Andy Taylor
Reviews By Author
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Air Forces of Latin America - ColumbiaPublished:
The Columbian Ministerio de Defensa Nacional (Ministry of Defence) oversees the Fuerzas Militares de Columbia (Military Forces of Colombia) air forces among the most powerful in Latin America, comprising of four branches: the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC -Colombian Air Force), Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia (ARC - Colombian National Navy), Ejército Nacional de Colombia (EJC - Colombian National Army) and Policía Nacional de Colombia (PNC - National Police of Colombia). Combined, the air divisions are all very powerful, and contribute to the biggest combined aviation force in the world. Columbian air power traces its roots back over a century. Air Forces of Latin America – Columbia is the fifth volume in this series and does a great job highlighting this impressive air… more |
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CIA Paramilitary Operations in Tibet, 1957-1975Published:
Tibet covers the size of the American Southwest, with an average elevation of 14,000ft (4,380m), surrounded by some of the highest mountain ranges in the world with the Himalayas to the south, the Karakoram to the west, and the Kunlun to the north. The terrain of north and western Tibet is barren mountain desert, the northeast province of Amdo resembles the Mongolian steppes, the southeast province of Kham drops slightly in altitude and the topography, according to the author, “devolves into exaggerated slopes, impossibly narrow valleys, and gnarled conifers normally associated with Chinese watercolors. It is the central plateau, however, that has become synonymous with Tibet…it is a harsh, rocky land of hypnotic beauty where, because of the altitude, light seems to intensify… more |
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Red Army Auxiliary Armoured Vehicles 1930-1945Published:
Red Army Auxiliary Armored Vehicles 1930-1945 is a very well researched and written book on a relatively unknown subject. With less fanfare than the armored combat vehicles that did the actual fighting, these are the Russian vehicles in support and auxiliary service that made a lot of the fighting possible. This book is a departure from the usual Images of War format. Rather than a brief summary of the chapter to come with a dizzying number of great photographs, the first 61 pages of this 152-page book is all text with detailed footnotes. The photographic sections are broken into 1930-1940 and 1941-1945. The Russian Army has a history of focusing on numbers and attrition. This is obvious as any modeler or student of World War II history on the Eastern Front can name Red Army… more |
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The Darkest Hour, Volume 1: The Japanese Naval Offensive in the Indian Ocean 1942- The Opening MovesPublished:
This is an amazingly detailed book authored by a Polish Ph.D. in Law, living in Japan, writing about Japanese advances in the eastern Indian Ocean. As if that isn’t intriguing enough, author Michał A. Piegzik covers a little known (at least to most Americans) subject in a much larger backdrop of Allied defeats in the early Pacific War, focusing on ABDA (American, British, Dutch, Australian) forces as they reeled from Japanese attacks in Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, Java, and Burma. What makes this author’s approach interesting is that Michał A. Piegzik graduated from the University of Wroclaw’s (Poland) Faculty of Law in 2015. He moved his family to Japan as the Pacific War is his passion. Michał’s research entails original documents in… more |
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Hunting the Viet Cong - The Counterinsurgency Campaign in South Vietnam, 1961-1963 Vol 1-The Strategic Hamlet ProgrammePublished:
This is the first of a two-book series on the American counterinsurgency against the Viet Cong. Hunting the Viet Cong - The Counterinsurgency Campaign in South Vietnam, 1961-1963, Vol 1-The Strategic Hamlet Programme covers the early American involvement in Vietnam before Americans were officially committed as combat troops, serving as advisors to South Vietnam. Dr Darren Poole teaches military history at the University of Chester and University Centre, Shrewsbury, United Kingdom. Dr Poole has degrees in Geography, Education, History and Military History with over 20 years of experience. Dr Poole’s dissertation focused on the Vietnamese Strategic Hamlet Programme, and his research is evident with over nine pages of bibliography and nine pages of footnotes. The main point that… more |
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Himmler: Hitler’s HenchmanPublished:
Ian Baxter is a prolific author and has an impressive collection of photographs, many unpublished previously. The book follows the familiar Images of War format with brief introductions for each chapter followed by a lot of photographs to tell the story. At first, I was hesitant to review this book as a lot has been written about this period of well-documented evil that was the Nazi era. However, I wanted to read and see Ian Baxter’s perspective on Heinrich Himmler, the Architect of the Holocaust. Ian Baxter did not disappoint, and his opening paragraph sums up the book,
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Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 2Published:
AMMO by Mig has released a new line of acrylic paints for railroad modellers called the Rail Center. There are 41 railroad specific colors in the series, with twelve box sets:
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Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 1Published:
AMMO by Mig has released a new line of acrylic paints for railroad modelers called the Rail Center. There are 41 railroad specific colors in the series, with twelve box sets:
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Schwerer Geländegängiger Personenkraftwagen and SuccessorsPublished:
Alan Ranger is a former British Royal Engineer, engineer, collector of World War II militaria and original period photographs, and prolific author. Alan started his publishing days with Model Art of Japan and has already authored 25 books in the Camera On series, typically focusing on weapon systems and vehicles. Camera On Number 27 focuses on the World War II German heavy off-road wheeled passenger soft skinned vehicles – the title is self-explanatory - Schwerer Geländegängiger Personenkraftwagen and Successors, the Horch 108 Type 1, licensed built Ford Type EG, and light truck chassis Steyr 1500 and Mercedes Benz 1500A and S types. The beauty of this book is the photos were taken by German soldiers during their wartime service, not posed and polished propaganda shots. … more |
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A-10C Heritage HawgsPublished:
Twobobs Aviation Graphics are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year and keep producing outstanding decal sheets for modern military jet aircraft. A-10C Heritage Hawgs (48-275) celebrates three A-10s promoting heritage and morale. Twobobs chose A-10s from the active, reserve and National Guard squadrons:
There is one decal… more |