Lee Sharp's French Army 1939–1940

[Leo Niehorster]

Greetings,

I would like to beg, borrow, steal, or trade* Vols. 6/2 and 6/3.
[Or even buy.]
Copies would be welcome. Originals even better.

* I can offer Vols. I, IV, and V.
Or other Military Press publications.

--
Leo

[Loïc]

hello Leo

as you share the same editor with Lee, what happens, anything wrong? That means that the editor is no longer selling your books?

because the website, as you can see below, has not been actualised since 2015 and even the editor didn't answer me last time I wrote her about Lee Sharp's serie
https://www.militarybookpublishing.org.uk/
https://militarybookpublishing.org.uk/n ... eases.html

Lee Sharp volumes already published and planned
https://militarybookpublishing.org.uk/f ... story.html

Regards
Loïc

[Leo Niehorster]

My earlier response seems to have disappeared.

Hi Loïc,
Yes, we had the same publisher. (Unfortunately, they never edited the manuscripts at all, but that's another story.)
Since the new owners took over, they have not paid me any royalties
They have not replied to my emails either, not to Gary Kennedy's, (known at this site).

I have, unfortunately, not been able to reach Lee Sharp.

--
Leo

[archiveruk]

The publisher has ceased trading so you can no longer buy any of my or any of the other authors books.

Does that mean the end for my series?

Not necessarily so. I'm looking into going down the self publishing route with a print on demand service, so who knows.

Lee

[Loïc]

Ah Lee

you can't imagine how much I am really glad to read you after trying desperatly to reach the editor

definitively I can't resign myself to the end of the serie, after all this work and documents you gathered, all these rounds trips between Vincennes and Britain since...many years, 2000 at least, and just when we should have the expected Volume 6-4 with my favourite forgotten units

why you don't try with French editors like H&C or maybe more HEIMDAL in Normandy who is publishing books by subscriptions?
or yours compatriots at Caliver Books/Partisan Press or Helion & Company who is very active these last months in publishing until unexpected and exotic topics

Please keep us informed, your serie must go on

[archiveruk]

All that research will not go to waste. I have'nt taken over 100,000 pictures of documents to do nothing with them.

My plan is for all the research done for 6/4 to go into a three volume second addition of the entire series. Each volume will be about 600 pages each. If I can make this work then there will be another three 600 page volumes to complete the series plus a 300 page order of battle volume for 10th May 1940. The latter is 75% complete already.

After that then a couple of 600 page volumes on the French Airforce 1939-40 to the same level of detail as the army volumes. I have around 20,000 pages of documents already collected for these volumes.


Lee

[Loïc]

I like when you are talking like that, this will be great Lee!
you have read in my thoughts, I dreamed about further volumes concerning the Armée de l'Air especially the totally forgotten soil units such as Bataillons de Transmissions & Balisage de l'Air, Compagnies de Transmissions de l'Air, de Depannage, de Terrains, de Phares, de Munitions, de Monteurs de Hangars, de Combustibles Liquides, Parcs d'Aviations who usually don't reach the favors of the Air aficionados and authors obsessed only by their flight units and pilots, a small part of the strenght

so the new editorial plan will be something like

I-II-III REVISED editions volume 1 to 6 ~1800 pages [vs 1356 for 1st edition volumes 1 to 6-3]

IV-V-VI merging the following planned 7 to 11
7 – The mobilisation plans 1918-39. The French Army 1918-39. Plan E and its variants. Mobilisation and initial deployment of the army. Detailed account of the Sarre offensive.
8– Weapons, manpower, transport and logistics. Production of weapons and vehicles. Development and purchase of new weapons. The call up and release of personnel. Situation of divisions in men, weapons and equipment. Organisation of road and rail transport. Organisation of logistics in the zone of interior and army zone.
9– The Zone of the Interior 1939-40. Changes to Military districts. Order of Battle of the Zone of the Interior 01.01.1940. Coastal defence - organisation and order of battle. Anti-aircraft defences – organisation and order of battle.
10– French North Africa 1939-40 – mobilisation – order of battle – plans for an offensive into Libya. The Levant 1939-40 – mobilisation – reinforcements – order of battle – plans for an expedition into the Balkans.
11– The plans to enter Belgium and Switzerland. Changes in deployment October 1939-May 1940. The arrival of the BEF (order of battle). The five month plan – formation of new units. The Scandinavian expeditions.

VII will be previously volume 12 about the early May 1940 ORBAT

VIII & IX Armée de l'Air NEW!

Regards
Loïc

[archiveruk]

Hi Loïc

Yes, I will include all those airforce units and more - there will be at least 500 different tables of organisation as many airforce establishments were unique so had their own organisation. I will also include the air units in French North Africa, the Levant and Colonial air units in Africa and Indo-China. Don't hold your breath though as I don't plan to start this book until 2024 at the earliest.

As for the army volumes, the new volume 4 will be cover the period from mobilisation to April 1940 and possibly including operations in Norway; volume 5 a detailed account of the campaign up to the Dunkerque evacuation; volume 6 - operations in June 1940 and details of deployments in French North Africa and the Levant.

Regards

Lee

[Loïc]

hello Lee

okay for my breath but to salivate I can't do anything,

an awful anguish grasps me, but how we will be informed of all that, e.g. when the book is available, how to order as now there is no longer Editor website for that?

you will have a website, a facebook profile, here, this thread, the BBC, Archangel Gabriel, go to ringing your doorbell until Great Britain, well something to keep informed yours readers?

When do you think for the remastered-revised volume I new generation

Regards
Loïc

[archiveruk]

It will be next year, indeed all three planned revised volumes will be available next year. I'll let you know when they are ready.

Lee

[Leo Niehorster]

Strange — I ordered Vol. 6/2 from Amazon UK (!) and got it directly from Military Press, with a handwritten note from "Dale" (with a telephone number) at the bottom, referencing our meeting "a long time" ago. But he hasn't answered any of my emails in the period. Maybe now I should order Vol. 6/3 also before they stop trading altogether?

[archiveruk]

The company, Military Press (UK) Ltd was dissolved in 2013. That was the reason why I thought they had ceased trading which would explain why they were not replying to emails. Alan Philson the author of the Btitish Army books told me they have not replied to any of his emails nor has he received any money. I did some research for him at the National Archives, however I think he has stopped writing as well.

Lee

[Leo Niehorster]

The return address for the book ordered from Amazon UK on my package is
   "Print2Demand" in Westoning, Beds., owned by Dale Burgess.
So maybe the Military Press in gone, but he is still printing (some) books ... ?
I know he emailed me some time ago asking for the manuscripts of several of my books, as he had lost them.

--
Leo

[archiveruk]

There is a Print2Demand Ltd and P2D Ltd with Dale Burgess as director. The former is a dormant company and latter only incorporated in June 2019. There is a webstite where one of these companies is offering a print on demand service.

Lee

[Leo Niehorster]

Talked to Mr. Burgess today. He claims that Military Press has not ceased trading, and is still selling books, including via Amazon.