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“Mercatante knows the current literature on the German army as well as anyone… and offers a new interpretation of Operation Barbarossa (usually seen as the great German blunder of the war) as, in fact, Germany’s last and best hope actually to win the war. A book filled with fresh argumentation of this sort, should generate a fair amount of discussion and even controversy… I know I would pick up a book of this sort as soon as I saw it, and I am fairly certain that I will not be alone.”

Robert M. Citino, history professor, consultant on the History Channel, author of eight books including The Death of the Wehrmacht, The German Way of War, and more. Quoted from his endorsement of Why Germany Nearly Won: A New History of the Second World War in Europe.

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"Why Germany Nearly Won: A New History of the Second World War in Europe" is now available for purchase in the United Kingdom.

You may order the book through Amazon UK, Casemate, Foyles, and Waterstones.

Evaluating the Allied Invasion of Sicily

Submitted by SteveMerc

on Mon, 07/09/2012 - 19:44

The July 1943 Allied invasion and occupation of Sicily is often panned by commentators, and there is no question that taking Sicily proved painful for the Allies. For instance, all told the Allies suffered nearly 25,000 casualties against an Axis army that fought a delaying campaign lasting over one month. The Sicilian campaign however would prove to be an important learning experience.

For instance, the invasion provided invaluable experience in amphibious operations, including refining command and control between the allied armies, navies and air forces as well as testing new equipment

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F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program Takes Another Hit

Submitted by SteveMerc

on Tue, 07/03/2012 - 18:40

More bad news for the F-35 "Lightning" Joint Strike Fighter program - this time from the US Navy's Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert. In the July 2012 issue of the US Naval Institute's magazine Proceedings Admiral Greenert indirectly calls into question one of the key assumptions undergirding the development of the F-35C (the Navy's version of the JSF): the need for stealth.

As part of a larger article detailing why the Navy needs to focus on building dependable, affordable platforms capable of delivering a wide range of payloads to flexibly adapt to numerous missions

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Mersa Matruh and the Limits of Rommel's Panzerarmee

Submitted by SteveMerc

on Thu, 06/28/2012 - 17:51

The days and weeks following the British led Eighth Army’s spring 1942 defeats at Gazala and Tobruk, followed up by the long retreat east has often been held up by some as one of the key points in the war when the Axis could have achieved perhaps a decisive victory in North Africa and severed the British Empire’s jugular at the Suez Canal.

In reality, the otherwise triumphant German General Erwin Rommel and his Panzerarmee Afrika hardly possessed the logistical backing or combat capability to accomplish such a goal.

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USS Texas (BB-35) Reopens But Concerns Remain

Submitted by SteveMerc

on Fri, 06/22/2012 - 19:39

Tomorrow the floating museum USS Texas will reopen to the public (in part) - with a patch having stopped the influx of water that had otherwise closed the battleship to public viewing two weeks ago. Nevertheless, the venerable battleship (the oldest surviving dreadnought) is not out of the woods; with smaller leaks remaining an ongoing problem.

Hopefully, the support is there for the Texas to soldier on (I have a personal affection for the ship as I visited her at age 10 and of course have loved battleships ever since). One hundred years old last month the Texas served in both world wars

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60 Years and Counting for the B-52!

Submitted by SteveMerc

on Tue, 06/19/2012 - 20:53

This year the U.S. Air Force's B-52 "Stratofortress" heavy strategic bomber is completing its 60th year since it's first flight, and nearly 60th year of service. Capable of carrying nuclear or precision guided conventional ordnance (or even "dumb" bombs for that matter), the youngest of these versatile and durable aircraft have been in front line service for 50 years!

Though widely regarded as perhaps one of the quintessential symbol's of the Cold War and the nuclear age the B-52 is also superb in a conventional role. According to the U.S.

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