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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WAR IN FOCUS

FRONTLINE THIS MONTH IN HISTORY: APRIL • In this issue’s Frontline, the Cold War in the Arctic, the Iran Hostage Crisis, Britain’s 1915 Shell Crisis, President Truman and nuclear weapons, and why the next world war is more likely than ever

THE PRESIDENT’S WEAPON • Desperate to stop another Hiroshima or Nagasaki, Truman placed the nuclear trigger firmly in presidential hands

OPERATION EAGLE CLAW • At the height of the Iran Hostage Crisis, one small unit took part in the only successful aspect of the disastrous US mission to liberate the Embassy in Tehran. James Stejskal was with the unit in Berlin during the crisis

THE NEXT WAR THE 35% CHANCE OF GLOBAL WAR IN THE NEAR FUTURE • Reuters defence expert Peter Apps explains why he thinks a new worldwide conflagration is likely, and how it might unfold

COLD WAR IN THE ARCTIC • As polar ice thaws, tensions have risen over resources, trade routes and security, rekindling past rivalries for dominance at the edge of the world

GUNS OR BUTTER? • Less than a year into the First World War, Britain was running out of ammunition. Over a century later the UK is facing another ‘shell crisis’

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BLITZ THE FINAL RAID • Eighty-five years ago, the Blitz ended in the most devastating of all air raids on London. Nevertheless, it illustrated that strategic aims couldn’t be achieved by conventional bombing

THE GRIM TOLL

RAMILLIES • After a disappointing campaign following his triumph at Blenheim, the Duke of Marlborough was looking for a fight. He found one

Battle of Ramillies

MUSSOLINI’S BLACKSHIRTS • In 1941 Italy’s Assault Legions enthusiastically joined Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union. In under two years most would be devoured by WWII’s deadliest theatre

ARMING AFRICA HOW RUSSIA REBUILT ITS POWER • In the post-Soviet vacuum, rogue arms networks and Kremlin ambition turned Africa’s wars into a staging ground for the Kremlin’s resurgence

WHO WAS THE MERCHANT OF DEATH? • Bout rose from humble beginnings in the Soviet Union’s poorest republic to become one of Africa’s most infamous arms dealers

THE CONGO WARS • These two conflicts in central Africa are a case study of the decentralised and often contradictory nature of Russian arms sales

WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN MAKING GEORGIA HOWL • This implacable general brought the South to its knees during the American Civil War

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA • Sherman’s ‘total war’ tactics wreaked untold havoc on the Confederate forces and helped the Union win the conflict

THE SURRENDER OF JOE JOHNSTON

WAR IS HELL • The realities of any war are cruel, uncompromising and difficult to bear for any normal human, and Sherman was abundantly aware of this

SPITFIRE MARK IX • The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX fighter proved more than a stopgap measure for the RAF and was built in large numbers

JACKLYN H LUCAS • On the sands of Iwo Jima, this US Marine became the youngest WWII recipient of his nation’s highest honour

TAKE TO THE SKIES WITH THE HEROES OF THE AIR • The United States Air Force has been a decisive force in many of the major conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries. Discover its unusual history, its technological prowess and the stories of some of its heroes.

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