History of War - Issue 121

In this issue

LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE
In 1916 a special unit of US pilots was created, named after the Revolutionary War leader.

SAS IN SICILY
Gavin Mortimer reveals the covert British missions behind the lines in Operation Husky.

VICKERS MEDIUM MK1 TANK
An inter-war design that served as a training platform for the Royal Armoured Corps..

FLEDGLING EAGLES

The French contribution to the air battles of WWI was unmatched. A world leader in aviation, its pioneers and factories readily turned to supporting the war effort

3 mins

LAFAYETTE ESCADRILLE

During WWI, the burgeoning French Air Force formed a squadron of volunteer American pilots who served France with distinction over the Western Front

3 mins

REARMAMENT & THE BATTLE OF FRANCE

France entered Second World War while still suffering the effects of the First. Out-thought as much as out-fought, the Armée de L’Air was left ill-equipped in both mindset and aircraft

3 mins

COLD WAR

After the defeats and divisions of WWII, the Armée de L’Air struggled for aircraft and a role for them. Ironically, breaking away from NATO united the force behind a single aim

3 mins

BATTLE FOR SICILY THE 'SOFT UNDERBELLY'

Eighty years ago, Allied forces invaded the Axis homeland for the first time in a huge, complex operation that involved airborne and amphibious landings

10+ mins

SAS IN SICILY

How the elite unit emerged from chaotic beginnings to spearhead the Allies' 1943 invasion of the Mediterranean island fortress

10+ mins

PREPARING FOR KURSK

Dr Ben Wheatley of the University of East Anglia reveals the huge German and Soviet preparations for the largest tank battle in history

9 mins

AUBREY COSENS

In February 1945, as the Allies began a renewed push into Nazi Germany, a Canadian sergeant single-handedly cleared three enemy-held buildings to earn the Commonwealth’s highest military honour

6 mins

WWII'S FORGOTTEN V-2 HEIST

In the summer of 1944, a daring mission was launched to retrieve an intact German rocket, recovered by the Polish Home Army, to analyse and counter Hitler’s devastating vengeance weapon

10+ mins

BATTLE OF JINGXING

Strategic brilliance and an audacious plan ensured victory for the underdog in this legendary clash in ancient China

7 mins

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History of War Magazine Description:

Discover the politics, mechanics, strategies and machines 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.