War in History

Carl von Clausewitz’s time in French captivity is well documented, but has never been studied in its own right. However, it is both fascinating and relevant, as Clausewitz’s experience of captivity took place against the backdrop of the nationalization of war and the concomitant politicization of prisoners in war. Clausewitz framed his observations by contrasting the ‘French’ and the ‘German’ national characters. While Germany as a political identity ceased to play a role for Clausewitz after his return to Prussia, he held on to his characterization of the French as a politically backward society and, ultimately, as an empire in decline.

Scharnhorst established the modern general staff. He was among the first anywhere to comprehend the transformation of war wrought by the citizen armies of the French Revolution. As early as 1793, then a captain in the Hanoverian army, Scharnhorst recommended combining organization and intellect into a collective or corporate genius called the General Staff with Troops. After Prussia’s defeat in 1806, he was able to lay the foundations of the modern general staff. Using primary and secondary source material, this article analyses the tremendous contribution of Gerhard von Scharnhorst to modern military history.

The South African War created nearly 5,000 British working-class war widows: three-quarters of a million pounds was raised by public subscription to support them. This article investigates the three national war widows’ charities: the Royal Patriotic Fund, the Daily Telegraph / Scotsman Shilling Fund, and the Imperial War Fund. Highlighting the plight of war widows and orphans, it argues that evaluation of the war’s impact on British society must include its effects on working-class soldiers’ families. Analysing the identity and motivations of donors, it suggests funds for soldiers’ dependants succeeded by fusing imperial sentiment to class solidarity and local identity.

Shell-shock has been well examined in literary and wartime works although marginalized in post-war studies into the experience of British Army veterans of the Great War. Attention to the history of the Ministry of Pensions, the British governmental department created to provide for disabled British ex-servicemen, complicates previous criticisms of the department and its supposed inactivity in rehabilitating the mentally ill veteran. Initial attempts to treat the mentally ill veteran were progressive and innovative. However, financial stringency imposed by the British Treasury undermined the Ministry of Pensions’ efforts to cure the shell-shocked veteran as did wider societal attitudes which stigmatized the mentally ill.

This article investigates the work conducted by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the development of tactical air power in the interwar period. It analyses the RAF’s theoretical doctrinal thinking during the period along with exercises conducted on a joint Service basis to further develop these ideas in practice. It will argue that, rather than neglecting tactical air power during this period as is the accepted view, much good theoretical work was done that formed a theoretical and intellectual basis for the further development of tactical air power in the light of operational experience during the Second World War.

This article sheds lights on the difficulty faced by the minor powers when they were trying to build an effective air force during the interwar period (1919–1939) and the Second World War, using the experience of Chinese military aviation as an example. It argues that the Chinese were heavily influenced by the ideas of decisive action and strategic bombing, as well as similar ideas that were attributed (sometimes incorrectly) to the Italian General and air proponent Giulio Douhet. Only the harsh lessons of the war gradually persuaded the Chinese to adopt a more realistic approach to using air power.

The article examines the communication difficulties faced by the British Expeditionary Force during the France campaign of 1939–40 and determines the extent to which they were self-inflicted. Among the many assessments of the German invasion of May 1940 and associated collapse of the French, the British acceptance of long-standing deficiencies in vital systems has been overlooked. The Phoney War encouraged unrealistic expectation and insatiable demand, which compounded flawed equipment, personnel, and procedure. Opportunities to ease vulnerabilities, via efficiencies and best practice, were missed. Combat and, in particular, mobile operations, were the final straw, prompting immediate collapse and, eventually, evacuation.

George S. Patton is a well-known American Army commander of the Second World War. The personal diary he kept from 1942 to 1945 is a must-read source to understand the history and the performance of the US Army in the war. However, the conflicting versions of this diary and the many after-the-fact additions can lead to significant misinterpretations of Patton’s performance. This article examines the editorial evolutions of the diary, details what were the most significant modifications, and shows how they distorted what Patton thought of fellow officers as well as his role in the Normandy campaign and the Battle of the Bulge.

Takasaki Masamitsu was a suspected Japanese war criminal prosecuted by both the Dutch and Australian militaries after the Second World War. In both trials, he was acquitted, despite strong circumstantial evidence connecting him to several war crimes committed against Allied prisoners. Takasaki was also connected to several other war crimes, but never faced trial. Takasaki’s case provides a prime example of how suspects could exploit the system to escape successful prosecution in the post-war trials.

British servicemen and policemen who had been stationed in Palestine towards the end of the British Mandate and deserted their units to serve with either Jewish or Arab forces have only received cursory academic attention. This article retraces their story, while drawing parallels and highlighting contrasts between both groups of deserters. It analyses their motivations, wartime roles, and experiences and how they were remembered after the war ended. It also places them within the emerging literature on transnational military service.