Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 80 i History of War

Seventy-five years ago, after years of bloodshed and unprecedented destruction across the continent, the guns fell silent in Europe. With Hitler dead, and the Western and Soviet Allies converging in the heart of the Third Reich, soon German soldiers everywhere were throwing down their arms. After the jubilation of the final peace began the painful task of counting the terrible cost six years of dreadful war had inflicted on the people of Europe. However, even as celebrations began for Victory in Europe Day, thousands faced uncertain futures in a new, much changed world.…

Although the war in Europe did not officially end until 8 May 1945, the death of Adolf Hitler a week before dramatically brought about its swift conclusion. Hitler’s suicide in his own specially-built bunker in Berlin made international headlines but it was almost immediately accompanied by rumours of his escape. Luke Daly-Groves has extensively studied Hitler’s last days and survival theories in his book Hitler’s Death: The Case Against Conspiracy. He discusses the overwhelming evidence for the Führer’s demise, Joseph Stalin’s role as the first conspirator and some of the wilder claims about the tyrant’s alleged whereabouts. How did Hitler commit suicide and what then happened to his body? Historians can’t agree exactly how Hitler committed suicide. His method of death became a Cold War political issue as the Soviets…

During WWII, Birmingham was Britain’s third most-bombed city after London and Liverpool although the sufferings of neighbouring Coventry became better known. From August 1940, 1,852 tons of bombs were dropped on the city, which was an important industrial and manufacturing centre. Over 2,200 people were killed and many thousands more injured along with the destruction of innumerable buildings. One ‘Brummie’ who survived the maelstrom was a young worker called Albert Selby who was soon to pass from one kind of fire into another when he was conscripted into the British Army. A blitzed city Born in December 1923, Selby’s first experiences of WWII involved trying to survive the Birmingham Blitz with his family, “I was doing war work then and we had 14 hours of bombing at one point. I…

“To mark the 75th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, the Royal British Legion is calling on the United Kingdom to pay tribute to the entire Second World War generation and all that they sacrificed in the defence of our freedom. The conflict had a profound impact on communities across the UK and Commonwealth, which continued long after the war ended. The Legion would like to encourage the public to remember the contribution of all Allied forces, including the Commonwealth, without whom the liberation of Europe and the Far East would not have been possible. “Just as it was in the aftermath of the Second World War, the Royal British Legion remains a place to provide practical support when needed to the Armed Forces community. In the current challenges the…

“HE FETCHED TWO GLASSES AND IN RUSSIAN STYLE FILLED THEM TO THE BRIM WITH VODKA SO THAT WE COULD TOAST EACH OTHER.” “I climbed up the cellar steps, opened the front door and stepped out onto the street … with a dirty white towel tied to a broomstick … the first of the Americans, a little guy, tore off all my medals which made gaping holes in my tunic … I wondered what would happen to me.” Henry Metelmann, a panzer crewman with 22 Panzer-Division wasn’t alone in pondering his fate as he went into captivity at the end of the war. The months leading up to the Nazi capitulation had seen mass surrender in the West in particular, with an average of 50,000 German troops a day throwing in…

Born on 31 July 1816, and hailing from Southampton County, Virginia, George Henry Thomas won a seat at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Entering in 1836, his roommate there was William Tecumseh Sherman, a man whom he would one day serve alongside in the American Civil War of 1861-1865. Graduating in the class of 1840, Thomas was commissioned as a second lieutenant of artillery and was soon in combat against the Seminoles, a tribe of Native Americans, in Florida. He would later serve as an artillery officer during the Mexican-American War (1845-1848). His handling of artillery was instrumental in enabling the capture of Monterey in September 1846, and earned him a promotion to captain. In February 1847, Thomas’s gunners prevented the collapse of the American flank at…

CHURCHILL: WALKING WITH DESTINY “ROBERTS FULLY DELVES INTO THE FLAWS AND DARKER MOMENTS OF CHURCHILL’S LEADERSHIP” Andrew Roberts An award-winning, international best seller, Andrew Roberts’ single-volume biography is considered to be the definitive account of Britain’s iconic leader. Roberts fully delves into the flaws and darker moments of Churchill’s leadership, as well as his finest and most challenging moments. Beyond his wartime persona, Roberts also gives a more personal account of Churchill’s humour, his habits and passions. CHURCHILL Ashley Jackson Taking a step back from the public image of the wartime hero, Ashley Jackson approaches Churchill the writer, historian, champion of the British Empire, as well gifted orator and statesman. Investigating criticisms of the leader, during his lifetime as well as since his death, Jackson provides a solid and rounded…

TOM GARNER To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, Tom spoke with two British veterans who took part in the final days of the Second World War in Europe, and witnessed celebrations across the continent (page 22). MARK SIMNER Mark specialises in British colonial and military history, in particular during the 19th century. Over in this issue’s Great Battles he takes a closer look at the fierce Battle of Shipka Pass between Ottoman and Russian forces (page 56). STUART HADAWAY RAF researcher Stuart gets into the nuts and bolts of another aviation icon for this issue’s Operator’s Handbook. Starting on page 64 he takes a look inside the cockpit of the MiG-15 – the Soviet Union’s prolific Cold War fighter jet. MARC DESANTIS The American Civil War…

MARSHAL KONSTANTIN ROKOSSOVSKY “THE GERMAN ARMY IS A MACHINE – AND MACHINES CAN BE BROKEN” 1896-1968 POLAND Konstantin Rokossovsky began his military career as an outstanding Red Army cavalry officer, twice honoured with the Order of the Red Banner. An innovative thinker, he went on to study at the Frunze Military Academy. In the military purges of 1937, Rokossovsky’s Polish origins aroused suspicion and he was arrested. He refused to sign a confession that he knew was false, despite beatings and mock executions, and was released three years later. Rokossovsky’s World War II record was exceptional. In 1941 he bravely led the 16th Army in its heroic defence of Moscow. The following year, as commander of the Don Front, he helped mastermind Operation Uranus, cutting off the German 6th Army…

The weather in Birmingham was initially wet on 8 May 1945 but it did not dampen the spirits of its citizens. Like much of the rest of the country, bunting was strung out across the streets and party food was hastily assembled from saved-up rations. The hidden supplies included fireworks that were set off in the northern suburb of Kingstanding along with bonfires in Billesey. The street parties were also a carnival of improvised music with people bringing out wirelesses, gramophones and musical instruments. In the city centre, Birmingham Cathedral held eight services on VE Day that were attended by 4,000 people while thousands converged in public areas such as New Street and the Bull Ring. Nearby Bromsgrove Street even put out a cheeky notice, “Please don’t call for the…

“I WAS PROUD TO BE A SOLDIER IN THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT, ESPECIALLY AS A LAD OF 18 WHERE I WAS PUT IN WITH NORMANDY VETERANS. I WANTED TO DO MY BIT FOR KING AND COUNTRY” The Western Allied invasion of Germany began in earnest when the US 12th Army Group crossed the River Rhine on 22 March 1945. Two days later, paratroopers from the British 6th Airborne Division and US 17th Airborne Division launched Operation Varsity – a huge aerial attack to enter northern Germany. Varsity involved almost 17,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft. One of those parachuting soldiers was Private Fred Duffield, an 18-year-old medic whose drop into the Third Reich was his first ever combat jump. For this already battle-hardened teenager, Varsity was just the beginning of over…

Jan Munk, a 23-year-old Dutch SS volunteer, had tried to walk back to Leiden at war’s end but was recognised a few miles from home and thrown into a prison cell, “I cried my eyes out … that night I heard one of the cells being opened and the occupant taken out. After the guards had their fun with him they returned him to his cell and then it was my turn … I was beaten up with fists and sticks. This went on for three nights. Waiting for your turn was the worst part.” Tried and convicted, Munk was sentenced to five years hard labour. The Flemish SS man, Dries Coolens, suffered much the same treatment, “Back in Belgium I stepped off the train in Ghent and was recognised…

Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, famously generated ideas where insurgents could defeat a regular army. In reality, at the time, he was dependent on the intervention of much larger air and land forces. Sent to liaise with Arab irregular forces fighting the Ottoman Empire in the First World War, Lawrence is considered the intellectual grandfather of guerrilla warfare. His reputation is legendary, but all of his achievements were limited to the context in which he operated and were never easily transferred to later periods. So are any of his ideas still valid? Lawrence recognised that the traditional military emphasis was on concentrating maximum force against the strongest element of the enemy, to bring about a decisive battle, and to complete operations in the shortest time in…

“NO GOOD SOLDIER WANTS TO GO TO WAR, BUT THAT’S WHAT HE’S TRAINED FOR. WHEN I WAS IN THE ARMY, AND FELLOW SOLDIERS WERE ENGAGED IN WAR, I WANTED TO BE THERE”Colonel Ola L. Mize When the smoke cleared and the rattle of automatic weapons fire finally faded, 21-year-old Sergeant Ola Lee Mize and a handful of American infantrymen were left standing. Hours of brutal combat against the 22nd and 221st Regiments of the Chinese 74th Division were over, and scores of enemy bodies lay sprawled across the hillside known as Outpost Harry. Repeated enemy onslaughts had come to nothing, but the defenders had also paid a heavy price. Only 12 of the original 56 Americans manning the position had survived. Near the end of the Korean War, United Nations…

The first day of the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916 is an infamous event in British military history. In a single day, 57,470 British soldiers became casualties as part of the ‘Big Push’ against German positions in the salient of the River Somme. In the teeth of fierce machine-gun, rifle and artillery fire, troops were cut down in droves with almost 20,000 killed. One unit that suffered especially high casualties was 2nd Battalion, Duke of Cambridge’s Own (Middlesex Regiment) during the attack on ‘Mash Valley’ near Ovillers-la-Boisselle. Advancing in four waves, its ranks were devastated with all but 51 out of 673 officers and men killed, wounded or missing. One of the wounded was Captain George Johnson, an experienced Boer War veteran. He was one of the…

“IN THE CZECH CAPITAL, THE REBELS CLUNG ON TO THEIR LAST POSITIONS. AT 5.00AM ON 7 MAY, GERMAN ARMOURED VEHICLES BREACHED THE BARRICADES AND INFANTRY BROKE INTO THE TOWN HALL” On 8 May 1945, America, Britain and most other European countries were happily celebrating VE Day. On the same day, Czech insurgents were fighting for their lives. Amid the heady rush of events at the war’s end, the Prague uprising usually receives scant attention – and unjustly so. It is a story full of unexpected twists and turns, where courage and heroism triumphed against all military odds. The Czechs had suffered the longest period of occupation in Europe and yearned to be free of the Nazi yoke. The Germans had annexed the Sudetenland in October 1938, and occupied the remainder…