Featured battle : Fort Henry

Part of American Civil War

Date : 06 February 1862

General Grant launched a combined attack against Fort Henry on the Tennessee river to break A S Johnston's lines of defence protecting Tennessee. He sent Foote and his Ironclad river steamers against it's waterside, while he took 15,000 men overland to attack the landward side. The Confederate garrison commander realised the hopeless situation, and ordered the majority of his command to abandon the partially flooded fort and make their way to Fort Donelson on the Cumberland 12 miles away. He stayed with one company of gunners and put up a gallant defence against the gunboats, only surrendering to them when he'd suffered 50% casualties and most of his guns disabled. Mud delayed the arrival of the infantry until after the surrender.

Desert Raids with the SAS

Gerald Hough
This is a truly remarkable story which rings true from beginning to end. It reads like a novel or Boys Own adventure story except that it includes the blood and the gore and not a lot of glory. Stoic bravery, mental strength and raw courage are the qualities which run as a thread throughout the book. Gerald Hough has written up his father Anthony’s wartime experience with his regiment in North Africa, with the SAS and as an escaped prisoner of war. Much of the text is gripping and makes the book difficult to put down. There are many notable events and one of which stands out for me is Major Hough’s terror at being depth-charged while being transferred as a p.o.w. from North Africa to Italy in an Italian submarine.
There is a very good set of supporting photographs and two appendices which bring the story up to date. The title of the book is misleading as there are only two of the sixteen chapters about the SAS and only one raid is described.
We highly recommend this book as a fascinating insight into one man’s war.


Pen & Sword Military, 2021