Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 106 i History of War

Here in the UK, at least when I was at school, the First World War was taught very much as a gruelling battle of attrition, featuring trenches, rats, poets and poppies. Little of the ‘world’ conflict was really explored in any great detail – which is why this issue was fascinating to rectify that gap in my own knowledge with a feature on the Eastern Front. With a vast frontline stretching from the Baltics to the Balkans, Russia’s experience of World War I was characterised by tragic blunders and horrific disorganisation. Ultimately this plunged the nation into civil war and changed the country, as well as the much of the world’s course, for more than a century. FOLLOW THE HISTORY OF WAR TEAM /HISTORY OF WARMAG @HISTORY OF WARMAG…

A woman and child walk past a British soldier on patrol in the republican New Lodge district of Belfast. Five years earlier six men had been shot dead, allegedly by the British Army and loyalist paramilitaries, in what became known as the New Lodge Six killings. The army claimed the men had all been members of the IRA, though this remains disputed. Three of the victims were aged 19 at the time and no guns were reportedly recovered from the scene.…

The Doolittle Raid was an audacious bombing attack against Tokyo on 18 April 1942, as American carrier-based aircraft struck the Japanese capital city. The raid was conducted by 16 North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers of the US Army Air Forces (USAAF), flying from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. This audacious mission was conceived, planned and executed within five months of the 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The bombing of US military installations had plunged the previously neutral nation into World War II. The Doolittle Raid was undertaken in response to the string of Japanese victories during the early months of World War II in the Pacific. Following Pearl Harbor, the Japanese had seized Wake Island, Guam and the Dutch East Indies. Japanese forces were…

In 216 BCE the Roman authorities carried out an appalling act of human sacrifice – burying four poor souls alive beneath the Forum. After years of martial dominance, Rome was on the brink of ruin – the dreaded Carthaginian general Hannibal had slaughtered up to 70,000 soldiers in a single afternoon, despite being totally outnumbered. How had it come to this? And why did it lead to this grim scene at the Forum? Rome first went to war with Carthage across Sicily and its surrounding seas during the First Punic War, spanning 264 to 241 BCE. As the two greatest powers in the Mediterranean world, a violent showdown between the warlike forces had long been inevitable. Under the general Hamilcar Barca, Carthage had slaughtered 17 percent of Rome’s male population,…

“THEIR MACHINE GUNS WERE FOR SELF-DEFENCE, BUT THEY COULD DECIMATE AN INFANTRY COLUMN AND DESTROY SOFT-SKINNED VEHICLES” On 14 November 1932, Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd merged with Carden-Loyd and started to manufacture a range of light tanks that today are very misunderstood. These tanks were not built to fight other tanks. Armed only with machine guns, as part of a mechanised army they were designed to be fast reconnaissance tracked scout vehicles or used as mobile bullet-proof machine gun nests. Some Vickers-Carden-Loyd light tanks were built with 40mm guns that could fire armour-piercing rounds, but they were rejected by the British Army as not complying with the current requirements of a reconnaissance unit. Patrols were required to advance until they made contact with the enemy and then report back with intelligence as…

The Chalke Valley Festival is set to return from June 20-26, 2022, for a week-long spectacular of historical entertainment, inspiring discussions and a multitude of other open-air events. Situated at its stunning venue in Broad Chalke near Salisbury, Wiltshire, the show will boast talks from acclaimed speakers, military re-enactments, Roman-style fast food, traditional crafting, music through the ages and much more. Among the renowned attendees announced so far are journalist and broadcaster Helena Merriman, presenting a Cold War-era escape story beneath the Berlin Wall, and bestselling historian Andrew Roberts, whose new book about George III examines the last king of America. Those interested in the Second World War, meanwhile, can speak with RAF Mosquito veterans or learn more about the role of women throughout the conflict. This year will also…

4th – 1st millennium BCE 01 A RICH RESOURCE Britain, especially the Cornish peninsula, becomes vital for Europe’s supply of tin, which is necessary for the creation of weapons and other equipment during the Bronze Age. Isolated from the continent by the channel, Britain’s tribes nonetheless conduct trade and build diplomacy with their neighbours to the south. 55-54 BCE JULIUS CAESAR ARRIVES Julius Caesar launches two punitive raids against tribes in Britain. Cassivellaunus leads an alliance of tribes against Caesar but is defeated and surrenders. The Trinovantes in south-eastern Britain (the most powerful tribe) are set up as a client kingdom under Roman rule. 43 CE 02 CLAUDIUS CONQUERS Emperor Claudius completes a full invasion of Britain, with the purpose of conquering the entire region. Including four Roman legions –…

Excavations at Vindolanda, the site of a Roman fort, have uncovered large numbers of letters on wooden writing tablets. The majority were composed with ink applied to the wood with a pen. These tablets have given us extraordinary insights into Roman army life on the frontier, and were not all strictly about military matters. One tablet, dating to about 100 CE, was actually a birthday invitation from the wife of a commander of another fort to Sulpicia Lepidina. Lepidina was married to Flavius Cerialis, the commander of a Batavian auxiliary cohort (Cohors IX Batavorum) stationed at the Vindolanda fort. Another tablet contained a request made by a cavalry officer to Cerialis for more beer. The tablets themselves generally date from between 90 CE and 120 CE, when the fort served…

Russia entered World War I for several reasons. The torchbearer of pan-Slavism in the early 20th century, Tsar Nicholas II, last emperor of the Romanov Dynasty, believed his dominion was morally obligated to assist Serbia. Russia was bound by treaty obligations with France and Great Britain, and the Russian government entertained its own expansionist ambitions in Central Asia. The Romanovs ruled Russia for 300 years and during that period a distinct class system emerged. The nobility lived in opulence along with wealthy landowners and industrialists, while the working and agrarian classes led a significantly more humble existence, earning paltry wages and surviving on subsistence farming. Other European countries had seen the introduction of reforms, particularly France with its revolution of the late 18th century, and the American Revolution during the…

Holding the most historically significant collection of fighting armour in the world, The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset, is to host its 2022 TANKFEST from 24-26 June. The iconic event, returning to its prepandemic three-day programme, starts with what organisers describe as a “history festival” feel. This will include an expansive range of talks and presentations, allowing visitors more time to explore the entire museum – not least its 300 tanks from 26 nations – as well as trader stalls and living history re-enactments. The main demonstrations will take place on Saturday and Sunday, with guest armour such as a Sherman 51, AMX and Panhard AML. There are also hopes to bring in an OT90, Sherman Firefly, M10 and Hetzer. Those attending will need to specify AM or PM arena…

The 15-kiloton detonation of the ‘Grable’ weapon test illuminates the Nevada desert, as part of the US Operation Upshot-Knothole. Between March and June, 11 different nuclear weapons were tested, including Grable, which was the first nuclear artillery shell. The 280mm shell was fired from an M65 Atomic Cannon, nicknamed Atomic Annie, which was then put into production and fielded in West Germany and elsewhere in anticipation of the use of tactical nuclear weapons.…

Roman contact with Britain prior to conquest was a combination of trade and diplomacy. Knowledge of the British Isles extended back into the third millennium BCE thanks to the presence in the southwest of both tin and copper, essential for the making of bronze. Cornwall was one of the very few accessible sources of tin in Europe, so Cornish tin was essential for bronze production throughout western Europe. In addition to these tin and copper resources found on the islands, Britain was also renowned as a source of the culinary delicacy oysters. Grain was also a major export, and Britain was seen as a lucrative source of trade (and therefore taxes) and manpower. The islands were ripe for conquest by any Roman leader daring enough to try, and Britain became…

The history of the Falkland Islands, or Islas Malvinas, long predates the era of exploration, colonialism and territorial expansion that has since defined them. However, when it comes to understanding the terrible war between Argentina and Britain that ravaged this beautiful but isolated archipelago in 1982, we must go back to the dawn of the colonial era. It’s a long, complex and disputed story stretching over at least four centuries. Land sighted: the colonials arrive Unquestionably, the Falklands’ history is connected with the history of Argentina, which can be divided into four main phases: the pre-Columbian period (up to the 16th century), the colonial period (1530 – 1810), the nation-building period (1810-80) and modern Argentina (from around 1880 onwards). In 1494 the Treaty of Tordesillas saw Spain and Portugal divide…

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After his death, Yi was named Lord of Loyalty and Chivalry and celebrated for his continuous display of “the three essentials of the warrior: humility, discernment and courage”. Undefeated in battle, his remarkable naval accomplishments changed the face of East Asia forever. He has since been immortalised as a rare symbol of integrity and sacrifice at a time of widespread corruption, scheming and selfishness, typical of Joseon-era politics. Yi has also been revered outside of the Korean Peninsula. Following his stunning, historic victory against the Russian Baltic Fleet in Tsushima in 1905, the Japanese Admiral Togo Heihachiro remarked: “You may wish to compare me with Lord Nelson, but do not compare me with Korea’s Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Next to him, I am only a petty officer.” Meanwhile, in 1921 British…

Author: Jasna Levinger-Goy Publisher: Pen & Sword Military Price: £20 In light of what Ukraine’s cities are facing, this book is a timely and stark portrait of the horrors of urban warfare. Sarajevo along with Beirut became bywords for what can happen to a once-thriving city torn apart by unbridled sectarian hatred. Born in Sarajevo, Levinger-Goy witnessed first-hand the tragic civil war that fractured Bosnia and Herzegovina in the wake of the breakup of Yugoslavia. By the time of the conflict Sarajevo was a city of half-a-million souls, a multiethnic population with a diverse heritage. The author covers the road to war which was sparked by Bosnia and Herzegovina’s declaration of independence and the refusal of its people to coexist. The stories of families torn apart and scattered to the…