History of War

From the conquering legions of Ancient Rome to the thunderous tank battles of World War II and beyond, History of War takes you deeper inside the minds of history’s fighting men, further under the bonnets of some of the world’s most devastating war machines, and higher above the battlefield to see the broad sweep of conflict as it happened.

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TANK SPOTTERS WANTED!

WAR IN FOCUS

FRONTLINE THIS MONTH IN HISTORY: AUGUST • In this issue’s Frontline, how fragile alliances led to the Great War, British disinformation in post-imperial Africa, the rise of US aircraft carriers, the 82nd Airborne after WWII, and was Hitler a socialist?

WAS HITLER A SOCIALIST? • Despite the name of his party – the National Socialists – the Führer saw socialism as one of his movement’s greatest foes and sought to defeat it at every turn

THE ALL AMERICAN DIVISION • The 82nd Airborne Division maintains readiness for deployment on a continual basis, from the Cold War to the present day, as a cornerstone of American military preparedness

ECLIPSING THE BATTLESHIP • The rise of US aircraft carriers during WWII transformed the world’s leading naval power

“MAVERICKS AND MISFITS” • A shadowy unit used phantom nationalist movements and forged leaflets to smear communist-influenced politicians

UNPREDICTABLE ALLIES • Messy geopolitical alliances and erratic decision-making turned the July crisis into one of history’s most brutal wars

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AVRO LANCASTER • How the RAF’s “afterthought” aircraft wrecked the German war economy and paved the way to Allied victory

THE FIRST ‘SECOND FRONT’ • The Allied bombing campaign was a huge blow to the Nazis

KEEPING THE LANCASTER ALIVE • Surviving examples continue to inspire awe and admiration

AVRO LANCASTER B.I • This heavy bomber is perhaps the most iconic aircraft of the Second World War. The mainstay of RAF Bomber Command, it symbolises all of the contradictions that its campaign encompassed

DAMBUSTERS SEVENTY-SEVEN RETURNED – ONLY FORTY-EIGHT LIVED TO TELL THE STORY • Dr Robert Owen, the official historian of the No. 617 Squadron Association, recounts what happened next for the men who were immortalised by their role in the epic raid

US FORCES RETREATED FROM KOREA? • A victory for North Korea could have seen a humiliated America move more aggressively against communism around the world

OPERATION MOST III THE AUDACIOUS HEIST OF A V2 ROCKET • In one of the most remarkable missions in the history of military intelligence, the Polish Home Army stole Hitler’s top-secret ballistic missile

V2 COMES TO POLAND • A devastating Allied bombing campaign forced the V-weapons programme from its Baltic home

ANTONI KOCJAN: SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE MASTERMIND • This glider engineer headed the Polish Home Army’s V2 intelligence gathering operation

VERNON BAKER • This army officer became the only living Black WWII veteran to receive his nation’s highest award

GREAT BATTLES TARANTO • On the back foot against a determined Regia Marina, the Royal Navy planned a daring air raid to tip the balance of power at sea he year 1940 was a ‘David and Goliath’ clash

HOW THE BATTLE FOR THE OCEANS WAS WON • Follow the Second World War’s titanic struggle on, above, and below the waves. Discover technical breakdowns of iconic warships, blow-by-blow accounts of turning points, and real-life stories of the heroes who shaped history at sea

HOMEFRONT

LIBERTY SHIP HEROES OF WWII • HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN MEN AND WOMEN ACROSS 18 SHIPYARDS CONSTRUCTED THE NATION’S POWERHOUSE LOGISTICS FLEET, WHICH WAS CRITICAL TO THE ALLIED WAR MACHINE

HOLLYWOOD DEBRIEF DUNKIRK • DID BATMAN BEGINS...