History of War – Issue 162 2026

Summary

The 1945 battle for Okinawa claimed 250,000 lives before the island fell to US Marines. History of War Issue 162 makes the attritional Pacific campaign its cover story and then branches into Nixon's wartime service the Royal Navy's forgotten fleet and a Japanese-American regiment that became the most decorated unit in US history.

Mark Stille the acclaimed naval historian discusses Okinawa's dire consequences in a dedicated interview. Taylor Downing examines how the Able Archer 83 military exercise might have accidentally triggered World War III. Craig Moore opens the operator's handbook on the M60 MBT. The issue also covers Hitler's twisted anti-cancer research campaigns the rise and fall of the battleship and Operation Paperclip's secret evacuation of German rocket scientists.

Regulars include War in Focus This Month in History September the Hollywood Debrief and a gallery of US Air Force enclaves in England. The Q&A with Aleks Pluskowski on the Nazis crusades and the reviews section round out the package.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story / Great Battles

p.24 · Okinawa
Mark Stille delivers an inside account of the Pacific theatre's bloodiest battle. The US Marines' amphibious assault and the attritional campaign that claimed 250,000 lives unfolds through veteran testimony. Stille's 2026 paperback Midway The Pacific War's Most Famous Battle provides the analytical backbone.

p.34 · Nixon's War
Before his political career the future president served with distinction in the US Navy. The article traces his Pacific theatre service and the leadership lessons he absorbed. Specific ports of call and his promotion timeline give this a concrete biographical spine.

p.38 · The Forgotten Fleet
Dwarfed by its US counterpart the Royal Navy was nonetheless critical to victory in the Pacific. The piece names the carrier groups and battleship squadrons that covered the final push toward Japan. You learn which British admirals held the key command billets in 1945.

▸ Features

p.12 · Battleships The Rise and Fall
John Curatola unpacks why the battleship's reign over the waves ended in the wake of the carrier. The article tracks the design evolution from dreadnought to Iowa-class with specific tonnage and gun calibre data. The last combat action was in the 1991 Gulf War—a date that bookends the story.

p.14 · Operation Paperclip
Charlie Hall recounts the secret US mission to evacuate German rocket scientists after WWII. The piece names key figures like Wernher von Braun and details how they were slipped past immigration controls. The intelligence trade-offs—knowledge versus accountability—are laid out without moralising.

p.42 · 442nd Regiment
This Japanese-American combat team went from internment to become the most decorated unit in US history. The article tracks their training at Camp Shelby through their European theatre deployments. You get the unit's casualty figures and medal counts that back the "most decorated" claim.

▸ What If / Analysis

p.52 · Able Archer 83 Triggered War
Taylor Downing discusses how the NATO military exercise might have accidentally led to World War III. The narrative builds from the exercise scenario through Soviet misinterpretation to the nuclear alert status. Specific US and Soviet command decisions that nearly escalated are identified.

p.62 · Hitler's War on Cancer
How Nazi ideology fuelled a twisted health campaign against the disease. The article names the physicians who directed the research and the prisoners used as test subjects. The environmental and dietary regulations imposed on the German public are catalogued.

▸ Regulars

p.56 · M60 MBT Operator's Handbook
Craig Moore takes a look inside this Cold War tank. The cutaway identifies the main gun the engine and the armour composition. Maintenance figures and crew complement give it reference value.

p.10 · This Month in History September
Key dates include the Iran-Iraq War beginning and the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Each entry carries the year and a one-line context.

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Editor's Take

Issue 162 is the strongest of the three recent History of War issues. The Okinawa cover story backed by Stille's fresh paperback release gives readers both narrative and historiography. The Able Archer 83 piece is a genuine original angle rarely covered in military monthlies. The weakest element is the gallery section which runs four pages of photo spreads that add little analysis. This issue suits the Pacific War specialist and the Cold War what-if reader equally well.

Strengths
• Mark Stille interview anchors the Okinawa feature with authority
• Able Archer 83 piece offers a genuine alternative-history angle
• 442nd Regiment story pairs social history with combat record

Weaknesses
• Gallery section consumes pages without analytical value
• Hitler's War on Cancer topic overstretched for the space given

Verdict: Essential — the best of the three 2026 issues with standout Pacific War and Cold War content.