The February/ March 2026 issue of Military History Matters, the British military history magazine, is out now.
The best way to access the magazine is to subscribe. Click here to find out more. To read the digital archive, click here. You can also access the magazine online (as well as exclusive extra content) at our new website, The Past.
IN THIS ISSUE
Verdun: the longest battle
Graham Goodlad examines the military career of France’s Marshal Pétain, and his part in the epic defence of Verdun.
Berlin, year zero
In the latest part of our series on the coming of the Cold War, Taylor Downing looks at how tensions mounted in Germany’s ruined capital.
Spitfire at 90
The maiden flight of the famous fighter took place 90 years ago. Stephen Roberts reveals how it helped win WWII.
The empire strikes back
In the third part of his series marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence, Fred Chiaventone examines the crucial events of 1777-1780.
Life blood
One of the greatest contributions to Britain’s war effort was made not by frontline troops, but by the transfusion pioneers who supported them. John Beales reports.
Also in this issue:
The latest in our series on classic military history books, War Classics, Book Reviews, Museum Review, Listings, Competitions, and more.
From the editor:
This issue, we celebrate the 90th birthday of arguably history’s most famous fighter aircraft by marking the moment on 5 March 1936 when the Supermarine Spitfire prototype K5054 took to the skies above Southampton on its maiden flight.
That brief test flight was to change the world – for it offered the first glimpse of a new short-range fighter that would soon (along with the Hawker Hurricane) play a decisive role in the Battle of Britain, when the country stood alone against Nazi Germany.
In our cover story, Stephen Roberts examines the birth of this aviation legend, telling the story of its creator, Reginald (R J) Mitchell, the design genius who sadly would not live to see his masterpiece’s own ‘finest hour’.
Elsewhere, in our two-part special feature, Graham Goodlad reconsiders the epic struggle for Verdun, the longest battle of the First World War, which holds a similar place in France’s national psyche to that occupied in the British imagination by the Somme.
Also in this issue: Fred Chiaventone reveals how Washington transformed his Continental Army into an effective fighting force over the freezing winter of 1777-1778; Taylor Downing uncovers the mounting tensions as the Cold War took hold in post-war Berlin; and John Beales highlights the role of blood transfusion, the medical innovation that was among Britain’s most-effective secret weapons in World War II.
Finally, to mark this, our 150th issue, we wanted also to thank you, MHM’s loyal band of readers, for all your support over the past 15 years. Any magazine is only as good as its audience – and, in your eloquent feedback and the general encouragement we receive, it is MHM’s wonderful subscribers who keep us on our toes, as we continue in our mission to bridge the gap between the general reader and the world of professional soldiers and military historians.
We certainly couldn’t do it without you – and, as always, we hope you enjoy the issue!
To subscribe to the magazine, click here. To subscribe to the digital archive, click here. You can also access the magazine online (as well as exclusive extra content) at our new website, The Past. Find us on Facebook, Twitter (X), and Instagram.