News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The author, who has written a monograph on the subject, examines the all too apparent operational failures of JUBILEE, the Dieppe landings of 19 August 1942, and the historiographical myth-making under the influence of Lord Louis Mountbatten that followed. A 30 minute read.

Ed. Based on considerable historical precedent, the author argues that any future settlement in Ukraine will have to take into account divisions in society along media, church and minority lines. A 20 minute read.

Ed. For this Remembrance Sunday, the author provides an overview of the numerous naval memorials located in the London area. An article on the National Memorial Arboretum 30 years on will follow tomorrow. A 15 minute read.

Ed. Despite being described by General Eisenhower as “one of the most gallant and aggressive actions of the war,” this amphibious assault has been the subject of much critical comment after the fact. The author provides a recapitulation of events, and controversies, 80 years on. A 30 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It considers a book exploring the history and development of Italy’s naval commandos in the First World War.

Ed. In this second place Hooper Prize article, the author argues that information warfare versus conventional forces represents a false dichotomy, as both bring associated risks and rewards for long term deterrence. A 10 minute read.

Ed. A personal appreciation of the work of two eminent Second World War historians, both of whom recognised the war-turning importance of the Battle of Midway. A 10 minute read.

Ed. Did the Second World War begin on 18 September 1931, when the Japanese staged a false flag event known as the Mukden Incident, a fabricated pretext to justify their invasion of Manchuria? From 1931 to 1937, they engaged in skirmishes in mainland China, indeed, Japan achieved major victories capturing Beijing and Shanghai by 1937. Or did it begin with the advent of what is now known as the Second Sino-Japanese War after the first battle of the war – the Marco Polo Bridge incident on 7 July 1937? The Japanese and Chinese opened fire upon each other after a Japanese soldier went missing. This prompted a full-scale Japanese invasion of the rest of China. Or, as we in Europe prefer, with the Nazi invasion of Poland in September 1939?

Ed. An important survey of Russian naval history and naval ambitions from the Great Northern War to the Putin era, demonstrating, the author contends, a perpetual inability to intuit technological modernity. A 25 minute read.