MHM 154 Letters – September
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine.
tactics
The constants of warfare
In his new book, Iain MacGregor examines some of the most significant battles of the past 3,000 years. Here, he reveals the five key factors that shaped victory, from Marathon to Midway.
War of Words – ‘Chariot’
With Marc DeSantis
The Tsar’s last victory: The Brusilov Offensive, June-September 1916
It was the greatest Russian triumph of World War I – but the Brusilov Offensive also sowed the seeds of revolution, as David Porter reports.
A very bloody summer: The American Revolution: Part 2 – a game of cat and mouse
In the second part of our series, Fred Chiaventone looks at how the conflict escalated as the two sides struggled to gain the upper hand.
The road to Armageddon: Central Powers at war
In this new mini-series, we examine the wartime record of Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Turkey, and Bulgaria. We begin with a ‘special’ centred on Austria-Hungary’s army, which struggled to make an impression against its Russian, Serbian, and Italian foes. In this first part, Graham Goodlad assesses the performance of the Habsburg army in the war that culminated in the empire’s collapse.
The last warrior monarch
Graham Goodlad reviews the military career of a ruler who gained the British throne in a bloodless coup but had to fight to retain it and then analyses in detail his part in the battle against French domination of the Low Countries.
A new way of war: The road to Appomattox – Part 4: Technological revolution
In the final part of our series on the American Civil War, Fred Chiaventone examines the impact of devastating new weaponry and technology that emerged courtesy of the Industrial Revolution.
The Battle of Poltava: 8 July 1709
Stephen Roberts analyses the battle that established Russia as a major European power.
From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning points of the Revolutionary War
REVIEW BY FRED CHIAVENTONE The American Revolutionary War of 1775 to 1783 had plenty of ‘turning points’, as might be the case with any war that lasted for the best part of eight years, but have they not all been…
War Classics – The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: From Marathon to Waterloo
Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy’s The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World was so significant a book in its day that it would have sat in the libraries of middle-class households alongside the Bible, Shakespeare’s Complete Works, and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Napoleon’s Undefeated Marshal: Louis Davout and the Art of Leadership
REVIEW BY ANDRÉ VAN LOON To start with what this book is not: Martin Sullivan, a lecturer in business and previously an investment banker, does not give us a straightforward biography of Louis-Nicolas Davout, Duke of Auerstädt and Prince of…
The keys to victory: Supplying the armies of the British Civil Wars (1639-1653)
The great military encounters of the British Civil Wars have been well documented. But, as David Flintham reveals, issues beyond the battlefield would also prove crucial.
War of Words – ‘Cohort’
With Marc DeSantis
In Brief
MHM’s round-up of the latest military history releases.
Lodi and Arcola: making the myth
Graham Goodlad analyses the clashes that made Napoleon’s name as a soldier of genius.
Thunder in the East: Armoured warfare in South-East Asia and the Pacific, 1937-1945
From Burma to Iwo Jima, armoured fighting vehicles played a key role in some of World War II’s most challenging environments. Our military technology expert David Porter takes notes.
MHM 142 Letters – September
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine
Miracle on the Marne
Graham Goodlad analyses the battle that saved Paris but initiated four years of trench warfare.
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.
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.
MHM 141 Letters – July
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine
War Classics – Wellington in the Peninsula
Nick Spenceley recalls one of the great works of military history.
Looking death in the face: The battle for Beecher Island, September 1868
Amid the turmoil of the American Indian wars, a tiny band of US Army irregulars held out against a far larger force of Native American warriors. Fred Chiaventone tells the remarkable story of Major George Forsyth’s desperate last stand on an island in the Arikaree River.
War of Words – ‘Javelin’
With Marc DeSantis
The Battle of Lützen: 16 November 1632
Stephen Roberts analyses the crucial battle that cost the life of the Swedish king.
War of Words – ‘Parting Shot’
With Marc DeSantis
Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz: A tale of two sieges, January-April 1812
Graham Goodlad describes the capture of two key frontier fortresses, whose fall opened Spain to the advance of Wellington’s army.
Master of the dark arts
In the first part of a new series on deception in World War II, Taylor Downing tells the story of Lieutenant-Colonel Dudley Clarke, Britain's flamboyant pioneer of misinformation.
War Classics: Greece and Rome at War – New Edition
Nick Spenceley recalls one of the great works of military history.
MHM 136 Letters – September
Your thoughts on issues raised by the magazine.
War of words – ‘Ovation’
With Marc DeSantis.
Nelson’s other great victory: The Battle of Aboukir Bay, 1 August 1798
To mark the 225th anniversary of Nelson’s spectacular victory off the coast of Egypt, Stephen Roberts analyses the battle that made his name as a naval commander.
Winning the Civil War
Graham Goodlad examines the relationship that broke the Royalist cause in the English Revolution.
The Armchair General: can you defeat the Nazis?
REVIEW BY TOBY CLARK Here is a history of the Second World War with a twist. John Buckley is a professor of military history at the University of Wolverhampton and a writer with both academic and popular histories to his…
Battlefield Ukraine: lessons from history
The roots of the current war in Ukraine are deeply entwined with the nation’s turbulent military history. Here, David Porter examines some of the most important episodes and events.