The June/July 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.
IN THIS ISSUE:
D-Day, 80 years on
In the second of two special features to mark the 80th anniversary of 6 June 1944, we look in more detail at the landings themselves. First, David Porter examines the meticulous plans drawn up by the Allies to ensure the success of Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in history. Next, Patrick Mercer reads the diaries and personal accounts of British troops to understand what D-Day was really like for the ordinary soldier. Finally, we trace the hard-fought battles that would take the Allies from the beaches of Normandy to the liberation of Paris.
Towards a new world: Churchill and the scientists
In a new series to coincide with the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill, Taylor Downing reveals his role in WWI’s scientific advances
Freedom’s champion: Robert the Bruce, 1274-1329
Stephen Roberts considers the man who delivered Scotland’s independence, and analyses the victory that forged a nation
A man of destiny: Admiral Vernon
Graham Goodlad explains how national identity and supremacy at sea became linked in the 18th-century career of Admiral Edward Vernon
Into the Green Hell: the Chaco War, 1932-1935
Edmund West highlights South America’s bloodiest conflict of the 20th century, when Paraguay and Bolivia went to war
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:
Eighty years ago this summer – on 6 June 1944, known as D-Day – some 150,000 Allied troops were launched against a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coastline, as they embarked on the first stage of the liberation of France and north-west Europe from the tyranny of Nazi Germany.
The greatest amphibious invasion in history, the Normandy landings involved mainly British, American, and Canadian servicemen, but also those from many other countries around the world – an extraordinary feat of international collaboration, as well as of planning and logistics.
In the second of two special features to mark the anniversary of this epic event, David Porter reveals how the invasion plan came together, while Patrick Mercer reads the diaries and personal accounts of British troops to understand the reality of D-Day for those at the sharp end.
Elsewhere, we mark another iconic anniversary – the 150th birthday of Winston Churchill. In the first part of a new series, Taylor Downing considers Churchill’s role in some of the incredible technological advances made during World War I.
Also in this issue, Stephen Roberts traces the life of Robert the Bruce, and analyses his great victory over the English at Bannockburn; while Graham Goodlad continues his fascinating series on the rise of British sea power by examining the 18th-century career of Admiral Edward Vernon.
Finally, Edmund West travels further afield to highlight South America’s bloodiest 20th-century conflict – the Chaco War, fought between Paraguay and Bolivia over a vast area of untamed wilderness in 1932-1935.
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.