Tag: war

WWII Royal Navy military history graphic novel – “The Stringbags” – (Dead Reckoning, 2020) – Garth Ennis interview

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Garth Ennis is a successful and prolific writer whose best known works are with such comic books as the Preacher and The Boys. However he’s also written many war comics. His latest work is The Stringbags which focuses on a WWII aviation arm of the British Royal Navy. The crews flew in archaic machines to do the jobs that needed to get done. We spoke about this Fairey Swordfish unit, his graphic novel, and a bit about war comic book history.

(The audio player is at the bottom of the post.)

0:44 – Garth talks about writing war comics and reading them when he was a kid in Northern Ireland.

3:34 – Garth talks about his interest in WWII and other conflicts.

4:33 – Garth talks about the development of his writing.

5:47 – Garth explains why he wrote about the Stringbags.

14:00 – Garth talks about how he created the characters that conducted the historical operations.

15:56 – Garth talks about the operation against the Bismark.

17:34 – Garth discusses the thematic focus of his graphic novel.

20:15 – Garth talks about the types of pilots who flew the Swordfish.

22:58 – Garth talks about where the Swordfish flew from and technical details about the plane.

25:46 – Garth talks about how much the Stringbags are celebrated in the UK.

27:20 – Garth talks about Swordfish loses in WWII.

29:56 – Garth talks about the manufacture of the Swordfish and the Albacore.

31:52 – Garth talks about the armament and the radar of the Swordfish.

34:55 – Garth how he did his research for the graphic novel.

37:02 – Garth talks about the additional research he’s done for the novel.

40:50 – Garth talks about the first air museum he saw Ireland.

45:19 – Garth talks about his revival of the war comic Johnny Red and how he helps the reader differentiate between fact and fiction.

48:58 – Garth talks about his surprise that men flew in the Swordfish against much more modern weaponry.

50:51 – Garth talks about the German praise for the Swordfish crews.

53:46 – Garth talks about the promotion of war comics in comic book stores.

56:29 – Garth talks about pitching the revival of the comic book Enemy Ace.

58:55 – Garth talks about the historical accuracy of his war comics and The Stringbags.

1:01:16 – Garth talks about the support the Naval Institute Press gave to the novel.

1:01:55 – Garth talks about the war projects he’d like to write about going forward.

1:05:18 – Garth can be found by looking for him on Amazon, Marvel, DC, Dynamite, Avatar, and Aftershock.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2XdDsj2

https://www.deadreckoning.org/book/the-stringbags/

https://www.amazon.com/Garth-Ennis/e/B000APF7BM/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: Garth Ennis

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, graphic novel, war comic, Stringbags, Ireland, war comics, Vietnam, Alan Muir, Swordfish, torpedo bomber, Royal Navy, British, Taranto, Bismark, Channel Dash, Tuskeegee Airmen, Tirpitz, aviator, strike arm, torpedo, Charles lamb, Fairy Swordfish, WWII, world war two, world war 2, deflection shooting, Grumman Avenger, Albacore, radar, Taranto, Lancaster Bomber, Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Hastings, Charnhorst, DC comics, Enemy Ace, Preacher, Dynamite Entertainment, Aftershock, Avatar, TKO, Night Watches, Axis

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2XdDsj2

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War of 1812 military history book – “The Papers of James Monroe, Volume 7” – (ABC-CLIO, 2020) – Dan Preston interview

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Dr. Daniel Preston has spent much of his career compiling and editing the papers of early American Revolution hero and then President James Monroe. We spoke about the latest completed volume of his papers, volume 7, which covers the middle and end of the War of 1812 and then naval expeditions to the North African coast.

1:23 – Dan talks about how he got into studying James Monroe.

2:30 – Dan talks about the War of 1812.

5:16 – Dan talks about US incursions into foreign territory.

6:48 – Dan talks about Monroe’s feelings on the readiness of the US Army in this time.

10:11 – Dan talks about Monroe’s feelings about the War of 1812.

13:20 – Dan talks about what Monroe did as Secretary of War in the fall of 1814.

20:16 – Dan talks about worries that the British would win.

24:58 – Dan talks about the US military and Native Americans.

28:57 – Dan talks about the Native American military threat to the US.

34:37 – Dan talks about the Second Barbary War with Algeria and the South American revolutions.

38:31 – Dan discusses details of the Second Barbary War.

42:14 – Dan talks about the possibility of a US Britain alliance against common enemies.

46:29 – Dan talks about the financial troubles of both the US and Britain and the burning of Washington, DC.

49:56 – Dan goes into detail about the burning of Washington.

51:04 – Dan talks about Monroe’s ideas on defending Washington.

59:43 – Dan talks about the large volume of letters he had to research.

1:02:57 – Dan talks about where the Monroe letters and documents are found.

1:04:35 – Dan talks about President Madison’s cabinet.

1:06:32 – Dan talks about commentaries on the documents

1:09:29 – Dan talks about documents they couldn’t find.

1:10:55 – Dan talks about Monroe’s uncertain birthday.

1:12:43 – Dan’s work and the papers can be found on amazon and on the University of Mary Washington website and by searching “Monroe Papers” or at Academics.umw.edu/jamesmonroepapers.

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/3dIM4ok

https://products.abc-clio.com/abc-cliocorporate/product.aspx?pc=B5565C

https://academics.umw.edu/jamesmonroepapers/

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: Dan Preston

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, James Monroe, Jefferson, James Madison, Presidency, Florida, Texas, Virginia, militia, Continental Congress, filibuster, France, Napoleonic Wars, engineers, coastal defenses, British Army, Royal Navy, Chesapeake, Baltimore, Washington, US history, American history, Andrew Jackson, Mobile, New Orleans, Long Island, New England, New York, Henry Dearborn, Canada, Maine, Tennessee Volunteers, Europe, Great Britain, Monroe doctrine, Republicanism, French Revolution, Native Americans, Creeks, Shawnee, Miami, Winnebago, Wyandot, Huron, Algiers War, Spain, Barbary, Libya, Tripoli, Morocco, US Navy, merchant fleet, Mediterranean, American Diplomatic Service, Great Lakes, Michigan, Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, Patuxent, Alexandria, Stephen Decatur, Oliver Hazard Perry, Library of Congress, New York Public Library, National Archives, Barbary War

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/3dIM4ok

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Viking culture and warfare history book – “Valkyrie” – (Bloomsbury, 2020) – Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir interview

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Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2YL6JUu

Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir studies and teaches Viking era poetry and literature. She recently wrote a book on the idea of the Valkyrie in Viking culture. We spoke about this subject, Viking warfare, Viking sagas and the process of writing the book itself.

(Audio player at the end of the post.)

0:41 – Johanna talks about how she got into writing on Valkyrie.

1:45 – Johanna talks about how she broke the book down.

3:19 – Johanna talks about the date ranges, areas at issue, and the idea of the Valkyrie.

6:01 – Johanna talks about the Valkyrie.

7:45 – Johanna talks about the image of blood covered Valkyrie.

9:58 – Johanna talks about the meaning of Viking war poetry.

13:53 – Johanna talks about where the idea of the Valkyrie first started.

19:02 – Johanna talks about evidence or lack of women fighting.

26:04 – Johanna further addresses the idea of female warriors.

29:07 – Johanna talks about blacksmithing.

31:28 – Johanna talks about the ideas of Valkyries in different places and time periods.

37:37 – Johanna discusses interesting facts about Viking sails.

41:27 – Johanna talks about her written sources and the archaeological evidence.

44:09 – Johanna talks about which stories were passed down over the centuries.

48:38 – Johanna talks about how much the written material supports the archaeological evidence.

50:35 – Johanna talks about the process of writing the book.

51:28 – Johanna talks about the goddess Freya.

57:37 – Johanna talks about crows and battlefields.

58:57 – Johanna mentions crows, eagles, and wolves as images of battle.

1:00:00 – Johanna talks about evidence of women riding horses.

1:03:00 – We discuss the resources a Viking chief needed for success.

1:04:33 – Johanna talks about a touching moment in the sagas.

1:10:38 – Johanna talks about the Viking languages she knows and Viking poets.

1:14:22 – Johanna can be found at vikingwomen.org and on twitter @sagaknitter

 

Links of interest

https://amzn.to/2YL6JUu

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/valkyrie-9781788314770/

https://vikingwomen.org/

https://twitter.com/sagaknitter

For more “Military History Inside Out” please follow me at www.warscholar.org, on Facebook at warscholar, on twitter at Warscholar, on youtube at warscholar1945 and on Instagram @crisalvarezswarscholar. Or subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify

Guests: Johanna Katrin Fridriksdottir

Host: Cris Alvarez

Tags: military, history, military history, conflict, war, interview, non-fiction book, valkyrie, , vikings, Iceland, Scandinavia, England, Battle of Stamford Bridge, York, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Greenland, Odin, Valhalla, Ragnarok, Raven, Game of Thrones, Saga, Gotland, Freya, Skaldic, dragon, rune stones, wolf, giantess, Eddic, Christianity, ships, sails, Snorri, Vinland, Newfoundland, Freya, Thor, Oseberg, grave, tomb, crows, undead, zombie, reenactments, Beforeigners, Sammi, maritime

Check out this book here   https://amzn.to/2YL6JUu

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.