Iron Cross

Iron Cross is the UK’s only magazine of German military history from the First World War to the end of the Second World War. Covering all aspects of German military history including the Imperial German forces of the Great War, the Weimar period and the Nazi period. Iron Cross prides itself on the highest quality production with stunning content in the unique and ground-breaking features, often revealing untold stories and publishing photographs that have never been seen before. Iron Cross features specially commissioned and innovative artwork in all issues.

Iron Cross

Editorial

CONTRIBUTORS • Introducing you to some of our main contributors for this issue:-

A Spy in the Sky • A constant problem faced by Zeppelin crews during the First World War was how to observe a target on the ground without being exposed to enemy fire. One solution was the Spähkorb, which saw the observer dangled below cloud so that he could send instructions to the Zeppelin that remained hidden in the overcast. Ian Castle describes the development of this extraordinary device, examines its effectiveness and explores the myths that surround the sub-cloud car.

‘Spare Parts’ Messerschmitt • During the height of the Battle of Britain, a Bf 110 purportedly comprised of parts from several salvaged Zerstörer met its match over Kent. AndySaunders details what happened to the Messerschmitt, and its crew.

Sturm-FlaK Ahead! • May 1940. At the beginning of the French campaign, a new weapon system was available to the German frontline troops – the Sturm-FlaK (Assault Flak). As Thomas Anderson explains, this self-propelled gun combined the high firepower of a 2 cm anti-aircraft weapon with the off-road capability of a half-tracked tractor.

Tank’s Trusty Trainer • Considered a lady in almost every sense of the word by those who had the good fortune to fly the type, Focke-Wulf’s Fw 58 Weihe (Harrier) was a highly capable twin-engined pilot trainer with a broad capability, as BarryWheeler reveals.

BOOKS & PRODUCTS

‘Pik As’ Pilots

Grey Wolves • For Allied seamen during the Second World War, the U-boat was a hidden menace, a faceless killer lurking beneath the waves, and the urgent needs of survival afforded them little time or energy to consider the challenges and privations of their enemy. In this article, acclaimed historian Roger Moorhouse reveals what it was like to be a U-boatman, some 30,000 of whom perished during the war.

Great War Ribbon Bar • Military historian and German state awards specialist ChristopheDéruelle explains how he turned detective to discover the story behind a ribbon bar that he acquired some years ago.

Nipolit – A Makeshift Solution • When the campaign in the East, despite great initial successes, did not lead to a rapid defeat of the Red Army, the Wehrmacht was forced to use more ammunition than originally planned. Stockpiles shrank alarmingly and, as MichaelHeidler recounts, the arms industry had to resort more and more often to inferior raw materials or substitutes such as Nipolit.

Komet Carrier

The Battle of Graveney Marsh • When a Ju 88 was forced down on Graveney Marshes, in north Kent, on 27 September 1940, shots were allegedly heard to ring out as the four crewmen emerged from the downed bomber. What followed has been described as the last land battle fought against a foreign power on British soil since 1797. AndySaunders unravels the truth behind one of the Battle of Britain’s strangest stories.

A Black Day for Brandenburg • During the early hours of 8 May 1916, a series of devastating explosions at Fort Douaumont exacted a terrible toll on German troops just three months after the fortress had been captured from the French. GrahamRumney examines the events surrounding this catastrophe, in which more than 700 soldiers died.

Next...