Books on the Cold War

Chrome Dome 1960-68 – The B-52s’ high-stakes Cold War nuclear operation, Peter E. Davies. Looks at the 1960s programme to always have a number of US nuclear armed bombers in the air, to provide a rapid response force that couldn’t easily be destroyed by a Soviet first strike, a scheme that may have helped deter Soviet aggression, but also saw several ‘Broken Arrow’ incidents where nuclear armed aircraft crashed with potentially devasting results. Paints a picture of a technically very impressive operation, but one of uncertain benefit, and very great cost (Read Full Review)

US Navy Frigates of the Cold War, Mark Stille. Looks at the US Navy’s post war ocean anti-submarine warfare escort vessels, designated as destroyer escorts until 1975 then as frigates, examining their anti-submarine weaponry, their actual role in the fleet, and the seven post-war classes that were produced to fulfil that role (Read Full Review)

Redeye - Fulda Cold, Bill Fortin. A novel largely set on the East-West German border during the Cold War, following the experiences of an American draftee during his two years of service in the late 1960s.  Feels far more like an autobiography than a novel, with a mix of historical and fictional figures, while the lead character is involved on the edge of a piece of Cold War military diplomacy. [read full review]

Liberation or Catastrophe, Michael Howard. A series of eighteen essays examining the military history of the twentieth century, looking at the causes of the First and Second World Wars, the Cold War, the place of Europe in the post-Cold War world and the correct response to the threat from terror. A thought provoking series of essays from a distinguished historian. [see more]

The Moro Affair and the Mystery of Majorana, Leonardo Sciascia. A short but interesting book written some time after the event, this probing book asks many questions about how the Italian police and Government handled the kidnapping. It is also a good insight into the nature of Italian politics of the time and the climate which produced the terrorists.