Osprey Military Journal Volume 3 - 3 : Hollywood Stars at D-Day

Jon Latimer looks at the art of deception, with the feature 'Prince John's Theatrical Show' telling the story of how the confederate General John Bankhead Magruder's brilliant deception held off 'Little Napoleon' George B. McClellan's far larger force at Yorktown in 1862 and drove him out of the Peninsula. Magruder's theatricality links nicely with 'Hollywood Stars at D-Day' - Tom Hanks and 6 June 1944 may be indelibly linked by the movie Saving Private Ryan but a previous generation of stars played parts in the real event. Norman Franks reviews the combat career of the distinctive Fokker Dr I Triplane and its association, in fact exaggerated in popular history, with the 'Red Baron'. A weapon advanced beyond the technology of the period, 'the fiendish Whitworth gun' can also be regarded as having a distinct personality. Phillip Katcher examines the role of the imported British-made Whitworth artillery piece employed in the artillery arsenals both sides during the American Civil War. He examines the tactics used and assesses its value and effectiveness, whilst also highlighting the achievements of its extraordinary inventor, Sir Joseph Whitworth. Technology and innovation, and also improvisation, are themes of the final two feature articles. The rise of the Iron Curtain in the post-war years led to a desperate need for the West to know what was going on in the Soviet Union, to this end the US Government sponsored the development of unmanned balloon surveillance to fill the gaps in their knowledge this article looks at the USAF's brief programme of balloon reconnaissance. Towards the end of World War II, when the Germans were pushed back onto the strategic defensive, they began to use the turrets of their heavy tanks, principally the Panther, as emplaced gun positions in static defence lines. Neil Short examines the development of this process. Martin Marix Evans travels the WWI Western Front in our regular 'Landmarks' feature and, a last personality, Norman Rockwell, 'the most popular American artist of this century', is the subject of our newly introduced occasional feature, 'Art & Culture'.

Contents

• Landmarks - Peronne
• Tank Turrets
• US Recce Balloons over Cold War Russia
• Prince John's Theatrical Show
• Fokker Aces
• The Whitworth Gun in the ACW
• Norman Rockwell 'The Machine-Gunners'