In this issue

DECEPTION STRATEGY
Allied tricks that fooled the Germans.

FIRST WAVE OMAHA HERO
US 1st Infantry Medal of Honor..

THE OTHER OPERATION OVERLORD D-DAY'S GHOST ARMY

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

10+ mins

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

3 mins

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

5 mins

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

6 mins

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

8 mins

STORMING GOLD BEACH

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

3 mins

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

6 mins

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

7 mins

THE RECCE RIDER OF RANVILLE

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

6 mins

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

9 mins

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

4 mins

WHAT IF...D-DAY HAD FAILED?

The consequences of an unsuccessful invasion would have been felt for decades to come

6 mins

THE IRA'S WAR IN COUNTY TYRONE

The IRA's East Tyrone Brigade was one of its deadliest units. This is the inside story of how one of its attacks triggered a retaliatory ambush by the SAS

10+ mins

'HATRED IS NOT THE WAY'

Speaking to mark the publication of his new memoir, Ivor Perl describes how he survived both Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps during the Holocaust

10+ mins

JOHNSON BEHARRY

Two acts of valour from this young private saved the lives of his comrades in the narrow streets of Al Amarah, Iraq

6 mins

SUPER SPREADERS IN THE TRENCHES

During the latter period of WWI, infection and disease were a universal enemy on both sides of no man’s land. Vaccination and prevention methods became essential for survival, never mind victory, on the frontline

10+ mins

PROKHOROVKA AND THE FIGHT FOR HILL 252.2

The Battle of Prokhorovka, on 12 July 1943, was the culmination point of the southern pincer of Operation Citadel. The Soviets ultimately emerged victorious, despite suffering extremely heavy losses to their armour. Here, Dr Ben Wheatley recounts the struggle for one critical position during the battle: Hill 252.2

8 mins

AIR BATTLE FOR KURSK

On the eve of Operation Citadel, the Red Air Force sought to pre-empt the attack by smashing the Luftwaffe. The risky spoiling operation failed spectacularly

7 mins

ITALIANS IN THE EAST

Reeling from his setbacks in North Africa, and eager to prove his forces’ worth against the communist foe, Il Duce sent a large expeditionary force to join the Nazi invasion of the USSR

3 mins

SHOWDOWN IN THE DESERT

The Italian campaigns in Africa sought to end British rule over Egypt and control of the Suez Canal, strengthening Mussolini’s dominance over the Mediterranean

4 mins

CORPO TRUPPE VOLONTARIE

During the Spanish Civil War, tens of thousands of Italian soldiers fought in Spain to support the fascist Nationalist forces of Francisco Franco

4 mins

STRIKE AT AFRICA

Mussolini envisaged building an empire to rival Ancient Rome. Once he’d established his grip on Italy, he set his sights on Abyssinia as the place to begin

3 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

BATTLE OF JINGXING

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

7 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

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

SAS IN SICILY

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

10+ 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

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

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

Read all stories from History of War

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.