Stay up-to-date with the latest news, events and offers.
NEWS FEATURES - MOST RECENT
Annual Memorial Day at Capel-le-Ferne
Several thousand people attended the annual Memorial Day at the National Memorial to The Few at Capel-le-Ferne, Kent, writes Geoff Simpson.
full storyCemetery Dedication and 250th Burial Marks Culmination of Two-Year Project at Fromelles
Ninety-four years to the day since thousands of men died at the Battle of Fromelles, the last of the 250 British and Australian soldiers recently discovered in mass graves was laid to rest in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) new purpose-built Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, writes Martin Mace.
full story
Secret Mission Catalina touches down at Flying Boat Centre
A new arrival among the model fleet at the Flying Boat Centre, Pembroke Dock, recalls a forgotten wartime story involving the very first Catalina to operate in RAF colours.
full story
National Armed Forces Day 2010
The city of Cardiff was the venue for this year’s Armed Forces Day
national event. The sun shone and the crowds turned out in their
thousands to pay tribute to the country’s servicemen and women at Armed
Forces Day on 26 June 2010.
full story
Gas! Gas! Gas!
To commemorate the 94th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, the Historial de la Grande Guerre in Péronne has opened a new exhibition on gas and chemical warfare. John Grehan reports.
full story
BRITAIN AT WAR
- MOST RECENT
Green For Go!
The Germans were convinced that with Fighter Command stretched to its limits in the south of England, northern Britain would be thinly defended. So, on 15 August 1940, a large formation of Heinkel He 111s, with Messerschmitt Bf 110s as escorts from Luftflotte 5, attacked North-West England. Catterick’s 41 Squadron went to intercept and Pilot Officer Ted “Shippy” Shipman led Green Section into the fray in what proved to be a disastrous encounter for the Luftwaffe.
full story
PoW Vocabulary: A Whole Different Language
Every trade or enterprise develops its own terminology and slang. This was no different for the PoWs of the Second World War trapped within the confines of their prison camps. Robert Mitchell presents an insight into some of the words and phrases adopted behind the barbed-wire.
full story
Stealing The Crown Jewels
Amsterdam has long been one of the world’s leading centers for the cutting of diamonds and when the Germans attacked Holland without warning on Friday, 10 May 1940, one of their key objectives was the seizure of the city’s large stock of diamonds – providing they were quick enough! John Grehan tells the story of an astonishing smash and grab raid.
full story
An Opportunity Missed
By early 1915, the fighting on the Western Front had stalemated into static trench warfare. The death toll had reached such epic proportions that neither the British, French nor Germans could keep up the tactics of mass charges by their troops across no-man’s land only to be slaughtered in vast numbers by machine-gun fire or die entangled in barbed-wire. As Ken Wright describes, an answer had to be found.
full story
Flying the Flag
Martin Mace investigates the Story of an audacious low-level sortie to Paris in the summer of 1942 – a mission intended to send a clear message to the people of the French capital.
full story
39
July 2010
In this issue:
- FLYING INTO THE PAST
Several pilots of 41 Squadron recently decided to re-paint their Tornado and Harrier jets with the serial codes used by the squadron during the Battle of Britain, leading to the uncovering of some remarkable tales from those memorable days seventy years ago. - THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN IN COLOUR
It is often said that the Second World War was fought in black and white since the overwhelming majority of images from that conflict are in monochrome. Steve Hall and Andy Saunders reveal the story behind a fascinating set of colour Battle of Britain pictures and the fate of both the pilot and his Messerschmitt Bf 110. - AN OPPORTUNITY LOST
For many, the Morrison shelter became one of the most memorable objects of the Second World War. Yet the concept of an indoor shelter was originally devised by A.E. Moss, the father of Stirling Moss and Patricia (Pat) Moss, Britain’s most famous racing siblings. - SKIRMISH IN THE MARSHES
The three Spitfires closed in for the kill and the Junkers Ju 88 went down, riddled with holes. The pilot force-landed in open marshland near the village of Graveney in Kent, but the German crew was not, it appeared, going to give up without a fight. - HOLDING THE BRIDGE
It was expected that Major John Howard’s Coup de Main party would seize the bridges over the Orne River and the Caen Canal. But such a small force could not hold them both for long and the defensive perimeter around the Pegasus and Orne bridges therefore had to be reinforced and expanded to include the village of Bénouville. - ACTION AT LAST!
It was the middle of October 1939. The war was but a few weeks old and the men of 41 Squadron, based at RAF Catterick in Yorkshire, were keen to test their skills against the famed Luftwaffe. John Shipman tells the story of one of the first aerial combats of the Second World War. - UNLEASHING THE DRAGON
It was on a plateau near Musa Qa’leh in Helmand Province that a Forward Observation Base was established by British troops in 2008. The base was under almost constant attack by the Taliban – until the British decided to fight back. - COOKING UP THE CODES
Sixteen-year-old NAAFI canteen assistant Tommy Brown was awarded the George Medal for his part in helping break the German U-boats’ ciphers in the Second World War. We tell his story. - SURVIVAL ON THE SOMME
The Battle of the Somme has become synonymous with death on an unimaginable scale. Yet amongst the terrible tales of slaughter and sacrifice were a few tales of survival. The story of Private A. Matthews is one of the more remarkable of them. - "WELL DONE, MEDWAY QUEEN"
The little paddle steamer was built for pleasure cruises but she sailed for Dunkirk to play a vital part in the greatest evacuation in history. Few ships associated with the event fought so hard and escaped destruction so tenaciously and for so long as the Medway Queen. - FRIEND AND FOE: THE UNEARTHING THE HISTORY OF THE BATTLE
For many years aviation archaeology has captured the public’s imagination. To mark this year’s 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain we examine the excavation of two aircraft that were lost during that frenetic summer of 1940 – one British and one German. - NEWS: BATTLE OF BRITAIN BEACON
On 13 May 2010, the RAF Museum at Hendon declared its intention to build an impressive new structure to celebrate the Battle of Britain. The striking, steel-clad building, which will be called the Battle of Britain Beacon, will stand 350 feet high, making it the world’s tallest museum building. - NEWS: "DUNKERQUE DYNAMO"
We report on the recent celebrations at Dunkirk to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the evacuations from this part of the French coast in 1940. - NEWS: TWO AVRO LANCASTER CREWS ARE REMEMBERED
A hunt for buried treasure uncovered the remains of two wartime bomber crashes, leading to the erection of a memorial in their honour. - IMAGE OF WAR: A BOMBER BOMBED
In a operational mission the RAF’s bomber crews could expect to be attacked by enemy fighters and shelled by anti-aircraft guns, it was all part of job. They did not expect, however, to be bombed by their own aircraft! - COMPETITION: COCKPIT SPECIAL VISIT
In this month's free prize draw, one lucky reader will have the opportunity to win a "Cockpit Special" visit to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. Page 118 - THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN ... IN NUMBERS
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, in this month's "In Numbers", the first of a new series, we examine the Battle of Britain through a set of fascinating set of numbers and statistics.
in association with
Battle of Britain
A Day-to-day Chronicle, 10 July-31 October 1940
Patrick Bishop
A Day-to-day Chronicle, 10 July-31 October 1940
Patrick Bishop
Britain at War Bookstore £4.49
The Battle of Britain
Five Months That Changes History May – October 1940
James Holland
Five Months That Changes History May – October 1940
James Holland
Britain at War Bookstore £18.12
Other great offers
-
rrp £16.99
Bomber flight Berlin
Together they flew 50 missions over Germany
Mike Rossiter
Britain at War Bookstore £11.68
-
rrp £20.00
Dunkirk 1940 ‘whereabouts unknown’
How Untrained Troops of the Labour Divisions Were Sacrificed to Save an Army
Tim Lynch
Britain at War Bookstore £16.25
-
rrp £19.99
Gladiator Ace
Bill ‘Cherry’ Vale, the RAF’s Forgotten Fighter Ace
Brian Cull
Britain at War Bookstore £14.99
-
rrp £7.99
Hero of the Fleet
Two World Wars, One Extraordinary Life – The Memoirs Of Centenarian William Stone
William Stone and Kate Farrington
Britain at War Bookstore £5.79
-
rrp £20.00
Last of the few
Eighteen Battle of Britain Fighter Pilots Tell Their Extraordinary Stories
Dilip Sarkar
Britain at War Bookstore £14.50
-
rrp £18.99
Spitfire summer
When Britain Stood Alone
Malcolm Brown
Britain at War Bookstore £14.24
-
rrp £19.99
The Battle for France
Six Weeks That Changed the World
Philip Warner
Britain at War Bookstore £14.99
-
rrp £19.99
Wingate's lost brigade
The First Chindit Operation 1943
Philip Chinnery
Britain at War Bookstore £14.99