The June/July 2025 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:
The last warrior monarch
Graham Goodlad reviews the military career of William III, the king who gained the British throne in a bloodless coup but then had to fight to retain it.
Endgame in Japan
In the last part of our series marking the 80th anniversary of WWII’s final months, Taylor Downing examines the Allies’ decision to use a devastating new weapon of war.
Operation Downfall
What would have happened if Japan hadn’t surrendered? David Porter analyses Allied plans for Operation Downfall, the largest amphibious assault of all time.
When commanders switch sides
In the first of three articles about military figures who change their allegiances, Nigel Jones looks at shifting loyalties in English civil conflicts.
A new way of war
In the final part of our series on the American Civil War, Fred Chiaventone examines the impact of the new weaponry and technology that emerged from the Industrial Revolution.
Also in this issue:
The latest in our series on classic military history books, War Culture, Book Reviews, Museum Review, Listings, Competitions, and more.
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.
From the editor:
Eighty years ago this summer, the greatest conflict in human history came finally to an end, with the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945, and the subsequent unconditional surrender of Japan.
Debate has raged ever since as to whether America was right to make use of its devastating new weapon of war, or whether Japan would eventually have surrendered anyway under the extraordinary pressure of the existing Allied aerial-bombing campaign.
In our cover story, Taylor Downing looks at both sides of the argument, as he tells the story of the dramatic few months in which the Second World War ended and the Atomic Age began. In a companion piece, David Porter then examines what would have happened if Japan’s government had continued to hold out.
Elsewhere, in a special feature for this issue, Graham Goodlad surveys the career of William III – perhaps better known as William of Orange – the Dutch-born prince who became King of England as a result of the relatively bloodless Glorious Revolution, but who then faced a bitter fight to keep his crown.
Also in this issue: Nigel Jones begins a compelling new three-part study of military turncoats by looking at shifting allegiances in English civil conflicts, from Warwick the Kingmaker in the Wars of the Roses to Sir John Hotham in the English Civil War; while Fred Chiaventone concludes his brilliant series on the American Civil War by considering the role played by new weapons and technology brought in by the Industrial Revolution.
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.