Official history

[TonyJoe]

I'm having an interesting time at the moment browsing through the official histories (yes, browsing - they make pretty turgid reading but the maps are great) - I'm just wondering, do similar official histories exist for other conflicts, eg Boer War, WWII, Korea etc?

[Willywombat]

Here's a partial list:

History Of The Second World War

Collier, B., Defence of the United Kingdom, London, 1957

Derry, T.K., The Campaign in Norway, London,: HMSO, 1952.

Donnison, F. S. V., British Military Administration in the Far East, 1943-1946; Civil Affairs and Military Government: North-West Europe, 1944-46; Civil Affairs and Military Government: Central Organization and Planning, London, HMSO, 1956-66

Ellis, L.F. & others, The War in France and Flanders; Victory in the West, London, HMSO, 1953-68.

Harris, C. R. S., Allied Administration of Italy 1943-45, London, HMSO, 1957

Hinsley, F.H. & others, British Intelligence in the Second World War, London, HMSO, 1979-90.

Playfair, I.S.O. & others., The Mediterranean and Middle East, London, HMSO, 1954-88.

Richards, D. and St George Saunders, H., The Royal Air Force, 1939-45, London, HMSO, 1953-4

Rodd, Lord Rennel of, British Military Administration of Occupied Territories in Africa During the Years 1941-1947, London, HMSO, 1947

Roskill, S.W., The War at Sea, London: HMSO, 1954-61.

Various, Grand Strategy, London, HMSO, 1956-76

Webster, C and Frankland, N., Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany, London, HMSO, 1961

Woodburn Kirby, S. & others, The War against Japan, London, HMSO, 1957-69.

The British Part in the Korean War

Farrar-Hockley, A., The British Part in the Korean War, London, HMSO, 1985, 1990

Official History of the Falklands Campaign

Freedman, Sir L., Official History of the Falklands Campaign, London, Routledge, 2005

[MartH]

Hello

Many British Official Histories exist, starting with a translation of a German one, but the first written one was the volumes dealing with the Crimean War, and were published in 1859. They where modeled on the History of Artillery written for the Napoleonic wars, and where histories of the artillery operations. Indian started too with OH on operations on the North West Frontier. So they exist for ever war since then. Some are still secret.

Many volumes where published up to the Boer war including such titles as "Minor campaigns" and "Hostilities without the Declaration of War" There are many but the major ones cover World War One and the Second World War.

There is much debate what constituents a full set for either war, for example should you include the Secret Combined Operations published in 1956 by the Amphibious Warfare group under Mounbatten, in the WW1 or WW2, - it covers Gallipoli too.

Medical British OF also started with the Crimean war.

The full list is several hundred works with certain volumes last seen in 1948 at partition of India.

Regards

Mart

PS if your looking for ones in the English language there are over a thousand!