The story of the somme

Three months after German forces captured Fort Douaumont in February 1916 (see issue 1 of Iron Cross) a calamity befell the occupiers, predominantly comprising troops from the Prussian Brandenburg reg

How the Red Army pushed back German forces and what they discovered in their wake as WWII turned

I n 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. That, at least, is what the famous rhyme tells us. Memorising such dates is a common experience of being taught history – a cliché superbly lampooned by the w

LONG MARSTON, YORKSHIRE 2 JULY 1644

Even the most successful and affluent individuals are not immune to the effects of shell shock, a powerful reminder that, beneath status and achievement, we are all fundamentally human. As I sift thro

On 21 October 1805, smoke filled the skies over the seas west of Cape Trafalgar, a headland in the Province of Cádiz in the southwest of Spain, as a fierce battle raged. After nearly five hours of int