Iron Cross Magazine

26 March 2025

S-BOOTE SLAUGHTER The S-Bootsflottillen on the Channel coast waged a bloody war of attrition against the Allies during 1944, inflicting notable casualties and suffering irreplaceable losses. Tony Holmes and Gordon Williamson chronicle the fighting that took place from January to early September, when all S-Boote were finally forced to flee French ports. HITLER’S VALKYRIES Courageous, ambitious and unconventional, Hanna Reitsch and Melitta von Stauffenberg made their names as pioneering test pilots in Hitler’s Germany. As leading historian Clare Mulley reveals, although their lives frequently overlapped, they could not have been more different. SEASIDE JABOS Fighter-bombers of the Luftwaffe’s Jagdbomber (Jabo) ‘tip and run’ force targeted Eastbourne, on Britain’s south coast, numerous times in 1942–43, inflicting considerable damage to property and causing civilian loss of life. Andy Saunders takes a detailed look at these attacks. PIONEERING PANZERTRUPPE On 1 September 1939, German troops crossed the eastern border into Poland, thus starting the Second World War. The young Panzertruppe played a crucial role in the German plans for this campaign. Thomas Anderson describes the then groundbreaking concept of tank divisions and the interaction of all sub-units at the tactical level. WILL THE REAL VON BUTTLAR PLEASE STAND UP Horst Julius Ludwig Otto, Freiherr Treusch von Buttlar Brandenfels was the longest serving Zeppelin commander of the First World War, and the only one to be awarded the ‘Blue Max.’ Considered a hero in Germany, he claimed to have flown a number of successful raids. The only thing is, he lied, as Zeppelin expert Ian Castle explains. THE KAISERPREIS SCANDAL When a German regiment cheated at a shooting competition in 1912, it led to scandal within the Imperial German forces prior to the First World War. Graham Rumney reveals the repercussions that followed, along with the fate of those involved. GERMANY’S U-BOAT BLOCKADE-BUSTER Whilst Germany had been free to trade with neutral countries such as the US, at least until the latter’s entry into the First World War, the reality was that the Royal Navy’s domination of global sea lanes meant that this was impossible for the Central Powers on any meaningful scale. As Martin Mace explains, one innovative solution adopted by the Germans was the merchant U-boat. TIGER 131 The world’s only operational example of Germany’s legendary heavy tank, Tiger 131 is one of The Tank Museum’s most highly prized possessions. TANK’S FALCON Teaching a generation of future fighter pilots to fly, Kurt Tank’s Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stösser (Falcon) also proved its worth in other roles according to Barry Wheeler. TIRPITZ PHOTO ALBUM Official wartime photographs of the Bismarck-class battleship Tirpitz and its crew taken when the vessel was being prepared for its deployment to Norway in late 1941 and then during its early operations in Scandinavian waters in January–March 1942. REVIEWS Our regular look at military history publications covers a significant new volume by After the Battle, and titles by Frontline Books, Pen & Sword and Osprey. NOTES FROM THE ARMOURY Panther tank turrets provided the Germans with readymade pillboxes for the ill-fated defence of the Third Reich, as Michael Heidler reveals. OBJECT OF WAR Andy Saunders details the history behind an unusual pistol surrendered to Sussex Police during a weapons amnesty in the late 1970s. COMPETITION Your chance to win one of five copies of new Osprey Duel 138 – RAF Fighters vs Ju 87 Stuka by consultant editor Andy Saunders. KNIGHTS OF THE AIR This photograph, expertly colourised by regular Iron Cross contributor Luc Heinrich, marks the start of a new occasional series inspired by Photos from the Front, which has been a feature of the magazine for a number of years. OPINION In our occasional ‘Opinion’ series, Frédéric Acres looks at the paradox confronting the restorers of German military equipment in the 21st century. PHOTOS FROM THE FRONT Richard J Molloy has used his magic to colourise a maritime scene in the Baltic of an Ar 196 floatplane being welcomed back from a patrol by a cutter full of sailors from the battleship Tirpitz. WAR POSTERS Zeppelins were responsible for ‘The First Blitz’ on Britain, and this poster was created in 1917 in order to inform the civilian populace in Germany that the conflict was being taken to the enemy at the very heart of his Empire.