lusitania - National Geographic Documentary

Dark Secret of the Lusitania - National Geographic Documentary

A German torpedo hit the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915. Shortly after, a substantial second explosion shook the ship. Within 20 minutes, the vessel known as the "Greyhound of the Seas" had sunk to the ocean floor, resulting in the deaths of almost 1200 individuals. A new two-step investigation...
Submitted by: Tim Kirsten
22 March 2024

Latest Content...

Jan Christiaan Smuts

Smuts was born near Riebeeck West (near Malmesbury), Cape Colony on September 24, 1870.…

Long Reads...