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:-

Fighting with Fire • Amid the battles of the Second World War, German pioneer forces deployed much-feared flamethrowers and flame tanks designed for bunker reduction and close-quarters assault operations. Thomas Anderson chronicles their technical development, battlefield deployment and psychological impact. From portable pioneer systems to specialised armoured vehicles, he reveals a lesser-known aspect of German warfare.

S90-class Torpedo Boats at War • Although obsolescent, the S90-class torpedo boats were the workhorses of the Kaiserliche Marine’s Torpedoboote arm during the First World War, asGraham Rumney explains.

Generaloberst Erich Hoepner – Anti-Hitler Plotter • Generaloberst Erich Hoepner played a key role in the failed assassination attempt on the Führer on 20 July 1944. Philip Kay-Bujak has written a detailed biography on the veteran soldier and anti-Hitler plotter, and the following extract is taken from the book in advance of its publication this month.

The Great Escape – Outside The Frame, Inside The Wire • Every Tom, Dick and Harry knows the motion picture The Great Escape – the tunnel, the Triumph (motorcycle), the tragedy – but there are other sides to the stories at Sagan Prisoner of War camp. As Merryn Walters reveals, beyond the legend lay German guards, another camp, the machinery of captivity and men whose names are less familiar than Bushell, Garner and McQueen.

BOOKS & PRODUCTS

The Great War Aviation Society 2027 calendar

Kriegsmarine Southern Command 1941–45

The Battle Of The Somme Through German Eyes

German Counterinsurgency Campaigning In The Balkans 1942–45

Tanks In The Caucasus 1942–43

Hitler’s Gateway • Overshadowed by the betterknown sites of Hitler’s Obersalzberg complex, Ainring airfield occupied an unusual position within the Third Reich. Chris Brody examines a recently surfaced guest book that sheds new light on both the airfield and those who passed through it.

Saxon Artillerymen

JOURNEY THROUGH THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE PAST

The Grossadmiral’s Republic • In the wake of the Führer’s suicide on 30 April 1945, it fell to Grossadmiral Karl Dönitz, commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine, to oversee the surrender of the shattered Third Reich to the victorious Allies. Matthew Adams chronicles how he achieved this unenviable task.

Next Issue • The next issue of Iron Cross will be on sale from30 December 2026, and the following features will be included as just some of the magazine’s unique content.

A Future Knight

At the last minute – Haenel’s simplified assault rifle • After the Maschinenkarabiner 42(H) built by Haenel had prevailed against the competing assault rifle from Walther, the famous Sturmgewehr 44 was developed from it over several intermediate stages. However, as Michael Heidler explains, the war situation forced further simplifications to be made to the weapon.

Contact! • THE WORLD WAR I AVIATION MAGAZINE

The Rise and Fall of an Ace • Few other fighter pilots of the First World War had a more promising start to their career than Hans Waldhausen, who racked up six...