Every soldier knows that geography is destiny. From the grandest of grand strategy to the smallest of small unit tactics, the 'lay of the land' has always been a key factor in military operations, whether in determining the outcome of a single hard-fought engagement of shaping the course of an entire war. Over the ages, armies have fought across every kind of terrain on earth, and in their fascinating study some of our foremost military historians explore the critical role of geography in 38 exemplary battles drawn from 25 centuries of armed conflict.

Includes index. Includes maps of: Battlegrounds; Alexander at Issus, 333 B.C.; Custer Battlefield; [Battle for Egypt - El Alamein]; Balaklava, Russia, 1854; Cedar Creek, Virginia, 1864; Alexander at Hydaspes, 326 B.C.; Russian Campaign, 1812 - March of Napoleon to Moscow; Arnhem, Holland, 1944; Malta, 1566; Crete; Iwo Jima, 1945; Teutoburg Forest, 1899; Battlefield of Chancellorsville, 1863; Belleau Wood, 1920; Marathon, Greece, 490 B.C.; Gallipoli, 1936; Tarawa, Gilbert Islands; Masada, Israel, 73 A.D.; Little Round Top, Gettysburg, 1863; Vimy Ridge, France, 1917; Peleliu, 1944; Monte Cassino, Italy, 1944; North Korea, 1950; Khe Sanh, Vietnam, 1968; Sudan, 1898, Battle of Omdurman; Kuwait/Iraq, 1991; Buna, New Guinea, 1942-43; Southeast Asia, 1965; Thermopylae, Greece, 480 B.C.; Kasserine Pass, Tunisia, 1943; Salamis, Greece, 480 B.C.; Battle of the Nile, Egypt, 1798; Mobile Bay, Alabama, 1864; Yorktown, Virginia, 1791; Bataan, Philippines, 1942; Passchendaele, Belgium, 1917; Verdun, France, 1916; Stalingrad, Russia, 1942-43.

Introduction /|r Robert Cowley --Editor's note /|r Michael Stephenson -- 1. Plains: Alexander at Issus, Turkey, 333 B.C. /|r Matthew Bennett --|t A good day to die, the Little Big Horn, Montana, 1876 /|r Bryan Perrett --|t The end of the beginning, El Alamein, Egypt, 1942 /|r Bryan Perrett -- 2. Valleys: Death ride, Balaklava, Russia, 1854 /|r Ian Castle --|t Jubal Early in the Shenandoah, Cedar Creek, Virginia, 1864 /|r Gary Gallagher -- 3. Rivers: Alexander at the Hydaspes, India, 326 B.C. /|r Matthew Bennett --|t Crossing the Berezina, Russia, 1812 /|r Philip Haythornthwaite --|t "A drop too many," Arnhem, Holland, 1944 /|r Peter A. Huchthausen -- 4. Islands: Crusaders' last stand, the Great Siege of Malta, 1565 /|r Bryan Perrett --|t Out of the blue, Crete, Greece, 1941 /|r Will Fowler --|t Sulfur Island, Iwo Jima, 1945 /|r Colonel Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.) -- 5. Woods and forest: The massacre of the legions, Teutoburg Forest, Germany, A.D. 9 /|r Bryan Perrett --|t Into the wilderness, Chancellorsville, 1863 /|r Gary Gallagher --|t Devil dogs, Belleau Wood, France 1918 /|r Agostino von Hassell -- 6. Coasts: Beachhead victory, Marathon, Greece, 490 B.C. /|r Matthew Bennett --|t Buried on the beaches, Gallipoli, 1915 /|r Peter A. Huchthausen --|t A bloody brawl, Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, 1943 /|r Agostino von Hassell -- 7. Highground: Hills, mountains, ridges: The chosen few, Masada, Israel, A.D. 73-74 /|r Matthew Bennett --|t "Fix bayonets," the Little Round Top, Gettysburg, 1863 /|r Gary Gallagher --|t The Canadians' great assault, Vimy Ridge, France, 1917 /|r Nigel Cave --|t Haunted highlands, "Bloody Nose Ridge," Peleliu, 1944 /|r Colonel Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.) --|t Crown of thorns, Monte Cassino, Italy, 1944 /|r Stephen Badsey --|t Frozen Chosin, North Korea, 1950 /|r Colonel Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.) --|t Jungle highlands, the Siege of Khe Sanh, Vietnam, 1968 /|r Colonel Joseph H. Alexander, USMC (Ret.) -- 8. Desert: A desert storm. Omdurman, Sudan, 1898 /|r Bryan Perrett --|t Fire storm: Desert saber, Kuwait/Iraq, 1991 /|r Will Fowler -- 9. Jungle: New Guinea nightmare, Buna, Papua, New Guinea, 1942-43 /|r Eric Bergerud --|t Find, fix, and destroy, the Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam, 1965 /|r Eric Bergerud -- 10. Passes: Leonidas' last stand, Thermopylae, Greece, 480 B.C. /|r Matthew Bennett --|t The blooding, Kasserine Pass, Tunisia, 1943 /|r Bryan Perrett -- 11. Bays and harbors: Ambush in the straits, Salamis, Greece, 480 B.C. /|r Matthew Bennett --|t Nelson at the Battle of the Nile, Egypt, 1798 /|r Philip Haythornthwaite --|t "Damn the torpedoes," Admiral Farragut at Mobile Bay, 1864 /|r Gary Gallagher --|g 12. Peninsulas: "The world turned upside down," Yorktown, Virginia, 1781 /|r Ian Knight --|t The battling bastards, Bataan, Philippines, 1941-42 /|r Michael Stephenson -- 13. The geography of hell: "The abomination of desolation," Passchendaele, Belgium, 1917 /|r Stephen Badsey --|t "They shall not pass," Verdun, France, 1916 /|r Stephen Badsey --|t City of the dead, Stalingrad, Russia, 1942-44 /|r Will Fowler.