Featured battle : Bouchain

Part of The War of the Spanish Succession

Date : 09 August 1711 - 12 September 1711

Bouchain was one of the most impregnable fortresses remaining in French hands. The 5,000 defenders were supported by Villars and the French army of 100,000 men with their headquarters only two miles away. A number of skirmishes in strength failed to bring Villars to battle. The Allies achieved some remarkable feats of engineering to neutralise the hill of Wavrechin and the lines of circumvallation were begun on the 12th August. By the 23rd August some 30 miles of entrenchments had been completed around the fortress and trenches which pushed forwards were begun. The seige train of 30 heavy cannon and 30 mortars arrived on the 21st and were in action as grand batteries on the 30th. A number of attempts by Villars and by the garrison to break the seige all came to nought and by the 11th September two breaches in the main defences were open for assault. On the 12th the Governor tried to negotiate for terms of surrender but Marlborough refused all proposals until later that day de Ravignau surrendered unconditionally. On the 13th twenty four colours and all arms were handed over, de Ravignau and his men were made prisoners of war.

Italian Battleships Conte di Cavour and Duilio Classes 1911-1956

Ermino Bagnasco and Augusto de Toro
This is the story of the ships of two classes of Italian battleships, Conte di Cavour and Duilio Classes from their beginnings to their ends. The design decisions which brought them into being, the building processes, their wartime activities and the finale of the breakers yards are all here. The period covered is from 1911 to 1956. The book is packed with information which could only have been gathered and presented through painstaking research by the two authors. The text is clear and lucid and is supported by an incredible number of photographs of all aspects of the ships’ existence. Even the various camouflage designs and colours are illustrated. There cannot be much to be known about these vessels, as individual ships that is not in this book.
It is a pleasure to read and we warmly recommend it to a wide range of readers.

Seaforth Publishing, 2021