General Alexander Patch (1889-1945)

General Alexander Patch (1889-1945) was one of the few US commanders to fight in both the Pacific and European theatres, commanding on Guadalcanal and during Operation Dragoon.

North Cape 1943 – the Sinking of the Scharnhorst, Angus Konstam

A look at the last battle in which a British battleship fought against an enemy battleship, and the last clash between battleships fought without airpower. An excellent account of this battle, including a good background history, an explanation of the many advantages held by the British, and a detailed account of the battle, seen from both sides 

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Renaissance Armies in Italy 1450-1550, Gabriele Esposito

Looks at the main eight armies of the Italian Wars, a series of major conflicts that dominated Italy during the first half of the sixteenth century, and ended with the country largely dominated by Spain. Traces the development of each these armies during a period that saw the emergence of the first recognisably ‘modern’ infantry, the Spanish ‘tercios’

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Early Military Rifles 1740-1850, Balaza Nemeth

Focuses largely on the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the period that saw the first standardised rifles begin to appear, before the rifle slowly replaced the smoothbore musket as the main weapon of the infantry. An excellent book that covers the development of the flintlock and percussion muskets, and each countries training, ammo and tactics, 

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HMS Wolverine (1910)

HMS Wolverine (1910) was a Beagle class destroyer that spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean, where she took part in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns. She returned to home waters late in 1917, where she sank after a collision with a minesweeper on 12 December 1917.

USS Zeilin (DD-313)

USS Zeilin (DD-313) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Battle Force in the Pacific during the 1920s, before being decommissioned on 22 January 1930.

Curtiss R-9

The Curtiss R-9 was a twin float plane bomber that was based on the earlier Curtiss R-6, but with the pilot and observer’s positions reversed.

Josef 'Sepp' Dietrich (1892-1966) was one of Hitler’s favourite SS commanders, but his military record was mixed, and included successes in Normandy and failures during the battle of the Bulge. He was also implicated in a series of war crimes, and convicted for his part in the Malmedy Massacre.

HMS Scourge (1910)

HMS Scourge (1910) was a Beagle class destroyer that spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean, where she took part in the Gallipoli. She returned to home waters briefly over the winter of 1914-15 to escort troops ships to France, and permanently late in 1917 to carry out anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort duties.

USS Young (DD-312)

USS Young (DD-312) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Pacific Fleet, before being lost during the Honda Point disaster of 8 September 1923.

Curtiss R-6

The Curtiss R-6 was a twin float observation plane that was a more powerful version of the earlier R-3, and that was the first US Navy aircraft to see service overseas.

Omar Nelson Bradley (1893-1981)

Omar Nelson Bradley (1893-1981) rose to command the US 12th Army Group during the campaign in Europe in 1944-45, putting him in charge of more American combat troops than any other officer. He was famous for his concern for the GIs, but also made a number of controversial decisions.

Eagles over the Sea 1943-45 – A History of Luftwaffe Maritime Operations, Lawrence Paterson

Part two of a study of German maritime operations looks at the years of decline, which saw the Luftwaffe lose control of the skies over the Bay of Biscay, suffer during the retreat on the Eastern Front, and entirely fail to contribute to the defence against Operation Overlord, but also a period in which it still had teeth, and inflicted some losses on the Allied fleets supporting the landings at Salerno and Anzio. At the same time the author traces the rise in the political influence of the Navy, after one of Hitler’s favourites Donitz replaced Raeder as commander-in-chief while Goring lost influence after failing to supply Stalingrad or to stop the increasingly heavy Allied bombing of Germany

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Secret Operations of World War II, Alexander Stilwell

Starts off a bit scattergun, with a rather short look at the complex world of British secret operations, but improves when it looks at the less familiar resistance movements across occupied Europe, where we get a good overview of the various organisations, their motivations and activities, and the costly German counter-measures. A useful introduction to this vast topic, giving a good impression of how widespread and how varied the resistance to the German occupation was across Europe 

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Morning Star, Midnight Sun – The Early Guadalcanal-Solomons Campaign of World War II August-October 1942, Jeffrey R. Cox

A splendid account of the early days of the Guadalcanal campaign, when the Americans were operating on a shoestring, and the Japanese probably missed their best chances to win the battle by underestimating their opponents. A fascinating tale of a battle that was fought at the extreme end of both side’s supply lines, and in which the Americans came to dominate the day and the Japanese to dominate the night, told in a very entertaining, if sometimes rather judgemental way, with a great deal of excellent material on both sides of the campaign

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HMS Scorpion (1910)

HMS Scorpion (1910) was a Beagle class destroyer that spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean, where she took part in the Dardanelles and Gallipoli campaigns. She returned to home waters early in 1918 to take part in anti-submarine and convoy escort duties

USS Nicholas (DD-311)

USS Nicholas (DD-311) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Pacific Fleet, before being lost during the Honda Point disaster of 8 September 1923.

Curtiss

The Curtiss R-4 was an improved version of the Curtiss R-2 observation aircraft, and was ordered in larger numbers by the US Army in 1916.

General Troy Houston Middleton (1889-1976)

General Troy Houston Middleton (1889-1976) was one of the most able corps commanders in the US army, taking part in the invasion of Sicily, the landings at Salerno, the Brittany campaign, and most famously the battle of the Bulge, where he played a major role in the successful defence of Bastogne.

German Guided Missiles of World War II – Fritz X to Wasserfall and X-4, Steven J. Zaloga

Looks at the various German anti-ship, anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles that either entered service, or were close to doing so, during the Second World War. Only the anti-shipping missiles actually reached the combat stage, and during 1943 achieved a number of successes during the Italian campaign, most famously sinking the Italian battleship Italia as it was attempting to surrender. Covers the technical side, the development history, and for those that had one the combat record of each of the main weapons, supported by good illustrations of all but the most obscure of weapons.
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Nieuwpoort 1600 – The First Modern Battle, Bouko de Groot

Looks at the first major victory won by the reformed army of the Dutch Republic, the first recognisably modern European army, retrained to use the new concept of ‘drill’, which generally made it easier to command, respond quicker to commands, helped keep musketry accurate and controlled for longer, and even improved the resilience of drilled units. Contains an excellent account of those reforms – how they worked and the advantages they gave the Dutch, as well as the campaign and the battle itself, along with the aftermath in which any benefits from the Dutch victory were largely squandered
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For Orange and the States - The Army of the Dutch Republic, 1713-1772. Part I - Infantry, Marc Geerdink-Schaftgenaar

. A detailed look at the infantry of the Dutch Republic in the years between the end of the War of the Austrian Succession to the adoption of new uniform regulations in 1772 when new uniform regulations were adopted, ending a period of obscurity. The first half of the book is a readable military history of the Dutch Republic from its foundation to the end of its second year of involvement in the War of the Austrian Succession, the second half a reference section bringing together what we know about the uniforms and commanders of each regiment in the Dutch infantry
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USS S P Lee (DD-310)

USS S P Lee (DD-310) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Pacific Fleet before being lost in the Honda Point disaster of 8 September 1923.