Military History Matters 154
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An unequal contest?
In the second part of our series, Graham Goodlad reviews the organisation, tactics, and weaponry of the two armies.
The Jacobite Wars
In the first part of our new series, Graham Goodlad explores the Jacobite movement’s early attempts to overthrow Britain’s ruling Protestant monarchy.
Military History Matters 129
Warfare and the Wall: the genesis of a Roman frontier
Matthew Symonds examines the resistance that Roman forces faced as they strove to conquer Britain.
Case Blue: the Eastern Front between Barbarossa and Stalingrad
Eighty years on, David Porter analyses Germany’s plan to launch another great offensive in the summer of 1942.
The Restless Republic: Britain without a crown
The execution of King Charles I in January 1649 and the subsequent abolition of the monarchy turned Britain into a republic, which it would remain until the Restoration of Charles II 11
Backs against the Wall, AD 117-113
In the early years of Hadrian’s reign, the military situation in Britain was in danger of spiralling out of control. The emperor hit on a radical solution, as Matthew Symonds describes.
The Casco-class Monitors
Following the success of USS Monitor – the ground-breaking ironclad warship, designed by Swedish-born engineer John Ericsson, that played a central role in the US Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads on
Military history events, exhibitions and experiences in 2022
A round-up of some of the best military history events, lectures, and exhibitions.
Victory at Sea: naval power and the transformation of the global order in World War II
REVIEW BY GRAHAM GOODLAD The Second World War at sea has been the subject of several outstanding overviews in recent years. Phillips Payson O’Brien’s innovative How the War was Won (2015) argued
British soldiers whose remains were excavated in Dutch city died of illness, not injury, research finds
Located in the centre of the Netherlands, Vianen saw two wars in the 18th century, the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748) and later the Flanders campaign of 1793-1795.
War Classics: From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow
More than half a century after its publication, it is widely regarded as the inescapable starting point for scholars working on early 20th-century British naval history. What made Marder such an outstanding historian? Above all, it is his command of the primary sources.
The worst commanders in history?
What makes a good or bad military leader? Is it just the winning and losing of battles, or does personality also play a part? A new book looks at some of the most disastrous commanders down the centuries. Here, three historians explain their choices.
MHM129 competition: win a copy of At the Gates of Rome!
Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition, and be in with a chance to win a copy of Don Hollway’s At the Gates of Rome.
Review: Fort George
Open 9.30am-5.30pm daily (April to September) and 10am-4pm daily (October to March)Ardersier, Inverness, IV2 7TDwww.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/fort-george/+44 (0) 1667 462 834 Fort George is an imposing reminder of a turbulent period in British history.
War on film – Enemy at the Gates
As the Russian army commits appalling atrocities in Ukraine, it might not feel like the best time to recall the heroism of the Red Army in the Second World War. But this
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.