Military

The British Soldier at Waterloo

Ill-fed, badly lodged, subject to ferocious discipline, once described by their leader as “fellows who have all enlisted for drink,” Wellington’s soldiers showed a solidity and courage in action that enabled him to “do the business”. By T.H. McGuffie.

The Othello Syndrome

I.F. Clarke offers a study of the “pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war” as foreseen by imaginative writers and artists.

Some Survivors of the Russian Campaign

The crossing of the Beresina alone cost Napoleon more than 20,000 men. But, writes Alan Collis, some fortunate survivors of the terrible retreat from Moscow struggled home to tell the tale.

Democracy at War, Part II

John Terraine describes how the military policy of democracies evolved and how they attempted to carry out a grand strategy, 1861-1945.

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.