Cover Story
Was it necessary to drop the atom bombs to defeat Japan? In the last part of our series marking the 80th anniversary of World War II’s final months, Taylor Downing asks whether the Allies had any choice but to use their devastating new weapon to end the war. Features
The Nine Years War: 1688-1697 Graham Goodlad analyses Britain’s role in the long-running struggle against French domination of the Low Countries. 
The last warrior monarch Graham Goodlad reviews the military career of a ruler who gained the British throne in a bloodless coup but had to fight to retain it and then analyses in detail… 
Turncoats: When commanders swap sides In the first of three articles about celebrated military figures who changed allegiances, Nigel Jones looks at shifting loyalties in English civil conflicts. 
A new way of war: The road to Appomattox – Part 4: Technological revolution In the final part of our series on the American Civil War, Fred Chiaventone examines the impact of devastating new weaponry and technology that emerged courtesy of the Industrial Revolution. 
Operation Downfall: The planned invasions of Japan, 1945-1946 What would have happened if Japan hadn’t surrendered? David Porter examines the Allied plans for the largest amphibious assault of all time. News
Notorious Swedish Warship Vasa gets new support structure A project has begun to preserve the 400-year-old Swedish warship Vasa, which notoriously sank on her maiden voyage. A new metal structure is being installed to support the hull of… 
Wreck of Second World War bomber discovered off Greek coast A Second World War bomber which lay at the bottom of the Aegean Sea for more than 80 years has been rediscovered. The wreck was found last year by specialist… 
Tower of London poppies return to mark VE Day anniversary A new display of ceramic poppies has opened at the Tower of London to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The installation, which opened… 
Mass grave of Roman soldiers found in Vienna linked to ‘catastrophic event’ An ‘unprecedented’ mass grave of Roman soldiers has been uncovered in Vienna. The find was made last autumn by construction workers who were renovating a football pitch in the Simmering… Views
War Classics – The Influence of Sea Power Upon History 1660-1783 Comment Nick Spenceley reconsiders Alfred Thayer Mahan’s The Influence of Sea Power Upon History. 
MHM Book Awards 2025 Competitions The ballots have been cast, the votes counted, and we are delighted to announce the winners of the MHM Book Awards. We curated a list of 2024’s best military history… 
Phillips Payson O’Brien People The American-born writer and academic Phillips Payson O’Brien on an admirable dictator, and his fascination with failure. 
MHM 146 Competition Competitions Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition. 
Celebrations at St Paul’s, VE Day, 8 May 1945 The Picture Desk In this image, St Paul’s Cathedral is dramatically illuminated on the night of VE Day, 8 May 1945, which marked the end of the Second World War in Europe. Sir… Reviews
Saint Petersburg: sacrifice and redemption in the city that defied Hitler REVIEW BY CALUM HENDERSON St Petersburg has an immensely dark history. Built largely by slave labour on the orders of Peter the Great in the early 1700s, it has endured… 
Ring of Fire: a new global history of the outbreak of the First World War REVIEW BY JONATHAN EATON In recent years, historians have increasingly sought to understand major conflicts from a genuinely global perspective. While this approach has perhaps always been synonymous with the… 
Chain of Fire: campaigning in Egypt and the Sudan, 1882-1898 REVIEW BY PATRICK MERCER If, as a youngster, you enjoyed those wonderful films Khartoum, The Four Feathers and Young Winston, you were not alone. I sat as transfixed as the… 
Midway: the Pacific War’s most famous battle REVIEW BY MARK DeSANTIS The Battle of Midway in early June 1942 is arguably the most significant naval encounter of the Second World War, and easily one of the most… 
From the editor
Eighty years ago this summer, the greatest conflict in human history came finally to an end, with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, and the subsequent unconditional surrender of Japan.
Debate has raged ever since as to whether America was right to make use of its devastating new weapon of war, or whether Japan would eventually have surrendered anyway under the extraordinary pressure of the existing Allied aerial bombing campaign.
In our cover story, Taylor Downing looks at both sides of the argument, as he tells the story of the dramatic few months in which the Second World War ended and the Atomic Age began. In a companion piece, David Porter then examines what would have happened if Japan’s government had continued to hold out.
Elsewhere, in a special feature for this issue, Graham Goodlad surveys the career of William III – perhaps better known as William of Orange – the Dutch-born prince who became King of England as a result of the relatively bloodless Glorious Revolution, but who then faced a bitter fight to keep his crown.
Also in this issue: Nigel Jones begins a compelling new three-part study of military turncoats by looking at shifting allegiances in English civil conflicts, from Warwick the Kingmaker in the Wars of the Roses to Sir John Hotham in the English Civil War; while Fred Chiaventone concludes his brilliant series on the American Civil War by considering the role played by new weapons and technology brought in by the Industrial Revolution.
And finally, it’s that time of year again: the ballots have been cast, you have had your say, and we are very pleased once again to announce the winners of the coveted Gold, Silver, and Bronze prizes in this year’s Military History Matters Book Awards.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
LAURENCE EARLE
