First siege of Livron (June 1574)

The first siege of Livron (June 1574) was an unsuccessful Catholic attempt to capture the small Huguenot-held town that took place in the gap between the Fourth and Fifth Wars of Religion.

Fifth War of Religion (1575-76)

The Fifth War of Religion (1575-76) emerged from a period of continued warfare after the official end of the Fourth War, and although it was ended by one of the more generous peace treaties was quickly followed by the Sixth War (1576-77)

Edict of Beaulieu (5 May 1576)

The Edict of Beaulieu (5 May 1576) ended the Fifth War of Religion and gave the Huguenots more religious rights than any of the treaties that had ended the first four wars.

Truce of Champigny-sur-Veude (21 November 1575)

The Truce of Champigny-sur-Veude (21 November 1575) was the first attempt to end the Fifth War of Religion (1575-76) but the agreement was not ratified by most of the Huguenot leaders and the war dragged on into 1576.

Battle of Dormans (10 October 1575)

The battle of Dormans (10 October 1575) was the only significant battle during the Fifth War of Religion (1575-76) and saw a Royal army defeat part of a force of German troops that were coming to the aid of the Huguenots.

No.224 Squadron

No.224 Squadron was a Coastal Command squadron that began the Second World War as a maritime reconnaissance squadron, before becoming one of the most successful anti-submarine warfare squadrons from 1942 until the end of the war.

No.223 Squadron

No.223 Squadron went through two incarnations during the Second World War, first as a medium/ light bomber squadron in the Middle East and second as an electronic counter-measures squadron in Bomber Command.

No.222 Squadron

No.222 Squadron was a fighter squadron that took part in the Dunkirk evacuations, the Battle of Britain and the invasion of North West Europe, before becoming one of the first jet fighter squadrons in the RAF in the summer of 1945.

No.221 Squadron

No.221 Squadron was a Wellington-equipped maritime patrol squadron that operated from Britain until the start of 1942, then moved to the Mediterranean where it spent the rest of the war.

No.220 Squadron

No.220 Squadron was a Coastal Command squadron that concentrated on anti-shipping duties until 1942 before becoming one of the few RAF squadrons to operate the Boeing Fortress.

No.219 Squadron

No.219 Squadron was a night fighter unit that took part in the Battle of Britain then spent two years on defensive duties before moving to North Africa during 1943. It returned to Britain in 1944 to join 2nd Tactical Air Force and operated as an offensive night fighter squadron during the invasion of Europe.

Sir Keith Park (1892-1975)

Sir Keith Park (1892-1975) is best known as the commander of No.11 Group in the south-east of England during the Battle of Britain, but he also played a major part in the Dunkirk evacuation, the successful defence of Malta and the British and Commonwealth offensive in Burma in 1945.

General Adolf Galland (1911-1994)

General Adolf Galland (1911-1994) was the leading German fighter ace of the Battle of Britain, and went on to serve as General of the Fighter Arm from November 1941 until the start of 1945.

No.217 Squadron

No.217 Squadron began the Second World War as a home-based maritime reconnaissance squadron, spent 1941 and the first part of 1942 serving as an anti-shipping squadron, before moving to the Far East (via Malta) where it remained for the rest of the war.

No.216 Squadron

No.216 Squadron began the Second World War as a bomber-transport squadron located in the Middle East, but soon lost its bombing role and from 1941 until the end of the war served as a transport squadron.

No.213 Squadron

No.213 Squadron was a fighter squadron that took part in the fighting over Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain before moving to the Middle East, where it supported the 8th Army during 1942 and 1943, ending the war operating with the Balkan Air Force over Yugoslavia and Albania.

Wavell - Soldier and Statesman, Victoria Schofield.

Wavell - Soldier and Statesman, Victoria Schofield.

A major biography of a heavy-weight figure, Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East in 1940-41, in the Far East during the early Japanese victories, and Viceroy of India at a crucial period in the run-up to independence. Schofield paints a picture of a hard working, capable but modest commander, who often did a good job with very limited resources, but who was never really appreciated by Churchill. [read full review]

Monty and Patton: Two Paths to Victory, Michael Reynolds.

Monty and Patton: Two Paths to Victory, Michael Reynolds.

Twin biographies of two of the best known Allied generals of the Second World War, looking at how their early careers moulded their later commands, the difficult relationship between the two men and their individual styles of command. [read full review]

Orde Wingate, A Man of Genius, Trevor Royle.

Orde Wingate, A Man of Genius, Trevor Royle.

A well balanced biography of one of the most fascinating but exasperating British military leaders of the Second World War, tracing his career from his inter-war days in the Sudan, through the formation of the Special Night Squads in Palestine in 1938 to the wartime conquest of Abyssinia and the famous Chindit raids in Burma. [read full review]

An Airline at War, Robert L. Willet.

An Airline at War, Robert L. Willet.

A history of the China National Aviation Corporation, a joint venture between Pan Am and the Chinese Government. The airline struggled against Japanese aggression, poor facilities, the Communists and the terrain, but managed to survive for 20 years, playing a massive part in the development of the 'Hump' - the air route across the Himalayas that was the only way to get supplies into China for much of the Second World War. [read full review]

U-Boat Tactics in World War II, Gordon Williamson.

U-Boat Tactics in World War II, Gordon Williamson.

A well focused look at the offensive and defensive tactics used by the U-boats, focusing mainly on the Battle of the Atlantic but also covering the smaller number of U-boats that operated further afield. Well illustrated and well organised, the book provides a good overview of U-boat tactics and how they evolved during the Second World War. [read full review]

Ernst Udet (1896-1941)

Ernst Udet (1896-1941) was the Director of Air Armament for the Luftwaffe early in the Second World War, despite having little technical knowledge or enthusiasm for the task.

Han Jeschonnek (1899-1943)

Han Jeschonnek (1899-1943) was the Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe from 1939 until his suicide in 1943.

No.212 Squadron

No.212 Squadron went through two incarnations during the Second World War, the first a short-lived period as a reconnaissance unit in 1940, the second as a Catalina squadron operating in the seas around India.

No.211 Squadron

No.211 Squadron had two incarnations during the Second World War, first as a bomber squadron that served in the Middle East and in the disastrous early campaigns in the Far East, and second as a fighter-bomber squadron operating on the Burma front.

No.210 Squadron

No.210 Squadron had two incarnations during the Second World War, both as home-based anti-submarine warfare squadrons, achieving most of its successes during its second incarnation.

Edict of Pacification issued at Boulogne in July 1573

The edict of Pacification issued at Boulogne in July 1573 ended the Fourth War of Religion, and restricted the religious freedoms granted to the Huguenots at the end of the each of the first three wars of religion.

Siege of Sancerre (3 January-19 August 1573)

The siege of Sancerre (3 January-19 August 1573) was one of the epic sieges of the French Wars of Religion, lasting for seven months and only ended after the defenders were included in the deal that ended the Fourth War of Religion.

No.209 Squadron

No.209 Squadron was a flying boat squadron that flew maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrols from British bases from 1939 until 1942, and then operated over the India Ocean for most of the rest of the war, before taking part in the final stages of the offensive in Burma in 1945.

No.208 Squadron

No.208 Squadron was an army co-operation and reconnaissance squadron that was based in the Middle East for most of the Second World War, before spending the period from March 1944 to the end of the war serving as a fighter-bomber squadron in Italy.

No.193 Squadron

No.193 Squadron was a Typhoon squadron that served as a fighter squadron in 1943 before becoming a fighter-bomber squadron and joining Second Tactical Air Force at the start of 1944.

Field Marshal Hugo Sperrle (1885-1953) was a senior Luftwaffe officer best known as the commander of Luftflotte 3 during the Battle of Britain.

General Frederick Pile (1884-1976)

General Frederick Pile (1884-1976) served as the head of Antiaircraft Command for the entire duration of the Second World War, and played a major part in the defence against the London Blitz in 1940-41 and the campaign against the V-1 flying bomb in 1944-46.

Siege of Sommières (11 February-9 April 1573)

The siege of Sommières (11 February-9 April 1573) was a minor Catholic success during the Fourth War of Religion, but one that took far too long to achieve and only ended when the defenders were given generous terms.

Siege of La Rochelle (December 1572-July 1573)

The siege of La Rochelle (December 1572-July 1573) was the main military action of the Fourth War of Religion, and was an unsuccessful Catholic attempt to capture the main Huguenot stronghold.

Fourth War of Religion (1572-73)

The Fourth War of Religion (1572-73) was triggered by the St. Bartholomew's Eve Massacre of 24 August 1572, in which several thousand Huguenots were killed. The resulting war was dominated by a unsuccessful Catholic siege of La Rochelle, and was ended by a negotiated peace in the summer of 1573.

Peace of St.-Germain (8 August 1570)

The Peace of St.-Germain (8 August 1570) ended the Third War of Religion, and gave the Huguenots substantially the same rights that they had held at the beginning of the war, as well as allocating them four 'security towns'.

No.206 Squadron

No.206 Squadron was a Coastal Command squadron that began and ended the Second World War as an anti-submarine warfare squadron, as well as serving in the anti-shipping role between 1940 and 1941.

No.205 Squadron

No.205 Squadron was a flying boat squadron that became the first RAF squadron to be based in the Far East.

No.204 Squadron

No.204 Squadron was a Sunderland squadron in Coastal Command that spend most of the Second World War flying anti-submarine patrols off the coast of West Africa.

No.203 Squadron

No.203 Squadron began the Second World War as a flying boat squadron, but converted to the Blenheim fighter in 1939, and went on to serve as a reconnaissance, bomber, coastal patrol and anti-submarine warfare squadron at different times during the war.

No.202 Squadron

No.202 Squadron was a flying boat squadron that served in the Mediterranean from 1929 until September 1944 when it moved to Northern Ireland to fly coastal patrols.

No.201 Squadron

No.201 Squadron was a flying boat squadron that served with Coastal Command throughout the Second World War, sinking five U-boats, all in the period between March 1943 and August 1944.

Battle of Arnay-le-Duc (25 June 1570)

The battle of Arnay-le-Duc (25 June 1570) was a Huguenot victory that forced Charles IX of France to agree to a peace treaty that ended the Third War of Religion.

Siege of Tolouse (22 January-20 February 1570)

The siege of Tolouse (22 January-20 February 1570) saw an unsuccessful Huguenot attempt to seize the city, abandoned because of a lack of supplies.

Battle of Moncontour (3 October 1569)

The battle of Moncontour (3 October 1569) was a major Catholic victory during the Third War of Religion that followed the unsuccessful Huguenot siege of Poitiers, and seemed to bring the Protestant cause to its knees

Siege of Poitiers (27 July-7 September 1569)

The siege of Poitiers (27 July-7 September 1569) was an unsuccessful Huguenot attempt to capture the wealth city that cost them over 2,000 dead before the Royal army lifted the siege.

No.200 Squadron

No.200 Squadron was a maritime patrol squadron that flew anti-submarine warfare patrols off West Africa from 1942 to 1944 before moving to India to operate over the Indian Ocean.

No.198 Squadron

No.198 Squadron was a Typhoon equipped fighter squadron that began life in Fighter Command operating against German fighter-bombers, before joining 2nd Tactical Air Force and taking part in the liberation of Europe.

No.197 Squadron

No.197 Squadron was a Typhoon-equipped ground attack squadron that fought with 2nd Tactical Air Force during the campaign in north-western Europe.