HMS Hydra (1912)

HMS Hydra (1912) was an Acheron class destroyer that served with the Harwich Force in 1914, fighting at Dogger Bank, at Rosyth in 1915-16, fighting at Jutland, at Devonport from late 1916-1917 and in the Mediterranean from September 1917 onwards.

USS Pruitt (DD-347)

USS Pruitt (DD-347) was a Clemson class destroyer that served in the Aleutians and off Bougainville during 1943, but spent most of the rest of the war on training or escort duties.

P.Z.L. 3

The P.Z.L. 3 was a Polish design for a heavy bomber that never got past the design stage, but that influenced the very similar Potez 41 in France, which did reach the prototype stage.

No.407 Squadron, RCAF

No.407 Squadron, RCAF, was a Canadian squadron that served with Coastal Command from 1941-45, performing a mix of anti-submarine and anti-shipping missions, as well as taking part in the attempt to stop the 'Channel Dash' and the D-Day landings.

Remembrance Poems and Readings, David Roberts

An impressive collections of poems, essays and speeches on the nature of war and the nature of remembrance, with a mix of items that would be of use at remembrance events and some that perhaps wouldn’t work if read out by anyone other than the author are still useful as thought provoking items for the reader. Includes works from the middle ages up to the modern world, with as you might expect a great many inspired by the two World Wars, but also more modern conflicts and just general thoughts on the nature and cost of war

(Read Full Review)

Ford M8 and M20 – The US Army’s Standard Armoured Car of WWII, David Doyle

A pictorial history of the M8 armoured car and M20 utility vehicle, both of which saw service in Italy, Normandy and north-western Europe and to a lesser extent in the Pacific. Very good material on the development of the vehicle, and close up pictures of development and test vehicles as well as modern survivors, along with a useful chapter of pictures of the vehicle in service. Probably aimed more at the modeller than the historian, and will provide many useful details of otherwise hard to examine areas 

(Read Full Review)

Yokosuka D4Y ‘Judy’ Units, Mark Chambers with Tony Holmes

A well written look at the operational history of a dive bomber that arrived too late to be truly effective as a carrier based dive bomber, and that suffered heavy losses during the battle of the Philippine Sea, before spending the rest of the war as a land based bomber, achieving limited success in both the conventional and kamikaze roles. 

(Read Full Review)

HMS Hornet (1911) was an Acheron class destroyer that served with the Harwich Force, fighting at the battle of Dogger Bank, then supported the 3rd Battle Squadron into 1917, before being officially based at Portsmouth for the rest of the year, then moving to the Mediterranean during 1918.

USS Sicard (DD-346)

USS Sicard (DD-346) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Asiatic Squadron in 1920s, in the Aleutians in 1942-43, Bougainville in 1943, on patrol and minelaying duties in South Pacific in the first half of 1944, then helped train submarines for the rest of the war.

P.Z.L. L.2

The P.Z.L. L.2 was an observation and liaison aircraft designed for the Polish Air Force but that was only produced in small numbers after losing out to a Lublin design.

No.406 Squadron, RCAF

No.406 Squadron, RCAF, was a Canadian night fighter squadron that was formed in the UK and after an early spell of defensive duties was mainly used as an intruder squadron and for low level sorties over France and later Germany.

Dornier Do 217 Units of World War 2, Chris Goss

Actually a chronologically organised operational history of the Do 217, with the main focus being on its use as a bomber over Britain and as an anti-shipping weapon using the first guided missiles. The result is an interesting look at the record of a bomber that entered service after the Luftwaffe’s bomber forces had passed their peak, and that suffered consistent losses during operations that often don’t get a mention in general histories of the war

(Read Full Review)

SA80 Assault Rifles, Neil Grant

A look at the original development, service record and repeated attempts to improve one of the most controversial series of infantry weapons to enter British service, with a deserved reputation for being unreliable and dangerously prone to jamming that eventually required a major rebuilding program to fix. As this book demonstrates, that modified version had turned into a perfectly reliable weapon, apparently popular with its users and one that will remain in service for some years to come 

(Read Full Review)

Pioneers of Armour in the Great War, David A. Finlayson & Michael K. Cecil

Based around an account of the history of the First Australian Armoured Car Section/ First Australian Light Car Patrol written by the unit’s commander Captain E.H. James soon after the war, supported by newspaper extracts and letters from the period, tracing the unit from its origins as a volunteer unit in Australia, to the western desert of Egypt then through its role in the campaign in Palestine and Syria. Followed by a shorter account of the first tank to reach Australia, a Mark IV that was sent to help with fundraising before ending up in the Australian War Memorial. A fascinating account of the use of mainly entirely un-armoured cars in the desert during the First World War, in a unit that reminds one of the LRDG and SAS

(Read Full Review)

HMS Hind (1911)

HMS Hind (1911) was an Acheron class destroyer that took part in the battle of Heligoland Bight, then served with the 3rd Battle Squadron, before officially moving to Portsmouth then Devonport during 1917, before ending the war in the Mediterranean.

USS Preble (DD-345)

USS Preble (DD-345) was a Clemson class destroyer that served as a mine layer in 1941-44, as a minesweeper during the invasions of Peleliu and Leyte and as a plane guard for aircraft carriers undergoing training in 1945. 

P.Z.L. P.7

The P.Z.L. P.7 was the first domestically designed fighter to enter Polish service and allowed the Polish air force to be the first to convert to an all metal monoplane fighter.

The Luftwaffe and the War at Sea 1939-1945, ed. David Isby

Looks at the rivalry between the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe over control of all air activities over the sea, with both sides attempting to claim the right to control all aircraft operating over the sea and coastal areas, a battle very easily won by Goering’s Luftwaffe, and how that battle impacted on German naval activities and the battle of the Atlantic. Both sides come across as somewhat delusional, making unjustifiable claims, and showing the entirely typical desire of the Third Reich’s armed forces of finding someone else to blame for their failures 

(Read Full Review)

The Americans and Germans at Bastogne – First-Hand Accounts of the Commanders who Fought, Gary Sterne

A look at the siege of Bastogne as seen by a range of the American and German commanders involved in the battle, giving us an idea of just how differently the two sides saw the battle as it was evolving. On occasions it perhaps tells us more about who various German commanders wanted to blame for their failures (never themselves), but even so we still get some valuable insights into how they saw the battle, including a constant belief that the Americans were attempting to break out, and how late into the battle it was before the Germans believed that Bastogne was actually cut off  

(Read Full Review)

Rome, Blood and Power – Reform, Murder and Popular Politics in the Late Republic 70-27 BC, Gareth C. Sampson

Looks at one of the most familiar periods in Roman history, but with a focus on the various attempts to reform the Republic to make it more stable, all of which failed until Augustus realised that the trick was to take control without actually looking like you were changing anything. An interesting approach that helps to explain why a series of apparently dominant figures, from Marius and Sulla to Pompey and Caesar proved unable to maintain their power once they had seized it by focusing on the details of the politics of the city of Rome herself 

(Read Full Review)

HMS Goshawk (1911)

HMS Goshawk (1911) was an Acheron destroyer that served with the Harwich Force until late in 1916, fighting at Heligoland, Dogger Bank and Jutland, then with the 2nd then 4th Flotillas at Devonport, ending the war in the Mediterranean.

USS William B. Preston (DD-344)

USS William B. Preston (DD-344) was a Clemson class destroyer that was caught up in the Japanese invasion of the Philipinnes in 1941-42, and badly damaging during the bombing of Darwin. She spent the rest of 1942-43 supporting Catalina patrols along the west coast of Australia, most of 1944 as a target vessel for submarine exercises, and the rest of the war acting as a plane guard for naval aviators in training in the United States.

P.Z.L. P.6

The P.Z.L. P.6 was one of two radial powered developments of the P.1 fighter that were produced at the same time in 1929-30, but lost out to the second model, the high altitude P.Z.L. P.7

No.404 Squadron, RCAF

No.404 Squadron, RCAF, was a long range fighter and anti shipping squadron that served with RAF Coastal Command from 1941-45.

Japanese Armies 1868-1877 – The Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion, Gabriele Esposito

Looks at the armies of the two wars that saw the Japanese Shogunate overthrown by pro-Imperial, anti-Foreign forces, who were then in turn defeated by the westernised forces of the newly restored Emperor. As a result we see two wars in which medieval samurai could be found fighting alongside and against modern Westernised infantry, making this one of the most varied examples of a Men-at-Arms you will ever find! 

(Read Full Review)

USS Enterprise (CV-6), David Doyle

A splendid pictorial history of USS Enterprise, with an impressive selection of photographs that trace her from construction to scrapping, along with all of her combat experiences. This is an impressive collection of photographs, allowing us to see every aspect of her career, including her fairly extensive battle damage, as well as a good selection of detailed photographs of individual aspects of parts of the ship

(Read Full Review)

The Light Division in the Peninsular War 1811-1814, Tim Saunders and Rob Yuill

Part two of this history of the Light Division covers the largely victorious final four years of the war, and covers the siege of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz, the battles of Salamanca, Vitoria and the Pyrenees and the invasion of France. A well written text, all supported plentiful extracts from contemporary diaries, largely covering the period after the death of the division’s most famous and succesful commander, General Craufurd.

(Read Full Review)

HMS Forester

HMS Forester was an Acheron class destroyer that served with the Harwich Force, fighting at Heligoland and Dogger Bank, then supported the 3rd Battle Squadron, before taking on more anti-submarine duties. She ended the war in the Mediterranean, along with the other surviving members of her class.