Monday, November 30, 2015

Roll of Honour - Schooling and the Great War, Barry Blades.

Roll of Honour - Schooling and the Great War, Barry Blades
Looks at the impact of the Great War on the British school system, including the changes to lessons, loss of teachers, arrival of refugees, the contribution made to the war effort by teachers, the different ways in which pupils from different schools were treated by the army, and the way the fallen were commemorated during and after the war.
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Bush War Rhodesia 1966-1980, Peter Baxter
 A valuable look at a conflict in which the well trained Rhodesian military won almost every direct confrontation of the Bush War, but at the same time lost the overall war, after failing to protect their population from repeated attack. Takes a balanced approach to the topic, acknowledging that the Rhodesian cause was morally insupportable and the overall campaign almost unwinnable, even while examining a military campaign in which just about every direct clash was won by the Rhodesian military.
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Naval Battles of the First World War, Geoffrey Bennett

Naval Battles of the First World War, Geoffrey Bennett
Although this was first published in the 1960s it is still a good account of the major surface clashes of the First World War, looking at the early clashes in the world's oceans and the series of battles in the North Sea, ending with Jutland. The final part of the book looks at the U-boat war, although not in as much detail as the earlier surface sections.
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Friday, November 27, 2015

Douglas C-26/ OA-4 Dolphin

The Douglas C-26/ OA-4 Dolphin was an improved version of the C-21/ OA-3 Dolphin, with a number of improvements over the earlier aircraft.

Douglas C-21/ OA-3 Dolphin

The Douglas C-21/ OA-3 Dolphin was an ambitious aircraft originally ordered as a bomber leader, but normally used as transport and air-sea rescue aircraft.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Decline and Fall of Napoleon's Empire - How the Emperor Self-Destructed, Digby Smith .

Decline and Fall of Napoleon's Empire - How the Emperor Self-Destructed, Digby Smith
An interesting examination of everything the author believes Napoleon did wrong, painting a picture of a despot who failed to adapt his working methods to the increased scale of warfare from 1809 onwards. Does a useful job of bringing together all of the flaws in Napoleon's systems and his campaigns in one place.
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Shot Down, Steve Snyder.

Shot Down, Steve Snyder
A fascinating look at the career of a bomber crew, before and after they were shot down over the Franco-Belgian border, made more interesting (and sombre) by the varied fates of the crew, who were scattered widely as they bailed out. Written by the pilot's son, and thus with access to his father's letters and memories.
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Edgar: King of the English, 959-975, ed. Donald Scragg.

Edgar: King of the English, 959-975, ed. Donald Scragg.
A series of articles that use the limited available evidence to look into the reign of King Edgar, one of the more obscure Anglo-Saxon monarchs. Shows how much can be learned from sources such as coins or lists of charter witnesses in a period when the chronicles don't provide much evidence.
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Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Battle of Nemea (394 BC)

The battle of Nemea (394 BC) was the first major fighting on the Corinthian front that gave the Corinthian War (395-386 BC) its name, and was an inconclusive Spartan victory.

Battle of Naryx (394 BC)

The battle of Naryx (394 BC) was a costly victory won by the forces of an anti-Spartan alliance over a Phocian army early in the Corinthian War (395-386 BC).

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

USS Paul Jones (DD-10)

USS Paul Jones (DD-10) was the name ship of the Paul Jones class of destroyers. Before the outbreak of the First World War she served with the Pacific Fleet, before after US entry into the war she moved to the Atlantic coast.

Paul Jones class destroyers

The Paul Jones class destroyers were a sub-group of the Bainbridge class and were similar to the basic design, but with an increase in displacement.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Churchill Crocodile

The Churchill Crocodile was a flamethrower tank based on the Churchill infantry tank, with the flame fuel towed in a separate trailer.

Churchill Oke

The Churchill Oke was a prototype flamethrower tank that was produced in 1942 and took part in the disastrous raid on Dieppe.

Friday, November 20, 2015

The Devil's Garden - Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day, Steven Zaloga.

The Devil's Garden - Rommel's Desperate Defense of Omaha Beach on D-Day, Steven Zaloga
 An excellent attempt to work out exactly why the attackers on Omaha Beach took so many more casualties than on any other D-Day beach, looking at each of the possible factors that have been suggested over time and examining how valid each actually is. Comes up with some convincing conclusions, and adds a great deal to our understanding of this battle.
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Shenandoah Valley 1862, Clayton and James Donnell.

Shenandoah Valley 1862, Clayton and James Donnell
 Looks at the campaign that established 'Stonewall' Jackson's reputation as a battlefield commander, and saw him defeat a series of larger Union armies in a series of battles where he was rarely outnumbered on the battlefield. A good account of the campaign, supported by a series of useful campaign and battle maps that help demonstrate Jackson's dizzying pace of movement.
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French Artillery and the Gribeauval System 1786-1815 Volume I: The Foot Artillery, Ludovic Letrun and Jean-Marie Mongin .

French Artillery and the Gribeauval System 1786-1815 Volume I: The Foot Artillery, Ludovic Letrun and Jean-Marie Mongin
 Looks at the ever changing uniforms, the guns and the structure of the French Foot Artillery during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Allows one to trace the changing nature of the French regime, as reflected in its flags and uniforms, the changes in the artillery as the scale of the French armies increased, as well as providing very useful details on the actual guns themselves.
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Thursday, November 19, 2015

Douglas O-53 Havoc

The Douglas O-53 Havoc was to have been a heavy observation aircraft based on the A-20 Havoc, but a large order was cancelled before any had been built.

Douglas YO-48

The Douglas YO-48 was to have been a version of the O-46A observation aircraft powered by a Wright engine, but none were built.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Battle of Haliartus (395 BC)

The battle of Haliartus (395 BC) was the first significant fighting during the Corinthian War (395-386 BC) and was a Spartan defeat that saw the death of Lysander, their victorious leader from of the Great Peloponnesian War.

Battle of Sardis (395 BC)

The battle of Sardis (395 BC) was a minor victory for Agesilaus II of Sparta during his period in command of the Spartan war effort in Asia Minor that triggered the fall of the Persian satrap Tissaphernes and led to a six month truce in Caria and Lydia.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Battle of Helmstadt (25 July 1866)

The battle of Helmstadt (25 July 1866) saw the Prussians defeat a Bavarian force that was moving south to aid its Federal allies, who suffered a separate defeat of their own a little further to the south-east, at Gerchsheim

Battle of Gerchsheim (25 July 1866)

The battle of Gerchsheim (25 July 1866) saw the Prussians defeat the retreated Federal 8th Corps as it attempted to retreat from the line of the River Tauber towards the Main near Würzburg.

Friday, November 13, 2015

USS MacDonough (DD-9)

USS MacDonough (DD-9) was a Lawrence class destroyer that spent most of her career operating on the US East Coast before moving to France in January 1918 to carry out convoy escort duties.

USS Lawrence (DD-8)

USS Lawrence (DD-8) was the name ship of the Lawrence class of destroyers. Before the First World War she served with both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, while during the war she guarded the Panama Canal and then operated in the Florida Keys.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Churchill Mk XI

The Churchill Mk XI was the designation given to Mk Vs that were upgraded by giving them extra appliqué armour.

Churchill Mk X

The Churchill Mk X was the designation given to Mk VIs that had been upgraded to carry extra armour, and possibly the cast turret of the Mk VII.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Douglas O-46

The Douglas O-46 was the main production version of the Douglas family of monoplane observation aircraft, and the first to use a radial engine.

Douglas O-43

The Douglas O-43 was a parasol wing observation aircraft developed from the experimental O-31 and served with the USAAC in small numbers during the 1930s.

Monday, November 09, 2015

General Jean Nicolas Stofflet (1751-96)

General Jean Nicolas Stofflet (1751-96) was a leader of the revolt in the Vendée, and was executed after taking up arms for a second time.

General Henri Gratian, count Bertrand (1773-1844)

General Henri Gratian, count Bertrand (1773-1844) was one of the most loyal of Napoleon's followers and served under him in most of his campaigns as well as accompanying him into exile twice and accompanying his remains back to France in 1844.

Friday, November 06, 2015

Corinthian War (395-386 BC)

The Corinthian War (395-386 BC) saw the Spartans, with eventual Persian aid, defeat an alliance of Thebes, Corinth, Argos and Athens and apparently remain the dominant power on mainland Greece. However the early part of the war took place at the same time as a Persian-Spartan War (400- 387 BC) that saw Sparta lose her short-lived maritime empire, and it was quickly followed by an intervention at Thebes that ended in disaster.

Persian-Spartan War (400-387 BC)

The Persian-Spartan War (400-387 BC) saw the Spartans break with their former supporters in Persia and attempt to replace the Athenians as the defenders of the Greeks of Asia Minor. They were soon distracted by the Corinthian War in Greece, and at the end of the war sacrificed their original allies in order to maintain their position of power at home.

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Battle of Tauberbischofsheim (24 July 1866)

The battle of Tauberbischofsheim (24 July 1866) was a Prussian victory that prevented the Federal 8th Corps from defending the line of the River Tauber, and that ended any chance of a coordinated Federal and Bavarian counterattack against the Prussian Army of the Main (Austro-Prussian War of 1866).

Battle of Werbach (24 July 1866)

The battle of Werbach (24 July 1866) was one of two battles on the same day that saw the Prussians defeat an attempt by their German opponents to defend the line of the River Tauber (Austro-Prussian War of 1866).

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Lawrence Class destroyers

The Lawrence Class destroyers were a sub-group within the Bainbridge class, and had a different layout forward and a different arrangement of funnels.

USS Hull (DD-7)

USS Hull (DD-7) was a Hopkins class destroyer that spent most of her service career operating in home waters. After the US entry into the First World War she protected the Panama Canal Zone and then carried out anti-submarine patrols in the Atlantic.

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Churchill Mk IX

The Churchill Mk IX was the designation given to Mk IIIs and Mk IVs that had been upgraded, but that kept their original 6-pounder gun.

Churchill Mk VIII (A22F)

The Churchill Mk VIII (A22F) was a version of the Heavy Churchill Mk VII that carried a 95mm howitzer in place of the 75mm gun used on the Mk VII.

Monday, November 02, 2015

Ancient Warfare Vol IX, Issue 3: Mighty Rulers of Anatolia - Hittites and their successors.

Ancient Warfare Vol IX, Issue 3: Mighty Rulers of Anatolia - Hittites and their successors.
Focuses on the Hittites, one of the great empires of pre-classical antiquity, and takes great advantage of the surprising range of documents that have survived from that period. Includes a set of rules for the Guards and horse training instructions. Also looks at Hittite fortifications, the Hittite army and the Neo-Hittite kingdoms.  
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Ancient Warfare VIII Issue 6: The Savage Captor: Taken Captive, the Roman conquest of Greece. .

Ancient Warfare VIII Issue 6: The Savage Captor: Taken Captive, the Roman conquest of Greece. .
Looks at the series of wars that saw the Romans go from minor players in the far west to the dominant power in Greece, after a series of wars considered to be unusually savage by Greek historians. Includes articles on the reasons the Romans were seen as so brutal, their equipment, and the key battle of Cynoscephalae.
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Ancient Warfare VIII Issue 5: Rebellion against the Empire: The Jewish-Roman Wars.

Ancient Warfare VIII Issue 5: Rebellion against the Empire: The Jewish-Roman Wars.
Focuses on the three major Jewish revolts of 66-135 AD, in which the Romans struggled successful to overcome determined Jewish resistance, and each of which resulted in worse hardships for the Jews within the Roman Empire. Most articles look at the first revolt, but there is one each on the second and third, as well as a look at the possible use of dogs in Greek warfare and on Alexander the Great's conquest of the Persian coastal satrapies
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