The past is never dead, it isn’t even past
Dr Wheatley is on a mission. His mission is to disprove the long articulated Russian stance that the tank action at Prokhorovoka was an annihilation of the elite SS II Panzer Corps by the Soviet Army in the southeast corner of the Russian Front in July 1943. Whilst...
Ben Wheatley, many congratulations on your new book The Panzers of Prokhorovka. Was it the greatest tank battle(s) of the war? Thank you. It’s now generally accepted that it was the fighting around Brody and Dubno between the 26th and 29th July 1941, rather than...
The Chalke Valley History Festival has been running since 2011. How has the festival evolved over the years? The festival began in June 2011 on a small scale and as a fundraiser for the local cricket club. I think the first year we had just 12 talks across one...
It is important to remember (and often overlooked in the West) that despite suffering a very high number of armoured losses on 12 July during the battle of Prokhorovka the Soviets achieved their central aim of halting the German II SS Panzer Korps’ drive on the town...
Our Future Was Forged by War In this new book, bestselling historian James Holland presents a readable, powerful narration of the key moments of the Second World War, vividly brought to life in full colour with illustrations from award-winning artist Keith Burns....
Barbara Josselsohn’s latest novel Secrets of the Italian Island is an immersive and historically rich novel that transports the reader into a fanciful world of the Castle of Poets on the Isola di Parissi, Italy. The castle is shadowed by the looming threat of the Nazi...
Deborah Swift on The Silk Code Deborah, congratulations on The Silk Code. What encouraged you to write about the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in the Second World War? Like most people, I’m fascinated by those who are prepared to risk death in order to further a...
Mark Ellis. Can you tell us more about Frank Merlin, and the inspiration behind Let Sleeping Dogs Lie - your short story in the Action This Day WW2 short story collection? Frank Merlin is a half-Spanish Scotland Yard detective working in WW2 London. His dark good...
Barbara Josselsohn, congratulations on your latest novel. What influenced you to write about Italy in the Second World War? I have always been a fan of historical novels, particularly those that take place during World War Two. I’m very moved by books that explore...
Soldiers: Great Stories of War & Peace Most civilians have no idea how soldiers think, how they react or what motivates them, while journalists are constrained by deadlines and column inches and find it difficult to expand when presented with the broader canvas of...
