Inside the underground Nazi 'village'

Shifting sands have revealed a forgotten world of Nazi tunnels underneath The Hague. Link to the BBC website.
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Rabbit hole leads to 700-year-old Knights Templar cave

An apparently ordinary rabbit's hole in a farmer's field leads to an underground sanctuary once said to be used by the Knights Templar - a medieval religious order that fought in the Crusades.  Link to BBC web site article.
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For liberty and righteousness': A chaplain at war

Early on Christmas Day in 1916, a group of soldiers knelt on a rough floor in a candlelit barn in France to receive Holy Communion from their chaplain. The man tending to their spiritual needs was Samuel Leighton Green. He had swapped a quiet life as a Norwich curate to share in the physical and mental suffering of those on the World War One front line. Why?  Link to the BBC web site to read more.
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BBC granted exclusive access to nuclear bunker

Last month, Russian authorities conducted large-scale civil defence drills and announced they were upgrading underground nuclear bunkers to accommodate the entire Moscow population. 

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg was granted exclusive access to one attack-ready shelter in the north of the city.  Link
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When Soviet tanks crushed Hungary’s bid for freedom

Seen this on the BBC web site.  Worth a visit.
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After seven years as a Soviet satellite state, many in Hungary were chafing at the restrictions imposed by the communist government.
In October 1956, thousands of people came onto the streets of Budapest to demand greater freedom
In a confrontation with Hungary's secret police, several unarmed demonstrators were shot and killed.
Violence flared forcing Soviet troops to withdraw from the capital.
But the Hungarian revolution's triumph was short lived as Peter Pallai, who joined the demonstration told Witness.  Link
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Roman villa unearthed 'by chance' in Wiltshire garden

An "elaborate" Roman villa has been unearthed by chance by a homeowner laying electric cables in his garden in Wiltshire.  Link to the BBC web site for more info.
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Remains of WW1 German ships found in Portsmouth

The remains of two First World War German destroyers have been found at the home of the British Navy in Portsmouth.

The ships were taken there after the Great War and left to rust in the mud and water, then forgotten.
Link

The Last Kingdom - TV Series - Trailer

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Comment:  Been watching this brilliant series here in the UK.  Great viewing if have an interest in the Darkages.  Highly recommended.
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The Great 1980s Dungeons & Dragons Panic

In an era of potent concern over internet pornography, cyber-bullying, and drugs, it is hard to imagine a game being controversial. But 30 years ago Dungeons & Dragons was the subject of a full-on moral panic, writes Peter Ray Allison on the BBC News: Link
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Comment:  I remember this happening.  My local club used to hire a church hall during the week, and we almost lost the premises until our chairman convinced some guy that D&D was actually all about defeating the forces of darkness etc.

Lions and donkeys: 10 big myths about World War One debunked

Much of what we think we know about the 1914-18 conflict is wrong, writes historian Dan Snow.

No war in history attracts more controversy and myth than World War One.

For the soldiers who fought it was in some ways better than previous conflicts, and in some ways worse.

By setting it apart as uniquely awful we are blinding ourselves to the reality of not just WW1 but war in general. We are also in danger of belittling the experience of soldiers and civilians caught up in countless other appalling conflicts throughout history and the present day.

Read the full article here.  Link

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Army Tank Challenge - World's Toughest Driving Tests - BBC

This is quite entertaining :)

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Bloodhound land speed rocket test roars over Newquay

A British team building a car capable of driving beyond 1,000mph has tested the vehicle's rocket engine.  Link to the BBC.

Is Magna Carta overrated?

Magna Carta - Latin for Great Charter - was agreed at Runnymede in 1215 and sealed by King John after powerful barons had rebelled and captured London.

Held up as the embodiment of freedom and equality, it is revered in the US and credited with justifying the resistance to the rule of George III and influencing the Declaration of Independence.

In his inaugural address in 1941, President Franklin D Roosevelt said: "The democratic aspiration is no mere recent phase in human history... It was written in Magna Carta."

But Magna Carta's status isn't agreed upon by everyone.   Link to the BBC
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UK forces' Operational Awards honour battlefield bravery

The mottled green and brown of army fatigues are a great leveller. Line up three rows of soldiers dressed identically, and it's impossible to tell which one helped save an Afghan boy who had his leg blown off or which one narrowly escaped a bullet in the brain. Link to the BBC.
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The Lifecyle Of A Bullet

A deadly weapon and an economic cornerstone, the impact of a bullet spreads far and wide. In this documentary BBC Defence Correspondent Caroline Wyatt takes an extraordinary journey through the defence industry as she tracks the fate of a bullet. From manufacture to gun barrel, Caroline tracks her bullet from the docks where the explosive propellant are imported, through the Cheshire factory where it is machined, to testing and out to its final destination - war. With its deep historical roots, its reliance of raw materials from all over the world and its central role in the economy this most basic of military equipment involves a huge cross-section of British society, all working for a war effort that sees millions of rounds produced every week of the year. By the time she sees the shot fired, Caroline will have met the huge variety of people employed in its creation. As she tracks the bullet's journey, Caroline will ask what would happen to our economy if peace bloomed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and how people feel about making products that are designed to kill.  Link to the BBC Radio 4 programme.
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Giant poppy installed on Wiltshire hill

A 33ft (10m) poppy placed on a hill in Wiltshire to launch the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal will appear on the BBC's Countryfile programme. Link
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Thankful villages: The places where everyone came back from the wars

The mass slaughter of WW1 1914-18 robbed the UK of a million lives, leaving no part of the country untouched. But there was a tiny handful of settlements where all those who served returned home. Link to the BBC.
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Spitfire redux: The WWII guns firing after 70 years buried in peat

An excavation at the site of a 1941 Spitfire crash in a bog in the Irish Republic uncovered huge, remarkably preserved chunks of plane and six Browning machine guns. After 70 years buried in peat could they be made to fire? They certainly could, writes Dan Snow. See the BBC web site for more info. Link
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BBC History Podcasts

There are some really good podcasts to download off the official website of the BBC History Magazine. Well worth checking out. Link
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Should shipwrecks be left alone?

It is 10 years since a deal to protect the world's thousands of shipwrecks, but the UK and several other major maritime powers are yet to ratify it. Should this underwater heritage be protected or is it acceptable to plunder ? There is an interesting article about this on the BBC web site. Link
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