“I did it to protect my country” Battle of britain ace
the
Black duke
Scourge OF THE incas Spain’s Conquest
German hero of the napoleonic wars
of the New world
1917
America goes to war PLUS:
Frontline surgery ✪ Battle of Spion Kop ✪ Medal of Honor hero ✪
How the pledge of ‘America First’ was betrayed in the carnage of the Western Front
CHIEFTAiN MK10 Inside the UK's WORLDbeating main battle tank
myanmar in chaos
From crazed dictatorship to destructive insurgency
Second Boer war
How guerrilla militias took on the might of an empire
Battle of Courtrai
Uncover the frenzied melee of the flanders rebellion
Issue 039
Digital Edition GreatDigitalMags.com
Welcome to issue 39
Welcome
Contributors Tom Garner
This month Tom sat down with pilot ace Wing Commander Paul Farnes, who reveals his experiences of combat during the Battle of Britain, as well as why the Hurricane was the superior aircraft (page 28).
“The day has come when America is privileged to spend her blood and her might for the principles that gave her birth and happiness and the peace which she has treasured” – President Woodrow Wilson, 2 April, 1917
N
ot long ago I was sifting through issues of The War Illustrated, Britain’s weekly magazine produced during WWI and WWII. The profundity of reading a publication 100 years old was not lost on me, so I’m delighted that one of those issues has now inspired this publication, a century later. In 1917, the USA finally broke its neutrality and entered WWI – a major event for the country and the world. In June that year, The War Illustrated’s cover featured an unnamed Texan volunteering in France, who upon hearing the news his country was at war, unfurled ‘Old Glory’ and charged
Marc Desantis
the enemy trenches at Vimy Ridge. This issue is dedicated to him and all those brave Americans who fought and died so far from home.
For those with an interest in all things brutal and Medieval, Marc takes you back to the pivotal Battle of the Golden Spurs, where sturdy Flemish rebels faced off against heavily armoured French knights (page 38).
Mike Haskew
Commemorating the centenary of the USA’s entry into WWI, Mike takes a look at the journey from isolation to armed action, as well as the stories of the first Americans to fight on the Western Front (page 46).
Tim Williamson Editor
Email frontline@futurenet.com
www.historyanswers.co.uk
/HistoryofWarMag
@HistoryofWarMag
American soldiers take aim with a 37mm M1916 gun, which was deployed to counter enemy machine-gun nests
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issue 39
Hurricane ACE THE
28 Pilot ace Paul Farnes discusses his experiences of air combat during the Battle of Britain
Frontline
The Second Boer War 14
When the British Empire looked to dominate the Boer states, it sparked a brutally modern conflict
16 How the war unfolded
Imperial troops faced several crushing setbacks on their campaign to subdue the African states
18 Battle of Spion Kop
This clash pitched a compromised British force against well-prepared Boer guerrillas
20 Head to Head
Far from home, Canadian mounted infantry met a formidable foe in the Boer commandos
24 Weapons of the Boer War
22 The original concentration camps? The British deployed a cruel strategy to gain victory In this modern conflict, some of the most cuttingedge arms were deployed by both sides
26 Heroes and commanders
Leaders from all nations distinguished themselves both in the field and around the negotiating table
Subscribe
76 Never miss an issue, get your History Of War before it’s in the shops and save a bundle while you’re at it
4
the battle of GOLDEN SPURS
38 Flemish rebels face impossible odds against a horde of formidable, and heavily armoured, French knights
Contents
06 War in Focus
Stunning imagery from throughout history
28 The Hurricane ace
Veteran pilot Paul Farnes talks about life and death fighting in the Battle of Britain
38 Great Battles Golden Spurs
A superior French army marches to crush a force of seemingly weak Flemish rebels
46 America goes to war
Discover what led the USA into WWI and the first clashes of American troops
58 Scourge of the Inca
Explore how Francisco Pizarro carved out a fortune through brutal conquest
66 Medal of honor heroes Francis Brownell
In the opening shots of Civil War, one young Zouave volunteer became a national hero
70 Briefing Myanmar’s insurgency
From colony to dictatorship, discover the origins of Burma’s modern chaos
America goes war TO
46 How the USA turned from isolation to the carnage of the Western Front
Scourge of the inca 58 Explore Francisco Pizarro’s ruthless conquest of South America
78 Operator’s Handbook Chieftain Mk10
Take a look inside the United Kingdom’s formidable main battle tank
84 The Black Brunswickers
How one German duchy resisted Napoleon
92 Reviews
A look at the latest military history titles awaiting you on the shelves
98 Artefact of War 17th century bullet extractor A primitive but life-saving surgical tool
MYANMAR’s INSURGENCY
70 Chaotic roots of the modern military state 5
in
Total war
Taken: 12 February 1987 A young Iranian boy stands to attention in front of a group of parading female volunteers at a rally in Tehran. Lasting from 1980-88, the Iran-Iraq War infamously featured tactics and technology that were more reminiscent of the Great War, including mass infantry trenches and even chemical weapons.
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© Getty
WAR IN FOCUS
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WAR IN FOCUS
8
in
Flogger wreck Taken: c.May 2011
© Getty
The burnt-out shell of a MiG-23, code-name ‘Flogger’, lies on a Libyan runway after a NATO air strike. Despite being decades out of date, the Flogger was still widely deployed by the Libyan Air Force and posed a real threat to forces opposing Muammar Gaddafi’s government before the NATOenforced No Fly Zone.
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in
Screaming eagles in the LZ Taken: 8 June 1968
Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division deploy from a Huey while on operations north west of Dak To, South Vietnam. Among the most prestigious divisions in the US Army, the 101st had existed in one form or another since WWI, but during the Vietnam war was re-designated as an airmobile division to reflect the change in infantry tactics prompted by the conflict.
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© Alamy
WAR IN FOCUS
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in
Heavy flak at sky rock Taken: 23 November 1942
An anti-aircraft gun opens fire during a nighttime raid on Helsinki, Taivaskallio Park – which translates into English as Sky Rock, or White Rock. Though Finland’s capital largely escaped the heavy air raids experienced by other major European cities, in 1944 it suffered severe damage during what became known as the Great Raids.
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