Book Review of
Armed Forces of the English Speaking Caribbean
The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana,Jamaica & Tobago
Author: Sanjay Badri-Maharaj
Helion & Co.,LTD.
Latin America@War Series no. 26
ISBN: 978-1-914377-13-6
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $29.95
Latin America@War Series no. 26
ISBN: 978-1-914377-13-6
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright: 2021
MSRP: $29.95
HISTORY:
The armed forces of the English-speaking Caribbean have a rich, almost brief history This book covers their story from the post Second World War, West India Regiment to the independence of the former British Colonies in the 1960s and 1970s.
The failed West India Federation led directly to the formation of the national armed forces of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. While Guyana’s forces had their roots in Police Special Services Units and a Volunteer Force.
Shortly after independence, Guyana’s armed forces found themselves in a border conflict with Suriname as well as a far less salubrious operation to support a corrupt and racist government through rigged elections,
Trinidad found itself facing a mutiny in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, redemption only coming for the force in 1960, when it played a stellar role in Quelling an Islamist insurrection. Barbados and Jamaica’s armed forces had a more subdued history. Supporting Police Forces playing an important role in the intervention in Grenada in 1963.
The Bahamas, unique in having naval forces as its primary military unit, had the dubious distinction of having one of the patrol boats sunk by Cuban MiG-21s in 1980.
This book, besides the historical background to the five armed forces in question, examines the evolution, equipment and current status and plans of these forces. This includes the complete recapitalization of the Jamaica Defence Force as a capable naval unit, the decline and deliberate neglect of the Guyana Defence Force and the revival and near collapse of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.
Each country had a unique political, and in the case of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, racial history and these never contributed, at least in part, to the evolution and employment of their respective armed forces.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co.,LTD is based in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 80 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. Two pages are blank.
The cover art shows two color photographs.
The one at the top shows 2 Bell 419 helicopters of the Jamaicans Defence Force.
At the bottom of the cover there is photo of a Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard Damen SPa 5009 vessel. It is white with black trim around the hull and the control cabin. It says COAST GUARD in black lettering on its sides with hull no. CG26 that is followed by a vertical red, white and blue flag.
The book begins with ABBREVIATIONS and the INTRODUCTION.
It contains 64 black and white photos, that show:
combatants, sailors, ships, vehicles weapons and tanks.
There are 31 photos of ships, for vehicles and tanks there are photos of a Tiger APC, a GDF ambulance, a Ferret armored car, 2 Cadillac V-150 armored car, 4 Bushmaster trucks, jeeps, a Dingo armored car, 2 Shortland APCs,and a civilian pickup truck.
For aircraft there are the Bell helicopters, Short Skyvans of the JDF Air Wing, a Diamond DA-42 trainer of the JDF Air Wing, a Beech King Air 350R, a Cessna 310 and a Cessna 40 and a Cessna 172 and 2 of the C-26s of the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard.
There are 2 maps and 19 data lists.
There are 13 color profiles included in the book.
A Royal Bahamas Defence force Chinese made Shaanxi Baoji Tiger APC.
A Jamaica Regiment’s Cadillac-Gage V-150 Commando armored car.
The Protected Mobility Vehicle Squadron of the Jamaican Regiment Bushmaster truck.
Four side views of ships.
Two side views of Bell helicopters.
A Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander short take-off & training aircraft with the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps.
A Short Skyvan with the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps.
A Fairchild C-26 with the Trinidad & Tobago Air Force.
The book ends with the BIBLIOGRAPHY and 6 pages of NOTES.
This book will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publisher for this review sample. Casemate in the North American distributor of Helion & Co. Ltd. Books and all Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The armed forces of the English-speaking Caribbean have a rich, almost brief history This book covers their story from the post Second World War, West India Regiment to the independence of the former British Colonies in the 1960s and 1970s.
The failed West India Federation led directly to the formation of the national armed forces of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados. While Guyana’s forces had their roots in Police Special Services Units and a Volunteer Force.
Shortly after independence, Guyana’s armed forces found themselves in a border conflict with Suriname as well as a far less salubrious operation to support a corrupt and racist government through rigged elections,
Trinidad found itself facing a mutiny in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, redemption only coming for the force in 1960, when it played a stellar role in Quelling an Islamist insurrection. Barbados and Jamaica’s armed forces had a more subdued history. Supporting Police Forces playing an important role in the intervention in Grenada in 1963.
The Bahamas, unique in having naval forces as its primary military unit, had the dubious distinction of having one of the patrol boats sunk by Cuban MiG-21s in 1980.
This book, besides the historical background to the five armed forces in question, examines the evolution, equipment and current status and plans of these forces. This includes the complete recapitalization of the Jamaica Defence Force as a capable naval unit, the decline and deliberate neglect of the Guyana Defence Force and the revival and near collapse of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.
Each country had a unique political, and in the case of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, racial history and these never contributed, at least in part, to the evolution and employment of their respective armed forces.
THE BOOK:
Helion & Co.,LTD is based in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 80 pages in 8 ¼” x 11 ¾” page format. Two pages are blank.
The cover art shows two color photographs.
The one at the top shows 2 Bell 419 helicopters of the Jamaicans Defence Force.
At the bottom of the cover there is photo of a Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard Damen SPa 5009 vessel. It is white with black trim around the hull and the control cabin. It says COAST GUARD in black lettering on its sides with hull no. CG26 that is followed by a vertical red, white and blue flag.
The book begins with ABBREVIATIONS and the INTRODUCTION.
It contains 64 black and white photos, that show:
combatants, sailors, ships, vehicles weapons and tanks.
There are 31 photos of ships, for vehicles and tanks there are photos of a Tiger APC, a GDF ambulance, a Ferret armored car, 2 Cadillac V-150 armored car, 4 Bushmaster trucks, jeeps, a Dingo armored car, 2 Shortland APCs,and a civilian pickup truck.
For aircraft there are the Bell helicopters, Short Skyvans of the JDF Air Wing, a Diamond DA-42 trainer of the JDF Air Wing, a Beech King Air 350R, a Cessna 310 and a Cessna 40 and a Cessna 172 and 2 of the C-26s of the Trinidad & Tobago Coast Guard.
There are 2 maps and 19 data lists.
There are 13 color profiles included in the book.
A Royal Bahamas Defence force Chinese made Shaanxi Baoji Tiger APC.
A Jamaica Regiment’s Cadillac-Gage V-150 Commando armored car.
The Protected Mobility Vehicle Squadron of the Jamaican Regiment Bushmaster truck.
Four side views of ships.
Two side views of Bell helicopters.
A Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander short take-off & training aircraft with the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps.
A Short Skyvan with the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps.
A Fairchild C-26 with the Trinidad & Tobago Air Force.
The book ends with the BIBLIOGRAPHY and 6 pages of NOTES.
This book will be of great interest to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publisher for this review sample. Casemate in the North American distributor of Helion & Co. Ltd. Books and all Helion titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly Recommended.