Wednesday, October 30, 2019

USS Barry (DD-248/ APD-29)

USS Barry (DD-248/ APD-29) was a Clemson class destroyer that served on escort duties early in the Second World War, with a hunter-killer anti-submarine group in 1943 and then as a fast transport, taking part in the invasion of the South of France and Okinawa, where she was so badly damaged by a kamikaze attack that she wasn’t worth repairing.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

HMS Erne (1903)

HMS Erne (1903) was a River class destroyer that was under the direct command of the C-in-C of the Grand Fleet early in the First World War, before being lost when she ran aground near Rattray Head on 6 February 1915

Monday, October 28, 2019

Thomas-Morse O-41

The Thomas-Morse O-41 was a version of the successful O-19 observation aircraft that was given sesquiplane wings and a Curtiss Conqueror engine, but failed in two attempts to win a USAAC contract, and was eventually sold to Republican Spain, although probably got no further than Mexico.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Hannibal’s Road, The Second Punic War in Italy, 213-203 BC, Mike Roberts

A history of the last ten years of Hannibal’s campaign in Italy, after the most famous victories had already been won, and he had won over large areas of southern Italy. Suffers somewhat from the author’s pro-Hannibal bias, which sees him discount any reports of Roman victories while believing every tale of Punic success, but is otherwise a useful account of an often neglected period in which Hannibal was still able to win battlefield victories, but was unable to defend his new allies, slowly being pushed back into the far south before eventually having to return to Africa
(Read Full Review)

A Tough Nut to Crack: Andersonstown, Steve Corbett

The story of a successful deployment of troops from an artillery battery in one of the most violent areas of Northern Ireland at the height of the troubles. A clear demonstration of the correct way to run a peacekeeping operation in difficult circumstances, a tour in which despite the best efforts of the IRA none of the soldiers were killed, and in which they managed to massively disrupt IRA operations in the Andersonstown area of Belfast. Covers the Bloody Sunday period, so we get to see the impact of that incident in Andersonstown
(Read Full Review)

The British Navy in the Mediterranean, John D. Grainger

A nice approach to a key aspect of British military history, looking at the rise and fall of British naval power in the Mediterranean, from the earliest appearance of British warships protecting merchant ships in the sixteenth century, through the intermittent presence of British fleets in the sea during the long sequence of wars with France and Spain and on to the almost century and a half of dominance that began late in the Napoleonic Wars and lasted well into the Second World War. A fascinating examination of one of the key elements of Britain’s naval power
(Read Full Review)

Thursday, October 24, 2019

USS Goff (DD-247)

USS Goff (DD-247) was a Clemson class destroyer that spent most of the Second World War on escort duties in the Caribbean and Atlantic, apart from spell in 1943 when she was part of the successful submarine hunting group built around the carrier USS Card.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

River Class Destroyers (E class)

The River Class Destroyers (E class) saw a significant change in the design of British destroyers, with a greater emphasis on seaworthiness and robustness at the cost of a reduction in the theoretical top speed.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Thomas-Morse O-23

The Thomas-Morse O-23 was a version of the successful O-19 observation aircraft that was powered by a Curtiss Conqueror engine, making it the first member of the O-19 family to be powered by an inline engine since the original O-6 prototypes.

Monday, October 21, 2019

USS Bainbridge (DD-246)

USS Bainbridge (DD-246) was a Clemson class destroyer that escorted convoys to Iceland in 1941, served on escort duty along the US coast in 1942, trans-Atlantic convoys and one spell with a hunter-killer group in 1943 and helped training up new warships in 1944-45.