Timothy Heck is a supervisory historian with Naval History and Heritage Command. Previously, he was the deputy editorial director at The Modern War Institute at West Point, based at the United States Military Academy, where he was also an assistant professor in the Defense and Strategic Studies program. Supervisors: Marcus Faulkner, PhD, and Keith Carter
Hitler’s Atrocities Against Allied PoWs cannot be regarded as an academic study of the fate await... more Hitler’s Atrocities Against Allied PoWs cannot be regarded as an academic study of the fate awaiting captured Allied servicemen and women. Its narrow focus, socio-political goal, and limited engagement with the historiography prevent it from serving as more than a survey text or springboard. Chinnery attempts to tie the individual fates to a larger argument that the German armed forces and their security force compatriots were systematically responsible for the abuses described in the book. While the individual cases are compelling and some have a clear connection to explicit policies, the book does not succeed in linking its other examples to a larger line of reasoning
Perhaps no prediction has been as consistently made—and as consistently wrong—as the imminent dea... more Perhaps no prediction has been as consistently made—and as consistently wrong—as the imminent death of amphibious operations. Whatever the changes in warfare and technology, the necessity of amphibious force projection endures, long outliving those who claim its time has passed. Changes in how amphibious operations are conducted, however, are just as consistent. This essential contributed volume arrives at a vital point of transition. These essays highlight both changes and continuities, examining historical amphibious operations as early as the sixteenth century to the near future, describing both lesser-known cases and offering more nuanced views of famous campaigns, such as Gallipoli and Normandy. With the release of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, this volume gives historians, theorists, and practitioners an opportunity to ground the coming changes in the historical context as they seek to find out what it takes to win on contested shores.
The Balkan theater of World War II was a small war in the midst of a grand conflict. Competing re... more The Balkan theater of World War II was a small war in the midst of a grand conflict. Competing resistance groups, Dragoljub “Draža” Mihailovic’s royalist Chetniks and Tito’s Partisans, Communist re...
Author’s Note: Thanks to Margaret Harrison at Joint Forces Staff College, Col. William Wyman, and... more Author’s Note: Thanks to Margaret Harrison at Joint Forces Staff College, Col. William Wyman, and H.G.W. Davie for source material and translation assistance. Thanks to Maj. Craig Pachlhofer (USAF) for his editorial input and advice. Innovation remains a buzz word throughout modern military culture. Typically, the notion of innovation carries a requirement to develop new weapons, gadgets or munitions. However, innovation begins in the cognitive domain. Ideas are the birthplace for creating new solutions to old problems or finding new uses for old tools. When exploring ideas, reviewing the past, even analyzing a competitors’ tactics, may provide readily available solutions without the necessity to procure new hardware. Reviewing the historical uses of Soviet and U.S. artillery brings to light the possi-
Hitler’s Atrocities Against Allied PoWs cannot be regarded as an academic study of the fate await... more Hitler’s Atrocities Against Allied PoWs cannot be regarded as an academic study of the fate awaiting captured Allied servicemen and women. Its narrow focus, socio-political goal, and limited engagement with the historiography prevent it from serving as more than a survey text or springboard. Chinnery attempts to tie the individual fates to a larger argument that the German armed forces and their security force compatriots were systematically responsible for the abuses described in the book. While the individual cases are compelling and some have a clear connection to explicit policies, the book does not succeed in linking its other examples to a larger line of reasoning
Perhaps no prediction has been as consistently made—and as consistently wrong—as the imminent dea... more Perhaps no prediction has been as consistently made—and as consistently wrong—as the imminent death of amphibious operations. Whatever the changes in warfare and technology, the necessity of amphibious force projection endures, long outliving those who claim its time has passed. Changes in how amphibious operations are conducted, however, are just as consistent. This essential contributed volume arrives at a vital point of transition. These essays highlight both changes and continuities, examining historical amphibious operations as early as the sixteenth century to the near future, describing both lesser-known cases and offering more nuanced views of famous campaigns, such as Gallipoli and Normandy. With the release of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, this volume gives historians, theorists, and practitioners an opportunity to ground the coming changes in the historical context as they seek to find out what it takes to win on contested shores.
The Balkan theater of World War II was a small war in the midst of a grand conflict. Competing re... more The Balkan theater of World War II was a small war in the midst of a grand conflict. Competing resistance groups, Dragoljub “Draža” Mihailovic’s royalist Chetniks and Tito’s Partisans, Communist re...
Author’s Note: Thanks to Margaret Harrison at Joint Forces Staff College, Col. William Wyman, and... more Author’s Note: Thanks to Margaret Harrison at Joint Forces Staff College, Col. William Wyman, and H.G.W. Davie for source material and translation assistance. Thanks to Maj. Craig Pachlhofer (USAF) for his editorial input and advice. Innovation remains a buzz word throughout modern military culture. Typically, the notion of innovation carries a requirement to develop new weapons, gadgets or munitions. However, innovation begins in the cognitive domain. Ideas are the birthplace for creating new solutions to old problems or finding new uses for old tools. When exploring ideas, reviewing the past, even analyzing a competitors’ tactics, may provide readily available solutions without the necessity to procure new hardware. Reviewing the historical uses of Soviet and U.S. artillery brings to light the possi-
On Contested Shores: The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare (Volume 2), 2024
The second volume of On Contested Shores builds on the success and reception of the first, provid... more The second volume of On Contested Shores builds on the success and reception of the first, providing historians, theorists, and especially practitioners with a new resource to explore the history and the future of amphibious operations.
This second volume arrives as the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 effort reaches a faster pace under a new Commandant. New original scholarship and research provides readers with a wealth of examples, new information about historical case studies, and deeper examinations of a wider array of amphibious issues. No other volume or set on amphibious operations provide such a diverse array of case studies and insights by leading researchers from around the world.
Since the release of the first volume, shores are newly contested in Ukraine and in the Red Sea, and preparations for a potential amphibious invasion of Taiwan have reached a fevered pitch. This second volume digs deeper into the epic history of amphibious operations and provides more insights into how they can be executed in the future.
Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences, 2023
Battlefields are dynamic. In large-scale combat operations, opposing forces seek to gain control ... more Battlefields are dynamic. In large-scale combat operations, opposing forces seek to gain control of terrain, to outmaneuver one another, and to employ combined arms to gain positional advantage. The objective, much more often than not, is to advance. When one side is successful, that means retreat, withdrawal, or evacuation is likely for the other. Studying those armies who suffer the ignominy of retreat, then, is crucial to understanding war and command.
Enduring Success: Consolidation of Gains in Large-Scale Combat Operations, 2022
Chapter in "Enduring Success: Consolidation of Gains in Large-Scale Combat Operations" (eds. Eric... more Chapter in "Enduring Success: Consolidation of Gains in Large-Scale Combat Operations" (eds. Eric Burke and Donald Wright, Army University Press)
Compared to the war against the Germans, the Soviet campaign against the Japanese in August 1945 was relatively short. Described by one Soviet source as a “short purifying storm,” the month-long campaign not only assisted the Western Allies to defeat Japanese forces in northeast Asia but also had a significant strategic impact on the Cold War and the Asian continent. Despite its importance, the campaign is often left out of the Western historiography of the final effort to destroy the Japanese Empire, which focuses on the concurrent Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and subsequent Japanese surrender. In only a few weeks, Soviet forces of the Far Eastern Command penetrated hundreds of miles into Manchuria, while also executing multiple amphibious and airborne operations on the Korean Peninsula, Sakhalin Island, and the Kurile Islands. The rapid collapse of the Japanese military and subsequent surrender required Soviet forces to consolidate gains, something for which they were relatively unprepared as they advanced. In the second half of August, Soviet forces raced to seize as much territory as possible in the face of sporadic and scattered Japanese resistance. The Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation offers an ideal case study of how rapid strategic and operational thrusts require planning and forethought to successfully consolidate gains.
Perhaps no prediction has been as consistently made—and as consistently wrong—as the imminent dea... more Perhaps no prediction has been as consistently made—and as consistently wrong—as the imminent death of amphibious operations. Whatever the changes in warfare and technology, the necessity of amphibious force projection endures, long outliving those who claim its time has passed. Changes in how amphibious operations are conducted, however, are just as consistent. This essential contributed volume arrives at a vital point of transition. These essays highlight both changes and continuities, examining historical amphibious operations as early as the sixteenth century to the near future, describing both lesser-known cases and offering more nuanced views of famous campaigns, such as Gallipoli and Normandy. With the release of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, this volume gives historians, theorists, and practitioners an opportunity to ground the coming changes in the historical context as they seek to find out what it takes to win on contested shores.
InterPopulum: The Journal of Special Operations and Irregular Warfare, 2023
Book review of "Death in the Highlands: The Siege of Special Forces Camp Plei Mei" by J. Keith Sa... more Book review of "Death in the Highlands: The Siege of Special Forces Camp Plei Mei" by J. Keith Saliba
(Re-) Learning the Lessons of War: Lessons from the Black Sea, 2024
An examination of the Russo-Ukrainian naval war (2014-present) presented to the Kiel Internationa... more An examination of the Russo-Ukrainian naval war (2014-present) presented to the Kiel International Seapower Symposium.
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Timothy G. Heck and Walker D. Mills edited volume Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Conse... more N Timothy G. Heck and Walker D. Mills edited volume Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences (Army UP, 2023) is an extensive collection of essays by military history academics regarding the subject of retreat. Illustrated with maps and photographs throughout the text. An important study for any serious scholar of military history and strategy.
Not all armies are victorious. Some suffer defeat and are force to retreat. What happens? Timothy... more Not all armies are victorious. Some suffer defeat and are force to retreat. What happens? Timothy Heck and Walther Mills seek to balance the historical and practical narrative, giving listeners a better understanding of why, how, and when armies retreat and explore what to expect when the unexpected happens. They are joined Dr. Katharine S. Dahlstrand and also discuss how and why they developed this collection of articles on a topic often poorly discussed in U.S. doctrinal manuals.
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This second volume arrives as the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030 effort reaches a faster pace under a new Commandant. New original scholarship and research provides readers with a wealth of examples, new information about historical case studies, and deeper examinations of a wider array of amphibious issues. No other volume or set on amphibious operations provide such a diverse array of case studies and insights by leading researchers from around the world.
Since the release of the first volume, shores are newly contested in Ukraine and in the Red Sea, and preparations for a potential amphibious invasion of Taiwan have reached a fevered pitch. This second volume digs deeper into the epic history of amphibious operations and provides more insights into how they can be executed in the future.
Compared to the war against the Germans, the Soviet campaign against the Japanese in August 1945 was relatively short. Described by one Soviet source as a “short purifying storm,” the month-long campaign not only assisted the Western Allies to defeat Japanese forces in northeast Asia but also had a significant strategic impact on the Cold War and the Asian continent. Despite its importance, the campaign is often left out of the Western historiography of the final effort to destroy the Japanese Empire, which focuses on the concurrent Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and subsequent Japanese surrender. In only a few weeks, Soviet forces of the Far Eastern Command penetrated hundreds of miles into Manchuria, while also executing multiple amphibious and airborne operations on the Korean Peninsula, Sakhalin Island, and the Kurile Islands. The rapid collapse of the Japanese military and subsequent surrender required Soviet forces to consolidate gains, something for which they were relatively unprepared as they advanced. In the second half of August, Soviet forces raced to seize as much territory as possible in the face of sporadic and scattered Japanese resistance. The Manchurian Strategic Offensive Operation offers an ideal case study of how rapid strategic and operational thrusts require planning and forethought to successfully consolidate gains.
Timothy G. Heck and Walker D. Mills edited volume Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences (Army UP, 2023) is an extensive collection of essays by military history academics regarding the subject of retreat. Illustrated with maps and photographs throughout the text. An important study for any serious scholar of military history and strategy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcZCFQzWt64&ab_channel=AHCFoundation