Carry On Regardless

Carry On Regardless written by Caroline Frost and published by Pen & Sword Books - £20.00 - Hardback - Pages 232

The completely updated story of Carry On, Britain's largest film franchise, all the way from the gentle capers of the 1950s, through the raucous golden age of the 1960s, to its struggles in the years that followed.

We take a happy walk down memory lane to enjoy again Sid James's cheeky chuckle, Kenneth Williams' elongated vowels, Charles Hawtrey's bespectacled bashfulness and Barbara Windsor's naughty wiggle.

It all seemed effortless, but exclusive interviews with the series' remaining stars including Bernard Cribbins, Angela Douglas and Kenneth Cope shed new light on just how much talent and hard work went into creating the laughs. For the first time, the loved ones of some of the franchise’s biggest names – on and off screen – share their personal memories from this unique era.

Was Carry On really as sexist, racist and bigoted as critics claim? Three of the films' female stars explain why they never felt remotely exploited, plus we take a fresh look at some of the series' biggest titles and discover that, in reality, they were far more progressive than their detractors would have you believe.

Finally, with constant talk about new films, fresh productions and tantalising speculation about a brand new era of Carry On, we ask – does this unique series still have legs?

On Sunday afternoons in the 80’s when I was a teenager the choice used to be a western or a ‘Carry On’ film if you were a film buff. I always picked a ‘Carry On’ if I wanted a laugh or cheering up. The sound of a Sid James laugh still echoes in my head or if I’m reading about Rome or the Romans I have ‘Infamy, Infamy they’ve all got it in for me’ in my head. What a cracking read that tells you some of the stories and going on’s and some of the highs and lows of some of the actors throughout the franchise.

The book also doesn’t shy away from criticism for the modern day audience about sexism, racism and bigotry but the book comes back well at these accusations and shows how the Carry On films were actually not as bad people like to say and in some ways showed how they were sometimes ahead of their time. This has been a really good read, and an entertaining read I didn’t know I needed. Excellent research by the author who has done a really good job. I would definitely recommend this book.

Brandenburger

Brandenburger - Wartime Photographs of Wilhelm Walther written by Anthony

Rogers and published by Greenhill Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 160

In March 1940, Oberleutnant Wilhelm Walther transferred from Aufklärungs-Abteilung 5, an

armoured reconnaissance unit, to Bau-Lehr-Bataillon z.b.V. 800 – forerunner of what would

soon be known as the ‘Brandenburger’. Two months later, he led a commando action in the

Netherlands and became the first of his unit to be awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knight’s Cross).

By May 1944, Walther was an Oberstleutnant and an experienced regimental commander

in what had evolved as the Division ‘Brandenburg’. He would eventually join

Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny’s SS-Jagdverbände as Chief of Staff, before seeing

out the last days of the war with the short-lived Schutzkorps Alpenland.

More than 200 images, together with the original German captions and English translations, portray the life and times of this career officer, from the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938, to operations in Russia, Greece and the Balkans during 1941–44.

In comparison with other units of the Second World War, relatively little has been published about Germany’s commando forces. This is hardly surprising, considering the paucity of source material available and the air of mystery and intrigue still surrounding this specialist formation. This unique collection of rare images was sourced from the photograph album of Wilhelm Walther and is sure to appeal to all with an interest in the war in the West and on the Eastern Front, as well as to militaria collectors, modellers and re-enactment groups.

This Images of War book is a little different to the others in the series in that it follows the military lifetime Wilhelm Walther in the Brandenburger, the German equivalent to the Allies' special forces. He would lead on special ops in the Holland region, where he would receive the Knight’s Cross or Ritterkreuz. The book contains about 200 images of Walther himself and his unit in action at the time and as he progressed up the ranks. Actually, a decent sized collection of photographs tell the story of one German officer in World War II. A really good read and it was nice to read about an individual rather than a weapon, operation region of conflict.

British Escort Destroyers of the Second World War

British Escort Destroyers of the Second World War written by Les Brown and 

published by Seaforth Publishing - £16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

The ‘ShipCraft’ series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject, highlighting differences between ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the subjects, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references – books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.

This volume covers the many variations of Royal Navy wartime escort destroyers, both the purpose-built ‘Hunt’ class and the conversions from older fleet destroyers. The ‘Hunts’ were built in four groups (Types I to IV), while the old ‘V&W’ classes were modified to Long Range Escort, Short Range Escort and ‘Wair’ (anti-aircraft) variants. Also included are the fifty ex-US ‘flush-deckers’ that became the ‘Town’ class.

With its unparalleled level of visual information – paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs – this book is simply the best reference for any modelmaker setting out to build any of these numerous escort types.

This is the first book in the ShipCraft series from Seaforth Publishing that I have read. Wow, I have really enjoyed reading and reviewing this book looking at British Escort Destroyers in the Second World War. Based on the same basis as the TankCraft books this book is fantastic looking at the various destroyers that made an appearance during WWII. Looking at these Royal Navy fast escorts we learn about the types or classes of destroyer, we also learn about the different paint schemes, models, designs and photographs of the actual ships at sea, but also the models. I would like to thank Seaforth Publishing for allowing me to review this book as I have learnt so much about these ships and the Royal Navy and all about the ships’ specifications, designs and the reasons why. This was a thoroughly interesting read and I would most certainly recommend this book and the series.

Tank Craft 34: Panther Medium Tank

Tank Craft 34: Panther Medium Tank written by Dennis Oliver and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

In July 1943 the German army launched what was to be its last major offensive on Soviet soil.

Codenamed Operation Citadel, the attack had initially been scheduled to commence in May

but was postponed by Hitler on a number of occasions to allow the divisions in the East to be

reinforced and to ensure that the new Panther tanks could be deployed. In the fifth book on the

Panther in this series Dennis Oliver examines the first vehicles that left the assembly plants to

go into service against the Red Army as part of Operation Citadel and the units that arrived in

the late summer and early autumn of 1943. In addition to archive photographs and painstakingly

researched, exquisitely presented colour illustrations, a large part of this book showcases

available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully

constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications

introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the

modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of the Panther tanks that fought in the

East in 1943.

As I have said with previous books in this series the Tank Craft books are brilliant for model

makers, you get so many detailed photos of the various tank models in the process of being

made. But you also get the different camouflages for the different theatres of war, especially

when you enter the Cold War era you have many different designs in accordance with the

surrounding terrain. But in World War Two you’ve got different camouflages for Normandy,

France, the North Africa campaign and terrain on the Eastern Front. I think the Panther

Medium Tank is my personal favourite tank, so it has been a great read and one I would

recommend as it makes an important entry into the series.

Tank Craft 37: M60 Main Battle Tank

Tank Craft 37: M60 Main Battle Tank written by David Grummitt and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

The M60 was a second-generation American main battle tank, the last in the line of Patton tanks

that had first been developed at the end of World War. It entered operational service with the US

Army in 1960 and some 15,000 M60s were manufactured by Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Arsenal

Plant between then and when production ceased in 1983. It served with both the US Army and the

US Marine Corps and was the principal tank deployed in Europe in the ‘sixties, ‘seventies and

early ‘eighties, providing NATO’s main armoured force at the height of the Cold War. It became

one of the most widely used armoured fighting vehicles of the twentieth century, serving in the

armies of over 25 countries. It continued to serve alongside the M1 Abrams into the 1990s before

this venerable Cold War warrior was finally retired from active service with the US military in 1997.

This volume charts the development of the M60 from its origins in World War II to the Cold War. It focuses on its service with the US military and other NATO armies, examining its combat service in the First Gulf War and also with other armies in the Middle East. The book gives a full account of the wide range of kits and accessories available in all the popular scales and a modelling gallery features builds covering a range of M60s in service with various armed forces. Detailed colour profiles provide both reference and inspiration for modellers and military enthusiasts alike.

A fantastic book that really does sell and make the M60 Main Battle Tank look really good, and I really enjoyed this book, maybe it’s because this tank and book focus on the Cold War era of tanks, which just makes a nice change from WW2. It shows the main differences and the changes needed for tank warfare in the later period, as the Cold War was changing things. Yet again these are highly crafted books from Pen & Sword Books as usual with great text, photography and detail throughout the book. Certainly, a book that is going to appeal to all model makers who love tank warfare. Highly recommended.

Tank Craft 35: Panzer IV, Medium Tank

Tank Craft 35: Panzer IV, Medium Tank written by Dennis Oliver and published

by Pen & Sword Books - £16.99 - Softcover - Pages 64

When the Allied armies landed on the Normandy beaches on 6 June 1944 the backbone of the armoured reaction force awaiting them was made up of 758 Pzkpfw IV tanks, a number which represents almost half the fully-tracked vehicles available for the defence of the West. The first models of these tanks had entered service in November 1937 and although replacements had been considered, the original design was continually up-gunned and up-armoured. Perhaps lacking the glamour of the Panther and Tiger, the most recent variant, the Pzkpfw IV ausf H, was at least the equal of the best British and American tanks. Drawing on official documentation and unit histories Dennis Oliver investigates the formations that operated these deservedly famous vehicles and uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the markings, camouflage and technical aspects of the Pzkpfw IV tanks that served on the Western Front during the critical summer of 1944. A key section of his book displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic vehicles.

This book Panzer IV focuses on the latter part of the war from D-Day onwards. Although this series of books is primarily aimed at model crafters, the actual history, technical detail and chat about specifications is excellent so these books should never be seen as just for model makers. The photographs that run throughout this book whether it be photos of the time of these tanks in battle or the pictures of the models are very good and detailed and really help make the book. In the back of the book, there is always a really good contacts section and product list to help the reader out. Certainly a good book for the series.

Investigating the Almost Perfect Murders

Investigating the Almost Perfect Murders written by Anthony Nott and published by 

Pen & Sword Books - £14.99 - Softcover - Pages 197

Anthony Nott joined the Metropolitan Police in 1971, which was a very different world from that of today. He describes his early experiences in the Met, including the arrest of a man for murdering a prostitute in Kings Cross. He was present when a fellow police officer was almost stabbed to death and witnessed an act of police brutality when he interrupted the beating of a petty criminal in a cell by the CID.

He transferred to the county force of Dorset in 1976 where, not long after his promotion to detective sergeant, he engaged in what would be a ten-year long investigation into the disappearance of Monica Taylor and the eventual conviction of her husband, Peter, for what was almost the perfect murder – Monica’s remains were never found. He then recounts a series of murder cases in which he was involved from the murder and decapitation of a woman in Bournemouth and the random killing of another, to the extremely violent killing of a gay man in Boscombe Gardens, Bournemouth, in which it took two years to bring the killers to justice.

While a detective chief inspector in Bournemouth in 1994, the chance visit of a detective sergeant from Guernsey, who was investigating a life insurance fraud, led to the re-opening of a missing person enquiry from eight years earlier, and resulted in the conviction of Russell Causley for murder, despite his wife’s body never being recovered.

This book provides an insight into the methodical and transparent way in which the police investigate complicated crimes from riots to the almost perfect murders.

Well, this book was a fascinating read indeed, both meticulous and detailed which I suppose comes from the author as the book follows his life in the police force in which he endeavours to work and succeed on some tricky cases. The book follows a good number of different cases ranging from riots and crowd control all the way up to almost getting away with the perfect murder. The book was very interesting and it was nice to read a good number of different crimes that were British rather than from the US. A good book very well worth reading if you're into crime especially true British crime.