One of the most specular victories of the First World War took place at Caporetto in 1917. After two and a half years of trench stalemate, a change of tactics broke and routed the Italian army in three days. It was the world’s first Blitzkrieg, and saw the emergence of young German Lieutenant called Erwin Rommel.
In the 12th Century the mounted knight seemed invincible, but in the 14th century armoured.
The feudal order was crumbling, a new force was rising. Michael Prestwich explores the 14th century triumph of peasant-infantry on the battlefield
It was one of the most unusual victories in the history of the British Army. In two months between 7 December 1940 and 7 February 1941, General Richard O’Connor’s Western Desert Force of 30,000 men advanced 500 miles into Libya and captured 130,000 Italians. Mussolini’s dream of a North African empire was shattered. Military Times analyses the campaign.
Also in this issue:
– Diary of a Dunkirk Hero
– War on the Mind – the British authorities reaction to Shellshock in WWI
– Ian Murray’s Bouncing Bomb Man
– Battlefield guide to Passchendaele