The July issue of Military History Monthly, the British military history magazine, is on sale today.
In the latest issue we cover:
D-Day – History’s most complex operation
MHM explores the technicalities of the intricate coordination between air, land, and sea forces on D-Day as we mark the 70th anniversary of the largest amphibious landing in the history of war.
Per fidious Albion – Britain goes to war
MHM Editor Neil Faulkner evaluates Britain’s internal conflicts as war was declared in 1914.
Irish Brigades Abroad – From the Wild Geese to the Napoleonic Wars
Stephen McGarry investigates the soldiers who battled for the freedom of Ireland by fighting for the enemies of Britain throughout history.
The Battle that made France – Bouvines, 1214
Marking the anniversary of the battle, Jack Watkins recalls one of the greatest victories of France’s medieval kings.
Also in this issue: Behind the Image, Thinkers at War, Book Reviews, MHM Interview, War Culture, Top Five, Listings, and much more.
From the editor
This month we mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. This remains, as Churchill said at the time, ‘the most complicated and difficult’ military operation ever undertaken.
The scale of it still breaks all records: 5,000 vessels, 9,000 aircraft, and 175,000 troops. The airborne operation alone was the greatest ever mounted, with three divisions numbering almost 20,000 men landing by parachute or glider in the early hours of 6 June 1944.
We focus on three aspects of the operation – landing-craft, beach management, and aerial interdiction – to illustrate the extraordinary complexity and technical sophistication of what happened on that day.
Another anniversary article this issue is Jack Watkins’ analysis of the Battle of Bouvines in 1214 – the great victory of Philip Augustus over the German Emperor that established the French monarchy.
Also this issue, Stephen McGarry reports on the long 18th century tradition of Irish ‘Wild Geese’ serving in foreign armies against the British, and, as our cover this issue reveals, we complete our survey of the great powers of 1914 with an in-depth look at Britain on the eve of war.
Finally, a word of thanks to all our readers who commented so positively on our new look. Our aim was twofold: to make the magazine easier to navigate with better defined and more clearly marked sections; and to create a new format for looking at one particular conflict, campaign, or battle in much greater detail than is possible in a standard feature. We were pleased with the result. We are delighted our readers are too.