MHM 142 Letters – September
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine
military history matters
Countdown to war: How a diplomatic crisis in the Balkans led to a Europe-wide conflagration
FROM 28 JUNE 1914 TO 4 AUGUST 1914 28 June – Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, having met his good friend Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany just weeks previously to discuss the tense…
Miracle on the Marne
Graham Goodlad analyses the battle that saved Paris but initiated four years of trench warfare.
When Europe went to war: five steps to catastrophe
‘No part of the Great War compares in interest with its opening,’ wrote Winston Churchill of the world changing events that took place 110 years ago this summer, as Europe’s ‘Great Powers’ found themselves sliding inexorably towards a new type…
Churchill and the scientists: Winning the ‘Wizard War’
In the second part of our series to mark Winston Churchill's 150th birthday, Taylor Downing explores his relationship with the difficult but brilliant scientist who restarted Britain’s controversial World War II bombing campaign.
Crusader criminals: The other side of soldiering
The Crusades are known for spectacular military engagements. But they also saw all manner of crimes committed beyond the battlefield. In a new book, Steve Tibble uncovers some dark secrets.
Napoleonic-era graffiti found at Dover Castle
This image shows a castle door, which was etched with some macabre graffiti by English soldiers during the Napoleonic era. The simple wooden plank door, from the top of a remote tower in Dover Castle, was rediscovered years ago, but…
An armoured Balaklava: Lessons from the Gothic Line
Less well-known than the invasion of Normandy, the Allied campaign in northern Italy saw some of the bloodiest fighting of the Second World War. Eighty years on, Patrick Mercer looks in detail at one action to understand how things went wrong.
Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park
Everyone has a story to tell. So do warships. The saga of the USS The Sullivans, which was launched in April 1943, is still making headlines today. The Fletcher-class destroyer is one of three decommissioned World War II- era naval…
The shock of the new
Marshal Turenne’s bold Winter Campaign of 1674-1675 defied the norms of 17th-century warfare, says William E Welsh. It also sealed his reputation as one of France’s greatest commanders.
War on Film – Made in England: The Films of Powell and Pressburger (2024)
TAYLOR DOWNING reviews the latest film releases.
MHM 141 Competition
Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition.
Research finds that ancient Greek armour may have been used in battle after all
New research has found that an ancient suit of armour may have been used in battle, and not just for ceremonial purposes as was previously thought. The 3,500-year-old Mycenaean armour is one of the best and most complete examples of…
Remains of lost barracks from revolutionary times uncovered in Virginia
Archaeologists have found the remains of a Revolutionary War-era barracks near the Colonial Williamsburg visitor centre in Virginia. The discovery was made during construction of a new indoor sportsground near to the centre last summer. Colonial Williamsburg is a 300-acre…
‘Brilliant’ World War II codebreaker honoured with blue plaque
A ‘brilliant’ mathematician who helped break the Nazi Enigma codes at Bletchley Park during World War II has been honoured with a blue plaque outside her childhood home. The memorial to the late Joan Clarke was unveiled in south London…
Wreck of ‘legendary’ American submarine discovered 80 years after sinking
The wreck of the ‘legendary’ American submarine that sank the most Japanese warships during Second World War has been found, 80 years after she was lost. USS Harder was discovered 914m below the surface, off the island of Luzon, in…
MHM 141 Letters – July
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine
War Classics – The Reason Why
Nick Spenceley recalls one of the great works of military history
Back to the drawing board: The Great Panjandrum
David Porter on Military History's doomed inventions.
War of Words – ‘Obsolete’
With Marc DeSantis
In View
MHM’s round-up of the latest military history titles
Operation Biting: the 1942 parachute assault to capture Hitler’s radar
REVIEW BY JONATHAN EATON Sir Max Hastings has an established reputation as a leading writer on 20th-century conflicts, drawing on his previous experience as both a war correspondent and newspaper editor. His recent works have included studies of Vietnam and…
Sky Warriors: British airborne forces in the Second World War
REVIEW BY GRAHAM GOODLAD The Second World War saw the parachute and glider used to deploy troops in large numbers for the first and last time in military history. The technology had simply not been available in the Great War,…
Far from Suitable? Haig, Gough and Passchendaele: A reappraisal
REVIEW BY PATRICK MERCER Stand on any part of the battlefield of Passchendaele and you will be struck by how unremarkable it looks. Gentle slopes are topped by woods, while hedges, villages, and small towns pepper the area, which is…
Sword Beach: The untold story of D-Day’s forgotten victory
REVIEW BY NICK HEWITT Sometimes books teach us something new, but sometimes they inspire us to reconsider something that we thought we understood. Historian and archaeologist Stephen Fisher’s excellent debut work Sword Beach falls in the latter category. The number…
At the sharp end: D-Day, 80 years on
In the fourth part of our series on the Normandy landings, Patrick Mercer follows three British units to understand what 6 June 1944 was really like for those at the point of the spear.
D-Day, 80 years on
In our two-part special for this issue to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, David Porter examines the planning and logistical operation that ensured Allied success, while Patrick Mercer follows three British units to understand what 6th June 1944 was really for those at the point of the spear.
Freedom’s champion: Robert the Bruce, 1274-1329
The man who delivered Scotland’s independence was born 750 years ago this summer. Stephen Roberts examines his life, and analyses the landmark victory that forged a nation.
MHM 140 Letters – May
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine.
Churchill and the scientists: Towards a new world
In the first of a new series to celebrate the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill, Taylor Downing examines his role in some of the incredible technological advances made during World War I.
A man of destiny
In the second part of our series on Britain’s rise as a naval power, Graham Goodlad explains how supremacy at sea became closely linked with the 18th-century career of Admiral Edward Vernon.
A cannon from HMS Tyger, sunk off the Florida coast
In this image, a diver surveys one of the five cannon found during an archaeological exploration in Dry Tortugas National Park, off the south-west coast of Florida. The cannon played a crucial role in confirming that a nearby wreck, first…
MHM 140 Competition
Put your military history knowledge to the test with our competition.
Back to the drawing board: The Savoia-Marchetti SM.85
David Porter on Military History's doomed inventions.
War on Film – The Zone of Interest
Taylor Downing reviews the latest film releases.
Into the Green Hell: The Chaco War, 1932-1935
Around 100,000 soldiers lost their lives when two of South America’s poorest countries went to war over a vast area of untamed wilderness. Edmund West goes in search of Paraguay’s heart of darkness.