The August issue of Military History Monthly, the British military history magazine, is now on sale.
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In this issue:
PASSCHENDAELE: 100 years on
This month, we re-examine the controversial legacy of the Third Battle of Ypres. In the first of two features, MHM Editor Neil Faulkner asks why the British high command chose to fight such an ill-fated battle, and takes an in-depth look at the plans and preparations behind it.
In his second feature, he reviews the disasters and key breakthroughs at Passchendaele, from both German and British perspectives.
Pompey and the pirates
Steven Batchelor recalls the seafaring campaigns of one of Rome’s greatest generals, Gnaeis Pompeius – or Pompey the Great, as he is better known. Read about Pompey’s ingenious counter-insurgency campaign, and how he cleared the ancient Mediterranean of the pirate menace.
The Six Day War
Richard Willis analyses Israel’s lightening victory of 1967, a war that shook the foundations of the Middle East half a century ago.
Wenceslaus Hollar’s etches of war
David Flintham takes an in-depth look at the military etchings of this famous 17th-century war artist. Hollar travelled far across the continent and recorded his experiences in a series of detailed visual sketches, with images ranging from the Thirty Years War to the English Civil War.
The Lincolns at Caen, 1944
Patrick Mercer charts the key role of the Lincolnshire Regiment at the Battle of Caen, 1944.
Also in this issue:
- We celebrate the centenary of the birth of prolific Punch artist John Leech, creator of the modern cartoon.
- Taylor Downing reviews the subversive cinematic satire, M*A*S*H.
- Read of the daring escapades of ‘Cooler King’ Peter Tunstall.
- MHM treks along the WW2 battle trail with a visit to the National Museum of Military History in Diekirch, Luxembourg.
- Behind the Image
- Book Reviews
- Competitions
- And much more!
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From the editor
MHM Editor Dr Neil Faulkner
Passchendaele. The word brings forth a cascade of images. Everyone has seen the pictures of soldiers, animals, and guns knee-deep in glutinous mud against an expanse of soaking shell-holes and shattered tree-stumps. For many, it is the ultimate icon of military futility.
With the centenary upon us, we could not ignore the battle. We focus on two contentious issues: the reason it was fought at all; and the changing strategy during the three-and-a-half month duration of the battle.
In each case, we aim to shed fresh light on Passchendaele, drawing on recent archive research, above all that of Nick Lloyd, whose new book on the battle we reviewed last time.
Also this issue, we have Steve Batchelor on Roman general Pompey the Great’s battle against the Mediterranean pirates in 67 BC; Richard Willis’s account of the Israeli blitzkrieg during the Six Day War, 50 years ago this month; and David Flintham’s appreciation of the 17th-century military art of Wenceslaus Hollar.
Our final feature, as usual, is Patrick Mercer’s Regiment. This time he explores the role of 2nd Battalion, the Lincolnshire Regiment at the Battle of Caen in early June 1944.
