Reviewed by Mr. Walt Haskins. The version reviewed is a 2019 paperback re-printing of the original, published in 1980. The author, some forty years ago, had access to many of the original sailors and witnesses, both British and German, and provides first-hand accounts of their recollections. He analyzes contemporary documentation from both British and German
78 years ago this week, the Battle of the Coral Sea raged between the Imperial Japanese Navy and forces of the Australian and United States Navies. The battle resulted in a strategic victory for the Allies, despite their high casualties and loss of vessels. Commander William Ault was one such casualty during the battle. William
Reviewed by Midshipman “Bo” Schrader, IV, USNA The Middle East is an undeniably complex region. Its unique ethnoreligious composition, political layout, and violent history make understanding the region a formidable task. In their book Middle East 101, Youssef Aboul-Enein and Joseph Stanik provide a digestible overview of the Middle East, spanning from ancient times to
Reviewed by Ed Calouro Witold Koszela, author of Battleships of the III Reich, Vol. 1, is a prolific writer who has penned many books about several nations’ warships. Among these are histories of the British Nelson and King George V-class battleships, several books about American battlewagons, including the South Dakota and Iowa classes, and books
For the third straight year the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF) will recognize talented middle and high school teachers whose students produce award winning projects having a naval or maritime theme in the annual National History Day (NHD) competition. Continuing a program started in 2018, NHF will present “Teacher of Distinction” awards to teachers whose students
Below is an edited excerpt of an interview with Dr. Robert Ballard conducted by NOAA. You may find the original interview here: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/edu/oceanage/05ballard/transcript.html NOAA Interview with Dr. Robert Ballard Dr. Ballard: My mission in life, in fact if you look at my job description, it’s to explore; and since I am a geologist, that means the
Reviewed by Randall D. Fortson, MA Vincent P. O’Hara opens his newest work, Six Victories: North Africa, Malta, and the Mediterranean Convoy War: November 1941 ̶ March 1942, by stating that victory has a hundred fathers. The phrase originates from the diary of Mussolini’s son-in-law, Galeazzo Ciano but O’Hara intends it as a metaphor for
Reviewed by Jon Middaugh, Ph.D. Donald Stoker, a Professor of Strategy and Policy for the U.S. Naval War College’s Monterey Program at the Naval Postgraduate School from 1999-2017, has written a tightly argued case for improving the approach American leaders use for fighting wars. The recommendations and insights in Why America Loses Wars deserve widespread
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
By NHF Staff Historian Dr. Dave Winkler Sea Power, October 2016 On April 10, 1922, at hearings of the Senate Subcommittee of Naval Affairs, Sen. David I. Walsh of Massachusetts asked Lt. Willis B. Haviland, a pilot who had been assigned to a recently commissioned ship, “What is the Langley?” Haviland responded, “She is a poor excuse for
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
By NHF Staff Historian Dr. Dave Winkler Sea Power, October 2017 As plans proceeded to convert the collier Jupiter to become the Navy’s first aircraft carrier Langley at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, the carrier’s prospective flight officer, Lt. Cdr. Godfrey deC. Chevalier noted an oversight in the plans. Interviewed in 1970, Alfred “Mel” Pride recalled “Chevalier told me that I
First published in Sea Power – October 2009 By NHF Staff Historian Dr. Dave Winkler [Editors note: Rear Admiral John Mustin, Vice Commander, Fleet Forces Command, great grandson of Captain Henry Mustin (featured below) is currently overseeing the USN Comfort as it assists medical operations to battle the novel Coronavirus pandemic in New York City.]
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
