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

THE TURNING POINTS OF 1812

Our pick of the latest military history books

ORTONA, ITALY 20-27 DECEMBER 1943

The powerful Greek city-state overreached itself and saw its influence decline as it failed to integrate conquered territories

A prolonged conflict, a modified Treaty of Versailles and no League of Nations may have transpired without direct American involvement