South America

The Relations of Great Britain with Guiana, by G. C. Edmundsun. Pub. Pallas Armata, Kent 1997, 1st published 1922, 21 pp. some very interesting data on the boundary disputes of the 19th century and the early period 1640-1815.

The Log of a Jack Tar, by Choyce, edited by Commander V. Lovett Cameron R.N. pub. T. Fisher Unwin, London 1905, 215 pp. 4 b/w photographs, this book has really 379 pages with the remaining 164 being a reprint of an 1811 edition of Captain O'Brien's, Shipwreck, Captivity and Escape from France, during the Napoleonic Wars, as Choyce was a deck-hand no Christian name has been recorded but this sailor was in the merchant navy (whaling), sailing along the coasts of Peru and Chile during 1793 and on the 21st January 1797 the entire crew were captured by the Spanish authorities at the port of Payta in Peru who had received information the day before of the declared war between Spain and Britain, the manages to escape captivity a number of times and his descriptions of the inhabitants and customs are quite entertaining and enlightening, a very interesting read.

Although I usually do not include photocopies of articles that have kindly been sent to me this one I found deals with a topic which most researchers should take into account, A Grave for Europeans'? Disease, Death, and the Spanish-American Revolutions, by Rebecca Earle, published in War in History, 1996 3 (4) pages 371-83, the article relates mainly to the Royalist forces sent under General Morillo to the Viceroyalty of New Granada in 1815, an eye opener for anybody, researchers and wargamers alike.

Colombia's Air Force, by Chris Knott and Tim Spearman, pub. Air Forces Monthly, February 1997, 8 pages, 1 map, 13 coloured and 6 b/w photographs, text covers a brief history of the Air Force and has a good up to date section with the various squadrons and bases, no insignia details for them though.

Apuntes sobre la Batalla de Miraflores (15 de Enero de 1881), by Jorge Ortiz Sotelo, privately published, Lima, Peru 1996, 130 pp. no illustrations, there are not too many books or articles that cover this battle from the Pacific War, so this one with it's 6 orders of battle beginning in October 1879 is really helpful, the Chilean O/B's one may have seen before but the majority of the Peruvian ones were only just found last year while research for the book was in progress, a lucky find for us all, the printers address is Cesy Graf S.A., Sebastián Barranca 770, La Victoria, Lima, Peru, a useful reference work.

Chile and the War of the Pacific, by William E. Sater, pub. University of Nebraska Press, 1986, 335 pp. no illustrations, for me this has not enough data on the campaigns and battles, which when first looking at the title I thought that there would be, but there is about a quarter that could be related to that side of the war, the remainder covers the politics, economics and effects on the homefront, all interesting information as the author is a professor of history and not military history, more's the pity.

The Late Battles Near Valparaiso, 12 pp. plus The Capture of Valparaiso, by W. Laird Clowes, 12 pp. published in one booklet by Pallas Armata, Kent 1997, these two account from different sides are very helpful with 2 maps and an order of battle for President Balmacada's troops at Pacilla, a very cheap and helpful booklet.

Evolucion de la Marina de Guerra Ecuatoriana, by Vice Admiral Carlos Monteverde Granados, pub. Instituto de Historia Maritima, Guayaquil 1990, 299 pp. 43 b/w photographs, this is in two parts covering the periods 1830-1940 and 1942-1970, good details on the various reorganisations of the naval squadrons and the 1940 period.

Forjadores Navales del Ecuador, by CPCB-UN Mariano Sanchez Bravo, pub. Instituto de Historia Maritima, Guayaquil 1991, 498 pp. 133 b/w photographs, good sections on the various commanders of the navy from General John Illingworth Hant while still part of Gran Colombia up to Vice Admiral Manuel A. Nieto Cadena 1960, some interesting photographs and data, this and the previous book are both useful additions.

Military Rule and Transition in Ecuador 1972-92, by Anita Isaacs, pub. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1993, 170 pp. no illustrations, no maps, for somebody like myself who has little knowledge of these events, this work pulls back the fog which so often surrounds modern Latin American political/military fractions that tend to become ignored by the vast majority of British, so-called newspapers, a reference work that will help in the understanding of things which could go wrong with this sort of governmental transition in a number of countries throughout the world.

Historia del Estado Cojedes, by Hector Pedreañez Trejo, pub. Ediciones de la Presidencia de la República, Caracas 1982, 188 pp. a few pages on the 19th century a Wars of Independence, otherwise political, cultural and economic information.

Manual de Uniformes para Oficiales y Auxiliares de Armas y Servicios del Ejército Paraguayo, Comando en Jefe de las FF.AA. de la Nación, Estado Mayor General, ME-40-400, 1971, 110 pp. pages 59-110 are coloured uniform etc. details, as already mentioned dress regulation booklets from the 19th and 20th centuries are items that I try to buy or photocopy, but they are not often seen outside of libraries or archives in the Americas which makes these two additions really helpful for me, thank you Alberto and Paul for thinking of me when you saw these.

Conflictos Hispano Portugueses en el Plata, 1750-1777, by Susana Biasi, pub. Centro Editor de América Latina, Buenos Aires, Argentina 1984, booklet No.28., 93 pp. this reprints a series of contemporary accounts from the Archivo General de la Nación, not much on orders of battle and campaigns but I think it could be worth being translated into English as it contains details of the various treaties that were agreed upon, very useful if in English.

A Sketch of the British Occupation of Buenos Aires and the Revolt of the Spanish Colonies in South America in the early part of the 19th century, by Col. A. J. Godley, pub. Pallas Armata, Kent 1996, 46 pp. transcript from a lecture given in 1910, bit of a long title for such a slim work, a basic coverage of this period but for the price, I think under £2., it's a perfect primer to anyone thinking of wargaming these campaigns.

Blindados en Uruguay, parts 1 & 2, by Alberto del Pino Menck, pub. A Escala, Buletin Informativo I.P.M.S., Uruguay Nos. 5 & 6, 1995, 35 pages with numerous line drawings of vehicles, excellent reference data on this rare subject.

Goose Green; A Battle is Fought to be Won, by Mark Adkin, pub. Leo Cooper, 1992, 295 pp. 30 maps, 42 b/w photographs, a book that I had wanted for a few years as I like the author after reading is first book "Urgent Fury", with so many maps and details of Argentine recollections of what they thought was happening makes it a very readable account, a very helpful book.

Falklands Air Ops, by Patrick Allen, pub. Air Forces Monthly, January 1997, 3 pages, 6 coloured photographs, good data on units stationed there.

Received the first 3 issues of a new Argentine magazine named Tradiciones, the same size as Military Illustrated with colour and b/w illustrations and photographs, 38 pages in length, No.1. contains articles on; Del Bío-Bío al Rimac: Orígenes de la Bandera Peruana (1817-21), Un 2 de Abril (1982), El Casco de Malvinas ( Argentine Helmet used in the Malvinas 1982), (uniform of the) Secretario de Guerra 1818, Combate en el Potrero de Vences (27-XI-1847), Estudio del Cuadro de Juan Manuel Blanes (1885-6), Europeos que nos Enseñaron a Volar en 1910, Un Sable, que torcio la historia 1890. No.2. contains articles on; La Paz Acorazada !890-1902, Spitfire en Argentina 1947, Combate de la Vuelta de Obligado 1845, Las Tres Estrellas de Colombia, El Sable de Azcuenaga 1825, La Muerte de Leon de Palleja en Boqueron 1866, Gorra de Manga en la Epoca Federal. No.3. contains articles on; Argentina in the First World War, Brigadier General Enrique Martinez 1801-1858, Estado Mayor: Ejercito de los Andes 1816, Battle of Tucuman 1812, Loading a Flintlock Pistol, El Graf Spee y la Batalla del Pio de la Plata, Escuela Militar de Aviación 1912 (Argentina). These are bi-monthly magazines, No.3 is January-February 1997, so hopefully others will be published, I will keep you informed.

More Books

Pre Columbian, Conquest, and Colonial
Latin America: General Titles
Mexico and Brazil
Central America, West Indies
South America
Miscellaneous