Military History

Let's get something of an ongoing thread here about what happened 'today' in military history. First off ... Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon, 27 November 1942 (DefenseNews, Intercepts blog) Feel free to add to the thread with links to events or your own thoughts and commentary.

The Austro-Prussian War - Austria's War with Prussia and Italy in 1866, by Geoffrey Wawro Bomber County, by Daniel Swift Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany and the Winning of the Great War at Sea, by Robert K. Massie Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut Cauldron, by Larry Bond Combat Days of Infamy Dragon Strike - A Novel of the Coming War with China, by Humphrey Hawksley and Simon Holberton Duel For The Golan: The 100-Hour Battle That Saved Israel, by Jerry Asher with Eric Hammel Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England, by Alison Weir Executive Intent, by Dale Brown First Battle of the Marne, by Robert B. Asprey …

Hi guys, Perhaps in either shore leave or here in Military History you can create a "Currently Reading" subfolder where participants can enter what they are reading, how it relates to Harpoon, Naval Warfare, Warfare, or History in general. I just finished a very interesting book on the First Battle of the Marne by Robert B. Asprey, and am currently reading From Normandy to the Ruhr: With the 116th Panzer Division in World War II by Heinz Günther Guderian.

I've been taking a Harpoon hiatus to work on transferring photos and slides of ships I've visited into JPEGs. I thought I'd share them as I go along, so every week I plan to post a new set. This week, USS Hornet at Almeda CA. Feel free to post comments or correction directly onto the site. This should be the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?unam...&feat=email Larry Gertner wombat1417

From Air Force Magazine, July 2007 A top airpower analyst looks back at the greatest air war that never was. How the West Would Have Won By Christopher J. Bowie Driving through Germany these days, one frequently encounters abandoned runways surrounded by huge, camouflaged, and “hardened” aircraft shelters. Their concrete walls and heavy sliding doors typically are painted a dark green, matching the colors of the surrounding countryside. Future generations may well wonder how and why these relics came to be scattered across Europe. What was their purpose? The answer is that, in the 1980s, those massive shelters housed and protected thousands of sleek fight…

From Proceedings, May 2011 issue [excerpt]

From Flight Global DATE:15/05/09 SOURCE:Flight International Comment: Phantom menace fading away I'm gonna be a re-con ranger! I'm gonna live a life of danger! I'm gonna fly an F-4 jet! I'm gonna waste a So-vee-yet! Well, since the collapse of the Empire so memorably dubbed Evil by Ronald Reagan, we don't hear that old marching song much any more, and that is surely a very good thing. But it's hard not to feel a little nostalgia for the days of nuclear stand-off as the operational end draws nearer for what, alongside the Boeing B-52 bomber, is the iconic piece of Cold War machinery. In service since 1960, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 may sport the mo…

A series of illustrations of Soviet era warships, most probably taken from a mid 1980s book ... Kirov (Project 1144 Orlan) Slava (Project 1164 Atlant) Moskva (Project 1123 Kondor) Kiev (Project 1143 Krechyet)

What was the naval aviation predecessor in the role of the EA-6B Prowler? A carrier launched EW aircraft that would accompany/support a strike over Vietnam? Thanks

I'm looking for authoritative sources on the composition of various US Navy carrier battle groups during the war in Vietnam. The carriers and their air wings are themselves generally easy enough to find, but I'm also looking for escort ships, support vessels, submarines, etc. Specifically for 1972, but if we can fill out the whole period, that'd be awesome. Thanks in advance.

With harpoon getting quite good for WW2 type actions (and a few good databases available for download) I often play in this era but wonder what were typical compositions of air groups attacking surface targets, shipping and land based Any one got info handy?

Brooklyn Navy Yard gets a makeover By Richard Pyle - The Associated Press Posted : Monday May 19, 2008 7:11:34 EDT NEW YORK — Audrey Lyons was a $40-a-week parts inspector at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1944 when Margaret Truman was invited to christen the brand-new carrier Missouri. “We all took time off to see it,” recalls Lyons, now 84 and retired in Essex, Conn. But the daughter of Sen. (and soon-to-be-president) Harry S. Truman needed help to break the champagne bottle on the third try — a less than sparkling debut for the “Mighty Mo,” the last famous warship among hundreds produced at the yard since 1801. The Pentagon closed the Brooklyn Navy Yard…

IGNORANCE IS RISK THE BIG LESSON FROM DESERT STORM AIR BASE ATTACKS Christopher M. Centner MANY observers have declared that the air campaign was the decisive component of Operation Desert Storm and that air base attacks were a critical component of the campaign. These attacks helped achieve air superiority, destroy many of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, and lessen the long-term threat that Iraq poses to its neighbors. The video images from the campaign tend to give spectators the impression that air base attacks were flawlessly planned and executed. In reality, the anti-air base component of the air campaign highlighted a major--and dangerou…

Digesting the new planes in the DB. I think these sites are worth of mention: About the Buccaneer, SAAF and other SA planes (on this site they're great ideas and data for the DB. The data values I think were obtained directly of the SAAF, and illustrated some obscure data no habitually represented): http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/a...uccaneer-s-mk50 IPMS of South Africa: http://img.ipmssa.za.org/index.php/knowled...neer-smk50-saaf Splendid site about the Buccaneer: http://www.blackburn-buccaneer.co.uk/0_Contents.html

So I was just reading about the Iranian navy and was wondering if anybody knew how the Iranians got their Kilos to Iran? I know they could have gotten them to the Caspian Sea by river but then how to Bander Abbas? Any knowledge would be appreciated. Thanks, David

From Air Force Magazine, June 2011 issue [excerpt] All similarities between the subject matter of this article and recent additions to the HCDB are purely coincidental.

Seeing as I consider this the greatest collection of knowledgable people on the subject of naval/naval air information on the internets.... Does anyone know of a good book or study on the Falklands? specifically im interested in the naval/air perspective rather than the land. Also if you know of any other good British military naval/air history studies it would be appreciated!

From TMP Site

Senator suggests deal for return of Pueblo By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer Posted : Thursday Apr 19, 2007 5:42:11 EDT A war trophy on display at the Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, Md., may be the key to securing the return of a Navy ship captured by North Korea nearly 40 years ago, Senator Wayne Allard, R-Colo., wrote in a March 18 letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The technical research ship Pueblo is the only commissioned U.S. warship currently in foreign hands. It has been on display in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang since it was captured off the North Korean coast during an intelligence-gathering mission Jan. 23, 1968. North Kore…

It's 69 years since the Battle of Midway. I found this very interesting article discussing the battle and comparing it with the events it inspired in the Wing Commander franchise.