The constants of warfare
In his new book, Iain MacGregor examines some of the most significant battles of the past 3,000 years. Here, he reveals the five key factors that shaped victory, from Marathon to Midway.
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Military History Matters 153
Hastings revisited
As the Bayeux Tapestry returns to England for a major new exhibition, Edmund West assesses the latest thinking about 1066 and all that.
The Pacific War at Sea: the Battle of Midway, 4 June 1942
Neil Faulkner analyses the strategic situation in the Pacific in early 1942 and the military balance of forces.
HMS Olympus: a tale of tragedy and heroes
Timmy Gambin and Lucy Woods report on the discovery and exploration of HMS Olympus, which sank off the coast of Malta in 1942.
Defeating the Kaiser’s U-boats: British Anti-Submarine Weapons, 1914-1918
David Porter, MHM ’s military technology specialist, analyses the Royal Navy’s victory in the first ‘Battle of the Atlantic’.
‘Vile guns’: how artillery ended the Hundred Years’ War
Fred Chiaventone analyses the role of artillery at the Battles of Formigny and Castillon – battles that turned the tables on the victors of Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt.
Review: Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions WITH MATTHEW ADAMS.
The Battle of Pharsalus, 9 August 48 BC
MHM Editor Neil Faulkner analyses Caesar’s greatest victory.
Great Commanders: Julius Caesar
Graham Goodlad analyses the military genius of ancient Rome’s best-known general.
War Reporters: William Howard Russell
Widely regarded as the first modern war correspondent, Russell was a globetrotter with a wide purview, reporting on the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the American Civil War, the coronation of Tsar Nicholas I, the Franco- Prussian War, and the Zulu War among many other key events of the tumultuous 19th century.
War Reporters: Jean Froissart
Froissant claimed to have born witness, during his travels, to many of the battles that took place during the Hundred Years War, committing all he had seen and heard to writing in the form of elaborate illustrated manuscripts. Seema Syeda examines battlefield scoops through the ages.
Churchill and Stalin: an unlikely alliance
From 1917 to the 1950s, Winston Churchill had a long and bumpy relationship with the Soviet Union, and it had a profound effect on his reputation in America. Taylor Downing charts the zigzags.
Stalingrad: the greatest Allied victory?
It has been argued that the Allied victory in Tunisia in May 1943 was a greater victory than Stalingrad. Anthony Heywood disagrees.
Ancient Russian battle-axes discovered
This is a significant event for Russian archaeology, since no similar site has been uncovered for the past quarter-century.
War Reporters: Julius Caesar
He was a charismatic leader, a seasoned military veteran, and a formidable politician. It is little wonder that he is rarely thought of as being an ancient example of the modern-day war reporter. Seema Syeda examines battlefield scoops throughout the ages.
Wellington’s lessons in failure
‘The art of victory is learned in failures.’ It might have been said by Wellington (though in fact it was said by South American revolutionary leader Simón BolÃvar). Stephen Roberts explains why.
‘Banners, advance!’ The Battle of Poitiers, 1356
Marilyn Livingstone and Morgen Witzel reassess the famous victory of the Prince of Wales over the French during the Hundred Years War.
Cynoscephalae, 197 BC
Brian English analyses the battle that broke the military power of Ancient Greece.