Forging the Thunderbolt: A history of the development of the Armored Force. Owned by "Her Majesty Empress Catherine III". by Mildred Hanson Gillie - 1947

Harrisburg, PA: The Military Service Publishing Company, 1947. 1st Edition . Hardcover. VG-. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. See photos for condition details. Hardcover, black cloth boards with gilt on front and spine. Exterior shows edge and corner bumps/wear and spotting to the cloth, gilt is chipping on spine. Internal binding is good and text pages are tight. Only markings found in book is on the front pastedown and end page which contains four stamped seals, two stamped names, and a handwritten note stating "From the library of 5* A-G". This is a rather common book with a very unique history: Empress Catherine III claimed she was the Empress of Russia and was well known in the 1960s and 70s and wrote to numerous government agencies, senators and congressmen, as well as various educational institutions, with some letters even stamped diplomatic mail and caring a gold seal. A newspaper article from the Indianapolis News (30 June 1965) states that she claims to be the ruler of the exiled government the past 23 years and that her father, Nicholas II, Czar of Russia, and his wife, fled to the United States when the Communists took over the country in 1918. Child (Empress Catherine III) was born shortly before noon on July 4, 1920 while Tsarina Alexander Feodorovna was traveling across country in the US. There was also a book written by Slay McNeal titled "The Plots to Rescue the Tsar" which mentions her claim.