Roman military tactics (which revolved around heavy infantry) can be divided up into two distinct periods: before the Marius reforms, and after the Marius reforms (around 100BC). * Pre Marius: In each legion, there would be dozens of maniples consisting of around 120 men each. The heavy infantry of a legion would contain hastati, princeps, and triarii. They would be supported by velites skirmishers, and their flanks would be protected by equites cavalry. The tortoise, hamstringing, the wedge, and vastatio were some of the tactics used at this time, * Post Marius: The basic unit of the military became an enlarged maniple. Now, instead of three distinct heavy infantrymen, they were simply called legionaries. Auxilaries (non-Romans trying to gain citizenship) also played an important support role. For more information, Dictionary of Battles by David Chandler http://www.roman-empire.net/army/tactics.html http://www.unrv.com/empire/marius-reforms-legions.php Miltiary History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine

The Mongols, nomads from the Steppes (north of China), were first united by Genghis Khan in 1206. Genghis Khan led the Mongols across Eurasia via innovative and effective military tactics. * The Mongols were oriented around extreme mobility. They carried their houses with them, drank their own horse's blood to stay alive, and could travel up to 100 miles per day. * The Mongols had an elaborate priority-mail-system which allowed orders to be transmitted rapidly across Eurasia. * Genghis Khan used combined fake retreats with accurate Manguadai Horse Archers to pick off his European enemies. * Genghis Khan slaughtered a few cities, in an attempt to scare all other cities to surrender without a fight. He, being a practical leader, also valued smarts more than bravery. * On occasion, the Mongols also used biological warfare against their enemies (most notably at Kaffa)

Smedley Butler, also known as "The Fighting Quaker" or "Old Gimlet Eye", was an outspoken member of the Marine Corps in the early part of the 20th century. He served in many parts of the world including Central America, the Caribbean, and the Far East. His many acts of heroism include: * Tientsin: Butler and five other men carried a wounded officer 17-miles through heavy fire to get the officer medical attention. The four enlisted men in the group were award the Medal of Honor (officers were ineligible). * Veracruz: Butler became one of the 56 men awarded the Medal of Honor for service in occupying Veracruz, Mexico. * Haiti: Butler led a counterattack against a numerically superior number of Cacos Rebels. He also led an assault into a Cacos rebel fortress, earning him his second medal of honor. * Butler exposed a coup (proposed by industrialists and bankers), thereby preserving FDR's presidency. For more information, read Military History Magazine (February 2003) Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine

The following four topics are all stands by the US military. This is just a small selection of famous stands since there are many more (some of which will be mentioned in a future episode). * Alamo (1836): Lt. Col. Travis leads the Texian defense of the Alamo against a numerically superior foe, the Mexicans led by Santa Anna. The Texians cannot hold and every male is killed. * Little Bighorn (1876): Lt. Col. Custer underestimates the Lakota/Cheyenne forces in the area (under the leadership of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull). Custer is overwhelmed and all of his men are killed. * Khe Sanh (1968): The US military base near the border of North and South Vietnam is besieged by numerically superior NVA forces. Using heavy bombers, the US troops break the siege and damage the NVA significantly. * Mogadishu (1993): Operation Restore Hope in Somalia suffers a major defeat when special forces groups executing "Operation Gothic Serpent" are trapped in the city. After a horrendous night of fighting, they are rescued by UN forces. For more information, read Armchair General Magazine (January 2005) Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine

The Battle of Pharsalus was fought in Greece in 48BC. The two combatants were Caesar and Pompey, the two greatest generals of the Roman Republic (they were also the last). Despite Rome being famous for its invulnerable legions, the battle was decided by cavalry. More specifically, Caesar won the battle after he defied Pompey's massive cavalry charge. Caesar then proceeded to become dictator for life of Rome, consequently starting the Roman Empire. For more information, read Military History Podcast (February 2001): Battle of Pharsalus Military History Podcast is sponsored by Armchair General Magazine