The Military Journal
@militaryjournal.net
Bluesky page for The Military Journal, an online publication covering British and international military history and military studies. Published in Ayrshire, Scotland. Editor: @neilritchie.bsky.social
Two RAF Jaguar GR.1s in flight during the Gulf War (Operation GRANBY): XX358 "Katrina Jane" (foreground) and XZ356 "Mary Rose", aircraft of 41 Sqn CO.
📸 Ryan Roger / IWM (GLF 434)
📸 Ryan Roger / IWM (GLF 434)
January 17, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Two RAF Jaguar GR.1s in flight during the Gulf War (Operation GRANBY): XX358 "Katrina Jane" (foreground) and XZ356 "Mary Rose", aircraft of 41 Sqn CO.
📸 Ryan Roger / IWM (GLF 434)
📸 Ryan Roger / IWM (GLF 434)
The USAF General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was the top tank killer during the 1991 Gulf War, credited with destroying over 1,500 tanks and armoured vehicles in “tank plinking” operations. In contrast, the A-10 was credited with around 900 to 1,000 tank kills during the same period.
January 17, 2026 at 12:46 PM
The USAF General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was the top tank killer during the 1991 Gulf War, credited with destroying over 1,500 tanks and armoured vehicles in “tank plinking” operations. In contrast, the A-10 was credited with around 900 to 1,000 tank kills during the same period.
15 January 1815: The American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, was captured by a British blockading squadron commanded by Commodore John Hayes off New York Harbor during the War of 1812. Decatur and his crew were taken as prisoners to Bermuda.
January 15, 2026 at 12:53 PM
15 January 1815: The American frigate USS President, commanded by Commodore Stephen Decatur, was captured by a British blockading squadron commanded by Commodore John Hayes off New York Harbor during the War of 1812. Decatur and his crew were taken as prisoners to Bermuda.
Reposted by The Military Journal
Private M. Methven from Methilhill, Fife, and Private M. Holme from Kendal, Westmorland, searching the skies for hostile aircraft at a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft battery at Cairneyhill near Dunfermline in January 1943.
📸 IWM (H 26574)
📸 IWM (H 26574)
January 14, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Private M. Methven from Methilhill, Fife, and Private M. Holme from Kendal, Westmorland, searching the skies for hostile aircraft at a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft battery at Cairneyhill near Dunfermline in January 1943.
📸 IWM (H 26574)
📸 IWM (H 26574)
Soviet and British soldiers rendezvous near Qazvin, Iran in August 1941 during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran (Operation Countenance) during the Second World War.
January 14, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Soviet and British soldiers rendezvous near Qazvin, Iran in August 1941 during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran (Operation Countenance) during the Second World War.
9 (Parachute) Squadron, Royal Engineers, training at Long Valley near their base in Aldershot in January 2002, in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. The Section Commander, Cpl L Winters (kneeling), Spr R Ellis and Spr M Lenehan practice break contact drills.
📸 M Weston / IWM (HU 99486)
📸 M Weston / IWM (HU 99486)
January 14, 2026 at 5:17 PM
9 (Parachute) Squadron, Royal Engineers, training at Long Valley near their base in Aldershot in January 2002, in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. The Section Commander, Cpl L Winters (kneeling), Spr R Ellis and Spr M Lenehan practice break contact drills.
📸 M Weston / IWM (HU 99486)
📸 M Weston / IWM (HU 99486)
Beaufighter Mark X, LZ114, taking off from the Bristol Company's aerodrome at Old Mixon for an engine test while carrying a Mark XII aerial torpedo. LZ114 was later operated by No. 211 Squadron of the Royal Air Force and went missing during an attack on bridges in Burma on 13 January 1944.
January 13, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Beaufighter Mark X, LZ114, taking off from the Bristol Company's aerodrome at Old Mixon for an engine test while carrying a Mark XII aerial torpedo. LZ114 was later operated by No. 211 Squadron of the Royal Air Force and went missing during an attack on bridges in Burma on 13 January 1944.
Vickers machine gun crew of 'A' Company, 2nd Middlesex Regiment, 3rd Division at Grubbenvorst, Netherlands on 13 January 1945.
📸 IWM (B 13619)
📸 IWM (B 13619)
January 13, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Vickers machine gun crew of 'A' Company, 2nd Middlesex Regiment, 3rd Division at Grubbenvorst, Netherlands on 13 January 1945.
📸 IWM (B 13619)
📸 IWM (B 13619)
A Finnish ski patrol, positioned in the snow at the edge of a forest in Northern Finland, remains vigilant for Russian troops, dated 12 January 1940.
📸 IWM (HU 55566)
📸 IWM (HU 55566)
January 12, 2026 at 6:37 PM
A Finnish ski patrol, positioned in the snow at the edge of a forest in Northern Finland, remains vigilant for Russian troops, dated 12 January 1940.
📸 IWM (HU 55566)
📸 IWM (HU 55566)
British soldiers carrying duckboards over a support line trench at night at Cambrai on 12 January 1917. Duckboards were usually placed at the bottom of the trenches to cover the sump pits (drainage holes), making it easier to pump out the pits when necessary.
📸 Lt John Warwick Brooke / IWM (Q 6420)
📸 Lt John Warwick Brooke / IWM (Q 6420)
January 12, 2026 at 5:30 PM
British soldiers carrying duckboards over a support line trench at night at Cambrai on 12 January 1917. Duckboards were usually placed at the bottom of the trenches to cover the sump pits (drainage holes), making it easier to pump out the pits when necessary.
📸 Lt John Warwick Brooke / IWM (Q 6420)
📸 Lt John Warwick Brooke / IWM (Q 6420)
11 January 1879: The Anglo-Zulu War began when British forces under Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford crossed the Buffalo and Tugela rivers to invade the Zulu Kingdom in present-day South Africa. Chelmsford launched a three-pronged invasion with approximately 16,500 troops.
January 11, 2026 at 12:49 PM
11 January 1879: The Anglo-Zulu War began when British forces under Lieutenant-General Lord Chelmsford crossed the Buffalo and Tugela rivers to invade the Zulu Kingdom in present-day South Africa. Chelmsford launched a three-pronged invasion with approximately 16,500 troops.
Matilda I infantry tanks of the Royal Tank Regiment training alongside soldiers of 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment during an exercise near Hébuterne on 11 January 1940.
📸 Stanley Hedley Kessell / IWM (F 2105)
📸 Stanley Hedley Kessell / IWM (F 2105)
January 11, 2026 at 11:54 AM
Matilda I infantry tanks of the Royal Tank Regiment training alongside soldiers of 2nd Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment during an exercise near Hébuterne on 11 January 1940.
📸 Stanley Hedley Kessell / IWM (F 2105)
📸 Stanley Hedley Kessell / IWM (F 2105)
In January 1942, the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang entered service with the Royal Air Force. Due to poor high-altitude performance, the P-51 was initially used for tactical reconnaissance and ground-attack duties. The P-51 didn't enter service with the United States Army Air Force until 1944.
January 10, 2026 at 11:32 AM
In January 1942, the North American Aviation P-51 Mustang entered service with the Royal Air Force. Due to poor high-altitude performance, the P-51 was initially used for tactical reconnaissance and ground-attack duties. The P-51 didn't enter service with the United States Army Air Force until 1944.
A German tank crew attempts to fix the tracks on their Panzer IV after sustaining battle damage during the Battle of Monte Cassino in January 1944.
January 8, 2026 at 7:30 PM
A German tank crew attempts to fix the tracks on their Panzer IV after sustaining battle damage during the Battle of Monte Cassino in January 1944.
USS Michigan (BB-27) steaming at high speed in 1918. The 16,000-ton South Carolina-class battleship was commissioned on 4 January 1910. Michigan took part in the US occupation of Veracruz during the Mexican Civil War and was employed as a convoy escort and training ship during the First World War.
January 4, 2026 at 3:31 PM
USS Michigan (BB-27) steaming at high speed in 1918. The 16,000-ton South Carolina-class battleship was commissioned on 4 January 1910. Michigan took part in the US occupation of Veracruz during the Mexican Civil War and was employed as a convoy escort and training ship during the First World War.
Christmas at the Front: a British soldier with two turkeys walking through the snow at Hesdin on 22 December 1917.
📸 Lt David McLellan / IWM (Q 9814)
📸 Lt David McLellan / IWM (Q 9814)
December 22, 2025 at 9:02 PM
Christmas at the Front: a British soldier with two turkeys walking through the snow at Hesdin on 22 December 1917.
📸 Lt David McLellan / IWM (Q 9814)
📸 Lt David McLellan / IWM (Q 9814)
Reposted by The Military Journal
M36 tank destroyers of the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, moving forward through the fog to stem the German spearhead near Werbomont, Belgium, on 20 December 1944 during the German Ardennes Offensive.
December 20, 2025 at 10:46 AM
M36 tank destroyers of the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, moving forward through the fog to stem the German spearhead near Werbomont, Belgium, on 20 December 1944 during the German Ardennes Offensive.
Reposted by The Military Journal
A British Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II) of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in the Western Desert on 19 December 1940 during Operation Compass. Slower and more heavily armoured than cruiser tanks, infantry tanks were designed to work with and support slow-moving infantry units.
December 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM
A British Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II) of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in the Western Desert on 19 December 1940 during Operation Compass. Slower and more heavily armoured than cruiser tanks, infantry tanks were designed to work with and support slow-moving infantry units.
Marines of Company D, 2nd Light Armored Infantry Battalion, stand guard with their LAV-25 light armoured vehicles outside a destroyed Panamanian Defense Force building during the first day of Operation Just Cause, 20 December 1989.
December 20, 2025 at 10:49 AM
Marines of Company D, 2nd Light Armored Infantry Battalion, stand guard with their LAV-25 light armoured vehicles outside a destroyed Panamanian Defense Force building during the first day of Operation Just Cause, 20 December 1989.
M36 tank destroyers of the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, moving forward through the fog to stem the German spearhead near Werbomont, Belgium, on 20 December 1944 during the German Ardennes Offensive.
December 20, 2025 at 10:46 AM
M36 tank destroyers of the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, moving forward through the fog to stem the German spearhead near Werbomont, Belgium, on 20 December 1944 during the German Ardennes Offensive.
A Royal Navy signals operator with an armful of recently cooked Christmas puddings at Greenock on 19 December 1942.
📸 IWM A 13393
📸 IWM A 13393
December 19, 2025 at 8:19 PM
A Royal Navy signals operator with an armful of recently cooked Christmas puddings at Greenock on 19 December 1942.
📸 IWM A 13393
📸 IWM A 13393
19 December 1777: The Continental Army under its commander General George Washington took up winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Up to 2,000 soldiers would die as a result of disease and malnutrition, but from Valley Forge emerged a well-trained and better-disciplined army.
December 19, 2025 at 3:16 PM
19 December 1777: The Continental Army under its commander General George Washington took up winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Up to 2,000 soldiers would die as a result of disease and malnutrition, but from Valley Forge emerged a well-trained and better-disciplined army.
A British Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II) of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in the Western Desert on 19 December 1940 during Operation Compass. Slower and more heavily armoured than cruiser tanks, infantry tanks were designed to work with and support slow-moving infantry units.
December 19, 2025 at 3:15 PM
A British Infantry Tank Mark II (Matilda II) of the 7th Royal Tank Regiment in the Western Desert on 19 December 1940 during Operation Compass. Slower and more heavily armoured than cruiser tanks, infantry tanks were designed to work with and support slow-moving infantry units.
Reposted by The Military Journal
Image of Castle Hospital at Balaklava below the old Genoese fortress during the winter of 1854-55, showing William Howard Russell of the Times writing in his tent and Florence Nightingale holding a lamp, although during the war she only visited the Crimea in May 1855 for a short time.
December 18, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Image of Castle Hospital at Balaklava below the old Genoese fortress during the winter of 1854-55, showing William Howard Russell of the Times writing in his tent and Florence Nightingale holding a lamp, although during the war she only visited the Crimea in May 1855 for a short time.
Reposted by The Military Journal
Soldiers of Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in a staged photo next to knocked out American vehicles following clashes against Task Force Myers in Poteau, Belgium, on 18 December 1944, during the German Ardennes Offensive.
December 18, 2025 at 11:58 AM
Soldiers of Panzergrenadier-SS Kampfgruppe Hansen in a staged photo next to knocked out American vehicles following clashes against Task Force Myers in Poteau, Belgium, on 18 December 1944, during the German Ardennes Offensive.