Martin Middlebrook (born 1932) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

military historian and author.

Education and military service

Middlebrook was educated at various schools, including

Ratcliffe College Ratcliffe College is a coeducational Catholic independent boarding and day school near the village of Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Leicestershire, approximately from Leicester, England. The college, situated in of parkland on the Fosse Way about ...

, Leicester. He entered National Service in 1950, was commissioned in the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC), and served as a Motor Transport Officer in the Suez Canal Zone and

Aqaba Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...

, Jordan. Middlebrook subsequently spent three years in Territorial Army service.

Career

Middlebrook wrote his first book '' The First Day on the Somme'' (1971) following a visit to the First World War battlefields of

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and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

in 1967. The book is a detailed study of the single worst day for the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. Middlebrook gave the same single-day treatment to 21 March 1918, the opening of the German spring offensive, in ''The Kaiser's Battle''. Middlebrook's Second World War books concentrate on the air war. A number of them again deal with a single day of action ('' The Nuremberg Raid'', ''The Schweinfurt–Regensburg Mission'' and ''The Peenemünde Raid'') while others cover longer air battles ('' The Battle of Hamburg'' and '' The Berlin Raids''). Middlebrook has also written two books on the Falklands War, one from the British and Falkland Islanders' perspective and one from the

Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish ( masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

perspective.

Honours

Middlebrook is a

Fellow of the Royal Historical Society A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

(FRHistS). He was appointed Knight of the Order of the Belgian Crown in 2004.

Books

*'' The First Day on the Somme'' with much co-operation from John Howlett. (1971) *'' The Nuremberg Raid'' (1973) *''Battleship: the loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse'' (with Patrick Mahoney) (1977) *''The Kaiser's Battle'' with much co-operation from Neville Mackinder. (1978) *'' The Battle of Hamburg'' (1980) *''The Peenemünde Raid'' (1982) *''The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission'' (1983) *''The Falklands War, 1982'' (1985) first published as ''Operation Corporate'' *'' The Berlin Raids'' (1988) *''Convoy SC.122 & HX.229'' (1976) *''

The Bomber Command War Diaries ''The Bomber Command War Diaries'' (subtitled: ''An Operational Reference Book, 1939 -1945'') is a book by the British military historian Martin Middlebrook and the researcher Chris Everitt that documents every operation by RAF Bomber Command ...

'' (1985) (with the late Chris Everitt) *''The Somme Battlefields: a Comprehensive Guide from Crʹecy to the Two World Wars'' (with his wife Mary Middlebrook) (1991) *''Arnhem 1944'' (1994) *''Your Country Needs You: from Six to Sixty-five Divisions'' (2000) * *''The North Midlands Territorials Go To War/Captain Staniland's Journey''

References

External links

A letter from Middlebrook describing the writing of ''The First Day on the Somme''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Middlebrook, Martin Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Historians of World War I British military writers Living people 1932 births British military historians Knights of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Historians of World War II Royal Army Service Corps officers Military personnel from Lincolnshire