Island of the Blue Foxes: Disaster and Triumph on the World’s Greatest Scientific Expedition By Stephen R. Bown Reviewed by Charles C. Kolb, Independent Scholar Island of the Blue Foxes tells a gripping story that holds the reader’s attention while remaining a well-documented piece of nonfiction. Bown tells the story of two Russian Arctic treks: the unsuccessful
Armageddon and Paranoia: The Nuclear Confrontation Since 1945 by Rodic Braithwaite New York, Oxford University Press, 2018. 502 pp., $34.95 This book provides an overview of the part nuclear weapons have played within the world’s scientific, political, and military arena since the 1930s. While the main focus is on the development and deployment of
Davies, Peter E. US Navy F-4 Phantom II Units of the Vietnam War 1969-1973. Osprey Publishing, UK. 2018. 96 pages. Ill. $23. Peter Davies has written many Osprey books, including quite a few dealing with the F-4 in Vietnam. This new book, no. 125 in Osprey’s Combat Aircraft series, continuing the story from No. 116
Ginter, Steve with Joe Weathers, Jr. Vought SB2U Vindicator. 2018. 249 pp. Ill. $52.95. Number 106 in the successful Naval Fighters series, this new book is one of a few dedicated to Vought’s dive-bomber that saw very little combat but flew under at least three colors—U.S., French and British. Perhaps best known for
Naval Advising and Assistance: History, Challenges, and Analysis Edited by Donald Stoker and Michael T. McMaster Helion & Company Limited (2017) Reviewed by Kenneth J. Hagan, Ph.D. Ever since 1890, when Captain A.T. Mahan published his game-changing book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, the strategic focus of the U.S. Navy has been
The Taking of K-129: How the CIA Used Howard Hughes to Steal a Russian Sub in the Most Daring Covert Operation in History By Josh Dean, Dutton, New York, (2017). Review by Capt. William H. Johnson USN (Ret.) As of 2018, many of the details of Project AZORIAN — the recovery of part of
American Sea Power in the Old World: The United States Navy in European and Near Eastern Waters, 1865-1917 By William N. Still Jr. Annapolis, MD, Naval Institute Press, (2018). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This book is a paperback reissue of the original edition published in 1980, which has not only withstood the test
Crashback: The Power Clash Between the U.S. and China in the Pacific by Michael Fabey, Scribner (2017) Reviewed by Diana B. West Crashback was written for the benefit of journalists, business people, or anyone who wants to understand the recent military confrontations in the South China Sea and why they should be concerned about it.
Ingram’s Fourth Fleet: U.S. and Royal Navy Operations Against German Runners, Raiders, and Submarines in the South Atlantic in World War II By Cdr. David D. Bruhn, USN (Ret.). Heritage Books, Berwyn Heights, MD, (2017) Reviewed by Charles Bogart Commander Bruhn has crafted an excellent introductory book about an important but forgotten theater of
Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? By Graham Allison Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, New York, NY, (2017) Reviewed by Randall Fortson Looking Back to Find a Way Forward Thucydides concluded that the underlying reason for war between Athens and Sparta, a war that neither side wanted, was the rise
Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Early Guadalcanal Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II By Jeffrey R. Cox, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, (2018). Reviewed by David F. Winkler, Ph.D. Morning Star, Midnight Sun represents the author’s second foray into the war in the Pacific. His Rising Sun, Falling Skies, The Disastrous Java Sea
The Armament Tide: Rearming America By RADM Stuart Franklin Platt (Ret.), Granville Island Publishing, Vancouver, Canada, (2002). Reviewed by Jon S. Middaugh, Ph.D When published in 2002, The Armament Tide envisioned a Pentagon soon to be awash in the waves of procurement dollars that typically flow during times of war. Such large amounts
Squadron: Ending the African Slave Trade By John Broich, Overlook Dockworth, New York (2017). Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D. When asked about the history of the slave trade, without hesitation most people will discuss slavery in the United States prior to 1865. Few will talk about the slave business in East Africa,
American Naval History: A Very Short Introduction By Craig Symonds, Oxford University Press, UK (2018). Reviewed by Warrant Officer Darien J. Garland, USMC Craig L. Symonds delivers a fast-paced narrative covering the history of change and advancements in the United States Navy. American Naval History: A Very Short Introduction gives the reader a broad
In the Warlords’ Shadow: Special Operations Forces, the Afghans, and Their Fight Against the Taliban. By Daniel R. Green, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. (2017). Reviewed by 1stLt Walker D. Mills, USMC In his new book In the Warlords’ Shadow, Daniel Green describes the success of Village Stability Operations (VSO) and the Afghan
