Victory in Iberia: The Peninsular War, 1808-1814
Graham Goodlad assesses the events that led to the defeat of Napoleonic France in the Peninsular War.
army
Military history events and exhibitions Autumn 2022 – Winter 2023
A round-up of some of the best military history events, lectures, and exhibitions.
The Blind Strategist: John Boyd and the American Art of War
In his introduction to this exceptionally worthwhile volume, Stephen Robinson describes how, during the Gulf War, General Tommy Franks, a true believer in what had become the US Army’s dominant doctrine of ‘manoeuvre warfare’, formulated what historian Thomas Ricks referred to as ‘perhaps the worst war plan in American history’.
War on film: Tunisian Victory
Talk of the war in North Africa and most Brits will think of Tobruk or El Alamein, while most Americans will think of Operation Torch, the Kasserine Pass, and Tunisia. The victory at El Alamein was presented in a powerful…
An Englishman at War: the wartime diaries of Stanley Christopherson, DSO, MC, TD, 1939-1945
When Stanley Christopherson wrote in his diary in late November 1945, he proclaimed, ‘So many outstanding things were done during this war, which so thoroughly deserved an award, but were never witnessed.’ The truism is appropriate. Recalling the battle conducted…
At Close Range: life and death in an artillery regiment, 1939-45
The direct experience of the gunners has long been a neglected aspect of World War II history. We have had plenty on life in a tank unit, or a fighter squadron, but there is a sense in which the role…
The German invasion of Russia
David Porter analyses the largest military invasion in history.
Barbarossa and the Bloodiest War in History
On a fateful Sunday in late June 1941, millions of German soldiers poured into the Soviet Union, beginning Operation Barbarossa: the Nazis’ war of annihilation in the East. Stewart Binns here explores the struggle of the Russian army to defend…
Classical Caledonia: Roman history and myth in 18th-century Scotland
Classical Caledonia explores the antiquarian rediscovery of Scotland’s Roman remains, and how these have influenced and continue to influence Scottish identity, impacting on our interpretation of Roman Scotland today. Various populist and misleading tropes, such as Hadrian’s Wall forming the…
The Battle of Kircholm, 1605 – Sweden’s Greatest Defeat
Poltava is more famous, but, explains historian Magnus Olofsson, Kircholm was probably the greatest defeat in Swedish history.
Communities in the conflict zone: Ten years of discoveries at Vindolanda
The Roman auxiliary fort of Vindolanda is best known for the remarkable cache of 1st- and 2nd-century wooden writing tablets that was found on the site in 1973, but ongoing archaeological work on the site continues to reveal a wealth of insights into both military and civilian life. From a murder mystery and evidence for a previously unknown goddess to shoes and sporting equipment, Andrew Birley takes us through some of the highlights uncovered in the last ten years.
War Reporters: Julius Caesar
He was a charismatic leader, a seasoned military veteran, and a formidable politician. It is little wonder that he is rarely thought of as being an ancient example of the modern-day war reporter. Seema Syeda examines battlefield scoops throughout the ages.
The Battle for Hastings: searching for the truth about 1066
Controversy has recently flared over the location of the Battle of Hastings. In an exclusive Channel 4 special, Time Team investigates, undertaking the first ever dig on the traditional site and assessing the rival claimants, as Assistant Producer Alex Rowson reports.