Well – Warm weather and summer are here. Time to get out the grills and sun tan lotion, because this summer should be a hot one! There are a lot of ways you can go out and have fun this summer. That doesn’t mean our fighting men and women don’t try to have a little
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
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
On a day when the Blue Angels returned to the Naval Academy to entertain the crowds for the first time in several years, the warm up event was the annual Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Awards Ceremony in the hallowed Memorial Hall of the Academy’s Bancroft Hall. This year’s winner of the Naval Historical
Experience the most decisive conflict of the Second World War through the eyes of the Imperial Japanese Navy and United States Navy. Starting today, the Naval Historical Foundation will publish tweets from the perspective of the men and machines that fought the pivotal battle over 70 years ago. This new project follows the example used
By George Stewart (This is the first of a series of blog posts that discuss the role that Casco Bay played during the Second World War. This is Part I of the series. “Going Ashore” are the collected posts from George Stewart, retired Navy Captain and NHF blog volunteer). This series of blog posts will provide
A long time ago, in a cockpit far, far away…. Today is the unofficial holiday/celebration of the Star Wars film franchise. Here are 10 men and women “space travelers” that served in the U.S. Navy. Luke may have had the force, but did he successfully bring his “space ship” safely home after catastrophic failure? Who
Mondays are hard. 1. Sleeping Sailors on USS Lexington, 1943. 2. USS Barry – Exhausted Sailor. 3. Sailor Quarters in San Diego, 1923. 4. Post-VJ Day Sailors, 1945. 5. This Guy the Next Morning, early 20th Cent. 6. New Jersey Sailor, 1944. 7. USS Olympia Crew. 8. Sailors Reading on deck of USS Lexington, 1943.
By John W. Kennedy, Naval War College Museum Dipping the flag can be traced back to 1293; but, it was not until the reign of Edward III of England that it gained significance as an enforcement of his claims to the sovereignty of the seas and “jurisdiction over offences committed thereon” as England claimed dominion
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic around-the-world cruise of the USS Enterprise and Nuclear Task Force One. Celebrate this event by taking a look at the lighter side of the “Big E” cruise book from 1964. 1. Lifeblood of the Navy 2. U.S. Navy – Ahead of Hipsters Since 1964 3. Teamwork 4.
By Norman Polmar (Editor’s note: This is the 27th a series of blogs by Norman Polmar—author, analyst, and consultant specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence fields. Follow the full series here. Mr. Polmar is now traveling abroad and the series will resume this summer.) On an afternoon in late 1975 I received a telephone
“We’ve come a long way since FIDO.” In the years since the first Submarine History Seminar was held at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History during the Submarine Force Centennial in 2010, enthusiasts of undersea warfare have learned a great deal about the history and memory of the submarine service. Everything from the legacy
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
