[nopardons]

Very thoughtful "what IF'S"; however, Willie was set on a dangerous course, wanting to one up his cousin in the UK, with an arms build up, long before the horrid assassination of Franz Ferdinand and he wife.

If you haven't read "DREADNOUGHT", by Robert K. Massie, I suggest that you do. Also, there are some fine books about the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Emperor Franz Joseph. If you'd like those titles, just drop me a FRmail note.

[Pelham]

You probably know “The Riddle of the Sands”. Either the movie or the prophetic 1903 book it’s based upon.

[xkaydet65]

Read Dreadnaught when it came out. Still somewhere in the basement. Will have to dig it out. On a WW2 kick right now. Reading John McManus’ Fire and Fortitude; The Army in the Pacific.grear chapters on the defense of the Philippines and the Death March. And describes the New Guinea campaign. All I can say is New Guinea was the worst.