The February/March 2023 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.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Spain at war: a country divided
The Spanish Civil War has gripped the world’s attention ever since it began in July 1936. As the first fundamental clash between fascism and its many opponents, the war has been the subject of innumerable novels, films, and documentaries. The generals who launched the rebellion that ignited the war hoped for an immediate victory. But instead they were faced with a prolonged struggle against an uneasy alliance of liberals, socialists, and other leftists. Chris Bambery sets the scene for the conflict’s bloodiest battle, at the Ebro, Spain’s longest river, in 1938.
Guadalcanal: turning point in the Pacific
Eighty years on, Graham Goodlad explores the brutal battle that saw Japanese imperial expansion in the Far East halted
Ignorance in war: from Balaclava to Vietnam
Peter Burke considers the many ways that misunderstandings, arrogance, and lack of knowledge can affect events on the battlefield
‘For battle it was none’: Evesham, 1265
Stephen Roberts examines the clash between the unpopular English king Henry III and the rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort
Sideshow: fighting the pirates
The buccaneers of the 17th and 18th centuries sailed a fine line between fighting Britain’s enemies and profiteering, says Tim Newark
Also in this issue:
The latest in a new 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, and Instagram.
From the acting editor
It was the brutal six-month slugging match, marked by extraordinary levels of suffering and horror, that helped turn the tide of World War II in the Pacific – prompting one Japanese general to call it ‘no longer merely a name of an island’ but ‘the name of the graveyard of the Japanese army’.
The Battle of Guadalcanal, from August 1942 to February 1943, was fought out across three dimensions, with US and Japanese air, land, and sea forces all intensively involved. For those fighting desperately on the ground in remote, jungle-clad territory, additional hazards included hunger, tropical disease, mosquitos, and even crocodiles. In our cover story, timed to mark the 80th anniversary of this landmark campaign, Graham Goodlad analyses the action that finally brought a halt to Japanese expansion in the Far East.
Elsewhere, in our latest two-part special, Chris Bambery traces the history of the Spanish Civil War, and reveals how its longest and bloodiest engagement, the Battle of the Ebro, paved the way for ultimate Republican defeat.
Also in this issue, Peter Burke considers the many ways that misunderstandings, arrogance, and lack of knowledge have affected events on the battlefield, from Balaclava to Vietnam; Stephen Roberts reappraises the ‘murder of Evesham’ on 4 August 1265, a battle that changed the course of English history; and Tim Newark takes to the high seas to examine the fine line between piracy and privateering sailed by two notorious buccaneers in the 17th and 18th centuries.
And finally, Taylor Downing celebrates the return of a movie classic by delving into the military history behind Casablanca.
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, and Instagram.