Pen and Sword Books: Military History and Nostalgia Book Publishers

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A Century of Air Warfare A Century of Air Warfare
The Changing Face of Warfare 1912-2012
Dave Sloggett
£15.99
was £19.99
quoteIn this book - A Century of Air Power, Dr Sloggett provides a first-class analysis of the many varied, challenging and innovative uses to which air minded commanders have put this third dimensional capability in the last 100 years. He ably and lucidly describes why and in what ways, Air Power, commanded and controlled by experienced professionals, has fundamentally changed the nature of warfare and combat operations more broadly on the land, at sea and in the air. In this book, Dr Sloggett, has, yet again, demonstrated his mastery of analysis, synthesis and the ability to describe insightfully and effectively the use of air power. He does so clearly, dispassionately, but in a most readable s...quote Read more...

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton GCB ADC LLD(Hon) BSc FRAeS CCMI RAF

 
The Defence of the Dardanelles The Defence of the Dardanelles
From Bombards to Battleships
Michael Forrest
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteThe book is interesting and informative. It is well illustrated with both period and contemporary photographs. There are also a number of maps.
Major contests between coast artillery and battleships have been few, and this book should prove valuable to those interested in one of the most important.quote

The Coast Defence Journal

 
The Defence of the Dardanelles The Defence of the Dardanelles
From Bombards to Battleships
Michael Forrest
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteThe book is illustrated throughout with photographs of the existing forts, batteries and guns and concludes with a gazetteers of the existing forts on both sides of the Dardanelles… This is an eminently readable book by an author who has carried out a comprehensive study of the naval attempt to break through the Dardanelles and who has looked at the start of the ill-fated Dardanelles Campaign from a previously neglected viewpoint. Despite its maritime perspective this is definitely a book for all those who are interested n the stuffy of fortifications.quote

Fortress Study Group

 
The Black Ship The Black Ship
Dudley Pope
£12.50
was £15.99
quoteAnyone familiar with British naval history has probably come across the frigate Hermione. The bloodiest mutiny occurred aboard this vessel in October 1797.

The author covers the people and events leading up to the mutiny, as well as its aftermath in twenty-eight chapters. The book includes five appendices (The Effect of a Flogging, Floggings ordered by Captain Wilkinson in the Hermione, Floggings ordered by Captain Pigot in the Success, The Men Active in the Mutiny, and Recorded trials for mutiny in the Royal Navy for 1798), notes and bibliography, and an index. Various types of illustrations accompany the text. Aside from the mutiny, the book also mentions quite a few private...quote Read more...

Pirates and Privateers

 
Atrocities, Diamonds and Diplomacy Atrocities, Diamonds and Diplomacy
£10.39
was £12.99
quotePeter Penfold served as the British High Commissioner in Sierra Leone from 1997 to 2000, during which time he gained the generous friendship of the president and people of this most embattled and impoverished country, and although he also won high praise for his efforts at home, he was subsequently reprimanded, if not made a scapegoat, by the "Arms for Africa" Enquiry. Having been so intimately involved at a diplomatic level, there can be few who are so well placed to describe the events of this time, from the various efforts to achieve a political solution to the most appalling atrocities carried out by the rebel forces. This is a rich and detailed account of Britain's involvement in a conf...quote Read more...

Pegasus Archive

 
Fighters Under Construction in World War Two Fighters Under Construction in World War Two
Graham Simons
£12.00
was £14.99
quoteFighters Under Construction in World War Two by Graham Simons, "Rare and unpublished photographs show numerous aircraft of the Royal Air Force as they have scarcely been seen before; divided into their component parts on a production line. Chapters cover the Spitfire, Seafire, Hurricane, Mosquito, Hornet, Typhoon, Tempest, Beaufighter, Walrus and Aircobra, as well as the production of propellers, the Merlin engine and 20mm Hispano cannon. The photographs alone give a vivid sense of the production stages of each, showing the numerous phases by which the airframe was fashioned by expert craftsmen, long before the days of modern robotic assembly. Extensive notes accompany each photograph and th...quote Read more...

Pegasus Archive

 
1 Group: Swift to Attack 1 Group: Swift to Attack
Bomber Command’s Unsung Heroes
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteThe author, a professional journalist, has written a comprehensive account of the exploits of 1 Group Bomber Command, with a special focus on the men who contributed to its exploits.

This 368 page hardback book reflects well the outstanding bravery of the aircrew who faced a living hell every night over enemy-occupied Europe, yet who somehow managed to complete their missions, navigate their way back to base, avoiding flack and enemy night fighters, often flying through appalling weather, and in all too many cases then facing disaster in the last few minutes of a night-long mission. Patrick Otter tells the tale with passion as well as an eye for detail, which makes the volume...quote Read more...

www.airleague.co.uk

 
Winged Crusaders Winged Crusaders
The Exploits of 14 Squadron RFC & RAF 1915-45
Michael Napier
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteThe detail contained in this new book is impressive and covers a wealth of new information and illustrative material which has been collected together from official and private sources after an extensive period of research… This book is much more than a reference book for enthusiasts. For historians it provides a thorough insight into the people, the inter-service politics and the military policies throughout two world conflicts and a continuous inter-war period of overseas air policing…The way that the squadron operated during its WW2 days in desert sweeps and on missions against enemy land and sea targets makes for a very good read, supported by relevant wartime photographs that are fully ...quote Read more...

www.airleague.co.uk

 
The Brunei Revolt 1962-1963 The Brunei Revolt 1962-1963
Nick Van der Bijl
£15.99
was £19.99
quoteResearched in great detail.quote

Soldier Magazine

 
Fall of Eagles Fall of Eagles
Airmen of World War One
Alex Revell
£19.99
quoteAs World War I developed into what is now called “The Great War,” so too did the newly invented airplane develop from a reconnaissance machine for gathering information into a great and deadly fighting machine that changed the face of war forever.

A new breed of soldier emerged, the air ‘ace.’ Manfred von Richthofen, Josef Kiss, Eddie Richenbacker, Werner Voss, Rene Fonck and William Bishop were just a few of the many ‘aces’ that downed five or more enemy aircraft – and the most renowned sent down dozens. Their skills and natural talents earned them great recognition and fear among their fellow pilots and adversaries.

There was much honor and respect in the way...quote Read more...

Indy Squadron Dispatch

 
A Gunner's Great War A Gunner's Great War
An Artilleryman's Experience from the Somme to the Subcontinent
Ian Ronayne
£15.99
was £19.99
quoteBook of the monthquote

Britain at War

 
British Cruisers British Cruisers
of the Victorian Era
Norman Friedman
£36.00
was £45.00
quoteIt's a substantial large format book and to be honest I can't claim to have read it cover-to-cover yet, but even a cursory glance is enough to suggest that this one is probably up to NF's usual (impeccably high) standards. I believe Friedman's in depth research, the extensive (and superbly reproduced) photography selection, coupled with A D Baker's expert line drawings, will set a standard on this subject that may never be surpassed.

PS, the publishers have given this book the 'Victorian Era' subtitle for some inexplicable reason, but don't be misled, because the magnificent 1901-1908 Armoured Cruiser classes of the Edwardian RN are also covered.quote

Naval Weapons Discussion Board

 
British Cruisers British Cruisers
of the Victorian Era
Norman Friedman
£36.00
was £45.00
quoteAnother superb book by Norman Friedman. It has eight chapters plus a lengthy introduction and an appendix on Vicker's cruisers. The book defines cruisers as those ships designed to protect trade and drive the trade of enemy nations from the seas. The book has over 350 pages including an index, and data pages listing the dimensions etc of the various classes and then data pages listing the fates of the individual ships. It is loaded with many pictures plus plans and profiles of selected ships.quote

Ship Model Forum

 
Stuka: Hitler's Lethal Dive Bomber Stuka: Hitler's Lethal Dive Bomber
Alistair Smith
£14.99
quoteThe book is set out in 7 chapters including photographic and time line narrative based on the early war years of Erich Heine who was a Stuka rear gunner and radio operator.The photographs are from a album collection that belonged to Erich.

The photographs are professional posed and snapshots taken by Erich or a squadron member.They show the life of Erich and Luftwaffe Stuka crew members through training /deployment/leave and include funerals of squadron members. The photographs end in the Summer of 1943.Erich survived the war.

The narrative gives a good overview of the Stuka in service and the photographs show varied views of the aircraft and day to day life wit...quote Read more...

WW2 Talk

 
The Littorio Class The Littorio Class
Italy's Last and Largest Battleships
Ermino Bagnasco
£45.00
quoteFirst published in Italian in 2008, this English-language translation is a comprehensive design-history of one of Europe’s largest and most powerful classes of battleships.
These fine ships have received little attention in English-language literature but this superbly produced and comprehensive monograph overcomes that deficit. This superb volume is built around six chapters covering (1) battleships and Italian naval policy between the two world war, (2) design and general characteristics, (3) technical description, (4) construction, sea trials and commissioning from, (5) operational history and (6) comparisons and conclusions. The book is completed by three appendices detailing (1)...quote Read more...

Marine News

 
German Capital Ships of the Second World War German Capital Ships of the Second World War
The Ultimate Photograph Album
£36.00
was £45.00
quoteAs the book’s sub-title suggests, this is very much a book of photographs, with many reproduced at a commendably large and useful size. Many are excellent.
The content was translated from the co-author’s Polish manuscript, but to a high standard, for which it is to be commended.quote

Marine News

 
British Battleships of World War One British Battleships of World War One
Ray Burt
£36.00
was £45.00
quoteRay Burt has been researching the design, construction and service histories of British Battleships for at least 30 years and this new edition of his classic 1986 book benefits from work undertaken in the intervening years. This fine volume is a complete technical history of British capital ship design and construction during the dreadnought era…
The text is supported by more than 350 well-chosen, high-quality photographs as well as excellent line drawings and figures. The end result is a magnificent work that will be of value to the historian, warship enthusiast and ship modeller. In my opinion this is the definitive reference work for British battleships of First World War, and, as ...quote Read more...

Marine News

 
The Coming of the Comet The Coming of the Comet
The Rise and Fall of the Paddle Steamer
Nick Robins
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteThis is the first single-volume work covering the development of paddle steamers on both sides of the Atlantic and its publication coincides with the 200th anniversary of Henry Bell’s Comet.
As the author so ably demonstrates, the impact of the paddle steamer on transport is difficult to overstate and was also linked to a range of technological developments in the 19th Century which are also discussed in some depth.
All-in-all, this is a well-illustrated and fascinating account of 19th Century ingenuity and its revolutionary effects on maritime communication and naval warfare.quote

Marine News

 
Kaigun Kaigun
Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy 1887-1941
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteThe book covers the period from 1887 to 1941 but the authors have also added an appreciation of the performance of the IJN during 1941 – 45 and married that performance to the pre-war development of the navy’s strategic and tactical doctrines which in the end proved to be too rigid and seriously flawed.
This is an outstanding work of scholarship and naval history is easy to read and will be an important addition to any naval library. Very highly recommended.quote

Marine News

 
Borneo Boys Borneo Boys
RAF Helicopter Pilots in Action - Indonesia Confrontation 1962-66
Roger Annett
£20.00
was £25.00
quoteTerrorist, rebels, border conflicts, dubious alliances – sounds like everyday modern news. This book revisits a long forgotten conflict from 50 years ago. For once, it turned out well.
Annett, who will donate net proceeds from the sales of this book to military charities, flew with 215 Squadron, co-piloting Argosy transport aircraft. He uses his own recollections and that of 24 colleagues to show the reader the conflict through their eyes, but always in the context of overall geopolitical stirrings.
From basic training to pilot qualification, we follow the young recruits into the pressure cooker that is combat duty and would forge them into brothers in arms, the Borneo Boys. E...quote Read more...

Copyright 2013, Charly Baumann – Speedreaders.info