BOOK REVIEW #9: Life on board Greek submarines of World War II (in Greek) / Η Ζωή στα Ελληνικά Υποβρύχια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου

Welcome to my ninth book review, Life on board Greek submarines of World War II (in Greek) by Christy Emilio Ioannidou / Η Ζωή στα Ελληνικά Υποβρύχια του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου, της Κρίστυ Εμίλιο Ιωαννίδου. The book is published in Greek, therefore the review is written for Greek-speaking readers.

Η Ζωή στα Ελληνικά Υποβρύχια
του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου

Το βιβλίο που παρουσιάζεται στη σελίδα μας ξεκινά με μια στιχομυθία μεταξύ ενός Δοκίμου και του Καθηγητή Ιστορίας Κασσιμάτη που λαμβάνει χώρα στη Σχολή Ναυτικών Δοκίμων το 1926. Ο καθηγητής ερωτάται με τι μέσα θα πολεμήσουν έναν υπέρτερο και καλύτερα εξοπλισμένο εχθρό. Ο καθηγητής τότε δείχνει από το παράθυρο την παμπάλαια άκατο της φρεγάτας ΕΛΛΑΣ και απαντάει λακωνικά και με περηφάνια «Με την άκατον!». Η ερώτηση του απλό Δόκιμου και η απάντηση του σεβαστού Καθηγητή σε ένα ερώτημα εξαιρετικά επίκαιρο, που ταλανίζει την Ελλάδα ανά τους αιώνες η οποία συναντά στο διάβα της ισχυρούς εχθρούς εχθροί που επιβουλεύονται την ακεραιότητα της χώρας μας, προϊδεάζει για το που εστιάζει το βιβλίο. Το εξαιρετικό αυτό βιβλίο αυτό δεν μιλά για τις σελίδες δόξας που κατέγραψε στο ναυτικό αγώνα η Ελλάδα και που έχουν παρουσιαστεί σε πλειάδα βιβλίων και μέσων αλλά για την κατάσταση του υποβρύχιου Στόλου πριν και κατά τη διάρκεια του Β’ ΠΠ, και στις δυσκολίες που αντιμετώπισαν τα πληρώματα τους με αυτοθυσία και αυταπάρνηση. Εδώ δεν θα διαβάσετε για τον θρυλικό ΠΑΠΑΝΙΚΟΛΗ και το ηρωικό τέλος των ΚΑΤΣΩΝΗ, ΠΡΩΤΕΑ και ΤΡΙΤΩΝΑ αλλά για το πώς έζησαν μέσα σε αυτά τα 50 μέλη του πληρώματος τους, τι έτρωγαν, πως κοιμόνταν, πως περνούσαν τον ελεύθερο χρόνο τους, τις πατέντες που σκαρφίζονταν για να επιλύσουν την έλλειψη ανταλλακτικών, τα παιχνίδα της μοίρας, τις προσπάθειές τους, τα αστεία τους, τις αγωνίες τους και τις χαρές τους, μέσα από τις μαρτυρίες αυτών που τα στελέχωσαν.

BOOK REVIEW #8: CIA & Военно-морской флот СССР

CIA & Военно-морской флот СССР
του Εμμανουήλ Μουρτζάκη

Welcome to my eighth book review, The Soviet Navy through the Central Intelligence Agency documents, by Emmanouil Mourtzakis. This book brings to light the Soviet naval Strategy and the capabilities of the Soviet Navy directly through CIA documents of that period. The book has not been published in English yet, therefore the review is written for Greek-speaking readers. 

Η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη με τίτλο "Το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό της ΕΣΣΔ μέσα από τα αρχεία της Αμερικανικής Κεντρικής Υπηρεσίας Πληροφοριών και η σύγχρονη Ρωσική Ναυτική Στρατηγική", παρουσιάστηκε για πρώτη φορά στο ελληνικό κοινό ως ένθετο στο τεύχος 606 της Ναυτικής Επιθεώρησης του 2019. Στόχος του βιβλίου είναι να παρουσιάσει τη Σοβιετική Ναυτική Στρατηγική και Πρακτική καθώς και τις δυνατότητες του Σοβιετικού Ναυτικού, για πρώτη φορά, απευθείας από τα αρχεία της Κεντρικής Υπηρεσίας Πληροφοριών (CIA) των ΗΠΑ. Τα δύο πρώτα κεφάλαια επιτελούν αυτό το σκοπό, με διαχωρισμό των διαφόρων χρονικών περιόδων των αρχείων της CIA στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο. Στη συνέχεια, στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η Ρωσική πλέον Ναυτική Στρατηγική και ο τρόπος που εφαρμόζεται σήμερα στον Αρκτικό Κύκλο και την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο. Όπως στο προηγούμενο βιβλίο που παρουσιάστηκε εδώ, Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy, αναδεικνύονται οι επιχειρησιακές δυνατότητες του Σοβιετικού Ναυτικού κατά τη διάρκεια του Ψυχρού Πολέμου, δυνατότητες τόσο σημαντικές που αποτέλεσαν ουσιώδη πηγή στρατηγικού, επιχειρησιακού και τακτικού προβληματισμού για τις δυνάμεις των ΗΠΑ και των συμμάχων τους εκείνη τη περίοδο. 

BOOK REVIEW #7: Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy

Welcome to my seventh book review, Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy, by Norman Polmar, Thomas A Brooks, and George E Federoff.

Admiral Gorshkov:
The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy

In October 2005 the Russian MoD placed an order with Severnaya Verf for the construction of the lead ship of a new class of high-tech frigates. That stealth frigate was the first large surface combatant being built for the Russian Navy in 15 years, years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The launching of this new combatant as well as some years later the launching of the first Borei class ballistic missile submarine, marked the Russian determination to restore Russia to great power status. The name that was given to the lead ship, and thus to the whole class, was Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov (Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov). Who was Gorshkov? Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (Russian: Серге́й Георгиевич Горшков; 26 February 1910 – 13 May 1988) was an admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union. Twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he oversaw the expansion of the Soviet Navy into a global force during the Cold War. He is one of the most famous Russian and Soviet commanders who will be remembered as the man who designed and built a potent high-seas fleet that could challenge the supremacy of the U.S. Navy during the Cold War!

BOOK REVIEW #6: Silver State Dreadnought: The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada

Welcome to my sixth book review, Silver State Dreadnought: The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada, by Stephen M. Younger.

Silver State Dreadnought:
The Remarkable Story of Battleship Nevada

This book is not about a famous battleship that participated in naval battles in World Wars or had adventurous lives neither about the largest nor about the most powerful ever-built battleship. This book is about a battleship that served the United States Navy for almost 33 years in European and Pacific theaters. A revolutionary battleship of that time which features, made the first US Navy "standard-type" battleship; the USS Nevada (BB-36). The Standard-type battleship was a series of twelve battleships across five classes ordered for the United States Navy between 1911 and 1916 and commissioned between 1916 and 1923 before the construction moved on to the first fast battleship, the North Carolina, in the late 1930s. Nevada was the second United States Navy ship to be named after the 36th state, the lead ship of the two Nevada-class battleships. Launched in 1914, she was a leap forward in dreadnought technology. She was the first super-dreadnought of the United States; four of her new features would be included on almost every subsequent US battleship: triple gun turrets on the centerline in fore and aft turrets with no amidships guns, oil in place of coal for fuel, geared steam turbines for greater range, and the "all or nothing" armor principle (protection of the important elements only). She was the first in the world to adopt those features. An ambitious and risky design that would be either a brilliant success or a failed expensive experiment. History would vote for success, since Nevada became the first of a standard design battleship that navies around the world would copy. Nevada was America’s first modern battleship and a political symbol of an ascendant America to a global superpower. With her sister Oklahoma, the Nevada class represented a considerable evolution in battleship design that was well ahead of its time.

BOOK REVIEW #5: In Deepest Secrecy - Dutch submarine espionage operations from 1968 to 1991

Welcome to my fifth book review, In Deepest Secrecy, Dutch submarine espionage operations from 1968 to 1991, by Jaime Karremann.

In Deepest Secrecy

HNLMS Tonijn (1966-1991), a Potvis-class
submarine and today a museum boat.

This is a truly fascinating book about the Royal Netherlands Navy secret submarine intelligence operations during the Cold War, from the freezing Arctic Ocean to shallow waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Only a handful of people outside the Royal Netherlands Navy were aware of these operations, as they were not NATO operations. For the first time, In Deepest Secrecy describes these top-secret deployments in detail. Based on interviews and extensive archival research, Jaime Karremann reveals how the Dutch submarines followed, photographed and listened to Soviet ships unnoticed.

BOOK REVIEW #4: 1900

Welcome to my fourth book review, 1900, by Stefanos Milesis and Panagiotis Tripontikas. This book brings to light the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by the Hellenic Navy masted cruiser "Navarhos Miaoulis",a voyage that broke all the records set since the establishment of the Modern Greek State! The book has not been published in English yet, therefore the review is written for Greek-speaking readers.

1900, ένα ναυτικό και ιστορικό διήγημα

Φωτογραφία του ευδρόμου Ν. Μιαούλης

Η πλειονότητα των βιβλίων στρατιωτικής ιστορίας αναφέρονται σε μάχες, σε πράξεις ηρωισμού σε συνθήκες πολέμου, σε πολεμικά κατορθώματα, σε εξελίξεις στον οπλισμό και τη στρατηγική. Το βιβλίο που παρουσιάζεται σε αυτό το άρθρο αποτελεί εξαίρεση. Το ιστορικό διήγημα «1900» των Στέφανου Μίλεση, συγγραφέας και δημοσιογράφος, και Παναγιώτη Τριπόντικα, Αντιπλοίαρχος στο ΠΝ σήμερα και πρώην διευθυντής του Μουσείου Θ/Κ Αβέρωφ, εξιστορεί ένα σημαντικότατο κατόρθωμα, μια πράξη ανδρείας των Ελλήνων στελεχών του Πολεμικού Ναυτικού, μια πράξη ξεχωριστή αφού έλαβε χώρα σε ειρηνική περίοδο και συνάμα ιδιαιτέρως ιστορική. Το «1900» είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο που εκδίδεται στο είδος του από το Πλωτό Ναυτικό Μουσείο Θ/Κ ΑΒΕΡΩΦ και αφηγείται ένα ναυτικό εγχείρημα ξεχασμένο από πολλούς και παραγκωνισμένο από τις ναυμαχίες και τα πολεμικά κατορθώματα του ναυτικού της Ελλάδας, ενός Ναυτικού του οποίου οι ρίζες της ιστορίας του χάνονται στα βάθη των αιώνων της ιστορίας του ανθρώπινου γένους.

BOOK REVIEW #3: The Best of Don Winslow of the Navy

Welcome to my third book review, The Best of Don Winslow of the Navy, A Collection of High-Seas Stories from Comics' Most Daring Sailor!

The Best of Don WInslow of the Navy.
Publisher: Dead Reckoning, U.S. Naval Institute

Welcome to my third book review! This time, the book I will present and review here isn’t actually a literature book but a book collection of the best stories from a famous American comic! This comic is the classic Fawcett run of Don Winslow of the Navy, one of the most popular comics running during and after World War II! Don Winslow of the Navy was introduced to the American public in March, 1934, originally as a comic strip in newspapers in the ‘30s and ‘40s. The comic magazine, as it was known at the time, was launched in February, 1943, by Fawcett Publications containing the original stories of Don Winslow in the form of short stories. The Don Winslow of the Navy comic was originally created by Frank V. Martinek, Lt. Commander in U.S. Naval Intelligence in order to stimulate the interest of young Americans about military life and thus to foster recruitment (especially in the Navy), as well as to entertain and engage military audiences and the general public. Somebody can imagine how exciting or mysterious a life on the sea would be to people from the Midwestern United States and Mountain United States, many of whom might not have even seen the ocean.

BOOK REVIEW #2: The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn - The Untold Story of the American Revolution

Welcome to my second book review, The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn - The Untold Story of the American Revolution, by Robert P. Watson.

The Ghost Ship of Brooklyn

The Jersey Prison Ship as moored at
the Wallabout near Long Island, in 1782

This is the shocking and tragic yet largely-unknown story of the notorious HMS Jersey, an old rotting British warship that was used as a floating prison during the American Revolution. A carefully-researched story by Robert P. Watson focusing on the struggles of American prisoners imprisoned aboard that ship, that everyone should read it! Moored off the coast of Brooklyn, in the shallows of Wallabout Bay, until the end of the war, HMS Jersey was a living hell for thousands of Americans. A dreaded prison for American soldiers and sailors who were captured in the battle, crews of captured American privateers, which constituted the main population aboard the ships, and civilians suspected of supporting the colonial cause or refusing to swear an oath to the Crown. These unfortunate souls were incarcerated in the diseased and deadly holds of this large floating coffin whose dark and filthy appearance fitly represented death and despair.

BOOK REVIEW #1: Gary Slaughter's Sea Stories - A Memoir of a Naval Officer (1956-1967)

Welcome to my first book review, Gary Slaughter’s Sea Stories - A Memoir of a Naval Officer (1956-1967)

Gary Slaughter's Sea Stories

When I got in my hands on the Sea Stories (released on Sep 4, 2016), my first thought was that this book was mainly about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the role of a former US naval officer before and after this dramatic event. But it wasn’t about that. More precisely, it was not only about that. The book was much more entertaining and interesting than I had in my mind based on the brief description on the book, the information available on author’s website or events that were highlighting this true episode. This is just one story emphasized in the book, one of the 60 (!) vignettes comprising the 298-page Sea Stories; motivational, uplifting stories and life lessons. Furthermore, stories that show new insights into everyday life on the Cold War front line and the life of a US Navy officer in the ‘60s.

But who is Gary Slaughter? Gary Slaughter served for eleven years in the US Navy as a midshipman (officer cadet) and naval officer. Following his distinguishing Navy service, he became an expert on managing corporate information technology. He traveled extensively, lecturing and consulting to clients in the United States and abroad. In 2002, he put his career on hold and began to write the Cottonwood series, five award-winning novels, depicting life in the US during World War II. During his naval career, he served aboard two of the three destroyers that surfaced soviet submarines during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The most significant moment during his naval career was his role in dissuading the Captain of a Soviet Foxtrot class submarine (B-59), from unleashing his T-5 nuclear torpedo which most certainly would have triggered a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and USA and their allies. This incident was the closest that the Soviet Union and the United States ever came to having an exchange of nuclear weapons. However, the event was classified as Top Secret under the terms of an agreement between Premier Khrushchev and President Kennedy that ended the crisis. Α dramatic story that was kept secret until 2002; thanks to the few men whose lips remained sealed for 40 years! The event was finally declassified when his story was revealed in Peter Huchthausen's 2002 book, October Fury. Since then, four documentary filmmakers sought Gary Slaughter's participation in developing a film to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He selected Bedlam Productions, whose movie, The King's Speech, won the 2010 Best Picture Academy Award. Fittingly, the Bedlam documentary was entitled The Man Who Saved the World. He was also interviewed and filmed for the BBC documentary, The Silent War.