This is a highly original work that covers battleships across the World’s navies. The Line of Battle ship emerged as the principle naval weapon that was the key to naval engagements for some three hundred years. The steam powered successors were to last little more than 100 years and were replaced as THE capital ship by the aircraft carrier in WWII. – Strongly Recommended
This is a welcome addition to the popular series based on rare archive images. The Battle of the Somme in 1916 was a major effort to break through the deadlock of trench warfare. It saw British and French troops working together, although the French effort was overshadowed by the British Expeditionary Force. – Highly Recommended
This is one of the most fascinating naval aviation histories because it is viewed through the lives of two brothers and written by the son of one of the brothers, who was himself a later naval aviator. The progress of naval aviation development from the 1930s to the 1970s was amazing and has been described as part of the telling of the stories of two aviators’ lives. – Much Recommended
This new book contains more than 100 images from the (British) National Archives and is endorsed by The National Archives. The images are accompanied by concise text and captions. – Much Recommended
The cigarette and trade picture cards widely produced before 1939 are now highly collectable and, periodically, facsimiles are produced to meet a demand beyond the available original cards. The motives of card producers is frequently questioned because of changed views on tobacco, but they were eagerly collected at the time and were highly informative. – Much Recommended
The major failure of a battle or campaign inevitably results in a search for a scape goat, sometimes necessary and well deserved, but sometimes not. The Fall of Singapore was a huge shock to the British, but it should not have been. The British author provides a well-researched account of the events and consequences. – Much Recommended
The successful invasion of Afghanistan was always the easy part, the tricky stage would be in an exit strategy that did not leave a worse mess behind. The Afghan Air Force was one element of the Afghan armed forces that had to be rebuilt to leave a largely friendly government behind with the means to suppress any new insurrections. – Highly Recommended
The full story of SOE may never be told. Some activities were never recorded, most surviving records were classified for many years, tons of paper were destroyed at the end of WWII and German records were equally fragmented, not least because archives were destroyed by bombing. The story is the memoir of the subject, carefully edited by his daughter, to make a unique and very moving account of the survival of ‘special’ prisoners. – Most Highly Recommended
This memoir is most welcome, casting fresh light on the lives of POWs. The title is very appropriate to the story but for many POWs escaping was always a sport that upset the captors and relieved the monotony of camp life. – Most Highly Recommended
