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Featured battle : Homildon Hill
Part of Anglo-Scottish Wars
Date : 14 September 1402
The Scots on a raid in strength reached Newcastle before turning for home. The Percys managed to interpose their force across the line of retreat. The English were massively outnumbered and could not hope to win a melée especially with the Scots holding the high ground. The English archers began to decimate the Scots from long range and when the Scots left their hill top to attack the archers retreated all the time keeping up a withering fire. The Scots broke and in flight were attacked by the hitherto unengaged mounted English men-at-arms.
Featured image :
The Baker Rifle
This image of the classic Baker Rifle of the British Rifle regiments during the Napoleonic Wars also shows its sword bayonet and powder flask. It had a 0.625 in (15.9 mm) calliber and a quoted range of 200 yards (more than twice that of the standard 'Brown Bess' musket) but skilled marksmen recorded hits considerably beyond that. The key to it's accuracy was a tight-fitting ball, wrapped in a greased patch (stored in the butt) which was rammed down the barrel, giving little windage, and fitting into the rifled bore. Because of this, though, it was considerably slower to load. Local militia were also issued with the Baker Rifle for home defence during the panic over threatened invasion of Britain by Napoleon's troops. The North York Militia had two companies of skirmishers so armed.
Gallery updated : 2022-04-04 08:33:43
Featured review :
Allied Coastal Forces of World War 11. Volume 11
John Lambert & Al Ross
This is not a book just to be read but to be owned. A quality publication in a large format, 290mm by 240mm, with over 250 pages packed with technical drawings, photographs and engaging text. Some publicity blurb says it would help anyone wishing to build a model but for some of the boats little more would be needed to build to full size craft such is the detail given.
Although it may look like a technical tome written only for experts, and it fits that role very well, it would also delight any general reader with an interest in naval development. So much extra is covered around the development and construction including the politics and finance under the Lend Lease arrangements, in a brief review it is difficult to do the book justice. The joint authors massive research has resulted in the listing of every boat built and its eventual fate, including a chapter about the ones which still exist in museums or as houseboats.
Small sections which caught my interest were the production of the various camouflage effects tried out in different theatres of operation, what the allowance of paint was for a US PT boat squadron to maintain its boat, that boats were sent to the USSR in kit form and the many were returned to the US in 1955 and that attempts were made to build an MTB to be carried aboard cruisers. So much is here including small details such as the personal weapons carried aboard that I think it would be difficult to ask a question about Vosper and Elco boats that this book does not answer.
This is the second of a three volume work and my regret is that I have not yet read the other two. This regret is reinforced by the many references in this volume to volumes one and three.
This is a major work on coastal forces unparalleled in both width and depth of its coverage.
We cannot recommend this book too highly.
Seaforth Publishing, 2019
Reviewed : 2019-05-17 10:53:32
