COUPS & CHAOS

How the French armed forces lost the war in Algeria and almost destroyed French democracy in the process

BATTLE OF ALGIERS

When the Front de libération nationale FLN) took its war to the streets of the capital, France’s military responded with merciless wrath

THE RISE OF ALGERIAN RESISTANCE

How the anti-colonialist struggle around the globe helped inspire Algeria’s liberation movement to organise and fight back

ROOTS OF REVOLUTION

A century of French occupation led to a genocide in Algeria that provoked one of the bloodiest showdowns of the modern age

DWIGHT W BIRDWELL

In the opening hours of the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive, this Specialist Five led his armoured cavalry detachment in repulsing a fierce communist assault against Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon

THE FIVE STRATEGY AND LEADERSHIP

Phillips O’Brien discusses how this quintet of national leaders impacted the course of the Second World War

Great Battles FLODDEN

On the morning of 9 September 1513, King James lV of Scotland stood atop Flodden Hill with what seemed an insurmountable advantage over the English. Yet by the day's end he would lay slain and his army shattered

FERDINAND 'THE BLOODY'

Known for his brutal martial punishment and execution of his own men, Ferdinand Schérner’s ruthlessness was matched only by his devotion to Nazi ideology

AIRBORNE UNDER SIEGE ARNHEM

For nine days the heroic 1st Airborne fought desperately, waiting vainly for relief that never came

SCANDINAVIA UNDER ATTACK

Hitler’s forces smash through Denmark and Norway ina grim foretaste of the terrible fate awaiting the rest of Western Europe

DEFEAT & OCCUPATION

Nazi victory in the north ushered in five years of occupation characterised by collaboration and brutal retribution

ALLIED FIGHTBACK

Britain and France race to Norway’s aid as the two nations suffer their first defeats and score their earliest victories of the war

PLOTTING THE STRIKE NORTH

Ahead of his push west, Hitler launched a pre-emptive assault on neutral Scandinavia to secure iron ore supplies and Nazi control of the North Sea

RUSSIAN ROULETTE Q&A WITH ANNA REID

As WWI reached its bloody crescendo, a foolhardy intervention was launched into Russia's civil war -a move that descended into sinister complicity and defeat

The FIRST BATTLE

At the end of the 7th century, a battle you've probably never heard of took place between two emerging nations, soon to be historic rivals. The fighting settled a border that still endures over 1,300 years later

BRITS BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN

At the beginning of the Cold War, a peculiar military mission began its work officially, and unofficially, gathering intelligence inside Soviet-occupied East Germany

TALI-IHANTALAI

Outnumbered and outgunned, the Finns’ spirited defence of a natural choke point turned back the Red Army during the largest battle in the region's history

Heroes of the Medal of Honor LUCIAN ADAMS

Armed with a Browning Automatic Rifle and hand grenades, this lone sergeant silenced three enemy machine gun emplacements in the mountains of northeastern France

HOME GUARD

Beginning as veteran volunteers in Britain's 'Darkest Hour', the nation's defence forces grew to take on a range of dangerous and secretive roles

THE OTHER OPERATION OVERLORD D-DAY'S GHOST ARMY

Historian Taylor Downing discusses the cunning use of intrigue and deception during Operation Fortitude

D-DAY LANDING CRAFT

Over 4,000 Allied landing craft took part in the Normandy Landings with a huge range of designs created for specific roles and capabilities

BEHIND ENEMY LINES

Spearheading the invasion of occupied France in 1944 were a small number of Special Forces soldiers dropped deep into enemy territory. Among them was a young Londoner, fresh from training here he reveals how he survived guerrilla warfare in France and beyond as part of the fledgling Special Air Service

JIMMIE MONTEITH

In the crucible of battle at Omaha Beach on D-Day, this officer of the famed 1st Infantry Division earned his nation’s highest honour at the cost of his life

KLEINKAMPFVERBÄNDE - GERMANY'S COUNTER-ATTACKS

As Allied forces crossed the Channel and stormed into Normandy, Hitler's navy fought back using a deadly new breed of maritime weaponry

STORMING GOLD BEACH

War veteran Ron Peet helped assault Gold Beach on D-Day Here he shares his experiences

UNDERGROUND WREN

Deep in the bowels of Fort Southwick, radio operator Marie Scott was one of the first to hear reports as Operation Overlord got underway, passing critical communications between the men on the beaches and high command

MINESWEEPER OFF NORMANDY

After helping clear the path to France, Royal Navy veteran Claude Sealey and his crewmates experienced a deadly encounter with their own countrymen

THE RECCE RIDER OF RANVILLE

After fencing behind enemy lines in Normandy, William Bill’ Gladden conducted us reconnaissance on his motorcycle

SWORD BEACH

The easternmost sector of the 6 June Normandy Landings was a mostly British affair, and Saw some of the biggest territorial gains of the first day of the Allied invasion

THE FIRST ON JUNO BEACH

As a member of the RAF Beach Squadrons, Teacher's job was to help unload and dispatch personnel and equipment