The History Network
The military history podcast specialists, looking at all aspects of war through the ages.

The military performance of an army is not just dependant on numbers:- the men need to be fed, equipped, quartered, transported (the list goes on). If you can deprive your opponent of these elements you can degrade his fighting ability. The policy of Scorched Earth denies your opponent of anything useful in the area they are passing through (either in attack or retreat), this can include burning of crops, ripping up rail lines or destroying buildings anything of any use is destroyed. Dur: 22 mins File: .mp3

Direct download: 1403_Scorched_Earth.mp3
Category:military -- posted at: 1:26pm UTC

The Dacian Wars of Domitian and Trajan

The Dacians lived in modern day Romania, they had long been a threat along the borders of the Roman Empire. In 101AD Trajan launched the first of two campaigns against Dacia, eventually it would become a Roman province. Though poorly documented the conflict is celebrated on Trajans column in the centre of Rome, providing a spiralling view of the campaign, and at Adamclisi (in modern day Romania) which depicts brutal fighting between Roman Legionaries and Dacian warriors.

Jasper, Josho, Michael and Lindsay discuss how these actions fit in with other actions along Romans frontiers, a look at arms and armour, the lack of sources when looking at the campaign and we take a look at Trajan himself.

Dur: 37min

Direct download: The_Dacian_Wars_of_Domitian_and_Trajan.mp3
Category:Ancient Warfare Magazine -- posted at: 12:00pm UTC

In 53 B.C. a Roman army confronted a force one quarter its strength yet suffered Rome's bloodiest defeat in more than a hundred years. The Battle of Carrhae pitted 40,000 Roman soldiers against an army of a mere 10,000 of the Parthian Empire on the sands of Mesopotamia. The humiliating loss rippled through Rome and crumbled the fragile foundation of the Republic; from this rubble rose the Roman Empire. And the disaster of Carrhae, and the folly leading to it, would write a bloody epitaph of the Roman commander, Marcus Licinius Crassus. Dur: 32mins File: .mp3

Direct download: 1402_Battle_of_Carrhae.mp3
Category:military -- posted at: 12:36pm UTC