In the summer of 1779, American Major General John Sullivan marched his 5,000 Continentals into the Finger Lakes region of western New York. Known as Sullivan's Expedition, it was the longest military campaign of the American Revolutionary War. Ordered by General George Washington, this campaign was a direct invasion into the once impenetrable Iroquois Confederacy lands in retaliation for several brutal massacres by British Rangers and their Indian allies. Dur: 43mins File: .mp3

On May 7th 1954 the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu surrendered to Ho Chi Minh's Communist forces. For the last 54 days it had been cut off and the surrender was the culmination of an operation that had seen the French troops almost constantly under-fire for 209 days. Comprehensibly beaten it signaled the end of French Indochina. Dur 22mins File: .mp3

The Late Roman Empire and its successor state, the Byzantine Empire, relied heavily on mercenary units to make up the bulk of their armies, as well as personal bodyguards to the emperors. The Varangian Guard was one such elite unit, forever immortalised in history for their famed "berserk-rage" and unwavering loyalty to the throne. Dur: 37mins File: .mp3

During the American Civil War, the common term used was "sharpshooter", which pays tribute to the Sharps Rifles that were used at the time by civil war snipers. The Sharps rifle was renowned for its long range and accuracy, and they were issued only to the best shots. Dur: 22mins File: .mp3

Now in control of much of the Middle East, the British occupied the land with little thought of the future. The Secretary of State for India had asked her opinion on which way the political winds were blowing among the various constituencies: the educated Sunnis in town, the Shiite majority in the provinces, the large Jewish community in Baghdad, the Christians in Mosul. The British did not know how they would govern the territory and requested the advice of their experts. Dur: 34mins File: .mp3

Jasper, Murray, Mike and Lindsay take a trip down memory lane and revisit Ancient Warfare magazine I.III "Protect thyself. Shields, helmets and armor." 

Starting with why we need armour we take a trip through the ancient world covering arms and armour from the Greeks to the late Roman Empire.

Dur: 51min

In 1918, after years of devastating warfare, the Ottoman Empire finally collapsed and the British, expanding into the Middle East, attempted to control the area. However, the area proved to be too vast and troublesome for the British Empire. Dur: 22mins File: .mp3

The wounding of Joseph Johnston at the battle of Seven Pines in 1862 gave General Lee his first major field command with the Army of North Virginia. The coming year would catapult him to the most prominent soldier in the confederacy and prove his doubters of the previous year wrong...those who had criticism him for his lack of aggression. Dur:34mins File:.mp3

Jasper, Lindsay, Murray and Mike discuss the use of bodyguards from Alexanders men having to prevent him from getting into harm through to being a symbol of power in Rome, and of course a long look at the Pretorian guard.

Robert E Lee commanded the Confederate forces to their defeat during the American civil war and in doing so he created a myth around himself. He was a statesmen, a gentleman, a great commander, keeping overwhelming northern forces at bay for 3 years - an American Hannibal (as it were) fighting a lost cause. In defeat he has become an iconic American hero mentioned in the same breath as George Washington. Dur: 18mins File: .mp3