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Book Author(s)
Lawrence Paters
Review Author
Ron Bell
Published on
September 22, 2020
Company
Greenhill Books
MSRP
$32.95

Operation Colossus was an airborne commando raid into Italy early in the war to interdict a particular aqueduct vital to the towns in the ‘heel’ of Italy. The operation is not very well known and this book is a welcome addition to anyone’s WWII library as it fills a void not covered in other publications. Author Lawrence Paterson spends a great deal of time at the beginning of the book relating the story of the creation and training of the UK’s airborne forces, going into some detail as to the people and personalities involved as well as the training and equipment used. If you have any interest in airborne forces, you will find this part very interesting and even if you don’t, it is written in a very readable manner, so it will hold your interest.

Book Author(s)
Russ Rodgers
Review Author
Blaine Singleton
Published on
September 21, 2020
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$24.00

In January 1945, the collapse of the German front along the Siegfried Line led to a large-scale dissolution of German combat forces and capability. Pressed hard by Allied forces advancing eastward, German units often found themselves trapped west of the Rhine River. With his eye on history, US Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr. was determined to be the first leader since Napoleon to make an assault crossing of the Rhine. The most logical crossing-place was at Mainz, as it served as a major railroad logistical link from west to east. However, Patton was aware that this would be obvious to the Germans, and therefore he and his staff made rapid plans for another site at Nierstein and Oppenheim, about 12 miles south of Mainz.

Book Author(s)
JP Vieira
Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
September 21, 2020
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$29.00

This is a new publication from Mushroom Models Publications. The book opens with a brief description of the operational use of the Mirage III/5 family of aircraft. Like the F-104 Starfighter, the F-4 Phantom and the MiG-21, the Mirage III/5 was widely exported to nations around the world ranging from Argentina to Zaire and has participated in many conflicts over the years, in some cases on both sides of the fight. There is also a note from the author about the profiles he included, which are intended to illustrate aircraft from the nations that flew Mirages. Most of the schemes are for operational aircraft with a few commemorative schemes and test aircraft included as well. Each page has a side profile of one aircraft with a brief description listing the unit it was assigned to, the date of the image, the colors and weapons depicted.

Book Author(s)
Dagmawi Abebe
Review Author
Will Kuhrt
Published on
September 21, 2020
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

The Setting

On June 25, 1950, President Harry Truman was flying back to Washington, D.C. to deal with the outbreak of war in Korea. He thought, “In my generation, this was not the first occasion when the strong attacked the weak. I recalled some earlier instances: Manchuria, Ethiopia, and Austria. I remembered how each time that the democracies failed to act, it encouraged the aggressor to keep going ahead. Communism was acting in Korea just as Hitler, Mussolini and the Japanese had acted, ten, fifteen, twenty years earlier . . . If this was allowed to go unchallenged it would mean a third world war.”

Book Author(s)
Neil Page
Review Author
Paul Mahoney
Published on
September 21, 2020
Company
Casemate UK
MSRP
$24.95

This is the second of a 2-volume set covering, as the title suggests, the day-fighter aces of the Luftwaffe. Picking up where the first volume ends, this book covers the time period from the peak of Germany’s victories through to its defeat in 1945. Casemate’s typical high production values are present, including stiff glossy outer covers and glossy pages on heavy stock within.