Video booktrailer: The Devil’s Own Dice

The Devil’s Own Dice is mostly set in 13th Century Burgundy, France and covers the great Battle of Bouvines, which shaped Europe for the next few hundred years. I have had a look on the internet for any tours of the battle sites in the book and the best I can come up with is Battlefield Tours by Leger Holidays who have many tours to France, mostly for battles of WWII.

But they also do a tour of Burgundy so that might be worth checking out.

There was a tour of the Bouvines Battlefield to mark the 800th Anniversary, last year, but unfortunately I missed it!

Anyway, here is my video. I would like to know what you think of it so please stop long enough to comment:

Continue reading “Video booktrailer: The Devil’s Own Dice” →

A Kicker? Review of Kicker by Grey Hoover

I just finished reading Kicker by Grey Hoover; about Kickers, the men who ‘kicked’ cargo out of freight aircraft in the Far East during WWII. Its a very interesting book and left me speechless in places. Here is my review:

It is with great pleasure that I review the biography Kicker, and it’s not often I can say that!

I pride myself on knowing a lot about WWII but I knew nothing about ‘Kickers,’ the brave men who kicked the supplies out of American transport aircraft in the Far East Theatre, during the War.

Into this chaotic, dangerous and inhospitable world comes Private Sam Huber. He applied himself to the task at hand without complaint and soaks up the help of veterans around him and the exotic sights that surround him.

The book is full of lovely vignettes of life in places like Calcutta and Casablanca and contains some of the most harrowing scenes I have yet come across in any war book. Continue reading “A Kicker? Review of Kicker by Grey Hoover” →

How much gasoline to reach Berlin in 1943?

I see that BP (British Petroleum) stocks are up in the UK and USA so maybe now is a good time to invest in petrochemicals.

Fuel has always been expensive, and more importantly during wartime, heavy. In September 1943, when the heroes of Attack Hitler’s Bunker! were trying a precision bombing attack on Hitler’s Bunker in Berlin, that latest Hawker Hurricane, the MKII, required all of its 97 gallons of high-octane fuel, 34.5 gallons each in wing tanks and 28 in a small tank ahead of the cockpit, to achieve a range of 600 miles. It could carry 2 x 500 lb canisters or bombs but would barely be able to reach Berlin from Norfolk, let alone carry out the attack and return.

Drop tanks were not yet available for Allied aircraft and in fact even the German Luftwaffe had limited use for them. Not until October, did the first P-47 Thunderbolts arrive in the European Theatre of War, equipped with drop tanks. But P-47s were to big to negotiate the streets of Berlin in the sort of precision attack required to hit the Bunker and the attack had to be made in September. Continue reading “How much gasoline to reach Berlin in 1943?” →