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Thoughtful contributions to the Globe at War are not just welcomed, but encouraged, including via; a community generated articles page, book and other media reviews, and much more. The Globe at War offers ample opportunities to learn about World War I, World War II, The Cold War, and the current wars for control over global resources and opinions.

The Globe at War features article submissions, book reviews and photo galleries that include short descriptions for each photograph posted as well as a regularly updated blog. In addition please enjoy our news feed; updated daily and focusing on international military affairs. Whether you are a student, teacher, academic, current or retired professional from a defense related field, or a military history buff, we look forward to your participation and welcome you to The Globe at War.


"Why Germany Nearly Won: A New History of the Second World War in Europe" is now available for purchase in the United Kingdom. 

You may order the book through Amazon UK, Casemate, Foyles, and Waterstones.

How the British Strategic Position in 1942 Highlights The Mediterranean Theater's Role in Undermining Germany's Schwerpunkt

on Mon, 06/05/2017 - 00:39

I have often and long argued that the Mediterranean Theater of the War became not just a crucial drain on Nazi Germany's efforts during the Second World War - but perhaps represented the primary cause Hitler's war machine failed to lock down a long-term strategic advantage in Eastern Europe during 1942. There are numerous reasons why this is true. This month I would like to further develop a few of those elements.

World War II: Getting Past the Numbers

on Tue, 04/18/2017 - 19:59

The Second World War ended seventy-two years ago. Yet, today it is still easy to find historians arguing that the reason Germany lost the war boiled down to a numbers game. Perhaps the leading advocate of the brute force thesis behind Germany's predetermined defeat is David Stahel.

Final Thoughts on Evaluating Military Leadership at the Operational Level

on Sat, 04/15/2017 - 00:41

In recent weeks I have been providing my readers a modest tutorial on the operational art, with an eye toward determining what makes an effective operational level military leader. Let's finish with a final look at those factors that go into determining what makes a particular commander a good one. My hope is that this discussion will further enable the casual military history enthusiast to feel more confident in evaluating for themselves which of their favorite commanders really stack up against the competition.

Though there are many great qualities that are essential in terms of being a

Doctrine, Principles of War, and the Operational Art

on Thu, 04/06/2017 - 19:46

Last week I discussed the operational level of war. To summarize, the operational level links strategic objectives to the tactical deployment of military assets. The operational level of war is often referred to as an art, and for good reason. Nevertheless, before we can discuss what makes planning and leading military operations on a large scale an art form we must first start with the set of rules that gives commanders from the same army a common basis of action: that being doctrine. From there we can examine some key metrics for defining sound generalship.

The Three Levels of War: Strategy, Operational Art, and Tactics

on Fri, 03/31/2017 - 15:19

War fighting has long been dominated by concepts of strategy and tactics. However, in the period between the World Wars a newer concept in military thought fully matured as it's own level of war: the operational art. This vital element of war making was perhaps best described by one of the pioneers in bringing the operational art to life: Soviet military theorist and strategist Alexander Andreyevich Svechin who nearly a century ago wrote, "tactics makes the steps from which operational leaps are assembled; strategy points out the path" (quoted from David Glantz's book Soviet Military

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