Articles
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The Long Island
USS Long Island occupies a foundational place in the development of the escort carrier concept during the Second World War, not because of combat achievements or technical sophistication, but because it demonstrated that a small, inexpensive carrier could perform essential naval aviation tasks effectively enough to justify mass production. Long Island was not designed as part of a coherent prewar doctrine; instead, it emerged from wartime necessity and experimentation, bridging the gap between fleet carriers and the operational demands of convoy warfare and dispersed global operations.
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The Saratoga
USS Saratoga (CV-3) began life as a battlecruiser hull adapted into an aircraft carrier under the constraints of the Washington Naval Treaty, a compromise that shaped her entire career. Large, fast, and well protected, she carried structural limitations—especially slow, few elevators and inefficient aircraft handling—that increasingly set her apart from purpose-built wartime carriers. Before and during the Second World War, Saratoga served as both a combat carrier and a critical experimental platform, contributing to early carrier doctrine, deck handling practices, and the development of night fighter operations. Repeatedly damaged but resilient, she survived major attacks, including severe strikes in 1945. By war’s end, however, modern carriers had eclipsed her capabilities, making repair impractical. Her final service came as a test ship at Bikini Atoll, where she endured atomic blasts before sinking, closing a career that mirrored the rapid evolution of naval aviation from improvisation to industrial maturity.
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The Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish, affectionately known as the "Stringbag" by its crews, was an extraordinary paradox in the context of modern naval warfare. Despite its obsolete biplane design, open cockpits, and fabric-and-wire construction, this aircraft executed some of the most tactically significant operations of the early Second World War. Its slow speed, operational reliability, and the unwavering courage of its aircrews allowed it to deliver decisive blows against major enemy naval assets.
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The Browning Automatic Rifle
The BAR had its birth in two events. The first was the desire of Remington Arms to have a semi-automatic civilian rifle. The second was trench warfare.
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The Asymmetric Italian Aircraft of World War II: The Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 “Sparviero”
Among the many distinctive aircraft fielded by Italy during the Second World War, none attracted more curiosity than the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, a fast trimotor bomber whose left wing was visibly shorter than the right. While its overall configuration was conventional, the asymmetry was intentional and reflected a careful aerodynamic solution to a design constraint that emerged late in development.
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The Medium Tank M1919 and M1921
The Medium Tank M1919 and M1921 represent a fascinating snapshot of American tank development in the interwar period. While neither achieved mass production, they both contributed significantly to the evolving understanding of what a "medium tank" should be. Christie's M1919 pushed the boundaries of mobility and innovation, hinting at the high-speed tanks of the future. The Ordnance Department's M1921, though more conservative, provided a crucial platform for systematic testing and refinement, laying the groundwork for more successful designs to come. Together, these early prototypes illustrate the dynamic interplay between visionary individual engineering and methodical institutional development in the quest for effective armored warfare.
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The Roman Empire, 27 BCE to 1453 CE
Why the Roman Empire did not truly 'fall' in the 400s, tracing how the eastern Roman state, religious power struggles, and later claimants to the title of 'Roman Empire' reshaped the story down to 1453.
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Mercedes Lackey
A personal look at Mercedes Lackey, her Valdemar novels, and the characters and themes that shaped the author’s own approach to writing, role‑playing games, and found families in fantasy.
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Remembering Traveller
A historical and personal look at Traveller, the Little Black Books, and the rise, fall, and rebirth of one of science fiction gaming’s most enduring universes.
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Military Rations in the American Revolutionary War
How British, Continental, and French armies tried to feed their soldiers in the American Revolutionary War, tracing ration regulations, supply systems, field improvisations, and the actual energy content of eighteenth-century military diets.
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Metanarrative
Transcript of a lecture on metanarrative given by Nelson McKeeby at an academic conference, exploring Lyotard, Cops, Rashomon, The Princess Bride, and the way stories expose their own structure.
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Hypernarratives
An essay on hypernarratives that traces their roots from early Islamic legal scholarship to modern myth, the Gospels, Rashomon, and contemporary fiction, showing how writers use references and vocabulary as implicit links in the reader’s mind.
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