Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Gale)

The Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate (Gale) was the best Japanese fighter aircraft to see front line service in significant during the Second World War, and the last in a series of radial engine powered fighters produced by the Nakajima company.

Nakajima Ki-63

The Nakajima Ki-63 was the designation given to a version of the Nakajima Ki-62 that would have been powered by the 1,050hp Mitsubishi Ha-102 radial engine.

Nakajima Ki-62

The Nakajima Ki-62 was a design for a fighter to be powered by the Japanese version of the Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine, produced in case the Kawasaki Ki-61 design failed.

Peace of Nicias (421 BC)

The Peace of Nicias (421 BC) brought a temporary end to the fighting in the Great Peloponnesian War. Although it was meant to last for fifty years, it was broken after only a year and a half, and the war continued until 404 BC.

Battle of Amphipolis (422 BC)

The battle of Amphipolis (422 BC) was a disastrous Athenian defeat in Thrace, inflicted on them by an army led by the Spartan Brasidas.

Battle of Delium (424 BC)

The battle of Delium (424 BC) was a costly Athenian defeat that came during an unsuccessful attempt to seize control of Boeotia (Great Peloponnesian War)

Siege of Scione (423-421 B.C.)

The siege of Scione (423-421 B.C.) came after the city rebelled against Athens, with Spartan support, but continued on after those cities agreed a short-lived peace treaty, and at the end the defenders of the city were either executed or sold into slavery.

Battle of Laodocium (423 or 422 BC)

The battle of Laodocium (423 or 422 BC) was a clash between two Peloponnesian cities, fought during a brief armistice between Athens and Sparta (Great Peloponnesian War).

Battle of Tanagra (426 BC)

The battle of Tanagra (426 BC) was a minor Athenian victory won close to the city of Tanagra in Boeotia.

Siege of Mytilene (428-427 BC)

The siege of Mytilene (428-427 BC) saw the Athenians defeat a revolt on the island of Lesbos, and is most famous for the two debates about the correct punishment for the rebels.

Battle of Sphacteria (425 BC)

The battle of Sphacteria (425 BC) was the second part of a two-part battle which ended with the surrender of a force of Spartan hoplites (Great Peloponnesian War).

Battle of Pylos (425 BC)

The battle of Pylos (425 BC) was the first part of a two-part battle most famous the surrender of a force of Spartan hoplites trapped on the island of Sphacteria.

Battle of Solygia (425 BC)

The battle of Solygia (425 BC) was a minor Athenian victory during a raid on Corinth, but one that had little long term impact (Great Peloponnesian War).

Khazar Empire

The Khazar Empire is an interesting and largely overlooked Turkic tribal Empire which was established in the late 6th Century.

Mansyu Ki-98

The Mansyu Ki-98 was a ground-attack aircraft that was designed by the Mansyu company in Manchuria.

Mansyu Ki-79

The Mansyu Ki-79 was an advanced trainer based on the Nakajima Ki-27 fighter.

Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Demon)

The Nakajima Ki-44 Shoki (Demon) was an unusual fighter by Japanese standards, with high speed and a good rate of climb emphasised at the expense of manoeuvrability.

Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon)

The Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon) was the most numerous Japanese Army Air Force fighter aircraft of the Second World War.

Armoured Guardsmen: A War Diary, June 1944-April 1945, Robert Boscawen.

Armoured Guardsmen:  A War Diary, June 1944-April 1945, Robert Boscawen.

The diary of a tank commander and squadron commander, written during the campaign in north-western Europe in 1944-1945, with later comments also provided by the same author. A compelling read that mixes moments of great humour with accounts of some very fierce combat, and the casualties that went with it.
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Fighting Brigadier: The Life of Brigadier James Hill DSO MC, Peter Harcerode.

Fighting Brigadier: The Life of Brigadier James Hill DSO MC, Peter Harcerode.

Partly a biography of Hill (an important figure in the creation of the Parachute Regiment) and partly a history of the units he commanded in North Africa, Normandy, during the Battle of the Bulge, in the crossing of the Rhine and finally in the advance to the Baltic.
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Six of Monty's Men, Adrian Steward.

Six of Monty's Men, Adrian Steward.

Six short biographies of six of Montgomery's key subordinates in North Africa, Italy and Normandy (Harding, Leese, de Guingand, Horrocks, Richardson and Roberts), which between them tell the story of all three campaigns, as well as casting an interesting light on Montgomery's abilities and character.
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The Alexander Memoirs, 1940-1945, Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis.

The Alexander Memoirs, 1940-1945, Field Marshal Earl Alexander of Tunis.

The memoir's of Britain's most experienced commander of the Second World War, a man who led troops at Dunkirk, in North Africa, Burma, Sicily and Italy. 'Alex' is almost too modest, focusing much more on his subordinate's achievements than on his own, but his memoirs are still an invaluable source for some of the most important campaigns of the war.
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Nakajima Ki-27 'Nate'

The Nakajima Ki-27 'Nate' was the first monoplane fighter to enter service with the Japanese Army Air Force, and was still numerically the most important fighter in Army service in December 1941.

Nakajima A4N

The Nakajima A4N was the final biplane fighter to see service with the Japanese Navy and was an interim design produced to fill the gap before the first monoplane fighters entered service.

Nakajima A3N

The Nakajima A3N was a two-seat training aircraft based on the Nakajima A2N Navy Type 90 Carrier Fighter.

Mosquito Mayhem: de Havilland's Wooden Wonder in Action in WWII, Martin W. Bowman.

Mosquito Mayhem: de Havilland's Wooden Wonder in Action in WWII, Martin W. Bowman.

A collection of eyewitness accounts, mainly from Mosquito crewmen, looking at the remarkable achievements of one of the best British aircraft of the Second World War, all tied together by Bowman's explanatory text. Gives a good idea of the wide variety of missions undertaken by the Mosquito and the atmosphere in the squadrons.

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The Mighty Eighth at War, Martin W. Bowman.

The Mighty Eighth at War, Martin W. Bowman.

Looks at the evolving battle between the Luftwaffe and the Eighth Air Force, as seen by the US airmen themselves. The book is dominated by first-hand accounts of the fighting, which make up at least half of the text. Bowman provides a framework that links these accounts, as well as some detailed footnotes expanding on the airmen's experiences.

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Wellington at Waterloo, Jac Weller.

Wellington at Waterloo, Jac Weller.

Takes a different approach to the Battle of Waterloo, looking from the fighting from Wellington's point of view, seeing how he responded to the information at his disposal rather than taking the more usual overview approach. This approach gives us a clearer picture of Wellington's handling of the battle, and helps us see why he made the decisions he did.

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Donald Dean VC, the Memoirs of a Volunteer and Territorial from Two World Wars, ed. Terry Crowdy.

Donald Dean VC, the Memoirs of a Volunteer and Territorial from Two World Wars, ed. Terry Crowdy.

The memoirs of a very impressive man, a Victoria Cross winning soldier during the First World War and a senior commander with the Pioneers during the Second World War. The account of the second part of his career is of particular interest, partly because it covers part of the army that is rarely mentioned but that played a crucial part in the Allied victory and partly because of Dean's own attitude to the multi-racial and multi-cultural units under his command.

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German Soldiers in the Great War, Letters and Eyewitness Accounts, ed. Bernd Ulrich and Benjamin Ziemann.

German Soldiers in the Great War, Letters and Eyewitness Accounts, ed. Bernd Ulrich and Benjamin Ziemann.

A study of the changing attitude of German soldiers during the Great War using their own letters home from the front, along with other contemporary documents, and looking at the role of disobedience in the eventual defeat of the German army.

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Dambusters: Operation Chastise 1943, Douglas C. Dildy.

Dambusters: Operation Chastise 1943, Douglas C. Dildy.

A well illustrated and well organised account of the famous Dambusters raid, looking at the development of the bouncing bomb, the planning for the raid, the raid itself and its aftermath. A good account of one of the best known bombing raids of the Second World War, supported by some clear and well designed maps.

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Nakajima A2N

The Nakajima A2N was a naval fighter designed to replace the Nakajima A1N in the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Nakajima A1N

The Nakajima A1N was designed in Britain as the Gloster Gambet, but saw service with the Imperial Japanese Navy as the Type 3 Carrier-Based Fighter, replacing the Gloster Sparrowhawk.

Kawasaki Ki-100

The Kawasaki Ki-100 was successful fighter aircraft produced by fitting a radial engine into the airframe of the Ki-61 Hien, after American bombing destroyed the factory producing the inline engine used in the older fighter.

Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Swallow)

The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien (Swallow) was the only inline-engined fighter aircraft to see service in Japan during the Second World War, and was designed around a licence-built version of the German Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine.

Potez 63.16

The Potez 63.16 was a version of the Potez 63.11 that was given a larger wing.

Potez 63.12

The Potez 63.12 was the designation given to a single Potez 631 that was re-engined to use Pratt & Whitney radial engines.

Potez 63.11

The Potez 63.11 was a three-seat army co-operation aircraft based on the general Potez 63 design, but with a completely crew compartment and nose.