The May/June 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:
Cunningham and Cape Matapan
In the showdown between the Royal Navy and Mussolini’s formidable Mediterranean battle fleet, Britain was fortunate to have as its commander-in-chief perhaps its most gifted admiral since Nelson. For our special this issue, Graham Goodlad analyses the achievements of Admiral Andrew Browne Cunningham, universally known to his peers as ‘ABC’, exploring his life and career as well as the battle that is widely regarded as his masterpiece – when he inflicted a serious defeat on the Italian fleet at Cape Matapan, off the southern coast of Greece.
Gettysburg: the five key myths
To mark the 160th anniversary of America’s greatest battle, Fred Chiaventone addresses some common misunderstandings
Battlefield Ukraine: lessons from history
The roots of the current war in Ukraine are deeply entwined with the nation’s turbulent military history, as David Porter explains
The real Vlad Dracula: in search of a 15th-century warlord
As Tim Newark reveals, the fanciful character of Dracula the vampire was inspired by a real-life figure who was just as terrifying as any fiction
The World at War: fifty years of a television classic
Half a century after it was first broadcast, Taylor Downing revisits the most comprehensive TV series ever made about World War I
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, and Instagram.
From the acting editor:
One hundred and sixty years ago this summer, the largest battle ever fought on US soil proved to be the turning point of the American Civil War. Following his recent, stunning victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, in Virginia, General Robert E Lee had by 1 July 1863 moved his Confederate army more than 120 miles north to the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – taking the conflict towards the population centres of the Union.
What happened next – as Lee’s forces collided over three days with the Federal Army of the Potomac – would not only change the course of US history, but also give rise to any number of spurious myths and legends about what really took place.
In our cover story for this issue, the American historian Fred Chiaventone addresses some of the more common misunderstandings about this crucial engagement. Elsewhere, in our latest two-part special, Graham Goodlad analyses the career of Andrew Browne Cunningham, the WWII commander-in-chief of Britain’s Mediterranean Fleet – known to his peers as ‘ABC’, and believed by many to be the country’s most gifted admiral since Nelson.
In this issue too, David Porter reveals how the roots of the war in Ukraine are deeply entwined with the nation’s turbulent history; and Tim Newark goes in search of the real Vlad Dracula, a 15th-century warlord just as terrifying as any fiction.
Finally, to mark the 50th anniversary of the first broadcast of The World at War, Taylor Downing celebrates the enduring popularity of the most comprehensive television series ever made about the Second World War.
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.