The American Civil War is one of the most written-about conflicts in history. Less well remembered is that Europe was also at war between 1864 and 1871.

The Franco-Prussian War reshaped Europe: it was the capstone on the process of German unification and it created an over-mighty state that soon threatened the delicate balance of power in Europe. It was the single most important geopolitical event on the long road to 1914.

It was also a new kind of more-murderous conflict based on mass-produced modern weapons. On the battlefields of the Franco-Prussian War, Europeans discovered the implications of breech-loaders, machine-guns, and steel cannon.

Marking 150 years since the war, David Porter’s special looks first at the strategy of the war as a whole, then focuses on tactics with a detailed examination of Gravelotte-St-Privat. Click here to read it.

Also this issue, we have Bill Purdue’s review of the great debate about the Battle of Prokhorovka in 1943, Jeffrey James’ overview of medieval Irish warriors (including the ferocious Gall Oglach), the first in a short series analysing the rise of airpower, and a quick look at the wartime role of Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond.