Bill Kluge
Reviews By Author
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French Battleships 1914 - 45Published:
Despite having produced the world’s first ocean-going ironclad warship in 1859, the Glorie, the French Navy (Marine Nationale Francaise) entered the twentieth century unsure of its direction and at the mercy of confusing political demands. It was left with a hodgepodge of capital ships at the end of the nineteenth century few in number and facing obsolescence. It took the emergence of Germany’s Imperial Navy, the Mediterranean threat from Italy and Austria-Hungary, as well as its traditional rivalry with Britain’s Royal Navy to shake the French Navy and the Marine Ministry from their stupor and confusion, and institute a program leading to the development of modern battleships. Divided primarily into four sections, this edition of Osprey’s New Vanguard naval… more |
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Imjin River 1951Published:
In November, 1950, “volunteer” forces of the Chinese Army crossed the Yalu River and swept the advancing UN forces out of North Korea and back below the 38th Parallel. By the following February, Allied forces had halted the Chinese and stabilized the front, pushing them back into North Korea with limited counterattacks. By April, with an infusion of fresh divisions, the Chinese were once again on the offensive, pressing the UN line in another attempt to capture the South Korean capital, Seoul. Attached to the 3rd US Infantry Division protecting Seoul was the British 29th Brigade, under the command of highly respected former Chindit, Brigadier Tom Brodie. The Brigade was comprised of three British battalions - 1st Battalion, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers; 1st Battalion,… more |
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Royal Netherlands East Indies Army 1936-42Published:
The long held Dutch colony of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) encompassed a huge swath of maritime territory across the southwest Pacific ocean, from the eastern end of the island of Sumatra to the western half of New Guinea, including the major islands of Java, Timor, most of southern Borneo, the octopus-like Celebes, and hundreds of smaller islands in between. For most of its history, the Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) was tasked with internal security, assisting the colonial police services in maintaining order when and wherever necessary. Defense from external threats was the primary responsibility of the Dutch Navy, supporting the far-flung KNIL battalions assigned to strategic areas throughout the colony. By 1936, in the face of growing Japanese expansion in the western… more |
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World War II US Marine Infantry RegimentsPublished:
Prior to the First World War, U.S. Marine units were generally small and specialized, primarily naval base guard units or ship based detachments. In the decade leading up to The Great War, these smaller units were combined as needed to form provisional regimental sized units for specific missions, and disbanded when those missions were completed. Fourteen Marine regiments were raised during World War I, but by the eve of World War II, only seven understrength regiments remained. By the end of the war, the Marines had established six divisions comprising 18 infantry regiments, in addition to numerous specialized outfits that were created, disbanded, or merged into other Marine Corps units. With his description of the Marine’s infantry regiments, author Gordon Rottman has… more |
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The RAF: 1918 - 2018Published:
This small volume is a primer in every sense of the word. Nevertheless, author Julian Hale has managed to admirably condense the 100 year history of the Royal Air Force down to sixty-four short pages. The value of this volume lies in introducing the reader, who may be familiar enough with the RAF’s participation in the Second World War or the RFC’s struggles through WWI, with some of the lesser known highlights of the “World’s Oldest Air Force”. The books main chapters include:
Some of the more interesting aspects of the RAF’s history lie in its early, formative years. While the… more |
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British Destroyers 1939-1945 Wartime-built ClassesPublished:
This is Angus Konstam’s follow-up volume to his earlier work on Pre-war Royal Navy destroyers. As he explains, the real division between “pre-war” and “war-built” destroyers came in 1938, when the new “Tribal” class destroyers came into service. Between the First and Second World War, the Royal Navy operated many destroyers, but by the mid-1930s it was obvious that the Admiralty’s older destroyers were being outclassed by those of foreign navies. Thus, a new series of destroyers was designed to compete directly with potential foreign adversaries, the first being the 8-gunned Tribals, built directly in response to the Japanese Fubiki class. Follow on classes were more balanced designs, with fewer guns and more torpedoes and ASW weapons, and finally, the War Emergency Program classes… more |
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Nakajima B5N "Kate" and B6N "Jill" UnitsPublished:
The Imperial Japanese Navy entered the Pacific War with the most advanced ship-based attack bomber in the world, flown by the most experienced aircrews of any service. First flown in 1937, and introduced into squadron service during the Sino-Japanese conflict in 1938, the Nakajima B5N was faster, flew farther and carried a heavier payload than either of its British or American contemporaries (principally, the Fairey Swordfish and Douglas TBD Devastator, respectively). When used as either a level bomber against stationary targets, or as a torpedo bomber against ships, the “Kate” (as it came to be known to the Allies) would wreak havoc against Japan’s enemies for the first year of the war. Design specifications for the B5N’s replacement were issued even before the advent of… more |
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British Destroyers 1939-1945 Pre-War ClassesPublished:
The British Royal Navy entered the Second World War with 160 destroyers, ranging from some holdovers from the Great War to recently commissioned vessels of vastly improved capability. In this volume, naval historian Angus Konstam describes the attributes of over a dozen classes of destroyers. The opening chapter gives a general developmental history of the early destroyers of the Royal Navy, their design and development, roles and uses, weapons and general modifications, as well as their appearance and habitability. The author then goes on to describe, in as much detail as is possible within these limited 48 pages, the various classes of inter-war build vessels from earliest to latest, including:
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Japanese Carrier JunyoPublished:
The ShipOriginally laid down as the luxury liner Kashiwara Maru in 1939, Junyo (along with her sister Hiyo) was part of an IJN subsidized building program of commercial and auxiliary vessels that could be quickly converted into aircraft carriers if the need arose. She was taken in hand by the Navy and commissioned in 1942 in time to participate in the Aleutians invasion in June, part of the overall Midway operation. From there, she went on to participate in attacks on U.S. naval forces at Guadalcanal, and in the Santa Cruz battle in October, where her aircraft helped sink USS Hornet. She remained in the southwest Pacific covering convoys and the eventual evacuation of Guadalcanal in February, 1943. Torpedoed in November while ferrying aircraft, she returned to Japan… more |
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USN Bofors 40mm Twin and Quad SetsPublished:
Master Model has been producing finely detailed turned brass and steel gun barrels for several years. Now, working with Northstar, they have produced complete 40mm gun mount sets that include brass barrels, photo etch and finely detailed resin parts. Each package includes all parts necessary for six complete gun mounts. Each also includes a resin Mk. 51 gun director with photo etch details for each gun mount. |