United Kingdom Books

Eric Mombeek wraps up his four-volume coverage of the Battle of Britain for Ian Allan/CLASSIC COLOURS with this well-done volume published in 2002. Like its BoB predecessors, BATTLE OF BRITAIN: PHASE FOUR, NOVEMBER 1940-JUNE 1941 combines first-rate scholarship with numerous illustrations and gorgeous artwork to produce a winning history of this most crucial battle.

The final phase of the BoB was characterized by increasingly strong daylight fighter-bomber attacks and night attacks by bombers on London and other cities. The RAF challenged these raids with kills being scored by both sides. Yet all of the Luftwaffe efforts were pointless; England would never cave into terror attacks, especially the hit-and-miss Bf 109 jabo missions. Likewise Fighter Command was growing in strength now that their bases weren't under attack. Lastly Operation Sea Lion had been cancelled and many Luftwaffe units were being switched eastward for the invasion of Russia. So, while there were many exciting and dramatic aerial combats fought over England in these months, it was all for nought. The new year would see the RAF 'leaning into' France with small formations of bombers heavily protected by escorts; the Battle of Britain was over.

As documented in Mombeek's nicely written book, several interesting developments took place during these months. The changing nature of Luftwaffe attacks, which now utilized Bf 109 fighter-bombers, was one. In late 1940 Italy deployed units equipped with BR.20Ms, Z.1007s, CR.42s and G.50s to the Channel Front. Their subsequent raids on England were disasters. And, in November 1940, the latest Messerschmitt fighter - the Bf 109F - became operational. At least initially it would prove a mixed blessing.

As with previous volumes, BATTLE OF BRITAIN: PHASE FOUR features a number of interesting first-person accounts by Bf 109 pilots. The book is filled to overflowing with color and black & white photographs and 28 great color profiles by Tom Tullis.

All in all, a fitting end to a well-told tale. Recommended.

This is a thoroughly researched account of the battles of the Somme, 1916. All areas fought over, and the rear lines are well covered with good descriptive accounts. What makes this book useful are the descriptions of the numerous Commonwealth War Graves which abound in the area. There is a full list of all military units which took part in the battle. Ideal for students and those who are familier with the terrible events of 1916.

Before sitting down to read this book, the first thing I did was read the information on the back cover and then flick through the pages to look at the calibre of diagrams. I stopped a couple of times and instantly learned something. What then followed was an excellent read on a subject which is dear to my heart.

"The Battle of Trafalgar" by Geoffrey Bennett is a paperback book containing 250 pages of all the information you ever wanted to know about this, the most famous of all, naval battles. As a former Captain in the Royal Navy, Geoffrey Bennett went on to become a highly regarded naval historian and brings a refreshing and knowledgeable approach to the work.

Where so many accounts of various battles often commence with the fleet sailing out of port as they go to meet the enemy, here we have a more complete account of the "before during and after" the battle. Set in the context of the world-wide struggle against Napoleon, Geoffrey Bennett describes the ships, their crews, the tactics and the action itself using just the right amount of diagrams and pictures to support his immensely readable text.

Altogether, a good job well done.

NM

England was invaded and conquered one time, in 1066. If you know even the slightest bit of that history, your images of the conquest come from one classic source, the Bayeux Tapestry, one 70-meter strip of linen, a meter wide, embroidered ("tapestry" is a misnomer) with hundreds of vivid figures of kings, queens, soldiers, and horses. It tells the story of what led up to the Norman Conquest and how King Harold was defeated by William the Conqueror. There is not much we know for sure about the tapestry and how it came to be made, but that is only a small part of the story in The Bayeux Tapestry: The Life Story of a Masterpiece (Chatto and Windus) by art historian Carola Hicks. The book does offer a summary of the many different scenes in the tapestry, and presents the best speculations about the sometimes confusing or incomplete story it tells, and about just how the enormous project was brought to its near-completion. Most agree that the tapestry was complete shortly after the events it depicts, but the first mention of it is in an inventory of 1476; it is the tapestry's history after that time to the present that is the fascinating subject of this book.

No one knows for certain who was the sponsor who ordered the tapestry to be made, or who did the making. The pre-1476 history of the tapestry is uncertain, but most of the book covers the wonderful story of how the tapestry has been handled and treated as an object of art and a symbol of varying significance to different beholders. Its first close escape from destruction was in 1562 when, during a Calvinist sacking, vandals destroyed many other artworks within the Bayeux cathedral. During the French Revolution, citizens thought that destroying the past would make for a better future. The tapestry had not been on permanent display in its cathedral (it isn't a religious work) and was kept in a chest in a dark side-chapel, so it escaped the revolutionary destruction inflicted on statues and paintings in the cathedral. In 1793 it escaped the fate of being consigned permanently to the Louvre; it was the sort of thing the new museum was supposed to display, but probably its awkward size and primitive style allowed it to remain in its old home. Napoleon in 1803, however, brought it to the Louvre (albeit temporarily) for its propaganda value. After all, it showed how France had once conquered England, and he thought it was a prediction of what might come to pass again. The tapestry became in its turn an inspiration for Hitler. Those Normans were, to the Nazis, not so French but more Aryan, and the tapestry was a Nordic masterpiece that rightly belonged to the German people, besides reflecting the success of a future invasion of England. Heinrich Himmler appreciated what he described as "the importance which the Bayeux Tapestry holds for our glorious and cultured Germanic history," and determined to have it. Between 1941 and 1945, it was driven in questionable vehicles over open roads on five different occasions, with the Frenchmen who wanted to protect and keep it being aided by battling arms of the German bureaucracy that had conflicting aims of preserving the art and commandeering it. The tapestry was eventually moved back to the Louvre, where in 1944, German General Dietrich von Choltitz was given the task of blowing up Paris before the city was re-taken by the Allies. SS officers even came to him in the final days, insisting that he turn the tapestry over to them so they could take it back to Germany, but since by the time they got to him, he could point to the Louvre as being in the zone of the Allies, the tapestry remained safe.

The tapestry returned to its home, where it has a new hall for its display, and is visited by thousands who also come to see the region of the Normandy landings. They can also go to the shop and buy a tapestry tea towel and mouse mat, but Hicks reminds us that this classic piece of art has had plenty of other modern interpretations. Especially around the anniversary of 1966, advertisers had a jolly time reproducing or parodying it ("Battle of Hastings 1066 / Bottle of Guinness 1966") or even using Latin in their ads. It has been evaluated as a documentary movie, a Norman Newsreel that has been analyzed for its plots and subplots. Political cartoonists have enjoyed depicting Winston Churchill or Mrs. Thatcher in Norman style, and there is even a video game with Norman graphics. The tapestry may have finally settled into a permanent home gallery, but here is its lively story, with reasons to think that it will continue to be influential in the future.

As soon as I saw this title for sale I just had to buy it. The whole book is fascinating in its facts and pictures of 'possible sightings'. Anything unusual or weird like this intrigues me and Di Francis has made this book a valued member of my personal library. I have lost count of the number of times I have re-read it. The first time after I had completed it, I immeditately wanted to purchase her second book on the same subject, but was unable to find it. When I do eventually obtain a copy I just know that it will be an excellent read!

This is one of the best books ever written about the British Invasion bands of the 1960's. Alan Clayson not only did his homework in researching the book, he was actually THERE-as a musician and contributing writer to several British music newspapers and magazines. He writes of bands forming in the late 50's and how many(but not all)of them made it big after following The Beatles & Rolling Stones to the good ol' USA. This story is an integral part of 60's rock and roll, never boring and will leave you wishing for an eventual followup. Just looking at the pictures will have you wondering "whatever happened to?"....A MUST READ!!!

I purchased this book from amazon prior to starting my Probationer Training. I found it extremely easy to read and understand even without having started my training. I also found it invaluable whilst studying for my exams as it just simplified all the course notes into easy reading. Everyone else in my class was impressed by the book and have also purchased it.

I gave this book to my brother when he moved to London, and he later said it was addictive to have around and use to visit where the Beatles did what they did. I visited him since then, and used the book myself to visit scenes from the movie HELP and A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, go to Chiswick House to see where The Beatles filmed the "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" videos, and go to many other Beatles London sites. This is a must-have book for anyone who is a Beatles fan and is going to visit London. Or for anyone who wants to be an armchair explorer of their old haunts. It's entertaining reading even if you'll never go to London.

This is a very readable, general work on the British army circa 1799-1889.
The author provides a lively account of the army's exploits, and gives various details on the life of the British soldier during this period. Some early chapters cover the period right before that which concerns the book, which detracts slightly as the French & Indian Wars and American Revolution have been covered so much already. There is some useful context I suppose in regards to how the British army operated in this earlier period which provides some context to that which is covered in the book.

The Napoleonic period gets extensive coverage and deservedly so. The author endeavors to show the short-sighted policy of Parliament, constantly downsizing the army after each crisis, only to reform it again for the next one. Readers can see some parallels to similier policies today in regards to what the Blair administration recently did in 2006 to decimate the army's strength while increasing its worldwide demands. The author is also a streadfast believer in the regimental system of the British army. Only through the close-knit comradery provided by this unique system could the British army have survived such mis-management and careless administration. Political leaders today have not heeded this advice as they systematically continue to chip away at this time honored institution of the army. Once you remove a regiment with a 300 year history, its not possible to bring it back again.

The campaigns of Abercrombie in Egypt, Moore and Wellington in Spain get special attention, as does the Iron Duke again at Waterloo. Too bad the author neglected to include some of the minor campaigns the army performed in this period, in particular the significant little victory at Maida in Italy (1806) which proved the steadiness of the British infantry in linear order against the French column long before the Peninsular campaigns. The post Waterloo period gets some attention where again conservetive, petty policy undos much of the experience gained. The army begins to embark on its numerous little wars which continues as the century progresses with the rule of Queen Victoria. Much ground has been covered here already, but the author does it again with style, including quotes from Kippling and numerous Barrack Room Ballads to exampilify the conditions and spirit of Tommy Atkins as he fights againt all sorts of nasty natives around the globe. Numerous eccentric personalities and idiosyncrasies of army bureacracy abound in the telling of these stories. The development of generals Wolsely, Lord Roberts and others gets highlighted throughout this period.

The story ends just before 1900 and the Anglo-Boer War, and perhaps rightly so as this nasty conflict ushers in the bloodbaths of the 20th century. The author provides a colorful and readable account of the Beggars in Red for most of the 19th century, a period which saw the greatest development and use of the British army for sure. Well worth reading even if the material has been covered elsewhere by Byron Farewell and others. Enjoyable.

For some American readers like me, the tragedy of Princess Diana's death may have pointed up how little we know about the British royal family and sent us looking for sources. After starting and discarding several tendentious "histories" of the House of Windsor, I found this one to be a breath of fresh air. Peter Fearon has written an objective, concisely-written, exhaustive account of the royal family (beginning with the death of Queen Victoria), and yet has done so in a highly readable way. Unlike every other author I've seen so far, Fearon doesn't seem to have an axe to grind about the Windsors. I'm in my 40s and hadn't been exposed to much of the history here and found it fascinating. I was sorry to finish the book.