What Are the Different Types of Military History Articles?

Military history is the history of battles, wars, and armed forces throughout the past, from ancient times to the modern world era of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is the story of how wars have impacted the evolution of world history throughout the ages.

(How to Break Into the Military History Market.) 

This is a subject freelance writers can explore in many ways within military history articles. Historical magazines and websites are open to freelance submissions for various forms of military history articles. These are the more distinct types of military history articles widely included in printed and digital publications.

Battle Articles

Battle articles are the most prevalent military history pieces in magazines and websites. These articles analyze battles in wars throughout the ages. Military history articles about battles are usually chronological narratives that also analyze the events discussed. A battle article most typically covers what happened during a battle and its outcomes. It can also discuss strategic context and tactical methods of a battle from various angles to examine how one side secured victory.

Battle articles at a wider level can cover military operations (or campaigns) fought across larger geographical areas over many months. These articles discuss what happened in the numerous battles for particular operations or military campaigns. Military history articles about operations are broader in scope as they analyze entire campaigns rather than specific battles.

Biographies

Military history biographies are articles about individuals rather than battles. These articles examine the lives of significant military figures from the past. Noteworthy people from war history are typically influential generals, admirals, commanders, or officers of various forms who have had notable impacts on battles or operations from past wars. 

However, military history biographies can also cover political figures who became wartime leaders. Such articles usually focus on the impact of specific individuals on battles, military campaigns, and wider wars.

Comparative Military History

A comparative article compares aspects of military history from different times. For example, comparative articles can compare generals, battles, or military operations from different wars. Such articles seek to explore and identify similarities between military conflicts of different eras. They are articles that analyze military history from a broader perspective.

An example of a comparative military history article title is “Why the Battle of the Bulge Was Comparable to the Kaiserschlacht in 1918.” This was the title of one of my comparative history articles included in Against the Odds magazine. That article examines the similarities between the Battle of the Bulge in 1944 and Germany’s Kaiserschlacht 1918 Spring offensive in World War One.

Alternative Military History

The alternative military history article examines what might have happened if a battle, operation, or entire war had a different outcome. This type of article discusses what really happened, how things could have worked out differently, and the historical implications of an alternative outcome for a battle or war. 

Alternative military history articles usually have titles that ask what-if questions about battles or wars. Although these articles are mainly fictional, they’re still based on historical facts and evidence to form convincing alternative narratives. 

You can read some examples of alternative military history articles on these pages:

• What if Germany Had Won the Battle of the Bulge?
• What if Japan Had Won at Midway?
• What if the Germans Had Won the First World War?
• What if America Had Lost the Revolution?

Historical List Articles

Military history listicles are articles with the list format. They’re articles with numerical list titles that include subheadings for listed content. These articles include lists of battles, generals, admirals, operations, wars, events, facts, dates, weapons, planes, or anything else related to military history. They are usually lists of 10 but can sometimes be smaller. 

Listverse and History Lists (a site I formerly contributed to) are two websites that include military history list articles. These are some examples of the historical list articles on those sites:

• List of 10 Greatest Battles of the Pacific War
• 10 Greatest World War I Generals
• 10 Desperate Last Stands That Ended in Victory
• 10 Forgotten Allies in World War II

Military History News

Some people may get confused about how military history can be news. However, the discovery of the World War Two Musashi battleship wreckage in 2015 is a good example of how military history can become news. The 100th anniversary of the start of World War One in 2014 was also a news topic. Historical discoveries, museum openings, and anniversary events for past wars are newsworthy stories in the present.

Military history news articles cover stories related to wars fought in the past. They’re usually shorter articles that typically range from 150-500 words but can sometimes be longer. Some military history magazines and websites have dedicated news sections filled with these articles.

Museum Reviews

A museum review (or report) is an article that provides an overview of a military history museum and what visitors can see in it. It tells readers about the galleries and displays a military history museum includes and what its biggest highlights are in terms of collections and interactive features. Most military history museum reviews don’t usually give rating scores but can sometimes discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their exhibitions. 

You can read some museum review article examples on these Military History Matters website pages:

• RAF Museum London
• National WWI Museum and Memorial
• Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Visitor Centre

Military History Matters is among the magazines open to freelance submissions for museum review pieces. Note that these articles usually need photographs of museums reviewed. So, don’t forget to bring a camera to the military history museums you visit so you can provide original images for review articles.

Military Ship Histories

Military ships have been an integral part of warfare since ancient times. A military ship history is an article about the exploits of a specific warship in one or more wars. These articles tell readers about the histories of battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and other types of older warships, from construction to service withdrawal or sinking. 

Such articles usually cover the operational histories of warships (primarily the battles or operations they participated in). They also include specifications for warships and discuss their designs.

Historic Aircraft Articles

Military history and aviation magazines include historic aircraft articles about old warplanes used from World War One onwards. These articles are similar to warship histories but cover planes rather than ships. Historic aircraft pieces discuss the designs of military planes and where, when, and how air forces deployed them during their respective conflicts. They can cover all varieties of military planes from the past, such as heavy bombers, fighters, reconnaissance, flying boats, dive bombers, and others.

Some maritime history magazines also cover naval aviation dating back to World War Two. For example, the Naval History magazine has a Historic Aircraft section for aircraft carrier plane histories. Naval History is open to freelance submissions for military ship and naval aircraft articles.

The history of war is a fascinating subject to explore by writing the various types of military history articles discussed above. Military history articles can be about battles, operations, generals, admirals, ships, aircraft, museums, historical discoveries, anniversaries, various weapon types, what-if theories, and more. Thus, the military history article market is quite a diverse one for which there’s no shortage of historical magazines and websites open to freelance submissions.