The British bombing of Caen beginning on D-Day in particular was stupid, counter-productive and above all very close to a war crime.

The vital thing for me is to integrate the history from above with the history from below because only in that way can you show the true consequences of the decisions of Hitler or Stalin or whomever on the ordinary civilians caught up in the battle.

I joined the Army in 1965 and served with the 11th Hussars, which I loved. The regiment was so relaxed - a salute was more like a friendly wave.

If you smash a city when you're trying to capture it, you actually end up providing the perfect terrain for the defenders while blocking the access for your own armoured vehicles.

I am not someone who believes I am going to find a historical scoop.

The blurring of fact and fiction has great commercial potential, which is bound to be corrupting in historical terms.

I think it's outrageous if a historian has a 'leading thought' because it means they will select their material according to their thesis