By the winter of 1807, Napoleon had defeated – and essentially conquered – both Austria and Prussia in two stunning years of one-sided warfare across Central Europe. Only tsarist Russia remained on the battlefield opposing the French emperor.

He didn’t always win. Despite his tactical genius and repeated ability to beat the odds and pull off a victory, even Frederick the Great was beatable. After all, he spent nearly 24 years leading his kingdom in near continuous warfare.

In the decades before the American Civil War, several (mostly southern-born) filibusterers – those who wage illegal, extra-national invasions of other countries – led expeditions to conquer Mexico and several Central American republics.

After losing New York City in summer and fall 1776, Washington’s Continental Army managed two unexpected victories over the British at Trenton and Princeton. This raised the hopes and expectations of Congress.

Operation DRAGOON, the code name for the Allied invasion of Southern France, was initially planned for simultaneous execution with the Normandy landings on D-Day (6 June 1944). However, resource constraints delayed execution until mid-August.