History of War

“THE HELMET IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR CAVALRY USE WITH NARROW EYE SLITS AND DOWNWARD-FACING HOLES” Roman influence in Syria began in 64 BCE, and the province was eventually garrisoned with three legions and auxiliary units. In common with other p

The Paris Peace Conference was the primary means by which politicians sought to reshape the world after the end of World War I. It was a chance for powers that felt they had been marginalised to assert their independence, and an opportunity for imper

It is only possible to pretend that one war is good until the next war comes along. I still treasure my great uncle’s 1914-1918 medal (he was at Jutland) inscribed with the words, “The Great War for Civilisation”. In more elevated moments, those who

Author: George Morton-Jack Publisher: Little, Brown Price: £25.00 The considerable contribution made by India to the British war effort during both world wars has sadly been neglected by historians. Thankfully, in recent years a number of new studies

The Marine Branch of the Royal Air Force was formed only 11 days after the service itself was founded in 1918, to provide waterborne support and services for the RAF across the world. Initially known as the ‘Marine Craft Section’, what became known t

In the years following 1918, thousands of soldiers from across the globe returned home to a world that had already been irreversibly changed. In his new title, The Armistice And The Aftermath: The Story In Art, author and broadcaster John Fairley tel

With the Japanese 14th Army steam-rolling down the plains of Central Luzon in late December, War Plan Orange comes into effect and the Bataan Peninsula is fortified, with its mountains serving as natural barriers. On 23 December General MacArthur de

Author: Jonathan Falconer Publisher: Haynes Price: £25.00 Jonathan Falconer established his reputation as an expert in military aviation with his books on the Dambusters and a previous work on Bomber Command. He has now produced a more detailed and h

History has largely held that the Teutonic Order was dealt a fatal blow at Grunwald in 1410. Its defeat, however, was followed by more than a century of decline, culminating in the transformation of Prussia into a secular state, so the truth is a bit

Author: Annie Whitehead Publisher: Amberley Publishing Price: £20.00 Mercia was one of the key Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. In the 9th century, when the Great Heathen Army came within a whisker of making England a Norse nation, Mercia was one of the four ki

Irish Guardsmen appear relaxed in their position, with five minutes left before the Armistice that will bring an end to World War I comes into effect. Although the conditions of the Armistice were signed at 5am earlier that day, six hours were allowe

Author: Max Hastings Publisher: William Collins Price: £30.00 As a piece of fiction, it would have been dismissed as an unworkable fantasy. 30 years of battlefield conflict, the longest war of the 20th century, sees two major, industrialised nuclear

One of a series of border-setting wars in Eastern Europe, the Polish-Soviet War was in many ways the most dramatic. Starting on the back of the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1919, which saw Poland successfully push its borders eastward while the diplomats

WORDS STUART HADAWAY “THE FR.9 WAS INTENDED TO REPLACE THE SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE FR.18, AS THE RAF MOVED TOWARDS AN ALL-JET FRONT LINE” The cockpit of the Meteor was cramped and crowded. Ejecting could be hazardous, with lots of ways to get cut or e

THE COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION IS CURRENTLY RUNNING A PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION, ‘AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN’, TO COMMEMORATE THE LOCAL CASUALTIES OF THE TWO WORLD WARS The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental org

WORDS GRACE FREEMAN “I came out in order to help these boys,” wrote Wilfred Owen to his mother, Susan Owen, in a letter dated September 1917, “directly, by leading them as well as an officer can; indirectly, by watching their sufferings that I may s

During the 13th century, medieval Russia was a myriad of republics and principalities that were vulnerable to Mongol or European invasions. One of the most attacked was the Republic of Novgorod, which was predominantly inhabited by Orthodox Christian

After a catastrophe in Cilicia in which the majority of the Teutonic Knights were slain, in 1210 leadership of the Order fell to Hermann von Salza. As hochmeister, or grand master, von Salza oversaw a remarkable revival of the Order. He was an able d

WORDS MARIANNA BUKOWSKI “ONE PRISONER WAS ASKED BY THE SS TO RUN TO A POST BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, ONLY TO BE SHOT DOWN. TEN MEN WERE THEN DRAGGED OUT AND SHOT AT RANDOM AS ‘COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY’ FOR THE ‘ESCAPE’” As a man of exceptional cou

Marshal Heinrich Botel leads Teutonic knights in pillaging the lands of the pagan Natangians (Prussians). The knights surrender after being surrounded at Krücken, but 54 are massacred in cold blood. The Teutonic Order never surrenders to pagans again

“DIRTY, LOUSY, STINKING, UNSHAVEN, UNKEMPT. WHERE WERE THE BANNERS, THE TRUMPETS, THE DRUMS, THE POMP, THE BOMBAST, THE GLORY?” Howard Palmer enlisted in August 1914, signing up with the Territorial Force, East Coast Defences, but later joined the R

WORDS DR JONATHAN KRAUSE “THE NEAT, HAPPY ENDING OF WORLD WAR I WAS ANYTHING BUT FOR PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD” Down through the generations, the familiar story told of the Great War is retold time and time again. Unfortunately, the neat, happy end

WORDS MIKE HASKEW “THE PRESENTATION OF OUR NATION’S HIGHEST MILITARY DECORATION – THE MEDAL OF HONOR – IS ALWAYS A SPECIAL OCCASION. BUT TODAY, IT IS TRULY HISTORIC” President Barack Obama Melvin Morris was astonished when he answered the telephone

WORDS MIGUEL MIRANDA Toughened by years of combat in mainland China, Japan’s powerful military was poised to carve up Southeast Asia during the summer of 1941. In June that year the surrender of France to the Nazis emboldened Tokyo’s aggression, and

Taken: 12 September 1961 Major general E.J.H Bates, director of the Royal Artillery, supervises a crew preparing a Thunderbird guided missile at Horseshoe Barracks, Essex, for departure to Germany. The missile was deployed to support the British Army

“THE TREMENDOUS BURDEN OF CARING FOR THE SICK AND WOUNDED IN SOUTH AFRICA LED TO FURTHER REFINEMENT OF THE NURSING EFFORT IN SUPPORT OF THE BRITISH ARMY” “SINCE ITS INCEPTION, THE ROYAL RED CROSS HAS BECOME SYMBOLIC OF THE SELFLESS SERVICE OF QARANC

“THE EVOLUTION OF SUCH CARE HAS RESULTED IN GREATER SURVIVABILITY” Since the earliest days of battlefield medicine, nursing professionals have utilised the latest available treatments and techniques to render the best possible care to critically wou

WORDS GLENN FISHER The wounded and sick of the Guards Brigade were not treated in the same way as the men of the line. They would not be seen wandering around the disembarkation ports waiting for transport – wounded were taken by train to London and

“IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 1914 ALONE, MORE THAN 100,000 BRITISH CASUALTIES WERE EVACUATED ABOARD TRAINS FROM BATTLEFIELDS IN FLANDERS” It was the bloodiest day in the history of the British Army. On 1 July 1916 the Battle of the Somme commenced. Bef

WORDS ALEXANDER ZAKRZEWSKI “IT’S A CHARGE, BOYS, IT’S A CHARGE”Gordon Flowerdew The British cavalry training manual of 1907 stated that modern weapons would never replace “the speed of the horse, the magnetism of the charge, and the terror of cold

“THE EFFORTS OF NIGHTINGALE AND HER CADRE OF NURSES ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE REDUCED THE MORTALITY RATE WHERE THEY WORKED FROM 42 PER CENT TO TWO PER CENT” Her name is synonymous with modern nursing, and Florence Nightingale is largely responsible for t

WORDS JAMES HOARE “DESPITE A SHAMBOLIC DIVERSIONARY ATTACK THAT DECIMATED THE PRESTIGIOUS TIMOK I DIVISION, IN THE MAIN THE FIRST ARMY ADVANCE WAS A MODEL OPERATION” No matter how inexperienced or overconfident the Austro-Hungarians were, they were

Author: Jem Duducu Publisher: Amberley Publishing Price: £20 It is nothing short of astonishing that more than four decades have elapsed since the appearance of the last major history of the Ottoman Empire, especially given the ongoing turmoil sweep

WORDS MARK SIMNER “AN ARMY WAS TO BE SENT TO THE EAST, AND, AS PART OF THAT ARMY, THREE BATTALIONS OF BRITISH GUARDS WERE TO FORM WHAT WOULD BE CALLED THE GUARDS BRIGADE” On 20 September 1854 James McKechnie, a 28-year-old sergeant of the Scots Fus

Moved by reports of Serbia’s immense suffering in autumn and winter 1914, many female volunteers travelled to Serbia with the British Red Cross to provide the medical assistance that the Serbian army so desperately needed. Sally White, the author of

Between 1939-45 the British Red Cross sent out 20 million food parcels to British and Commonwealth prisoners of war. These packages were an essential lifeline for the physical and mental health of POWs, particularly when their Axis captors often deli

The American Civil War saw the naval forces of both North and South deploy a plethora of ships and boats of all types, and the New Orleans campaign of April 1862 saw virtually all such vessels plying the waters of the Mississippi River and the Gulf o

In 1939 London was the largest city in the world and home to more than 8.6 million people. Consequently, it became a major target of Luftwaffe bombing raids. In a horrifying twist, the targets were not just military and industrial but also deliberate

With the bulk of his fleet past the line of the forts, Farragut heads further up the Mississippi towards New Orleans, which he reaches the next day. The city is undefended. Forts Jackson and St Philip capitulate two days later. Brooklyn makes it upr

WORDS MIKE HASKEW “THE TANK WAS AN INFANTRY SUPPORT WEAPON THAT WOULD UTILISE SPEED, FIREPOWER AND ARMOUR PROTECTION IN THE REDUCTION OF ENEMY STRONGPOINTS” The development of tanks and armoured fighting vehicles in the United States lagged behind

The fall of the Hatteras and Port Royal forts to solely naval elements had been made much easier by several technical developments earlier in the century. In the days of sail, the advantage in any contest between a ship and a land fort had been with

WORDS PROFESSOR WILLIAM PHILPOTT “THE WINTER LULL IN FIGHTING ENABLED HIM TO PLAN AN AMBITIOUS SERIES OF BATTLES” On 20 March 1918 General Marie-Émile Fayolle, who was to lead the Allied reserves that engaged and halted ‘Operation Michael’, the fir

The Fleet Air Arm Museum is home to hundreds of historic aircraft and thousands of other artefacts and records, making it the largest naval aviation museum in Europe. However, some of the museum’s most precious treasures are held locked away in its r

The German army’s ‘storm troop’ tactics, which proved so effective in March 1918, are often represented as an innovation that broke the Western Front trench stalemate that had existed since the end of 1914. In fact, it was the scale on which these ta

Author: Duncan Leatherdale Price: £15.99 (Hardback) Publisher: Pen & Sword History Released: Out now Along with the Battle of Britain and the evacuation of Dunkirk, the Blitz remains one of the most evocative symbols of the United Kingdom’s struggle

Author: Brian Parritt Publisher: Pen & Sword Military Price: £12.99 (Paperback) Released: Out now In 2018 the nuclear threat from North Korea has never been more acute and a previously neglected conflict has now become highly relevant. Although the