History of War magazine presents this fantastic range of gift inspirations – perfect to treat yourself or the military history buff in your life:
Blood Red Skies
Take to the clouds over WWII in this new dog-fighting tabletop game
Price: £40 www.warlordgames.com
Blood Red Skies is a tabletop miniatures game where you command formations of World War II fighter aircraft in battle. Written by renowned games designer Andy Chambers, the action in the game is fast-paced – with six or more planes per side, a thrilling dogfight can be fought in 45 minutes or less.
Packed with everything to get your tabletop dogfight of the ground quickly, the Blood Red Skies starter set focuses on the Battle of Britain, with the RAF and Luftwaffe vying for control of the skies over Britain in 1940.
Additional expansion sets introduce more 1:200 scale aircraft types such as the Hawker Hurricane, P-51 Mustang and the Mitsubishi Zero, among others, which introduces more national air forces as well as deadly air aces such as Douglas Bader, Adolf Galland and Lidya Litvyak.
Haynes Icons
This new series examines Britain’s most fascinating military machines
Price: £12.99 www.haynes.com/military
Haynes has introduced an all-new series of ‘Icon’ titles – compact, hardback books created to celebrate some of Britain’s triumphs of engineering: a great gift for anyone interested in legends of land, sea and air.
The legendary Supermarine Spitfire receives the Haynes Icon treatment with the full cooperation and authorisation of the Royal Air Force. Here is a unique perspective on what it takes to own, restore and
operate a Spitfire, as well as an insight into the engineering and construction of this remarkable fighter aircraft.
The ability of the Churchill tank to take punishment and still fight on was legendary, as was its capacity to climb impossible slopes during World War II. This Haynes Icon book captures the achievements of the incredible tank, how it was built and operated, and recent restorations of Churchill tanks.
Other Haynes Icon titles include the Tornado steam engine, Concorde and RMS Titanic.
Legion vs Phalanx
Myke Cole’s book explores the defining clash of ancient military formations
Price: £20 www.ospreypublishing.com
Combining his novelist’s flair for drama with a historian’s eye for detail, Myke Cole presents an engaging history of the ancient world’s defining clash of military formations: the legion versus the phalanx.
From the time of Ancient Sumeria, the heavy infantry phalanx dominated the battlefield. Armed with spears or pikes, standing shoulder to shoulder with shields interlocking, the men of the phalanx presented an impenetrable wall of wood and metal to the enemy. Until, that is, the Roman legion emerged to challenge them as masters of infantry battle.
Covering the period in which the legion and phalanx clashed (280–168 BCE), Myke Cole delves into their tactics, arms and equipment, organisation and deployment.
Exploring six key battles, he shows how and why the Roman legion, with its flexible organisation, versatile tactics and iron discipline, came to eclipse the hitherto untouchable phalanx and dominate the ancient battlefield.
Airfix RAF Centenary Gift Set
Get creative and commemorate 100 glorious years of the world’s oldest air force
Price: £29.99 www.airfix.com
On 1 April 1918, the amalgamation of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps into a single air fighting force saw the birth of the Royal Air Force, and with it the establishment of the world’s first independent air arm.
The RAF Centenary Gift Set is an extremely special release from Airfix that marks 100 glorious years of the Royal Air Force. Each gift set includes 12 acrylic paints, two paint brushes and two bottles of modelling glue – everything needed to lovingly build and decorate three iconic RAF aircraft.
Once assembled and painted, the Sopwith Camel 2F.1, Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia and Eurofighter Typhoon F.Mk.2 form the perfect memorial for this incredible organisation.
The World At War: Ultimate Restored Edition Blu-ray
One of the most widely respected and thorough documentaries on WWII, now fully restored
Price: £89.99 www.acorndvd.com
Considered among the greatest documentary series on World War II, The World At War chronicles every step of the conflict, from the rise of Nazi Germany to the post-war aftermath. Each episode features interviews from prominent politicians and officers who were involved in the war, including Adolf Galland, Sir Arthur Harris, Anthony Eden, Albert Speer and more. Interviews with ordinary civilians caught up in the violence also feature, re
cording for posterity the important experiences of life during the war.
Originally aired in 1973 and narrated by Sir Laurence Olivier, the series went on to win a BAFTA and Broadcasting Press Guild award. This new, re-mastered version of The World At War has been fully restored, and the audio enhanced with modern techniques.
Armistice 1918 Watch
The official watchmaker for the British Armed Forces has created this special design to commemorate the 1918 centenary
Price: £345 www.colandmacarthur.com
In tribute to the centenary of the end of WWI, renowned watchmaker Col&MacArthur, official timepiece supplier to the British Armed Forces, has created a special, limited edition design, complete with intricate commemorative details.
For instance, George Ellison’s initials – the final British soldier to be killed during the war – are placed halfway between the 9 and 10 on the watch face, symbolising 9.30 when he died.
Also, in place of the number 11 sits a delicate poppy to denote the 11th hour of the Armistice, and the number 5 is coloured red for the hour the document was signed. Only 1,918 of these watches were ever made – another deliberate reference. There is even an engraving of up to 60 characters of your choice available to fully personalise the piece.
The Remembrance Day 2018 UK Coin
Purchase a piece of history with this uncirculated,commemorative coin
Price: £17 www.royalmint.com
Commemorating the centenary of the 1918 Armistice, the Royal Mint has produced this beautifully designed £5 coin, which is the only official UK Remembrance coin. These £5 sets also come with a fold-out wallet detailing the history and tradition of the Armistice commemorations on 11 November.
The Royal Mint brings out a different commemorative coin each year, each with a new design from its workshop. A donation from each coin sale is also made to the Imperial War Museums.
Bomber Command by Max Hastings
Folio Society presents a quality binding of this critically acclaimed study
Price: £45.95 www.foliosociety.com
Featuring over 100 first-hand interviews with aircrew veterans
and a brand-new introduction by the author for this Folio edition, this classic work of military history draws upon specially researched photographs and illustrations to illuminate one of World War II’s most controversial aspects.
The binding features an original panel taken from a Lancaster bomber decorated with yellow and white bombs, representing night and daylight raids undertaken in northwest Europe. This edition contains more than 50 images selected by the award-winning Folio Society picture research team with the approval of the author, as well as informative appendices, including sortie lists, original correspondence and plane specifications.
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