Entries

GREHAN, John & MACE, Martin. Operations in North Africa and the Middle East 1942-1944: El Alamein, Tunisia, Algeria and Operation TORCH. xiv, 247p., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2015. ISBN: 1783461942.

Reprints five despatches from the London Gazette with a brief introduction, namely 38196, From El Alamein to Tunis; 38569, Operation TORCH; 37779, operations in North West Africa; 37786, operations in the Middle East 1943-1944;  38423, Control of the Sicilian Straits, 38423.

• Official Despatches

MACE, Martin & GREHAN, John. Disaster in the Far East 1940-1942: The Defence of Malaya, Japanese Capture of Hong Kong and the Fall of Singapore.  xii, 516p., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2015. ISBN: 1783462094.

Reprints four despatches from the London Gazette with a brief introduction, namely 38183, The Defence of Malaya; 38190, Operations in Hong Kong; 38183, the Fall of Singapore; 38216, air operations during the campaigns in Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies.

• The Loss of the Far East
• The Fall of Singapore
• Official Despatches

MACE, Martin & GREHAN, John. The Battle for Norway 1940-1942.  xii, 174p., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military, 2015. ISBN: 1783462329.

Reprints six despatches from the London Gazette with a brief introduction, namely 37584, Operations in Central Norway in 1940; 38005, First and Second Battles of Narvik; 38011, Operations in Northern Norway; 38300, Carrier-borne aircraft attack on Kirkenes and Petsamo; 38331, Raid on the Lofoten Islands; 38342, Raid on Vaagso Island.

• The Norwegian Campaign
• Official Despatches

STACEY, C. P. Six Years of War: The Army in Canada, Britain and the Pacific (Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War, Volume 1). xiii, 629p., illus., index. Ottawa: Queens Printer and Controller of Stationery, 1955

Complete coverage of the war, but excluding the Italian campaign and the final campaign in North-West Europe. Due recognition is given to naval involvement in everything from the Fall of Hong Kong to the Dieppe Raid.

• Canadian Armed Forces

DIX, Anthony. The Norway Campaign and the Rise of Churchill, 1940. xix, 244p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2014. ISBN: 1783400609.

 “A wholly unnecessary book with absolutely nothing to recommend it” is the verdict of one reviewer on this poor attempt at a history of the campaign and its political background.

• The Norwegian Campaign

THOMAS, Leona J. Through Ice and Fire: A Russian Arctic Convoy Diary 1942. 216p., illus. Stroud: Fonthill, 2015. ISBN: 9781781554401.

A short history taken from her father’s papers. It records his service on Ulster Queen  in 1942 when she took part in PQ15 and PQ18 as well as QP12 and covers time spent in Archangel.

• The Arctic Convoys
• Royal Navy Autobiographies & Biographies

WILLMANN, Klaus. U-188: A German Submariner’s Account of the War at Sea 1941-1945. x, 196p., illus. London: Frontline, 2015. ISBN: 9781848327603.

He joined up aged 17 and this describes his service from the Atlantic to the Far East. Service recollected many years later is sometimes more atmospheric than accurate.

• Kriegsmarine: U-Boats

JORDAN, John & DUMAS, Robert. French Cruisers 1922-1956. 232p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth; Annapolis: NIP, 2013. ISBN: 1848321333.

The French produced some of the most striking and innovative interwar cruiser designs. This book is the first to make information accessible in English. Part I explains the design philosophy behind each of the classes built after 1922, and outlines the characteristics of each type, accompanied by detailed data tables and a comprehensive set of specially-drawn plans based on official documents.

• French Forces

JORDAN, John & MOULIN, Jean. French Destroyers, Torpilleurs  d’Escadre & Contre-Torpilleurs 1922-1956. 240p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth; Annapolis: NIP, 2015. ISBN: 1848321988.

Between the wars the French produced some of the largest, and certainly the fastest, destroyers in the world. Known as Contre-Torpilleurs, these striking and innovative super-destroyers form the core of this book, but the more conventional Torpilleurs d Escadre are also covered. This history combines the technical and service material published in French-language monographs over the past two decades with the authors own research from primary sources.

• French Forces

BOLLINGER, Martin J. Warriors and Wizards: The Development and Defeat of Radio Controlled Glide Bombs of the Third Reich xviii, 269 p., bibliog., illus., index. Annapolis: NIP, 2010. ISBN: 1612510027.

In August 1943, the Luftwaffe began using radio-controlled anti-ship glide bombs. These proved very effective, sinking one battleship, crippling another, wrecking two cruisers and destroying numerous merchant ships within a few weeks. However, a year later the Germans were forced to abandon them, defeated by scientists who developed electronic systems to jam the radio links that guided the bombs. Drawing on a wealth of new sources, this examines what happened from both a historical and technological perspective and lays out a mission-by-mission analysis of effectiveness.

HAARR, Geirr H. No Room For Mistakes: British and Allied Submarines in European Waters 1939-1940. xiv, 450p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth, 20197. ISBN:9781848322066.

Describes pre-war design and development before giving a definitive account of the early months of the war in northern European waters.

• Trade Defence and Blockade

NICHOLSON, Arthur. Very Special Ships: Abdiel Class Fast Minelayers of World War Two. 208p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Seaforth, 2015. ISBN: 1848322356.

Covers the design and building of the six very active ships in this class, along with operational histories. Profusely illustrated.

• Mine Warfare
• Cruisers

O’HARA, Vincent P. TORCH: North Africa and the Allied Path to Victory. ix, 371p., bibliog., illus., index. Annapolis, NIP, 2015. ISBN: 9781612518237.

A fresh but concise account of the landings with good coverage of the tangled Anglo-US-French politics involved.

• The TORCH Landings

DELAFORCE, Patrick. Smashing the Atlantic Wall: The Destruction of Hitler’ Coastal Fortresses 240p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Cassell, 2001. ISBN: 0304361631.

A little remarked area was the progressive capture of the ports which allowed the Allies to push north.

• Northern Europe to VE Day

EVANS, George. The Landfall Story. 112p., illus. Liverpool, [author], 1992.

The author tells the story of LCT(3) 7074. Completed at Hebburn in April 1944 she was assigned to the Normandy Landings and formed part of the 17th Flotilla at Lowestoft before moving to Gorleston then Harwich before the assault. In April 1945 she was assigned to Western Approaches Command and converted to an Emergency Repair Vessel based at Liverpool. Her post-war career is also traced.

• D-Day: Launching the Attack
• Landing Craft

COOPER, Artemis. Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure. xv, 448p., bibliog., illus., index. London, John Murray, 2012. ISBN: 0719554497.

An engaging biography of the idiosyncratic, boyish adventurer who joined the Intelligence Corps in 1939 after travelling round Europe. He was sent to Greece to support the Cretan resistance and his well known escapades described. His long and full life is sympathetically treated.

• Biography
• War in the Aegean and Adriatic

COCKER, Maurice. Destroyers of the Royal Navy 1893-1981. 136p., bibliog., illus., index. London: Ian Allan, 1981. ISBN: 0711010757.

A brief guide arranged by class, with leading details and some note of losses. A revised edition entitled Royal Navy Destroyers 1893 to the Present Day (ISBN: 0752461591) was published by Seaforth in 2011.

• Reference Works
• The Royal Navy
• Destroyers

SMITH, Peter C. Combat Biplanes of World War II. xii,324p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2015. ISBN: 9781783400546.

The well known author provides potted histories of seventeen of his favourite biplanes. It covers most of the warring air forces ad in the case of Britain ranges from the Swordfish and Albacore to the Walrus and Vildebeest.

SMITH, Peter C. Combat Biplanes of World War II. xii,324p., bibliog., illus., index. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2015. ISBN: 9781783400546.

The well known author provides potted histories of seventeen of his favourite biplanes. It covers most of the warring air forces ad in the case of Britain ranges from the Swordfish and Albacore to the Walrus and Vildebeest.

• Fleet Air Arm
• Coastal Command

FRY, Helen. German Schoolboy, British Commando: Churchill's Secret Soldier. 186p., bibliog., illus., index. Stroud : History Press 2010. ISBN: 0752449966.

Colin Anson was born Claus Ascher in Berlin and raised a Protestant. He was forced to flee Nazi Germany because his father, Curt Ascher, was one of Hitler's. In 1939, Colin found refuge in Britain, where he joined the British Army. Selected for Commando service, he trained with 3 Troop, the only German-speaking unit in the British armed forces. He was attached to the Royal Marines and took part in the invasion of Italy and Sicily in 1943, before participating in raids into Yugoslavia and Albania, and then in the liberation of Corfu.

• Biography
• The Commandos
• Royal Marines