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Contents Listing - Articles & Features in this issue
FEATURES PRESERVING THE LAST CORVETTE Of the many Flower-class corvettes built by the Allies during the Second World War, only HMCS Sackville remains afloat. Her survival, however, owed more to good fortune than good planning. Len Canfield details the fighting history of the last of the line. TIPPING THE BALANCE Hitler's vengeance weapon, the V-1, flew at 400 miles per hour, as quick as the latest RAF fighters. Trying to intercept and shoot down such fast-moving objects was proving difficult for the RAF pilots detailed to defend Britain's skies. Yet, in theory, if the flying-bomb's gyroscopic guidance system could be disturbed the V-1 might crash to the ground. On 20 August 1944, a Belgian pilot put the theory to the test for the very first time. THE BIG DIFFERENCE When a DSO, a DCM, a Military Medal and a Mention in Despatches were awarded for a single action, it might be thought that scores if not hundreds of men had been engaged. Yet, as John Grehan describes, the Battle of Mirbat involved just nine members of the SAS and a few local troops. It was one of the greatest stands against overwhelming odds in military history. A THIEPVAL RAID: SOLVING ONE FAMILY'S GREAT WAR MYSTERY Arthur James Davin was one of three brothers who saw service in the Great War. He enlisted in the 10th (Service) Battalion Inniskilling Fusiliers in September 1914 at the age of 18. Arthur survived the next four years and on 11 November 1918, he looked forward to returning home after spending the last thirty months in a German prisoner of war camp. Here, Ralph Whitehead investigates the circumstances behind Arthur's capture at Thiepval in 1916 and how the story of it came to light. SURVIVING HELL It was 1939 and Peter Fyans was in the Army now. As he walked past a travel agency he saw a poster which read "Come to the Black Forest in Germany" and he fully expected one day to be fighting in that country. Next to it was an advertisement for "sunny Siam" showing exotic Eastern-looking girls, golden temples and sun-drenched beaches. He wished he could spend the war there. Little did he realise that he would indeed end up doing just that - but in a Japanese PoW camp. THE MISSING MINES OF MESSINES RIDGE At 03.10 hours on the 6 June 1917, the Messines Ridge was rent by nineteen huge mines with a total explosive loading of just over 416 tons. Combined with a stupendous artillery barrage of about 2,266 guns along the eight-mile front, the greatest mining attack in history totally demoralised and shattered the German defences. However, twenty-five mines had been laid which meant that six had not detonated. Phillip Robinson tells the story of the missing mines. REGULARS BEHIND THE STORY: PICKETT-HAMILTON FORT RECOVERY A rare example of a wartime Pickett-Hamilton Fort has recently been put on display at the Lashenden Air Warfare Museum at Headcorn airfield. Intended to form part of the defences of RAF airfields in the Second World War the Pickett-Hamilton Fort was designed to be lowered to ground level while aircraft were operating, but to be raised when necessary by means of a hydraulic mechanism. The fort was manned by a crew of two with light machine-guns. To mark the rescue of the Manston example, Robin J. Brooks details the story of its recovery. DATES THAT SHAPED THE WAR We examine the events of January 1942. RECONNAISSANCE REPORT Some of the recently published books and DVDs. SAVE IN A FIRE The curator of the Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset, reveals what item under his care he would save in the event of a fire. WEAPONS OF WAR This new series will present a fascinating look at an unusual prototype aircraft or vehicle design from the First or Second World Wars. Each object featured will be revealed through a detailed archive image and accompanying images and supporting text. The first in the series will consider the usual Handley Page HP.75, or Manx, an experimental aircraft that flew in the early 1940s. It was notable for its unconventional design characteristics, being a twin-engine tail-less design of pusher configuration.
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