By Erik Jurgen-Karl Dietrich, Self-Published (2015) Reviewed by Charles Bogart This self-published autobiography tells the story of Erik Jurgen-Karl Districh who was born in Germany in 1940. After the war, he lived in England until 1957, when he immigrated to the United States at age 17. After arriving in the United States, the author served
“I don’t give a damn whether it is a ballistic missile or an air breathing missile, or both, so long as it will go about 1500 miles and hit the target with a warhead capable of doing the job.” Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN, Chief of Naval Operations to Henry H. Porter, Applied Physics Laboratory,
The University of Portsmouth is currently preparing a new program for students interested in British Naval History beginning in September 2016. The course offers real-life learning experiences working with archives and museums, as well as the opportunity to develop key transferable skills, such as independent learning, written communication, textual analysis and time management. This course also
By Brian Kilmeade, Sentinel, Random House, New York, NY (2015) Reviewed by Vice Admiral Robert F. Dunn, U.S. Navy (Retired) Written in lively style this book is both informative and a quick read. For most readers of Pull Together it will be a review of episodes in the early Navy, important to the history but
By Steve Kime, Authorhouse, Bloomington, IN (2015) Reviewed by David F. Winkler, Ph.D. One of the benefits of managing Naval History Book Reviews is that I get first dibs on incoming titles. Two decades ago, I interviewed Captain Steve Kime regarding his involvement with the Incidents at Sea Agreement negotiations and execution. He shared some
By Vincent P. O’Hara, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA America entered World War II after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941. The nation focused on war in the Pacific through most of 1942. However, the U.S. had established its “Germany First” strategy by 1940. Defeating the Axis
By Renata Eley Long, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2015) Reviewed by Kenneth J. Blume, Ph.D. Built and launched at the Laird shipyard in 1862, CSS Alabama became the most notorious of the Confederacy’s commerce raiders, devastating Union merchant shipping and contributing to an irreversible “flight from the flag.” Her career ended two years later
By John Johnson-Allen, Pen & Sword Military, South Yorkshire, England (2015) Reviewed by Diana L. Ahmad, Ph.D. Thoughts about World War I often bring up images of trench warfare, Big Bertha, and the battles at Liège and Flanders Fields, but rarely does the conflict to protect the Suez Canal enter into the reader’s mind. John
By Philip Kaplan, Pen & Sword, London, UK (2015) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart Over the years, Pen & Sword have issued a number of Images of War books. This book is sub-titled Merchant Ships at War 1943 – 1945: Beating the U-Boats. The book consists of eight chapters, with each chapter introduced by three
By Hans Christian Bjerg, The Royal Danish Navy, Copenhagen, Denmark (2015) Reviewed by Mark Lardas Hans Christian Berg’s A History of the Royal Danish Navy 1510-2010 offers a brief yet comprehensive account of the Royal Danish Navy’s rich heritage in a new English language translation. The Royal Danish Navy, as it was formally established in
Edited by Bruce A. Elleman and S.C.M. Paine, Naval War College Press, Newport, RI (2016) Reviewed by Nathan Albright Although each paper in this collection contains a disclaimer that the “thoughts and opinions expressed [. . .] are not necessarily those of the U.S. Government, the U.S. Navy Department, or the Naval War College (198),”
By Peter D. Haynes, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2015) Reviewed by John T. Kuehn, Ph.D. Captain Peter Haynes’ study on maritime strategy builds a narrative around two questions. First, how did the United States Navy come to publish “A Cooperative Maritime Strategy for the 21st Century” (CS-21): and, more importantly, why did it take
By Faye M. Kert, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD (2015) Reviewed by Louis Arthur Norton, Ph.D. During the War of 1812, the burgeoning United States Navy was at a disadvantage when engaging Britain, the world’s most formidable sea power. One method of leveling the maritime “battlefield” was the employment of a privateer fleet. Faye
This past September, our Digital Content Developer posted a recap of the McMullen Naval History Symposium, which included his own personal thoughts on the state of naval history. The post elicited this essay by long-time NHF member Dr. Christopher McKee. We welcome such dialog on a subject so important to the nation. Please consider joining
By Matthew T. Eng In his introduction to the 1995 essay collection Doing Naval History, Naval War College Professor Dr. John B. Hattendorf discussed the (then) current state of naval history. Using information gathered at the 1993 Yale-Naval War College conference, Dr. Hattendorf noted the dangers of moving forward in the field: “While there
