USS Cassin (DD-43)

USS Cassin (DD-43) was the name ship of the Cassin class of destroyers. She took part in the US intervention in Mexico in 1914, operated from Queenstown during the First World War and then served with the Coast Guard in the 1920s.

Cassin Class Destroyers

The Cassin Class Destroyers were the first of four classes of '1,000 ton' destroyers that weren't popular with the Destroyer community when they first appeared, but that proved their worth during the First World War.

The Battle of Marengo, 1800, Olivier Lapray.

The Battle of Marengo, 1800, Olivier Lapray. 
An account of the battle of Marango told largely from the French point of view, starting with northern Italy back in Austrian hands and tracing Napoleon's successful efforts to restore his earlier conquests. The main strength of this book is the excellent selection of pictures, covering Napoleon's dramatic crossing of the Alps, the advance into Italy, the two armies and the battle itself.
[read full review]

The Normandy Battlefields D-Day and the Bridgehead, Leo Marriott & Simon Forty.

The Normandy Battlefields D-Day and the Bridgehead, Leo Marriott & Simon Forty. 
A good photographic history of the Normandy invasion, with a good mix of well chosen contemporary and modern photographs of the battlefields. Focuses on the five D-Day beaches and the areas immediately behind them, so each area is covered in some detail. Includes a good set of modern aerial photographs with useful annotations showing key areas of the battlefield and war memorials.
[read full review]

Objectif Cherbourg 22-30 Juin 1944, Georges Bernage.

Objectif Cherbourg 22-30 Juin 1944, Georges Bernage. 
A heavily illustrated but French language account of the battle for Cherbourg of late June 1944, the one of the first major US victories during the Normandy campaign. Well over half of the book is devoted to an excellent selection of photos and supporting maps, each with useful captions (at least as far as my limited French allows me to tell!).
[read full review]

Battle of St. Dizier (26 March 1814)

The battle of St. Dizier (26 March 1814) was Napoleon's last battle during the campaign of 1814, and was a meaningless French victory fought while the main Allied armies were heading for Paris.

Battle of La-Fere-Champenoise (25 March 1814)

The battle of La-Fere-Champenoise (25 March 1814) was a French defeat that signalled the failure of Napoleon's last gamble during the campaign of 1814 and saw Schwarzenberg defeat Marmont and Mortier on the road to Paris.

Medium Tank M3/ Grant/ Lee

The Medium Tank M3/ Grant/ Lee was the first American medium tank to carry a 75mm gun, and played a significant part in the fighting in North Africa in 1942, but it was always seen as a interim design as its main gun was carried in the right of the hull, and it had been rushed into production to fill a gap before the arrival of the Medium Tank M4 Sherman.

Medium Tank M2

The Medium Tank M2 was the first US medium tank to be produced in reasonable numbers, but was already obsolete by the time it entered production in 1939, and was soon replaced by the M3, itself seen as an interim design while work was completed on the M4 Sherman.

On the Precipice: Stalin, the Red Army Leadership and the Road to Stalingrad 1931-42, Peter Mezhiritsky.

On the Precipice: Stalin, the Red Army Leadership and the Road to Stalingrad 1931-42, Peter Mezhiritsky. 
 An account of the road to Stalingrad loosely based around a discussion of Marshal Zhukov's memoirs, but focusing on Stalin's role in the catastrophes that almost overwhelmed the Soviet Union after the German invasion of 1941. Often conversational in tone, and with a tendency to indulge in flights of fantasy and speculation, this is still an entertaining read that provides an interesting point of view on this devastating period.
[read full review]