Capturing the immediacy of fighting and the writhing bodies of soldiers, as well as keeping narrative clarity, proved enormously difficult for painters depicting battles before the advent of photography. Michael Hall reveals how they rose to the challenge

Cultural Crusader

The restoration of the world’s oldest King Tiger, Second World War maps in Edinburgh, and a family-run militaria collection

Our pick of the latest military history books

ORTONA, ITALY 20-27 DECEMBER 1943

A new book combines poetry from WW1 with photography from the trenches and home front. Geoff Harris finds out more, including the photo-restoration process