Bøker av Steve Dunn

By 1900, the British government and public had become gripped by a new and growing fear of invasion, not from traditional enemies such as France, but from Germany. Such terror was driven by lurid books and fanned by newspapers. These anxieties sparked off a fight between those who wanted a defence based on a larger standing army, with conscription to support it, and those who believed the Royal Navy was sufficient to defend the coast and deprecated the expense and role of a standing land force. With war declared in 1914, Britain's coastline came under attack. Major German raids created terror, and the fear of invasion drove naval and military planning and dispositions to protect Britain's littoral. Coastal towns such as Scarborough, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Southwold and even the Outer Hebrides came under attack and landings by German troops were feared daily. Running battles were fought with these attacking forces and both ships and lives ashore were lost. Spectre of Invasion examines all of the raids made and the success or failure of them, and relates these events from the point of view of naval and civilian participants. It tells the story of the Royal Navy and its role in the defence of the British coast in the First World War and examines the strategic and political developments resultant from invasion fears. And it considers how the plans laid for coastal defence fared under the test of conflict, laying bare what it was like to be part of the battles around the British coast, both as combatant and as citizen. Finally, it looks at Britain's inability to co-ordinate naval and military effort throughout the War. This is a thought-provoking book which combines a fast-paced narrative with fascinating insights into Britain's predicament in the years leading up to, and through, the First World War. It will appeal to anyone interested in this era of the country's history and the fear on invasion that stalked the country in those years.

This is the story of how the luxurious steam yachts of the Victorian and Edwardian eras were transformed into weapons of war. These beautiful vessels were the ultimate status symbols of British and European royalty, American magnates, the landed aristocracy and the nouveau riche, but when wars came, in 1898 and 1914, they were quickly transformed into warships, and many of their crews became warriors rather than servants. The US Navy was the first to recognise the potential of these elegant vessels. In the Spanish-American war of 1898, the USN âEUR" short of ships to operate a blockade of Spanish-owned Cuba âEUR" purchased twenty-eight of them and turned them into patrol craft and bombardment ships. In Britain in 1914 steam yachts became a stop gap navy, filling in for neglected investment in small craft. The USN followed suit in 1917\. Their wonderful interiors were ripped out, antiquated guns and sometimes depth charges fitted, and their crews signed into the naval reserves. Around the coasts of the Britain and France, in the Mediterranean and the USA, Canada, these former luxurious playthings now attacked land positions and fought surface warships and U-boats. They interdicted blockade runners, escorted convoys, were used as depot ships, served as hospitals afloat and undertook a host of other functions. In all, some 300 yachts fought at sea. This new book, lavishly illustrated with photographs and plans of pre-war and wartime steam yachts from a world now lost to view, tells their story and the stories of the men who served in them. It examines their peacetime origins and development, describes their owners and designers, and considers their naval deployment, the conditions under which the crews lived and worked, the many and varied duties assigned to the yachts, and their successes and failures together with the losses sustained. In just a couple of generations these beautiful craft progressed from status symbols to instruments of war to complete extinction; Steam Yachts at War tells this compelling story.

Baseball fans in general and Chicago Cub fans in particular will enjoy author Steve Dunn's account of the 116-year history of professional baseball in Des Moines, Iowa. 'Pug, ' 'Fireball, ' and Company: 116 Years of Professional Baseball in Des Moines, Iowa, describes the teams, players, managers, owners, ballparks, and events that have entertained millions of fans at nine locations since 1887. The long list of stars that have played or managed in Des Moines includes Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Feller, Satchel Paige, Red Faber, Buck O'Neil, Ryne Sandberg, Tony LaRussa, Charlie Grimm, and Stan Hack. "It's an incredible book with some world-class firsthand information on baseball," Sarah Roger has said.

The first complete account to be written of the operations of naval motor boats in WWI. Copiously illustrated throughout with photos and line drawings. A compelling and exciting narrative.

The first ever detailed account of the operations of this famous force.

A superb narrative of a forgotten campaign.

The first book to tell the history of naval reviews