Military

The British Battalion of the International Brigades, formed to defend the Spanish Republic against the forces of General Franco, first went into battle at Jarama in February 1937. It was the beginning of a bruising, often dispiriting campaign, as Christopher Farman explains.

Bitter feelings between Loyalists and Patriots after the British surrender at Yorktown led to many skirmishes and retaliations.

Anne Ammundsen laments the lack of public access to a revelatory account of a young English officer who crossed swords – and words – with George Washington.

Robert Pearce asks whether Britain benefited from the 1853-56 contest.

By reinterpreting the years before 1914 William Mulligan sees the 'July Crisis' in a fresh perspective.

Robert Pearce examines the factors that led to Prussia's victory in the German civil war of 1866.

Having fled Hitler’s Berlin, Oscar Westreich gained a new identity in Palestine. He eventually joined the British army, whose training of Jewish soldiers proved crucial to the formation of Israel, as his daughter, Mira Bar-Hillel, explains.

Operation 'Rutter' was launched on August 19th, 1942. Here, M.R.D. Foot reassesses views of the Allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe.

A series of archaeological discoveries off the coast of Sicily reveal how Rome turned a piece of lethal naval technology pioneered by its enemy, Carthage, to its own advantage, explains Ann Natanson.

The Spanish Civil War began on July 18th, 1936, with an army revolt led by Franco. Here, Michael Alpert charts the ebb and flow of battle between Republicans and Nationalists throughout the conflict.

The Battle of the Somme began on July 1st, 1916. 21,000 men were killed on the first day. In this article, Trevor Wilson and Robin Prior reassess the campaign.

In 1645, in the English Civil War, the Royalists lost Carlisle. In this article from our 1986 archive, Stephen Porter reveals an often neglected aspect of the English Civil Wars: the deliberate destruction of property.

Throughout its 350-year history the British army has been vulnerable to economic pressures and political interference. Its strength lies in the loyalty of its soldiers to their regiment or corps, argues Allan Mallinson.