Just Finished Reading: The Peenemunde Raid – The Night of 17-18 August 1943 by Martin Middlebrook (FP: 1982) [233pp] 

The first reports were dismissed as fantastical, simple propaganda. It didn’t help that the reports referenced two different weapons – a gliding bomb and a large rocket. Only much later did it seem that there was something to it. One thing that was certain was a name that came up time and again: Peenemunde. This was a small coastal community on the Baltic coast of north-eastern Germany. It was isolated and seemed to be quite unremarkable. Photo-reconnaissance of the area proved otherwise. Something very strange was going on there, something that concentrated minds, something that needed to be stopped. 

When the bomber crews were briefed on their mission the first thought was that no one had ever heard of Peenemunde. Their second thought was that at least it wasn’t Berlin. At the end of the briefing, they learnt something about the place though – it was important although no one would tell them why for security reasons. The words ‘maximum effort’ meant that every available aircraft would be involved even if they had to put together ‘scratch’ crews to man them. But the thing that really focused their attention and made a shiver down many a back was what they were told next. If the target wasn’t destroyed or at least significantly damaged they would be sent back again – and again – until the chiefs of Bomber Command were satisfied. Of course, every return visit would be met with increased resistance from the Luftwaffe and increased casualties among the RAF. It was a strong incentive, the strongest, to get the job done right the first time. 

I’d read about this raid in other, broader, historical narratives so it was good to see it in more detail. The surprising thing about the whole V-weapons story is how little it was believed (despite copious evidence to support it) until it was almost too late. But, in their defence, once the idea of these weapons was accepted the British authorities did pretty much everything they could to stop them or at the very least slow down their operational deployment. Apparently, almost everyone agrees, the Peenemunde raid by the RAF (it was attacked again later by the USAAF) delayed the V-2 by around 2 months. This doesn’t sound much but it meant that the missile wasn’t available until after D-Day. Even with questionable accuracy it can be imagined what hundreds of unstoppable missile strikes could have done to the build-up of forces prior to the Invasion. 

Although a little dry in places and a little too over detailed in others, this was a very creditable account of a very important bombing raid. One thing I particularly liked was the scattering of personal accounts from the RAF bomber crews, their opposing German night fighter pilots as well as the personnel and families based at Peenemunde who were on the receiving end of the bombing. Collectively they made it feel very real and very immediate. Recommended if you can source a copy. 

...and so we enter the FOURTH YEAR of the Russia-Ukraine War. Let this be the LAST one! Glory to Ukraine!

Just Finished Reading: Atom by Piers Bizony (FP: 2007) [194pp] 

The transition between the 19th and 20th centuries was an odd time in many ways. One of the strangest, and in hindsight one of the most amusing, was in the realm of Physics. As the 19th century ended students who expressed an interest in physics as a career were told that they were wasting their time and that most everything that could be discovered already had been at that anyone left in the profession would spend their, presumably bored, time finishing off a few left-over details. One of those ‘details’ was the structure of atoms. 

No one really knew very much about atomic structure in the Edwardian period. The prevailing ‘theory’ was that atoms (along with their electrons – then of disputed existence) existed in a kind of ‘cake-mix’ blob with the electrons playing the part of chocolate chips. As investigation progressed (using incredibly primitive and home-made equipment) it quickly became apparent that things were far more complex and that a ‘solar system’ model with electrons ‘orbiting’ the nucleus of the atom was a better representation of reality. But that idea created problems of its own. Such a model might work for Hydrogen but more complex atoms had multiple electrons in various ‘orbits’. How did the system maintain itself for more than a vanishingly short period without collapse? How did chemical reactions happen? The more they investigated the more complex and the more frankly bizarre it all became. We were moving into the age of Quantum Mechanics (QM). 

Anyone with even the barest ‘knowledge’ of QM will know how strange it is. In fact, the word ‘strange’ just doesn’t cover it. QM is honestly CRAZY. Albert Einstein himself – who was, to be honest, at least partially responsible for creating the field – never accepted the theory and spent a good deal of his life in opposition to it. Yet, time and time again, QM has been shown in theory, in experiments and in practice as being fundamentally correct – there's just a few little things presently unexplained that need to be cleared up...    

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this, maybe a quick refresher read and nothing more. Pleasantly it was rather more than that. This was FUN. Not only did the author have a very readable style he also managed to explain some very complex ideas that only once or twice pushed up against my ability to wrap my head around them – and for a book on QM that’s quite something! Another thing I really liked about this was the focus on the scientists doing the work and their portrayal as human beings – odd though many of them were. This grounded the experience at a human level. Looking at the beginnings of the ideas surrounding the atom, moving on to the race to create the atom bomb, debates on how stars burn for so long, the creation of heavy atoms in supernova, the Big Bang and much besides this was a great way into the worlds of the vanishing small and the cosmically BIG. If you’ve ever wondered what the fuss was all about but either didn’t know where to start or were afraid that reading up on the subject would fry your brain, this is the book for you. With barely an equation to be seen and very good explanations of the issues raised and their resolutions this will give you a good basic grounding on the subject and might even get you interested in reading further. Definitely recommended. 

Happy Birthday: Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (né McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks (1990–1991, 2017) and its film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). He is also known for his roles in another two of Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch's films: Paul Atreides in Dune (1984) and Jeffrey Beaumont in Blue Velvet (1986). MacLachlan's other film roles include Lloyd Gallagher in The Hidden (1987), Ray Manzarek in The Doors (1991), Cliff Vandercave in The Flintstones (1994), Zack Carey in Showgirls (1995), and Riley's father in the Inside Out film series (2015, 2024).

In addition to Twin Peaks, MacLachlan has had prominent roles on television such as Trey MacDougal on Sex and the City (2000–2002), Orson Hodge on Desperate Housewives (2006–2012), The Captain on How I Met Your Mother (2010–2014) and How I Met Your Father (2022), the Mayor of Portland on Portlandia (2011–2018), Calvin Johnson on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2014–2015), and Hank MacLean on Fallout (2024–present).

MacLachlan made his film debut in Dune (1984) in the starring role of Paul Atreides. MacLachlan was performing in Molière's Tartuffe at a Seattle-area theater when a casting agent for Dune producer Dino De Laurentiis began searching for a young lead and received multiple recommendations for him. After several screen tests, he hit it off with director David Lynch, aided by their common Pacific Northwest backgrounds, and succeeded in winning the part. This marked the beginning of a creative partnership between MacLachlan and Lynch, who would go on to collaborate on four more projects before Lynch's death in 2025.

Just Finished Reading: Global Economic History – A Very Short Introduction by Robert C Allen (FP: 2011) [147pp] 

Much like the movement of people, indeed the movement of whole peoples, trade including global trade has a very long history. The Roman Empire traded directly with India and, no doubt, other world empires had similar trading arrangements. But it was only in the 16th century that regular trade in quantity emerged as a factor in global history. With the search for a quicker and more profitable source of spice the Portuguese (to begin with) sought ways to bypass the expensive Spice Road and go directly to the source. Opening up trading posts along the way they began carving out the first global empire. Other European powers were not long behind with Spain, the Dutch, French and finally the British expanding their reach and the reach of global trade itself to every continent on Earth. Empires would rise and fall bolstered or destroyed by changes in global trading patterns. Items, such as pepper and sugar, which had once been affordable only by the rich dropped dramatically in price but still made their traders vast fortunes. Before long everything that could be traded was traded – from cotton to slaves, from tea to opium. A countries economy could be made or broken by the arrival of a fleet of ships off the coast. Some countries became the bread-baskets of faraway empires whilst others, willing and able to practice European style economics, became local powerhouses themselves. Global trade and global history became inseparable. 

As a useful foundation for a knowledge of global economic history this definitely lived up to the reputation of the Very Short Introduction series. Through my other readings I was already familiar with the highlights covered here but was particularly intrigued by the authors analysis of why some countries are rich and why others stay poor. Much of it seems to be timings with Europe getting ‘lucky’ by a combination of readily available resources – especially coal – and a culture that required rapid innovation to maintain profits in a high-wage economy. I think I grasped the basics of this idea but will see if I can follow up with some other readings. From what I understood it certainly made sense but then I do sometimes struggle getting my head around economic theory! 

If you’ve ever wondered about certain aspects of economic history – especially on a global scale – but didn’t know where to start reading about it, this is a pretty good choice to do so. Obviously covering 5-600 years in less that 150 pages means it's all very high level but it does give the flavour of things and points out areas of further study – helped, as always, by a decent bibliography. Recommended and more VSI books to come. 

Just Finished Reading: Hardboiled America – Lurid Paperbacks and the Masters of Noir by Geoffrey O’Brien (FP: 1981/1997) [175pp] 

I was a fan of hardboiled detective fiction long before I read my first book of the genre. I had grown up watching the classic Noir films of the 40’s and 50’s care of my father's love of them. Strangely I actually started reading the novels in my 20’s after I stumbled upon Cyberpunk and the works of William Gibson, specifically the ‘Sprawl Trilogy’ starting off with Neuromancer. The blurb on the back of the book labelled Gibson as the Sci-Fi answer to Raymond Chadler so I felt compelled to check him out. I’m actually amazed at not doing so previously. Films such as The Big Sleep have remained in my Top List for the last 40+ years so it came as no great surprise that I immediately fell in love with the books too. Naturally after Chandler I moved on to James M Cain, Dashiell Hammett and others. Although checking through the hardboiled checklist at the back of this book I see that there are many novels and many authors awaiting to be sampled. 

Regular readers of this Blog will no doubt be aware of my love of pulp fiction covers. One of the delights in this slim volume is the authors attention given to the artists who produced this seemingly endless supply of the iconic artwork as well as numerous examples sprinkled throughout its pages – unfortunately only in black & white but you can’t have everything. Generally, as with the music I enjoy, I know very little indeed about the producers of the fiction I enjoy so much. I’ve never really been interested in the personal lives of authors or musicians (or artists etc..) and would rather enjoy the books, records or movies I like without know anything about them. Part of that is I’m not that interested in other people's lives and I don’t think that knowing if an author is a dog or cat person or how many times they’ve been divorced would enhance my reading pleasure, and to be honest some authors/artists are just not very nice people and I’d just rather not know. That said, I did find some of the authors insights into my favourite noir authors rather illuminating – especially as to what they thought of each other! Raymond Chandler was especially outspoken. 

Overall, this was a highly entertaining and informative read. I do love my Noir in all its forms and this book has inspired me to dive back into the genre. The checklist in the back, running from 1929 to 1960 will certainly help focus my attention and I might even slip in a few books about the phenomena too. Definitely recommended for all Noir fans. 

Oh, the absolute irony......

Definitely a Keeper!!

Happy Birthday: Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton CVO OBE (15 February 1874 – 5 January 1922) was an Anglo-Irish Antarctic explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He was one of the principal figures of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

Born in Kilkea, County Kildare, Ireland, Shackleton and his Anglo-Irish family moved to Sydenham in suburban south London when he was ten. Shackleton's first experience of the polar regions was as third officer on Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition of 1901–1904, from which he was sent home early on health grounds, after he and his companions Scott and Edward Adrian Wilson set a new southern record by marching to latitude 82°S. During the Nimrod Expedition of 1907–1909, he and three companions established a new record Farthest South latitude of 88°23′ S, only 97 geographical miles (112 statute miles or 180 kilometres) from the South Pole, the largest advance to the pole in exploration history. Also, members of his team climbed Mount Erebus, the most active Antarctic volcano. On returning home, Shackleton was knighted for his achievements by King Edward VII.

After the race to the South Pole ended in December 1911, with Roald Amundsen's conquest, Shackleton turned his attention to the crossing of Antarctica from sea to sea, via the pole. To this end, he made preparations for what became the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914–1917. The expedition was struck by disaster when its ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and finally sank in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica on 21 November 1915. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately the South Atlantic island of South Georgia, enduring a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles (1,330 km; 830 mi) in Shackleton's most famous exploit. He returned to the Antarctic with the Shackleton–Rowett Expedition in 1921 but died of a heart attack while his ship was moored in South Georgia. At his wife's request, he remained on the island and was buried in Grytviken cemetery. The wreck of Endurance was discovered just over a century after Shackleton's death.

Away from his expeditions, Shackleton's life was generally restless and unfulfilled. In his search for rapid pathways to wealth and security, he launched business ventures which failed to prosper, and he died heavily in debt. Upon his death, he was lauded in the press but was thereafter largely forgotten, while the heroic reputation of his rival Scott was sustained for many decades. Later in the 20th century, Shackleton was "rediscovered", and he became a role model for leadership in extreme circumstances. In his 1956 address to the British Science Association, one of Shackleton's contemporaries, Sir Raymond Priestley, said: "Scott for scientific method, Amundsen for speed and efficiency[,] but[,] when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton", paraphrasing what Apsley Cherry-Garrard had written in a preface to his 1922 memoir The Worst Journey in the World. In 2002, Shackleton was voted eleventh in a BBC poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.

Happy Valentine's Day! Go HUG a loved one............

The only thing missing is that the dumpster should be on fire... But maybe its smouldering...

Just Finished Reading: The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons – Decoding the Ancestry of the English by Jean Manco (FP: 2018) [206pp] 

After reading the author’s previous book on the Celts around 2 years ago I thought it was about time to read her book about the Anglo-Saxons (despite not being one). As with the Celts this is a DEEP dive into the origins, culture, genetics and movements of a whole people so is very much a foundation – broad and deep – to any investigation of personal ancestry. I wasn’t expecting it to be particularly illuminating from my perspective but this didn’t stop it being always interesting and often fascinating. 

As I’ve said before, people (indeed peoples) moved around far more in the past than we moderns give them credit for. The Anglo-Saxons – generally made up of Angles, Saxons and Jutes – are a case in point moving across eastern Europe/central Asia westwards and northwards into western Europe, the British Isles and Scandanavia. Most of this slim volume covers that particular part of their history with diversions into archaeology, grave styles, coinage and, my particular favourite, languages and how they changed over LONG periods of time. Only the last quarter or so of the book looks at the impact on England putting to rest, yet again, the idea that the British Isles was ‘invaded’ and conquered by the Saxons and that the local population was displaced. Interesting this erroneous idea seems to have origination after the end of WW2 when the Saxons (AKA Germans) where not exactly in high standing in the UK. However, archaeological and, later, DNA evidence has shown the invasion motif to be overplayed at best. Apparently, which I found MOST interesting, around 36% of Brits living in the South East of England have Saxon genes and some individuals in Kent are essentially indistinguishable from native Germans (much, apparently, to their surprise and annoyance!). But the native population didn’t vanish (AKA killed). Nothing like it. The so-called ‘invasion’ actually took place over 2-300 years and varied from the hiring of mercenary soldiers who decided to stay – whether their ‘masters’ liked it or not – to actual raiders who stayed long term, and individual family groups looking for a better life and more productive farmland. 

Overall, this was interesting read that helped put present day genetics, place names and much else into a (DEEP) historical context. Although it didn’t help me very much to understand my own ancestry (of which more later) it did help me bed in the genetic foundations my ancestors were part of. Definitely of interest to anyone looking deep into their Anglo-Saxon past. Recommended.  

Happy World Radio Day! I've listened to the radio for the last 60 years and loved the experience..... MANY happy memories......... 

 Brilliant. LOVE that woman..........

Just Finished Reading: The Possibility of Life – Searching for Kinship in the Cosmos by Jaime Green (FP: 2023) [276pp] 

As far as we know, life on Earth emerged practically the moment conditions allowed. As soon as the crust was cool enough for liquid water – BAMM Life! That being the case I have long thought it likely (actually very likely) that life is everywhere in the cosmos although, like Brian Cox, I like to restrict myself to our galaxy which is plenty big enough to be getting on with. 

Starting by looking at the origin of life on Earth (still very much open for debate and further study) the author considers exactly what conditions had to exist to facilitate the leap from lifeless to living matter and how this process could have been replicated on other worlds both similar to and different from our own. Interestingly (again as Brian Cox has stated) there are likely to be BILLIONS of Earth-like worlds in the galaxy so, unless the odds for life are vanishing low, we can expect life elsewhere just on the basis of statistics. Although the Earth does seem to have some ‘unusual’ characteristics – a significantly larger moon that we’d expect – personally I don’t think that we’re odd enough to be anywhere like unique. 

Once the foundations are laid, the author moves onwards looking at planet formation (most stars seem to have at least a few planets) and relates what we can glean about other planetary systems orbiting a variety of star types (note: Red Dwarves last a LONG-ass time!). Then its time for the meat... Multicellular life. Whilst its true that for most of Earth’s history we were a world dominated by single cell life personally I don’t think that such a state is the universal default. If cells bunching together happened here – no matter how ‘late’ - I don’t see why it can’t happen elsewhere and possibly a whole lot quicker. Of course, operating with a single example – US! - its difficult to draw any firm conclusions. Hopefully such a state of affairs won’t last forever. Again, personally I’m betting for simple life on Mars and more complex (fish?) under the ice of Jupiter’s moons. Here’s hoping! 

Once you have complex life the next natural question is going to be about intelligence – could we recognise alien creatures as people? I’m not sure about this one. We humans are late arrivals in the grand scheme of things and its possible that we’re an aberration. We might just be alone in that regard. Of course, the other thing – especially if we’re hoping for some kind of communication if not actual hand/tentacle shakes is technology. The ability to send and receive messages over stellar distances is VERY new for us, so we might be checking out planets that haven’t invented radio yet or even have been scanned in the past during the height of the Roman Empire – proving that there are no intelligent beings here! 

Its still (very) early days and there are still lots of questions to be answered (or even posed). From what we know about our planet and our galaxy life SHOULD be reasonably common. Finding it is, of course, a whole other ball game. We haven’t been looking very long and we’re still working out exactly what we need to look for – water worlds, radio waves, mega-structures? - so I’m not particularly let down by the results so far. Jupiter’s moons are our best bet for finding additional life in our Solar system. What would be really nice is if we could establish early on that it emerged and developed completely independently of life on Earth. If life could begin in two places in the same system, then that would indicate that life is EVERYWHERE (crosses fingers). 

The author is obviously enthusiastic about the subject which really comes across. She also uses a LOT of Sci-Fi references – an important source of speculation about alien life – which is why I’ve added the SF label to the list. Such references certainly didn’t hinder my enjoyment of this work. If you’ve ever wondered about the subject and wanted an idea where the latest research and ideas are leading us then this is the book for you. Definitely recommended.

Happy Birthday: Jules Gabriel Verne (8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright.

His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the Voyages extraordinaires, a series of bestselling adventure novels including Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864), Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (1870), and Around the World in Eighty Days (1872). His novels, always well-researched according to the scientific knowledge then available, are generally set in the second half of the 19th century, taking into account the technological advances of the time.

In addition to his novels, he wrote numerous plays, short stories, autobiographical accounts, poetry, songs, and scientific, artistic and literary studies. His work has been adapted for film and television since the beginning of cinema, as well as for comic books, theatre, opera, music and video games.

Verne is considered to be an important author in France and most of Europe, where he has had a wide influence on the literary avant-garde and on surrealism. His reputation was markedly different in the Anglosphere where he had often been labelled a writer of genre fiction or children's books, largely because of the highly abridged and altered translations in which his novels have often been printed. Since the 1980s, his literary reputation has improved.

Jules Verne has been the second most-translated author in the world since 1979, ranking below Agatha Christie and above William Shakespeare. He has sometimes been called the "father of science fiction", a title that has also been given to H. G. Wells and Hugo Gernsback. In the 2010s, he was the most translated French author in the world. In France, 2005 was declared "Jules Verne Year" on the occasion of the centenary of the writer's death.