History of War

German War Minister and Commander-in-Chief, Field Marshall Werner von Blomberg, inspects British tanks during a visit to the Royal Tank Corps at Bovington Camp, Dorset, England. The following year Blomberg was ousted from power by his rivals in high

Germany First! This was the strategy agreed between Great Britain and the United States during the Second World War. Ever since Dunkirk the British had been aiming at getting back to the continent by one means or another. This idea was well understoo

The first generation of German armour – Panzers I to IV – were not of themselves superior to their opponents, their effectiveness in the first three years of the Second World War being primarily explicable in terms of how they were employed. It was t

When first encountered in June 1941, the 76.2mm main armament of the T-34 could defeat any German tank. It took the Germans until the spring of 1942 to equip their Panzer IV and Assault Guns with more powerful guns that could defeat the T-34. The T-

The 360-degree rotating turret mounted atop the hull of the French Renault FT-17 light tank redefined the battlefield capabilities of the weapons system, allowing the armoured vehicle to fire in any direction. A large forward idler wheel was fitted t

A pioneer in the development of the tank and its deployment to the battlefield, the British endorsed the earliest armoured fighting vehicles that were tested and entered production during the World War I era. Along with that commitment, a doctrine re

During the early 19th century, Spain found itself in a desperate War of Independence against Napoleonic France (1808-1814). But while this should have produced a broad sentiment of national unity, the reality was the exact opposite. When the French i

At 1405hr on 6 October 1973, the Syrians launched their three-pronged attack on the Golan Heights, following the main roads. Advancing along these roads allowed the Israelis to concentrate their defences, and partially negated the overwhelming Syrian

Designed as a carrier-based aircraft, the Corsair had a unique inverted wing and could achieve a top speed of well over 400mph. It was also armed with six machine guns, four cannons and additional payloads of rockets and bombs, which made it extremel

Director: Denis Delic UK Digital & DVD Release: 29 April Sometimes, by sheer coincidence or creative differences, two films on the same subject emerge nearly simultaneously. This is the case of 303 Squadron, directed by Denis Delic, scheduled for it

Author: Anthony King Publisher: Cambridge University Press Price: £19.99 In the wake of troubled campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, it can and has been argued that decision-making in Western armed forces is facing a crisis. This is reflected in the