Mine came in yesterday. It is currently on a table under a two-volume dictionary because the US Postal Service decided to roll it up and stuff it in my mailbox.
2 weeks ago
| 174
Hey Drachinifel, I have an idea that I think would make for an incredibly engaging documentary—exploring the Portuguese Navy and Merchant Fleet during WWII. While much of the focus on WWII naval history revolves around the larger players, Portugal’s unique position as a neutral country provides a fascinating and underexplored angle. The Portuguese played a significant role in the war’s maritime dynamics, especially with their vital control over the Azores and Madeira, which were key locations for Allied and Axis operations. Portugal’s merchant fleet, though often overshadowed by bigger powers, also had a major influence, delivering goods and supplies under the radar of both sides. There’s so much history there in how Portugal navigated the delicate balance of neutrality, managing to keep its ships afloat while still getting involved in global trade, even amidst the pressures from both the Allies and Axis. The Portuguese navy wasn’t exactly a juggernaut in terms of size, but their involvement in securing shipping lanes, maintaining neutrality, and cooperating covertly with the Allies at certain points is rich with stories. Plus, the infamous “neutrality” often had an unexpected depth and complexity, especially with the German and British naval presence influencing everything from ship movements to secret agreements. I think this would be a really intriguing angle to dive into—a lesser-known but significant chapter of WWII naval and merchant history that I’m sure your audience would love to explore. What do you think? Would love to see your take on it! Cheers!
2 weeks ago | 5
Darn, missed my opportunity to make a fortune reselling my copy. USNI came through, I’ve had my copy for a week now. Excellent book, with how well it’s put together I’m really excited to see how your next couple of books turn out.
2 weeks ago
| 60
Good on you for dollop. My uncle Bob help design Belfast’s repairs.
1 week ago | 0
Mine was delivered yesterday. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Ordered direct from USNI Press.
2 weeks ago | 21
Visited HMS Belfast just under a month ago, really changed my thoughts on some things climbing up and down all those ladders.
1 week ago | 0
I’m planning on buying a physical copy as well but any chance we get a Drach narrated audiobook as well maybe down the line?
2 weeks ago | 39
They cancelled it on me so I reordered it again. Going to London again in June to see Iron Maiden. Been loads of time before but this time I'm finally going to get onto the Belfast.
2 weeks ago | 0
I bet every time you start reading a Drach book, you can hear that crisp, dry English accent rolling off the pages while the bourbon settles on your pallet. Cheers🙏
2 weeks ago | 2
Pre-ordering on amazon is a bad idea in general, because if there's a price change in the book between the time you pre-order and the time it starts actually selling they will leave your pre-order in an unfulfilled state and just keep sending you emails once a month saying it hasn't shipped yet literally until the thing is out of stock and no longer available. No explanation will be provided by them. I've pre-ordered books 3 times, and this has happened all 3 times.
2 weeks ago | 3
Ohh damn that sicks man, i hope people actually reorder your book, that must be a huge loss of revenue
2 weeks ago | 0
Cen i get it anywhere else? Not fan of bezos and never buy anyting on amazon out of principles
2 weeks ago | 18
You should definitely throw a pair of binoculars into the ocean to alleviate any lingering frustration.
1 week ago | 0
Drachinifel
Some of you have woken up to Amazon cancelling your orders for my book on HMS Belfast. I've spoken to USNI and essentially the problem is/was that the book was originally scheduled for release this month, but ultimately it was decided to release it in May.
However, Amazon's systems appear to have not registered the update to release date and so tried to ship books this month, then when someone noticed and told it to stop (probably by someone just manually setting the stock level to 0), the systems decided they couldn't send any and cancelled the pre-orders.
This issue is being resolved by USNI at the moment, so don't panic, at some point in the next few days the entry for the book should be updated with the May release date, at which point you can re-do your pre-order and all should be well.
I'm still working out the details of pre-signed copies with USNI at the moment.
On the plus side, the number of pre-orders meant even the unintended abortive lauch briefly placed the books as #1 bestseller for naval history books for the week. Let's see if we can recapture that for next month! :D
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 3,439