Curtiss XP-19

The Curtiss XP-19 was to have been a low-wing monoplane powered by the Wright V-1560-1 twelve-cylinder air cooled engine.

Curtiss XP-18

The Curtiss XP-18 was the designation given to a biplane fighter that was to have been powered by the Wright V-1560-1 twelve-cylinder air-cooled engine.

Curtiss XP-17

The Curtiss XP-17 was the designation given to the first P-1 when it was used to test a Curtiss Wright Tornado engine.

Curtiss XP-14

The Curtiss XP-14 was to have been a fighter based around the Curtiss H-1640 Chieftain 12-cylinder air cooled double-row inline engine.

Battle of Vouille (507)

The battle of Vouille (507) was a significant victory for Clovis I, king of the Franks, and allowed him to conquer Aquitaine, taking it from the Visigothic kingdom of Toulouse

Siege of Vienne (c.500-501 AD)

The siege of Vienne (c.500-501 AD) was the final act in a Burgundian civil war that had briefly involved the Frankish king Clovis I, but that ended with the victory of Clovis's opponent Gundobar.

Women Wartime Spies, Ann Kramer.

Women Wartime Spies, Ann Kramer.

A study of mainly Allied women spies during the two World Wars (plus Mata Hari), with interesting material on the La Dame Blanche spy network that operated in Belgium during the First World War and the role of women in British Intelligence in both wars (including the famous SOE operatives and the less glamorous but just as important work back in Britain).
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Midget Ninja & Tactical Laxatives - Bizarre Warfare Through the Ages, Philip Sidnell.

Midget Ninja & Tactical Laxatives - Bizarre Warfare Through the Ages, Philip Sidnell.

 A look at some of the more unusual aspects of military history, from the oddest of weapons to the peculiar behaviour of military leaders, with enough variety to ensure that anything familiar is followed by something new.
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Captured at the Imjin River, David Green.

Captured at the Imjin River, David Green.

A first-hand account of the experiences of a National Service soldier who served in Korea and was captured by the Chinese during the Battle of the Imjin River. This is a compelling story, and an invaluable account of life as a National Serviceman in Korea, and as a prisoner of the Chinese.
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Rossano A Valley in Flames, Major Gordon Lett.

Rossano A Valley in Flames, Major Gordon Lett.

 A first-hand account of life with the Italian partisans during the Second World Word, written by the British commander of the International Brigade, a partisan group that operated in the Rossano valley, and that contained a mix of locals and escaped Prisoners of War and forced labourers. Also includes an account of the battalion's cooperation with an SAS mission that was dropped into the valley.
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Birmingham Pals: 14th, 15th and 16th (Service) Battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Terry Carter.

Birmingham Pals: 14th, 15th and 16th (Service) Battalions of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, Terry Carter.

A high quality history of the three Birmingham battalions that formed part of Kitchener's 'New Army', fighting on the Somme, at Ypres, in Italy and during the crucial campaigns of 1918. Includes some excellent detailed accounts of trench raids, and gives a feel of how ghastly life in the Trenches could be
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In Search of the Real Dad's Army, Stephen M. Cullen.

In Search of the Real Dad's Army, Stephen M. Cullen.

A wide ranging history of the Home Guard, covering topics from the weapons it was equipped with to the competing political theories that developed around it. Also covers the less familiar Northern Irish and Isle of Man Home Guards and has some fascinating sections on the later development of the Home Guard after the real danger of invasion had passed.
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Curtiss XP-11

The Curtiss XP-11 was the designation given to three Hawk biplanes that were to have been powered by the Curtiss Chieftain engine, but the failure of that engine meant that none were completed as P-11s.

Curtiss P-6 Hawk

The Curtiss P-6 Hawk was the most advanced version of the Hawk biplane fighter to serve with the USAAF, and differed from the earlier P-1 by using a Curtiss V-1570 Conqueror engine.

Siege of Avignon (500)

The siege of Avignon (500) saw the Burgundian king Gundobar hold off a besieging Frankish army led by Clovis I for long enough to convince Clovis to offer peace terms.

Battle of the Ouche (500 AD)

The battle of the Ouche (500 AD) was a victory won by Clovis, king of the Franks, during an otherwise unsuccessful intervention in a Burgundian family dispute.

Battle of Tolbiac or Zulpich (496 AD)

The battle of Tolbiac or Zulpich (496 AD) might have been a victory won by Clovis and other Franks that prevented a westward movement of the Alemanni.

Battle of Soissons (486 AD)

The battle of Soissons (486 AD) was the first recorded victory won by Clovis I, king of the Franks, and saw him defeat Syagrius, the ruler of the last Roman enclave in northern Gaul.

Curtiss P-5 Superhawk

The Curtiss P-5 Superhawk was a version of the P-1 Hawk fitted with turbo-supercharged engines.

Curtiss P-3 Hawk

The Curtiss P-3 Hawk was a version of the Hawk fighter powered by the Pratt & Whitney Wasp radial engine.

Curtiss P-2 Hawk

The Curtiss P-2 Hawk was the designation given to five P-1s that were completed with the Curtiss V-1400 engine.

Curtiss P-1 Hawk

The Curtiss P-1 Hawk was the first in a family of taper-winged biplane fighters that served with the USAAC, the US Navy and that was exported in significant numbers, remaining in service for over a decade.

Curtiss PW-8

The Curtiss PW-8 was the first in a long series of Curtiss biplane fighters to be produced for the US Army and Navy between the two World Wars.

Knight: The Warrior and the World of Chivalry, Robert Jones.

Knight: The Warrior and the World of Chivalry, Robert Jones.

A study of the Knight, from their humble origins in the 11th century through their dominance of society and battlefield in the high Middle Ages to their decline in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Looks at their arms and armour, role on the battlefield, place in society and eventual decline. An excellent overview of a complex issue.
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Blood & Iron: Letters from the Western Front, Hugh Montagu Butterworth, ed. Jon Cooksey.

Blood & Iron: Letters from the Western Front, Hugh Montagu Butterworth, ed. Jon Cooksey.

A collection of letters written in the Ypres salient between May and September 1915. Built around the letters written by Hugh Montagu Butterworth during his time on the Western Front, supported by a detailed biography of Butterworth himself, a sports mad student who emigrated to New Zealand where he worked as a teacher. A fascinating selection of letters that give a glimpse into the brutality of trench warfare.
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The New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War I, Wayne Stack.

The New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War I, Wayne Stack.

Looks at the recruitment, organisation, commanding officers, equipment and campaigns of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which eventually involved some 40% of the male population of military age, a most impressive level of recruitment and that served in the Pacific, at Gallipoli, in the Middle East and on the Western Front. The author packs a great deal of information into the books forty-eight pages.
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Morane-Saulnier M.S.412/ D.3801

The Morane-Saulnier M.S.412/ D.3801 was an improved version of the M.S.406 produced in Switzerland after the fall of France.

Morane-Saulnier M.S.406H/ D-3800

The Morane-Saulnier M.S.406H/ D-3800 was a version of the M.S.406 single seat fighter that was built under licence in Switzerland.

Focke-Wulf Ta 254

The Focke-Wulf Ta 254 was a design for an improved version of the Ta 154 twin-engined fighter, with bigger wings to improve its service ceiling.

Loening XO-10

The Loening XO-10 was the designation given to the XOA-1A prototype when it was delivered to the US Army.

Loening OA-2

The Loening OA-2 amphibian was a version of the OA-1 that was powered by a Wright V-1460-1 Tornado engine.

Loening OA-1

The Loening OA-1 was an unusual two-man amphibian aircraft that served with the USAAC in the late 1920s.

Loening XHL-1

The Loening XHL-1 was an air ambulance based on the OL-8 observation amphibian.

Loening O2L

The Loening O2L was the prototype of an improved version of the Loening OL amphibian biplane.

Loening OL

The Loening OL was an unusual amphibian aircraft that used a single main float carried under the fuselage instead of the more standard flying boat hull.

Loening PA-1

The Loening PA-1 was the last fighter to be produced by the Loening company, and was an attempt to produce a successful biplane fighter after the failure of the Loening PW-2 monoplane.

Posters of World War II, Allied and Axis Propaganda 1939-1945, Peter Darman.

Posters of World War II, Allied and Axis Propaganda 1939-1945, Peter Darman.

A beautifully produced look at the propaganda posters produced in seven of the main combatant nations of the Second World War, with a supporting text that explains who controlled poster production and useful individual captions. The text is good, but the brilliantly well printed posters are undoubtedly the stars of this very attractive book
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Ask Forgiveness Not Permission, Howard Leedham.

Ask Forgiveness Not Permission, Howard Leedham.

A fascinating account of a successful covert operation funded by the US State Department using Pakistani Special Forces troops and American helicopters and for a year commanded by the author, a former member of British Special Forces. Operating on a financial shoe-string while US attention was focused on Iraq, the author achieved a great deal of success during his year.
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George Washington, Mark Lardas.

George Washington, Mark Lardas.

One of the more successful entries in the command series, with an interesting emphasis on how Washington learnt from his early unsuccessful campaigns and on his overall strategic ideas during the War of Independence, focusing on the survival of his army rather than the defence of any particular city.
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Loening PW-2

The Loening PW-2 was a single seat monoplane fighter that was developed from the earlier M-8, and that was tested by the US Army but not accepted for production.

Loening M-8

The Loening M-8 was a monoplane fighter that was ordered into production in large numbers during the First World War, but that was eventually produced in significantly smaller numbers for the US Navy.

The Territorials 1908-1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians, Ray Westlake.

The Territorials 1908-1914: A Guide for Military and Family Historians, Ray Westlake.

A reference work built around a complete list of Territorial units and the larger formations they were part of, and a gazetteer listing the units associated with every town and locality. Very useful for the dedicated researcher, but not aimed at the casual reader!
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Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944, Ken Ford.

Assault Crossing: The River Seine 1944, Ken Ford.

Looks at the 43rd (Wessex) Division's crossing of the Seine at Vernon, showing how chaotic and closely run an affair it was, despite being seen as part of the 'Great Swan', the rapid Allied advance across France after the breakout from Normandy. An interesting account of a battle found between two opposing infantry divisions.
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The Strike Wings - Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons, 1942-45, Roy Conyers Nesbit.

The Strike Wings - Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons, 1942-45, Roy Conyers Nesbit.

A history of Coastal Command's Strike Wings, dedicated groups of anti-shipping squadrons that devastated German coastal shipping during the Second World War, but at a very high cost, written by someone who flew in the same role after the war and with a great use of eyewitness accounts and both Allied and German sources.
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Battle of Tsukushi (7 July 1333)

The battle of Tsukushi (7 July 1333) was the final event in a complex plot against Hojo Hidetoki, the military governor of Kyushu, and saw him defeated by two of the three original plotters against him.

Genko War (1331-33)

The Genko War (1331-33) was a struggle between the supporters of the Emperor Go-Daigo and the Kamakura Shogunate which ended as an Imperial victory and led to the short-lived Kemmu restoration, the only period in which the Emperor held direct power between 1192 and the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the nineteenth century