The August/September 2024 issue of Military History Matters, the British military history magazine, is out now.
The best way to access the magazine is to subscribe. Click here to find out more. To read the digital archive, click here. You can also access the magazine online (as well as exclusive extra content) at our new website, The Past.
2024 issue
IN THIS ISSUE:
When Europe went to war
‘No part of the Great War compares in interest with its opening,’ wrote Winston Churchill of the events that took place 110 years ago this summer. More than a century on, interest in this extraordinary drama shows few signs of fading – as new generations ask, how could Europe’s leaders have allowed such a thing to happen? In our special feature for this issue, Graham Goodlad looks first at how Europe’s alliances broke down, and then analyses the ‘Miracle of the Marne’ – the early battle that saved Paris but set the course for four years of conflict.
Winning the ‘Wizard War’: Churchill and the scientists
Taylor Downing explores Churchill’s relationship with the scientist who restarted Britain’s controversial World War II bombing campaign.
Crusader criminals: the other side of soldiering
Famed for their knightly virtues, Crusaders were also witness to all manner of criminality and brutality, as Steve Tibble reveals.
When Europe went to war: an armoured Balaklava
Lessons from the Gothic Line Patrick Mercer examines the Allied campaign in northern Italy, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Second World War.
The shock of the new: Turenne’s Winter Campaign
Marshal Turenne’s bold campaign of 1674-1675 sealed his reputation as one of France’s greatest commanders, says William E Welsh.
Also in this issue:
The latest in our series on classic military history books, War Culture, Book Reviews, Museum Review, Back to the Drawing Board, Listings, Competitions, and more.
To subscribe to the magazine, click here. To subscribe to the digital archive, click here. You can also access the magazine online (as well as exclusive extra content) at our new website, The Past. Find us on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram.
From the editor:
The First World War began 110 years ago this summer. Though widely expected to last only a few months – and to be ‘over by Christmas’ – the conflict would drag on for four long years, claiming more than 15 million lives.
Today, it is often remembered for the appalling conditions of the trenches, where deadlocked forces sometimes found themselves quite literally stuck in the mud. But as we are reminded in this issue, it began as a war of movement, as the invading German Army smashed its way towards Paris.
In our two-part special feature, Graham Goodlad examines first how Europe slid inexorably towards war, and then looks in detail at the ‘Miracle of the Marne’ – the key early battle which checked the German advance but in doing so paved the way for years of bitter stalemate.
Elsewhere, we travel further back in time to discover what happened when medieval knights went rogue, as Steve Tibble, the author of a new book on the subject, goes in search of Crusader criminals.
Also in this issue, Patrick Mercer reveals why Italy’s Gothic Line saw some of the fiercest fighting of World War II; and William E Welsh explains how Marshal Turenne’s celebrated Winter Campaign of 1674-1675 sealed his reputation as one of France’s great generals.
Finally, in the second part of his fascinating series to mark the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill, Taylor Downing uncovers the wartime PM’s unlikely friendship with the difficult but brilliant scientist who restarted Britain’s controversial WWII bombing campaign.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
Laurence Earle
To subscribe to the magazine, click here. To subscribe to the digital archive, click here. You can also access the magazine online (as well as exclusive extra content) at our new website, The Past. Find us on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram.