This month's book vote sees five Raid titles battling for your support. Read the full descriptions and have your say by visiting the Book Vote page. Plus, check out the results of last month's Duel vote.

 

The Cruise of the Shenandoah 1864–65 : The year-long Confederate commerce raid

The Jameson Raid 1895: The failed raid into the Transvaal

Kronstadt 1919: Coastal Motor Boats in the Baltic

Layforce in Libya 1941: Early commando raids in the eastern Mediterranean

Target Gestapo 1944–45: The Mosquito raids on Aarhus and Copenhagen

 

The Cruise of the Shenandoah 1864–65 : The year-long Confederate commerce raid

With the Civil War having turned against the South, in 1864 the Confederate Navy secretly bought a full-rigged sailing ship in Liverpool, to be fitted out as a man of war. Over the next year, CSS Shenandoah circumnavigated the world in a highly successful raiding cruise, hunting Union merchant ships, primarily whalers. Having fired the last shot of the Civil War off the Aleutians, Shenandoah returned to Liverpool to surrender, six months after the end of the war, rather than risk surrender in the United States.

The Jameson Raid 1895: The failed raid into the Transvaal

The Jameson Raid was a botched British raid from Rhodesia into the Transvaal in December 1895, led by Dr Leander Starr Jameson, aiming to incite an uprising against Boer rule. The raid was unauthorized and poorly planned, and as soon as they crossed the border Boer forces tracked the column, blocked it, and captured the raiders, causing international embarrassment for Britain. Its failure heightened tensions between Britain and the Boer republics, contributing to the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899.

Kronstadt 1919: Coastal Motor Boats in the Baltic

The 1919 Kronstadt Raid was a daring British naval and air assault on the Bolshevik Baltic Fleet at its base in Kronstadt during the Russian Civil War. On 18 August, Royal Navy Coastal Motor Boats, guided by Lieutenant Augustus Agar, penetrated the harbour and sank the submarine depot ship Pamiat Azova and damaged the battleship Andrei Pervozvanny, while RAF aircraft attacked from the air. Despite losing three boats and suffering casualties, the raid was considered a success, effectively confining the Bolshevik fleet to port and earning gallantry awards for most of the British participants.  

Layforce in Libya 1941: Early commando raids in the eastern Mediterranean

In early 1941, a force of 2,000 newly trained Commandos, commanded by Colonel Robert Laycock, was sent to the eastern Mediterranean. With the Afrika Korps now in theatre, Layforce conducted amphibious raids against Axis targets ashore in Libya, and despite being forced to operate largely by night, demonstrated the value of the Commando concept. This book would examine these pioneering months for the Commandos before the force was sent to the Battle of Crete. 

Target Gestapo 1944–45: The Mosquito raids on Aarhus and Copenhagen

By late World War II, RAF Mosquito crews were sufficiently skilled in precision bombing to target individual city-centre buildings. Their capabilities were tested in 1944–45 in two raids in occupied Denmark, targeting the Gestapo secret police. The Aarhus raid in October 1944 successfully destroyed Gestapo archives and offices, severely hampering German intelligence efforts. However the March 1945 Copenhagen raid – Operation Carthage – mistakenly also targeted a nearby school, causing heavy casualties and detracting from the mission's overall success.

 

Last month, we asked what you would like to see published in our Duel series. Thank you to everyone who voted and provided feedback. Here are the results: 

 

Hotchkiss H35 vs Panzer 35(t): France 1940 – 30%

Hornisse/Nashorn vs T-34: Kursk 1943 – 21%

Tiger vs SU-85: Ukraine 1943–44 – 13%

Archer vs Panzer IV: Netherlands 1944 – 11%

Comet vs Panther: Rhine Crossing 1945 – 24%