On the cover we feature the Tiger tank on the Eastern Front battlefield. A seemingly invincible giant, the Allies had to quickly lean how to counter this German monster which turned out to be far from indestructible.

WHAT'S IN THIS ISSUE?

THE IMPERIAL GERMAN PICKELHAUBE
A unique look at the iconic and well-known German spiked helmet of the First World War.

THE LAST NIGHT
When a Luftwaffe bomber crew took part in an attack against London in May 1941, it was not only the last night of the London Blitz, but it was also the last night of the war for five German airmen who were taken prisoner.

ADMIRALS AT WAR
Germany’s two leading naval commanders of the Second World War, Karl Dönitz and Erich Raeder, harboured a wartime rivalry and grudges which even endured during and beyond their post-war incarceration for war crimes.

‘WE SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER…’
Historian Peter Hart looks at the demise of the SMS Emden after her attack against Penang and how her commander, Karl von Muller, believe that he and his ship should have fared better in what was her final showdown. 

THE TIGER HUNT
As the Allies gained some initial knowledge of the German’s new battle tank, the Tiger, so they began to assess the danger the new beast presented and to work out the best ways to counter what was perceived as a deadly threat.

THE BÜRGERBRÄUKELLER BOMB
Many people had wanted to kill Hitler or planned to do so, but one would-be assassin came close to succeeding by planting a devastating explosive device at a Nazi rally venue which unfortunately detonated after the Führer had left. 

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
We review the recent Netflix extravaganza based on Erich Maria Remarque’s First World War novel and examine the impact of the original book, subsequent screen representations, and the current extraordinary production.

LUFTSCHUTZ
Germay’s civilian air raid precautions service, the Luftschutz, comes under the spotlight in a feature which reveals just how many lives were likely saved due to the herculean efforts of this organisation in the face of Allied air attacks on the Third Reich.

THE BAEDEKER MYTH
It is widely believed that the Luftwaffe attacked British cultural and heritage sites during 1942 in revenge attacks for raids against Germany, basing these attacks on locations listed in the Baedeker tour guide. We examine the truth behind this belief.

THE ‘KRIEGIE’ PERSONALKARTE
Taking a slightly unusual departure from our usual content, Dr Kristen Alexander looks at the experience of the Second World War Allied airman held prisoner by Germany, specifically through the examination of the POW Personalkarte or record card held by the Germans on each prisoner. This fascinating feature in our ‘From the Archives’ series focusses particularly on the record card held for the Australian author Paul Brickhill, a prisoner of Stalag Luft III and author of the book The Great Escape. 

GERMAN CROSS IN GOLD WITH DIAMONDS
In our regular series, Dietrich Maerz takes a detailed look at the Third Reich’s highly ostentatious award, the German Cross in Gold with Diamonds.

WAR MERIT CROSS OF REUβ
The First World War saw a plethora of state awards from the various principalities, duchies, and kingdoms comprising the Germany of 1914 – 1918, one of these awards being the little-known and rare War Merit Cross of Reuβ

THE IMPERIAL GERMAN PICKELHAUBE
The spiked helmet of Imperial Germany is the most widely recognised feature of the German army during the First World War, and we look at the background, design, and development of the iconic Pickelhaube helmet in this issue’s militaria collecting feature.

COMPETITION
Enter our competition to win one of four copies of the superb book from Frontline Books by John Grehan on Hitler’s Wolfsschanze military HQ.

THE PANZERFAUST
In our regular feature looking at German military weaponry of the First and Second World War, Mark Khan looks at the infamous and deadly Panzerfaust, the highly effective anti-tank weapon of the 1939 – 45 war.

PHOTOS FROM THE FRONT
In this issue’s ‘Photo from the Front’, Richard James Molloy presents his colourised image of a zoo elephant which was put to work hauling timber for the German army on the Western Front during the First World War.

WAR POSTER
In a seasonally appropriate variation from our usual film or propaganda posters, this issue’s poster features a German army officer of the First World War who was used to advertise a sparkling wine product.