February Book Vote and Last Month's Results

We would like to apologise for the glitch in the book vote. We are working to get this resolved as soon as we can. While we fix this issue, we have put this month's book vote here. We apologise for the inconvenience. 

This month's book vote looks at the Raid series. From Roman expeditions to 21st century Russian operations, this month's vote covers a wide range of events. Read more about the full list of options below and cast your vote in the poll below! Plus, check out the results of last month's Combat Aircraft book vote below

Burning Washington: Redcoats raid the Capitol and White House, 1814

In August 1814, a British force, outnumbered but composed of veteran troops, won a striking victory over the Americans at the battle of Bladenburg, a few miles from Washington DC. Admiral Cockburn and Major-General Ross then decided upon a bold march against Washington itself. With just a few thousand soldiers and marines, the British force captured the capital, and in a punitive one-day operation, burned the US Capitol, the White House, and other public buildings, in the only foreign invasion of the capital since the Revolutionary War.

Caesar Invades England: The Roman expeditions of 55–54 BC

The era of Roman Britain began with Julius Caesar’s two landings in 55 and 54 BC, part of his Gallic Wars. The first was a short invasion with two legions, the second a much larger one with hundreds of ships, five legions, and cavalry. After marching inland and north, crossing the Thames, and encountering chariots as the British tribes fought the legions with guerrilla tactics, the expedition ended with the surrender of the tribal leader Cassivellaunus and the installation of a client king.

Take Rome 1943: The Italian armistice sparks Germany’s coup

The signing of the Armistice of Cassibile was the cue for German forces to strike against their former comrades and occupy Italy. With the king and government still in the capital, both Germans and Italians concentrated elite forces in and around Rome, including armour and Fallschirmjäger. The blow came on the evening of 8 September, and fighting was fierce, but by 10 September German forces had reached the city centre, the government had escaped, and Rome was in German hands.

Putin’s Conquest: Hybrid warfare seizes the Crimea, 2014

Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014 was an almost bloodless conquest. It was, however, a crucial operation for our understanding of modern warfare, fought as much through propaganda, cyberattacks and subversion as force of arms, and features a fascinating series of characters and episodes, from Russian special forces and Ukrainian defectors to gangsters sworn in as ‘self-defence forces’, and even a naval confrontation.


The Tokyo Express: A Japanese night resupply mission in the Solomons

With Allied forces on Guadalcanal gaining air superiority in the South Pacific, Japan could no longer supply its forces in daylight with slow transport ships. Instead, the Japanese turned to the cover of darkness, loading destroyers with men and materiel and sending them on fast resupply missions. For 15 months the Japanese threw these valuable warships into the hostile waters of the Solomons, and while often succeeding in their missions, the attrition wore down the IJN. This book would look in detail at a single, typical mission of the Tokyo Express and the challenges of mounting and countering it.

Last month, we asked you what would you like to see published in our Combat Aircraft series. Thank you to everyone who voted and provided feedback. The results were very close, check out the full results below to find out more!

Did your favourite win? Which Raid title did you vote for? Let us know in the comments.