Reviewed by CAPT Charles “Herb” Gilliland, USN (Ret.) For any artist—perhaps for any human being–life and art are inseparable. That was certainly the case for Natale (“Nat”) Bellantoni. This strikingly attractive book filled with fine watercolors offers his story as a young artist serving in the 78th Naval Construction Battalion in World War II. Two
By Kyle Nappi At first glance, “kamikaze veteran” will undoubtedly read as an oxymoron to most Americans. Best parodied in an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, producer/actor Larry David muses how one can be a kamikaze pilot and yet still be alive. My own introduction to this concept is traceable to a handful of biographical
Reviewed by Jeff Schultz. Marc Gallicchio’s Unconditional: The Japanese Surrender in World War II focuses on the late-war period leading up to the September 1945 Japanese surrender. This important monograph digs deeper than most into the complicated chain of events which resulted in the memorable Tokyo Bay ceremony, using American and Japanese archival sources to
By: Kyle Nappi For years, blockbuster movies have illuminated the feats of the warring sailors from World War II’s European Theater of Operations: The Enemy Below (1957), Das Boot (1981), and U-571 (2000) to name a few. This year –pending COVID-19 – Tom Hanks will unveil Greyhound, a war epic set during the Battle of
Reviewed by Ed Calouro In his introduction (p. 7), Mirosław Skwiot, author of The Battleships of World War Two, Vol. I, notes his book about World War II-era capital ships is a “photo album” with “unique photographic material enriched with the brief combat record of individual battleships.” Skwiot’s objective is to allow readers to visualize
Reviewed by NHF Director of Membership Programs, ENS Sean Bland, USNR A professor of history at Auburn University in Alabama, William F. Trimble has written extensively on the history of Naval Aviation, including studies of Glenn Curtiss, Admiral William Moffett, and the Seaplane Striking Force program. Drawing from this in-depth knowledge of the history of naval
Reviewed by CWO Darien Garland On December 6th 1941, in the days of celestial navigation, there were flying boats in the sky over the Pacific Ocean, heading towards the Hawaiian island of Oahu. As the sun appeared above the horizon, the pilots of the approaching B-17 Bombers were ready for their island-time crew rest and
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
Morning Star, Midnight Sun: The Early Guadalcanal Solomons Naval Campaign of World War II By Jeffrey R. Cox, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK, (2018). Reviewed by David F. Winkler, Ph.D. Morning Star, Midnight Sun represents the author’s second foray into the war in the Pacific. His Rising Sun, Falling Skies, The Disastrous Java Sea
By Captain Todd Creekman, USN (Ret.) In early 2016, the Naval Historical Foundation received an unusual request from Ms. Brianna Tirado of San Diego, California. While working in a county office there, Ms. Tirado came across a Navy medal in their “lost and found.” Nestled in a small red box was a Navy and Marine
Edited by Pamela Ackerson. Self-published, (2016) Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart This self-published monograph was compiled by Ms. Ackerson to preserve the family history of Aviation Chief Radioman Henry Lawrence’s service in World War II. The audience at which the book is directed is family and friends. Henry Lawrence, in June 1940 at the age
“And this we planned as a quiet day.” (USS Bugara Ship Log, 29 July 1945) USS Bugara (SS 331), one of 120 Balao-class submarines completed during the war, was launched on 2 July 1944 by Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT. Commander A.F. Schade was the first commanding officer. Her service from 21 February to
Victory at Sea is a new multi-year program from the Ocean Exploration Trust that will use various sea-going assets to explore, discover, and document iconic ships and aircraft lost during WWII. The goal of organizations like NHF during this 5-year campaign is to create compelling media content that can be used to engage new and
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