Naval Operations
Neptunus Rex; Naval Stories of the Normandy Invasion, June 6, 1944
Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1998. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. xvi, 304 pages. Includes Acknowledgments, Preface, The United States Navy Memorial Foundation, References, and Index. Also includes chapters on The Invasion Story, Big Guns, Tin Cans: The Navy's Field Artillery, Beached Whales, Utah's Promise, Omaha's Wrath; Of Mines, Men, and Mulberries; and Mopping Up. Also contains information on the United States Navy Memorial Foundation, as well as References, an Index, and black and white photographs of German POW's and American troops. As part of the Voices of the Navy Memorial series, these stories are told largely in the words of the sailors and coastguardsmen who participated, the reader is able to view Operation Neptune from all perspectives--aboard battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and landing craft, on the beach, and even farther inland. Of particular importance are the heretofore unheralded stories of the Naval Beach Battalions, which accomplished everything from patching up the wounded to directing naval gunfire from the warships steaming offshore. More
Aircraft Carriers
New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1979. Presumed First U. S. Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Format is approximately 8.5 inches by 12 inches. DJ is price clipped and has some wear and soiling. 192 pages. Technical descriptions of the ships themselves, and their aircraft, are illustrated through cut-away diagrams and line drawings. Illustrated with over 300 photographs in colour and black-and-white, together with cut-away drawings, charts and maps. Index. Traces the history of aircraft carriers from pre-World War I seaplane operations to the carriers of today. Antony Preston (26 February 1938 – 25 December 2004) was an English naval historian and editor, specializing in the area of 19th and 20th-century naval history and warship design. Antony Preston was the son of the 16th Viscount Gormanston. He was educated in South Africa at the University of Witwatersrand. On his return to England he spent some years at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, before becoming Editor of the periodical "Defence". During the 1970s he was employed by a specialist publisher, Conway Maritime Press, as editor of their Warship annual. He also produced the specialized newsletter Navint. In the early nineties he took over as chief-editor of the magazine Naval Forces at the German editorial group Mönch. He left to resume as editor of Warships in 1996. Antony Preston was a prolific author both of books and articles, and published on subjects ranging from the American Revolution to modern seapower; the bibliography given below illustrates the breadth of his expertise. He wrote on general military history, as well as most aspects of naval history and modern-day naval matters. More
Go In and Sink
London: Arrow Books, 1984. Later printing. Mass market paperback. 400 pages. Author's Note. Cover has some wear and soiling. Douglas Edward Reeman (15 October 1924 – 23 January 2017), who also used the pseudonym Alexander Kent, was a British author who wrote many historical novels about the Royal Navy, mainly set during either World War II or the Napoleonic Wars. He wrote a total of 68 novels, selling 34 million copies in twenty languages. Reeman's debut novel, A Prayer for the Ship, was published in 1958. Reeman is most famous for his series of Napoleonic naval stories, whose central character is Richard Bolitho. Reeman also wrote a series of novels about several generations of the fictional Blackwood family who served in the Royal Marines from the 1850s to the 1970s, and a non-fiction account of his own WWII experiences, D-Day: A Personal Reminiscence. He used the pseudonym Alexander Kent for his Bolitho novels. More
Saga of the USS Sproston DD-577 1943 1946
Poughkeepsie, NY: George Rees [privately printed], 1982. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Wraps. 60 pages plus covers. Covers illustrated. Illustrations (including one double color illustration at center--pages 29-32 disbound but present). Cover has some wear and soiling. Signed by the author on the title page. Hand written note paperclipped to cover which reads "Doc Two years hence, I should have this updated to include the last 18 years of its existence, GR". Ink notation on rear cover. An approximately 1.5 inch tear at the top of pages 51/2 (no impact on text). This history has been written to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the fist commissoning of the U. S. S. Sproston DD-577, May 19, 1943. Rees was the founder and President of the Sproston Reunion Group from 1982 to 1999. He was a graduate of the University of Miami (BA), Wager College (MA) and held a Ph.D. from New York University. He retired from IBM. He was the author of two books chronicling the history of the Sproston from 1943 to 1968. He was actively involved in contacting shipmates who had served on the ship. More
The Carrier War
Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1982. First Printing [Stated]. Leatherette. 175, [1] pages. Color endpapers. Maps. Illustrations (some with color). Bibliography. Index. Decorative front cover. This is one of The Epic of Flight series, edited by Jim Hicks. Clark G. Reynolds was the curator of the museum aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown at Patriots Point, South Carolina and had taught at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Clark Gilbert Reynolds, B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (December 11, 1939 – December 10, 2005) was an historian of naval warfare, with an interest in the development of U.S. naval aviation. He made contributions to the fields of world history, strategic history, and the history of maritime civilizations. Reynolds went on the Duke University, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1964. Reynolds began his career at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964–1968. He then went to the University of Maine. From 1976 to 1978, he was Professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point New York. For most of the decade between 1978 and 1988, he was an independent scholar, working as the curator and historian at the Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1988, he was appointed professor of history and served as chairman of the History Department. In 1999, he was appointed Distinguished Professor and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2002. E. T. Wooldridge, Jr, the Curator for Aeronautics at the National Air and Space Museum was a consultant on this volume. He was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and was a fighter pilot aboard several aircraft carriers, including the U.S.S. Independence and the U. S. S. Enterprise. More
Conway's The War at Sea in Photographs, 1939-1945
London, England: Conway, 2007. Second printing [stated]. Hardcover. 240 pages. Oversized book, measuring 12 inches by 10 inches. Minor sticker residue at back. Profusely illustrated with more than two-hundred black and white and some color photographs. Acknowledgments. Introduction. Picture Credits. Bibliography. Index. Stuart Robertson is a former staff editor for Conway Maritime Ltd. with a postgraduate degree from the Centre for Maritime Historical Studies at the University of Exeter. Books by Stuart Robertson include Conway's the War at Sea in Photographs, 1939-1945. Stephen Dent is the assistant editor of Conway's Warship annual. He also edited Conway's The War At Sea. More
Pig Boats; The True Account of the Fighting Submariners of World War II
Toronto, New York: Bantam Books, 1982. Authorized Abridgment, 8th Printing [stated]. Mass market paperback. xiii, [1], 449, [1] pages. Illustrations. Some wear/discoloration. This was originally published as United States Submarine Operations in World War II. It was written from records prepared by Rear Admiral R. G. Voge, Captain W. J. Holmes, Commander W. H. Hazzard, Lieut. Comdr. D. S. Graham, Lieut. H. Kuehn and from submarine patrols reports and data from the United States Strategic Bombing Survey. Includes Foreword by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz; and Introduction by Rear Admiral R. G. Voge who captained the USS Sealion and the USS Sailfish. Chapters include Submarines to War; The Fighting Defense; All-Out Attrition; Pacific Sweep; and Japanese Sunset. An Authorized Account Dedicated to the Valiant Submariners of the U.S. Navy Who Lost Their Lives in World War II. Theodore Roscoe dramatically tells the true story of the Pacific showdown, as the submariners themselves recall all the nerve-shattering, depth-charging action from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay. This ‘standard’ in the study of submarine warfare. first published in 1949, abridged and repeatedly reprinted, remains the basic primer for those interested in the U.S. Navy's submarine war against the Axis in World War II. Based on war patrol reports, action reports, and other wartime (then) classified information. Enduring enough to be nicknamed ‘SUBOPS’, this well-regarded publication was commissioned by the Bureau of Naval Personnel and although not without error or fault, remains one of those books that are routinely listed as source material for almost any/all submarine works dealing with the WWII. More
Pigboats; The True Story of the Fighting Submariners of World War II
Bantam Books, 1956. Fifth printing thus [stated]. Mass market paperback. xiii, [1], 450 pages. Illustrations. Maps. Foreword by Admiral Nimitz. Introduction by Admiral Voge This was originally published under the title United States Submarine Operations in World War II. This is an authorized abridgment. Cover is worn and soiled. Edge tear on first few pages. Stain at bottom edge, not affecting text. Book is curved a bit. Theodore Roscoe (1906 – 1992) was an American biographer and writer of adventure novels and stories. Roscoe wrote for newspapers and later pulp magazines. Roscoe traveled widely, included trips to Haiti and North Africa. During a visit to Casablanca, Roscoe befriended a member of the French Foreign Legion. Roscoe later used this man as a model for his fictional Foreign Legion narrator, Thibaut Corday. Roscoe also wrote non-fiction for The American Weekly. Roscoe's work was praised by H. L. Mencken in an 1929 profile in the Rochester Democrat Chronicle. Mencken said "Many of the so-called literati could learn a lot from Mr. Roscoe. He gets things down with amazing facility". Roscoe was commissioned by the United States Naval Institute to write the detailed and massive histories United States Submarine Operations in World War II (1949) and United States Destroyer Operations in World War II (1953), as well as a 737-page book detailing United States history with a focus on the role of the US Navy (titled This Is Your Navy (1950) and given to navy recruits at boot camp). He subsequently wrote several other books on naval history including The Trent Affair, November, 1861: U.S. detainment of a British ship nearly brings war with England (1972). More
The Building of Perry's Fleet on Lake Erie, 1812-1813
Harrisburg, PA: PA Historical & Museum Comm, 1987. Fourth Printing. 72, wraps, notes, bibliography, bookplate inside front flyleaf, minor cover soil and wear. More
Der Seekrieg; The German Navy's Story, 1939-1945
Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute, 1960. Second Printing [stated]. Hardcover. xiii, [5], 426 pages. Endpaper maps. Foreword by William D. Leahy, Fleet Admiral, U. S. Navy. Occasional Footnotes. Charts. Diagrams. Illustrations. Index. DJ somewhat worn & discolored: DJ edges worn & small edge tears/chips. Friedrich Oskar Ruge (24 December 1894 – 3 July 1985) was an officer in the German Navy and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He served as the first commander (Inspector of the Navy) of the post-war German Navy. Friedrich Ruge joined the Imperial German Navy as a cadet in March 1914, he was soon a participant in the 1914, 1915, and 1916 Baltic Sea operations. In 1917 and 1918, he sailed with the destroyer raids in the North Sea and English Channel. For the next two decades he concentrated on mines and mine warfare. From 1928 to 1932, he had staff roles associated with mine and torpedo warfare, and in September 1932 became commanding officer of the 1st Half-Flotilla of minesweepers. On 1 June 1937, Ruge was appointed Führer der Minensuchboot (FdM). From 1940 to 1943, he was stationed in France, rising through the upper ranks to become Vice Admiral in 1943. He was appointed as Naval Advisor to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in November 1943 to supervise the defense of northern France from the predicted Allied invasion. In August 1944, he became the Kriegsmarine's Director of Ship Construction, a position in which he served till the end of World War II. Called out of retirement when Germany became a part of NATO, Ruge was appointed Inspector of the Navy, a post he occupied until 1961. More
The War in the Pacific: General Reference Works, Biography. Special Bibliographic Series Number 16, Volume II.
Carlisle Barracks, PA: US Army Military Hist Inst, 1978. 27 cm, 81, wraps, corner crinkled, some cover wear and soiling. More
The Battle of New Orleans; Compiled from the Official Letters of the U.S. Gunboat "Winona," Under the Command of Edward T. Nichols. 1861-1862
Tuscon, AZ (?): Published by the Compiler? 1976. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Staplebound wraps. Format is approximately 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Two staples along the left side. [2], 45 sheets, printed on one side only, plus plates and covers. Illustrations. Maps. Decorative front and read covers. Rear cover has tears and creases. Front cover has some wear and soiling. USS Winona was a Unadilla-class gunboat built for service with the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Winona was heavily armed, with large guns for duels at sea, and 24-pounder howitzers for shore bombardment. Winona saw significant action in the Gulf of Mexico and in the waterways of the Mississippi River and was fortunate to return home safely after the war for decommissioning. Ordered to the Gulf Blockading Squadron and allocated to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron when Union naval responsibility in the area was divided early the next year, she served at the mouth of and in the Mississippi River for the next seven months. On 24 April 1862, she attempted to pass Forts Jackson and St. Philip but snagged herself on obstructions while the rest of her unit fought its way past the Confederate forts on the river banks and the South's naval forces. Eventually freeing herself, Winona remained below the forts with Comdr. David D. Porter's mortar flotilla while Flag Officer David Farragut moved on upriver to capture New Orleans, Louisiana. Four days later, her commanding officer took part in accepting the Confederate capitulation of Fort St. Philip. In May, she moved upstream with the mortar boats to join the investment of the Southern stronghold at Vicksburg, Mississippi. More
Germany's High Sea Fleet in the World War
New York: Peter Smith, 1934. Presumed First Edition, First printing thus. Hardcover. xiv, 375, [1] pages. Footnotes. Index. Some pages uncut. With a Portrait and 28 Plans (some folding). Naval Education Center stamp on fep but no library markings. Reinhard Scheer, (born Sept. 30, 1863, Obernkirchen, Hanover-died Nov. 26, 1928, Marktredwitz), admiral who commanded the German High Seas Fleet at the Battle of Jutland (1916). Scheer entered the German navy in 1879 and by 1907 had become the captain of a battleship. He became chief of staff of the High Seas Fleet under Henning von Holtzendorff in 1910 and commander of a battle squadron in 1913. After the start of World War I, he advocated the use of submarines and gained fame as a submarine strategist. He planned subsurface raids, using surface units as bait with submarines lying in ambush for any British ships lured into the open sea. Scheer received command of the fleet in January 1916; he hoped to precipitate a strategic division of the British Grand Fleet and catch it at a disadvantage. A combination of both planning and chance resulted in the two fleets converging at the Battle of Jutland (May 31–June 1, 1916), the only major fleet action of World War I. Although the Grand Fleet was not successfully divided and the British outnumbered the Germans, Scheer’s maneuvering ultimately saved the High Seas Fleet. The battle itself proved indecisive. On Aug. 8, 1918, Scheer succeeded Holtzendorff as chief of the admiralty staff, serving for five months until he retired. Scheer’s account of the Battle of Jutland appears in his book Deutschlands Hochseeflotte im Weltkrieg (Germany’s High Seas Fleet in the World War). More
Operation Neptune
Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1974. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. 168 pages. Illustrations. Maps. Appendices. Bibliography. Index. Format is approximately 4.5 inches by 7 inches. This is number 10 in the Sea Battles in Close-Up series. Vice Admiral Brian Betham Schofield had a distinguished naval career serving in both World Wars. He was closely involved in the planning of naval operations for D-Day and his insider view is told in Operation NEPTUNE. More
Destroyers -- 60 Years
New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1962. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 175, [5] pages. Illustrations (some in color). Index. Ink mark on fep. Inscribed by Thomte and Mitchell with the compliments of the Burdette & Company on title page. DJ worn, torn, chipped, and soiled. Message from Admiral Arleigh Burke. Two major events shaped the beginnings of the destroyer. The first was the advent of the torpedo boat. These swift craft were able to dash in close to larger ships, loose their torpedoes, and dash away. They proved their devastating effectiveness in the Chilean Civil War of 1894 and in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894. The U.S. Navy first faced a destroyer in the Spanish-American War. Our Navy, realizing that had these destroyers had better handling and could have inflicted serious damage, sent out orders to speed the American destroyer program, then in its infancy. The first U.S. destroyer was USS Bainbridge (DD 1), launched on August 27, 1901, and placed in full commission on December 23, 1903. During World War I, Bainbridge served on patrol and convoy duty in the Atlantic. More
Destroyers--60 Years
New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1962. 175, illus., index, pictorial section on the USS De Haven, boards somewhat worn/soiled, naval related ink notation on fr endpaper. More
Destroyers--60 Years
New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1962. Hardcover. 175, [5] illus., Index, More
Sea Power in Conflict
New York: Coward-McCann, Inc., [c1942]. First U.S.? Edition. First? Printing. 21 cm, 252, illus., maps, erasure residue, front DJ flap price clipped, DJ worn, soiled, torn, and chipped. More
The Last Epic Naval Battle; Voices from Leyte Gulf
Westport, CT: Praeger, 2005. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xxxvi, 208, [4] pages. Foreword by Thomas J. Cutler. Preface: Ships in the Seas of the South. Roll Call. Voices of Leyte Gulf and Glossaries. Notes. Bibliographic Essay. Photo Essays. Index. Inscribed by the author on the fep. The inscription reads March 9, 2006 To a fellow tin can sailor They are great ships--yours the Kidd, mine the Gearing--I hope you enjoy these tales of DDs in the finest hours! To: Capt Jack Hilton: All the best David Sears. Also has bookplate for the Naval Order of the United States National Capitol Commandery--March 9, 2006 affixed to the fep. From the author's website: I write frequently for print and digital periodicals such as as Aviation History, Military History Quarterly, Naval History (I was its 2017 Author of the Year), Smithsonian Air & Space, Smithsonian Digital, VFW Magazine, Vietnam and World War II. I have appeared as a commentator on the History Channel and have spoken frequently before groups such as Chicago’s Pritzger Military History Library, New York’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, and New Orleans’s National World War II Museum. Most recently, I am a commentator for the series The Bomber: Terror of WWII, from Wildbear Entertainment. Born and raised in Massachusetts, I earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a graduate degree from Cornell University. My career included service as a United States Navy officer and decorated Vietnam War veteran. My subsequent business career included human resources executive positions with The New York Times Company and Dow Jones & Company. More
Dynamite for Hire; The Story of Hein Fehler
London, England: Werner Lurie, 1956. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. 264 pages. Frontis illustration. Occasional Footnotes. Some wear and small pieces missing to dust jacket. DJ is price clipped. In recording the story of Hein Fehler, the author has tried to adhere as far as is possible to the manner of the man himself. Where his views are controversial, the author has refrained from the temptation to make them less so. Here is the adventure story of a man who has lived dangerously, though not without humor, in many quarters of the globe. Dramatic exploits of a U-Boat ace in the battle of the Atlantic “Lieutenant – Commander Hein Fehler’s war ended when an American lieutenant boarded his submarine U234 in the North Atlantic. Fehler’s natural instinct to fight on had been crushed by the last Order of the Day issued by Grand Admiral Doenitz – to ‘surrender to the Western Powers’. For ‘Dynamite Fehler, holder of the Gold Cross and the Iron Cross, it was the end of an era of excitement and adventure marked by his courage and leadership in many engagements with Germany’s enemies. Fehler had fought throughout World War II in a variety of ships, including the famous surface raider Atlantis, the scourge of Allied shipping, and the unique giant submarine U234. This account, told in his own words, is as exciting as only truth can be. It stands out as an epic story of a very human, very professional and very brave man. More
Opening Moves: Marines Gear Up for War
Washington, DC: GPO, 1991. 28 cm, 24, wraps, illus., map, references. Marines in World War II commemorative series. More
Combat Command: The American Aircraft Carriers in the Pacific War
New York: Dutton, 1950. First Edition. First? Printing. Hard Cover. 23 cm, 427 pages, illustrations, maps, bibliography, index, boards weak, boards worn & fabric loose, soiled, & stained. Preface by Admiral William Halsey. More
Combat Command; The American Aircraft Carriers in the Pacific War
New York: Bantam Books, 1982. First Bantam Edition Printing [stated]. Mass market paperback. xv, [1], 377, [7] pages. Footnotes. Illustrations. Tabular information. Maps. Bibliography. Index. Preface by Admiral William Halsey. Some page discoloration. Stamps inside front cover and on first page. Frederick Carl Sherman (May 27, 1888 – July 27, 1957) was a highly decorated admiral of the United States Navy during World War II. He commanded USS Lexington (CV-2) from 1940 until her loss in the Battle of the Coral Sea. Sherman was a three-time recipient of the Navy Cross. Promoted to vice admiral in 1945, he became Commander, United States Fifth Fleet before retiring in 1947. Upon retirement, he was promoted to admiral on the retired list. Sherman wrote Combat Command, a history of the Pacific Theater of World War II, drawing on his personal experiences. Combat Command was published in 1950 by E.P. Dutton Inc, and again by Bantam Books in 1982. More
The Victory at Sea
London: J. Murray, 1920. Second Printing. 23 cm, 352, illus., maps, index, some discoloration, p. xiii loose, some pencil notes on rear endpaper, very worn, borads frayed. More