Secrets of Warfare: Exposing the Myths and Hidden History of Weapons and Battles

Secrets of Warfare examines the actual history of combat from Ancient Greece and Rome through WWII and Vietnam, revealing lesser-known facts and correcting widespread misconceptions. While many know of the Civil War battle between the ironclad warships Monitor and Merrimac, few are aware of the airship Dr. Solomon Andrews proposed to Abraham Lincoln during that same conflict. Historian William Weir addresses numerous myths about warfare that have shaped public understanding, some deliberately created and others perpetuated through ignorance or bias. The book covers topics including the claimed military superiority of Western nations in antiquity, the English longbow's actual capabilities, the early use of submarines before World War I, the deadliest American air raids of World War II, and the disputed attack on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.