Military History Encyclopedia on the Web
18 December 2022
Arctic Convoys 1942 – The Luftwaffe cuts Russia’s lifeline, Mark Lardas.
Looks at the most dangerous year for the Arctic convoys, in which three quarters of all ships lost on the route were sunk, examining the role of the Luftwaffe in that German success. Covers the aircraft involved, tactics used, looks at the main convoy battles of the year in some detail, and the impact of this year’s battles on the remaining two and a half years of Arctic convoys.
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The Frozen Chosen - The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver.
Combines a history of the first stages of the Korean War with a more detailed examination of the 1st Marine Division’s battles around the Chosin Reservoir, which prevented the eastern part of the UN line collapsing like the US Army held western part. Has some firmly expressed views on the reasons for the American failure to predict the invasion and for MacArthur’s failures during the invasion of the North, and a good understanding of why the North Koreans and Chinese were both initially successful. Combines it with a detailed examination of the Marines in battle, taking us down to the individual foxhole and the fights for numbered hills
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Battles of the Jacobite Rebellions – Killiecrankie to Culloden, Jonathan Oates.
Focuses mainly on the actual battles of the Jacobite campaigns, from Killiecrankie to Culloden, covering the nine main battles that took place in that sixty year period. Focuses largely on the battles, although with enough background and campaign information to make sense of them and how they fitted into the wider conflict. Provides as detailed troop lists and casualty figures as are possible for these battles, and makes good use of sources from both sides to provide well written, balanced accounts of these battles
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11 December 2022
Infantry Antiaircraft Missiles – Man-Portable Air Defense Systems, Steven J. Zaloga.
Looks at the technology behind these weapons, traces their development in the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and elsewhere, covering the main versions that have entered production, how they were used in combat, and covers examples of their main uses in combat, from their debut in the Arab-Israeli wars to the current conflict in Syria. Ends with a look at how they may evolve in the future, and the impact they still have on modern air warfare
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4 December 2022
To Save an Army – The Stalingrad Airlift, Robert Forsyth.
A study of the German efforts to supply the Stalingrad pocket from the air, an effort that never managed to fly in as much supplies as were needed, and that cost the Germans a huge number of transport aircraft and bombers that had been pressed into service, as well as seriously diminishing Hitler’s respect for the Luftwaffe. Traces the determined efforts made by the units at the front to try and overcome the vast array of problems and obstacles they faced, and the failure of those efforts as the Stalingrad pocket shrank, and airfields inside and outside the pocket fell to the Soviets, the winter weather slowed flight operations and the Nazi leadership interfered and complained
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20 November 2022
Riflemen - The History of the 5th Battalion, 60th (Royal American) Regiment 1797-1818, Robert Griffith.
Looks at one of the more unusual battalions in the British army of the Napoleonic period, a rifle armed unit that was normally split up to provide light troops and skirmishers for other units in the army, and was largely manned with foreign troops, from the original Americans of its formation to the Germans and even French who filled its ranks during the Peninsular War. Covers the original formation of the battalion, the development of the military rifle, how the battalion was trained in light infantry tactics, as well as its long combat career in the Peninsular, where it arrived with Wellesley in 1808 and remained until the end of the Peninsular War
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Tribals, Battles and Darings – The Genesis of the Modern Destroyer, Alexander Clarke.
Looks at three classes of British destroyers that were significantly larger than their individual contemporaries, and thus more capable of carrying out roles traditionally performed by light cruisers, while also being able to as heavy destroyers. As a result the Tribal class destroyers were in high demand from the start of the war, and only four of the British Tribals survived the war. Looks at the motives for the building of each class, covers the wartime experiences of the Tribals in great detail, and concludes with the post-war careers of the Darings
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13 November 2022
SdkFz 251/0 and 251/22 Kanonenwagen, Dennis Oliver.
Looks at two versions of the German SdkFz 251 half track that were armed with surplus 75mm guns and used for infantry support and as a tank hunter. Covers the development of these two vehicles, the available models, camouflage schemes but with most space taken up by a list of all of the major units known to have been equipped with the type, looking at when they got it, how many they were meant to have and probably did have, and a brief summary of where they were used
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6 November 2022
The Elizabethan Conquest of Ireland, James Charles Roy.
An immersive account of the Elizabethan struggles in Ireland, which claimed the careers of a series of English commanders, most famously Robert Devereux the Earl of Essex, most of whom failed to get to grips with the complex situation in Ireland, while also struggling to convince Elizabeth to supply enough money to fund operations in a country that seemed to swallow funds and armies. Largely focuses on one significant figure at a time, and successfully brings us into their worlds
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The Lost Samurai – Japanese Mercenaries in South East Asia 1593-1688, Stephen Turnbull.
Looks at the little known use of Japanese mercenaries by many of the powers of South-East Asia including local and European powers in a brief window of opportunity before Japan largely cut herself off from the outside world. Combines a history of the Japanese mercenaries with a wider look at Japan’s relationships with the outside world, including a series of proposals for an invasion of the Philippines and with the changes of policy about outside contacts
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30 October 2022
British Commonwealth Cruiser vs Italian Cruiser – The Mediterranean 1940-43, Angus Konstam.
Looks at the design of the British and Italian cruisers that clashed in the Mediterranean (the biggest part of the book), how they were manned, the quality of their gunnery, armour and gun control systems, and gives some examples of how they faired in combat with each other. Very good on the cruisers themselves, including a useful chart showing which cruisers were active in the Mediterranean and when, but a bit too brief on the clashes between them
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US Navy Armored Cruisers 1890-1933, Brian Lane Herder.
Looks at these large, fast US cruisers, an important part of the US Navy before the First World War, when despite the flaws in the armoured cruiser concept the American examples were amongst the best designed ships in the fleet. Looks at their combat high point during the Spanish-American War and their decline to obsolescence after the arrival of the faster dreadnoughts and battlecruisers removed their key advantage
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Gladiators 4th-1st centuries BC, Francois Gilbert.
Focuses on the various types of gladiator, where they came from, how they evolved over time and the details of their arms and armour. Includes an introduction on the changing nature of gladiatorial fights and gladiators over this period, but ignores their involvement in the politics of the period. A good overview of the different types of gladiators, written by an expert on the topic
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23 October 2022
The Medieval Knight - The Age of Noble Warriors of the Golden Chivalry, Phyllis Jestice.
Looks at the long history of the medieval knight, from their evolution from non-noble mounted warriors through their high point as a socially exclusive elite group through to the rise of the professional non-knightly cavalryman. Includes good sections on how the fighting style of the knight changed over time, how they cooperated (or failed to cooperate) with infantry, how they were trained and equipped, and studies some examples of their battles, including both victories and defeats at the hands of enemies fighting in a different style
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Royal Navy Torpedo Bombers vs Axis Warships 1939-45, Matthew Willis.
An excellent look at the battles between British aircraft and German and Italian warships, which saw the British torpedo bombers score their biggest victories in 1941, at Taranto, Cape Matapan and against the Bismarck, before slowly fading away as the nature of the war at sea changed and the Swordfish and Albacore became increasingly obsolete and enemy anti-aircraft fire increased in strength. Combines good technical sections with clear accounts of the main battles
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Essex Class Aircraft Carriers 1945-91, Mark Stille.
Looks at the post Second World War of the massive Essex class of aircraft carriers, given a new lease of life by the Korean War, tracing their many upgrades to allow them to operate jet aircraft, their use off Korea and Vietnam, the types of aircraft they used and ending with brief ship by ship summaries of their careers and upgrades
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16 October 2022
The Ocean Class of the Second World War, Malcolm Cooper.
A detailed history of the first mass produced class of merchant ships of the Second World War, the British designed but American built Ocean class ships which played a part in the most dangerous part of the Battle of the Atlantic and were the inspiration for the more famous Liberty ships. Covers their design, construction, wartime service and unexpectedly long peacetime careers.
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Bustler Class Rescue Tugs in War and Peace, R.O. Neish .
Looks at the design, construction and careers of the eight Bustler class rescue tugs, powerful vessels designed to tow damaged merchant ships across the oceans as well as acting as rescue ships, with extra accommodation built in. Covers their wartime careers, as well as the often length post-war careers of the five to survive the war
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9 October 2022
No Ordinary Pilot - One Young Man’s Extraordinary Exploits in World War II, Suzanne Campbell-Jones.
Looks at the experiences of a pilot who started with No.1 Squadron on the south coast of England in the summer of 1941, then was sent to West Africa where he spent the next two years, before returning to become a fighter-bomber pilot, supporting the D-Day landings. In late July he was shot down and captured, and we follow him into captivity in the period after POWs had been ordered not to attempt to escape, and finally the ‘long march’, when the Germans forced their prisoners to march west to prevent them being liberated by the Soviets
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Suffragism and the Great War, Vivien Newman.
Looks at the experiences of a series of supporters and opponents of Women’s suffrage during the Great War, a period when many paused their campaign to support the war effort, others tried to combine the two and others used their campaigning skills to try and stop the fighting. What all have in common is the extraordinary contributions they made to whatever cause they selected, and the barriers they often had to overcome to be allowed to make that contribution.
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The Knights of Islam – the Wars of the Mamluks, 1250-1517, James Waterson.
Looks at the fascinating story of the Mamluk rulers of Egypt and Syria, who were responsible both for ending the existence of the last Crusader states, and defeating the Mongols just as they threatened to conquer the heartlands of Islam, before themselves being defeated by the rising power of the Ottomans. Looks at both the Mamluk as a soldier, at their peak amongst the best trained and most dedicated soldiers ever seen, and the Mamluk dynasty itself, which despite its achievements was often riven by discord and fierce political rivalries
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2 October 2022
China Station – The British Military in the Middle Kingdom 1839-1997, Mark Felton.
Looks at one of the less glorious chapters of British military history, starting with the two Opium Wars and including the invasion of Tibet, and the Japanese conquest of Hong Kong. Also covers the Boxer War, the famous attack on HMS
Amethyst, a disasterous attempt to create a branch of SOE in Shanghai, and the final forty years of British rule in Hong Kong. Interesting to see how the balance of power changed during the century and a half of British involvement, from the one-sided victories of the First Opium War to the hard fighting during the Boxer Revolt and the acknowledgement that Hong Kong was undefendable by 1941
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The 614th Tank Destroyer Battalion – Fighting on Both Fronts, Samuel de Korte.
Looks at the experiences of one of three tank destroyer battalions manned by black soldiers to see combat during the First World War, and the first black army unit to win the Distinguised Unit Citation during the Second World War. Looks at the problems faced by a black unit in the segregated US Army of the time, and the 614th’s experience in battle, which saw it come up against the Germans during their last offensives in the West, then take part in the advance into Austria and finally towards Italy. An excellent unit history, well illustrated with the men’s own words, and also a valuable piece of social history
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Recce - Small Team Missions Behind Enemy Lines, Koos Stadler.
Looks at the career of a South African soldier who served with the Bushmen during the Border War and then with various Special Forces Units on a wider front, taking part in some ambitious, if not always successful, long range missions with the Small Teams part of the Special Forces. Fascinating material on the nature of South African Special Forces operations in the bush, as well as the author’s love of the wild and the way in which his political views changed over time as he was exposed more often to his opponents views.
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25 September 2022
Opposition to the Second World War – Conscience, Resistance & Service in Britain, 1933-45, John Broom.
A wide ranging study that looks at pre-war objections to war, both on political and grounds of conscience, the way in which conscientious objectors were treated during the war, the types of service objectors were willing to do, objections to the way the war was being conducted, and the post war impact of the pacifist movements. A fascinating look at a very varied group, most of whom were highly principled, although often rather naïve, and who faced fairly random looking treatment, although generally better than that faced by their First World War predecessors
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The Battle of Glenshiel – The Jacobite Rising in 1719, Jonathan Worton.
A look at the shortest and least successful of the Jacobite uprisings, ended by a battle in which the defeated Jacobites suffered lower losses than the victorious Georgians, but scattered. Covers the political background to the rising, the biographies of the key Jacobites, the original plan for a Spanish invasion of England and Jacobite uprising in Scotland, the landing in Scotland and the naval intervention that isolated the Jacobites, and the battle itself, which effectively the rising
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The Battle of Killiecrankie – The First Jacobite Campaign, 1689-1691, Jonathan D. Oates.
Looks at the Scottish part of the wars that followed the overthrow of James VII and II, which included the famous Jacobite victory at Killiecrankie and two far less famous Williamite victories that ended the effective part of the uprising, as was as the infamous massacre of Glencoe. This was the only Jacobite uprising to take place before the Act of Union, and as a result the campaign has a very different feel to the later conflicts
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18 September 2022
Code Breaker Girls – A Secret Life at Bletchley Park, Jan Slimming.
A fascinating combination of a biography of Daisy Lawrence, the author’s mother, and a more general account of life for the works at Bletchley Park. Also covers Daisy’s efforts to find out what had happened to her fiancé Stan, who was captured by the Japanese at the fall of Singapore and spent the rest of the war as a POW, and the impact of keeping her wartime role secret on Daisy’s mental health
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The Battle for Palestine 1917, John D. Grainger.
Looks at the British conquest of Palestine in 1917, which began with two defeats at Gaza before Allenby arrived to take over and successfully broke the Ottoman lines at Gaza before taking Jerusalem late in the year to give the beleaguered allies a valuable morale boost. Gives a balanced view of the abilities of Allenby’s predecessor Murray, who had to deal with many other issues as well as Palestine, but also examines why Allenby was a more capable battlefield commander
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The Persian War in Herodotus and Other Ancient Voices, William Shepherd.
A look at the Persian Wars and the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea that focuses on how they are portrayed by Herodotus, and including large sections of his text (complete sections for the main events of the wars), as well as extracts from other ancient sources when they provide extra information. Between the extracts Shepherd provides extra context, looks at how convincing Herodotus’s account is, and searches for possible reasons for the less convincing sections
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10 September 2022
A Shau Valor - American Combat Operations in the Valley of Death, 1963-1971, Thomas R. Yarborough.
A detailed account of the repeated brutal battles in the A Shau valley in the north-west of South Vietnam, the location of the infamous ‘hamburger hill’, and the site of repeated American incursions, none of which achieved anything of significance. Very good on the brutal nature of the fighting in the A Shau, which the author witnessed from the air as a forward air controller, and takes a balanced view of the wider picture of the American side of the war, including the political background, the policies of the American commanders in Vietnam and the way the war was reported
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Conquerors of the Roman Empire - the Franks, Simon MacDowall.
Looks at the role of the Franks in the collapsing world of Roman Gaul, where they were more often Rome’s allies than her enemies, but still ended up as the rulers of most of the former Roman province. Sometimes feels more like a history of the fall of Roman Gaul than of the Franks, but that feels like the only approach that would make sense of the Frankish activities in this often confused period
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The Cretan War, 1645-1671: The Venetian-Ottoman Struggle in the Mediterranean, Bruno Mugnai.
Looks at the details of the long war between Venice and the Ottoman Empire triggered by the Ottoman invasion of Crete, but which included major naval battles in the Dardanelles and land campaigns along the Dalmatian coast of the Adriatic. Looks at the armies that fought the war, pre-war Crete, diplomacy, the European contribution to the Venetian war effort, the naval battles and the sieges, although could have done with a simple narrative of the war
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4 September 2022
Aedan of the Gaels King of the Scots, Keith Coleman.
The first full length biography of Aedan mac Gabrain, ruler of Dal Raita, a kingdom split between Ulster and the west coast of Scotland, at the end of the sixth century. A difficult task because of the relative scarcity of sources and their often contradictory nature, but one that the author has handled well, producing a picture of the historic Aedan (as much as possible) as well as the mythical one, who appeared in Scottish, Irish and even Welsh tales
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155mm Gun M1 ‘Long Tom’ and 8in Howitzer in WWII and Korea, David Doyle.
A photographic history of the closely related 155mm Gun and 8in Howitzer, two key pieces of American artillery during the Second World War and in Korea. Includes a brief history of the gun, a section of detailed pictures of parts of the guns, a chapter on the machines used to tow and supply the guns, while the largest chapter, filling half of the book, looks at the two guns combat record in the Second World War and Korea
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British Rifleman vs French Skirmisher – Peninsular War and Waterloo 1808-15, David Greentree.
Looks at the weapons, organisation, training and tactics used by the French army’s standard skirmishers and the British army’s chosen force of riflemen, supported by two examples from the Peninsula and the defence of La Haye Sainte at Waterloo. At its best in the first half, looking at the equipment, doctrine, organisation, tactics and history of these two forces, both of which evolved quite significantly during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
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28 August 2022
The Isles of Scilly in the Great War, Richard Larn.
Combines an account of the domestic impact of the war on the previous isolated islands with a look at the military impact, which saw the islands play a major role in the U-boat war, hosting a naval base and an RNAS/ RAF airbase, bringing large numbers of servicemen to the islands. Also covers the economic and personal impact of the war on an area whose manor pre-war industry was flower growing and that suffered its fair share of losses during the conflict.
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Attila the Hun, Arch-Enemy of Rome, Ian Hughes.
A valuable attempt to produce a look at the life and times of Attila and the Huns from their point of view rather than that of their enemies. A difficult task simply because all of the surviving sources were produced by their enemies, but a worthwhile one that gives us a different view of Atilla and his empire.
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The Bravest Man in the British Army, Philip Bujak.
A biography of a rather complex and often unsympathetic character, who clearly thrived as a rather unconventional officer on the Western Front, where his desire to lead from the front helped him win the Victoria Cross. Also covers his controversial time in Russia in 1919, which resulted in his being court martialed, and his personal life, which saw him married twice, father a child with a third woman and leave most of his goods to a fourth, otherwise unknown woman!
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21 August 2022
Kut - The Death of an Army, Ronald Millar.
After a brief look at the first major setback suffered by Townshend’s army at Ctesiphon, the book focuses on the long siege of Kut and the desperate attempts to lift the siege, which saw the relief forces get to within a relatively short distance of Kut, so their battles could be seen and heard from within the besieged town. A rather depressing book in that we know the end of the story and the fate of besieged, but an excellent account of the siege despite that
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Dawn of Victory - Thank You China! Star Shell Reflections 1918-1919, illustrated diaries of Jim Maultsaid.
An unusual but fascinating illustrated diary looking at the author’s experiences working with the Chinese Labour Corps on the Western Front during the key battles of 1918. Maultsaid was unusually interested in seeing things from the Chinese point of view, which he credited for his company’s good performance, and it gives this book much of its value, as we see his insights into the attitudes and culture of the men under his command, who he greatly respected and admired. Equally significant are Maultsaid’s illustrations, which give us an atmospheric visual record of his company and its activities
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13 August 2022
Tynedale at War 1939-1945, Brian Tilley.
Looks at the impact of the Second World War on the rural valley of Tynedale and its largest town of Hexham, an area that wasn’t the target of German bombing, but saw many of its inhabitants heading off to war, and life in the area changed in many ways, as well as being the home of an RAF station and POW camps
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7 August 2022
Nagasaki – The Forgotten Prisoners, John Willis.
Tells the stories of the Allied POWs who were imprisoned at Nagasaki when the second atomic bomb was dropped, from their capture, through their earlier POW experiences, on to the explosion of the bomb itself and its aftermath, their liberation, return home and the long term impact their experiences had on them
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East China Sea 1945 – Climax of the Kamikaze, Brian Lane Herder.
Covers the air and naval aspects of the American invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, which saw the Americans assemble one of the largest fleets in naval history, while the Japanese carried out a series of massive kamikaze attacks, especially during the battle of Okinawa. Shows just how terrifying these attacks could be, but also how the size and effectiveness of them dwindled during the campaign, with the final major attack only including 45 kamikazes
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Fw 190D-9 – Defence of the Reich 1944-45, Robert Forsyth.
Looks at the combat career of the long nosed Fw 190D-9, perhaps the best German piston engined fighter of the Second World War, but one that entered service far too late to make any real difference to the fighting. Covers the development of the aircraft, the training of its pilots, the production and technical details of the aircraft, and its use in combat, which saw it serve in a wide range of roles, from ground attack to defending the new jet aircraft as they took off and landed
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30 July 2022
Troy - An Epic Tale of Rage, Deception and Destruction, Ben Hubbard.
A thematic examination of the siege of Troy both as told in the Illiad, and how it might fit into what we know of the history of the period. Focuses on what the story of the siege tells us about society and warfare in Bronze Age Greece, and what other sources about the period might tell us about elements of the Illiad. Beautifully illustrated, this book paints a vivid picture of the brutal world of ‘heroic’ era Greek warfare.
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Winged Sabres - One of the RFC’s Most Decorated Squadrons, Robert A. Sellwood.
A detailed history of No.20 Squadron, RFC, one of the most successful two seat fighter squadron of the First World War, reconstructing the lost record books for 1916 and 1918 to add to the details of 1917. Also tries to compare British claims to German losses and vica-versa, and to place the fighting in the context of the fighting below on the ground and the changes in aerial combat
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Voices in Flight: Escaping Soldiers and Airmen of World War I, Martin W. Bowman.
Despite the title this book actually contains twelve articles on air warfare during the First World War with no connection to escapers, followed by seven looking at escape stories. Not what the title would lead you to expect, but does include plenty of interesting articles on its actual topic as well as a mix of Allied and German escape stories, mainly told in the escapers own words
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4 July 2022
The Nearly Man, Mark Bridgeman.
A look at a fascinating but flawed figure, who played a part in many of the most important events of his time without ever quite coming to the front. Follows Francis Metcalfe through service in two World Wars including the intervention in Russia in 1918-19 and a brush with Republican violence in western Ireland, but also through the prison systems of two countries!
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Trajan – Rome’s Last Conqueror, Nicholas Jackson.
A useful biography of the united Rome Empire’s last great conqueror, whose conquest of Dacia marked the last long term expansion of the empire before the fall of the west, but whose conquests in the east were very short lived. Really gets into its stride as Trajan rose to high rank, and includes very detailed accounts of the Dacian wars in particular.
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17 July 2022
Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper, Frank van Lunteren.
Looks at the experiences of the 504th PIR during the Battle of the Bulge, which saw them arrive just in time to help repel Peiper’s roving Panzer force, then take part in the costly counterattacks that helped force the Germans back out of the Bulge. Looks at each individual battle in great detail, tracing the regiment’s experiences in a brutal and costly campaign in which elements of it were involved in heavy fighting on just about every day
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10 July 2022
3 July 2022
Wargames Terrain & Buildings The Napoleonic Wars, Tony Harwood.
Covers nine different projects, mainly for stand-alone buildings, but including a well and a diorama made of several buildings, taking us from the original concept, through the entire modelling process and on to the painting. The author’s results are very impressive, and the techniques he uses are clearly explained and do appear to be reasonably achieveable by anyone with a bit of modelling experience (although it will take some time and practice to get close to the same results!)
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26 June 2022
The British Navy in Eastern Waters – The Indian and Pacific Oceans, John D. Grainger.
Looks at the long involvement of British naval forces in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the first tentative voyages of exploration, through the long years of rivalry with France and through the period of British dominance that didn’t end until the Second World War and the retreat from Empire. A fascinating account of the development of British naval dominance in an area which never saw a major British naval battle, and rarely saw the deployment of powerful fleets and yet which still became the ‘jewel in the crown’ and for some time was effectively a British ‘lake’
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Gunpowder & Glory – The Short Explosive Life of Frank Brock OBE, Harry Smee & Henry MacRory.
Looks at the history of the Brock firework family and the life of Frank Brock, the inventor of the bullet that played a major role in shooting down Zeppelins, as well as a series of inventions for use against the U-boat menace, and a new form of smoke screen that was essential for the Zeebrugge Raid. Brock emerges as a classic ‘Boffin’ of the type more familiar in the Second World War, sadly combined with a frustrated man of action who was determined to take part in the Zeebrugge Raid, where he was killed in the fighting on the Mole
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The Gestapo’s Most Improbable Hostage, Hugh Mallory Falconer .
Follows the wartime experiences of an officer in SOE who effectively bluffed his way onto the Gestapo’s list of valuable hostages after being captured in Tunisia, then spent 22 months in Sachsenhausen, where he witnessed some of the worst of the Nazi atrocities, before being moved to the Southern Redoubt where the whole hostage plan unravelled, and his party was rescued from the Gestapo, first by a unit of the Wehrmacht and then by the Americans
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19 June 2022
Send More Shrouds - The V1 Attack on the Guards' Chapel 1944, Jan Gore.
Looks at the single most costly V-1 attack of the Second World War, when one hit the Guards’ Chapel in the middle of a service killing 124 and wounding another 100. Focuses almost entirely on the attack and its victims, so we get a detailed account of the rescue operation and potted biographies of all of the known victims of the attack. A poignant examination of a single incident in a costly campaign
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Armies of the Germanic Peoples 200BC – AD600, Gabrielle Esposito.
Mainly focuses on a military history of the contacts between Roman and the German tribes of the period, from the migration of the Cimbri and Teutones during the late Republic to the 5th century fall of the Western Empire and the sacks of Rome, with one chapter on the weapons and tactics of the Germanic tribes and how they evolved over the six or seven centuries of contact with Rome
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Hotspur – Sir Henry Percy & The Myth of Chivalry, John Sadler.
Interesting biography of ‘Hotspur’ looking at the reality behind Shakespeare’s rival to the young Henry V and how the real Henry Percy fitted into the brutal situation on the Anglo-Scottish border during his life, as well as his wider career. Paints a picture of a very different man to Shakespeare’s Hotspur, but almost certainly a much more accurate picture of this experienced border aristocrat
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11 June 2022
First In, Last Out - An Unconventional British Officer in Indo-China, J.P. Cross.
A fascinating account of the author’s time as military attaché in Laos, arriving in 1972 while the Americans were still propping up the Royal government and leaving in 1976 after the Communist takeover of the country, so an eyewitness to the country’s fall to communism, given extra value by his speaking nine Asian languages (including Lao) and his honesty, which gives us an unusual insight into these dramatic events
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The Hall of Mirrors – War and Warfare in the Twentieth Century, Jim Storr.
A sweeping examination of twentieth century warfare written by a long serving officer in the British army, covering a vast array of topics. Gives the reader plenty to think about, although for me marred by a tendency towards sweeping claims that aren’t always accurate, poorly integrated ‘what ifs’, and a tendency to claim ‘historians don’t discuss this’ for some very familiar topics! Interesting for the vast array of topics covered, and for its thought provoking nature
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5 June 2022
Z Special Unit, Gavin Mortimer.
Looks at three of the missions carried out by SOE and Special Operations Australia, two long range raids on Singapore (Operations Jaywick and Rimau) and their longer involvement on Japanese occupied Borneo. An excellent study of these daring missions, given a somewhat downbeat tone by the disastrous failure of Operation Rimau, the second raid on Singapore. However that shouldn’t distract from the impressive achievements of Operation Jaywick and the exploits of the teams on Borneo
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Limits of Empire – Rome’s Borders, Simon Forty and Jonathan Forty.
An impressive visual guide to the border fortifications of the Roman Empire, demonstrating just much effort went into protecting the thousands of miles of frontiers, how much of those fortifications have survived (at least in fragments), and how much effort has since gone into excavating and preserving them. Combines a useful history of the frontier and the nature of life along it with an impressive visual guide to the frontier fortifications
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Old Testament Warriors – The Clash of Cultures in the Ancient Near East, Simon Elliott.
A military history of the earliest civilisations of the Ancient Near East, covering the early Greeks and Egyptians, the mighty powers of Assyria, the Hittites, Babylonians, the ancient Hebrews and Philistines and their neighbours. An impressively detailed examination of the armies and military activities of these ancient civilisations, showing that we know a surprising amount of detail about some of their armies, including troop types, unit names and officer ranks, as well as the details of the careers of many of their most impressive rulers
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29 May 2022
Cuzco 1536-37 – Battle for the Heart of the Inca Empire, Si Sheppard.
Looks at the long siege of Cuzco that came close to ending the Spanish occupation of the Incan Empire (at least temporarily), but ended as a Spanish victory that ensured their control of the west coast of South America, and ended any chance that the Incans might have survived as an independent power. This account of the siege covers the entire conquest period, before moving onto the siege and the various relief efforts, with a focus on just how the tiny Spanish forces managed to defeat the vast Incan armies
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Smashing Hitler’s Guns – The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944, Steven J. Zaloga .
An excellent study of the US Ranger’s attack on the gun battery at Pointe-du-Hoc, looking at the dangers posed by German coastal guns, lessons learnt from previous landings, the aerial and naval bombardments of the guns, their status on D-Day and the threat they may still have posed, the other Ranger activities on D-Day including their important role on Omaha Beach, the post-war portrayal of the raid, and of course an excellent account of the actual attack, including the relatively easy capture of the battery and the far more dangerous battle to actually hold onto it
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Liberty or Death – Latin American Conflicts, 1900-70, Philip Jowett.
Looks at the seemingly endless of wars, revolutions and coups that dominated Latin America during the first seven decades of the 20th century, ranging from relatively minor border conflicts to the two decades of chaos in Mexico in the 1910s and 1920s. In some ways a rather depressing read, with its array of largely pointless conflicts, brutal dictators and often hard to justify American interventions, but also very informative, filling a sizable gap in my knowledge
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22 May 2022
Britain at War with the Asante Nation 1823-1900 – ‘The White Man’s Grave’, Stephen Manning.
Looks at the nearly eighty years of on-off conflict between the Asante and the British, which began with the Asante largely dominant (even killing one British governor in battle) but ended with the Asante kingdom swallowed up by the British Empire during the Scramble for Africa. Benefits greatly from being able to use the work of modern Ghanaian historians so we get both sides of the story in a way that hasn’t always been the case for colonial wars
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Greece 1941 – The Death Throes of Blitzkrieg, Jeffrey Plowman.
Looks at the German conquest of Greece and the failed British and Commonwealth attempt to stop it, which began with some diplomatic deception to convince the Commonwealth commanders to agree to it and ended with another of the evacuations that punctuated the early British war effort. Concludes with an argument that the Greek campaign demonstrated the limits of Blitzkrieg, although how much the German problems were down to the mountainous terrain and limited routes is up for debate.
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15 May 2022
Tommy goes to War, Malcolm Brown.
A very valuble collection of extracts from previously unpublished letters, diaries and oral testimoneys left behind by British soldiers of the First World War, recording their experiences from recruitment to the Western Front. First published in 1978, when it helped shift the view of the war away from the ‘Lions led by Donkeys’ attitude that had become dominant. Instead the book showed that the general attitude towards the war was more positive, even during the worst of the battles
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Fighting the French Revolution – The Great Vendee Rising of 1793, Rob Harper.
A detailed history of one of the most serious threats to the young French Republic, which saw Royalist rebels in the west of France inflict a series of defeats on the Republicans in a civil war that became increasingly bitter and costly, and dragged in many commanders who would later rise to high rank. Very good on the details of the individual battles and skirmishes that made up this conflict, with a good use of sources from both sides
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8 May 2022
When the Shooting Stopped – August 1945, Barrett Tillman.
Looks at the final weeks of the Second World War, from the initial rumours of a possible Japanese surrender, through all of the uncertainty caused by the different factions in Tokyo and on to the official surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay. Looks at the intercepted intelligence that guided American actions, the political debates within Japan, the confusion faced by the various fighting forces as peace got closer, the last military actions of the war, and the initial stages of the occupation of Japan and the surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay
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The Last Throw of the Dice - Bourbaki and Werder in Eastern France 1870-71, Quintin Barry.
Looks at the last French attempt to inflict a significant defeat on the invading Germans during the Franco-Prussian War, when their army of the East was sent to try and lift the siege of Belfort, threaten the German lines of communications and possibly even turn north to try and lift the siege of Paris. Traces how the ambitious campaign floundered, saw the French suffer a defeat against a smaller German army at the Lisaine and were eventually force to flee into internment in Switzerland, just as the entire war was coming to an end
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Ancient Greeks at War – Warfare in the Classical World from Agamemnon to Alexander, Simon Elliott.
A useful overview of Greek warfare from the earliest days of the Minoans and Mycenaeans, through the triumphs and tragedies of the Classical and early Hellenistic periods and on to their decline and defeat at the hands of the rising power of Rome. Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great get a great deal of attention (with a chapter each out of the six). A good summary of ancient Greek warfare based on up-to-date research, and with plenty of useful detail despite the long period being covered
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1 May 2022
Cumbria at War 1939-45, Ruth Mansergh.
Contains a large amount of details on how the Second World War impacted on Cumbria, from the Barrow Blitz to the large scale relocation of industry to the area, the use of airfields around the edges of the country (and the many crashes as aircraft flew into the fells in poor weather). Might have benefited from a more thematic structure, but does provide a great deal of interesting information from all around this large county
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The Two Eleanors of Henry III, Darren Baker.
Looks at the lives of Henry III’s sister, who married Simon de Montfort, and his wife, both Eleanors, and both very heavily involved in the political controversies of Henry’s reign. Both had important and controversial lives, and both appear to be able to take some of the blame for the crisis that rocked Henry’s rule late in his life, while also acting as fairly typical medieval aristocrats, defending their own rights at all costs
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The Glorious First of June 1794, Mark Lardas.
Looks at the first major naval battle of the French Revolutionary Wars, the only major battle of the age of sail to be fought in the open ocean, and a battle that both sides believed they had won, each having different objectives for the campaigns. Combines a good account of the background and the wider campaign with a clear account of the three main days of fighting. Celebrated in Britain for the capture of several French warships and in France for the safe arrival of a massive convoy carrying essential supplies
(Read Full Review)
24 April 2022
A Spitfire Girl - One of the World's Greatest Female ATA Ferry Pilots tells her Story, Mary Ellis.
The remarkable life story of a ferry pilot with the ATA who flew four hundred different Spitfires and seventy-six different types of aircraft during her flying career, including the jet powered Meteor, then went on to run Sandown airport on the Isle of Wight, probably making her the only female airport manager in Europe at the time! Mary comes across as a remarkable person, with a real desire for speed – as well as her time in Spitfires she was also a successful rally car driver, winning several events
(Read Full Review)
17 April 2022
Stargrave, Joseph A. McCullough.
A squad based sci-fi wargame, based around battles between small independent crews, emerging as a mix between a competitive RPG and a small scale wargame, with a nice advancement system for your lead characters, supporting by a squad of more disposable characters, fighting in skirmish battles that work best as part of a long campaign, with a nice system for bringing ever more hostiles onto the battlefield. Aimed at the ‘fun’ rather than the ‘competitive’ end of the market and nicely achieves that aim
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Stargrave: The Last Prospector, Joseph A. McCullough.
An entertaining add-on to the Stargrave system, built around a ten scenario long campaign where most can be done in any order, with the order chosen and the results of previous ones having some impact on later scenarios. Also includes some useful additions to the game, including new backgrounds for your two characters, new soldier types, new monsters and new equipment
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Oathmark Bane of Kings, Joseph A McCullough.
Contains four additions to the Oathmark system – new formation rules for using existing units, new units (animated stone and chariots), kingdom events to give your kingdom more of a history (with some impact on upcoming battles) and two military expeditions, linked series of three scenarios with their own interesting special rules. A fun addition to the system, especially to the already fun kingdom system
(Read Full Review)
10 April 2022
Siege Warfare during the Crusades, Michael S. Fulton.
A thematic account of siege warfare during the Crusading period, based on a broad study of Christian and Muslim fortifications including a comprehensive list of the sieges of the period. A good approach that gives us a detailed picture of how siege warfare developed during the two centuries of the Crusader period, a time in which sieges were by far the most important element of warfare. An excellent detailed examination of every aspect of siege warfare in this period
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Stephen and Matilda’s Civil War – Cousins of Anarchy, Matthew Lewis.
A nicely organised look at the civil war between Stephen and Matilda, with alternating chapters looking at events from one side then the other, trying to explain why the war lasted so long, how bad things actually were during this period, and how the character of the two main players might have affected events. A well balanced account of a controversial period, described by our main sources as being near total chaos
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Armies of the Hellenistic States 323 BC- AD 30, History, Organisation & Equipment, Gabriele Esposito.
An excellent study of the armies fielded by the many different Hellenistic powers, starting with the Macedonian armies of Philip II and Alexander the Great, then looking at the armies of the many and varied powers to emerge from the wars of the successors, from the ‘big three’ of Macedonia, Egpyt and the Seleucids to the individual Greek cities, Hellenistic Isreal and the Bactrian and Indian outposts. Covers their structure, troop types and equipment, and how they changed over time
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3 April 2022
Luftwaffe Special Weapons 1942-45, Robert Forsyth.
A look at the vast array of special weapons developed for the Luftwaffe, ranging from simple large cannon up to guided missiles, along with a range of more wacky suggestions, including flame throwers, bombs towed on cables, chemical sprays designed to block windscreens or attempts to create massive gusts of wind! Most came too late to have any real effect on the war, or even get out of development, but some did have an impact on the fighting, especially the anti-shipping weapons
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P-51B/C Mustang – Northwest Europe 1943-44, Chris Bucholtz.
Looks at the development of the first Merlin powered version of the Mustang, and its impact on the air battles over Europe from its introduction at the very end of 1943 to its replacement by the P-51D. Focuses more on the development of the aircraft and the overall picture of the air war than is often the case in this sort of book, making it a more valuable book
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From Battle of Britain Airman to POW Escapee - The Story of Ian Walker, RAF, Angela Walker.
Tells the story of a New Zealander who volunteered to join the Air Force at the outbreak of war, arrived in the UK just in time to fight in the battle of Britain then moved to Bomber Command, eventually being shot down and captured. Written from the point of view of his daughter Angela, who discovered his wartime diaries after his death, so we also get the story of she uncovered more about his wartime experiences and how that altered her attitude to the conflict
(Read Full Review)
27 March 2022
Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age, Joseph A McCullough.
A small scale fantasy wargame, designed for armies of 30+ figures, each representing an individual soldier, with a quick moving set of basic rules supported by a set of interesting looking advanced rules for heroes, magic etc, and backed up by a fun kingdom creation system that lets you customise the overall army list you use to build individual armies, making it possible to field mixed forces with just about any combination of troop types from the game
(Read Full Review)
British Gunboats of Victoria’s Empire, Angus Konstam.
Looks at the warships that carried out the famous ‘gunboat diplomacy’ of the Victorian Empire, a type of shallow draft screw driven warship that evolved from Crimean war area coastal bombardment gunboats into more flexible gunvessels and sloops, capable of operating in shallow waters and rivers but also of ocean voyages, making them a flexible instrument of British power. Focuses largely on the technical descriptions and development of the type, with a brief look at their use
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20 March 2022
B-36 ‘Peacemaker’ Units of the Cold War, Peter E Davies.
A look at US Strategic Air Command’s first new post war long range nuclear bomber, still the largest bomber ever to have served with the USAF (admittedly only seeing ten years of service). Good material on the development of the aircraft, the attempts to make it more reliable and then improve its performance, and the role of the impressively large crew
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‘Big Week’ 1944 – Operation Argument and the breaking of the Jadgwaffe, Douglas C. Dildy.
Looks at the USAAF’s concentrated attack on the German aircraft industry, a week of massive bombing raids that forced the Luftwaffe into an equally massive defensive effort that cost them around 150 aircrew at a time when they could hardly afford those losses, as well as cutting German fighter production by around 2,000 aircraft, and proving that the long range escort fighter was the key to a successful daylight bombing campaign
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13 March 2022
Yank and Rebel Rangers: Special Operations in the American Civil War, Robert W. Black.
Looks at the activities of the many small units who mainly operated behind enemy lines during the American Civil War, as partisans, rangers or scouts. Not all are special operations as we would understand them, but the key is that the units being studies weren’t part of the regular armies, and most operated somewhat independently, in an increasingly brutal private war that sometimes had a major impact on regular campaigns
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Walther Pistols PP, PPK and P 38, John Walter.
Looks at the design of Walther’s line of pistols, from the Modell 1 of 1911, through the three most famous types and onto to post war production, along with their production history, descriptions of how they worked, and a look at who used them and where they were sold. The descriptions of how the guns worked is of particular interest, as is the development history
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6 March 2022
The Wars of Justinian, Michael Whitby.
Looks at the full range of campaigns that took place during the reign of Justinian, from the famous (if temporary) reconquest of Italy to the long running conflicts on the Balkan border, making him one of the most militarily successful Emperors not to directly take part in his own campaigns. Provides a valuable overview of the near constant warfare of his reign, along with an overview of the rest of his reign, including his legal reforms and domestic opposition
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The Duke of York’s Flanders Campaign – Fighting the French Revolution, 1793-1795, Steve Brown.
Looks at the Flanders campaigns of the War of the First Coalition, the first major British involvement in the Revolutionary Wars and the campaigns in which the ‘old style’ Eighteenth Century armies and leadership of the Coalition proved lacking when faced with the new armies of Revolutionary France. Focuses on the British (and hired German) contribution, and the role of the young Duke of York, whose Royal status gave him a command that his military experience didn’t justify
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27 February 2022
The Great War Illustrated 1915, William Langford and Jack Holroyd.
A splendid selection of high quality pictures illustrating the main events of 1915 as seen by both sides in the war, supported by useful historical explainations of the major battles, again supported by some of the contempory photographs and maps. The range of topics covered, and the range of pictures from the German and Turkish sides as well as from the Western Allies put it a cut above most books of pictures
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20 February 2022
The Roman Barbarian Wars – The Era of Roman Conquest, Ludwig Heinrich Dyck.
A straightforward account of Rome’s wars of conquests against the Gauls, Germans and Iberians, taking us from the traumatic defeat on the Allia and the resulting sack of Rome, through Rome’s conquests of northern Italy, Gaul and most of Spain and on to the failure to conquer Germany, the defeat at the Teutoburg Forest and the less familiar Roman campaigns that came after that battle. A good atmospheric account of four centuries of warfare, aimed at the general reader
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The battle of Sekigahara, Chris Glenn.
An excellent account of the battle of Sekigahara, the first of the two victories (this and Osaka in 1614-15) that firmly established the Tokugawa shogunate in power in Japan, ending centuries of civil war and effectively ending the military role of the Samurai. Takes us from the establishment of some unity under Odo Nobunaga to the completion of that job under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and the successful betrayal of Hideyoshi’s heirs by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and gives us an excellent account of the hard fought and brutal battle itself
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Ladies of Lascaris – Christina Ratcliffe and the Forgotten Heroes of Malta’s War, Paul McDonald.
Looks at the experiences of the women who served in the RAF’s control room at Lascaris on Malta during the Italian and German aerial assault on the island, with a focus on the life of Christina Radcliffe, who came to the island before the war to work as a dancer, and ended up trapped by the war. However the many Maltese who served in the control room are also give due credit, and the book tells the tale of a remarkable group of women who carried out essential high pressure work, while living under direct attack for most of the time
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13 February 2022
Years of Endurance – Life about the battlecruiser Tiger 1914-16, John R Muir.
A fascinating autobiographic account of life onboard a British battlecruiser in the North Sea during the first half of the First World War, including the response to the German raid on Scarborough, the battle of Dogger Bank, and the battle of Jutland. Written from the point of view of her Chief Medical Officer, so we get a very unusual view of life onboard a warship, including his experiences below decks during Jutland, with no idea of what was happening outside his armoured sick bay. The title was well chosen – the key emotion that comes across throughout the book is one of frustration – sometimes with the tedium of life onboard, sometimes with the inability to get to grips with the German fleet, and sometimes with the wider reaction to the Navy’s performance
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Flight from Colditz, Tony Hoskins.
A look at a recent successful attempt to see if the famous glider constructed by POWs in the attic of Colditz Castle could actually have flown, starting with a brief account of the main escape attempts from the castle and a longer examination of the original glider project, followed by the story of the 2012 recreation of the glider, which saw the replica successfully launched from the roof of the castle, glide across the river outside and land where the POWs had hoped it would! A splendid book written by the leader of the team that built and flew the successful replica
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6 February 2022
Pertinax – the son of a Slave who became Roman Emperor, Simon Elliott.
A look at the times and life of a short lived Emperor whose life turns out to be far more interesting than his brief time in power would suggest. The first half of the book focuses on the nature of the world he lived in – how life worked for a freed slave and his family, how the army was organised in that period and what Pertinax’s career would probably have been like, before enough information emerges about the man to allow the last couple of chapters to focus directly on him. An excellent study of a significant but rather obscure Emperor
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Operation Fall Weiss - German Paratroopers in the Poland Campaign 1939, Stephan Janzyk.
Mainly built around a sizable collection of photographs showing the German paratroopers, with a mix of pictures from Poland and portraits of some of the individual involved, combined with a detailed combat history of a group of units that didn’t actually do anything significant during the Polish campaign. Good for the completist with an interest in the German airborne forces, perhaps of less interest to more general readers
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Egypt 1801- The End of Napoleon’s Eastern Empire, Stuart Reid.
Looks at the successful British campaign to expel the French from Egypt, carried out in a hurry to make sure that France wasn’t able to retain the area in the upcoming peace treaty, and that was one of the few clear British military successes in the first half of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Covers the formation and training of the British army under Abercromby, the impressive opposed landing at Aboukir, the eventual successes under General Hely-Hutchinson, as well as the French response and the Ottoman involvement
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23 January 2022
The Kaiser’s Cruisers 1871-1918, Aidan Dodson and Dirk Nottelmann.
Looks at the small cruisers that served in the navy of Imperial Germany, from its formation in the 1870s to the aftermath of the First World War, a period that saw the last sail powered cruisers replaced by recognisably modern steam powered turret armed warships after a prolonged period of debate, and Tirpitz come to dominate the Navy with the support of Wilhelm II. Splits the design process and service records into separate sections, so we can trace the development of the cruiser and then get a good overview of how the type performed in combat
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Yugoslav Armies 1941-45, Nigel Thomas.
A useful account of the four different Yugoslavian armies that fought against the Germans (for at least some of the time) during the Second World War – the pre-war Yugoslav Army, the Royal Yugoslav army in exile, the Chetniks and the Partisans (who also fought a vicious civil war against each other). Includes a useful summary of each armies combat record, as well as the normal structure and uniform sections
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Anson’s Navy – Building a Fleet for Empire, 1744-1763, Brian Lavery.
Looks at the Royal Navy during the period in which Anson was at its helm, showing how the more familiar navy of Nelson’s period began to emerge under Anson. Covers just about every aspect of naval life from the food to the dockyards, daily life on board to the major battles, to give a fascinating view of a Royal Navy that was significantly different to the one we are familiar with, but that was evolving into that more familiar one.
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16 January 2022
Tiger vs Churchill North-West Europe, 1944-45, Neil Grant.
Looks at the design and development of these two tanks as well as how they performed in Normandy. Acknowledges that they didn’t perform the same role and rarely actually clashed face to face, but still does a good job of comparing their contributions to the overall campaign and examining how well they performed their intended role as well as looking at one of the few large scale clashes between the two
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The Viking Siege of Paris – Longships raid the Seine, AD 885-86, Si Sheppard.
Looks at a rare example of a lengthy Viking siege, the year-long but unsuccessful siege of Paris. Sets the siege in the context of the internal power struggles for the Carolingian Empire and the split nature of secular and religious authority in the period (with key commanders of the defence coming from the church), as well as the aims of the Viking raiders, then follows with a good account of the lengthy siege itself, with its focus on the bridges connecting Paris to the banks of the Seine
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Hitler’s Navy – The Kriegsmarine in World War II, Gordon Williamson.
Based on the same author’s fourteen earlier volumes on the German navy, but with a chapter on the operational history of the Kriegsmarine added. As a result we get good sections on less familiar types of vessels – the minesweepers, patrol boats and sub-chasers, as well as sizable sections on the S-Boats and U-Boats, which were in many ways the most effective part of the Kreigsmarine, as well as a look at the more famous surface warships
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9 January 2022
Weapons of the Samurai, Stephen Turnbull.
A very useful look at all samurai weapons apart from the Katana – how they developed, how they were used, what impact they had on the battlefield and how that may have changed over time, all supported by an impressive array of sources including fascinating battle reports listing all of the wounds suffered by survivors, and contemporary illustrations that give a fine visual record of particular periods
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War in Japan 1467-1615, Stephen Turnbull.
Takes a thematic approach to the longest and most confusing period of warfare in Japanese history, so avoids getting bogged down in the seemingly endless procession of minor feuds and battles, and instead looks at a selection of key families, as well as the process of reunification that eventually ended the chaos. Could have done with a little more on the Onin War and the collapse of the Shogun’s authority, but otherwise this is an excellent account of this rather confusing period
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US Submarine vs IJN Antisubmarine Escort – The Pacific, 1941-45, Mark Stille.
A look at the clash between US submarines and purpose build Japanese convoy escort vessels in the Pacific, a rather one sided battle in which the Americans overcame a slow start to almost wipe out Japanese merchant shipping while the Japanese escorts arrived late and appear to have been largely ineffective. Includes length sections on the development of the submarines and escort vessels and their technical specifications, followed by a year by year and base by base look at the exploits of the US submarines
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2 January 2022
Badon and the Early Wars for Wessex circa 500 to 710, David Cooper.
An interesting attempt to locate some of the mysterious battles between the Britons and the early Anglo-Saxons, using a wide range of sources and techniques to try and pin down the territories controlled by the combatants and examine the various suggestions for locations to see which ones make most sense. Sometimes suffers from too much application of modern military techniques to a very different world, but otherwise very good, with some interesting ideas about this very obscure period
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SBD Dauntless vs A6M Zero-Sen: Pacific Theatre 1941-44, Donald Nijboer.
A look at the clashes between the most successful American dive bomber of the Pacific War and by far the most important Japanese naval fighter of the conflict, covering both the Zero’s effectiveness at stopping the SPD carrying out attacks, and the ability of the SPD to stand up to the Zero in air to air combat. Starts with a great deal of technical and general background before moving onto detailed examinations of the direct clashes between the two types, using sources from both sides to present a realistic view of their successes and failures
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Foreign Panthers – The Panzer V in British, Soviet, French and other service, 1943-58, M.P. Robinson & Thomas Seignon.
Looks at the surprisingly limited use of the Panther by Germany’s wartime allies and enemies and in the post-war world, where despite its high reputation only a handful of tanks went on to serve with France, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, mainly because of the unreliable nature of the Panther which meant that the surviving German tanks soon needed spare parts that were no longer available. (Read Full Review)
Never Greater Slaughter – Brunanburh and the Birth of England, Michael Livingston.
Combines an useful history of the battle with a search for its lost site, coming up with a convincing argument for it having taken place on the Wirral, looking at the rather limited sources for clues, and combining that with a study of the historical background – who fought there, how might they have got there, and how the battle might have gone (Read Full Review)
The Forty Sieges of Constantinople – The Great City’s Enemies and its Survival, John D Grainger.
Looks at all of the attacks on the city known as Byzantion, Constantinople and Istanbul, from the earliest Persian attacks to the First World War, with the bulk of the forty coming during the city’s time as Constantinople, the great eastern capital of the Roman then Byzantine Empires, when the city was one of the most often attacked in the world, but also the most successfully defended, only falling to external enemies twice in a millennium! (Read Full Review)
Alexander the Great’s Legacy – the Decline of Macedonian Europe in the Wake of the Wars of the Successors, Mike Roberts.
Looks at why Macedonia was unable to benefit from the massive Imperial conquests of Philip II and Alexander the Great, which in theory had made it the centre of a massive Empire, but which in practice left the kingdom as something of a backwater, under constant threat of invasion by the rivals clashing over the fragments of Alexander’s Empire, clashes between the different claimants to the Macedonian throne itself, and a devastating invasion by the Gauls (Read Full Review)
Victoria Crosses on the Western Front – Continuation of the German 1918 Offensives 24 March-24 July 1918, Paul Oldfield.
Eighth in this series, covering all but the first three days of the German offensives of 1918, from the fourth day of Operation Michael on the Somme to the end of the Champagne-Marne offensive, so a period of open warfare unlike anything seen since 1914. Starts with a narrative account of the campaigns, including accounts of the how each recipient won their VC, then moves on to a larger series of alphabetically organised biographies. A very impressive achievement, if rather too large to be used as a field guide (Read Full Review)
The Shetland ‘Bus’ – Transporting Secret Agents across the North Sea in WW2, Stephen Wynn.
Focuses on the mens and boats of the Shetland ‘Bus’, who risked their lives on every voyage across the North Sea carrying agents to and from Norway and helping refugees escape from the Nazi occupation. Built around three chapters that look at the agents, operations and boats that made these missions possible (Read Full Review)
Hitler’s Strategic Bombing Offensive on the Eastern Front – Blitz over the Volga 1943, Dmitry Degtev & Dmitry Zubov.
A study of one of the few examples of German strategic bombing on the Eastern Front, a short lived attack on the industrial areas on the Volga, and in particular the Molotov plant at Gorky, lasting for a month before the start of Operation Citadel, but doing a significant amount of damage in that time. Somewhat judgemental in tone, but supported by a wide range of sources from both sides (Read Full Review)
From Warsaw to Rome - General Anders’ Exiled Polish Army in the Second World War, Martin Williams.
Looks at the dramatic story of the Polish army that was formed from prisoners of the Soviets released after the German invasion of the USSR, before managing to get transferred to British control in Persia, eventually becoming a very effective military formation that played a vital part in the campaign in Italy and most famously the capture of Monte Casino (Read Full Review)
Petsamo and Kirkenes 1944 – The Soviet Offensive in the Northern Arctic, David Greentree.
Looks at one of the more obscure campaigns of the Second World War, the Soviet offensive that pushed the Germans out of their last footholds on the Soviet arctic coast and the far north of Finland and Norway, triggering a retreat of 500km to a defensive line deep in the mountains of northern Norway (Read Full Review)
Religion & Classical Warfare – Archaic and Classical Greece, Matthew Dillon, Christopher Matthew, Michael Schmitz.
A series of articles looking at the role of religion in ancient Greek warfare, looking at issues as varied as the attitude of the main early Greek historians to the theological issues behind the ideas of fate and predestination, or the way in which oracles and omens could be manipulated to get the required results by altering circumstances or the question you asked! (Read Full Review)
Robert Craufurd – The Man & The Myth – The Life and Times of Wellington’s Wayward Martinet, Ian Fletcher.
A detailed biography of ‘Black Bob Craufurd’, most famous as commander of Wellington’s Light Division in the Peninsula, but who also fought in Ireland and took part in the disasterous expedition to South America. Looks at how his strict discipline helped turn his division into one of the best in Wellington’s army, but also how his over confidence almost led to disaster. We also get a look at his surprisingly tender private life, illuminated by the letters he sent to his wife (Read Full Review)
Warships in the Baltic Campaign 1918-20 – The Royal Navy takes on the Bolsheviks, Angus Konstam.
A useful account of the little known British led intervention in the Baltic which saw a small Royal Navy fleet play an important role in establishing the independence of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, helping fight off Soviet and German forces. Covers the campaign itself, and the ships and men of the Soviet Baltic Fleet and the Royal Navy and allies (Read Full Review)
Eagles over Husky - The Allied Air Forces in the Sicilian Campaign, 14 May to 17 August 1943, Alexander Fitzgerald-Black.
Looks at the massive air campaign that supported the invasion of Sicily, examining what was done and why, and asking how effective the campaign was. Perhaps a bit too willing to defend the air forces against some valid criticisms, but still provides a very valuable analysis of the air campaign as an event in its own right, as well as looking at the impact it had on the Luftwaffe and the overall situation in Italy (Read Full Review)
From Journey's End to the Dam Busters - the Life of R.C. Sherriff, Playwright of the Trenches, Roland Wales.
Looks at the life and works of R C Sherriff, most famous as the author of Journey’s End, but who went on to be a successful movie scriptwriter, contributing to a series of hit films over several decades, most famously the Dam Busters. Starts with a look at his own military service, which feels different in tone to most other accounts of junior officer’s experiences because of his self doubt, and which played a major role in his success with Journey’s End (Read Full Review)
Arms and Armour of the Imperial Roman Soldier – From Marius to Commodus, 112 BC-AD 192, Raffaele d’Amato and Graham Sumner.
An impressive guide to the full range of Roman military equipment over a period of three centuries, covering everything from arms and armour to horse tack, all illustrated by copious pictures. Clearly the result of extensive research, this is an invaluable reference work on the equipment of the armies that created the Roman Empire. Also contains a strong argument for the accuracy of contemporary paintings and sculptures of Roman soldiers, taking a different stance to many (Read Full Review)
Rebel to Reels – A biography of Combat Cameraman Daniel A. McGovern USAF, Joseph McCabe.
Looks at the fascinating life of Daniel A. McGovern, who went from being under IRA siege in post First World War Ireland to serving as a Combat Cameraman in the USAAF, documenting the 8th Air Force’s bombing raids over Germany and the aftermath of the Atomic Bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where he filmed the devastation of Japan and the first tentative signs of post-war renewal (Read Full Review)
The World of the Battleship – The Design and Careers of Capital Ships of the World’s Navies 1900-1950, ed. Bruce Taylor.
Looks at the careers of twenty one battleships, battlecruisers and armoured cruisers from twenty one different countries, from the Chen Yuen of 1882 to the Missouri of 1944. Looks at the political reasons for the purchase of these expensive ships, their technical specifications, their combat record if they had any, and their impact on their home nations, along with interesting sections on life onboard, demonstrating how much the experience of the sailors could vary from nation to nation (Read Full Review)
The First World War Diary of Noel Drury, 6th Royal Dublin Fusiliers – Gallipoli, Salonika, The Middle East and the Western Front, ed. Richard S. Grayson.
The diary of one of the first Irish volunteers of the First World War, who spent most of the war in the Middle East before returning to Europe for the final battles of 1918. Demonstrates how long it could take for someone to get into action (a full year after the outbreak of war), and how the intensity of the fighting was lower away from the Western Front (even at Gallipoli his battalion was only involved in seven days of major attacks). (Read Full Review)
Wellington’s Foot Guards at Waterloo – the men who saved the day against Napoleon, Robert Burnham and Ron McGuigan.
Looks at the activities and strength of the four battalions of the Foot Guards that fought in the Waterloo campaign, where they defended Hougoumont and withstood Ney’s massive cavalry attack. Most of the book is a very detailed but still readable account of the Guards’s combat experience at Waterloo, but there is also an equally detailed anaylsis of the composition of the battalions, covering everything from the background of the commanding officers to the average height and hair colour of the troops! (Read Full Review)
Johnnie Johnson’s Great Adventure – The Spitire Ace of Ace’s Last Look Back, Dilip Sarker MBE.
The fascinating thoughts of Britain’s most successful Spitfire pilot on the second half of his career, when he was serving as a wing commander, first in the campaign of ‘leaning over the Channel’, then in support of the D-Day invasion and the campaign in north-western Europe. Valuable both for the insights into his own combat career and for his views on the wider air campaign and the senior officers who shaped it (Read Full Review)
The Defenders of Taffy 3 – Analysis and Retelling of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, Byron G. Como.
A detailed account of the battle off Samar, taking advantage of the declassification of the American battle reports in 2012 and the use of any surviving Japanese reports to produce an accurate study of the defensive battle that saved the escort carriers of Taffy 3 from total destruction. Uncovers some previously lost details of the battle, and even traces the courses of individual torpedoes! (Read Full Review)
Deception in Medieval Warfare – Trickery and Cunning in the Central Middle Ages, James Titterton.
Looks at the use of deception in warfare in the Francophone world (France, the Low Countries, Norman England with examples from Italy and the Crusades), studying both the actual examples of deception of various types and the chroniclers attitudes to it. An excellent study that helps prove that medieval warfare was far more complex than many would believe, as were attitudes to deception (Read Full Review)
Redcoats to Tommies – The Experience of the British Soldier from the Eighteenth Century, ed. Kevin Linch and Matthew Lord.
An interesting collection of articles looking at the experiences of the British soldier from the Eighteenth century Redcoats through to the start of the First World War (and in one case to 1992), covering a wide range of topics from how recruitment changed to the public attitude to the soldier, in a period that saw the British soldier go from being seen as the lowest of the low to the much admired ‘Tommy’ (Read Full Review)
French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859-1914 – Design, Construction, Careers and Fates, Stephen S. Roberts.
A valuable reference work that looks at the development and technical specification of some 1,400 warships that were built for the French Navy between the launch of the first ocean-going ironclad Gloire and the outbreak of the First World War. Also includes very brief overviews of their careers, mainly looking at the key dates in their construction, when they went in and out of commission and when their careers ended (Read Full Review)
The Dutch Resistance 1940-45 – World War II Resistance and Collaboration in the Netherlands, Michel Wenting LLM and Klass Castelein.
Starts with a look at the pre-war Dutch Fascist movements, the German occupation forces, and the German and collaborationist security services, before moving on to the various Dutch resistance forces, looking at how resistance started with a strike and ended with an open uprising against the Germans and with many Resistance members serving with the Allied armies in a more conventional role (Read Full Review)
Castles to Fortress – Medieval to Post-Modern Fortifications in the lands of the Former Roman Empire, J.E. Kaufmann & H.W. Kaufmann.
A bit disjointed in parts, drifting into more of a general history of the earlier periods, but good on the changes brought on by the increasing effectiveness of gunpowder weapons during the Renaissance, and the changes to fortifications introduced in an attempt to cope with them. Includes many excellent photographic pages, which combine modern photographs, plans, and Medieval or Renaissance illustrations, giving a great visual backup to the text (Read Full Review)
Escaping has ceased to be a sport - A Soldier’s memoir of Captivy and Escape in Italy and Germany, Frank Unwin MBE.
A compelling account of the author’s experiences as a POW in Italy, then as an escapee sheltering in the mountains of Tuscany, and finally as a POW in Germany (after a failed attempt to reach the Allied lines in southern Italy). Covers three fairly unfamiliar aspects of the POW experience, most notably his time outside captivity in northern Italy and the period of forced labour in Germany (Read Full Review)
The Two Battles of Copenhagen 1801 and 1807 - Britain and Denmark in the Napoleonic Wars, Gareth Glover.
Looks at the entire relationship between Britain and Denmark during the Napoleonic Wars, a period which saw Denmark directly threatened by the French dominance of Germany, but also twice attacked by Britain over fears that she might have blocked British access to the Baltic, a source of important naval supplies. Covers those two attacks in the most detail, but also provides a good account of the rest of the period, the reasons for the two attacks, and their aftermath (Read Full Review)
Southern Thunder – The Royal Navy and the Scandinavian Trade in World War One, Steve R Dunn.
A study of the difficult relationship between Britain, German and the Scandinavian neutrals during the First World War, and the impact that had on the naval war and the problems faced by the Royal Navy, including the grudging introduction of convoys across the North Sea, a move that helped prove that convoys were indeed an effective way to stop the U-boats inflicting unacceptable losses on British and neutral merchant ships (Read Full Review)
We Are Accustomed to Doing our Duty - German Auxiliaries with the British Army, 1793-95, Paul Demet.
Combines an account of the British role in the campaigns in the Low Countries in 1793-95 with a detailed examination of the organisation, performance and uniforms of the German contingents hired for those campaigns. A useful examination of the role of Britain’s hired German troops during this series of generally unsuccessful campaigns, which ended with the French occupying the entire Low Countries for the next twenty years! (Read Full Review)
Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front Vol I: From the Moscow Winter Offensive to Operation Zitadelle, Dr Hans Heinz Rehfeldt.
The first part of a two part diary written by a soldier in the Grossdeutschland regiment then division, covering the period from his arrival at the front outside Moscow in the winter of 1941, through the battles of 1942 and on to the failure of Operation Citadel in 1943. Paints a vivid picture of the life of a front line soldier during a period after the initial rush of success on the Soviet Union, but when it could still win victories as well as suffering defeats over both winters (Read Full Review)
