Tadeusz Kościuszko could not have chosen a better man, commissioning Jan Henryk Dąbrowski to start an uprising in Greater Poland. The freshly baked general did an exemplary job - and achieved brilliant success. Dąbrowskis military talent was revealed in the insurgent struggle. During the first d
Jur fought in Wola, the Old Town, Śródmieście and Czerniaków. He did not hesitate to risk his life again and again - he received a number of awards for his heroism in the Warsaw Uprising. Years later, however, he admits that not everything went as it should ... [Tells Edmund Baranowski, pseudony
Undoubtedly, Stefan Czarniecki loved his homeland - for his merits he was even immortalized in the Polish anthem. However, he loved ... money just as much, and treated war as his main source of income. How much did he earn this way? During the Swedish Deluge, Czarniecki pushed into the shadow th
Before the war, he dreamed of building houses. Instead, he is responsible for creating a fictional reality wrapped in false passes and permits. With their help, he cheated the Germans from Warsaw to Paris. How did he do that? General Julius von Hallmann was a strange figure. A fortification spec
For 63 days they heroically fought with the hope that they would liberate the capital. During this time they saw and experienced terrible things - those who had the chance to survive. Death of friends, methodical destruction of the city and the fall of dreams of freedom. Among so many traumatic memo
For centuries they were the elite of the Turkish armed forces. They were considered the best infantry in the world at that time. This formation of the most faithful of the faithful has often been used in the fight against Christians. And yet it was created by ... Christian exiles forcibly taken from
It wasnt supposed to look like this. A superpower with huge resources and modern weapons should easily deal with the poor, starved Vietcong guerrillas and the army from the North. However, it did not happen - after all, Washington with its tail tucked up had to withdraw its army. How is that possibl
He went down in history as a conqueror of the Swedes, the great victory of the Battle of Kircholm in 1605. More than once he managed to defeat a much stronger enemy. What was the secret of his successes? Charisma and war experience are not enough to achieve brilliant successes. When at the end o
The Byzantines called themselves Romans throughout their empire. They believed that after the fall of the Eternal City, the center of the empire moved to Constantinople. In some respects, however, they did not live up to the heels of their predecessors - or so a Byzantineologist suggests. To thi
The Battle of Bzura was described by the German general as one of the greatest, most devastating battles of all time. The Poles surprised the Wehrmacht soldiers and for a moment it seemed that they had a chance to win. However, not everything went according to plan. From the beginning of the Sep
Nobody expected the communist attack on Hue. The soldiers of the North took the city in one day - but this was only the beginning of the nearly month-long murderous struggle. By the time the flag of the South fluttered over it again, the old capital of Vietnam was in ruins. How did this landmark bat
Americans and South Vietnamese soldiers felt quite safe in Hue. The sudden attack of the communists shattered this illusion ... and changed their thinking about the whole war. You can read how the battle unfolded in Mark Bowdens book Huế 1968. Vietnam in Blood, which you can win in our competition.
When he took his first steps in a soldiers life, it seemed that he was in a losing position. Poor, uneducated and uncouth, he reached the top thanks to a bit of luck and a lot of cleverness. How did he do it? Czarniecki did not come from a magnate family, did not study abroad and did not show up
You are a young noble, student at the Jesuit college and you wonder what to do next with your life? - Book oil, become a hussar! - says the captain. Driving is a dream career path. Provided that your ancestors left you at least a few villages, because you will have a lot of expenses. The captain
The effectiveness of Jan Sobieski on the battlefield was legendary. Regardless of where and under what conditions he fought, he won over and over again. It is hardly surprising that in 1683 it was recognized that only he would be able to defend Christian Europe against the Turkish onslaught. How did
Perfect cavalry? A lethal weapon whose secret no one else has? Or maybe just ... great diplomacy? Byzantium almost throughout its existence waged wars with one of its neighbors. How is it possible that it stayed unbeaten for so long? John Haldon and his WAR BUSINESS. STRATEGY, TACTICS, CAMPAIGNS
The battle for Hue apparently ended with a victory for the Americans. The communists managed to dislodge themselves, and the flag of South Vietnam flapped over the city again. However, the monthly struggle changed the image of the entire war. What was the real cost of this success? Bloodiest bat
Maczeks Pancerniacy was one of the most famous Polish units from the Second World War. At Falaise, they defeated the Germans, taking bloody retaliation for the September campaign. But this unit would not exist at all if not for the efforts of its commander. How did Maczek create the 1st Armored Divi
Among the terrifying reports from the hottest parts of the globe are the death, destruction and suffering of civilians. Volunteers come from all over the world to support the unequal struggle. Among them, an Englishman who goes to snipers, from whom he learns to kill the enemy with deadly precision.
Hetman Żółkiewski did a lot to avoid a war with Turkey. In 1620, however, the conflict intensified, and he was entrusted with the command of the Polish-Lithuanian forces. The expedition to Moldova ended tragically - although the defeat could have been avoided, had it not been for ... the mercy of th
It is said that the Ukrainians displaced in 1947 faced economic advancement because they found themselves in better developed lands. Meanwhile, 75% of the farms in which they were settled were destroyed, while 30% required complete reconstruction. What happened to their own homes? Operation Vist
In August 1945, atomic bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and forced the Japanese to surrender. Truth or myth? What ended the Pacific War? The history of the world is full of distortions and understatements. Sometimes things considered facts have little to do with reality. On the other hand, eve
Before going to China, he was recruited to our job for ideological reasons. This note on Hemingway comes from a secret NKVD file devoted to the writer. Why did the American Nobel Prize winner agree to become a Soviet agent and how did his cooperation with foreign intelligence develop? The inform
During the National Socialist regime, the rearmament of the country was one of the highest priorities of the government of Adolf Hitler. Breaking with the Versailles accords, German industry soon began mass-producing weapons. Tanks, ships, and planes rolled out of factories to equip the new German W