News, Articles and Comment

Ed. The author surveys recent drone warfare developments in Ukraine, pointing to the tactically revolutionary, but strategically not yet decisive, technological horizon. Russia and Ukraine will continue to seek marginal advantages in the attrition battle as both sides re-arm and await the spring. Originally published in The Article. A 10 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. Professor Geoffrey Till considers a new ‘short, hard-hitting account’ of the US Navy’s role and contribution to the US campaign in Vietnam.

Ed. The author revisits the status of the Ukraine War, a year after his initial analysis [111/2, p. 18]. The failure of either side to deliver a knockout blow, and the systemic nature of new military technology, has reduced the conflict to grinding attrition with few prospects for definitive victory. A 25 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. it considers a a recent publication from Osprey looking at the role of shore bombardment in support of the Allied Normandy campaign.

Ed. ‘NIHL RHYFEL’

In Spring 2023, Lt Col Cripsin Black’s book Too Thin for a Shroud was published. In it he defends robustly 5 Bde’s C2 and the Welsh Guards’ who were still on board the LSLs RFA Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram on 8 June 1982 when they were attacked by the Argentinian Air Force during the Falklands conflict. Over 40 years after the event the opportunity for many, both Green and Navy Blue involved in these events no longer exists, however, the authors of the following  article layout the reasons why they seriously disagree with the book’s suggestions. The Naval Review is an ideal place to hold this rebuttal on record for the benefit of those that wish to study Operation CORPORATE, Amphibious Operations and the fog of war (nihl rhyfel). The following is a review essay dissecting Black’s claims. A 50 minute read.

Ed. In an impressive and no-holds-barred investigation into the command decisions that led to the destruction of Force Z, reflecting on a tragically recurring and lethal combination of command over-confidence and staff obsequiousness, the author catalogues a cascade of failures that at innumerable stages were all too predictable. A 50 minute read.

Ed. The Royal Navy not only logistically enabled Wellington’s campaigns during the Peninsular War, but also acted as a force-multiplier during the critical operations at Cadiz, Lisbon and elsewhere. Originally published in 2010 [98/4, p. 385]. A 30 minute read.

Ed. Originally published in 1963 [51/4, p. 430] as a reprint from Cross & Cockade magazine, the author provided a fascinating retelling of the final flight of Peter Strasser, the iconoclastic chief of Imperial Germany’s Naval Airships, who refused to recognize that by August 1918 British air defences had doomed the Zeppelins to military obsolescence. A 30 minute read.

BRE. The latest book review is now available. It revisits Eric Grove’s 2005 The Royal Navy Since 1815. Whilst the book has been previously reviewed, new perspectives on important books are always welcome.