Beagle Class or G Class destroyers (1909)

The Beagle Class or G Class destroyers (1909) were developed from the earlier River class, and spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean, where the entire class served in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli. Half of the class briefly returned to home waters over the winter of 1914-15 to escort troop ships to France, and late in 1917 the entire class began to move home to help escort convoys, at first from Buncrana in the north of Ireland and later from Devonport.

USS Chauncey (DD-296)

USS Chauncey (DD-296) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Pacific Fleet until her loss in the Honda Point disaster in 1923.

Curtiss JN-4

The Curtiss JN-4 was the main production version of the Curtiss Jenny, and was the most important American primary trainer during the First World War, and one of the main aircraft used by the barnstormers of the early 1920s.

battle of Saint-Lo (7-19 July 1944)

The battle of Saint-Lo (7-19 July 1944) was an essential preliminary to the eventual American breakout from Normandy, and saw them struggle through the bocage country to reach the starting point for Operation Cobra.

The Normans in Italy 1016-1194, Raffaele D’Amato and Andrea Salimbeti

An overview of the Norman presence in Italy, from the first appearance of the Normans as mercenaries to the formation of the powerful Kingdom of Sicily, and their dominance of the central Mediterranean, looking at their history in Italy, how they fought, how they were equipped and examining two sample battles. Nicely sub-divided to reflect the very different natures of the early conquest armies and the later Royal armies, and the multi-cultural nature of the army, with Norman, Greek and Muslim components 

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Velikiye Luki 1942-43 – The Doomed Fortress, Robert Forczyk

Looks at a significant but relatively unknown battle on the Eastern Front, the first time that a reasonably prepared German force had been wiped out in a siege, and a determined relief effort had failed. Overshadowed by the similar but much larger battle of Stalingrad, this was still a major battle, and demonstrates many of the trends that were leading the Germans to defeat

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World War II German Super-Heavy Siege Guns, Marc Romanych & Martin Rupp

Looks at the heaviest siege artillery used by the Germans during the Second World War, from the super-heavy but essentially useless 80cm railway guns ‘Dora’ and ‘Gustav’ to the old First World War guns pressed into service. Nicely organised, with their combat record examined campaign by campaign, and with a useful emphasis on how the guns were actually used in practice

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HMS Zubian (1917)

HMS Zubian (1917) was a Tribal class destroyer that was forced from the bow of HMS Zulu and the stern of HMS Nubian, and that served with the Dover Patrol from the summer of 1917 to the end of the war.

USS Osborne (DD-295)

USS Osborne (DD-295) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic Fleet for most of her career, as well as spending a year in European Waters and briefly taking part in a US intervention in Nicaragua. After her first military career she was sold for scrap, but instead turned into a banana boat, which was then chartered by the US Navy after the outbreak of the Second World War. She was then taken over by the Army as part of a plan to rush supplies to the Philippines, before finally being destroyed by fire at Sydney in 1942

Curtiss JN-3

The Curtiss JN-3 was the first version of the famous Curtiss Jenny to be produced in large numbers, mainly as a trainer for the RNAS. Two were also purchased by the US Army, but both were lost during the expedition to Mexico in 1916.

Operation Windsor (4-5 July 1944)

Operation Windsor (4-5 July 1944) was a Canadian attack on Carpiquet airfield that made some progress, but left the Germans in possession of part of the airfield.

The Desert Air Force in World War II - Air Power in the Western Desert 1940-1942, Ken Delve

A very detailed examination of the day-by-day experiences of the British and Empire aircrew who fought in North Africa, from the early victorious campaigns against the Italians, through the back-and-fore period against Rommel, ending with the defensive battles deep inside Egypt, the highpoint of Rommel’s advance towards the Nile. Does include brief overviews of the strategic situation, but focuses very much on the day-to-day personal memories of the aircrew

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The Battle of Tsushima, Phil Carradice

Although the book includes good material on the reasons for the campaign and the battle itself, it focuses largely on the utterly compelling story of the 18,000 mile long voyage taken by the Russian Baltic Fleet as it moved towards near-total distruction at the battle of Tsushima. This voyage was a major achievement, carried out with hardly any friendly bases along the route, but is inevitably overshadowed by the crushing defeat of the Russian fleet at the end of the voyage 

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Nierstein and Oppenheim 1945 – Patton Bounces the Rhine, Russ Rodgers

Looks at the campaign that saw Patton’s Third Army carry out a formal assault across the Moselle, then ‘bounce’ across the Rhine, getting across that river just before the start of Montgomery’s large scale formal assault further north (although the speed of the final attack was motivated more by a desire to stop the Germans forming a new front). This is an excellent examination of Patton’s method of war, demonstrating why the Germans feared him so

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HMS Zulu (1909)

HMS Zulu (1909) was a Tribal class destroyer that served with the Dover Patrol during the First World War, until she was badly damaged by a mine late in 1916. Her bow was then combined with the stern of the Nubian to produce a new destroyer, HMS Zubian.

USS Charles Ausburn (DD-294)

USS Charles Ausburn (DD-294) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic Fleet for most of the 1920s, taking part in a year long cruise to European waters in 1925-26.

Curtiss JN-2

The Curtiss JN-2 was the first version of the famous Curtiss Jenny, and was produced in small numbers for the US Army. It wasn’t a great success and within a year the surviving aircraft had been updated to the JN-3 standard.

Odon Counterattack (29-June-1 July 1944)

The Odon Counterattack (29-June-1 July 1944) saw the Germans attack both flanks of the British bridgehead created during Operation Epsom, in an attempt to cut it off at its base. The attacks failed, and forced the Germans to commit the newly arrived II SS Panzer Corps to the Caen front, ending any chance of a major counterattack towards the coast.

Operation Market-Garden 1944 (2) - The British Airborne Missions, Ken Ford

Part two of a three part series on Market-Garden, looking at the 1st Airborne Division’s battle at Arnhem itself, where they were able to hold on for much longer than the plan required (despite a number of serious flaws with the airborne plan and mistakes on the ground), before the survivors were forced to retreat back across the Rhine. A good short account of this famous battle, useful for anyone who wants to understand the battle without getting bogged down in too much detail

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The Jacobite Rising of 1715 and the Murray Family – Brothers in Arms, Rosalind Anderson

Looks at the history of the Murray family, one of the senior families of the Scottish aristocracy, in the period leading up to the ’15, where three sons of John Murray, first duke of Atholl, fought on the Jacobite side. Well supported by an impressive array of family letters, this book gives us a real feel for life within this family, and helps explain why so many of the duke’s sons repeatedly rebelled

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Japan’s Asian Allies 1941-45, Philip Jowett

Looks at the surprisingly numerous and varied forces raised by the Japanese across their short-lived Empire during the Second World War, ranging from the large, moderately well equipped forces of the Indian National Army to small occupation forces armed with spears or clubs. Includes a number of forces that were later remembered as part of post-war independence movements, and quite a few that changed sides as the war progressed

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HMS Viking (1909)

HMS Viking (1909) 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, surviving very serious damage after hitting a  mine early in 1916 and taking part in the battle of the Dover Straits.

USS Billingsley (DD-293)

USS Billingsley (DD-293) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic fleet for most of the 1920s, apart from a year spent in European waters.

Curtiss Jenny (Model JN)

The Curtiss Jenny (Model JN) was the most important American primary trainer of the First World War, and played a major role in the development of civil aviation after the end of the war.

Operation Epsom (26-30 June 1944)

Operation Epsom (26-30 June 1944) was the second major British attack on Caen, and the first major British offensive after D-Day, and was an attempt to reach the high ground south of the city and threaten the Caen-Falaise Road. The attack failed to meet those early Overlord objectives, but did force the Germans to move reinforcements to the Caen area.

Armoured Cruiser Cressy, detailed in the original builders’ plan, Andrew Choong

Looks at the Cressy class armoured cruisers, using the beautifully drawn ‘as-fitted’plans produced after they were completed, to illustrate their actual layout in great detail. Part of a splendid series, this is a good example of a particular type of armoured cruiser, with many of its guns carried in two layers of casemates along the sides. By 1914 the armoured cruiser was almost obsolete, and the Cressy class is most famous for the loss of three to one U-boat on a single day, but when new they were were powerful modern ships. As with all of these books, this answers all sorts of questions about the layout of these ships, and is fascinating to look through.

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Battle in the Baltic – The Royal Navy and the Fight to Save Estonia and Latvia 1918-20, Steve R Dunn

Looks at the Royal Navy’s involvement in the Baltic after the Russian Revolution, where it played a significant role in securing the independence of Estonia and Latvia, against threats from the Bolsheviks, expansionist Germans, White Russians who wanted to restore the entire Tsarist Empire, all the time working without any significant political support at home, or any clear idea what the British government policy actually was. Despite the limited resources available the Navy still managed to carry out a motor boat attack on the main Soviet fleet, as well as providing invaluable support for the fighting on land, despite poor conditions that even triggered some minor mutinies.

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The Petlyakov Pe-2 – Stalin’s Succesful Red Air Force Light Bomber, Peter C. Smith

Looks at the development and career of the Petlyakov Pe-2, the most important Soviet twin engined bomber of the Second World War, and a successful dive bomber that played a major role in the fighting on the Eastern Front. Includes very detailed sections on the development of the aircraft, as well as its combat record, potted biographies of many of the key Pe-2 pilots, and its fairly brief post-war career. Sometimes exaggerates the significant and performance of the Pe-2, but is otherwise excellent.

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HMS Nubian (1909)

HMS Nubian (1909) was a Tribal class destroyer that served with the Dover Patrol until she was badly damaged during the battle of the Dover Straits in 1916. Her stern was then combined with the bow of HMS Zulu to produce a new destroyer, HMS Zubian.

USS Reid (DD-292)

USS Reid (DD-292) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Atlantic and Scouting Fleets during the 1920s, as well as spending a year in Europe waters, before being decommissioned in 1930.

Curtiss Model N

The Curtiss Model N was the company’s second successful tractor land plane, and was later developed into the N-9 float plane trainer as well as providing some features for the famous Curtiss JN ‘Jenny’.