Book 44

Pavia 1525

by Angus Konstam

Published 15 November 1996
The battle of Pavia has been hailed as the first modern battle, marking the rise of hand held weapons as a tool of warfare. In this titanic clash the most decisive of the Italian Wars, caused by French territorial ambitions in first the Kingdom of Naples and then the Duchy of Milan the French troops were smashed by the Spanish Imperial Army. King Francis I was captured, and the cream of his nobility slaughtered. France's greatest defeat since Agincourt, the battle dramatically swung the balance of power in Western Europe.

Book 57

San Juan, 1898

by Angus Konstam

Published 30 October 1998
On February 15, 1898 the USS Maine went down with the loss of 260 men, the result of a mysterious explosion in Havana harbor. A naval court of inquiry blamed Spain and on April 25 the US declared war. Angus Konstam's eminently readable study guides us through the clashes at the 'Bloody Ford', the defense of El Caney, and the charge of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry (Teddy Roosevelt's 'Rough Riders') up Kettle Hill -- one event in particular that has entered US military folklore.