480th Antisubmarine Group (USAAF)

The 480th Antisubmarine Group (USAAF) was based in Morocco and flew anti-submarine patrols over the Atlantic approaches to the Mediterranean.

343rd Fighter Group

The 343rd Fighter Group was based in Alaska from the autumn of 1942 and took part in the campaign against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands.

1st Search Attack Group

The 1st Search Attack Group was an experimental anti-submarine warfare unit that was created in the summer of 1942 at a time when the US military was struggling to cope with the threat of the U-boats.

Admiral Laurent Jean François Truguet (1752-1839)

Admiral Laurent Jean François Truguet (1752-1839) was a French admiral who was suspected of hostility to the Revolution, and argued with Napoleon, but still managed to maintain a career that lasted into the post-Napoleonic period.

Marshal Guillaume Marie Anne Brune (1763-1815)

Marshal Guillaume Marie Anne Brune (1763-1815) served under Napoleon early in the future Emperor's career, and was one of first group of Napoleonic Marshals, despite a fairly unimpressive career.

Records of the Medieval Sword, Ewart Oakeshott.

Records of the Medieval Sword, Ewart Oakeshott. 

A detailed study of hundreds of surviving Medieval swords, looking at their physical form, known history and any surviving decoration, almost all supported with a photo of the weapon. Invaluable if you are interested the Medieval Sword, useful if you are interested in Medieval Warfare or weaponry, perhaps a bit specialised otherwise.
[read full review]

The Norway Campaign: and the Rise of Churchill 1940, Anthony Dix.

The Norway Campaign: and the Rise of Churchill 1940, Anthony Dix. 

A good single volume history of the Norway campaign, looking at the land, sea and air aspects of the campaign, from Norwegian, British and German points of view. Particularly useful for its account of the Norwegian resistance to invasion, which is often skipped over in accounts of the British intervention.
 [read full review]

Fabled Fifteen - The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Fabled Fifteen - The Pacific War Saga of Carrier Air Group 15, Thomas McKelvey Cleaver. 

A history of probably the most successful US Carrier Air Group of the Second World War (despite only serving on the front line for seven months), which fought at the battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf, helped sink the battleship Musashi and carrier Zuikaku, and whose fighter squadron had more 'aces' than combat losses.
[read full review]

Char D2

The Char D2 was a development of the D1 with more armour and more engine power. It was produced in small numbers, and only because famous because it was used in de Gaulle's armoured unit during the fighting of 1940.

Char D1 Infantry Tank

The Char D1 Infantry Tank was the first French tank to carry a 47mm gun, but it was an unpopular design had had been relegated to service in North Africa by 1940.

Peisander (d.394 BC)

Peisander (d.394 BC) was the brother in law of King Agesilaus II of Sparta, and was defeated and killed at the naval battle of Cnidus, where Sparta's brief period of naval domination ended.

Pausanias (d.c.470-465)

Pausanias (d.c.470-465) was a controversial Spartan who commanded the victorious Greek army at Plataea, but who was later accused of treason and executed in Sparta.

A.E.G. B.II

The A.E.G. B.II was an improved version of the B.I. Like the B.I it used welded steel tubes for the fuselage, with wooden wing ribs and a fabric covering.

A.E.G. B.I

The A.E.G. B.I was an unarmed three-bay biplane with wings on unequal span. It was designed in 1914 and used a method of construction that would become the standard for A.E.G. aircraft.

USS Whipple (DD-15)

USS Whipple (DD-15) was a Truxtun class destroyer that served off the Panama Canal and from the Azores in 1917, then carried out convoy escort duties and anti-submarine patrols from Brest during 1918.

USS Truxtun (DD-14)

USS Truxtun (DD-14) was the name ship of the Truxtun class of destroyers. She served in Panamanian and Columbia waters during the early months of the US involvement in the First World War, then spent three months based at the Azores before operating from Brest in France during 1918.

479th Antisubmarine Group

The 479th Antisubmarine Group operated from England from mid July 1943 to October 1943, attacking German U-boats as they crossed the Bay of Biscay.

477th Composite Group (USAAF)

The 477th Composite Group (USAAF) was an African-American combat unit that never reached combat, and that suffered from repeated morale problems due to segregation and suspicion of the USAAF's intentions for the group.

443rd Troop Carrier Group (USAAF)

The 443rd Troop Carrier Group (USAAF) supported the Allied troops fighting in Burma, and then took part in the efforts to fly supplies into China, ending the war operating directly within China.

General François Etienne Kellermann (1770-1835)

General François Etienne Kellermann (1770-1835) was the son of Marshal Kellermann, the victor of Valmy, and was a very distinguished cavalry general in his own right, playing a major part in the French victory at Marengo.

Marshal François Christophe de Kellermann, duke of Valmy (1735-1820)

Marshal François Christophe de Kellermann, duke of Valmy (1735-1820) was an experienced commander who helped save the young French Revolution from its foreign enemies at the battle of Valmy.

Naval Resistance to Britain's Growing Power in India 1660-1800 - The Saffron Banner and the Tiger of Mysore, Philip MacDougall.

Naval Resistance to Britain's Growing Power in India 1660-1800 - The Saffron Banner and the Tiger of Mysore, Philip MacDougall. 
Looks at the clashes between British naval power and the fleets of the Marathas and Mysore, in the period when the East Indies Company went from being a trading company to a major political power in India. The author really knows his material, and as a result we get a very detailed picture of various Indian fleets, their ships, organisation and leadership and the reasons they failed to overcome the British.
 [read full review]

French Destroyers 1922-1956, John Jordan & Jean Moulin.

French Destroyers 1922-1956, John Jordan & Jean Moulin. 
A splendid study of the French Torpilleurs d'escadre and Contre-Torpilleurs (large 'super destroyers') of the interwar period, impressive warships that had limited wartime careers. Covers both the technical features of the ships and their service careers, supported by excellent plans and contemporary photographs. I can’t imagine anyone every publishing a more detailed book on this topic in English.
[read full review]

Commonwealth Cruisers 1939-45, Angus Konstam .

Commonwealth Cruisers 1939-45, Angus Konstam . 
Looks at the cruisers that fought with the navies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada during the Second World War, playing a part in the Pacific, Atlantic and Mediterranean theatres. Focuses heavily on the navies and the ships themselves rather than their operational histories, so good if you want to know what the Dominions had, less so if you want to know what they did. Supported by excellent photos and illustrations. 
[read full review]

Miltiades the Younger (c.554-489 BC)

Miltiades the Younger (c.554-489 BC) was the victorious Athenian commander at the battle of Marathon, but he died in disgrace in the following year, a victim of the often poisonous politics of Athens.

Iphicrates (c.418-353 BC)

Iphicrates (c.418-353 BC) was an Athenian general who played a key part in the recovery of Athenian power in the aftermath of the Corinthian War, but who was less successful during the Social War, fought against Athens's own allies.

A.E.G. J.II

The A.E.G. J.II was a modified version of the A.E.G. J.I ground attack aircraft, and was introduced in 1918.

A.E.G. J.I

The A.E.G. J.I was an early ground attack aircraft, designed to fill the new infantry support units created by the German air service in 1916.

Truxtun class destroyers

The Truxtun class destroyers were the last of the first sixteen torpedo boat destroyers built for the US Navy, and were more strongly built than normal and carried one extra 6-pounder gun.

USS Steward (DD-13) was the fastest of the Bainbridge class destroyers, and is often placed into a sub-class of its own.

USS Steward (DD-13) was the fastest of the Bainbridge class destroyers, and is often placed into a sub-class of its own.

Horace François Bastien Sebastiani (1772-1851)

Horace François Bastien Sebastiani (1772-1851) was a French general who fought at Austerlitz, in Spain and during the invasion of Russia, but who is perhaps best know for being surprised on several occasions in Russia.

General Barthelémy Loius Joseph Scherer (1747-1804)

General Barthelémy Loius Joseph Scherer (1747-1804) was a French general best known for commanding the French army in Italy for three separate spells.

Point Pleasant 1774 - Prelude to the American Revolution, John F Winkler .

Point Pleasant 1774 - Prelude to the American Revolution, John F Winkler . 
Looks at a war between Virginia and a largely Shawnee army fought on the eve of the American War of Independence. With good use of sources from both sides of the conflict, Winkler traces the course of a war that allowed the United States of America to claim the area between the Ohio and the Appalachian Mountains as part of the new country.
 [read full review]

Winchester Lever-Action Rifles, Martin Pegler.

Winchester Lever-Action Rifles, Martin Pegler. 
A look at one of the first important rapid fire rifles, a firearm that became iconic as one of the weapons that 'Won the West', and a familiar fixture in western movies. Looks at its predecessors, the technology that made it work, the many variants produced, and its widespread use across America. Includes some excellent contemporary plans of the workings.
 [read full review]

Where the Iron Crosses Grow - The Crimea 1941-44, Robert Forczyk.

Where the Iron Crosses Grow - The Crimea 1941-44, Robert Forczyk. 
A detailed history of the series of complex campaigns fought in the Crimea between 1941 and 1944, including the German conquest, two failed Soviet counterattacks and the eventual liberation of the area in 1944. Introduction also includes an account of the fighting during the Russian Revolution. An excellent history of a more complex campaign than I had realised.
[read full review]

Treaty of Prague (23 August 1866)

The Treaty of Prague (23 August 1866) ended the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, and saw the Austrians withdraw from German affairs and acknowledge the supremacy of Prussia in northern Germany. Prussia gained some four million citizens, and leadership of a North German Confederation.

Battle of Rossbrun (26 July 1866)

The battle of Rossbrun (26 July 1866) was the final significant fighting during the German campaign of the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and saw the Prussians inflict a defeat on the Bavarian army just to the west of Würzburg.

Thibron (d.392 BC)

Thibron (d.392 BC) was an unsuccessful Spartan commander who was killed in a Persian ambush in Asia Minor.

Agesilaus II, king of Sparta (c.444-360 BC)

Agesilaus II, king of Sparta (c.444-360 BC) was a successful general who was unable to prevent the slow decline of Sparta from its position of dominance at the end of the Great Peloponnesian War.

342nd Composite Group

The 342nd Composite Group was a mainly fighter unit that formed part of the garrison of Iceland.

4th Combat Cargo Group

The 4th Combat Cargo Group was a transport unit that fought in the Burma campaign and took part in the last stages of the air-lift of supplies into China over the 'Hump'.

3rd Combat Cargo Group

The 3rd Combat Cargo Group was a transport unit that was formed in India in 1944 and that operated over India and China for the rest of the war.

USS Preble (DD-12)

USS Preble (DD-12) was a Paul Jones class destroyer that served with the Pacific Fleet before the First World War and then escorted convoys off the US East Coast.

USS Perry (DD-11)

USS Perry (DD-11) was a Paul Jones class destroyer that served in the Pacific Fleet. During the First World War she guarded the Panama Canal and then operated in the Florida Keys.

Churchill Octopus

The Churchill Octopus was produced in an attempt to clear a safe path across minefields, using turretless Churchill tanks to detonate mines and as the basis of a causeway.

Gun Carrier, 3in, Churchill

The Gun Carrier, 3in, Churchill, was produced as an emergency measure in an attempt to provide a more powerful mobile anti-tank weapon than the 2-pounder in use in contemporary British tanks.