Medieval Warfare Vol VI, Issue 5: Bernard's Chosen - The Knights Templar

 Focuses on the Knights Templar, one of the two famous main military orders who fought in the Middle East during the Crusades, but who are perhaps best known now for their destruction by Philip IV of France, and their seemingly endless appearances in modern fiction. Here the focus is on the real historical order, how they were founded and organised, the reasons for their successes, and for their defeats, how they were seen at the time, and how they were remembered
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Ancient Warfare Vol X, Issue 5: The Legacy of Cyrus - The empires of Persia at War

Focuses on the massive Persian Empire, starting with the conquest of Cyrus the Great and going on to the later Sassanid period. Includes an interesting look at how Cyrus’s conquest of Babylon became the basis of a much later Sassanid myth, the undocumented but archeologically interesting of Dura-Europos, and the portrayal of Artemisia of Halicarnassus in the Greek histories of the period
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Ancient Warfare Vol X, Issue 3: Rome versus Poisonous Pontus - The Mithridatic Wars, 88-63 BC

Longs at the three wars between Rome and Mithridates VI of Pontus, spread out over three crucial decades that saw the beginning of the end for the old Roman Republic. Includes articles on the Roman strategy in Asia Minor, the Greek view of the wars, the armies of Mithridates, his ally Tigranes II and the Roman commander Lucullus. Away from the theme there is a look at Egyptian sea power, and the nature of Greek siege warfare
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HMS Tartar (1907)

HMS Tartar (1907) was a Tribal class destroyer that served with the Dover Patrol during the First World War, taking part in the early bombardments of the Belgian coast, the battle of the Dover Straits, and surviving being mined, before ending the war with the XI Submarine Flotilla of the Grand Fleet at Blyth

USS Lardner (DD-286)

USS Lardner (DD-286) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic and Scouting Fleets during the 1920s and spent a year in European waters before she was decommissioned in 1930.

Curtiss XP-87/ XF-87 Blackhawk

The Curtiss XP-87/ XF-87 Blackhawk was the company’s first all-jet aircraft, and was briefly ordered into production, before being cancelled in favour of the Northrop F-89 Scorpion.

Torpedo Bombers 1900-1950, Jean-Denis Lepage

Looks at the fairly short history of the torpedo bomber, focusingly mainly on the aircraft themselves, with a series of historical introductions looking at the development of the torpedo and torpedo bomber, and each of the historical periods the book is split into. The book is built around hundreds of short articles on the individual aircraft, each supported by at least one of the author’s own illustrations. Very useful for the earlier period, and well into the Second World War, perhaps less so later on, reflecting the decline of the actual torpedo bomber!
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Malaya and Singapore 1941-42, Mark Stille

 Looks at one of the most disastrous campaigns in British military history, from the Japanese landings in northern Malaya and southern Thailand to the failed attempt to defend Singapore. Starts with an examination of the justifiably criticised British commanders and their more experienced and capable Japanese opponents, and of the opposing forces, before moving on to a good clear account of the skilful Japanese advance and the often woeful British defence, which led to the eventual surrender of Singapore and over 130,000 POWs.
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North Africa and the Middle East – Wargames Terrain & Buildings, Tony Harwood

Part two in a series on scratch building wargaming terrain, looking at North Africa and the Middle East, but with no particular time period in mind. Contains a mix of fairly simple and more complex models, mainly buildings but also including a gunboat and an entire oasis scene. The many and varied techniques look fairly achievable, and the instructions are nice and clear. Now I just need an excuse to build myself a model mud brick hut!
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HMS Mohawk (1907)

HMS Mohawk (1907) was a Tribal class destroyer that served with the Dover Patrol during the First World War, where she survived being mined and was damaged during the battle of the Dover Straits. She ended the war with the X Submarine Flotilla, on the Tees

USS Case (DD-285)

USS Case (DD-285) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic Fleet for most of the 1920s, as well as spending a year in European waters, before being decommissioned in 1930.

Curtiss XP-71

The Curtiss XP-71 was a design for a very heavy escort fighter, designed to support long range bombers. Two prototypes were ordered, but the project was cancelled before either of them had been completed

Medieval Warfare Vol VIII, Issue 5: Early Arab Assaults on Byzantium

Focuses on the early Arab attacks on the city of Constantinople, and the Byzantine armies that defeated them, including a convincing argument that the first Arab siege, of 674-8, probably didn’t happen in that form as well as a look at the siege of 717-8 that very much did. Includes a fascinating account of the contacts between the Spanish in the Philippines and Japanese exiles, including as enemies and as much admired mercenaries
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Medieval Warfare Vol VIII, Issue 4: From Priest to King - Sverrir Sigurdsson and his saga

Focuses on the career of Sverri Sigurdsson who rose from humble origins and early training to be a priest to win the crown of Norway after a successful rebellion against an apparently popular king. One of those historical figures who life reads more like a novel than real life, at least in part because many of the details come from a saga that he probably just about co-authored!  Also looks at the impact of the Black Death on warfare, in particular the Hundred Years, which was in its early stages at the time
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Ancient Warfare Vol XI, Issue 5: Riding into Battle - Ancient mounted warfare

Focuses on mounted warfare in the ancient world, but with a wider remit than horse cavalry, so includes a look at dromedary troops, two articles on war elephants and one on a type of infantry that found alongside the cavalry, as well as the evidence for cavalry on the Pydna monument, and an examination of how the Legions cared for their horses. Also includes an alternative theory on how the Legions fought, and a look at a mystery troop type mentioned in a Roman military manual
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HMS Ghurka (1907)

HMS Ghurka (1907) was a Tribal class destroyer that served with the Dover Patrol during the First World War, helping to sink U-8 before she was sunk by a mine early in 1917.

USS Isherwood (DD-284)

USS Isherwood (DD-284) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic and Scouting Fleets for most of the 1920s, as well as spending a year in European waters, before being decommissioned in 1930.

Curtiss XP-62

The Curtiss XP-62 was the heaviest American single-seat fighter to fly during the Second World War, but was underpowered and never progressed beyond the prototype stage.

Battle of Carentan (9-13 June 1944)

The battle of Carentan (9-13 June 1944) saw the 101st Airborne capture the key town at the base of the Cotentin peninsula, finally establishing a link between the two American beachheads and helping to ensure the success of the Overlord landings.

Prisoners on Cannock Chase, Richard Purehouse.

A rare history of a First World War era Prisoner of War camp in Britain, looking at a camp built on Cannock Chase, combining a normal POW camp and a hospital camp. Covers the physical layout of the camp, life within the camp, entertainment, discipline and complaints about the commandant. An interesting account of an unusual topic, with good material from the German point of view, that of the camp’s garrison as well as from the locals in the Cannock area.
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Special Forces in the War on Terror, Leigh Neville

Looks at the used of the many Special Forces units available to the Americans and their allies during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and during the wider war on Terror, looking both at how they were organised and directed at a top level, and at many of their individual missions on the ground, as well as how their equipment and techniques evolved over time. Ends before the rise of ISIS to prominence, although there are a few mentions along the way
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Run to the Sound of the Guns, Nicholas Moore & Mir Bahmanyar

A very atmospheric account of the experiences of a US Army Ranger who was involved in the War of Terror from the start in 2001 until being wounded in 2011. This period saw the Rangers evolve from a unit that carried out large scale operations, to one capable of carrying out the sort of small scale raids previous left to the Special Forces, and Moore is an engaging guide to that development. We get a convincing mix of successful and unsuccessful operations, and a real feel for what it was like to carry out operations in the Afghan mountains or the Iraqi urban landscape
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HMS Cossack (1907)

HMS Cossack (1907) was a Tribal class destroyer that served with the Dover Patrol during the First World War, taking part in the early bombardments of the Belgian coast and surviving very serious damage after hitting a mine.

Curtiss XP-55 Ascender

The Curtiss XP-55 Ascender was an unusual tail first fighter that reached the prototype stage, but that proved to be inferior to more conventional fighter designs.

Operation Overlord or the battle of Normandy (6 June-25 August 1944)

Operation Overlord or the battle of Normandy (6 June-25 August 1944) was the start of the Allied campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-western Europe, and began with the largest amphibious assault in history on D-Day, before developing into a costly struggle in Normandy that finally ended with the dramatic collapse of the German position in France leading to the ‘Great Swan’ towards the German border.