Bouko de Groot’s Dutch Navies of the 80 Years War, 1568-1648 provides a thoughtful exploration into a lesser-known historical period, with insights into the critical years of formative Dutch history culminating in the breakaway from Spain and creation of the subsequent United Provinces of the Netherlands. As the title suggests, this work focuses on the
This brief volume about the role of the United States Navy on the rivers and canals of Vietnam is a wonderful addition to the historiography about the war in Southeast Asia. Filled with photographs and original works of art by Navy personnel, the faces of the war are presented in a way that makes the
Robert Brown’s German Destroyers is an impressively concise work which expertly details the Kriegsmarine’s destroyer classes of World War II in such a manner as to please the historian, ship modeler and naval enthusiast simultaneously in a thoughtful and energetic presentation well supported by a range of varying images. Brown divides the 64-page book into
No name is more synonymous with the Cold War battle for intelligence between the United States and the Soviet Union than Frances Gary Powers. The May 1960 shoot down of a U-2 over the Soviet Union removed the veil of secrecy of the airplane’s existence and chilled already frosty relations between geopolitical competitors. The pilot’s
Aaron S. Hamilton earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in History in 1995 at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia and calls himself an avocational historian and amateur maritime archaeologist. Hamilton has spent more than twenty years working with primary source documents related to the last year of World War II. His thesis was on
Philip Kaplan is a well-established author with some forty titles spanning aviation, naval and general military subjects such as Wolfpack, Chariots of Fire, Little Friends, Grey Wolves and One Last Look. In this work, [apparently] the second Kaplan wrote for the “Building for Battle” series from Pen & Sword, he tackles the subject of the
The author is a retired military officer (Brig. Gen. Delaware Air National Guard, Retired) a native of Newark, Delaware, a third generation Delaware Guardsman, and a career Air Force veteran. A graduate of the University of Delaware, General Wiggins also holds a Master’s degree from National Defense University in National Resource Strategy. He is a
If the employment of destroyers during peace time and war time is of interest to you, this is a must-read book. The authors have crafted one of the finest ship histories this reviewer has encountered. HMS Venomous was one of the 67 V and W class destroyers built by the Royal Navy during the last
The story of the Royal Navy during World War II often centers around one of the five battleships of the King George V Class (KGV): HMS King George V, HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Duke of York, HMS Anson, and HMS Howe. The author of this book has crafted a tour de force that examines
David Greentree and David Campbell’s British Destroyer vs. German Destroyer: Narvik 1940 presents a concise yet detailed look at the destroyers of the two major belligerents during the oft-ignored 1940 Norway campaign that encompasses key aspects that provide the reader a refreshing glimpse from a lower level than the normal histories typically offer, the sea-tossed
Adrian Stewart was educated at Rugby School before taking First Class Honours at Caius College, Cambridge. Caius is also the alma mater of the broadcaster David Frost, physicist Stephen Hawking, and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. Stewart lives near Rugby a market town in Warwickshire, West Midlands, England, close to the River Avon. He is a
Imagine chaos raging from France through Germany that surrounded the end of the slaughter on the Western Front in the fall of 1918. Or the new rounds of killings that accompanied the revolution in Russia through 1924 and engulfed the Baltic States, ravaged Poland and ripped East Prussia from Berlin. As well, the privation of
James P. Delgado is a maritime archaeologist, explorer, story-teller, acclaimed author, television host, and explorer who spent nearly four decades in underwater exploration. A native of California, he earned his doctorate in Archaeology from Simon Fraser University, has an M.A. in Maritime Studies from East Carolina University, and took his B.A. in History from San
Immediately before and after the outbreak of the First World War, Britain seriously considered sending its fleet into Heligoland Bight and seizing an island base off the German coast – Borkum perhaps. The goal was to force the German fleet out to fight, or bottle it up with mines, submarines and destroyer flotillas, instituting a
Martin Mace has a wealth of knowledge in writing about military history. Currently, he is the editor for Frontline Books and has over twenty years of experience in publishing and journalism. He has published several books on the subject and has co-authored multiple best-selling titles. In addition, he is the founding editor of Britain at
