Military

Democracy at War, Part I

Modern democratic war was the warfare of mass armies; the logical end, writes John Terraine, was a weapon of mass destruction.

More than Child’s Play? The Case for War Toys

Do war toys encourage violent behaviour and make conflict more acceptable? Or do they offer genuine insight into military history? Philip Kirby, Sean Carter and Tara Woodyer examine the evidence.

The Torpedo

Christopher Lloyd traces the development of naval missile technology alongside the often adverse reactions these “infernal machines” provoked.

The Siege of Haarlem

Elka Schrijver describes the dramatic and bloody events of a sixteenth century siege of the Dutch city by a Habsburg army of Philip II.

The Russian Army at War

General Sir Robert Wilson’s impressions in 1807 and 1812; a paper delivered by D.G. Chandler at the Congress of Historical Sciences, Moscow, 1970.

Lady Sale in Kabul, 1842

Amid the disasters of the First Afghan War, the courage and buoyancy of Lady Sale stands out — James Lunt describes her as the shining epitome of “a soldier's wife."

Fraternization in the Peninsular War

“How different were our feelings” wrote a Scottish sergeant, “from many of our countrymen at home, whose ideas of the French character were drawn from servile newspapers and caricatures in print shops.”