Featured battle : Moores Creek Bridge

Part of American War of Independence

Date : 27 February 1776

A force of mainly highlanders raised from the interior of North Carolina with some loyalists sent from New York, under Donald MacDonald, and Donald McLeod attempted to move on Wilmington by out-manouvering a force of rebels/patriots under James Moore. Moores' forces were split while trying to chase the highlanders, who then marched around the main body to attack a smaller party holding a bridge over Moore's Creek. Notified of their approach, the force under Caswell partially dismantled the bridge and greased the rest. When the Loyalists arrived and sent a party across the bridge they were cut down by musketry and canister. The Loyalists withdrew.

Allied Coastal Forces of World War 11. Volume 1

John Lambert & Al Ross
Having read Volume 2 first I came to Volume 1 with high expectations I was not disappointed. One could not help but be impressed with the massive research which must have been undertaken to produce such a wealth of detail. But more than that the information is presented in an easily accessible form.
The story of the Fairmile designs begins in the first World War and finishes with those which survive today. The same is true of the US submarine chaser except that none are still around. It seems wrong to select any particular parts of the book it is all worth reading but what I found surprising was the variety and quantity of the weapons fit. In type this ranged from the rather simple, primitive Holman projector to the top quality Rolls Royce 40mm gun. In quantity as much as two 4.5 inch, twin 20mm Oerlikon plus mines and depth charges all on a displacement of around 100 tons. All of this propelled at over 30 knots.
As I wrote in the review of Volume 2 [see elsewhere on this site] this is not a book just to be read but to be owned. A quality publication in a large format, 290mm by 240mm, with over 250 pages packed with technical drawings, photographs and engaging text. Some publicity blurb says it would help anyone wishing to build a model but for some of the boats little more would be needed to build to full size craft such is the detail given.
Along with Volume 2 we cannot recommend this book too highly.

Seaforth Publishing, 2018