This issue, we celebrate the 90th birthday of arguably history’s most famous fighter aircraft by marking the moment on 5 March 1936 when the Supermarine Spitfire prototype K5054 took to the skies above Southampton on its maiden flight.

That brief test flight was to change the world – for it offered the first glimpse of a new short-range fighter that would soon (along with the Hawker Hurricane) play a decisive role in the Battle of Britain, when the country stood alone against Nazi Germany.

In our cover story, Stephen Roberts examines the birth of this aviation legend, telling the story of its creator, Reginald (R J) Mitchell, the design genius who sadly would not live to see his masterpiece’s own ‘finest hour’.

Elsewhere, in our two-part special feature, Graham Goodlad reconsiders the epic struggle for Verdun, the longest battle of the First World War, which holds a similar place in France’s national psyche to that occupied in the British imagination by the Somme.

Also in this issue: Fred Chiaventone reveals how Washington transformed his Continental Army into an effective fighting force over the freezing winter of 1777 1778; Taylor Downing uncovers the mounting tensions as the Cold War took hold in post-war Berlin; and John Beales highlights the role of blood transfusion, the medical innovation that was among Britain’s most effective secret weapons in World War II.

Finally, to mark this, our 150th issue, we wanted also to thank you, MHM’s loyal band of readers, for all your support over the past 15 years. Any magazine is only as good as its audience – and, in your eloquent feedback and the general encouragement we receive, it is MHM’s wonderful subscribers who keep us on our toes, as we continue in our mission to bridge the gap between the general reader and the world of professional soldiers and military historians.

We certainly couldn’t do it without you – and, as always, we hope you enjoy the issue!

LAURENCE EARLE