In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with historian and author Alexander S. Burns about his book Infantry in Battle, 1733–1783.

Burns challenges the long-standing myth that 18th-century infantry were rigid automatons following rote drill. Instead, his work reveals a far more dynamic reality — one where soldiers and officers constantly negotiated tactics, adapted to terrain, and shaped the outcome of battles from the ground up.

The discussion spans from the battlefields of northern Italy to the American War of Independence, tracing how ordinary soldiers fought, took initiative, and learned within the chaos of war. Burns also shares insights from rare soldier letters uncovered in archives across Europe, illustrating how men thought, moved, and survived under fire.

Finally, he previews his upcoming projects, including new studies on George Washington’s army and the Duke of Cumberland’s campaigns.

Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

Infantry in Battle 1733–1783

Blog: Kabinettskriege

X: https://x.com/kkriegeblog

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/kabinettskriege.bsky.social

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with writer and historian Gabriel Neville, author of The Last Men Standing: The 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolution.

Gabriel shares the remarkable story of one of Virginia’s most distinctive regiments — a force shaped by frontier experience, cultural diversity, and the harsh realities of early American warfare.

Drawing on two decades of research, Neville discusses how he pieced together a narrative many believed impossible to write, uncovering forgotten diaries, service records, and pension accounts to tell the full story of the 8th Virginia.

From brutal frontier battles and disease-ravaged campaigns to the human cost of revolution, the conversation brings to light a side of the war rarely seen — one defined not by founding fathers, but by the ordinary soldiers who endured it.

Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

The Last Men Standing: The 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolution

Gabriel Neville — 8thVirginia.com

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with aerospace engineer, pilot, and author Bill Norton about his groundbreaking new series Air-to-Air Missiles: Development and Combat Across 80 Years.

Drawing on decades of experience in flight testing and aeronautical engineering, Bill explores the evolution of guided air combat weapons—from their World War II prototypes to the latest fifth and sixth generation systems shaping modern aerial warfare.

The discussion breaks down how air-to-air missiles work, why they sometimes miss, and how human factors, technology, and combat conditions interact in the chaos of real engagements. Bill also reflects on current challenges, from counter-drone warfare to escalating defense costs, and previews the six-volume series that comprehensively covers eight decades of innovation, testing, and combat experience.

Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

Air-to-Air Missiles Vol. 1: Technology, Development and Operation

Air-to-Air Missiles Vol. 2: First Generation and Early Experiences 1944–1967

Bill Norton on LinkedIn

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with historian Glenn Price, author of Soldiers and Civilians, Transport and Provisions: Early Modern Military Logistics and Supply Systems during the British Civil Wars 1638–1653.

Glenn discusses the often-overlooked world of logistics and supply during the British Civil Wars, exploring how armies were fed, equipped, and kept moving amid the chaos of seventeenth-century warfare.

The conversation sheds light on the human and operational realities behind campaigns — from food shortages and transport systems to regional supply variations and the civilian toll of sustaining armies in the field. Glenn also explains why the Royalists’ logistical struggles may have been overstated and how supply lines, local productivity, and coastal transport shaped the outcome of these conflicts.

Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

Soldiers and Civilians, Transport and Provisions: Early Modern Military Logistics and Supply Systems during the British Civil Wars 1638–1653

Glenn Price on X

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with historian Karen Horn, author of Bold in Battle: South African Stories from the Second World War. Karen shares how her work brings to life the overlooked experiences of South African volunteers who served across Africa and Europe — men and women whose stories have long remained in the margins of military history.

Drawing on personal diaries, letters, and firsthand accounts, Karen discusses the human side of war — from the courage of ordinary soldiers and POWs to the quiet sacrifices of families back home. She also reflects on South Africa’s complex culture of remembrance, the challenges of commemoration, and the importance of preserving these voices for future generations.

Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

Bold in Battle: South African Stories from the Second World War

Karen Horn on Instagram

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

In this episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia speaks with historian and author Michael Fredholm von Essen about his new two-volume series Whiskey on the Rocks — an in-depth exploration of a tense Cold War standoff between the Soviet Union and Sweden.

Michael recounts the extraordinary events of October 1981, when a Soviet Whiskey-class submarine ran aground near a major Swedish naval base, sparking a ten-day diplomatic and military crisis. He explains how misunderstandings, high-stakes decisions, and Cold War paranoia shaped the incident — and how newly declassified documents reveal what really happened beneath the surface.

The conversation also looks ahead to his sequel volume, which follows the continuing confrontation and near-miss moments that could have drawn both sides into open conflict. Helion Talks releases new episodes once a month, featuring discussions with leading military historians and authors.

Links:

Whiskey on the Rocks Vol. 1 – A Soviet Submarine Stranded in Swedish Waters (1981)

Whiskey on the Rocks Vol. 2 – The Swedish–Soviet Confrontation (1981)

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

In this inaugural episode of Helion Talks, host Tony Garcia sits down with Helion & Company founder and CEO Duncan Rogers to explore the origins of one of the world’s leading military history publishers. Duncan shares how his lifelong passion for military history evolved into the founding of Helion in 1996, and how that passion continues to drive the company today.

They discuss the evolution of Helion’s hallmark series — from Century of the Soldier to At War — and how these collections have built a global readership across eras and regions. Duncan also talks about Helion’s commitment to giving voice to overlooked stories, from South Africa to Sweden, and fostering international collaboration through partnerships like the new Underground Strategy series.

Helion Talks will release new episodes once a month, featuring conversations with authors and historians from around the world.

Links:

Helion & Co: https://www.helion.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helionbooks/

X: https://x.com/Helionbooks

Produced and hosted for Helion & Co by UGS — https://undergroundstrategy.com

Music: ‘Legionnaire’ by Scott Buckley — released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

A small state, big pressures—Botswana built its army late and cautiously.

In this season finale, we sit down with Bafumiki Mocheregwa, a historian and academic at the University of Southern Mississippi who studies the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) and Southern African military history.

The conversation explores how Botswana built its armed forces late—only in 1977—after relying for years on the Police Mobile Unit. We cover how the BDF grew under financial and political constraints, its complicated role during the Rhodesian Bush War and apartheid, and its later peacekeeping deployments to Somalia, Mozambique, and Lesotho.

This isn’t a neat story. It’s a patchwork of half-forgotten history, regional pressures, and unanswered questions about how a small, cautious state tried to manage the chaos around it.

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The BDF in the Struggle for an African Environment - https://amzn.to/3IAvkor

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