By Geoff Dyer, Vintage Books, New York, NY (2014) Reviewed by Nathan Albright Whether or not a reader appreciates this book will greatly depend on their mindset. If someone comes to this book looking for someone who is serious about the United States Navy, has lots of respect for the military or the religious and
NHF Donates Rare Globe in Special Ceremony at Australian Embassy
By Matthew T. Eng One of the longstanding missions of NHF is to collect artifacts relevant to naval history. Often these objects are then donated to worthy institutions and organizations, chiefly the U.S. Navy, best suited to care for and display them. In the case of a rare 19th-century globe, acquired by NHF 20 years
NHF Historian Attends Brussels Workshop
By NHF Staff Naval Historical Foundation historian Dr. David Winkler recently traveled to Brussels, Belgium, to participate in a workshop to discuss the “Avoidance of Hazardous Military Incidents.” With the relations between Russia and the NATO alliance in decline due to the annexation of Crimea, ongoing fighting in the Ukraine, and contentious issues elsewhere, the
BOOK REVIEW – The Battle of Jutland
By Geoffrey Bennett (originally published B.T. Batsford Ltd., London, UK 1964), Pan & Sword Books Ltd. Barnsley, UK (2015) Reviewed by Tim McGrath Few historians, on land or sea, can match the depth and breadth of the work of Captain Geoffrey Bennett. As a Royal Navy officer who served Great Britain in war and peacetime,
BOOK REVIEW – Ice Station Nautilus
By Rick Campbell, St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by William H. White A gripping, action-packed novel that is just plausible enough to be pulled from the headlines of today’s paper. Commander Campbell, a former submariner, knows his submarines and the technology they use to fulfill their assignments; his apparent knowledge, whether first-hand
BOOK REVIEW – End of Empire – 100 Days in 1945 that Changed Asia and the World
By David P. Chandler, Robert Cribb and Li Narangoa, NIAS Press, Copenhagen, Denmark (2016) Reviewed by Charles H Bogart The hundred days that this book is concerned with are the days between 5 August and 12 November 1945. The book begins on 5 August 1945, as this is the day the U.S. dropped the A-bomb
BOOK REVIEW – The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War
By Jonathan Dimbleby, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Captain J. F. “Bookie” Boland, U.S. Navy (Ret.) The long campaign between the Western Allies and Germany’s U-boat force during the Second World War is the subject of Jonathan Dimbleby’s new book, The Battle of the Atlantic: How the Allies Won the War.
BOOK REVIEW – Apache Over Libya
By Will Laidlaw, Pen and Sword, South Yorkshire (2016) Reviewed by Adam Kline Lt. Col. Will Laidlaw, who served as commander of the UK’s 656 attack helicopter squadron during NATO’s 2011 intervention in Libya, personally flew night strike missions in from the helicopter carrier HMS Ocean. From June to August, his unit’s Apache helicopters fired
BOOK REVIEW – The Sea Mark: Captain John Smith’s Voyage to New England
By Russel M. Lawson, University Press of New England, Lebanon (2015) Reviewed by Warren Riess, Ph.D. This book has the feel of two different works. One is John Smith in the last two decades of his life. The other is a detailed description of his 1614 voyage to North America. Lawson works the two together,
BOOK REVIEW – The Rivers Ran Backward: The Civil War and the Remaking of the American Middle Border
By Christopher Phillips, Oxford University Press, New York, NY (2016) Reviewed by Thomas P. Ostrom University of Cincinnati history professor Christopher Phillips wrote a different assessment of the complex cultural and political factors in the Border States before, during, and after the Civil War of 1861-1865. Phillips challenges historical interpretations that paint the Border States
BOOK REVIEW – The CSS Albemarle and William Cushing: The Remarkable Confederate Ironclad and the Union Officer Who Sank It
By Jim Stempel, McFarland and Co., Publishers, Jefferson, NC (2011) Reviewed by Robert P. Largess Writing years after the Civil War, Gideon Welles remarked of William B. Cushing: “…the great chief of the American Navy, Farragut…said to me that while no navy had braver or better officers than ours, young Cushing was the hero of
Who Was John Gwinn?
167 years ago this Labor Day weekend, U.S. Navy Captain John Gwinn died and was buried–for the first time! His third burial came 85 years ago in Arlington National Cemetery, marked by this benign headstone. Who was he and what was the story behind his grave-hopping odyssey? Stay tuned to the Naval Historical Foundation as
HELL BELOW (PART VI) Review: Fatal Voyage
Reviewed by Stephen Phillips Read PART I review HERE Read PART II review HERE Read PART III review HERE Read PART IV review HERE Read PART V review HERE The Smithsonian Channel ‘s Hell Below series provides an important look at World War II submarine warfare in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters with emphasis on actions
HELL BELOW (PART V) Review: Destroyer Killer
Reviewed by Dr. Chuck Steele Read PART I review HERE Read PART II review HERE Read PART III review HERE Read PART IV review HERE Episode five of the Smithsonian Channel’s World War II submarine saga, Hell Below, is the series’ second installment showcasing American efforts during the war in the Pacific. Titled the “Destroyer Killer,” this
Godzilla: The “Lucky Dragon” of Bikini Atoll
EDITORS NOTE: Bikini Atoll remained a nuclear test site long after shot Able and Baker devastated USS Independence. Eight years after the Able and Baker detonations, the United States tested a dry fuel hydrogen bomb, code-named Castle Bravo, on 1 March 1954. Far more powerful than the MARK III bombs use din 1946, Castle Bravo
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