By Jim Thesing, Merriam Press, Bennington, VT (2013) Reviewed by Charles Bogart The author has crafted a wonderful fictional account of the German U-boat arm during the period between July and August 1914. The climactic moment within the book is the sinking of the three old Royal Navy cruisers, HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy, and HMS
By John Schork, Jupiter-Pixel Press, Jupiter, FL (2008) Reviewed by Paul W. Murphey, Ph.D., CDR, CHC, USN (Retired) I was utterly surprised by this novel of naval aviation in the Pacific during World War II. It was a radical departure from the way I knew the author to approach any task. His creativity astounded me.
By Youssef Aboul-Enein and Basil Aboul-Enein, Naval Institute Pree, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by Charles C. Kolb, Ph.D. The Secret War for the Middle East: The Influence of Axis and Allied Intelligence Operations during World War II should not be confused with Andrew Rathmell’s Secret War in the Middle East: The Covert Struggle for Syria,
By Captain Alexander “Sandy” G. Monroe, USN (Ret.), Pleasant Living Books, Richmond, VA (2014) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA This commemorative volume focuses on graduates of a small private school who served in the U.S. armed forces. Author Alexander Monroe argues that Christchurch School has imbued its students with an outlook that mirrors military
By Michael F. Dilley, Casemate, Philadelphia, PA and Oxford, England (2013) Reviewed by Stephen K. Stein, Ph.D. Since the 9/11 attacks, U.S. Special Forces have received a growing amount of media attention. Numerous books describe and analyze their recent operations. Michael F. Dilley, a writer and editor for Behind the Lines magazine, returns to the modern
By Thomas Wildenberg, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by Captain J. F. “Bookie” Boland, U.S. Navy (Retired) Colonel Billy Mitchell, an iconic and controversial figure in United States aviation history, is the subject of an important new book by independent historian Thomas Wildenberg. Although Mitchell’s life and military service is examined in innumerable
By Mark Huffman, RH Rositzke & Associates, LLC, Washington, DC (2013) Reviewed by John R. Satterfield, DBA This brief volume tells the story of a distinguished Marine Corps veteran, BGen. William B. Weise, whose career spanned 1952 to 1982 and included service in Korea and Vietnam. BGen. Weise served with more than six months of
By Rick Campbell, St. Martins Press, New York, NY (2014) Reviewed by Capt. Roger F. Jones, USN (Ret.) Retired Navy submarine officer and author Rick Campbell offers an exciting story of how a US Navy Trident nuclear sub, the USS Kentucky, is given falsified orders to launch all twenty-four of its nuclear missiles at Iran.
Each year the North American Society for Oceanic History presents the John Lyman Book Awards, named after the late Professor John Lyman of the University of North Carolina, to recognize excellence in the publication of books that make significant contributions to the study and understanding of maritime and naval history. Winners of the awards for
The Unseen War: Allied Air Power and the Takedown of Saddam Hussein By Benjamin S. Lambeth, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD (2013) Reviewed by John T. Kuehn, Ph.D. Ben Lambeth of the RAND Corporation is one of the premier historians of operational air power. His account of the air campaign that supported the overthrow of
You Cannot Surge Trust: Combined Naval Operations of the Royal Australian Navy, Canadian Navy, Royal Navy, and United States Navy, 1991-2003 Edited by Gary Weir and Sandra Doyle, Naval History & Heritage Command, Washington, DC. (2013) Reviewed by Corbin Williamson This impetus for this remarkable work began in 2003 when historians at the (then) Naval
Murph: The Protector: The True Story Of Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy Video produced by Scott Mactavish, Mactavish Pictures New York, NY. (2013). Reviewed by Nathan Albright It is altogether fitting that Murph: The Protector should be seen in tandem with the big-budget film Lone Survivor. Murph is based on the book by Lt.
At the Crossroads Between Peace and War: The London Naval Conference of 1930 By John H. Maurer and Christopher M. Bell, Eds., Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, MD. (2014) Reviewed by Joseph Moretz The naval conference that met in London from January to April 1930 is instructive to the modern observer for the light it shines
Race to the Top of the World: Richard Byrd and the First Flight to the North Pole By Sheldon Bart, Regnery History, Washington, DC (2013) Reviewed by Ingo Heidbrink, Ph.D. Race to the Top of the World, by Sheldon Bart, not only opens again the question if Richard E. Byrd reached the North Pole on
Captain Bulloch: The Life of James Dunwoody Bulloch, Naval Agent of the Confederacy By Stephen Chapin Kinnaman, Dog Ear Publishing, Indianapolis, IN. (2013) Reviewed by Mark Lardas James Dunwoody Bulloch is best known as the man behind the Civil War’s Confederate raiders. He organized the construction and outfitting of Florida, Alabama, and Stonewall, among others.
