OTD 85 years ago German paratroopers massacred 180 inhabitants of the village of Kandanos in Crete. This followed the massacre of Kondomari the day before. Kondomari is one of the most extraordinarily well documented war crimes of the Wehrmacht. @garius.bsky.social @rgpoulussen.bsky.social

I’ve just discovered that the BBC has some of my old documentaries - re-edited and served up on YouTube. Here’s a mash-up of my first landmark series on human evolution - The Incredible Human Journey - from 2008 but still holding up! youtu.be/1NWevQpcFIo?...

📢*Next 2026 EVENTS*📢 ➡️Sunday 14th June 2026 - IWM History Festival, IWM Duxford. Interview with an unusual guest for 'Eagle Days' ➡️Saturday 11th July 2026 - Dowding System Day, Bentley Priory Museum, 'Taken Off: Psychological Health in the Luftwaffe during the Second World War'

This week’s podcast is on the loss of HMS Affray, the last British submarine lost at sea. #navalhistory #history #podcast open.spotify.com/episode/3rES...

Psyched that #Cobi have finally done a RN submarine and that it’s HMS Upholder, which had a legendary career sinking 93k GRT of enemy shipping in the Mediterranean before being lost with all hands in April 1942. cobibricks.com/product/hms-...

Ever seen any of these? Want to know the truth behind the pop occult Nazi histories? Check out the latest episode of the @holocaustpod.bsky.social!

Artwork by Dennis Andrews for my 'Warspite' @penandswordbooks.bsky.social showing legendary battleship HMS Warspite on the way to Rosyth, 1 June 1916, after fighting at Jutland and encountering a U-boat (see tip of periscope in foreground). She dodged torpedo attacks several times but made it. #ww1

Our first nuclear book club video, and I've made it free to view. We're looking at The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, set thousands of years after the nuclear holocaust. WATCH THOU FOR THE MUTANT!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

NEW VIDEO Our first nuclear book club is free to view. We look at THE CHRYSALIDS by John Wyyndham. www.patreon.com/posts/doomsd...

Okay, so a lot of people are anxiously wanting me to see the photos of Russian vehicles in dazzle camouflage and desiring my opinion. And as usual I’m only too happy to disappoint. Caveat: I am not an expert. 🧵

1 June 1916 // Cruiser HMS Warrior was heavily damaged by German shellfire with 71 killed during the Battle of Jutland on 31 May. She was able to withdraw but could not be saved and sank soon after being abandoned early on 1 June. (Imperial War Museum Q 21939) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

1 June 1916 // Destroyer HMS Sparrowhawk was scuttled by gunfire from HMS Marksman. During the Battle of Jutland she had been rammed by HMS Broke and heavily damaged, after the Broke had been hit by enemy fire. 6 men from Sparrowhawk died. (Imperial War Museum: Q 75118) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

1 June 1940 // Destroyer HMS Basilisk was scuttled by gunfire from HMS Whitehall after suffering heavy damage and 10 crew killed in German bombing off La Panne, while taking part in the Dunkirk evacuations. (Image: US Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

1 June 1940 // Destroyer HMS Havant was scuttled by HMS Saltash after suffering heavy damage from German bombing while evacuating troops from Dunkirk. Eight of her crew and 25 soldiers were killed in the air attacks. (Imperial War Museum image: FL 10170) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

1 June 1941 // Light cruiser HMS Calcutta was sunk by German aerial bombing off Alexandria while en route with HMS Coventry to provide AA cover for the evacuation of Crete. Of 362 crew, 107 were killed and 255 were rescued by the Coventry. (Imperial War Museum SP 2553) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

This is how Leading Aircraftwoman Margaret Horton earned herself a free flight on, and not in, a Spitfire...

If you already recognise this weird little fucker (the plane, not @destinationsjou.bsky.social) it's still worth checking this out for an explanation of what the hell was going on. And if you don't recognise it, don't read the words first - scroll down immediately to see the full backend madness...

Have you ever heard of Sidney Gottlieb? He was a chemist and sort-of like the CIA's version of Q. FInd out more about the man titled the CIAs Poisoner-in-Chief, who helped run MKULTRA and was involved in attempts to kill Castro AND Lumumba, among other things! youtu.be/6zRat81cDrg

At 1am on 31 May 1940, an aircraft crashed near Cpl Daphne Pearson’s quarters. She helped the injured pilot from his burning aircraft &, when it exploded, threw herself on him to protect him. Awarded the George Cross. Her portrait by Laura Knight. Source: www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

Oh, there is a Hawker Typhoon bookazine thing coming from Key in July that reprints my myth-busting article from the December 2021 issue of Aeroplane. If bookazines are your sort of thing. shop.keypublishing.com/products/haw...

Today is the 91st anniversary of the last diary entry of the first man who tried to climb Everest solo. Mind you, his plan had been to crash land a plane 14,000 feet up and then stroll the rest of the way, so perhaps he wasn’t destined to succeed 🧵

Special edition episode of the podcast out today for #Jutland110. “The spell of Trafalgar is broken! A German victory at Jutland?” (Listen to the episode before replying 😉) podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m... #history #ww1 #navalhistory

Meet Mr XXXX the legendary ship's cat of corvette HMAS Castlemaine! Serving in tropical waters, he could sense flying fish long before the crew. He'd wait by the deck, snap them out of the air with lightning speed. https://arhv.sea.museum/collections

Battle of Jutland, in HMS Warspite the XO, Cdr Walwyn, came across this: "The body of a 12-inch shell was found above engineer’s workshop, unexploded & a couple of stokers were trying to chip the fuze out. I luckily stopped this little effort." As told in my 'Warspite' @penandswordbooks.bsky.social

31 May 1916 // Cruiser HMS Defence, flagship of the 1st Cruiser Squadron, sank with all hands (907 men) during the Battle of Jutland when two salvoes of shells from German battleships caused her magazines to explode. (Imperial War Museum image: Q 75287) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1916 // Battlecruiser HMS Indefatigable was destroyed by two explosions after being struck by shells from German battlecruiser Von der Tann during the Battle of Jutland. There were only three survivors from her crew of 1,019. (Imperial War Museum Q 75281) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1916 // Battlecruiser HMS Invincible exploded and sank after being struck by German shells during the Battle of Jutland. There were six survivors from her crew of 1,032. (Imperial War Museum image Q 39269) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1916 // Battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary exploded and sank after being struck by shells from German cruiser Derfflinger during the Battle of Jutland. Of 1,266 crew only 20 survived, 18 picked up by the British and two by the Germans. (Imperial War Museum: Q 75275) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1916 // Cruiser HMS Black Prince was sunk during the Battle of Jutland night action after encountering the German battlefleet and receiving shellfire from five battleships at close range. She was lost with all hands: 857 men. (Imperial War Museum image: Q 38292) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1916 // Destroyer HMS Shark was sunk by German torpedo boats after being damaged while engaging enemy destroyers at the Battle of Jutland. 86 men died from her crew of 92, including her CO Commander Loftus Jones, awarded a posthumous VC. (Imperial War Museum image: Q 21762) #RoyalNavy #WW1

31 May 1916 // Destroyer HMS Fortune was sunk by German shellfire during the Battle of Jutland with the loss of 67 of her crew. She was last sighted around midnight, ablaze and sinking but with her guns still firing. (Imperial War Museum image Q 75133) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1918 // Destroyer HMS Fairy sank off Flamborough Head as a result of damage sustained while ramming and sinking German submarine UC.75. All her crew (and 14 survivors from UC.75) were rescued by HMS Greyhound. (Imperial War Museum image: Q 21242) #RoyalNavy #WW1 #NavalHistory

31 May 1942 // Oiler RFA Dinsdale, on her maiden voyage from Trinidad to Port Elizabeth and Durban was torpedoed and sunk south-west of St Paul's Rocks in the South Atlantic by Italian submarine Cappellini. She was sailing independently after missing her intended convoy due to engine trouble. [1/2]

The French destroyer Bourrasque sinking during the Dunkirk evacuation, May 30, 1940. Fired at by German artillery off Nieuwport, she strayed into a French minefield, detonating a mine. 600 of the 800 on board were rescued. The French lost three destroyers during Operation Dynamo. #NavalHistory

I've gained new followers off the #AI impersonation debacle, so I'd like to introduce the REAL me. I'm Dr Lindsey Fitzharris & I'm a medical historian. Yes, it's a real job! If you ever wondered how you'd treat a toothache in 1782, or what would happen if you broke a leg in 1845, I'm your gal. /1

🛩 🇵🇱 POLISH AIR FORCE DAY - 11th July A whole day of talks and tours at the Battle of Britain Bunker Uxbridge - home of 303

My kind and longsuffering Patreon supporters can now watch me defacing/improving(you decide) a Robert Taylor print of Gunther Rall, and I ask, should we be hanging Nazi signatures on the wall? Non-Patreon people can find this elsewhere if you know where to look. 😅 www.patreon.com/posts/erasin...

30 May 1906 // Duncan-class battleship HMS Montagu struck rocks off Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel due to navigational error. No lives were lost. Salvage efforts failed and she was broken up where she lay in a complex and lengthy operation. (Imperial War Museum Q 75247) #RoyalNavy #NavalHistory

30 May 1940 // Paddle minesweeper HMS Gracie Fields (ex Red Funnel Line PS Gracie Fields 1936, requisitioned 1939) was attacked and damaged by German aircraft while bringing 750 men back from Dunkirk (8 lives lost). She sank in the Channel while under tow. [1/2] #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

30 May 1941 // Oiler RFA Cairndale was torpedoed and sunk off Cape Trafalgar by Italian submarine Marconi. Four men were lost. The submarine got away following the attack despite an intense search involving destroyers, corvettes and other vessels. [1/2] #RoyalFleetAuxiliary #WW2 #NavalHistory

NEW EPISODE -On the edge of war: A V-Force pilot during the Cuban Missile Crisis Listen here 🎧🎧 coldwarconversations.com/episode458/ #VForce #Cuba #Nuclearwar #Coldwar #DHVictor #Vbomber

Reckon we can get a few more than fifty-odd followers here...

The Amiot 143 (1934) resulted from a ‘Multiplace de Combat’ specification issued in 1928. It was initially intended to perform multiple tasks including day/night bombing, recon and escort duties. By the time it entered service in 1935, however, the aircraft was viewed exclusively as a bomber. 🧵1/7

Bluebird K7 The Festival official video. Another work of genius by Neil Draper youtu.be/zX0jba02pnc?...

Let's all go to the shooty egg!

Reminded of the existence of this marvellous bit of film. 1 June 1944 - British troops of No.3 Commando muck about while off duty, as filmed by cameraman Sergeant George Laws. Less than a week later, these troops would land on Sword Beach on D-Day Film: IWM A70 24-3 / www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

29 May 1940 // Destroyer HMS Grafton, carrying troops away from Dunkirk, was torpedoed by U.62 off Nieuwpoort after stopping to rescue survivors from HMS Wakeful. She was later scuttled by HMS Ivanhoe. 16 crew and 35 soldiers were killed. (Imperial War Museum FL 22287) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

29 May 1940 // Destroyer HMS Wakeful was torpedoed and sunk by German torpedo boat S.30 while evacuating British soldiers from Dunkirk. Loss of life was tragically heavy: 637 of the 640 soldiers on board and 104 of her crew were killed. (Imperial War Museum Q 75530) #RoyalNavy #WW2 #NavalHistory

29 May 1940 // HM Drifter Comfort was sunk by friendly fire off Nieuwpoort as, just after picking up survivors from HMS Wakeful, she attempted to assist torpedoed destroyer HMS Grafton. In the darkness of the early hours she was mistaken for the U-boat responsible, or a German torpedo boat. [1/2]