Britain at War – August 2019

16 The Royal Who Went to War 42 Precision Bombing at Huge Cost 82 Australia's Role in Normandy

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FEATURES

70 Hell En Route To The Holy Land

It was supposed to be a quick victory – and almost was. The

assault on Gaza on April 19, 1917, ended as the blackest day

in the history of the Norfolk Regiment. Steve Snelling charts the

blundering and chaotic attack.

82 Absent Friends?

An at-a-glance look at a Normandy order of battle suggests the

suspicious absence of a major Allied power – Australia. However,

as Lachlan Grant explains, Australia had its role to play in D-Day

and the campaign in Northwest Europe.

96 Tankfest

We report on The Tank Museum's signiture annual show, which

this year had an incredible and varied array of armoured vehicles.

ContentsContents

ISSUE 148AUGUST 2019

16 Reputations: Earl Mountbatten Of Burma;

Part One

In part one of this fascinating examination of the famous royal’s

military career, Joshua M Casper explores the early wartime roles of

Louis Mountbatten, an innovator, statesman, and hero on two fronts.

42 Daylight Disaster

Sean Feast details feats of heroic endeavour when, during a daylight

raid on Cologne in December 1944, nearly one third of the attacking

Lancasters were downed.

48 Thunderbirds Over Berlin

Andrew Thomas recounts the valiant but costly efforts of RCAF

stalwart, 426 Squadron – the ‘Thunderbirds’ – as their round-engine

Lancasters were taken on multiple runs to the German capital.

54 World War Two’s Finest Bomber?

Felix Rowe explains why he considers the Avro Lancaster to be the

‘best in show’.