28. The Dutch raid of the Medway in 1667 was one of the greatest humiliations Britain has ever suffered, with its naval fleet being all but wiped out.
29. Trained at Shorncliffe by Sir John Moore, the British Light Infantry survived the retreat to Corunna in 1809 and helped finally defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
30. Renowned for their unerring bravery, the all-western Iron Brigade suffered heavy losses in helping the Union achieve victory at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
31. Trained to clear trenches during the First World War, the German Stormtroopers were, for a while, more than a match for British tanks.
32. RAF pilots seen enjoying a well-earned rest during the relentless Battle of Britain.
33. RAF pilots in a scramble to their Spitfires as the Luftwaffe invaded.
34. Approved by Winston Churchill in 1940, the commandos earned a reputation for unconventional raids that helped win the Second World War.
35. The raid of St Nazaire in 1942 is known as the ‘Greatest Raid of All Time’. Here is HMS Campbeltown, rammed into the dock, shortly before it exploded.
36. Masters of deception, the Brandenburgers took the Maikop oilfields in 1942 and helped keep Germany in the war.
37. Once deployed, paratroopers had to worry not only about a safe landing, but also about being shot out of the sky by the enemy.
38. British paratroopers on their way to take down the Merville gun battery, paving the way for the D-Day invasion.
39. On 5 May 1980, the SAS lived up to their motto ‘Who Dares Wins’ with their successful raid of the Iranian Embassy.
40. The United States Army Special Forces are known as the Green Berets thanks to their distinctive headgear, which was made official by President Kennedy in 1961.
41. Helping to avenge 9/11 and take down the Taliban, Staff Sgt Bart Decker of the Green Berets is seen on horseback in Afghanistan.
42. Founded in 1962 by President Kennedy, the Navy SEALs have become renowned for their tough training regime and ability to wage guerrilla warfare.
43. With intense training and a fearsome array of weapons, it seems no one is beyond the reach of the Navy SEALs, as Osama bin Laden found to his cost in 2011.
1. My father, affectionately known as ‘Colonel Lugs’, alongside his fellow Royal Scots Greys following a famous victory at Alamein in 1942.
2. A portrait of my father shortly before he died in 1943. We were never to meet, but I always wanted to follow in his footsteps.
3. With my special force of Omanis, Baluchis and Zanzibaris and one of our specially equipped patrol vehicles, during the Dhofar Campaign.
4. The famed Panzer commander Erwin Rommel, also known as ‘Desert Fox’, finalising battle plans with his men.
© Bridgeman Images
5. Historical knowledge of the Immortals is somewhat limited, save for contemporary depictions such as this, showing them with spears and counterbalances.
© akg images
6. While renowned warriors, it was the Immortals’ cunning that allowed them to take the town of Babylon in 539 BC.
© akg images
7. The infamous Spartan phalanx, which frustrated the superior Persian forces at Thermopylae in 480 BC.
© Getty Images
8. Pelopidas leading the Theban forces at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC.
© Bridgeman Images
9. A fragment from the Alexander Mosaic (c. 100 BC) depicting Alexander the Great in battle against the Persians.
© akg images
10. Discovered in Lebanon in 1887, the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great may not contain his remains. It depicts the Macedonian leader during the Battle of Issus in 333 BC.
© Getty Images
11. A Victorian engraving of a frieze of the Praetorian Guard of ancient Rome.
© akg images
12. While the Praetorian Guard were meant to protect the Roman emperor, they have become a byword for treachery due to their many attempts to seize power.
© Alamy
13. Flocking to Europe from Scandinavia, the Varangians, with famed horn helmets and axes, defended and furthered the Byzantine Empire with ferocity and cunning.
© Getty Images
14. The Knights Templar and Hospitallers helping to end the Siege of Acre in 1191.
© Getty Images
15. The Hospitallers’ origins might have been charitable, but they evolved to become fearsome warriors during the Crusades.
© akg images
16. The great Muslim warrior Saladin leading his Ayyubid forces to victory at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. Pope Urban III died of shock upon hearing of the Crusaders’ defeat.
© akg images
17. From humble beginnings, Genghis Khan would found the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death.
© Getty Images
18. In 1221, Subotai led the Mongol Kheshig on one of the most remarkable reconnaissance missions in history, paving the way for the Mongols’ invasion of Europe.
© Bridgeman Images
19. From being captured as a slave, Baibars rose to become sultan of the Mamluk Empire, becoming known as the ‘Lion of Egypt’.
© akg images
20. Their intense training in Cairo meant the Mamluks were renowned for their ability to wield weapons while riding their horses at high speed.
© Getty Images
21. The Janissaries sporting their börk hats, which had a holding place in front for a spoon. This symbolised the so-called ‘brotherhood of the spoon’, which reflected a sense of comradeship among the Janissaries, who ate, slept, fought and died together.
© Getty Images
22. Seen with their arquebusiers, the Janissaries were among the first armies to utilise gunpowder to great effect.
© akg images
23. A mercenary army, the Landsknechts were renowned for their infamous pike block formation, aided by a wall of arquebusiers.
© Getty Images
24. Georg von Frundsberg was known as the father of the Landsknechts. It was said he was capable of raising 20,000 men in a matter of weeks.
© Bridgeman Images
25. The Ninja of Iga played a vital role in ushering in the 265-year shogun dynasty, thanks to their ability to wage unconventional warfare.
© akg images
26. Oliver Cromwell had no battle experience before the English Civil War erupted in 1642. A brilliant commander, he helped found the New Model Army, leading the Parliamentarian Roundheads to victory.
© Getty Images
27. The New Model Army’s newfound professionalism helped Parliament record a decisive victory at the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
© Getty Images
28. The Dutch raid of the Medway in 1667 was one of the greatest humiliations Britain has ever suffered, with its naval fleet being all but wiped out.
© akg images
29. Trained at Shorncliffe by Sir John Moore, the British Light Infantry survived the retreat to Corunna in 1809 and helped finally defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
© Getty Images
30. Renowned for their unerring bravery, the all-western Iron Brigade suffered heavy losses in helping the Union achieve victory at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863.
© Alamy
31. Trained to clear trenches during the First World War, the German Stormtroopers were, for a while, more than a match for British tanks.
© Alamy
32. RAF pilots seen enjoying a well-earned rest during the relentless Battle of Britain.
© Alamy
33. RAF pilots in a scramble to their Spitfires as the Luftwaffe invaded.
© Bridgeman Images
34. Approved by Winston Churchill in 1940, the commandos earned a reputation for unconventional raids that helped win the Second World War.
© Getty Images
35. The raid of St Nazaire in 1942 is known as the ‘Greatest Raid of All Time’. Here is
HMS Campbeltown, rammed into the dock, shortly before it exploded.
© Getty Images
36. Masters of deception, the Brandenburgers took the Maikop oilfields in 1942 and helped keep Germany in the war.
© akg images
37. Once deployed, paratroopers had to worry not only about a safe landing, but also about being shot out of the sky by the enemy.
© Alamy
38. British paratroopers on their way to take down the Merville gun battery, paving the way for the D-Day invasion.
© Getty Images
© Shutterstock
39. On 5 May 1980, the SAS lived up to their motto ‘Who Dares Wins’ with their successful raid of the Iranian Embassy.
© Getty Images
40. The United States Army Special Forces are known as the Green Berets thanks to their distinctive headgear, which was made official by President Kennedy in 1961.
41. Helping to avenge 9/11 and take down the Taliban, Staff Sgt Bart Decker of the Green Berets is seen on horseback in Afghanistan.
© Alamy
42. Founded in 1962 by President Kennedy, the Navy SEALs have become renowned for their tough training regime and ability to wage guerrilla warfare.
© Alamy
43. With intense training and a fearsome array of weapons, it seems no one is beyond the reach of the Navy SEALs, as Osama bin Laden found to his cost in 2011.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
THE ROYAL SCOTS GREYS
Royal Scots Greys (Men at Arms) by C. Grant (1972)
Swifter Than Eagles by A. Sprot (1998)
Those Terrible Grey Horses: An Illustrated History of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards by S. Wood (2015)
THE IMMORTALS
From Cyrus to Alexander, A History of the Persian Empire by P. Briant (2002)
Herodotus: The Histories translated by A. de Selincourt (1954)
History of the Persian Empire by T. A. Olmstead (1948)
Immortal: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces by S. R. Ward (2014)
Shadows of the Desert: Ancient Persia at War by K. Farrokh (2007)
The Achaemenid Persian Army by D. Head (1992)
The Persian Army 560–330 BC by N. Sekunda (1992)
Xerxes’ Invasion of Greece by C. Hignett (1963)
THE SPARTANS
A History of Sparta: 950–192 BC by W. G. Forrest (1980)
Elite Military Formations in War and Peace by I. Hamish and K. Neilson (1996)
Military Theory and Practice in the Age of Xenophan by J. K. Anderson (1970)
Thermopylae 480 BC: Last Stand of the 300 by N. Fields (2007)
Thermopylae: The Battle that Changed the World by P. Cartledge (2006)
The Spartan Army by J. F. Lazenby (1985)
The Spartans: The World of the Warrior Heroes of Ancient Greece, from Utopia to Crisis and Collapse by P. Cartledge (2003)
THE SACRED BAND OF THEBES
An Army of Lovers: The Sacred Band of Thebes by L. Compton (1994)
Military Theory and Practice in the Age of Xenophan by J. K. Anderson (1970)
Sacred Band of Thebes by C. Hilbert (2012)
The Defence of Greece by J. F. Lazenby (1993)
The Rise and Fall of the Sacred Band of Thebes by G. A. Hauser (2011)
The Theban Hegemony: 371–362 BC by J. Buckler (1980)
ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND THE SOGDIAN ROCK
A History of Macedonia II, 550–336 BC by N. G. L. Hammond and G. T. Griffith (1979)
Alexander the Great and his Time by A. Savill (1998)
Arrian: Anabasis of Alexander translated P. A. Brunt (1976)
By the Spear: Philip II, Alexander the Great and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire by I. Worthington (2016)
Conquest and Empire: The Reign of Alexander the Great by A. B. Bosworth (1988)
The Anabasis of Alexander translated by A. de Selincourt (1958)
THE ROMAN PRAETORIAN GUARD
The Praetorian Guard: A Concise History of Rome’s Elite Special Forces by S. Bingham (2011)
The Praetorian Guard by B. Rankov (1994)
The Death of Caligula by T. P. Wiseman (2013)
The Twelve Caesars by Suetonius, translated by R. Graves (1957)
The Praetorian Guard: A History of Rome’s Elite Special Forces by S. J. Bingham (2012)
Praetorian: The Rise and Fall of Rome’s Imperial Bodyguard by G. de la Bédoyère (2018)
THE VARANGIAN GUARD
Harald Hardrada and the Vikings by P. F. Speed (1992)
Harald Hardrada: The Warrior’s Way by J. Marsden (2007)
King Harald’s Saga by S. Sturluson (1966)
The Varangian Guard, 988–1453 by R. D’Amato (2010)
The Varangians of Byzantium: An Aspect of Byzantine Military History by B. S. Benedikz (2007)
The Viking Road to Byzantium by E. Davidson (1976)
THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND HOSPITALLERS
Hospitallers: The History of the Order of St John by J. Riley-Smith (1999)
Knight Hospitaller (1) 1100–1306 by D. Nicolle (2001)
Knights of Jerusalem: The Crusading Order of Hospitallers 1100–1565 by D. Nicolle (2008)
Saladin and the Saracens: Armies of the Middle East 1100–1300 by D. Nicolle (1986)
Saladin: Hero of Islam by G. Hindley (2010)
The Cross and the Crescent by M. Billings (1987)
The Knight Hospitaller: A Military History of the Knights of St John by J. C. Carr (2016)
The New Knighthood: A History of the Order of the Temple by M. Barber (1994)
The Siege of Acre, 1189–1191: Saladin, Richard the Lionheart and the Battle that Decided the Third Crusade by J. D. Hasler (2018)
The Templars History and Myth: From Solomon’s Temple to the Freemasons, a Guide to Templar History, Culture and Locations by M. Haag (2008)
The Templars: The Rise and Fall of God’s Holy Warriors by D. Jones (2018)
The Third Crusade, 1191: Richard the Lionheart, Saladin and the Struggle for Jerusalem by D. Nicolle (2005)
Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade by J. Reston (2002)
THE ASSASSINS
Alamut and Lamasar: Two Medieval Ismaili Strongholds in Iran, an Archaeological Study by V. Ivanov (1960)
A Short History of the Ismailis: Traditions of a Muslim Community by F. Daftary (1998)
Eagle’s Nest: Ismaili Castles in Iran and Syria by P. Willey (2005)
Hasan-i-Sabbah and the Assassins by L. Lockhart (1930)
The Assassins by E. Burman (1987)
The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam by L. Bernard (2003)
The Old Man of the Mountain by C. Nowell (1947)
The Secret Order of the Assassins: The Struggle of the Early Nizari Ismailis Against the Islamic World by M. Hodgson (2005)
THE MAMLUKS
From Saladin to the Mongols, The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193–1260 by S. Humphries (1977)
The Mamluks, 1250–1517 by D. Nicolle (1993)
The Mamluks in Egyptian Politics and Society by T. Philipp and U. Haarmann (1998)
THE MONGOL KHESHIG
Genghis Khan’s Greatest General: Subotai the Valiant by R. A. Gabriel (2004)
Mongol Imperialism by T. T. Allsen (1987)
The Mongol Art of War by T. May (2007)
The Mongols by D. Morgan (2007)
The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteen Century by I. de Rachewiltz (2006)
THE OTTOMAN JANISSARIES
1453: The Fall of Constantinople by S. Runciman (2012)
1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by R. Crowley (2005)
Memoirs of a Janissary by K. Mihailovic (1975)
Ottoman Warfare, 1500–1700 by R. Murphey (1999)
The Janissaries by G. Goodwin (2006)
The Janissaries by D. Nicolle (1995)
The Siege of Constantinople by J. M. Jones (1972)
THE LANDSKNECHTS
Landsknecht Soldier, 1486–1560 by J. Richards (2002)
Pavia 1525: The Climax of the Italian Wars by A. Konstam (1996)
The Landsknechts by D. Miller (1976)
The Landsknechts: German Militiamen from Late XV and XVI Century by L. S. Cristini (2016)
THE NINJA
Hattori Hanzo: The Devil Ninja by A. Cummins (2010)
Iga and Koka Ninja Skills: The Secret Shinobi Scrolls of Chikamatsu Shigenori by A. Cummins and Y. Minami (2013)
More Secrets of the Ninja: Their Training, Tools and Techniques by H. Kuroi (2009)
Ninja: 1,000 Years of the Shadow Warriors by J. Man (2012)
Ninja: The Invisible Assassins by A. Adams (1970)
The Maker of Modern Japan: The Life of Tokugawa Ieyasu by A. L. Sadler (1978)
The Secret Traditions of the Shinobi: Hattori Hanzo’s Shinobi Hiden and Other Ninja Scrolls edited and translated by A. Cummins and Y. Minami (2012)
CROMWELL’S NEW MODEL ARMY
New Model Army, 1645–60 by S. Asquith (1981)
The English Civil War by P. Young and M. Roffe (1973)
Cromwell: Our Chief of Men by A. Fraser (1973)
Cromwell’s War Machine: The New Model Army 1645–1660 by K. Roberts (2005)
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