Military History Blog on the Web

Reviews: The Four Days Battle of 1666; Story of HMS Revenge

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:15:33 PST

The Four Days Battle of 1666, Frank L Fox. This is a detailed study of the longest major battle of the age of sail, using English and Dutch accounts of the fighting to produce a clear but detailed account of the battle, the events that led up to it and its aftermath. An excellent study of a battle often described as the 'Greatest Sea Fight of the Age of Sail', and one that came just as the old melee tactics were being replaced by the line of battle [read full review]

The Story of HMS Revenge, Alexander Stilwell. This book looks at the ten British warships to have borne the name Revenge, starting with one of the most famous Elizabethan warships and ending with a recently de-commissioned nuclear submarine. In between we find powerful sailing ships of the Anglo-Dutch and Napoleonic Wars, and a super-dreadnaught that fought at Jutland and took part in the hunt for the Bismarck. [read full review]

Review: Land Girls and Their Impact

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:14:35 PST

Land Girls & Their Impact, Ann Kramer. For a long time a forgotten army, this book looks at the remarkable achievements of the Women's Land Army during the Second World War, the recruitment, training and daily lives of the land girls and lumber jills, and the reactions (both positive and negative) they inspired in rural communities [read full review]

Reviews: French Battleships 1922-56 and MiG Menace over Korea

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:13:36 PST

French Battleships, 1922-1956, John Jordan & Robert Dumas. A very detailed look at the generation of French battleships built or designed between the world wars, looking at the design, construction and military careers of the Dunkerque, Strasbourg, Richelieu, Jean Bart, Clemenceau and Gascogne, supported by an impressive number of plans and photographs. [read full review]

MiG Menace over Korea: The Story of Soviet Fighter Ace Nikolai Sutiagin, Yuri Sutiagin and Igor Seidov. An invaluable account of the career of the leading Soviet fighter ace of the Korean War, this book gives us a fascinating view of life in the Soviet Air Force during its top secret involvement in the Korean War, the only time when Soviet and American fighter pilots clashed in large numbers during the Cold War. [read full review]

Reviews: Target Leipzig and The Battle of the Narrow Seas

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:12:05 PST

Target Leipzig, The RAF's disastrous raid of 19/20 February 1944, Alan Cooper. A detailed account of one of the most costly Bomber Command raids of the Second World War, in which seventy nine Halifax and Lancaster heavy bombers were lost and 420 crewmen killed. At its best when Cooper takes us into the air with the bomber crews who took part in the disastrous attack of Leipzig. [read full review]

The Battle of the Narrow Seas, Peter Scott. An account of the battles fought by Britain's Light Coastal Forces in the Channel and North Sea, written by Sir Peter Scott, the future conservationist and commander of one of the Motor Torpedo Boats whose exploits are described in the text. Written in time for the Christmas market of 1945 this is one of the most immediate and vibrant accounts of service during the Second World War that you will ever read. [read full review]

Reviews: Black Flag and Fighting for the French Foreign Legion

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:10:48 PST

Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boats, 1945, Lawrence Paterson. A fascinating and well balanced look at the surrender of the German U-boat force, the only part of the German armed forces still to be stretched out around the world at the end of the Second World War. Paterson covers the surrenders at sea and in Allied ports, the Allied occupation of the remaining U-boat bases in France, Norway and Germany and the surrender of those men from the U-boat force who found them selves involved in the fighting on land in the last days of the war. [read full review]

Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Memoirs of a Scottish Legionnaire, Alex Lochrie. A valuable account of life in the Legion during the period when it became an official part of the French armed forces, covering the selection process, training, and the Legion's involvement in peacekeeping in Africa and Bosnia as well as Operation Desert Storm. [read full review]

Reviews: American Civil War Guerrilla Tactics, Captain Cooks War and Peace

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:09:37 PST

American Civil War Guerrilla Tactics, Sean McLachlan. A look at the various forms of irregular warfare that were a feature of the American Civil War, covering the campaigns themselves, the guerrilla and irregular leaders and their impact on the war as well as the actual tactics used by and against the guerillas. [read full review]

Captain Cook's War and Peace: The Royal Navy Years 1755-1768, John Robson. This interesting study fills a gap in our knowledge of Cook's career, and makes it very clear why he was chosen to command the Endeavour on her expedition into the Pacific, as well as providing a view of the Royal Navy in the period that saw it win command of the seas. [read full review]

Reviews: Democrats to Kings and Men of Steel

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:08:32 PST

From Democrats to Kings, Michael Scott. A hugely entertaining account of the tumultuous century between the defeat of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War and the aftermath of the death of Alexander the Great, a period that saw the city states of ancient Greece lose their independence, and come under the rule of the great Hellenistic kingdoms. [read full review]

Men of Steel: 1st SS Panzer Corps, The Ardennes and Eastern Front 1944-45, Michael Reynolds. A hugely detailed account of the battles fought by the 1st SS Panzer Corps in the last few months of the Second World War, covering its role in the Ardennes offensive in the west and the last German offensive of the war in Hungary. [read full review]

South African Air Squadrons of the Second World War

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:05:26 PST

No.1 Squadron (S.A.A.F.) took part in the campaigns in East Africa, North Africa, Sicily and Italy, most of the time providing escorts for Allied bombers.
No.2 Squadron (S.A.A.F.) was a fighter squadron that served in East Africa, North Africa and Italy, sometimes providing fighter support for the Allied armies, but more often operating as a fighter-bomber squadron.
No.3 Squadron (S.A.A.F.) was a fighter squadron that took part in the fighting in East Africa and in Italy, after arriving in North Africa just as the fighting there came to an end.
No.4 Squadron (S.A.A.F.) operated as a fighter-bomber squadron, taking part in the desert battles between Operation Crusader and El Alamein, the advance into Tunisia, and the invasions of Sicily and Italy.
No.5 Squadron (S.A.A.F.) was a fighter squadron that took part in the fighting in North Africa in 1942 and early 1943, the invasion of mainland Italy and took part in raids over the Balkans.
No.7 Squadron (S.A.A.F.) was a fighter squadron that took part in the fighting in North Africa from the summer of 1942 until the German surrender in Tunisia, then served in the eastern Mediterranean before moving to Italy in the spring 1944.
No.9 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a short-lived fighter squadron that spend its entire existence in the Eastern Mediterranean.
No.10 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a fighter squadron that operated in Egypt and Libya for a short period during 1944.
No.11 Squadron, S.A.A.F. went through two incarnations during the Second World War, first as an army co-operation squadron in East Africa, and later as a Spitfire-equipped fighter squadron in the Eastern Mediterranean.
No.12 Squadron, S.A.A.F., spent most of the Second World War operating as a bomber squadron, first in Italian East Africa, and then in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
No.15 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a bomber squadron that served in East Africa, North Africa, as an anti-shipping and submarine unit over the Aegean and as a day bomber squadron in Italy.
No.16 Squadron, S.A.A.F., went through three incarnations during the Second First World, first as a coastal reconnaissance unit, then as a bomber unit in East Africa and finally as a maritime patrol squadron in the Mediterranean.
No.17 Squadron, S.A.A.F., went through two incarnations during the Second World War - a short-lived period as a transport squadron in 1939 and a longer period as a maritime patrol squadron.
No.19 Squadron, S.A.A.F., had two short incarnations during the Second World War, first as a transport squadron in 1939 and later as a ground attack squadron operating over the Balkans.
No.21 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a medium bomber squadron that operated the Maryland, Baltimore and Marauder bombers in North Africa, Sicily and Italy.
No.22 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a maritime patrol squadron that spent most of its existence operating from South Africa before moving to Gibraltar in June 1944.
No.24 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a medium bomber squadron that operated in the Western Desert, Sicily and over Italy between 1941 and the end of the Second World War.
No.25 Squadron, SAAF, was formed as a coastal reconnaissance unit, and spent two years patrolling off the South African Coast, before moving to the Mediterranean, where it joined the Balkan Air Force.
No.26 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was an Wellington equipped reconnaissance unit that flew anti-submarine patrols from West Africa from 1943 until the end of the war.
No.27 Squadron, S.A.A.F., served as a coastal reconnaissance unit from South Africa, before moving to Algeria during 1944 to fly anti-submarime patrols.
No.28 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a transport squadron that served in the Mediterranean from its formation in 1943 until the autumn of 1945.
No.30 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a medium bomber squadron that operated in Italy from August 1944 until the end of the Second World War.
No.31 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a heavy bomber squadron that operated from bases in the Mediterranean from its formation in 1944 until the end of the war.
No.34 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a heavy bomber unit that operated from Italy from July 1944 until the end of the Second World War.
No.40 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was first formed as an army co-operation squadron, but spent most of the Second World War serving as a tactical reconnaissance unit equipped with single engined fighters.
No.41 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was formed as an army co-operation squadron during 1940, serving in East Africa, then spent most of 1943-44 operating as a fighter unit in the eastern Mediterranean.
No.44 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a a transport squadron that operated in the Mediterranean from July 1944 until the end of 1945.
No.60 Squadron, S.A.A.F., was a photographic survey and reconnaissance squadron that operated in East Africa and the Mediterranean.

Reviews: Saracen Stronghold & Roman Conquests

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:20:42 PDT

Saracen Strongholds 1100-1500, David Nicole. The Central and Eastern Islamic Lands, David Nicolle. An effective introduction or overview of a vast topic, looking at the fortifications of the Seljuks, Ayyubids, Mamluks, Mongols and Assassins in an area that stretched from modern Turkey and Egypt east to India.
[read full review]

Roman Conquests: Italy, Ross Cowan. A look at the Roman conquest of the Italian Peninsula, the series of wars that saw Rome transformed from a small city state in central Italy into a power that was on the verge of conquering the ancient Mediterranean world. A lack of contemporary sources makes this a difficult period to write about, but Cowan has produced a convincing narrative without ignoring some of the complexity.
[read full review]

Reviews: Hitler's Gulf War & Nuclear Dawn

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:19:56 PDT

Hitler's Gulf War - The Fight for Iraq 1941, Barrie G James. A compelling account of one of the more obscure but important campaigns of the Second World War, presented from the point of view of the British, Iraqi and German participants in the Iraqi revolt that threatened to hand the Germans a commanding position in the Middle East. [read full review]

Nuclear Dawn: The Atomic Bomb from the Manhattan Project to the Cold War, James P. Delgado. A look at the development of the Nuclear Bomb from the first research in radiation, to the wartime development and use of the first atom bombs and on to the tests at Bikini Atoll and the early years of the Cold War. [read full review]

Reviews: Carmarthen Pals & The Art of Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:19:01 PDT

Carmarthen Pals: A History of the 15th (Service) Battalion The Welsh Regiment, 1914-1919, Steven John. A detailed and sobering account of the activities of a single battalion on the Western Front during some of the most famous battles of the First World War, including the Somme, Passchendaele and the final victorious offensives of 1918. [read full review]

The Art of Leadership, Field Marshal The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein. This is a revised edition of Monty's classic work on leadership including a chapter comparing Churchill and Eisenhower that was excluded from the original work. Of interest both for Montgomery's thoughts on what made a good leader and for the insight it gives us into his attitudes towards some of his wartime contemporaries. [read full review]

First Gallic Invasion of Italy and sack of Rome

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 08:17:02 PDT

The First Gallic Invasion of Italy of 390 B.C. was a pivotal event in the history of the Roman Republic and saw the city occupied and sacked for the last time in eight hundred years.
The battle of the Allia (18 July 390 B.C.) was one of the most embarrassing defeats in Roman history, and left the city defenceless in the face of a Gallic war band.
The sack of Rome (390 B.C.) was the worst recorded disaster in the history of the early Roman Republic, and saw a Gallic war band led by Brennus capture and sack most of the city, after winning an easy victory on the Allia
The battle of the Trausian Plain (c.390-384 B.C.) probably saw an Etruscan army from the city of Caere defeat all or part of the Gallic war band that was responsible for the sack of Rome

War: From Ancient Egypt to Iraq, ed. Saul David

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:43:59 PDT

War: From Ancient Egypt to Iraq, ed. Saul David. A massive and beautifully illustrated look at the history of war from the earliest recorded battles to the recent conflict in Iraq. By focusing on the most significant wars the authors have been able to produce a more readable book than is normal in this genre, and the wide scope of the book means that every reader should find something that is new to them. [read full review]

The Bantams, Sidney Allinson

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:43:19 PDT

The Bantams, Sidney Allinson. A look at the Bantam units raised in Britain and Empire during the First World War for men under the 5'3" height requirement for the British Army. Well supported by reminiscences from the Bantams, this book should help to prevent them from being forgotten.
[read full review]

At Rommel's Side: The Lost Letters of Hans-Joachim Schraepler, ed. Hans-Albrecht Schraepler.

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:42:50 PDT

At Rommel's Side: The Lost Letters of Hans-Joachim Schraepler, ed. Hans-Albrecht Schraepler. A series of letters written by Rommel's adjutant in North Africa in 1941 and edited by his son and that provide an interesting new layer of information to our knowledge of the war in the desert.
[read full review]

Who Dares Wins: The SAS and the Iranian Embassy Siege 1980

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:42:13 PDT

Who Dares Wins: The SAS and the Iranian Embassy Siege 1980, Gregory Fremont-Barnes. A look at the events behind one of the defining images of the early 1980s - the first public appearance of the SAS on the balcony of the Iranian Embassy as they ended the six-day long siege.
[read full review]

Young Nelsons - Boy Sailors during the Napoleonic Wars

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:41:34 PDT

Young Nelsons - Boy Sailors during the Napoleonic Wars, D.A.B. Ronald. A fascinating book that looks at the boy sailors of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, casting an interesting light on a group of sailors who only otherwise seem to appear in early volumes of long running series of naval novels.
[read full review]

Ancient Warfare Volume III Issue 4

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:41:03 PDT

Ancient Warfare Volume III Issue 4 . Ancient Warfare Vol III, Issue 4: August/ September 2009: Implacable enemies: the Barcids at War. A nice spread of articles on Hannibal and his family, looking at Cannae, Hannibal's siege craft, Hasdrubal's invasion of Italy and the Barcid army, supported by articles on the Ancient Egyptian Archer and a 7th century Byzantine military treatise that portrays a very unfamiliar cavalry army. [see more]

Marching with the Tigers: The History of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment 1955-1975

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:40:06 PDT

Marching with the Tigers: The History of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment 1955-1975, Michael Goldschmidt. A good example of the classic regimental history that should be of great interest to anyone who has an association with the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, while also making a useful contribution to the history of the post-war British army. [read full review]

The Peninsular War: A Battlefield Guide

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:39:39 PDT

The Peninsular War: A Battlefield Guide, Andrew Rawson. A very useful guide book for anyone wanting to visit the British battlefields of the Peninsular War, from Portugal to the French border, with accounts of each major battle followed by a tour of the modern battlefield, each supported by photographs of key features and sketch maps to illustrate the battles. [read full review]

Israel's Lightning Strike; Panzer Divisions 1944-45; Rangers Lead the Way

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:38:36 PDT

Israel's Lightning Strike: The raid on Entebbe 1976, Simon Dunstan. This second entry in Osprey's new Raid series looks at the long range operation mounted by the Israelis to rescue terrorist hostages being held at Entebbe in Uganda. After sections on hijacking and the Palestinian terrorist organisations, we get a day-by-day account of the crisis, while the second half of the book focuses on the raid. A well organized and clearly written account of one of the most daring anti-terrorist operations ever carried out. [Read Full Review]

Panzer Divisions 1944-45, Pier Paolo Battistelli. This lavishly illustrated Osprey covers the later days of the German panzer divisions, including background on weapons, tactics, operations and silhouette style organisational charts. A fascinating period, with the once feared panzer divisions no longer kings of the battlefield but still a powerful force and capable of small scale victories against the vast tide of Soviet, British and American forces [read full review]

Rangers Lead the Way: Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944, Steven J. Zaloga. This is the first entry in a new Osprey series, looking at some of the most famous raids in military history, starting with the US Rangers' attack on the German gun battery on Pointe-du-Hoc on D-Day. The result is a detailed account of the raid that includes some very interesting material about the German coastal defences, as well as a good account of the raid itself and the German counterattack. A promising start to this new series. [read full review]

First, Second and Third Veientine Wars

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:35:50 PDT

The First Veientine War (483-474 B.C.) was the first of three clashes between Rome and her nearest Etruscan neighbour, the city of Veii.
The Second Veientine War (437-434 or 428-425 B.C.) was fought for control of the crossing over the Tiber at Fidenae, five miles upstream from Rome.
The battle of the Anio (437 or 428 B.C.) was a Roman victory early in the Second Veientine War that was won after Lars Tolumnius, king of Veii, was killed in single combat
The battle of Nomentum (435 or 426 B.C.) was a Roman victory over a combined army from Veii and Fidenae that was followed by a successful Roman attack on Fidenae, and possibly by the end of the Second Veientine War.
The siege of Fidenae (435 or 426 B.C.) saw the Romans capture the town only five miles upstream on the Tiber and eliminate the last Veientine enclave on the right bank of the Tiber.
The Third Veientine War (405-396 B.C.) saw the Roman Republic finally capture and destroy their closest rival, the Etruscan city of Veii, after a siege that lasted for ten years
The ten year long siege of Veii (405-396 B.C.) was the main event of the Third Veientine War and saw the Romans finally conquer their nearest rival, the Etruscan city of Veii.

battle of Lake Regillus (499 or 496 BC)

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:35:19 PDT

The battle of Lake Regillus (499 or 496 BC) was a narrow Roman victory over the Latin League early in the life of the Republic that helped to prevent the last of the kings of Rome from regaining his throne.

Breguet 693 and Breguet 695 family

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:34:39 PDT

The Breguet 690 was a three-seat twin-engined fighter produced in response to a French Air Ministry specification of 1934 but that entered produced as the Br 691 two-seat attack bomber.
The Breguet 691 AB2 was a two-seat attack bomber developed from the Br 690 twin engined fighter
The Breguet 692 AB2 was the designation given to a version of the Breguet 693 two-seat attack bomber that would have been powered by two 980hp Gnôme & Rhône 14N radial engines.
The Breguet 693 AB2 two-seat attack bomber was one of the newer aircraft designs to be in service with the French Armée de l'Air during the Battle of France of 1940, and was a re-engined version of the Br 691
The Breguet 694 was a three-seat reconnaissance aircraft based on the Br 693 two-seat attack bomber
The Breguet 695 was a version of the Br 691/603 two-seat attack bomber that was powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines in an attempt to make up for a shortage of French built aircraft engines during pre-war attempts to increase the strength of the Armée de l'Air
The Breguet 696 was a two-seat bomber based on the Br 693 two-seat attack bomber
The Breguet 697 was the designation given to a standard Br 691 attack bomber given more powerful engines in an attempt to prove that the aircraft could be used as a heavy fighter
The Breguet 698 Bp2 was the designation given to a design for a dive bomber based on the Br 691 two-seat attack bomber
The Breguet 699 B2 was the designation given to a bomber version of the Br 693 two-seat attack bomber that would have been powered by two 825hp Pratt & Whitney SB4G radial engines
The Breguet 700 C2 (Destroyer) was the designation given to a heavy fighter that would have been based on the Br 691 two-seat attack bomber, which had itself been developed from the Br 690 twin-engined fighter

Bloch MB.210 family

noreply@blogger.com (John Rickard) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:33:30 PDT

The Bloch MB.200 was a twin-engined day bomber that entered service with the Armée d l'Air in 1934, and was still in use in small numbers at the start of the Second World War.
The Bloch MB.210 BN5 five-seat night bomber was the most numerous French bomber at the start of the Second World War, although it was already in the process of being replaced by more modern aircraft, and had declined in importance by the start of the Battle of France in May 1940
The Bloch MB.211 BN4 was the designation given to the second prototype of the Bloch 210 night bomber to reflect a change of engine from air cooled radials to liquid cooled inline engines.
The Bloch MB.212 was the designation given to the prototype Bloch 211 four-seat night bomber after its inline engines were replaced with Hispano-Suiza air-cooled radial engines during 1936.