Thursday, June 27, 2019

Focke-Wulf Fw 190B

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190B was one of three attempts to improve the high altitude performance of the aircraft, in this case by giving it a longer wing, GM-1 engine boost and a pressurized cabin.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

HMS Roebuck (1901)

HMS Roebuck (1901) was a C class destroyer that began the First World War as par of the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla, but spent most of the war with the Devonport Local Defence Flotilla.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

USS John D. Ford (DD-228)

USS John D. Ford (DD-228) was a Clemson class destroyer that began the Second World War in the Pacific, and survived the disastrous battle of the Java Sea, before spending most of the rest of the war on convoy escort or anti-submarine duties.

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190A was the most important fighter version of the aircraft, and was one of the best fighters in the world when it first entered service in 1941-42.

Tuesday, June 18, 2019

HMS Racehorse (1900)

HMS Racehorse (1900) was a C class destroyer that served with the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla at Dover throughout the First World War, and that was at sea during several German raids into the area, without coming into contact with them.

Monday, June 17, 2019

USS Pillsbury (DD-227)

USS Pillsbury (DD-227) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Asiatic Fleet from 1922, and was sunk by Japanese surface ships on 2 March 1942, after apparently attacking a much larger Japanese force.

Sunday, June 16, 2019

The Royal Navy 1793-1800 – Birth of a Superpower, Mark Jessop

An unusual approach to the history of the Royal Navy during the Revolutionary Wars, with each chapter starting with an account of the life of a semi-fictional character, tracing their experiences in key aspects of the war, before moving on to a more historical narrative.  Covers the main events of the war, including the early battles, the mutinies, and the various theatres of war, as well as the life of the normal sailor
(Read Full Review)

General Sir Ralph Abercromby and the French Revolutionary Wars, 1792-1801, Carole Divall

A biography of one of the more competent British generals of the Revolutionary Wars, killed at the height of his success during the expulsion of the French from Egypt. Inevitably most of his experiences during the Revolutionary War came during the unsuccessful campaigns in northern Europe, but he managed to emerge from these campaigns with his reputation largely intact, and won fame with his death during a successful campaign. An interesting study of a less familiar part of the British struggle against revolutionary France
(Read Full Review)

Fontenoy 1745 - Cumberland's Bloody Defeat, Michael McNally

Looks at a key French victory during the War of the Austrian Succession, where the British infantry enhanced their reputation after advancing into a trap and nearly winning an improbably victory despite being attacked from three sides. Traces the campaign that led to the British being drawn into that trap, and the failures elsewhere on the battlefield that meant that the famous infantry attack had little real chance of success, leading to a French victory that began a successful conquest of the Austrian Netherlands
(Read Full Review)

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

HMS Greyhound (1900)

HMS Greyhound (1900) was a C class destroyer that served with the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla at Dover from 1914-1918 and the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla on the Humber in 1918.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

USS Peary (DD-226)

USS Peary (DD-226) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Asiatic Fleet from 1922 and was sunk by Japanese aircraft at Darwin on 19 February 1942.

Monday, June 10, 2019

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was designed in response for a request for a ‘back-up’ to the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and went on to be one of the most important German military aircraft of the Second World War, with around 20,000 produced.

Thursday, June 06, 2019

USS Pope (DD-225)

USS Pope (DD-225) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Asiatic Fleet from 1922 until she was sunk by Japanese aircraft on 1 March 1942.

Wednesday, June 05, 2019

HMS Leven (1898)

HMS Leven (1898) was a C class destroyer that served with the Sixth Destroyer Flotilla at Dover during the First World War, and that sank UB-35 off Calais on 26 January 1918.

Tuesday, June 04, 2019

Focke-Wulf Ta 153

The Focke-Wulf Ta 153 was one of Kurt Tank’s early designs for a replacement for the Fw 190, and a partial prototype was constructed late in 1943, before the entire programme was cancelled for the second time.

Focke-Wulf Ta 152S

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152S was a planned two-man tandem trainer version of the Ta 152, which was ordered into production but never delivered.

Monday, June 03, 2019

HMS Leopard (1897)

HMS Leopard (1897) was a C class destroyer that began the First World War with the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla on the Humber, but was soon moved north to Scapa Flow. From 1917 she served as a convoy escort, taking part in the first Norwegian convoy. She ended the war with the Seventh Destroyer Flotilla on the Humber.