Armies of Celtic Europe – 700BC – AD106 – History, Organization and Equipment, Gabriele Esposito

A look at the military history of the ancient Celts, from their origins in central Europe through their expansion west into modern France, Spain and Britain and east into the Balkans and Anatolia, and their long conflict with the expanding Roman empire. Especially strong on the armours and weaponry of the Celts, and illustrated with a large number of pictures of modern re-enactors showing a wide range of types of Celtic arms and armour 

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Rome’s Sicilian Slave Wars, Natale Barca

Looks at the first and second Servile Wars, massive slave uprisings that threatened Roman control of Sicily, and with it the grain supply to the city of Rome. Places them in the context of the wider Mediterranean world, the nature of the ancient slave trade, and the increasingly unstable nature of Roman politics. I don’t entirely agree with some of the author’s conclusions, but I did find this a useful book on two major conflicts that are often only mentioned in passing

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HMS Racoon (1910)

HMS Racoon (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 to take part in anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort duties, but she was lost with all hands on 9 January 1918 after hitting rocks on a dangerous part of the coast.

USS Kennedy (DD-306)

USS Kennedy (DD-306) was a Clemson class destroyer that served with the Pacific Fleet during 1920s before being sold for scrap in 1931.

Curtiss C-55

The Curtiss C-55 was the designation given to the prototype of the Curtiss Model CW-20/ C-46, after it was given a new tail and purchased by the USAAF.

Operation Totalize (8-11 August 1944)

Operation Totalize (8-11 August 1944) was the first Canadian attempt to break through to Falaise to close the Falaise Gap, and began with an over complex night attack that still made good progress, before coming to a stop after moving halfway to Falaise. The next attack, Operation Tractable, would finally see the gap closed.

God’s Viking – Harald Hardrada, the Life and Times of the Last Great Viking, Nic Fields

A look at the world in which Harald lived rather than an actual biography of the man, so has large sections on the history of the Vikings in Russia, the Varangian Guards, Viking warfare and so forth, often going some time without actually mentioning Harald. Includes plenty of interesting material on Harald’s world, but needed to focus more on its subject, or at least bring all of the pieces on Harald together before heading off into the background

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German Soldier versus Polish Soldier, Poland 1939, David R. Higgins

Looks at three battles between German and Polish infantry from the early days of the German invasion, when the Poles were still able to put up a decent fight, including a brief account of the development of both armies, how they were trained and equipped before moving onto good accounts of the battles, with excellent material from both sides 

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US Air Cavalry Trooper versus North Vietnamese Soldier – Vietnam 1965-68, Chris McNab

Largely focuses on the combat record of the US 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in 1966-7, looking at how it performed in three battles against the North Vietnamese. Good on the US side, a bit thin in the Vietnamese side, so better seen as a examination of the airmobile concept than a direct comparison of the two units covered  

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HMS Pincher (1910)

HMS Pincher (1910) was a Beagle class destroyer that spent most of the First World War in the Mediterranean, where she took part in the Gallipoli campaign. She returned to home waters briefly over the winter of 1914-15 to escort troop ships to France, and permanently in 1917, but she was wrecked after hitting rocks between Cornwall and Scilly on 24 July 1918.