By Steven J. Zaloga, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, (2011) Reviewed by Rear Admiral Ed Keats, U.S. Navy (Retired) In 1944, the Japanese high command realized they had been defeated in the war against the United States. Their efforts then concentrated on procuring the best post-war terms they could gain. They believed the optimum way was
Friday and Saturday 17 – 18 May 2013 Department of War Studies, King’s College London In the history of warfare few campaigns have been as long, as complex or covered as large an area as the Battle of the Atlantic did in the Second World War. The contest for allied maritime communications began on the
By John Protasio, Casemate Publishing, Havertown, PA (2011),239 pp. Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart The author has crafted a well-written book that covers the sinking of the British flagged passenger liner Lusitania on 7 May 1914, by the German submarine U-20. The book is divided into three sections that consider 1) the events leading up
By James P. Delgado, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, (UK), (2011) Reviewed by Jan Churchill Dr. James P. Delgado, author of Silent Killers, is extremely well qualified to present the history of man’s desire to go beneath the sea, starting with the first attempts to breach treacherous waters to the present time of nuclear submarines. Delgado is
Story by the Naval History and Heritage Command. In honor of the Navy’s 237th birthday, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) opened a new Navy Art exhibit October 12 at the National Museum of the United States Navy, Building 76, Washington Navy Yard. The inaugural exhibit, “Best of Navy Art,” presents notable oil and
Last week, in the first stage of a partnership with the Naval Historical Foundation, Steve Lanning of Bluewater Publishing of Gloucester, Virginia (www.cruisebooksource.com) visited the Washington Navy Yard to make a generous donation to the Navy Department Library. Ninety-five cruise books published by Bluewater were donated to the Library to supplement their extensive collection of
Call for Papers The North American Society for Oceanic History 2013 Annual Conference Alpena, Michigan 15-18 May 2013 NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will host the 2013 Annual Conference of the North American Society for Oceanic History. It will take place 15-18 May 2013 at Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, in Alpena, Michigan
By Gary McKay, Birlinn Limited, Edinburgh, (2009) Reviewed by John Grady James Iredell Waddell is long overdue for a full-blown biography; and Gary McKay comes close to providing it. In the last five years, the commerce raider he commanded, CSS Shenandoah, and its around-the-world attacks on Union shipping -particularly the North Pacific whaling fleet —
By Thomas Wildenberg and Norman Polmar. Naval Institute Press, (2010). Reviewed by Captain James B. Bryant, U.S. Navy (Retired) This is not a coffee table book. I thought I knew a lot about torpedoes, but this book proved me wrong. I was a Weapons Officer for two years and had experience in several generations of
On 13 October 2012, the U.S. Navy celebrated its 237th birthday around the world. The Washington, DC birthday celebration dinner, with 750 guests, featured the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, and the Honorable Paul R. Ignatius, 59th Secretary of the Navy as keynote speakers. A commemorative 2012 Navy Birthday Coin was a “birthday
Fifty years ago, the world held it’s breath. When Navy reconnaissance jets and U-2 spy planes confirmed the existence of Soviet nuclear missile bases under construction in Cuba, the United States demanded their removal and instituted a naval quarantine of the island. The 13 days at the end of October 1962 came to be called
We’re fast approaching the end of 2012, which means that a new season of Combined Federal Campaign giving is upon us. The Naval Historical Foundation is one of the approved charities registered for donations by Federal employees through the Combined Federal Campaign! The Naval Historical Foundation’s mission covers three important aspects of naval history: Preservation,
The Naval Historical Foundation, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Marine Corps Aviation Association recently had the opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of a World War II Marine Corps aviator, and honor the families who were directly affected by his death nearly 70 years ago. A solemn ceremony was held on 6
By Mark Lardas. Osprey Publishing, Long Island City, NY. (2012). Reviewed by Charles Bogart This is another well-crafted Osprey book. The author has combined text and illustrations to tell a well-rounded story of the naval action that took place in the North Sea off Flamborough Head on September 23, 1779. While most Americans know this
By James A. Treadway, Thomas F. Marfiak, with contributors, iUniverse, Inc., New York, Lincoln, Shanghai (2005). Reviewed by Michael F. Solecki. USS Biddle (DLG later CG 34) had a colorful and illustrious career. The last of nine Belknap- class cruisers, she was the fourth U.S. warship to carry the name. She was delivered to the
