Mark Simner
@marksimner.bsky.social
Author and Magazine Feature Writer of British Military History | MHM Book of the Year Nominee | Book Reviewer | Militaria Collector | BA (Hons) MSc
#OnThisDay (26 June 1794) The French Revolutionary Army led by Jean-Baptiste Jourdan defeated an Austro-Dutch army at the Battle of #Fleurus. This turning point led to the permanent loss of the Austrian Netherlands and the dissolution of the Dutch Republic. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (25 June 1950) The Korean War began when North Korea’s forces invaded the south. With the Soviet representative absent, the UN Security Council denounced the attack and called upon member nations to provide military assistance to repel the invasion. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (25 June 1944) Allied ships bombard German fortifications at #Cherbourg to break a stalled infantry advance and to neutralise batteries denying them a vital supply port. Crucial close support from small ships aided the port’s capture on 29 June. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (22 June 1893) HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown during Mediterranean fleet manoeuvres. The impact caused significant damage to Victoria's bow, leading it to rapidly capsize. The ship sank in 15 minutes, with 358 crew lost in the disaster. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (22 June 1807) HMS Leopard attacked and boarded USS #Chesapeake off Virginia to seize Royal Navy deserters. Outraged Americans called for war. However, President Thomas Jefferson responded with economic warfare, resulting in the Embargo of 1807. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (19 Jun 1816) The Battle of Seven Oaks is fought near #Winnipeg. A climax of the Pemmican War, the North West Co. defeated the Hudson’s Bay Co. It marked a key moment where the Métis asserted themselves as "la Nouvelle Nation." (Image: Wikimedia)
Eighty years after the Second World War, unexploded ordnance still poses a serious danger. Some 117 unexploded wartime shells removed from the sea floor between Malta and Sicily to safely lay a new power cable. timesofmalta.com/article/117-...
117 wartime unexploded items cleared from the path of the second interconnector
Delicate operation between Sicily and Malta completed
timesofmalta.com
#OnThisDay (13 Jun 1944) The first German V-1 flying bomb struck Britain, detonating at 04:25 at Mile End, East London. Three more impacted across Kent and Sussex during the early morning hours. Nine were launched on the 12th but failed to reach their targets. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (13 Jun 1917) London suffered the deadliest German air raid of WWI. 14 Gotha bombers struck the capital in daylight, claiming 162 lives - including 46 children - and injuring 432. A grim turning point bringing total war to the British home front. (Image: Wikimedia)
BBC News - Secret history of RAF Newmarket marked at Rowley Mile event - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Secret history of RAF Newmarket marked at Rowley Mile event
An event commemorates the secret agents who were dropped behind enemy lines in World War Two.
bbc.co.uk
Hopefully, I've finally nailed the assault of the Highland Brigade at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir for my next book. Next stop, an Old Fashioned. 🥃 (📷 Henri Louis Dupray, "The Black Watch at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir, 1882," c. 1900.)
#OnThisDay (30/31 May 1942) RAF Bomber Command executed Operation Millennium against #Cologne - the first "1,000-bomber" raid. Dropping 1,478 tonnes of ordnance, the raid destroyed over 12,000 buildings and caused widespread civilian displacement. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
#OnThisDay (30 May 1796) Napoleon Bonaparte forces a crossing of the Mincio River at the Battle of #Borghetto, defeating the Austrian army under Johann Peter Beaulieu. It forced an Austrian retreat, allowimg the French to besiege the key fortress of Mantua. (Image: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (29 May 1945) The Consolidated B-32 Dominator conducts its first combat mission. The target is a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines. Only 118 B-32s were built; the heavy bomber was retired from service in August of the same year. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
#OnThisDay (29 May 1935) The Messerschmitt Bf 109, later commonly referred to by the Allies as the Me 109, made its first flight. Designed by Willy #Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, over 34,000 109s were built, serving with multiple air forces. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
#OnThisDay (17 May 1756) Britain declared war on France, formally starting the Seven Years' War. Fought by the Great Powers across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent, it is considered by many to be the first true global war. (Images: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (16/17 May 1943) 617 Squadron, RAF executes Operation Chastise. Using Barnes Wallis’s spinning bouncing bombs, they breach the Möhne and Eder dams, disrupting German industry while causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr Valley. #Dambusters (Images: Wikimedia)
#OnThisDay (10 May 1941) Rudolf Hess flies solo to Scotland and parachutes into a field near Eaglesham. Seeking to negotiate a peace via the Duke of Hamilton, he was instead detained until his trial in 1946. (Image: Wreckage of Hess's Messerschmitt Bf 110. Wikimedia Commons.)
#OnThisDay (10 May 1940) Britain launches Operation Fork to occupy neutral #Iceland. Following Denmark’s fall, the UK preempted Nazi Germany to secure the GIUK gap and protect Atlantic supply lines. (Image: HMS Berwick, flagship and transport for the landing. Wikimedia Commons)
Next up... These are quite hefty tomes, so they should keep me out of trouble for a while!
German prisoner of war was ‘secretly buried’ under St Julian’s villa - Times of Malta timesofmalta.com/article/germ...
German prisoner of war was ‘secretly buried’ under St Julian’s villa
Historian Simon Cusens claims the soldier was secretly buried during World War II
timesofmalta.com
I'm not a stamp collector (although I do have a Waterloo set from the 2015 bicentenary), but these are tempting... shop.royalmail.com/valour-and-v...
Valour and Victory Stamp Set
Ten Special Stamps celebrate extraordinary individuals whose actions saved lives, changed history and shaped Britain’s war effort. Ten First Class landscape stamps, each featuring a lesser-known hero...
shop.royalmail.com
Airman's son pays emotional visit to dad's exhibit - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
US airman's son pays emotional visit to dad's Duxford exhibition
Richard Moseley, from Utah, visits Duxford which is showcasing his father's clothes and documents.
bbc.co.uk
RAF Museum Midlands Named Joint Top UK Museum in Which? Survey - Vintage Aviation News. vintageaviationnews.com/aviation-mus...
RAF Museum Midlands Named Joint Top UK Museum in Which? Survey - Vintage Aviation News
The RAF Museum Midlands has been named a joint top-rated museum in the UK by Which?, following strong feedback from visitors. The survey highlighted its aircraft collection, interactive exhibits, and ...
vintageaviationnews.com
TANKFEST: Tank Museum to feature Sherman 'Jumbo' tank | Bournemouth Echo. www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2606287...
Rare Second World War tank to go on display at Dorset museum event in June
See the only running Sherman M4A3E2 Jumbo tank in Europe at Tankfest 2026, The Tank Museum. Rare WWII armour, live displays, and historic vehicles.
bournemouthecho.co.uk
My current book line‑up. I fully expect each one to leave me even more infuriated with those who’ve made such a mess of things, but they look like compelling reading nonetheless.
Another productive day working on my next book, teasing out the operational detail behind the actions at #Magfar and #Kassassin during the #AngloEgyptianWar However, it is now time for an Old Fashioned. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
One positive today-at least in my opinion-the scheduled launch of Atremis II at 11.24pm UK time. news.sky.com/liveblog-web...
Artemis II mission latest: How NASA expects historic space launch to unfold as countdown approaches
Launch day for the Artemis II space mission has arrived. Yesterday, NASA put the chance of lift-off going ahead at 80%. The mission will take four astronauts on a 10-day test trip around the moon. Fol...
news.sky.com
