By William Lloyd Stearman, Naval Institute Press: Annapolis, MD (2012) Reviewed by Dr. Richard P. Hallion Mention “Stearman” among any group of aviation aficionados and an instant image of one of history’s most influential and appealing aircraft comes to mind. The Stearman biplane occupies a unique place in the pantheon of American aviation, having produced,
By Edward J. Drea, Washington, D.C.:Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, (2011). Reviewed by Dr. Richard P. Hallion The historians within the Office of the Secretary of Defense have established an enviable reputation for meticulously researched and well-crafted books, particularly their series on the various Secretaries of Defense. Edward J. Drea’s impressive new
By Bernard Thomas Nolan, Xlibris Corporation, Bloomington, IN (2012). Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. Privately published memoirs constitute a mixed-bag of literature, with many generally offering more opinion than substance. However, bomber pilot Bernard Thomas Nolan’s Isaiah’s Eagles Rising constitutes a very definite exception to this “rule.” It is at times a gripping account
M. J. Pearce and R. Porter, ed., University of Plymouth Press, Plymouth, UK (2012). Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. The battle for Norway is not one of the more extensively studied campaigns of the Second World War, though it certainly has its share of lessons learned-and-lost that anyone interested in maritime affairs should know.
By Robert C. Stern, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD: (2012) Reviewed by Richard P. Hallion, Ph.D. The vast scope, momentous operations, and drama inherent in the Pacific War—think Midway, Guadalcanal, the return to the Philippines, and Okinawa, for just a few examples—have always dominated the narrative of the U.S. Navy’s contribution to the Allied victory
