HMS Defender

HMS Defender was an Acheron class destroyer that started the First World War with the Harwich Force, and took part in the battles of Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland. From June 1916-March 1917 she was attached to the 3rd Battle Squadron, a force of older battleships posted on the Thames, then spent time based at Portsmouth and Devonport, before ending the war based at Gibraltar.

USS Perry (DD-340)

USS Perry (DD-340) was a Clemson class destroyer that fought at Pearl Harbor, then served in the Aleutians, the Marshals, the Marianas, New Guinea and the invasion of Pelelieu, where she was sunk on 13 September 1944, probably by a mine.

Curtiss SO3C Seamew/ Seagull

The Curtiss SO3C Seamew/ Seagull was an unsuccessful attempt to replace the Curtiss SOC Seagull biplane spotter plane, and after a brief period of front line service in 1942-43 was withdrawn, and in some cases replaced with its predecessor.

No.400 Squadron, RCAF

No.400 Squadron, RCAF, began the war as am army co-operation squadron, before becoming a reconnaissance squadron, supporting the D-Day landings and the campaign in north-western Europe

Objective Falaise - 8 August 1944-16 August 1944, Georges Bernage

Looks at the two largely Canadian attacks, Operations Totalize and Tractable, that were launched to capture Falaise and help close the Falaise gap from the north. A good account of these two battles, with plenty of eye witness accounts from both sides to support the narrative of these two rather different battles, all supported by an impressive array of photographs and maps, tracing how the Canadians slowly pushed back the Germans. 

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The Wars of Alexander’s Successors 323-281 BC: Volume I: Commanders & Campaigns, Bob Bennett & Mike Roberts

The first part of a study of the wars of Alexander’s Successors, concentrating on the individual commanders, their overall careers and their campaigns, leaving the details of their battles for part two. An interesting approach, with some chapters covering the entire group during key events and others focusing on the career of one successor at a time. Looks at a forty year period of near constant warfare, involving some remarkable, ambitious characters, none of whom were quite able to ever reunite Alexander’s empire.

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Siege Warfare during the Hundred Years War – Once More into the Breach, Peter Hoskins

Looks at the vast array of sieges of castles and towns during the Hundred Years War, a war most famous for a handful of English battlefield victories, but that was dominated by the siege, from Calais to Orleans. Looks at the nature of fortifications, how sieges were conducted (and how that changed during this period), and the rise of gunpowder artillery, and in particular the impressive French royal siege train, which helped blast away the English positions in Normandy and Aquitaine in surprisingly short period at the end of the war. 

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HMS Staunch (1910)

HMS Staunch (1910) was an Acorn class destroyer that served with the Second Destroyer Flotilla with the Grand Fleet in 1914-15 and at Devonport late in 1915, before moving to join the Fifth Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean in December 1915. She was torpedoed and sunk by UC-38 on 11 November 1917 while supporting the British troops during the fighting in Palestine.

USS Trever (DD-339)

USS Trever (DD-339) was a Clemson class destroyer that was present at Pearl Harbor and took part in the invasion of Guadalcanal, New Georgia and Bougainville before ending the war on escort duties.

Curtiss SOC Seagull

The Curtiss SOC Seagull was a biplane scout-observation aircraft that operated from US battleships and cruisers throughout the Second World War, actually outliving two newer aircraft that had been designed to replace it.