Cover Story
D-Day, 80 years on In our two-part special for this issue to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, David Porter examines the planning and logistical operation that ensured Allied success, while Patrick Mercer follows three British units to understand what 6th June… Features
At the sharp end: D-Day, 80 years on In the fourth part of our series on the Normandy landings, Patrick Mercer follows three British units to understand what 6 June 1944 was really like for those at the… 
Operation Overlord – What happened next: from D-Day to Paris 6 JUNE 1944: D-DAY 12 JUNE (D+6) Carentan, a small town on the Cherbourg Peninsula, is captured by American troops. All the Allied bridgeheads in Normandy are now linked up.… 
Freedom’s champion: Robert the Bruce, 1274-1329 The man who delivered Scotland’s independence was born 750 years ago this summer. Stephen Roberts examines his life, and analyses the landmark victory that forged a nation. 
Churchill and the scientists: Towards a new world In the first of a new series to celebrate the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill, Taylor Downing examines his role in some of the incredible technological advances made during World… 
A man of destiny In the second part of our series on Britain’s rise as a naval power, Graham Goodlad explains how supremacy at sea became closely linked with the 18th-century career of Admiral… 
Into the Green Hell: The Chaco War, 1932-1935 Around 100,000 soldiers lost their lives when two of South America’s poorest countries went to war over a vast area of untamed wilderness. Edmund West goes in search of Paraguay’s… News
New trail marking the Battle of Bosworth field to be launched next year It was one of the most significant battles in English history. Now a new trail will reveal the ‘lost’ stories of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The trail will… 
Work begins on major restoration of ‘innovative’ Sussex coastal fort A major new restoration project is under way at the 150-year-old Newhaven Fort, which is one of the largest defensive works ever built in Sussex. The £7.5 million project aims… 
‘Vast’ air raid shelter found by schoolchildren in Northamptonshire A forgotten air raid shelter, buried for more than 80 years, was found recently by a group of schoolchildren. Pupils at St Peter’s Independent School in Kettering, Northamptonshire, made the… 
New memorial to commemorate the forgotten South African dead of World War I A new memorial is being constructed to commemorate the forgotten sacrifice of 1,700 black South African servicemen who died during the First World War. The monument, funded by the Commonwealth… Views
A cannon from HMS Tyger, sunk off the Florida coast The Picture Desk In this image, a diver surveys one of the five cannon found during an archaeological exploration in Dry Tortugas National Park, off the south-west coast of Florida. The cannon played… 
MHM 140 Competition Competitions Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition. 
Back to the drawing board: The Savoia-Marchetti SM.85 Ideas David Porter on Military History's doomed inventions. 
Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King Museum, What's on Reviewing the best military history exhibitions with Peter Popham. 
MHM Book Awards 2024 Competitions Sponsored by: The ballots have been cast, the votes have been counted – and now we are delighted finally to announce the winners of the MHM Book Awards. Earlier this… 
War Classics – Wellington in the Peninsula Comment Nick Spenceley recalls one of the great works of military history. Reviews
Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King Reviewing the best military history exhibitions with Peter Popham. 
1217: The battles that saved England REVIEW BY DUNCAN CAMERON The reign of King John is a period of immense significance in English history, comparable to the events of 1066 and the Norman Conquest a century… 
Normandy: the Sailors’ Story – A naval history of D-Day and the battle for France REVIEW BY CALUM HENDERSON The Battle of Normandy has been covered extensively in the 80 years since it took place. But less well remembered is the naval campaign that accompanied… 
Agent Zo: the untold story of fearless WWII resistance fighter Elżbieta Zawacka REVIEW BY ANDREW MULHOLLAND This latest book from biographer Clare Mulley goes way beyond the astonishing life story of Elżbieta Zawacka. For it also provides an important overview of 20th-century… 
From the editor
Eighty years ago this summer – on 6 June 1944, known as D-Day – some 150,000 Allied troops were launched against a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coastline, as they embarked on the first stage of the liberation of France and north-west Europe from the tyranny of Nazi Germany.The greatest amphibious invasion in history, the Normandy landings involved mainly British, American, and Canadian servicemen, but also those from many other countries around the world – an extraordinary feat of international collaboration, as well as of planning and logistics.
In the second of two special features to mark the anniversary of this epic event, David Porter reveals how the invasion plan came together, while Patrick Mercer reads the diaries and personal accounts of British troops to understand the reality of D-Day for those at the sharp end.
Elsewhere, we mark another iconic anniversary – the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill. In the first part of a new series, Taylor Downing considers Churchill’s role in some of the incredible technological advances made during World War I.
Also in this issue, Stephen Roberts traces the life of Robert the Bruce, and analyses his great victory over the English at Bannockburn; while Graham Goodlad continues his fascinating series on the rise of British sea power by examining the 18th-century career of Admiral Edward Vernon.
Finally, Edmund West travels further afield to highlight South America’s bloodiest 20th-century conflict – the Chaco War, fought between Paraguay and Bolivia over a vast area of untamed wilderness in 1932-1935.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
LAURENCE EARLE
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