MHQ Battle Maps
CALVADOS, 1944: When the Allied breakout from the invasion beaches bogged down shortly after D-Day, massive formations of American and British bombers began to pummel German positions-and French cities. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "The Price of Liberation" from the Spring 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
THE CHACO WAR, 1932-1935: Vicious battles with modern weapons, often used against fortified positions, led to nearly 100,000 killed in the three-year-war. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Battle in the Barrens" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
THE CHACO WAR, 1932-1935: Bolivia started the Chaco War to gain access via the Rio Paraguay to the Atlantic Ocean. To do that it's army had to wrest the sparsely populated 100,000-square-mile Gran Chaco from Paraguay. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Battle in the Barrens" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
DEFENDING FAMAGUSTA, 1571: As the defenders of Famagusts manned the ramparts, Pope Pius V and The Holy League were slowly gathering a force of some 200 galleys in Sicily to come to their aid. But the operation was torn by indecision and disagreement; Italian and Spanish soldiers killed on another in Messina and Naples. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Bragadin's Defense" from the Spring 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG July 1-3, 1863: While the first two days of battle at Gettysburg were draws, July 3 ended with a terrible defeat for the Rebels. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Did Lee Doom Himself at Gettysburg?" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
ITALY INVADES GREECE, 1940: Although Italy's surprise attack penetrated 20 miles into Greece in October, within weeks the Greeks turned the tables. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Greek Tragedy" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
ITALIAN AND GERMAN CAMPAIGNS, 1941: In April 1941 the Germans blitzed through Yugoslavia, then rolled down Greece, were held up briefly by the British at Thermopylae, then drove the Allies off the mainland. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Greek Tragedy" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
ISRAELI TERRITORY AFTER THE 1947-1948 CIVIL WAR: By the end of the civil war, Palestine's Jews, who declared the creation of Israel on May 12, 1948, had carved out a defendable state and proven their ability, through strategy and guts, to best far larger Arab forces. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Lashing Back" from the Spring 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
STRATEGIC LAOS, 1959-1965: The Laotian Civil War, spurred on by Washington and Hanoi, opened the door to the war that followed. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Laos: The Road to Vietnam?" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
SUCHET'S SIEGE OF TARRAGONA, 1811: While all of Tarragona was well fortified by the Spanish, General Suchet concluded that he had to take the strongest position, Olivo Fort, and then capture the Lower Town and control the harbor before he could mount a successful attack on the Upper Town. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Taking Tarragona" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
PIRATE PORTS OF THE CARIBBEAN: While half of the small Royal Navy squadron in the Caribbean huddled in Port Royal, pirates led by Benjamin Hornigold took over Nassau and used it as a base of operations from which they could plunder the sea-lanes at will, particularly richly laden merchantmen playing the Straits of Florida. (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com) This map appeared in "Quelling a Pirate Revolt" from the Spring 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
NASEBY, 1645: A hedge, a marshy gully, and the Parliamentarian cavalry would all prove critical to the outcome of the battle. Recent calculations suggest some 13,700 Roundheads faced approximately 10,200 Cavaliers (Map by Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). From the Winter 2010 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
INVASION OF CRETE, 1941: The German plan for the invasion of Crete was simple and bold, Airdrop elite troops on and around its three airports, fly in reinforcements once they fell, send in additional forces by boat. But hasty logistical planning and extremely poor intelligence nearly doomed the operation (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "Dead on Arrival?" from the Winter 2010 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
BATTLE OF ADRIANOPLE, AD 378: At Adrianople the Roman cavalry charged prematurely, setting in motion a chain of attacks and counterattacks resulting in a Roman defeat as complete as that at Cannae in 216 BC (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "Rome’s Disgrace at Adrianople" from the Winter 2010 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
FORAGE FIGHT: The French would have wintered in Warsaw, but hunger and Russian troop maneuvers drew them deep into Prussia (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "The Emperor’s Tipping Point" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
EYLAU'S FORAGE FIGHT: The French would have wintered in Warsaw, but hunger and Russian troop maneuvers drew them deep into Prussia (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "The Emperor’s Tipping Point" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
WARPATH: While Gall was certainly a warrior by training and disposition, it was the constant threats to his hunting grounds by whites that provoked most of the clashes between the Sioux and cavalry (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "Gall’s Last Stand" from the Autumn 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
THE BATTLE OF EYLAU, FEBRUARY 8, 1807: Despite facing a larger Russian army with more than twice the number of cannons, Napoleon chose to attack at Eylau. When repulsed, he then ordered the largest cavalry charge of the era (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "The Emperor’s Tipping Point" from the Summer 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
SHORT WORK AT GALL'S LAST STAND: At around 2:30 p.m., Reno crossed the Little Bighorn and began his doomed attack; Gall crossed Medicine Tail Ford at about 5 p.m. and then helped finish off Custer at Last Stand Hill.(Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "Gall’s Last Stand" from the Autumn 2009 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
THE WINTER WAR, 1939-1940: Finland put up a heroic defense but Russia’s far larger Red Army, under the command of Semyon Timoshenko, prevailed, and extracted nearly a tenth of Finland’s territory for the Soviet Union (Map By Baker Vail, www.bakervail.com). This map appeared in "Mannerheim Draws Lines in the Snow" from the Spring 2010 issue of The Quarterly Journal of Military History.
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