Book Review: The Royal Navy in the Napoleonic Age, Mark Jessop

I think this is a really rather excellent if somewhat odd or unusual book. What's excellent is the density of information, and the vivid evocation of the era. It's how he achieves the latter that makes it odd and unusual. 

Modern writing on such subjects tends to be either factual or fictional (at least in declared intent). A deliberate mixing of the two, as here, is a rare thing these days. At least in my reading experience. As such, it takes a bit of getting used to. What author Mark Jessop does is intersperse - usually at the start or finish of a chapter - fictionalised scenarios with the more traditional historical meat of the book.

Initially wary of such an approach, I both think and feel - and that's an important point, this rather unusual approach definitely appeals to the feelings as much as the intellect (quite a refreshing thing!) - that it's sufficiently well done to have won me over. It's definitely 'mannered', so to speak. But it's also highly effective at bringing the subject vividly to life.

Having read this I feel inclined to seek out other writings by the author. Naval doings are not my primary area of interest for this period. But well written books such as this are definitely helping me develop a nascent taste for the briny sagas of this colourful 'age of sail', when sea power was key to England punching well above her apparent weight. 

Since initially posting this review I've learned that this is actually part two of, or a follow up to, another similar book by Jessop, entitled The Royal Navy 1793–1800, Birth of a Superpower, also by Pen & Sword, and written in the same style. My only real criticism of this second part is the lack of a glossary, which for a landlubber like me would've been helpful.

A fascinating subject, well served by an erudite and imaginative author. Great stuff!

Book Review: Glasgow Museums, The Ship Models

Wow... What an incredible book!

This chunky near square deluxe hardback coffee-table type book is a thing of incredible beauty. Both as an object in itself - chock-full of richly coloured beautifully crisp photographs of stunning models - and for what it documents. Since this arrived a couple of days ago I've lost myself repeatedly in awe and wonder, simply perusing the fabulous images. I've only skimmed small portions of the text, so I won't say anything for now about that aspect. Visually this deserves ten stars. It's simply jaw-droppingly stunning.

According to the books subtitle, A History and Complete Illustrated Catalogue, it covers the entire collection, making it not only enchantingly seductive, but fabulously complete and comprehensive. The ship models in the collection cover an impressive range: from models depicting the 'age of sail', including some amazing creations crafted by prisoners of the Napoleonic Wars, through all manner of vessels, from the enormous and/or ornate, to the small, simple and humble. From skiffs and tugs to Noah's Ark (!?) and huge models of modern vessels. From rudimentary half-hulls, to staggeringly detailed ships.

If you love ship models, which to me encapsulate so many things, from the strange but compelling desire we have to make miniature representations of our inventions, to the almost fairytale romance and sublime/terrifying awe of our relationships with the elemental seas, this is an essential publication. Beautifully produced, an honourable homage to the vast expenditure of skill and passion that the objects it depicts represents. Awesome is a much overused and devalued term nowadays. But it really does fit the bill here.

A lot of books of this ilk are shamefully overpriced. At £35 this is actually fair, and good value. Highly recommended.

Film Review: The Sea Shall Not Have Them, 1954

Having recently read Coastal Convoys, 1939-45 (my review of that book here), by Nick Hewitt, I wanted to watch this again, as it's based on exactly the same subject. It does a pretty good of showing the awful conditions that the naval and airborne arms had to endure whilst operating on, above, and sometimes in the cold cruel seas.

To those familiar with this era of movie-making there will be a number of recognisable faces, like Michael Redgrave and Dirk Bogarde [1] and several others (Victor Madeern, Joan Sims, etc.). Some of the faces I didn't recognise, such as the Yank pretending to be a Canadian, Bonar Colleano (what a name!), turn out to have been reasonably big names in their day. But all acquit themselves pretty well, albeit in familiar postwar war-film cliché type moulds.

The plot boils down to four men in a downed plane (a Lockheed Hudson bomber, perhaps?) winding up in a dinghy, drifting through E-boat Alley and minefields towards the occupied European coast. Three are the crew of the plane, the fourth is brass with a vital dossier of info on 'Jerry's' latest wunderwaffen missiles. Coastal Command seeks to recover the men and their prized intelligence, their efforts hampered by poor weather, and simultaneously seeking to calm worried ladies left back home.

It's fascinating to see life/operations aboard an RAF Coastal Command rescue plane (is it a Walrus I, or a Sunderland?) and what I believe is probably at Type II boat, the aerial and seaborne mainstays of naval rescue. It's also interesting to see how a downed Luftwaffe pilot is treated. Whilst this is certainly not the best WWII movie, or even the best 'wet WWII' film, it is a moving and stirring tribute to all concerned, and shines a welcome light on what Hewitt in his aforementioned book justly describes as an overlooked aspect of WWII at sea. 

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The book on which the film is based.

[1] An amusing bit of trivia: Noel Coward reputedly said, referring to the film's title in relation to the two main male leads - Redgrave said to be bisexual, and Bogarde homosexual - 'I don't see why not; everybody else has'!

Book Review: Battlecruiser Repulse, John Roberts

This is the second one of these Seaforth 'original plans' books I've got, the first being on the German WWI-era battleship Helgoland. Like that, this is astonishingly detailed. Many stunning diagrams are beautifully reproduced, including several four page spreads. Some of the latter are, I believe, scaled down from original draughts as much as 12 feet in length!

I'm not an expert on matters maritime. Books like this are therefore, for me, both splendid, feeding a growing interest in naval warfare, and somewhat bewildering or overwhelming, in the degree of detail. This book is slightly easier to digest than the Helgoland one simply because the original draught sources are in English, not German.

Repulse, 1916.*

Two sets of draughts detail how Repulse was fitted out at two points in her life, the first in 1916 (with later amendments taking her up to 1921), and the second in 1936. A Renown class vessel, built according to the visions of Admiral Lord Fisher, she was intended to be fast and heavily armed. This was accomplished, however, at cost of overly light armour. Indeed, the draughts are very largely a record of the continual up-armouring of this WWI-vintage ship.

As with the Helgoland book, this is mainly a technical description, both textually and visually, with the emphasis on the latter, via the diagrams. There's plenty about the historical context as well, especially re the naval philosophies that lead to the Repulse being designed and built as she was. But, again as with Helgoland, there's less about her actual service; it'd certainly have been nice to have had a few images of her in action.

Repulse, 1936.*

Whereas Helgoland was scrapped after WWI, Repulse was subjected to the renovations covered herein. She even took part in the famous pursuit that lead to the eventual loss of the Bismarck. But, due to that infamous lack of armour, and despite all the upgrades, she was sunk in '41 by the Japanese. This book shows her in incredible detail, and is a real gem reference wise. Definitely recommended.

* Neither of these images appear in the book; it's all just 'Admiralty draughts', i.e. diagrams.

Film Review: Flat Top, 1952

Reading John Grehan's Battle of Midway got me very interested in USN aircraft carriers. I tried to find a WWII movie on the subject, and discovered Flat Top. Made in 1952, and starring Sterling Hayden, an actor I really dig, whilst in truth not a classic film, it is pretty much exactly what I wanted.

Sterling Hayden, a man's man in a man's world!

Great footage of USN carrier operations.

What I was looking for was a film that would show aspects of the operational and tactical life of such a vessel, and her crew. And Flat Top, whilst a bit thin and, pardon the pun, flat as a drama or character study - the drama is okay, but the characters are rather 2-D and clichéd - clearly takes pleasure in showing the multifarious aspects of life and operations aboard a WWII USN aircraft carrier.

The entire film is one long flashback, as Hayden's Cmdr. Dan Collier character recalls his WWII service aboard the same carrier in which we find him, which starts with his being given command of a new batch of raw recruit pilots. The well-worn cliché of the by-the-book hardass who ultimately comes to be loved by his men is then played out over a series of scenarios. 

Heavy use is made of real WWII stock combat footage, both of fleet activity and even more so aerial combat. The contrast of the gung-ho mirth of the pilots with the anonymous Japs being so easily and merrily dispatched is a bit disconcerting. Indeed, the enemy remains an abstracted nonentity until quite late in the film, when we start to occasionally see the human cost to both sides.

Several sequences, such as this one ...

... show how the arrestor wires work.

I suppose this was a propagandist movie, made  as it was during the Korean War, the opening scene showing jets landing on the carrier. In that respect it is a bit cornball. But what I like about the film is seeing operational stuff, like the maintenance and fuelling/arming of planes, above and below decks. Take offs and landings (the latter showing arrestor wires in use), with 'ground crew' at work, and the inter-deck elevators in action.

There's quite a lot of footage like this...

showing deck crew servicing planes...

... loading various armaments, etc.

We also see how the officers and men live, the former in their own private but box-like quarters, the latter in dorms full of bunks. There are meals in the mess, pilot briefings (in surprisingly large/luxurious looking chairs!), and red-lit acclimatisation for night combat/flying.

Below deck crew follow the action in an ops room type setting.

One of the more timeworn themes is that old chestnut of individual vs. group. This is less grating than the wafer-thin characterisations of the protagonists - a election of Everyman types, from jocks to poets, musicians to lawyers, etc. - and is, in this film as in life, difficult to square/resolve. Hayden's character does so in no uncertain terms. His immediate subordinate has a softer approach (albeit eventually conceding he's 100% wrong!). The overt message here is 'it's the team that wins'. But a certain amount of rugged individualism does sneak in.

So, not a great film, by any means, frankly. But certainly well worth watching if you're fascinated by the maritime and airborne aspects of the war in the Pacific.

One of the few glimpses we get of the Japanese enemy.

Film Review: USS Franklin, Honor Restored, 2011

Having recently read about the battle of Midway, and the fate of USS Yorktown, an interest in American aircraft carriers of WWII was ignited in me. I bought the Tamiya 1/300 model of Yorktown CV-5, and watched Flat Top, starring Sterling Hayden. The latter wasn't about the Yorktown specifically, so much as operational life aboard this class of fascinating and gigantic maritime war machine.

Searching for more on the subject I discovered the documentary, USS Franklin, Honor Restored, narrated with the familiar Southern accent of go-to military man for Hollywood, ex-Marine Dale Dye. It tells the incredible story of the 'the ship that wouldn't die'. This is exciting enough in itself. But the drama is further compounded by the actions of its commander at the time, Captain Gehres.

A superbly dramatic photo of the listing inferno that was USS Franklin.

Note men visible amidst the maelstrom of fire and smoke in the hangar decks.

I won't say any more about these stories here. This review is more just a signpost intended to direct people towards watching this film, or reading about the topic. It's a fairly typical WWII documentary, style and execution wise: portentous music plays (almost too much, I found) as former crew members and military history experts are interviewed, intercut with WWII footage, some of which is of USS Franklin, and some of which is generic Pacific War footage that those interested in the theatre will often recognise from elsewhere.

This image* conveys the scale of vessels like CV-13.

The USN eventually fielded - if that's the appropriate term; deployed, perhaps? - over 100 aircraft carriers in the Pacific theatre alone. A staggering figure! The ultimate fate of USS Franklin, given her story, is rather sad. But I won't give too much away here. Whilst Honor Restored is not an out and out classic of its type, it is nevertheless a very compelling story solidly told. Definitely worth watching.

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A website devoted to the vessel and her crew is maintained here.

* USS Franklin, listing 13°, with USS Santa Fe alongside.

Dye talks about narrating the story of USS Franklin.

Book Review: Battle of Midway, John Grehan (Images of War)

This is an excellent book. Well written, with a great selection of photographs. Although I'm more interested in WWII in Europe by and large, I found this a fascinating and compelling read.

For someone, like me, with a very limited and sketchy knowledge of the War in the Pacific, this is pitched perfectly, giving enough info to stimulate deeper interest, but not so much as to overwhelm. And the clear and concise text is brought to life by the images, which cover the whole event in an admirably comprehensive and evenly balanced way.

Should I revisit the '76 movie?

Materiel and personnel of both sides are shown, as are all the major events. Learning more about such famous events as the destruction of USS Yorktown was fascinating. Having read this I feel the urge to re-watch the classic old 1976 Midway movie. And maybe to even take a chance on the more recent film?*

* Due out in the UK in early November.

Book Review: Coastal Convoys, Nick Hewitt

I'm torn between giving this four or five stars. In some respects it's fantastic. And I have really enjoyed reading quite a lot of it. 

But, rather like the conditions of the conflict it describes, there are moments of, well... if not boredom, perhaps ennui? In part this is due to a degree of repetition and duplication (probably nigh on impossible to avoid given the subject), and in part because the narrative kind of fizzles a bit around mid-war, mostly as a result of delayed reactions to first Operation Barbarossa, and the subsequent Eastward shift in German attention, and then the entry of the US, and another seismic shift of maritime operations (on the global scale) to the Pacific.

But, on the positive side, throughout the whole war Britain, who initially stood alone (sort of, remembering of course our Empire/Commonwealth resources, etc), had to 'keep the home fires burning'. And it was essentially this (as well as other domestic and international stuff), the supply of coal in particular, that drove the coastal shipping Hewitt covers in this mostly very fascinating and informative account.

A photograph taken from what I guess is a destroyer escort, of a typical east coast convoy.

The book and its jacket blurb make much of the gap-filling nature of this account, pointing out that it's a largely ignored aspect of the British naval war, overshadowed primarily by the convoys and conflicts of the Atlantic. Ironically I've now read more (i.e. this book!) on this 'neglected theatre' than I have yet to read - I have Dimbleby's 'War in the Atlantic' (unread) - on it's more oft-covered cousin.

Hewitt makes heavy and mostly very good use of all sorts of 'primary' sources (heavily footnoted, etc.), which can and does make some of this very compelling and, as several heaping praise on it in the blurb note, very human. This unglamorous traffic of, in the main, 'dirty little coasters' was essential to Britain's survival: coal came down from the north, to the energy-hungry more heavily populated south; and trade, both domestic and international, had to go on.

The 'dirty little steamer' visible here is typical small fry of the coastal convoys.

Having geared up for submarine warfare, WWI style, WWII instead saw increased use of mining, air power, and E-Boats, with U-boats only occasionally intruding, meaning Britain started at something of a disadvantage. It's the drama associated with initially coping with and then more or less overcoming these challenges that makes the first half of the war (and the first two-thirds of this book) most interesting.

As much as I enjoyed this, and I really did, and as valuable an addition to the maritime history of WWII as it appears to be, I felt I had to go with four stars on my Amazon review. Here on my blog, however, I can give this four and a half stars, so I do.

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This famous bit of footage is mentioned in the book.

Book Reviews: The U-Boat Commanders, Jeremy Dixon & Knights of the Battle of Britain, Chris Goss

Two quite similar books under review in this post, one on the avionics plane and the other on a maritime tack. The books most obvious similarities are that they focus on German medal-winners of WWII. The former gaining their laurels fighting in the Luftwaffe, the latter proving hardy in the Kriegsmarine. [1] I'll look at them t'other way round, seas then skies.

In just over 300 pages, with about 200 illustrations, Jeremy Dixon gives us 123 short biog's of German Kriegsmarine personnel who won the various grades of Knight's Cross serving in the U-Boat arm. He starts with the highest grades and works downwards, each class getting bigger as we get lower down the grades. This is quite good, as it front-loads the book with the high-scorers, amongst whom are some of the more familiar names, like Kretschmer, Prien and Topp.

The nature of this book, and others like it (see below!) is great in that it lends itself to dipping into, as opposed to the more normal front to back and all of the way through of normal narrative history. I love the latter as well, don't get me wrong. But when you read as much as I do, then a change in format and feel can be quite refreshing!

You could, of course, read this cover to cover. And if this is your foremost area of interest, you might well choose to do so. I'm only recently getting more into the maritime stuff, having traditionally favoured land-based warfare over either aerial or naval combat. But books like this are helping feed a growing interest in the perilous combats on the briny seas. Possibly a bit specialist for the general WWII reader. Nevertheless, a solid, readable and informative resource.

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This book has a more concentrated focus, in that it only covers Ritterkreuz awards made during the Battle of Britain. 121 airmen are profiled, over roughly 200 pages, 118 of them appearing once, for being awarded the Ritterkreuz, with three - Werner Molders, Adolf Galland and Helmut Wick - being featured a second time [2], for achieving the next grade, mit Eichenlaub (with Oak-leaves).

In most respects this is very like the similarly themed U-Boat book, differing only in how it's organised - chronologically, as opposed to in descending order of grade - and the shorter time-span it covers, April to December, 1940, as opposed to the whole war. Each entry succinctly synopsises the life and career of the recipient, whilst also giving a brief account of their part in the Battle of Britain.

Copiously illustrated in black and white throughout, with a short additional photo section towards the end, this is ideal for dipping into. Again, if this is your primary area of interest a cover to cover read might be in order. But for me it's a case of occasionally having a glance through, and cherry picking a few entries. This makes it eminently suited to workplace reading, if one's job allows occasional time-outs, as mine occasionally does.

A fascinating and informative resource.

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NOTES:

[1] Sorry, couldn't resist the pun!

[2] In these cases the first entry is the fuller account, the second being very cursory.

Book Review: Liberty's Provenance, John Henshaw

Subtitled The Evolution of the Liberty Ship from its Sunderland Origins, John Henshaw's new book on these vitally historically important vessels aims, in his own words, to 'once and for all' settle the issue of their provenance. Whether or not he succeeds in this once and for all aim, this is without doubt a fascinating and beautifully presented account of the evolution of a particular maritime lineage, during a very generally exciting and interesting period of world history.

I'm no expert on things nautical, but I'm finding my interest in the logistical side of both real military history and my mini-military stuff is leading me, seemingly inexorably, towards a deeper interest in sea warfare generally, and The Battle of the Atlantic in particular. As Henshaw notes, Churchill said the war on the oceans was the 'dominating factor throughout the war. Never for one moment could we forget that everything happening elsewhere, on land, at sea, or in the air, depended ultimately on its outcome.'

And in keeping with this perspective, it's salutory to remember that whilst other theatres of conflict would have short periods of intense activity and longer periods of stasis or inactivity, the war at sea lasted the entire duration.

The fantastically named Hog Island shipyard. [1]

The level of detail here is quite daunting to a landlubber like me. Fortunately there's a glossary. The glossary is very helpful - they should be a mandatory standard feature in specialist books, in my view - but could've been better. E.g. the nautical meaning of terms such as beam and draught are given, but sheer isn't. And whilst many of the acronyms used are expanded and defined, not all are.

The book begins by looking at how in WWI a similar project was undertaken at more or less wars end, the ships made not seeing wartime service at all, and overproduction contributing to postwar shipbuilding slumps. Also late in coming was the adoption of convoys. In contrast, in WWII these projects were set in motion much earlier, and a mission to the US headed by the very young Cyril Thompson, of Sunderland shipbuilders Thompson's, was integral to the story told here, of the development of the Liberty ships.

Henshaw dedicates his book to Cyril Thompson, the 'unsung hero in the evolution of the Liberty ship', and extols their virtues by not only clearly tracing their lineage, but also highlighting how they not only met but exceeded their original brief, doing the job intended for them, and then going beyond that, forming the basis of numerous variants, and often surviving and serving long after WWII.

Liberty ship EC2-SC1.

There are plenty of photographs, liberally sprinkled throughout, many of which are great. There are also a good number of relatively poor quality. But as Henshaw explains, they're as good as he could find, and illustrate important points. Using such surprisingly scant reference material - scant when you consider over 2,700 of Liberty ships were built - Henshaw has produced what is probably the most attractive aspect of this book, the numerous line drawings.

Some of these are quite accurate, where plentiful reference such as other detailed drawings could be sourced, whilst others, as Henshaw is at pains to point out, are educated guesses based on the available evidence. I love them, and hope they might one day help me build models.

A fascinating book, well worth having/reading. 

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NOTES:

[1] Built expressly for the construction of these ships, and now the site of Philadelphia International airport.

This looks like a great kit. Definitely on my wish list!

As usual, when I read a book like this and find it exciting and inspiring, I want to get a model to build to further explore the interests that have been aroused. Trumpeter do a couple of 1/350 Liberty Ship models. I'd love to get and build one of those. Perhaps the SS John W Brown? This is also one of the only surviving seaworthy examples some of this once numerous class.

The real McCoy.