From a British perspective, the two World Wars of 1914 -18 and 1939 – 45 cast such a long shadow over Europe\u2019s past that it can often obscure a third cataclysm, which for nearly three centuries had the dubious honour of being the deadliest conflict in the continent\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
In Germany and the Czech Republic, however, the Thirty Years\u2019 War of 1618-48 still haunts the collective memory \u2013 as a uniquely painful national trauma that resulted in the deaths of any where between five and eight million soldiers and civilians from battle, famine, and disease.<\/p>\n
In our cover story for this issue, Stephen Roberts takes us back to this terrible period to understand why the Thirty Years\u2019 War is often known as the first \u2018modern\u2019 conflict, and to analyse the crucial battle that cost the life of a king.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Graham Goodlad begins a new occasional series on the making of Britain\u2019s imperial navy with a profile of Robert Blake, Cromwell\u2019s \u2018general at sea\u2019 who laid the foundations of sea power after the Civil Wars.<\/p>\n
Also in the issue, David Porter looks into the \u2018invasion scares\u2019 of 1805 and 1940, and compares the cross- Channel threats posed by Napoleon and Hitler; while Edmund West delves into the troubling legacy of Nathan Bedford Forrest, the brilliant Confederate cavalry officer who was also responsible for one of the American Civil War\u2019s worst atrocities.<\/p>\n
And finally, in the second part of his series on the use of deception during World War II, Taylor Downing tells the extraordinary true story of Operation Mincemeat and the 1943 invasion of Sicily.<\/p>\n
We hope you enjoy the issue!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this issue:<\/strong><\/p>\n – Europe\u2019s apocalypse: the horror of the Thirty Years\u2019 War\u00a0\u00a0
– Cromwell\u2019s admiral: how Robert Blake remade the navy
– They\u2019re coming! The invasion scares of 1805 and 1940
– The corpse that fooled Hitler: Operation Mincemeat
– Dark shadows: Nathan Bedford Forrest & Fort Pillow, 1864<\/p>\n