Adrift: A True Story of Tragedy on the Icy Atlantic and the One Who Lived to Tell About It Brian Murphy with Toula Vlahou New York: Da Capo Press, 2018 240 pp., Bibliography, Map, and Illustrations If in the mid-19th century an ocean crossing wasn’t the blind leap into the unknown that it
Episode Seven — No Surrender
Episode Seven—No Surrender The series continues with more riveting footage of the Pacific war, some rare and never seen. The allies are closing in on Japan. Behind-the-scenes film and the voices of combat veterans leave the viewer feeling the fight. The Philippines are liberated, but the islands are in tatters. Rarely-seen home movies vividly demonstrate
Episode 6 — Fire from the Sky
Episode Six-Fire from the Sky The viewer continues to enjoy never-broadcast color footage of the World War ll conflict in the Pacific area, even though the events in this episode have been detailed on TV many times before. In the central Pacific theater island-hopping continues, while in the south Pacific theater the battle for the
Episode 5 — Striking Distance
Episode Five-Striking Distance Each episode leaves the viewer wanting more. Episode Four left us looking forward to seeing more of some of the first broadcast color movies of the Pacific War. Episode Five does not disappoint. The voices from the past once again help us to feel the fight and the impact on their lives,
Other Reviews
From time to time, we publish reviews of films or television shows we think fans of naval history will enjoy. In Summer, 2018 the Smithsonian Channel ran a series called “The Pacific War in Color,” which was reviewed by one of our members. For more information about the series, click here. Enjoy! Episode 1
On Grand Strategy
On Grand Strategy John Lewis Gaddis New York: Penguin Press, 2018 John Lewis Gaddis, an historian of the Cold War and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, offers this book as a derivative or emulation of Carl von Clausewitz’s classic, On War. In fact, however, On Grand Strategy surpasses Clausewitz and stands
Pacific War in Color: Episode 3 — Island Hopping
Episode Three-Island Hopping A bold new strategy, island hopping, unfolds in the Central Pacific theater. Tarawa is chosen as the first large-scale amphibious assault with this untried strategy. All participants have been trained, but few have been bloodied. Rare color film footage takes the viewer behind the scenes as the strategy is developed and implemented,
Pacific War in Color: Episode 2 — Shockwaves
Episode Two-Shockwaves The entire Pacific region is beginning to feel the effects of war. While significant battles lie ahead, the color footage shot by amateur and military photographers in this episode focuses primarily on activities taking place behind the battle lines and paints a portrait of military life to show there is more to war
Pacific War in Color: Episode 1 — An Ocean Apart
The Smithsonian Channel has produced another outstanding historical presentation. The Pacific War in Color is a “must see” for those of us who are interested and involved in the naval history of World War ll in the Pacific Ocean theater. Consisting of never seen before rare color movies of both the home and professional variety,
Victory at Midway: The Battle That Changed the Course of World War II by James M. D’Angelo. McFarland Press, Jefferson, NC, 2018. 198 pp., $35.00. This book is more than another account of the Battle of Midway. Yes, the author covers the story of the naval engagement between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the
The Defenders of Taffy 3: Analysis and Retelling of the Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Defenders of Taffy 3: Analysis and Retelling of the Battle of Leyte Gulf by Byron G. Como. (2018.) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This print-on-demand paperback book is destined to be the benchmark against which all future accounts of the struggle of Taffy 3 to survive its encounter with the Japanese Navy
Soviet Destroyers of World War II
Osprey’s Soviet Destroyers of World War II (New Vanguard #256) by Alexander Hill; illustrated by Felipe Rodriguez Reviewed by Jeff Schultz Alexander Hill’s Soviet Destroyers of World War II fills an important gap in the neglected story of the tragedy and triumph of Soviet naval operations in World War II. Hill’s background in Soviet
Island of the Blue Foxes
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
Paranoia and Armageddon: The Nuclear Confrontation Since 1945
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
NHF Exploring Membership UK Tour
NHF Exploring Membership UK Tour to include Royal Navy Museum and World War I Conference NHF is offering a unique opportunity for members to travel to Great Britain from November 5-10, 2018. Members will tour the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth with its historic ships and participate in a landmark
