# Martin Middlebrook

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English military historian and author (1932–2024)

Martin Middlebrook Middlebrook speaking in 2014 Born (1932-01-24)24 January 1932 Boston, Lincolnshire, England Died 19 January 2024(2024-01-19) (aged 91) Cheltenham, England Occupation author Genre military history Subject World War I, World War II, Falklands War Notable works The First Day on the Somme, The Nuremberg Raid, The Berlin Raids Spouse Mary Middlebrook

**Martin Middlebrook** [FRHistS](/source/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Historical_Society) (24 January 1932 – 19 January 2024) was an English [military historian](/source/Military_historian) and author.

## Education and military service

Middlebrook was educated at various schools, including [Ratcliffe College](/source/Ratcliffe_College), [Leicester](/source/Leicester). He entered National Service in 1950, was commissioned in the [Royal Army Service Corps](/source/Royal_Army_Service_Corps) (RASC), and served as a Motor Transport Officer in the [Suez Canal Zone](/source/Suez_Canal) and [Aqaba](/source/Aqaba), Jordan. Middlebrook subsequently spent three years in [Territorial Army](/source/Territorial_Army_(United_Kingdom)) service.

## Career

Middlebrook wrote his first book *[The First Day on the Somme](/source/The_First_Day_on_the_Somme_(book))* (1971) following a visit to the First World War battlefields of [France](/source/France) and [Belgium](/source/Belgium) in 1967.[1] The book is a detailed study of the single worst day for the [British Army](/source/British_Army). Middlebrook gave the same single-day treatment to 21 March 1918, the opening of the [German spring offensive](/source/German_spring_offensive), in *The Kaiser's Battle*. Middlebrook's Second World War books concentrate on the [air war](/source/Air_war). A number of them again deal with a single day of action (*[The Nuremberg Raid](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Nuremberg_Raid_(book)&action=edit&redlink=1)*, *The Schweinfurt–Regensburg Mission* and *The Peenemünde Raid*) while others cover longer air battles (*[The Battle of Hamburg](/source/The_Battle_of_Hamburg_(book))* and *[The Berlin Raids](/source/The_Berlin_Raids_(book))*). Middlebrook also wrote two books on the [Falklands War](/source/Falklands_War), one from the British and Falkland Islanders' perspective and one from the [Argentinian](/source/Argentina) perspective.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Death

Middlebrook died in [Cheltenham](/source/Cheltenham) on 19 January 2024, at the age of 91.[2][3][4]

## Honours

Middlebrook was a [Fellow of the Royal Historical Society](/source/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Historical_Society) (FRHistS). He was appointed Knight of the [Order of the Belgian Crown](/source/Order_of_the_Crown_(Belgium)) in 2004.[5]

## Books

- *[The First Day on the Somme](/source/The_First_Day_on_the_Somme_(book))* with much co-operation from John Howlett. (1971) [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [462049234](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/462049234)

- *[The Nuremberg Raid](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Nuremberg_Raid_(book)&action=edit&redlink=1)* (1973) [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [463009305](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/463009305)

- *Convoy SC.122 & HX.229* (1976) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781848844780](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781848844780)

- *Battleship: the loss of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse* (with Patrick Mahoney) (1977) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0713910429](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0713910429)

- *The Kaiser's Battle* with much co-operation from Neville Mackinder. (1978) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [071391081X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/071391081X)

- *[The Battle of Hamburg](/source/The_Battle_of_Hamburg_(book))* (1980)

- *The Peenemünde Raid* (1982)

- *The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission* (1983)

- *[The Bomber Command War Diaries](/source/The_Bomber_Command_War_Diaries)* (1985) (with the late Chris Everitt) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0670801372](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0670801372)

- *The Falklands War, 1982* (1985) first published as *Operation Corporate*

- *[The Berlin Raids](/source/The_Berlin_Raids)* (1988)

- *The Somme Battlefields: a Comprehensive Guide from Crʹecy to the Two World Wars* (with his wife Mary Middlebrook) (1991) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0670830836](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0670830836)

- *Arnhem 1944* (1994) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [081332498X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/081332498X)

- *Your Country Needs You: from Six to Sixty-five Divisions* (2000) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0850527112](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0850527112)

- [*The Argentine fight for the Falklands*](https://www.scribd.com/book/444109351/Argentine-Fight-for-the-Falklands). Pen & Sword Military. 2003. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781783032020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781783032020).

- *Captain Staniland's Journey: The North Midlands Territorials Go To War* (2003) [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780850529968](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780850529968)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Ottawa Citizen More Ottawa Citizen. ["Q&A: Military historian, Martin Middlebrook"](https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/qa-martin-middlebrook). *Ottawa Citizen*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Martin Middlebrook"](https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/latest-news/2024/martin-middlebrook/). *The Western Front Association*. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 23 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Middlebrook"](https://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/marketplace/advert/middlebrook-notices_55473). The Telegraph. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Martin Middlebrook obituary"](https://www.thetimes.com/article/martin-middlebrook-obituary-r37j3jm6g). *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["An interview with Martin Middlebrook: reflections on fifty years of researching and writing on the First World War"](http://www.gatewaysfww.org.uk/events/interview-martin-middlebrook-reflections-fifty-years-researching-and-writing-first-world-war).

## External links

- [A letter from Middlebrook describing the writing of *The First Day on the Somme*](https://web.archive.org/web/20060215034015/http://www.fylde.demon.co.uk/middlebrook2.htm)

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