History 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.

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WAR in FOCUS

TIMELINE OF THE… YOM KIPPUR WAR • Israel and an Arab coalition led by Egypt and Syria fight a short but bitter war in 1973 that redraws the Middle Eastern map and causes an international energy crisis

EGYPT STRIKES BACK • To avenge its humiliation in 1967 the Egyptian military assaulted the Israeli-occupied Sinai Peninsula during the Yom Kippur holiday

STRUGGLE FOR THE GOLAN • The IDF thought it held the perfect buffer against the Syrians, but on 6 October its men were outgunned and outnumbered in a brutal tank battle

NICKEL GRASS THE GREAT AIRLIFT • With the IDF suffering multiple setbacks in the first week of the war, Israel’s leadership faced a terrifying possibility. Was this the last great struggle in their country’s brief existence?

CAMP DAVID ACCORDS • Efforts to officially end the Yom Kippur War and wider conflict between Egypt and Israel finally concluded with an historic summit in the US

WOMEN BEHIND ' THE FEW ' WAAF • The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and British Air Intelligence during the Second World War

MILVIAN BRIDGE • Rival emperors Constantine and Maxentius fought to establish their supremacy in a battle that would have momentous consequences for the Roman Empire

ENGLAND’S BLOODIEST VIKING RAID • The tidal island of Lindisfarne can claim to be the single most important sacred site in England, but it was here that the first significant Viking raid on Britain took place

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DAVID CURRIE • In August 1944, as Allied forces attempted to close the Falaise Gap, a Canadian major led a small battlegroup into a French village to prevent the enemy escaping

BATTLE OF MONTE CASSINO X CORPS ASSAULT • The three divisions suffered 4,000 casualties in the early days of this ill-fated advance

LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER • Take a look inside the USA’s futuristic-looking supersonic fighter, known as ‘the missile with a man inside’

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OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR • Eleanor Dickens, curator at the British Library, reveals how 60 years ago a radical stage musical changed perceptions of the First World War

MUSEUMS & EVENTS • Discover The Tank Museum’s centenary celebrations, the Rijksmuseum’s acclaimed Vermeer exhibition and Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s formidable namesake fortress

WWII THIS MONTH… APRIL 1943 • To commemorate 80 years since the Second World War, History of War will be taking a look at some of the key events taking place during each month of the conflict

DARK WATERS, STARRY SKIES • THE GUADALCANAL-SOLOMONS CAMPAIGN MARCH-OCTOBER 1943

DAZZLE, DISRUPTION & CONCEALMENT • DISCOVER HOW MERCHANT AND NAVAL VESSELS IN THE TWO WORLD WARS WERE PROTECTED USING THE SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY AND ART OF SHIP CAMOUFLAGE

100 GREATEST BATTLES • A BLITZING RUN THROUGH SOME OF THE BIGGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT CLASHES IN THE HISTORY OF WARFARE

BURNING HORIZON • BRITISH VETERAN ACCOUNTS OF THE IRAQ WAR 2003

DID ANCIENT ROME FIELD ‘SPECIAL FORCES’? • While the organisation, training and equipment of Rome’s legions were key to their dominance, there were also specialists at work in the shadows who were often critical to victory. Were they the ancient equivalent of today’s elite military?

NAPOLEON’S GAMBLE • Read how the emperor broke his battlefield maxims to achieve victory over...