Medieval church built for Otto the Great found in Germany
Otto the Great possessed significant influence over the papacy, and to revive Catholicism throughout central Europe ordered the construction of many lavish churches.
Germany
Aftermath: life in the fallout of the Third Reich, 1945-1955
The defeated German soldiers who returned from the Second World War were so broken by the conflict that a specific term for them emerged. Heimkehrer were, according to Harald Jähner, battered survivors who returned to a society which they no…
This week: prisoners of war
Millions of us grew up on stories of bravery among prisoners of war in the Second World War. What is less well known is that brutal treatment of British POWs was a feature of the 1914-18 conflict too. In all, 171,720 Tommies and their officers were captured during the First World War on the Western Front – from where they were allocated to one of 170 camps, dotted throughout Germany.
The men behind the wire: British POWs in the First World War
Joseph O’Neill lifts the lid on a hidden story of POW maltreatment.
Barbarossa Through German Eyes
Hitler’s invasion of Russia on 22 June 1941 – Operation Barbarossa – initiated a campaign of epic proportions. While the format of recounting a campaign through the recollections of individual participants is well established, the author does an exceptionally good…
Cornish connections in Bronze Age Germany
This identification of Cornish gold in Central Europe indicates that there was probably contact between these two regions during the Bronze Age, and perhaps even a well-established trade route.
Striking gold in Germany
The discovery of the gold object in an Early Bronze Age grave was unusual, as precious metals are rare in the region at this date.
Marble skull is lost Bernini masterpiece for Pope Alexander VII, research reveals
For many years, a life-sized, anatomically accurate and skilfully carved skull of white Carrara marble was on display at Schloss Pillnitz, a castle in Germany. Its artist was unknown.
Back to the Drawing Board: Heinkel He 177 GreIf
Frantic redesign efforts were made, but in 1942 the aircraft finally entered production still plagued with the same engine problems.
Blood and Iron: the rise and fall of the German Empire 1871-1918
Just over halfway through her excellent new book on Germany between the Franco-Prussian War and the First World War, Katja Hoyer tells the story of the ‘Captain of Köpenick’ incident. In 1906, an petty criminal called Wilhelm Voigt went around…
Athanasius Kircher (c.1601-1680)
'In 1638, Kircher was lowered into an awakening Vesuvius to advance his geological knowledge.'
How to find your outpost on the Roman frontier
How were smaller posts were distinguished? What steps did the authorities take to ensure that orders, post, goods, relief parties, or reinforcements were sent to the right place?
Food fads and fashions
At a time of food scarcity, obesity became a desirable condition… the Venus figurines represented an ideal body type.
Letters from CWA106
Tantra, Captain Boycott, and Parliamentarians in Coventry
World News in Brief
Domesticating dogs A study published in Scientific Reports ( s41598-020-78214-4) has proposed a new theory in the complex debate surrounding the way in which dogs came to be domesticated by early humans. It suggests that the process may have centred…
Rare WWII Enigma machine uncovered in the Baltic
An incredibly rare Enigma machine from the Second World War has been recovered from the Baltic Sea. Divers made the discovery at Gelting Bay, east of Flensburg, while searching for discarded fishing nets. The cipher machine consisted of a keyboard,…
Uncovering Kalkriese
A remarkable piece of Roman armour has been discovered at the site of the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.
In View
MHM's round-up of the latest military history titles
The disappearing Neanderthal Y chromosome
Over the last decade, developments in genetic sequencing, as well as in the successful extraction of DNA from increasingly older and even contaminated remains, have allowed our knowledge of ancient hominins to expand exponentially. But even with these advances, our…
Seelow Heights and Berlin
Marking the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe, David Porter analyses the last stand of Hitler’s Third Reich.
The Battle of Berlin: aircraft and infantry
David Porter analyses the balance of forces in the Third Reich’s final battle.
Memories of Antiquity: the ancient world through medieval eyes
Dominic Green gives us a preview of an exhibition about to open at the Getty Center in Los Angeles that shows us how the ancient world was viewed through medieval eyes