British nuclear test veterans to receive new medal
The Nuclear Test Medal has been announced to commemorate the ‘Plutonium Jubilee’, the 70th anniversary of Britain’s first nuclear test.
Cold War
Cuban Missile Crisis: how one man saved the world from nuclear war
John Lock resumes his occasional series on the ‘Butterfly Effect’ by examining another event that might have had unforeseen consequences. This time, he turns his attention to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the dramatic Cold War stand-off that led the world to the brink of disaster.
Museum review: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions with Christopher Warner.
Berlin: life and loss in the city that shaped the century
Covering the period from the end of the Great War to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War, this is a well-researched and very detailed book from a well-known author, whose previous similar book…
At first light
Jodrell Bank Observatory, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of The University of Manchester, is a working research facility that has supported the discovery of meteors, black holes, and the afterglow of the Big Bang. Last month saw the…
Military history events, lectures, and exhibitions in 2022
- The Vulcan and Cold War Experience
- In Harm’s Way: The US Navy and World War II
- What a history! The MusÉe de L’ArmÉe Collections
A History of Norfolk in 100 Places
Review by HB. From traces of Palaeolithic life along the coast to deserted medieval villages and a Cold War airfield, A History of Norfolk in 100 Places is a whistle-stop tour of the county’s most intriguing buildings, archaeological sites, and…
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’.
Cornwall’s Military Heritage
Cornwall is a county with a long military history, and reminders of its past can be found scattered across the landscape, ranging from Iron Age hillforts to Cold War control centres. Surrounded by sea on three sides, Cornwall has been…
Cleaning Cold War aircraft
The team from Arco Services had to abseil from the hangar’s 30m-high roof to get access to the various aircraft, which include a Vulcan bomber and an English Electric Lightning.
MHM Letters – April/May
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine.
Nuclear Folly: a new history of the Cuban Missile Crisis
A crisis over a small island south of the mainland United States in the autumn of 1962 was the closest the world ever came to a devastating nuclear war. Award-winning historian Serhii Plokhy, who recently chronicled the 1986 Chernobyl disaster,…
HARRIER 809: Britain’s legendary jump jet, and the untold story of the Falkands War
In 1982, Britain went to war in the Falklands, relying for the last time on an aircraft that was entirely made within the country: the Harrier Jump Jet. Not only this, but the head of the department that produced the…
Aircraft at RAF museum get a spring clean
The annual high-level cleaning took place at the end of April and was conducted by specialists from ArcoServices. The team also carried out various safety checks on the suspension cables which keep the aircraft in 'flight'.
Stringbags to Star Wars: an archaeology of airfields
Why should we study airfields – and do these sites even count as archaeology? Bob Clarke makes a case for investigating and preserving such sites as important drivers of social change, as well as relics of military history.
Korean Air War
The Korean War was the first serious clash of the Cold War, but it also witnessed a small and often-overlooked revolution in airpower. During the conflict, the last generation of piston-engined fighters gave way to new state-of-the-art jet- powered replacements.…
Former Cold War missile facility converted into Airbnb
It was once the launch centre for nuclear missiles capable of immense destruction. Now, a former military complex has found new life as an Airbnb guest house.
Observing the observers: exploring cold war archaeology in Berkshire
For most of the second half of the 20th century, the threat of nuclear war permeated the world. What can archaeology add to our understanding of this unique period, which still lies within living memory? Bob Clarke reports.
Review: Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions WITH MATTHEW ADAMS.
The Vietnam War
Vietnam veteran James H Willbanks, who is a consultant to Ken Burns' The Vietnam War, looks back on the conflict that tore the United States apart 50 years ago.