Thursday, July 31, 2014

LVG E.I

The LVG E.I on 1915 was the first original fighter design produced by LVG, which was better known for its observation biplanes.

LVG B.III

The LVG B.III was a dedicated trainer based on the earlier B.I and B.II unarmed biplane reconnaissance aircraft.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wellington's Guns: The Untold Story of Wellington and his artillery in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, Nick Lipscombe.

Wellington's Guns: The Untold Story of Wellington and his artillery in the Peninsula and at Waterloo, Nick Lipscombe.

Looks at one of the few neglected areas in the story of Wellington and his campaigns - the role of the artillery, its organisation, achievements, command structure and the difficult relationship with Wellington, a man who was generally admitted and respected rather than loved. An excellent detailed study that neatly fills this gap.
 [read full review]

Battlefield French Coast - Bruneval, Paul Oldfield.

Battlefield French Coast - Bruneval, Paul Oldfield.

 A splendid account of one of the most successful small-scale raids of the Second World War, carried out to capture the key components from the most modern German radar system. Combines a detailed examination of the raid with a wider history of Radar development in Britain and Germany and the significance of the Würzburg radar system that was its target.
[read full review]

They Have Their Exits, Airey Neave.

They Have Their Exits, Airey Neave.

One of the great escape stories of the Second World War. Airey Neave was captured in 1940 and made a series of attempts to escape, before finally managing to walk out of Colditz dressed as a German officer. An excellent account of Neave's own escape efforts, tied in to his time with the Nuremburg War Crimes Tribunal.
 [read full review]

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

LVG B.II

The LVG B.II was an important German reconnaissance aircraft of 1915, and was an improved version of the pre-war B.I.

LVG B.I

The LVG B.I was the most important German reconnaissance aircraft at the start of the First World War, and remained a significant aircraft for most of 1915 before being replaced by more modern designs.

Monday, July 28, 2014

3rd Air Commando Group (USAAF)

The 3rd Air Commando Group (USAAF) was a composite unit that served in the Philippines from late in 1944, performing a mix of fighter, liaison and transport duties.

2nd Air Commando Group (USAAF)

The 2nd Air Commando Group (USAAF) was one of a number of composite groups that were formed to support deep-penetration missions behind enemy lines in Burma.

1st Air Commando Group

The 1st Air Commando Group was formed to support Wingate's Raiders behind enemy lines in Burma and was a mixed unit that carried out a wide range of tasks across Burma and beyond.

Friday, July 25, 2014

Kill Hitler - Operation Valkyrie 1944, Neil Short.

Kill Hitler - Operation Valkyrie 1944, Neil Short.

An interesting approach to the 1944 attempt to kill Hitler, looking at the entire coup attempt, from the initial planning, through the assassination attempt and on to the bodged coup in Berlin. Benefits greatly from the decision to focus more on the coup than the bombing, which means it covers some less familiar ground.
[read full review]

The Hundred Years War - An Alternative History of Britain, Timothy Venning.

The Hundred Years War - An Alternative History of Britain, Timothy Venning.

Interesting if rather scattergun look at possible alternative courses of English history during the period of the Hundred Years War, mainly focusing on that war, but also with some attention paid to domestic politics, especially during the weak reign of Richard II and the troubled reign of Henry IV.
[read full review]

Helmand - Diaries of Front-Line Soldiers, Various Authors.

Helmand - Diaries of Front-Line Soldiers, Various Authors.

Focuses on the diaries of John and Ian Thornton, brothers who served in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2011-12 respectively. John was killed close to the end of his tour of duty, and profits from the book go to the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation, a charity founded to honour his memory. The two Thornton diaries are supported by two other diaries and two personal reminiscence to produce a vivid picture of the life of a frontline solder in Afghanistan.
[read full review]

Thursday, July 24, 2014

359th Fighter Group (USAAF)

The 359th Fighter Group (USAAF) was a fighter unit in the Eighth Air Force that flew a mix of bomber escort and ground attack missions between its combat debut in December 1943 and the end of the war in Europe.

356th Fighter Group (USAAF)

The 356th Fighter Group (USAAF) was a fighter unit that served as a bomber escort group with the Eighth Air Force late in 1943 before becoming a group attack unit early in 1944.

352nd Fighter Group (USAAF)

The 352nd Fighter Group (USAAF) was a fighter unit that proved bomber escorts for the Eighth Air Force, but also carried out ground attack missions and briefly came under the control of the Ninth Air Force during the Battle of the Bulge.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Boeing XP-9

The Boeing XP-9 was an unsuccessful design for a shoulder-winged monoplane fighter designed in response to USAAC specification X-1623A.

Boeing NB (Model 21)

The Boeing NB (Model 21) was a US Navy trainer and the next Boeing military aircraft after their successful PW-9/ FB fighter.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

T77 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage

The T77 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage was an anti-aircraft weapon that carried a quad .50in machine gun mounting on the back of a modified M24 Chaffee light tank.

M19 40mm Gun Motor Carriage

The M19 40mm Gun Motor Carriage was an anti-aircraft weapon that carried a twin 40mm Bofors gun mount on a modified M24 Light Tank chassis.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

82nd Fighter Group (USAAF)

The 82nd Fighter Group (USAAF) served in the Mediterranean theatre, first as a mainly ground attack unit with the Twelfth Air Force, and later as a bomber escort group in the Fifteenth Air Force.

56th Fighter Group (USAAF)

The 56th Fighter Group (USAAF) started the war as a home based defence and training unit before joining the Eighth Air Force in England in the spring of 1943. It spent the rest of the war flying a mix of bomber escort and ground attack missions.

55th Fighter Group (USAAF)

The 55th Fighter Group (USAAF) entered combat as a long range bomber escort group, and carried out that role until the end of the war in Europe. Later in the war the group carried out an increasing number of ground attack missions as well.

Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Boeing F3B (Boeing Model 77)

The Boeing F3B (Boeing Model 77) was the third generation of Boeing fighters to see service with the US Navy, and featured new wings, landing gear and tail units.

Boeing F2B

The Boeing F2B was the second generation of Boeing fighters to enter service with the US Navy, and was the first to be powered by a radial engine.

Tuesday, July 08, 2014

The First World War: The War to End all Wars, Peter Simkins, Geoffrey Jukes and Michael Hickey.

The First World War: The War to End all Wars, Peter Simkins, Geoffrey Jukes and Michael Hickey.

Excellent single-volume history of the First World War, focusing on the land battles on the Western, Eastern and Italian fronts and the war against the Ottoman Empire. Gives a good impression of the way in which both offensive and defensive tactics developed during the war and the slow formation of a war-winning Allied strategy.
 [read full review]

Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land, ed. Andrew Wiest.

Rolling Thunder in a Gentle Land, ed. Andrew Wiest.

Excellent study of the Vietnam War looking at a far wider range of topics than in most books on this war, and with contributions from American, North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese authors and participants in the war. An impressive piece of work that gives a good overview of the Vietnam War and the wider issues that surrounded the conflict.
[read full review]

Spying for the Führer: Hitler's Espionage Machine, Christer Jörgensen.

Spying for the Führer: Hitler's Espionage Machine, Christer Jörgensen.

Looks at the full range of German intelligence agencies of the Second World War, their successes and failures and the vicious infighting that helped reduce their efficiency around the world. Includes the familiar stories of Allied double agents and successes, but also the less well known German successes, especially early in the war and around the world.
 [read full review]

Monday, July 07, 2014

Battle of the Berezina (21-29 November 1812)

The Battle of the Berezina (21-29 November 1812) was the last major success for Napoleon's Grande Armée during the invasion of Russia in 1812 and saw the remnants of the army escape from a Russian trap on the Berezina River and continue their march west to relative safety.

Friday, July 04, 2014

M43 8in Howitzer Motor Carriage

The M43 8in Howitzer Motor Carriage was developed from the M40 Gun Motor Carriage. It arrived too late to see significant service in the Second World War, but it was used during the Korean War.

M24 Chaffee Light Tank

The M24 Chaffee Light Tank was the best light tank to see service during the Second World War, but it arrived too late to make a significant contribution to the fighting, entering combat in small numbers late in 1944.

Wednesday, July 02, 2014

General Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers

General Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers was a French general best known as a dragoon commander, but who served in a variety of roles from the start of the Revolutionary Wars until his death in Berlin in 1813.

Field Marshal Hans Karl Freidrich Anton, count von Diebitsch (1785-1831)

Field Marshal Hans Karl Freidrich Anton, count von Diebitsch (1785-1831) was a Prussian officer who served with the Russian army during the Napoleonic Wars and who eventually became chief of the Russian General Staff.

Tuesday, July 01, 2014

Boeing XP-8 (Model 66)

The Boeing XP-8 (Model 66) was an experimental design for a fighter aircraft powered by a Packard inverted inline engine.

Boeing AT-3

The Boeing AT-3 was an unsuccessful advanced trainer based on the Boeing PW-9 biplane trainer.