By R. Neil Scott, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Lanham, MD. (2012.) Reviewed by Alan M. Anderson During World War I, over two million American servicemen were successfully transported across the Atlantic Ocean to England and France. Of the many troopships traveling eastward, German U-boats torpedoed three. The only other troopship lost, Otranto, sank on 6
Battle of the Atlantic – 70th Anniversary Conference 23-24 May 2013 Naval Regional Headquarters, Liverpool May 2013 marks the seventieth anniversary of perhaps the major turning point in the Allied victory over the Germans in the Atlantic during the Second World War ‒ the defeat of the Uboats in mid-ocean. The official commemoration in Liverpool
By Vincent P. O’Hara. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD, (2011). Reviewed by Simone C. De Santiago Ramos Much has been written about the German warships Bismarck, Graf Spee, and Scharnhorst and their mêlées while overlooking the lesser known battles during World War II. Vincent O’Hara, an independent scholar tries with his text The German Fleet
By Ian W. Toll, W.W. Norton Company, New York, London, (2011). Reviewed by Rear Adm. Richard Gentz, USN (Ret.) Do not expect an objective review to follow! I was an immediate fan of Ian Toll when I found his first book Six Frigates in a gift shop on the Newport, Rhode Island waterfront. The continued
Friday and Saturday 17 – 18 May 2013 Department of War Studies, King’s College London In the history of warfare few campaigns have been as long, as complex or covered as large an area as the Battle of the Atlantic did in the Second World War. The contest for allied maritime communications began on the
By John Protasio, Casemate Publishing, Havertown, PA (2011),239 pp. Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart The author has crafted a well-written book that covers the sinking of the British flagged passenger liner Lusitania on 7 May 1914, by the German submarine U-20. The book is divided into three sections that consider 1) the events leading up
The Naval Historical Foundation, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Marine Corps Aviation Association recently had the opportunity to commemorate the service and sacrifice of a World War II Marine Corps aviator, and honor the families who were directly affected by his death nearly 70 years ago. A solemn ceremony was held on 6
By Elliot Carlson, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2011). Reviewed by Capt. John A. Rodgaard USN (Ret.) Joe Rochefort is a legend to all United States Navy intelligence professionals and Elliot Carlson’s outstanding biography finally introduces the man behind the legend. The author also lifts the veil of mythology and mystery that has surrounded the
Introduced by J. E. Harrold , University of Plymouth Press, Farnham, UK, (2012). Reviewed by Joseph Moretz. Ph.D. Dark Seas is a reprint of a British Admiralty Battle Summary monograph originally published in 1950 intended for the private use of serving officers (B.R. 1736(35) The Battle of Cape Matapan). As a summary, it eschewed any
By Dr. Barbara G. Jones. 2010, The Edwin Mellen Press, Box 450, Lewiston, NY., 515pp. Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart Dr. Barbara Jones has penned a well-written and interesting history of the escort carrier USS Casablanca (CVE 55). The story is told using official records, personal reminiscences, and secondary sources. The author divides her account
We were contacted last month by the Commanding Officer of the destroyer USS Sterett (DDG 104) about an historic artifact that once belonged to the Naval Historical Foundation. Commander Stewart L. Bateshansky, USN, recently assumed command of the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, homeported in San Diego. He was shown a tattered 5 foot
By Angus Konstam, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, (2012). Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart British Heavy Cruisers 1939-1945 is one of a series of books Osprey has published during the last 5-years covering various classes of warships. This book follows Osprey’s standard format of text, photos, and colored artist plates. The book is divided into four
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
This fall, a new exhibition will open at the New York City based New-York Historical Society. The exhibition will be called WWII & NYC and is scheduled to open 5 October 2012. The exhibition will chronicle the most widespread and consequential conflict in history through the lens of New York City. Featuring more than 300
May 10-11 2013 Wolfson College, University of Oxford This conference examines the generation of expertise in naval contexts and trace how such developments helped shape the modern world. Expertise will be considered not only as knowledge but also as methods and practices central to the evolution of modern nation-states and empires. In the search for
