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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Martin Brown Archaeological Advisor, Defence Estates, Ministry of Defence Mark Corby Military historian, lecturer, and broadcaster Paul Cornish Curator, Imperial War Museum Gary Gibbs Assistant Curator, The Guards Museum Angus Hay Former Army Offi cer, military historian, and lecturer Nick Hewitt Historian, National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Nigel Jones Historian, biographer, and journalist Alastair Massie Former Head of Archives, Photos, Film, and Sound, National Army Museum Gabriel Moshenska Research Fellow, Institute of Archaeology, UCL Colin Pomeroy Squadron Leader, Royal Air Force (ret ’d), and historian Michael Prestwich Emeritus Professor of History, University of Durham Nicholas Saunders Anthropologist, University of Bristol Guy Taylor Military archivist and archaeologist Julian Thompson Major-General, Visiting Professor at London University Dominic Tweddle Director-General, National Museum of the Royal Navy Greg Bayne American Civil War Round Table UK
Over the year to come, MHM will be marking the 80th anniversaries of some of the epic battles – from D-Day onwards – which together made 1944 the decisive year of the Second World War in the West.
In this issue, however, we are reminded of the conf lict’s global reach, as we look back on another crucial engagement in that year, which would also change the course of the war – but which took place thousands of miles from the Western Front.
In our two -part special feature for this issue, Graham Goodlad analyses the Battle of Imphal and Kohima – considered by many to be the ‘Stalingrad of the East’ – and prof iles Bill Slim, the inspirational commander who led his ‘Forgotten Army’ of British and Commonwealth troops to v ictor y on the India–Burma border.
Elsewhere, our militar y technolog y expert David Porter investigates the development of the Kaiser’s U-boats during World War I, and reveals how this new submarine threat changed the rules of naval warfare.
Also in this issue, Duncan Cameron travels further back in t ime to understand how repeated attempts by France to invade England at the end of the 14th centur y came to end in failure; while William E Welsh examines the 1870 Battle of Mars-la-Tour, famous as the site of perhaps the last successful cavalr y charge in Western European warfare.
And f inally, Taylor Downing continues his fascinating ser ies on the use of deception in World War II by telling the extraordinary stor y of the double agents Brutus and Garbo, and MI5’s top - secret XX Committee.
We hope you enjoy the issue!
LAURENCE EARLE
MILITARYIssue 138 • February/March 2024
1385 AND ALL THAT
The failed French invasions
M H M
BURMA '44 Was Imphal and Kohima Britain’s greatest victory? BURMA '44
THE LAST CHARGETHE LAST CHARGE
Von Bredow’s ‘Death Ride’ Von Bredow’s ‘Death Ride’
THE KAISER’S
THE KAISER’S
U-BOATS
U-BOATS
Germany’s submarine threat
Germany’s submarine threat
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Februar y/March
ON THE COVER: Tanks and infantry of the 19th Indian ‘Dagger’ Division move up to the attack, Burma, c.1944. Credit: Alamy
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CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS
GRAHAM GOODLAD has taught history and politics for more than 30 years. Educated at Magdalene College,
Cambridge, he is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to MHM.
DAVID PORTER worked at the Ministry of Defence for 30 years, and is the author of 11 Second World
War books, as well as numerous magazine articles.
CHRISTOPHER WARNER is an actor and writer. He has written a great deal about military history, including the
WWII experiences of his great-uncle, Flight Offi cer Tom Warner.
TAYLOR DOWNING is a regular MHM contributor. He is a historian and a bestselling author, and his new book, The Army that
Never Was – D-Day and the Great Deception, will be published in April.
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