Hopefully, I've finally nailed the assault of the Highland Brigade at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir for my next book. ​Next stop, an Old Fashioned. 🥃 (​📷 Henri Louis Dupray, "The Black Watch at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir, 1882," c. 1900.)

#OnThisDay (30/31 May 1942) RAF Bomber Command executed Operation Millennium against #Cologne - the first "1,000-bomber" raid. Dropping 1,478 tonnes of ordnance, the raid destroyed over 12,000 buildings and caused widespread civilian displacement. ​(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

#OnThisDay (30 May 1796) Napoleon Bonaparte forces a crossing of the Mincio River at the Battle of #Borghetto, defeating the Austrian army under Johann Peter Beaulieu. It forced an Austrian retreat, allowimg the French to besiege the key fortress of Mantua. ​(Image: Wikimedia)

#OnThisDay (29 May 1945) The Consolidated B-32 Dominator conducts its first combat mission. The target is a supply depot at Antatet in the Philippines. Only 118 B-32s were built; the heavy bomber was retired from service in August of the same year. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

#OnThisDay (29 May 1935) The Messerschmitt Bf 109, later commonly referred to by the Allies as the Me 109, made its first flight. Designed by Willy #Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser, over 34,000 109s were built, serving with multiple air forces. ​(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

​#OnThisDay (17 May 1756) Britain declared war on France, formally starting the Seven Years' War. Fought by the Great Powers across Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and the Indian subcontinent, it is considered by many to be the first true global war. (Images: Wikimedia)

#OnThisDay (16/17 May 1943) 617 Squadron, RAF executes Operation Chastise. Using Barnes Wallis’s spinning bouncing bombs, they breach the Möhne and Eder dams, disrupting German industry while causing catastrophic flooding of the Ruhr Valley. #Dambusters (Images: Wikimedia)

​#OnThisDay (10 May 1941) Rudolf Hess flies solo to Scotland and parachutes into a field near Eaglesham. Seeking to negotiate a peace via the Duke of Hamilton, he was instead detained until his trial in 1946. (Image: Wreckage of Hess's Messerschmitt Bf 110. Wikimedia Commons.)

#OnThisDay (10 May 1940) Britain launches Operation Fork to occupy neutral #Iceland. Following Denmark’s fall, the UK preempted Nazi Germany to secure the GIUK gap and protect Atlantic supply lines. ​(Image: HMS Berwick, flagship and transport for the landing. Wikimedia Commons)

Next up... ​These are quite hefty tomes, so they should keep me out of trouble for a while!

German prisoner of war was ‘secretly buried’ under St Julian’s villa - Times of Malta timesofmalta.com/article/germ...

I'm not a stamp collector (although I do have a Waterloo set from the 2015 bicentenary), but these are tempting... shop.royalmail.com/valour-and-v...

Airman's son pays emotional visit to dad's exhibit - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

RAF Museum Midlands Named Joint Top UK Museum in Which? Survey - Vintage Aviation News. vintageaviationnews.com/aviation-mus...

TANKFEST: Tank Museum to feature Sherman 'Jumbo' tank | Bournemouth Echo. www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/2606287...

My current book line‑up. I fully expect each one to leave me even more infuriated with those who’ve made such a mess of things, but they look like compelling reading nonetheless.

Another productive day working on my next book, teasing out the operational detail behind the actions at #Magfar and #Kassassin during the #AngloEgyptianWar However, it is now time for an Old Fashioned. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

One positive today-at least in my opinion-the scheduled launch of Atremis II at 11.24pm UK time. news.sky.com/liveblog-web...

Tonight's classic movie.

Today I am writing about... ⬇️

And this Saturday night's classic movie is...

Time for a re-watch!

Re-watching season one of Picard, and struck by how incredibly well Peyton List (the older one of Mad Men and The Rookie fame) plays the part of Narissa. A Star Trek villain it would've been interesting to know more of their back story. Alas, they killed the character off too quickly and easily.

Potential classic film choice for tonight. A nice follow on from the Ipcress File last week.

Captain Tony Morton, naval aviator awarded the DSC for leadership in the Falklands War – obituary share.google/aLuek1BfVrhC...

Enjoying an Old Fashioned and I think I've settled on this absolute classic for later tonight.

A Sunday evening watching one of my all-time favourites.

Trafalgar by Paul O’Keeffe, review: How Lord Nelson masterminded Britain’s most impressive victory share.google/85rDrv2lWNYN...

Another productive evening spent writing. However, time to put the laptop away and get a bottle of something out. Below is the Italian battleship Andrea Doria, which features in my current project. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Seems like a good time to get on with reading these.

#OnThisDay (2 Feb 1712) George Anson begins his distinguished career in the #RoyalNavy aboard HMS Ruby. His subsequent reforms as First Lord of the Admiralty were instrumental in professionalising the service and establishing British naval supremacy. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

I’ve got something a bit different in the works for later this year, and I hope you’ll all find it interesting....

#OnThisDay (27 Jan 1916) The Military Service Act gains Royal Assent, bringing conscription to Great Britain for the first time. The Act required single men aged 18-41 to serve. Around 2.5 million men were ultimately conscripted. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

#OnThisDay (26 Jan 1885) #Khartoum falls to Mahdist forces following a 317-day siege. General Charles George Gordon is killed just two days before a British relief column arrives. The event sparks a national public outcry in Britain. #MahdistWar (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Still one of my favourite war movies, and a pretty good way to spend the first part of a Sunday evening.

Another productive afternoon writing about the Battle of the River Plate. Tackling events in Montevideo in the lead up to Graf Spee’s scuttling shortly. For now, though, it’s time for coffee and an 80s movie. 🤓 Image: Damage to HMS Exeter during the battle - Wikimedia Commons

#OnThisDay (25 Jan 1797) A Royal Navy squadron of three frigates and a corvette under George Stewart engaged the Spanish ship San Francisco de Asís off Cádiz. Despite a fierce 3-hour battle, the British were forced to withdraw due to heavy damage. (Images: Wikimedia Commons)

My days of making plastic model kits are long in the past, but I had fun building this.

Slowly getting my head around the finer details of the Battle of the River Plate. This surely has to be one of the most intriguing stories of WW2.

A day of writing about this. ⬇️ Now for an evening of reading and coffee before the delights of another manic week ahead. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

History in the making. Absolutely fascinating. news.sky.com/liveblog-web...

Two new Lego builds for 2026, complete with light kits and display cases.

Today I've been writing about this ship and gentleman. Image: www.rmg.co.uk/collections/...

Off to Narvik next. Not literally, but for my Christmas/New Year read.

Merry Christmas to all my followers who celebrate it. I hope you all have a wonderful festive period. 🎄 The photograph below is of Christmas dinner in the wardroom of HMS MALAYA at Scapa Flow, 25 December 1942. Image: IWM A 13568 www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...

My reading for the next couple of weeks.