Innholdsfortegnelse for No. 132 i History of War

3 December 1944 – 11 January 1945 DEKEMVRIANA EVENTS 01 Winston Churchill orders British troops to intervene, stating: “We have to hold and dominate Athens.” It takes three weeks for the British to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile, the Greek government falls apart, delaying the return of King George II, while the anti-communist General Nikolaos Plastiras becomes the new prime minister. October 1944 LIBERATION FROM AXIS OCCUPATION While exiled for over three years in Egypt, the Greek government has little capability to influence affairs back home. Instead, multiple resistance movements, including communist and monarchist affiliated groups, play a quasi-governmental role in people’s everyday lives. After German forces withdraw in the face of the advancing Red Army, the Greek government is able to return, though left-leaning resistance groups control 90 percent…

Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805 gave Britain command of the seas. In the late 19th century a patriotic organisation called the Navy League was formed to bolster that dominance, recruiting 120,000 members to promote the navy politically, and keep it in the public consciousness. In the aftermath of the First World War the League took over the running of the Admiralty’s Sea Cadet scheme. Propaganda and popular culture emphasised the importance Britain’s senior military service, and the British public developed a fascination with battleships. By the 1930s hundreds of thousands of visitors were flocking to view them during the annual Navy Week. Built in 1918 and commissioned in 1920, HMS Hood became a sensation as the world’s largest battleship, undertaking a global tour and ‘flying the flag’ for Britain.…

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As Hitler’s army marched into Poland on 1 September 1939, beginning the Second World War, the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco struggled to consolidate power in Madrid. His Nationalist Army had been heavily reliant on Nazi arms, tanks and planes to gain victory in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), yet Franco did not fall in with the rest of fascist Europe to support the German war effort, instead taking a cautious and relatively neutral approach. The prospect of Spain joining the war remained a concern for the Allies throughout the conflict, terrified by the prospect of losing control of Gibraltar and, as a result, the Mediterranean. What was the relationship between Francoist Spain and Nazi Germany during and after the Spanish Civil War? The first and only personal encounter between Francisco…

Motor racing was one of the glamour sports of the 1930s and German drivers were at the forefront of the pinnacle of the sport, the Grand Prix. Rudolf Caracciola won a trio of driver’s championships in 1935, 1937 and 1938 while Bernd Rosemeyer cemented this domination with the 1936 Grand Prix European Championship. One of the reasons for German success was that Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers Party (NSDAP) believed in promoting motoring as a way of modernising the country, along with the clear military benefit of engine and vehicle development. The first NSDAP motoring organisation itself was called the National Socialist Automobile Corps (Nationalsozialistisches Automobilkorps, or NSAK), which Hitler made an official party organisation on 1 April 1930 while also forcing all other German motoring organisations…

01 CRICQUEVILLEEN-BESSIN Rangers Lead the Way: an exhibition on the 2nd Ranger Battalion’s assault on Pointedu-Hoc, open 10-12 May. 02 VER-SUR-MER An installation of 1,475 silhouettes can be found at the British Normandy Memorial throughout the summer, commemorating the British soldiers who died on D-Day. 03 CAEN D-Day Week: starting 8 June, Caen celebrates liberation with jazz concerts, vehicle parades and vintage markets with the shopkeepers in period clothing. 04 LUC-SUR-MER Liberation Ceremony of Luc-sur-Mer: a unique parade on 7 June, including the children of the British Commandos who liberated the town. 05 LION-SUR-MER La Normandie Célèbre La Liberté: a festival held on 9 June featuring swing balls, military vehicle exhibitions and a beach rugby match. 06 PAVILLY Les 80 ans de la Libération de Pavilly: reenactments held over a…

Throughout 1947 the British government was facing its own post-war financial difficulties, so began exploring ways to abandon its role in Greece. However, the Attlee government was also aware that a sudden ‘cut and run’ would lead to the collapse of the Greek government and with it a crucial line of communication to the East, as well as another communist regime in the Mediterranean region. When the United States picked up on this, several key politicians, the ambassador to Greece and the head of the American Mission to the Greek government made it clear that the United States could not afford to lose Greece to the Soviets. Accordingly, President Harry S Truman and Congress approved the transfer of several hundred million dollars to help safeguard the country – part of…

The Eastern Front is the second book in Professor Nick Lloyd’s First World War trilogy, which began with The Western Front, published in 2021. In this second volume, Lloyd uncovers what Winston Churchill named the “unknown war”, spanning much of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. While reconstructing the front’s story, Lloyd meticulously details the vast, devastating battles that led to the collapse of three empires. The Eastern Front paints a vivid picture of this bloodsoaked conflict through eyewitness reports, diaries and memoirs from the soldiers and civilians who struggled for survival in the East. In this book, many of these sources have been translated into English for the first time. Professor Lloyd spoke with History of War about the characteristics of the Eastern Front, detailing how its size and mobility…

1939 FRANCOIST VICTORY IN THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR On 1 April 1939, Franco’s forces entered Madrid and declared victory. However, three years of brutal civil war left Spain impoverished and the new Francoist state was locked in a struggle for survival. After the civil war Franco was also forced to substantially reduce his military might, cutting three-quarters of the Nationalist Army to free up men to rebuild the shattered nation. What remained of the armed forces was reluctant to become involved in the Second World War, with a much of its leadership vehemently opposed to military intervention. 1939-45 DEPENDENCY ON THE ALLIES Britain created a network of economic mutual interest with Spain, meaning Spain would face economic destitution if it cut ties with the Allies. Britain ensured Spain could only…

“IT WAS KNOWN AFFECTIONATELY AS THE ‘STRINGBAG’, BECAUSE JUST AS A STRING SHOPPING BAG COULD HOLD ALMOST ANYTHING SO THE SWORDFISH COULD CARRY ALMOST ANY WEAPON TYPE” The Fairey Swordfish entered service with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in 1936. Already slow and outdated by modern standards, a requirement was issued in the same year for a replacement. The Swordfish would finally leave service in May 1945, 18 months after the withdrawal of its ‘replacement’. The antiquated Swordfish had proven an exceptional weapon of war. Known affectionately as the ‘Stringbag’, because just as a string shopping bag could hold almost anything so the Swordfish could carry almost any weapon type, it would equip 13 FAA squadrons by the outbreak of the Second World War. By now, on paper…

Development of a prototype glide bomb began in May 1940 under the supervision of Dr Herbert A Wagner. Based on the 1,102lb (500kg) general-purpose bomb, the glide bomb would allow German bombers to strike lightly armoured ships and merchant vessels while remaining out of range of antiaircraft fire. A rocket motor was added in December 1940 to provide 1,323lb (600kg) of thrust for ten seconds: enough to propel the released bomb into the line of sight of the bombardier in the nose of the aircraft. The bombardier used a joystick to control the ailerons and elevator during the glide phase. As the pilot maintained a level flight parallel to the target, the bombardier would manoeuvre the glide bomb until impact with the enemy ship. Flares were later added to make…

LAID TO REST 26 November 1982 At Aldershot Military Cemetery, Paratrooper pallbearers stand next to the flag-draped coffins of 16 soldiers from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Parachute Regiment, killed during the Falklands War. The cemetery is the resting place of 17,000 service personnel from nine nations who died in combat, including 692 from the Great War and 129 from the Second World War. One of the most noteworthy Falklands graves at the cemetery is that of Sergeant Ian McKay, who was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for charging an enemy machine gun position during the Battle of Mount Longdon. OPÉRATION DAGUET 30 August 1990 Soldiers of the French 1st Parachute Hussar work on a machine gun in the United Arab Emirates desert as part of Opération Daguet,…

“THE PROTESTORS WERE PROCLAIMING THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THE ALLIES’ UNWAVERING SUPPORT IN THEIR FIGHT AGAINST THEIR AXIS OCCUPIERS” The power vacuum left in the wake of the Axis retreat in 1944 was immediately contested by two major political and military groups. One party claiming power was the communist National Liberation Front (EAM) supported by its military organisation the National People’s Liberation Army (ELAS). The EAM had previously been closely supported by the British during the Nazi occupation. Opposing the communists was Georgios Papandreou’s exiled Greek government, under the guidance of the British. In the aftermath of the Nazi withdrawal, the EAM was instructed by the Soviets to not take full control of Greece, although it very easily could have, as it would have interfered with Stalin’s post-war plans, and it…

01 THE FRENCH ARRIVE On 30 August, the French advance guard of 800 men occupies the village of Ollioules. The allies respond the next day with a sortie that costs the French eight killed, 30 prisoners, two cannon and two battalion colours. 02 NAPOLEON’S FIRST ATTACKS Having set up two batteries called de la Montagne (five guns) and des Sans Culottes (two guns), Napoleon conducts limited shelling against the Aurore, HMS St George and the Spanish San Juan Nepomuceno in the inner harbour, to no effect. 03 ATTACK ON MOUNT FARON Deemed to be the key to Toulon, Lapoype orders Gardanne to take Mount Faron with a 1,600-man force on 30 September. A counter-attack on 1 October by Lord Mulgrave, and poor leadership by Lapoype, allows for its recapture by…

1939 AXIS CONTROL IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Had Spain joined the war, the British defenders of Gibraltar would have been in an impossible position and soon would have lost control. The Strait of Gibraltar would have closed, cutting off the British Army in the Middle East. Now isolated from the rest of the Allied forces, the nature of the Middle Eastern front would have fundamentally changed and Allied victory would have been unlikely. 1939-45 SPANISH ECONOMIC COLLAPSE With Franco now an Axis ally, Britain and the US would have cut economic ties. Repairing Spain’s ruined economy and infrastructure would have been nearly impossible, with the country relying heavily on whatever aid it could get from Germany. However, a second civil war would have been highly unlikely regardless of how difficult the…

A variety of events have been planned across Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day For more information visit: en.normandie-tourisme.fr D-Day Festival Normandy began in 2007, aiming to inspire people to visit and commemorate the landings. The festival hosts various events throughout the area, with the Normandy Regional Tourism Committee asking each local tourist office to contribute their most important D-Day events for promotion across the region. D-Day Festival Normandy for the 80th anniversary will run from 1 to 16 June and is set to be the greatest yet. There will be things to see along the entire D-Day coastline and much of the Normandy battleground, including parachuting, parades, concerts, historical re-enactments, fireworks and new exhibitions. These events are spread across iconic locations from Pegasus Bridge to Sainte-Mère-Eglise, including…

Creator: John Orloff Starring: Austin Butler, Callum Turner, Anthony Boyle Released: Out now on Apple TV+ Adding to their Second World War shows Band Of Brothers and The Pacific, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have been reunited as producers for this Apple TV+ series Masters Of The Air. This is the story of the 100th Bomb Group, the American Flying Fortress heavy bombers, stationed in England during the war, who took part in many daring and incredibly dangerous missions over Europe. There are sequences here that will do for Second World War air combat what Saving Private Ryan did for the Normandy landings. The aerial combat sequences are tense, exhilarating, terrifying and awe-inspiring. Spielberg’s involvement in Masters Of The Air is from the production office rather than the director’s chair,…

Director: Felipe Gálvez Starring: Mark Stanley, Camilo Arancibia, Benjamín Westfall Released: Out now The highly publicised but often exaggerated battleground between the historian and filmmaker – one with an absolutist eye for accuracy, the other with an insatiable appetite for drama – has seemingly never been more divisive than in recent times. While some big-budget flicks have made loud forays across this well-worn terrain, others take the subtler revisionist’s route, brilliantly unravelling and reintroducing a history we thought we understood, like The Settlers (Los Colonos). The film begins in Chile, 1901. Former British soldier Lieutenant Alexander MacLennan (Mark Stanley) is tasked by a landowner to find a route across the unforgiving landscape of Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago at the country’s southernmost point. With him is an American mercenary, Bill…