Introduction By NHF Membership Director, Sean Bland I have always been fascinated with the C-130 Airplane – it is a tough, rugged, and no-nonsense aircraft. I am confident that some of my fascination with the vehicle was at least unconsciously imparted to me from my numerous ‘Space A” flights as a child across the Northern
With a provocative title, the fast-paced novel captures the reader from the first page and offers an elaborate plot, capitalizing on relevant NATO concerns over Russian ambitions toward the Baltic States. The novel unfolds scene-by-scene, like a novel ready-made screenplay. The chapters are short and driven by character and plot development. There is just enough
The Battle of Leyte Gulf (75 years ago today) is often cited as the largest naval battle of World War II, and by some criteria, the largest naval battle in history. The battle was not a single engagement, but a series of scattered battles across an area of more than 100,000 square miles of sea.
This massive book is obviously a labor of love on the part of the author. Much of it is formatted like a scrapbook, covering almost thirty years of naval history. The book covers: Tunny’s operations in World War II, where the boat was honored by earning two Presidential Unit Citations, making it one of the
Many people find reading about pirates in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries exciting and romantic. Pirate Hunter takes a different approach with Captain Woodes Rogers challenging those buccaneers for profit and fame, as well as efforts to enhance Great Britain’s power. Most people likely know Rogers as the captain who rescued Alexander Selkirk in 1709
Anybody that needs to move themselves or some object, are required by nature to navigate to some degree. The early true history of navigation, however, is conjecture at best. Since navigation gives the appearance of an inherent trait to humans, we tend to take it for granted as it is just something they do. As
In his influential 1997 book Dereliction of Duty, H.R. McMaster described the Joint Chiefs of Staff as “Five Silent Men” who acquiesced to a gradual escalation of the conflict in Vietnam without a clear vision of how military action would secure American policy aims. The Greene Papers, Nicholas Schlosser’s carefully curated selection of General Wallace
Peter D. Shay’s outstanding freshman effort is both a personal and institutional history of a small tactical Navy helicopter unit in Vietnam, HA(L)-3 “Seawolves,” that reads fast and furious, but not without a penchant for details. The story is an exciting for read for any aviation enthusiast or military historian. The Navy’s only “brown water”
Bouko de Groot’s Dutch Navies of the 80 Years War, 1568-1648 provides a thoughtful exploration into a lesser-known historical period, with insights into the critical years of formative Dutch history culminating in the breakaway from Spain and creation of the subsequent United Provinces of the Netherlands. As the title suggests, this work focuses on the
This brief volume about the role of the United States Navy on the rivers and canals of Vietnam is a wonderful addition to the historiography about the war in Southeast Asia. Filled with photographs and original works of art by Navy personnel, the faces of the war are presented in a way that makes the
This week we are highlighting two important, recent anniversaries in Naval History: first, the birthday of Jesse L. Brown, a pioneering and remarkable Naval Aviator, and second, the first commissioning of a group of women into the Active Duty, regular Navy. Editor’s Note: Thursday Tidings and the NHF leadership team appreciates the feedback received about
By NHF Historian Dr. Dave Winkler Early on October 3rd, the naval history community lost one of its finest with the passing of Dr. Philip Karl Boraas Lundeberg. He was 96. Along with James Bradford and William Still, he was the first to be honored with the Naval Historical Foundation’s highest award in recognition of
By NHF Executive Director, Rear Admiral Edward “Sonny” Masso From an early age, I was fascinated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) programs of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. I was obsessed with any and all news relating to the X-15, the breaking of the sound barrier, new altitude records, and jet propulsion in
“Mail Call—All divisional representatives lay to the post office to receive mail” These words stirred up many an emotion as ships of the line impatiently and frustratedly waited for regular mail, sometimes weeks at a time. Moods of Sailors could swing on a dime with a good, or not-so-good, note from a loved one at
Introduction By NHF Executive Director, Rear Admiral Sonny Masso, USN (Ret.) Thursday Tidings this week focuses on National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is a great time to reflect on our Navy’s rich Hispanic Heritage and the many accomplishments this part of our community has made in making our Navy the best in the world. Major
