Compact Warfare

The first major battle of the English Civil War was supposed to help decide who controlled England. Instead, it revealed how long and destructive the conflict might become.

On 23 October 1642, the Royalist army of King Charles I confronted the Earl of Essex’s Parliamentarian forces near Kineton in Warwickshire. Prince Rupert’s cavalry swept its opponents from the field, but the pursuit left the Royalist infantry dangerously exposed. The fighting that followed saw the Royal Standard captured and recovered, senior commanders killed or wounded and both armies struggling to maintain order as darkness descended.

In this episode of Compact Warfare, we examine the road to civil war, the race towards Edgehill, the dramatic cavalry charges and the confused outcome of a battle that both sides claimed to have won.

Listen now on the website or wherever you get your podcasts.

On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland from three directions. Sixteen days later, the Soviet Union entered from the east.

The latest episode of Compact Warfare follows the crisis that led to invasion, the opening German attacks, Poland’s determined resistance at Westerplatte and the River Bzura, the siege of Warsaw and the division of the country between two occupying powers.

The campaign lasted little more than five weeks, but it began a conflict that would transform the world.

Listen to The Invasion of Poland: https://compacthistories.com/warfare/the-invasion-of-poland/

A new episode of Compact Warfare is now available.

On 20 September 1792, a Prussian-led coalition army confronted the forces of revolutionary France near the village of Valmy. The battle was dominated by artillery fire and produced relatively few casualties, but its political and military consequences changed the course of European history.

Discover the story of The Battle of Valmy in this episode of Compact Warfare.

In May 1097, the armies of the First Crusade surrounded Nicaea, the heavily fortified capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm. Its walls resisted repeated attacks, while Lake Ascanius allowed the defenders to maintain contact with the outside world.

The solution involved siege engines, mining operations, a battle against Sultan Kilij Arslan and Byzantine ships transported overland to complete the blockade. The city’s eventual surrender delivered an important victory, but it also exposed growing mistrust between the crusaders and Emperor Alexios I.

Discover the full story in our new episode of Compact Warfare, The Siege of Nicaea.

For nearly six years, the shipping routes across the Atlantic became the setting for one of the most important campaigns of the Second World War.

German U-boats hunted the merchant ships carrying food, fuel, weapons and raw materials to Britain, while Allied escorts, aircraft and codebreakers fought to keep the convoys moving. From the wolf packs and Operation Paukenschlag to the closing of the Mid-Atlantic Gap and Black May 1943, discover how the Allies finally defeated the U-boat offensive.

Listen to The Battle of the Atlantic, a new episode of Compact Warfare.

The American Revolution did not begin with a declaration. It began with an overnight march, a spreading alarm and a shot whose source remains uncertain.

In this episode of Compact Warfare, we follow the British expedition sent to seize colonial military supplies at Concord on 19 April 1775. We examine the first clash at Lexington, the organised colonial response at North Bridge and the punishing running battle that followed as the exhausted regulars retreated towards Boston.

Listen now to The Battles of Lexington and Concord.

In 878, Alfred the Great was pushed to the edge. Guthrum’s Viking army had seized Chippenham, Wessex was close to collapse, and Alfred had been driven into the marshes of Somerset.

But from Athelney, he rebuilt his resistance, gathered the fyrd, and marched to meet the Vikings at Edington.

This episode looks at the crisis, the battle, and the peace that followed, showing why Edington became one of the defining moments in the survival of Wessex and the future story of England.

https://compacthistories.com/warfare/the-battle-of-edington/

The Battle of Wakefield was one of the most dramatic turning points in the Wars of the Roses.

In December 1460, Richard, Duke of York, seemed closer than ever to the English throne. Parliament had named him heir to Henry VI, but Queen Margaret of Anjou and the Lancastrian faction had no intention of accepting it. Near Sandal Castle, York marched out to face his enemies, and the result was disaster.

This episode looks at the politics, the battlefield, the deaths, and the consequences of a battle that helped turn a succession crisis into a fight for the crown itself.

https://compacthistories.com/warfare/the-battle-of-wakefield/