By Dwight R. Messimer, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2016) Reviewed by Timothy Heck The 1915 escape of Fähnrich zur See (Midshipman) Erich Killinger from Imperial Russian captivity is a fascinating tale of survival, adventure, and luck. Dwight Messimer, a prolific author who has previously written on World War I aviation and prisoners of war,
By James Boschert, www.PenmorePress.com (2014) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This is a well-written work of adventure/mystery fiction that revolves around the oil and gas industry’s offshore operations in the North Sea. The author tells the story in straight and simple words. The heart of the story takes place on board the pipe dredging barge
That was the question posed to CIA Director Allen W. Dulles on March 30, 1961. At the time the CIA was heavily engaged in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. With a new president exhorting the nation two months earlier “that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any
By Cdr. David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.), Heritage Books, Inc. Berwyn Heights, MD (2016) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Cdr. Bruhn is the historian of many of the Navy’s forgotten warships: ocean and coastal minesweepers, coastal transports (APc’s), tugs and salvage vessels, YP’s and converted yachts, as well as seaplane tenders – in WWII, Vietnam,
By Kevin Miller, Pelican Press, Pensacola, FL (2016) Reviewed by Charles Bogart Those who read Kevin Miller’s book Raven One will find that he has once again authored a fascinating and believable book. This time the story centers on a contemporary but fictitious U.S. Naval action in the Caribbean. The naval action within this book revolves around Cdr. Jim “Flip” Wilson who the reader
CHOW is a blog and video series exploring the history behind U.S. Navy culinary traditions. By Matthew T. Eng GREASE is the word. At least when it comes to preparing a staple in the chow halls of the Navy and the middle school cafeteria: Salisbury Steak. When I was looking for a new food staple for
By David F. Winkler, Ph.D. The spotting of a Russian surveillance ship 70 miles off of the Delaware coast is reminiscent of the Cold War. Of note back then, bathers on East Coast beaches could frequently spot the trawlers with the red stack bearing the familiar hammer and sickle. Back then, the U.S. only claimed
By G. H. Bennett, Bloomsbury, London, UK (2016) Reviewed by Joseph Moretz, Ph.D. Having successfully met the greatest threat to British maritime dominance since the Napoleonic era, the Royal Navy emerging victorious from the World War still faced an uncertain future. The building programs of formal and informal allies, Japan and the United States, respectively,
By Arthur Mokin, Amazon Digital Services LLC, Original Publisher, Presidio Press, Novato CA, (1991) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Searching “Monitor and Merrimac” on Amazon brought up twenty-five books of popular history or historical fiction, seventeen of which were in print or available on Kindle, including Arthur Mokin’s 1991 novel, Ironclad. Why so many? Obviously,
By Captain Todd Creekman, USN (Ret.) On Saturday, January 7th, 2017 retired Navy Captain George W. Stewart passed away at his home, under hospice care. While I knew his health had been declining, and had visited him in the hospital and a retirement community several times in November and December, I was just not prepared
By Steven Burgauer, Battleground Press, Oxford, FL, (2016) Reviewed by John Bud Cunnally, Chief Electronics Technician Submarines, U.S. Navy (Retired) In 1941, the United States was in a “let’s stay out of the European and Asia Wars” mindset; Fortress America will protect us from conflicts continents away. This attitude changed on 7 December 1941. The
By David D. Bruhn, Heritage Books, Inc., Berwyn Heights, MD (2014) Reviewed by Cdr. Larry Grant USN (Ret.) The title advertises David Bruhn’s Battle Stars as a history of the yachts and fishing boats commandeered by the U.S. Navy to plug the holes in American sea defenses at the start of World War II. In
By Bernard D. Cole, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2016) Reviewed by Nathan Albright China’s Quest for Great Power, the latest from Bernard D. Cole, is a combination of a high degree of knowledge about Chinese military and political strategy with some implicit recommendations for how the United States can deal with China’s ambitions. As
By James D. Hornfischer, Bantam, New York, (2016) Reviewed by Rear Admiral W. J. Holland, Jr. USN (Retired) Hornfischer has done it again! Crafting a historical narrative that is a “page turner” featuring personalities and decisions as well as crisp commentary that is not always complimentary to his subjects, he brings the scenes of battle
By Captain Steven E. Maffeo, USNR, (Ret.), Rowan & Littlefield, Lanham, MD (2016) Reviewed by Michael F. Solecki Any leader worth his salt will tell you that the acquisition, interpretation, and proper dissemination of intelligence is arguably the most important key to solving any problem; from identifying what is in front of you to winning
