What was World War I (1914-1918)?

Introduction World War I (or the First World War, often abbreviated as WWI or WW1; German: Erster Weltkrieg) was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously known as the Great War or “the war to end all wars”, it led to the mobilisation of more… Read More

What was the Allied Intervention in the Russian Civil War (1918-1925)?

Introduction The Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War consisted of a series of multi-national military expeditions which began in 1918. They had the stated goals of helping the Czechoslovak Legion, of securing supplies of munitions and armaments in Russian ports, and of re-establishing the Eastern Front. At times between 1918 and 1920 the Czechoslovak… Read More

What was the Russian Civil War (1917-1923)?

Introduction The Russian Civil War (Russian: Гражданская война в России, tr. Grazhdanskaya voyna v Rossii) was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire immediately after the two Russian revolutions of 1917, as many factions vied to determine Russia’s political future. The two largest combatant groups were the Red Army, fighting for the Bolshevik… Read More

What are War Reparations?

Introduction War reparations are compensation payments made after a war by the vanquished to the victors. They are intended to cover damage or injury inflicted during a war. Generally, the term war reparations refers to money or goods changing hands, but not to the annexation of land. Brief History Making the defeated party pay a… Read More

Who was Yank Levy?

Introduction Bert “Yank” Levy (05 October 1897 to 02 September 1965) was a Canadian soldier, socialist, military instructor and author/pamphleteer of one of the first manuals on guerrilla warfare, which was widely circulated with more than a half million published. He served with irregular forces in several parts of the world in the 1920s and… Read More

What is a Jam Tin Grenade?

Introduction The double cylinder, Nos.8 and No.9 hand grenades, also known as the “jam tins”, are a type of improvised explosive device (IED) used by the British and Commonwealth forces, notably the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) in World War I. Background The jam tin, or bully beef tin, was one of many… Read More

What is Trench Warfare?

Introduction Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied fighting lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy’s small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became archetypically associated with World War I (1914 to 1918), when the Race to the Sea rapidly expanded trench… Read More