Description
In this issue:
– A revolutionary conflict. Why was the American Civil War, which began 150 years ago this month, so bloody?
– Spitfire ace – Military Times celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Spitfire with a profile of Spitfire ace Peter Ayerst
– The History of the Samurai Wars.
– What really happened to the Ninth Legion of Rome?
– The Battle of Towton – England’s bloodiest field
– Sink the Bismarck – The “Mighty Hood” vs the “Invincible Bismarck”. Find out what happened, and how the sinking of this monstrous battleship helped turn the tide of WWII.
Plus: news, reviews, museums, opinion columns, and much more!
From the Editor:
When Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States, his achievement was hailed as the completion of a process begun by the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. The result of Lincoln’s election was America’s bloodiest war. It was 150 years ago this month, on 12 April 1861, that the guns opened fire at Fort Sumter. Our lead feature this issue offers a complex answer to a simple question: why was the American Civil War so terrible?
Another bloody anniversary passing this month is that of Towton. Forget Blenheim, Waterloo, the Somme, and other great British battles. For sheer carnage, Towton surpasses them all. For ten hours on 29 March 1461, on a freezing, snow-covered field in Yorkshire, up to 80,000 heavily armoured men hacked and stabbed until one in three was dead – 1% of the entire English population. Nigel Jones tells the story.
Also this issue, we have two Second World War stories. In one, marking 75 years since the design of the Spitfire, we profile fighter-ace Peter Ayerst and the machine he flew during the Battle of Britain, El Alamein, and the Normandy campaign. In the other, naval-warfare expert Patrick Boniface analyses one of the crucial struggles to turn the tide in the Battle of the Atlantic: the pursuit and sinking of the giant German battleship Bismarck in May 1941.
An ancient mystery is the subject of our fifth feature. With both a blockbuster movie and a major History Channel documentary coming out soon, we ask the question: what really happened to Rome’s famous Ninth Legion?
Finally, an added extra this issue, thanks to Intel and Total War: Shogun 2, we have a special 18-page supplement looking at the heyday of samurai warfare in the 16th century. Top expert Stephen Turnbull describes the history, the battles, the warriors, and the weapons.
Cover Date: Apr-2011, Volume 1 Issue 7