German mistakes included brutality, underestimating the Soviets, and poor decisions. Soviet resilience, unity, and geography thwarted German success.

The Shinano, a Japanese carrier built to replace the carriers Japan lost at the Battle of Midway, was sunk by the US submarine Archerfish during the Japanese carrier's sea trials in November 1944.

Developed in the mid-1930s, the Boeing B-17 outperformed earlier U.S. Army bombers. A reporter named it a "15-ton flying fortress" for its 13 machine guns.

The secret to their great success was both in the design of their composite bow, and the Mongols’ penchant for mounted combat.

In 1894, Japan's fleet overcame China's off the Korean coast, initiating China's "century of humiliation." This victory sparked Japan's half-century dominance as a leading Asian military and naval force.

The Spanish Armada was a formidable naval fleet sent by Catholic Spain in 1588 to invade England and replace Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant, with a Catholic monarch. However, English ships were more agile and had a greater rate of fire; together with favorable weather conditions, this led to the defeat of the Armada.

A team studied 10,000 years of global history and found three key drivers of military technology: population size, non-military advancements, and geographic connectivity.

The Yamato-class warships, two heavily armoured vessels from Japan during World War II, were engineered for triumph in a pivotal naval clash. Their formidable firepower, however, saw limited application in combat due to the prevalence of carrier-based aircraft. In the end, these aircraft were responsible for their sinking.

In June 1942 at the Battle of Midway, the US's successful decryption of Japanese plans proved crucial. This intelligence breakthrough allowed the US to anticipate and strategically counter Japanese moves, leading to a surprise attack and a significant victory.

The author argues the main reasons for failure involve military strength, economic stability, effective governance, cultural assimilation, and adaptability.