Cover Story
Gettysburg: the five key myths The greatest battle in American history took place 160 years ago this summer, in July 1863. Fred Chiaventone identifies some common misunderstandings about this crucial engagement. Features
Cunningham & Cape Matapan: taking on Mussolini’s battle fleet For our special this issue, Graham Goodlad analyses the achievements of Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham, universally known to his peers as ‘ABC’. In this first part, he looks at Cunningham’s… 
Cape Matapan, 27-29 March 1941 Graham Goodlad analyses Cunningham’s masterpiece, the battle which broke the power of fascist Italy in the Mediterranean. 
The real Vlad Dracula: in search of a 15th-century warlord The fanciful character of Dracula the vampire evolved from a real-life figure who was just as terrifying as any fiction. Tim Newark explores the myth and reality of a deadly… 
Battlefield Ukraine: lessons from history The roots of the current war in Ukraine are deeply entwined with the nation’s turbulent military history. Here, David Porter examines some of the most important episodes and events. 
Fifty years of The World at War Half a century on, the most comprehensive series ever made about the Second World War is still being shown on television channels around the globe. Taylor Downing takes a critical… News
Survey explores underwater battlefield in western Pacific The survey, conducted by a team of scientists from the US National Park Service, is the first of a two-part project. 
Roman fortlet rediscovered on Scotland’s Antonine Wall The discovery is only the tenth known fortlet to have been found along the wall. 
Long-lost pillbox found buried in sand on a beach near Aberdeen Some 28,000 pillboxes were constructed around Britain on the outbreak of the war, in anticipation of an invasion by Axis forces. 
Rare sword used at Waterloo acquired by Northamptonshire Abbey The weapon belonged to General Everard Bouverie, of the Royal Horse Guards. 
102-year-old WREN recalls the vital role she played in the Battle of the Atlantic Christian Lamb – who is now 102 years old – was involved in plotting the course of ONS-5, a slow trade convoy from Britain to North America that saw off… Views
MHM Book of the Year 2023 – The Winners Competitions The ballots have been cast, the votes have been counted, and we are delighted to announce the winners of the MHM Book Awards. 
Military history crossword #134 Competitions Test your military history knowledge with our crossword! 
MHM competition: win a copy of Anthony Tucker-Jones’ ‘Churchill: Master and Commander’ Competitions Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition! 
Military history exhibitions and events: what to see in 2023 What's on A look at some of the best military history events and exhibitions to check out. 
Back to the drawing board: the Avro Manchester Ideas The Avro Manchester originated with an Air Ministry specification dating from November 1936 for a bomber capable of carrying a load in excess of 8,000lbs over more than 2,000 miles.… 
Film Review – Apocalypse Now Redux Comment, TV & Film When they arrived on set, they held a feast that included dancing and chanting that lasted nearly two days. It also included the ritual slaughter of a water buffalo 
The Second World War in living colour The Picture Desk Most books about the Second World War include only black-and-white photographs, and these are often sketchy or blurred. Some are even staged pieces of propaganda. Colour photography was not unknown… 
War Classics: ‘The Face of Battle’ Comment The Vietnam War and associated public distaste for military intervention also provided a challenge as to how the study of warfare was conducted and presented. 
Marengo’s makeover: conserving Napoleon’s favourite war horse The Picture Desk In this picture, a conservator at the National Army Museum in London holds the skull of Marengo, the most famous of the horses that belonged to French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.… Reviews
The Armchair General: can you defeat the Nazis? REVIEW BY TOBY CLARK Here is a history of the Second World War with a twist. John Buckley is a professor of military history at the University of Wolverhampton and… Military history exhibitions and events: what to see in 2023 A look at some of the best military history events and exhibitions to check out. 
The Coalitions Against Napoleon REVIEW BY ANDRÉ VAN LOON The subject of The Coalitions Against Napoleon is fascinating and rich in potential. Moving beyond the well-trodden path of personality-based writing (such as Napoleon versus… 
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History Reviewing the best military history exhibitions with Christopher Warner. Film Review – Apocalypse Now Redux When they arrived on set, they held a feast that included dancing and chanting that lasted nearly two days. It also included the ritual slaughter of a water buffalo 
The Great Defiance: How the world took on the British Empire REVIEW BY ANDREW MULHOLLAND This is a provocative book which will ruffle feathers, perhaps among some MHM readers. But it is also an important one. While the heart of The… 
The Women Behind the Few: the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and British Intelligence during the Second World War REVIEW BY COLIN POMEROY With The Women Behind the Few, Sarah-Louise Miller has produced a truly excellent book telling the story of women in multiple roles during the Second World… 
Hitler’s Panzer Generals: Guderian, Hoepner, Reinhardt, and Schmidt unguarded REVIEW BY CALUM HENDERSON ‘The longer the war lasts the lesser my opinion of the generals.’ These were the words in April 1943 of Ulrich von Hassell, a German diplomat… 
From the editor
One hundred and sixty years ago this summer, the largest battle ever fought on US soil proved to be the turning point of the American Civil War.
Following his recent, stunning victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, in Virginia, General Robert E Lee had by 1 July 1863 moved his Confederate army more than 120 miles north to the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – taking the conflict towards the population centres of the Union.
What happened next – as Lee’s forces collided over three days with the Federal Army of the Potomac – would not only change the course of US history, but also give rise to any number of spurious myths and legends about what really took place.
In our cover story for this issue, the American historian Fred Chiaventone addresses some of the more common misunderstandings about this crucial engagement.
Elsewhere, in our latest two-part special, Graham Goodlad analyses the career of Andrew Browne Cunningham, the WWII commander-in-chief of Britain’s Mediterranean Fleet – known to his peers as ‘ABC’, and believed by many to be the country’s most gifted admiral since Nelson.
In this issue too, David Porter reveals how the roots of the war in Ukraine are deeply entwined with the nation’s turbulent history; and Tim Newark goes in search of the real Vlad Dracula, a 15th-century warlord just as terrifying as any fiction.
Finally, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of The World at War, Taylor Downing celebrates the enduring popularity of the most comprehensive television series ever made about the Second World War.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
LAURENCE EARLE
