Military

The Battle of Stalingrad began in August 1942, subjecting its residents to months of living hell. But few doubted that the city was worth defending; its significance to the Soviet project made it too important to abandon.

In 1982 Britain’s armed forces were focused on the possibility of confrontation with the Soviet Union. They were unprepared for war in the South Atlantic, against an opponent with weapons supplied by NATO allies. 

Modern naval intelligence, from the 19th century to the Cold War. 

It is among the most commercial as well as maligned fields of history. Four distinguished scholars consider its value – and its future. 

A study of war through the ages.

The conflict that broke out between France and an ambitious new German state 150 years ago can lay claim to be the first modern war.

The mobilisation of economic, diplomatic and military resources.

The need to preserve alliances was a compelling reason not to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam.

Two imperial ventures, in the same Middle East town a century apart, reveal the similarities – and differences – in the exercise of power.