Military History Matters 151
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Charlemagne: King, conqueror, emperor
In the first part of our special feature for this issue, Stephen Roberts traces the life of this extraordinary individual; while in the second part, he looks in more detail at Charlemagne’s victory at Pavia, which helped him establish the foundations of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Siege of Pavia: Defeating the Lombards, 773-774
In the second part of our special, Stephen Roberts reveals how a key victory helped Charlemagne establish the foundations for the Holy Roman Empire.
The Facemaker: one surgeon’s battle to mend the disfigured soldiers of World War I
REVIEW BY CALUM HENDERSON. William Vicarage was just 20 years old when he sustained severe cordite burns aboard HMS Malaya during the Battle of Jutland in 1916. As well as extensive wounds
New gallery explores the Queen’s relationship with the armed forces
It draws on the museum’s extensive image archive to chart the monarch’s experiences of war, from growing up in the early 1940s to her continuing official duties as Head of the British Armed Forces.
Last surviving D-Day ration pack discovered
Originally found in 2006, the sealed ration pack was mistakenly identified as an artefact from the 1950s.
The Red and the Blue: when Britain and the US almost went to war in 1862
Britain and the US have not always enjoyed a ‘special relationship’. During the 19th century, relations between the two were often tense. William Stroock looks at a moment when war came close.
Research project announced into royal shipwreck discovered off Norfolk coast
Due to her age and prestige, the condition of the wreck, and the accident’s political context, the discovery has been described as the most important British maritime find since that of Mary Rose in 1971.
Roland Penrose, ‘camouflage evangelist’
‘The tendency in warfare up to very recent times,’ wrote Roland Penrose in his 1941 book The Home Guard Manual of Camouflage, ‘has been to rely on sheer strength and even ostentation
The BBC at war
This year marks the centenary of the birth of the BBC. To celebrate, Taylor Downing looks at how the Corporation came of age during the Second World War.
Berlin: life and loss in the city that shaped the century
Covering the period from the end of the Great War to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, this is a well-researched and very detailed book
War of words – ‘Bazooka’
A signature piece of kit for American GIs in World War II, the bazooka was a tubular, shoulder-fired, 2.36-inch rocket launcher. It fired a projectile bearing a shaped-charge warhead, which contained a
Ancient ceramic vessels were used as hand grenades, analysis suggests
Four pot sherds found between 1961 and 1967 in the Armenian Garden, located within the walled Old City of Jerusalem, were studied as part of the research.
Military History Matter 128
MHM 128 Competition and Crossword
Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition and crossword
War Classics: On War (Vom Kriege)
Patrick Mercer recalls one of the great works of military history.
Military History events, exhibitions, and galleries in summer 2022
A round-up of some of the best military history events and exhibitions to check out in 2022, including a new exhibition at the Imperial War Museum.
Rare suits of Japanese samurai armour go on display together for the first time
The collection forms part of a new exhibition, Japan: courts and culture, which is being shown at the Queen’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace.
Women War Photographers
Calum Henderson explores the lives and works of war photographers Gerda Taro, Endre Friedmann, Françoise Demulder, Anja Niedringhaus, Lee Miller, and Catherine Leroy.
Back to the Drawing Board: the Cruiser Tank Mark V ‘Covenanter’ (A13 Mk III)
DAVID PORTER ON MILITARY HISTORY’S DOOMED INVENTIONS.
The myth of decisive battle
Ashley Cooper and Stephen Cooper question the hallowed notion of decisive battle.