Iain Ballantyne

The March edition of Warships IFR officially out today, in UK & going global. Cover star is nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Royal Navy HMS Anson, on the way to Australia. Another fine cover image by David Parody.

The March edition of Warships IFR is officially out today, in UK & going global. Cover star is nuclear-powered attack submarine of the Royal Navy HMS Anson, on the way to Australia. Another fine cover image by David Parody. Avail via shops or direct from the publisher warshipsifr.com/subscriptions/

Martin's Eyes by Iain Ballantyne (published on 10 April 2026) — Chiselbury Publishing Austria, 1946. In a remote hunting lodge hidden deep in the forests of a shattered Europe, two men face each other across a kitchen table. One is a fugitive Nazi. The other has come to bring him to ju...

More info here www.chiselbury.co.uk/bookstore/p/...

'Martin's Eyes' manuscript with specially commissioned pen.

Yes, I commissioned a special 'Martin's Eyes' pen to do the marks on the big 'set proof' for final tweaks to the 'set script' 😃 and which is to be published by Chiselbury Books on 10 April.

#novel #newbook #fiction #ww2 #coldwar #espionage #combat #thriller

The final hard copy script for the novel 'Martin's Eyes'.

Long hours across several weeks (day job permitting) in 'the bunker' (with occasional parole) to get 'Martin's Eyes' over the line. The final big edit is done...and dog-eared hard copy seen here.

#book #WW2 #historicalfiction #thriller #novel

LOL. Indeed...BFO cruisers may be more acurate.

Many thanks!

Front cover of the February 2026 edition of Warships IFR magazine, showing the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS St. John's. Photo: Sandy McClearn.

A new Warships IFR mag is now out & packed with news, views, great pics & a dash of history. Cover pic by Sandy McClearn. It's of Canadian frigate HMCS St. John's returning to Halifax after a very busy time on NATO duties. Avail hard copy & digital sundialmedia.escosubs.co.uk/subscribe/wa...

Many thanks. I do not always monitor such things, but was browsing other people's books on there and noticed...

Here's a review of it www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2019/09/sund... by @drfarls.bsky.social

Cover of the paperback edition of 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' by Iain Ballantyne (published by Canelo Books).

Just £1.99 for the Kindle variant of my book 'Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron' at the moment!
www.amazon.co.uk/Arnhem-Days-... In addition to museum research includes accounts by some remarkable #ww2 Airborne warriors I met and interviewed.

#history #ww2history #books

Here's the Russian Navy Kilo Class missile-armed diesel-electric submarine RFS Krasnodar (entered service late 2015) in waters off the UK, with the naval tug RFS Altay (commissioned 1988, note the profusion of aerials for a simple 'tug'). Monitoring the two Russians is the British fleet oiler RFA Tidesurge, furthest away, with a Merlin anti-submarine helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron aloft to lend a hand. It was a three-day operation, as the submarine and tug headed west from the North Sea, into the Dover Strait and then the English Channel. Once off Ushant the Russians were shadowed by other NATO units, as they had been before the UK involvement in the op. Photo: Royal Navy/UK MoD. #russians #submarine #royalnavy #royalfleetauxiliary #rfatidesurge #merlin #helicopter #kiloclass #rfskrasnodar #rfsaltay #monitoring

Here's the Russian Navy Kilo Class, missile-armed submarine RFS Krasnodar off the UK, with naval tug RFS Altay. Monitoring the two Russians is the British fleet oiler RFA Tidesurge, with a Merlin anti-submarine helicopter from 814 Naval Air Squadron aloft to lend a hand. Photo: Royal Navy/UK MoD.

Yes, private enterprise is part of the problem (and likely will remain an expensive, futile path), tho' the RN decided to play a greater role in recent years, but not with the resources or approach imho that is now needed.

Key word is 'volunteer' - but the special cases today are those in engineering and anyone they can bung into the carriers and prepare for the frigates (or draft to boats). Despite submarines being the top priority for UK defence. Sub Service being in a mess a tragedy 30 years + in the making.

As for recruitment - I have some current insight into sharp end of it. It is not that people do not want to serve in the boats at all. What is wrong is the recruitment system is just crap - slow, fragmented, configured wrong. Plus it is still not prioritising (& keeping) volunteer submariners.

Imho it's like the battleships - lost primacy really at end of WW1 but still slugging it out one way or another in WW2, even lingered until 1991 (last combat missions). When we start seeing them with the weapons, endurance, speed & ability to detect-shoot-kill immediately then, yes, bye bye boats.

A U-boat surrenders to the US Navy in May 1945. Photo: USNHHC/USNA/USN.

New Warships IFR mag #podcast alert: 'Churchill’s Peril: U-boat Wolfpacks'. A real pleasure to discuss the reality of WW2 warfare under the waves with Roger Moorhouse & touch on related topics & people, namely Churchill, Dönitz & the character of U-boat captains pod.fo/e/362b94

#ww2 #history

Personally, Taigei of Japan is the way to go...sorry 😀

a man in a military uniform looks up into the sky ALT: a man in a military uniform looks up into the sky

The next episode of our podcast is a deep dive into the world of U-boats in WW2. Our guest is Roger Moorhouse whose latest book is 'Wolfpack'. Ep: 'Churchill’s Peril: U-boat Wolfpacks'. Out this week! In the meantime, check out some other episodes podfollow.com/warships-pod... #ww2 #uboats #history

...and like the early pioneer days for submarines (1860s/70s) the reality is the proposal is immature and may or may not deliver. For sure drones will one day be part of it - I did an article on that in 1995 after an RNEC Manadon visit...only taken 30 years to get where we are now 😀

Something like that is coming, but not a for a long time will it offer what an advanced SSK can. And why not Taigeis for the RN that can also operate with the drones? At this moment in time I would suggest we are in the 1860/70s where all sort of things are being promised ref drones.

Many thanks. Well done on your novel too!

THE CASE FOR NUCLEAR & CONVENTIONAL SUBMARINES IN THE ROYAL NAVY The UK needs nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) and Air-independent Propulsion (AIP) conventional boats. Or to go down the Japanese route, with an SSK that uses lithium-ion batteries rather than...

'Britain is an island nation...Naval power must predominate. And if the UK can today build and (eventually) operate two different types of frigate for certain roles, why can't it have the SSN-SSK mix, like it did in the old Cold War?'
www.linkedin.com/pulse/case-n...

#coldwar #submarines #royalnavy

The cover of Iain Ballantyne's forthcoming novel, 'Martin's Eyes', to be published by Chiselbury on 10.4.25.

Cover reveal day for my forthcoming novel, 'Martin's Eyes'. Billed by publisher Chiselbury as 'an enthralling historical thriller of conscience and survival - where the line between hero and villain is sometimes blurred by the ashes of war.' And more! Out 10.4.2026. #novel #historicalfiction #ww2

Art work of the 'Battleships Reborn!?' podcast episode for Warships IFR magazine. Includes pic of HMS Vanguard and also USS Wisconsin (latter on the December 2025 edition cover).

'Battleships Reborn!?' is the latest Warships Pod episode pod.fo/e/357416 with Dr James Bosbotinis & myself discussing the prospect of latter-day battleships - a topic James returns to in our forthcoming Jan 2026 edition, which is in production right now. Current Dec ed also looks at battleships.

BANG! A new edition of Warships IFR magazine is now deployed with the usual broadside of naval news, commentaries & analysis plus more, including terrific pics. Cover star this time is US Navy battleship USS Wisconsin firing a broadside to port (of 16-inch & 5-inch guns). Pic taken circa 1988-91. Courtesy NHHC/USN. You can also get the hard copy &/or digital variant direct https://warshipsifr.com/subscriptions/ #warshipsifr #warships #naval #news #comment #commentary #analysis #defence #maritime #geopolitics #navies #magazine #digitalpublishing #publishing #newedition #battleship #usswisconsin

BANG! A new edition of Warships IFR magazine is now deployed in shops and avail direct warshipsifr.com/subscriptions/ Cover star is US Navy battleship USS Wisconsin firing a broadside. Courtesy NHHC/USN.

#navies #magazine #digitalpublishing #publishing #newedition #battleship #usswisconsin

Artwork for Episode 44 of the Warships IFR magazine podcast.

Amid headlines about the Yantar spy ship & recent submarine Novorossiysk incident our latest podcast episode sees Dr James Bosbotinis & myself discuss Russian Navy reality. Plus the air of uncertainty over US commitment to NATO creating potential for catastrophic miscalculatio pod.fo/e/3534b7

It's that aggravating Russian spy ship Yantar up to no good again off the British Isles. Thermal image courtesy of the UK MoD. The MoD says Yantar has been targeting Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPAs) of the RAF with light lasers. It is something that could potentially blind pilots. Btw a tactic used by the Chinese mil against Western MPAs in Indo Pac.

It's that aggravating Russian spy ship Yantar up to no good again off the British Isles. Thermal image courtesy of the UK MoD. The MoD says Yantar has been targeting Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPAs) of the RAF with light lasers. Could potentially blind pilots.

DRONE KILLER MISSILE READY FOR ACTION YouTube video by WARSHIPS IFR TV

Our latest Warships IFR TV naval news video in case you missed it. A wildcat helicopter armed with Martlet missiles. Some 'whoosh!' A bit of 'bang!' And some .50-calibre 'rat-tat-tat-tat-tat.' All from the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZjg...

Warships IFR magazine Assistant Editor Stephen Jagger was at Portsmouth recently & captured some video footage of this historic vessel, MGB 81, which saw combat in the Channel & North Sea during WW2. Looking good! Sounding great too - a satisfying purr of her powerful engines audible. #ww2 #history

NATO 'TOP GUNS' IN NORTHERN SKIES YouTube video by WARSHIPS IFR TV

Busy times on NATO's Northern Flank: footage & pics from the Norwegian Armed Forces in a special for the Warships IFR magazine video channel - exercises at sea off/ashore in Norway & further North + Russian intel-gatherers. Also covered in the new edition of the mag
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaUA...