Military History Photo Friday: What's this Bizarre Contraption?

Photo courtesy Marcin Szala

This photo was taken in the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden, Germany. What do you think it is? An old boiler they took out of the basement and were too lazy to send to the scrapheap? An unfinished Panzer tank? The world's ugliest recycling bin?

Nope, it's one of the world's first submarines. It's the Brandtaucher (“Incendiary Diver”), built in 1850 by the Germans to stop the Danish Navy from blockading German ports. It's as big and clunky as it looks, measuring 26 ft. 6 in. (8 meters) in length, with a beam of 6 ft. 8 in. (2 meters) and a height of 8 ft. 8 in. (2.6 meters).

Below is a sketch from an 1896 book showing how it operated. The crew walked on a treadmill to turn the propeller, while ballast came from letting water into the space below them. This made the sub heavier than the surrounding water and let it submerge. The water could then be pumped out, reducing the weight and making the submarine go to the surface.

One fault of the design was not having sealed ballast tanks. Instead the water sloshed around at the bottom of the interior, causing the sub to become unstable. This is what probably made it sink before it could attack any ships. The crew was able to escape and swim to safety by opening the hatch. This caused water to rush in, increasing the air pressure and shooting them out of the hatch, from where they could swim to the surface. The sub was raised in 1887 and has been on display ever since.

Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Book Review: 1864: The Forgotten War that Shaped Modern Europe

1864: The Forgotten War that Shaped Modern Europe by Tom Buk-Swienty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I've always been interested in the Dano-Prussian War, also known as the Second Schleswig War. In 1864, Prussia and Austria went to war against Denmark over control of the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. The war led to Denmark losing the duchies and made Otto von Bismark's career, giving him the political clout invade France in 1870 and then unifying Germany.
So it's an important war, and this book is a popular-level but detailed look at the political situation as well as the war's main battle.
Unfortunately, it misses the mark. The text is rather disorganized, jumping around from one subject to another and it appears to be the victim of bad translation. In a couple of spots the actions of the Danes and Prussians are switched. Also, there are proper names in the captions that are spelled differently than they are in the text. I'm thinking that this isn't the fault of the author, who is obviously familiar with his subject, but rather that the fault lies with the translator or copyeditor.
Other problems abound. There is no good operational map, many photos are reproduced at such a small size that they are difficult to see, and the author assumes knowledge that may be obvious to his original Danish audience, but not to outsiders.
The fact that this got glowing reviews in Danish tells me this is a good book badly mishandled by its English language publishers. That's a shame. Here's hoping that a second edition will come out that will correct these errors.

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My latest book released today!

Osprey Publishing has released my latest book, Medieval Handgonnes: The First Black Powder Infantry Weapons.

This was a fascinating and difficult book to write. I've always been interested in the early origins of the firearm and was frustrated by the total lack of any book on the subject. I had to sift through a mountain of archaeological and historical journals and crisscross Europe visiting museums to complete this project. While I'm proud of all my books, I'm especially proud of this one because it's the first book in English on the subject. As far as I can tell, it's the first book on medieval firearms in any language!

Here's a bit of background.

In the early 14th century, cannons entered the arsenals of European armies. This first generation of black powder weapons put fear into the heart of the enemy and in 1453 Ottoman artillery succeeded in breaching the once-impregnable walls of Constantinople. But cannons were slow and cumbersome and difficult to use against infantry. The first handgonnes were the answer. Dismissed by later historians as nothing more than crude tubes that shot wildly inaccurate lead balls, more recent research has revealed the true accuracy of the medieval handgonne together with its penetrative power. The handgonne was a viable weapon from its inception.

This volume, complete with detailed illustrations and color photographs, tells the story of one of the most revolutionary weapons in history. Readers will be treated to a lush collection of rare photographs and artwork from such far-flung locales as Danish National Museum and the Bayerisches Armeemuseum. Original artwork from Gerry and Sam Embleton illustrate how these weapons were used on the battlefield and reenactor photos demonstrate step-by-step how they were loaded and fired. The firing sequences were provided by The Company of the Wolf Argent and really let you see how the weapons were used in the field.

[Photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons. I'd have to pay twice to reuse the museum photos I ordered for the book!]

My latest short story out from Damnation Books

My latest short story, a horror tale set in 1864 Denmark, is out now as an ebook from Damnation Books.

The title, "Dannevirke", takes its inspiration from the name of a Viking earthwork protecting Jutland from Germany. It was the first line of defense against German aggression for centuries, even seeing action as late as 1864 when the Prussians invaded. I used to live in Denmark and I've always been fascinated that such an old fortification should have been used so recently. And therein lies a tale. . .

It is the winter of 1864, and the Danish army prepares to defend their homeland against a Prussian onslaught by fortifying the Dannevirke, an old Viking earthwork on the border of Denmark and Prussia. A unit of militia—farmers and fishermen who have never fought a battle—dig in and prepare to face the elite Prussian army. The Danes think their position is hopeless until a strange old couple offer them a way to save themselves and their country. On the night of the gibbous moon they must dowse for a certain spot near the old Viking fort, and they must bring a prisoner and a blade.

If you've been following this blog, you know my focus is military history and I write a lot for Osprey Publishing. I guess it's not surprising that this has bled into my fiction writing. I'm currently working on a series of novels set in Civil War Missouri.

"Dannevirke" is on sale at a reduced introductory price. Normally selling for $2.50, it went on sale for free at the stroke of midnight Dec. 1, and goes up in price 25 cents with every sale until it reaches its cover price. So download it now and help fund my next trip!

My next book cover

I just got the cover for my next "book", really a short story in ebook format that will be published by Damnation Books, an up-and-coming small press specializing in horror. The title of my story, Dannevirke, comes from an old Viking earthwork on the border of Denmark and Germany. In the Dano-Prussian War of 1864 the Danes tried to defend this old fortification against overwhelming odds. The soldiers were so desperate they would do anything to save themselves from the Prussian onslaught. And therein lies a tale. . .

The cover was designed by Julie D'Arcy, an Australian writer and artist. She also makes video trailers for books. We've known each other through online writers' forums for years, so it's nice to finally work with her! I'm very happy with the result. She's blended and old painting with some more modern work to create a very atmospheric image that fits perfectly with my story.

Dannevirke will be available from Damnation Books on December 1. Don't worry, I'll remind you!