Dick Montgomery
Reviews By Author
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USS Missouri (BB-63) Legends of WarfarePublished:
David Doyle is a well-known author of over 100 books since 2003, covering a wide range of military subjects. Adding aircraft and warship subjects to his already lengthy list of published books covering military vehicles, Doyle’s portfolio of publications continues to expand rapidly, while maintaining the highest degree of quality, accuracy, and depth of coverage. Doyle covers the history of the USS Missouri from launch to final service and retirement as a memorial and monument now located at Pearl Harbor. Most know of the role the USS Missouri played at the end of World War II, as the stage for the signing of surrender papers by representatives of the Japanese government. Doyle, of course, addresses that claim to historical fame, and extends the story of the USS Missouri with… more |
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Latin American Wars 1900-1941Published:
This publication is another edition to Osprey’s “Men-at-Arms” series, and follows author Jowett previous Osprey books, Men-at-Arms 306: Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49; and his three-part sequence, “The Italian Army 1940-45 (Men-at-Arms 340, 349 and 353)”. This book is illustrated by Stephen Walsh. Walsh has worked as a professional illustrator since 1988. His projects for Osprey include such diverse subjects as the battle of Otterburn, the Chinese army from 1937 to 1949, and the US Home Front in World War II. The author lays out the primary goal of this publication as being, “to introduce the reader to the armies and wars of Mexico, Central America, and South America in this period.” He easily achieves that goal and much more. Mr. Walsh also provides an in-depth look… more |
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Tenochtitlan 1519-21Published:
This publication is available in Ebook format. (ePUB and ePDF) Copied from the website, the short biographies of author Dr. Si Sheppard and Illustrator-Artist, Peter Dennis provide evidence that both are uniquely qualified in the production of this outstanding publication. “London-born Si Sheppard completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in New Zealand before receiving his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. He is currently an associate professor of political science and international relations at Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, and has written several titles for Osprey focusing on the interrelationship between geography, technology, and strategy. Peter Dennis was born in 1950. Inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and… more |
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F-4 Phantom II Warpaint Series No. 114Published:
This is another excellent addition to the War Paint Series written by Charles Stafrace, a well-known and repeat contributor to the War Paint series. Theillustrations by Richard J. Caruana support the text and story line, and in and of themselves, are an excellent collection of Aviation Art. This book covers the development, deployment, service, and retirement of one of the most well-known aircraft, especially for those who came to maturity during the Vietnam conflict. The historian will find that the book covers the development and service of the Phantom II in detail, and the modeler will find the book to be an excellent source of information, detailing the aircraft with photographs and outstanding artwork. As a modeler, I found this book to be rich in detail with a thorough… more |
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Cross & Cockade Int. Quarterly Journal Spring 2018 Vol 49/1Published:
C&C Spring 2018 Vol 49/1 is now available. For those not familiar with Cross & Cockade International, it is the journal of “The First World War Aviation Historical Society”. As such, the publication focuses on aviation topics associated with World War 1, and an in-depth study of the historical aspects of aviation in World War 1. Those historians with an interest in the history of World War 1, especially related to aviation, will find C&C to be a gold mine of information. For modelers who enjoy building aircraft of World War 1, C&C is packed with excellent photographs, full color illustrations, and detailed information about the aircraft used. Some sad news is contained in this issue of Cross & Cockade. Barbara Huston, a long-time staff member, passed away in… more |
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Malta 1940-42 Axis Air BattlePublished:
The Promo on the Osprey website states, “In 1940, the strategically vital island of Malta was Britain's last toehold in the central Mediterranean, wreaking havoc among Axis shipping. Launching an air campaign to knock Malta out of the war, first Italy and then Germany sought to force a surrender or reduce the defenses enough to allow an invasion. Drawing on original documents, multilingual aviation analyst Ryan Noppen explains how technical and tactical problems caused the original Italian air campaign of 1940-41 to fail, and then how the German intervention came close to knocking Malta out of the war. Using stunning full colour artwork, this fascinating book explains why the attempt by the Axis powers to take the British colony of Malta ultimately failed.” There is a familiar… more |
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J7W2 Interceptor-Fighter Jet VersionPublished:
Hasegawa has reissued an old friend in the form of a 1/48th scale J7W2 (Jet Version) Interceptor Fighter. The J7W2 was a natural follow-on to the prop-driven J7W1 kit which was released quite some time ago. While the J7W1 prototypes actually flew short test flights for a total time of just under an hour, the J7W2 never got off the drawing board. The Info-Paragraph on the Hasegawa website states that, “It took its first flight on August 3rd, 1945”, but that comment refers to the J7W1 prop-driven aircraft. The only J7W1 left in existence is in the Smithsonian collection, and the J7W2 was never actualized. Within the kit instructions, the issue of whether the jet version ever flew is correctly put forward with a statement that reads, “The IJN, encouraged by the previous success of its… more |
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Operation Market-Garden 1994 (3): The British XXX Corps MissionsPublished:
Ken Ford is the author of over 30 books on various aspects of World War II, including 3 publications covering Operation Market-Garden. The subject of this review is the 3rd and final book covering an extremely ambitious and risky plan, Operation Market-Garden. The first publication, “Operation Market-Garden 1944 (1)” was the work of Steve Zagola and focused on the US Paratroopers of the 82 and 101 Airborne Divisions. The 2nd book in this series was written by Ken Ford, and was illustrated by Graham Turner. Graham Turner’s illustration work is well known, having covered a wide variety of subjects for Osprey. Turner’s artwork adds significantly to the quality of the book, assisting the reader in visualizing the lay of the land, and the men and equipment of Operation… more |
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Building the Wingnut Wings Sopwith Camels (& LVG C.VI)Published:
This is the fifth in a series of publications featuring a Wingnut Wings kit, in a series entitled, “Windsock Centenary WWI Modelling Special, thus this is “No. 5” in that series. Fans of WWI aviation models will certainly be familiar with the Wingnut Wings series of kits in 1/32nd scale, numbering just over 60 models. Google “Wingnut Wings” or visit http://www.wingnutwings.com/ww/product?productid=3006 to view the list of models, some of which are still available from WNW. Having built a number of WNW kits, I can testify to the excellence of the kit parts, the decals, the instructions, and the documentation included in the instruction booklet. As Wingnut Wings sets the standard for 1/32nd WWI kits, the… more |
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Cross & Cockade Int. Quarterly Journal Winter 2017 Vol 48/4Published:
The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International – Winter 2017 Vol 48/4 , features a postcard by G. Hautot showing the Michelin Man, waving a laurel victory wreath at an aerial armada, with the caption, “Our future is in the air.” The postcard was a promotion for the concept of strategic bombing, a “cause” advocated by the Michelin brothers, Andre and Edouard. The year was 1912 and the Michelins organized a series of aviation competitions which included the accurate dropping of bombs. An interesting point to note is that the in the Journal notes about the cover, the Michelin Man is named, that name being, “Bibendum”, a fact of which I nave been unaware since early childhood. Five other postcards in the same series as the that found on the cover of the Journal, appear on the back… more |