Culloden 1746

Battlefield Guide Third Edition

by

Stuart Reid

 Bonnie Prince Charlie, or 'The Young Pretender' if you like, and the last battle in Scotland to try and put the Stuarts back on the throne. Charlie's legend is based solely on roughly one year of his life. The culmination of which would be the Battle of Culloden, and his flight to the Isle of Skye. These are the end of the last time the Highlands, or at least some of them, rose for the Stuarts. It is also the last battle to take place in Great Britain

 Culloden cannot be looked at and dissected without the history of the year of 1745. One can make the argument that once the bulk of the Duke of Cumberland troops (and his bulk) had landed in Great Britain the gig was up for Charlie and his shoestring revolt. Therefore, Culloden was somewhat of a foregone conclusion. However, the attempt of Charlie to retake the throne for his father has passed down into myth. 

 This book is short at only 150 or so pages. However, it is one of the if not the best one on the battle itself. The book is filled with pictures. These are of the area as it is today along with many illustrations from the time. It is also full of maps. If there is one thing I want to change about military history books is the absolute need for maps, and plenty of them. With this book my personal crusade for maps is unnecessary. 

 The author spends the first twenty-six pages on the campaign leading up to the battle. After that the book takes on every aspect of the battle, and does it extremely well. The author walks a tightrope between all of the myths that have been built up on both sides of the battle. Charlie's almost successful campaign is the stuff of legends. However, his bad decisions , especially in appointments, has also to be looked at. The book does a great job of showing the reader the real history. It goes into the fact that the MacDonald's did charge, unlike some earlier books that follow the earlier accounts. As a bonus it is also a battlefield guide for those lucky enough to be able to travel to the area.

 My suggestion is buy this book, and put on the song 'The Isle of Skye' and have a great time reading a great book (that also has a lot of maps). I have read and reviewed a few of the authors other books. Do yourself a favor and take a look. 

Robert

Book: Culloden 1746 Battlefield Guide Third Edition
Author: Stuart Reid
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Lucullus

by

Lee Fratantuono

 Lucullus usually brings to mind a plethora of epicurean delights. With this biography of Lucullus, Dr. Fratantuono brings the subject's whole life into focus, not just the end of it. Lucullus' story starts at the age of sixteen. His father had been sent to Sicily as a Propraetor, this was during the Second servile War (slave war). When he returned Lucullus' father was charged with extortion of the Sicilians and convicted, then condemned to exile. So Lucullus was entering manhood just as this scandal broke upon his family. Lucullus and his brother were commended for their 'pietas', for trying to prosecute the man who had convicted their father. 

 Lucullus was attached to the army of Lucius Cornelius Sulla right before Sulla turned on Rome to drive out the Marians. When Sulla turned his army against Rome, only a sole Quaestor marched with him. The Quaestor is not named, but Dr. Fratantuono and many others believe that this man was Lucullus. 

 Lucullus then goes with Sulla to fight Mithridates of Pontus. Mithridates was trying to keep his conquests in Asia Minor, and had even invaded Greece. Once Sulla had forced Mithridates to the peace table, Lucullus was left in Asia Minor to keep an eye on him and to clean up some other matters. As usual with Mithridates, the minute he believed Rome's back was turned he started to reconquer Asia Minor for himself. He did not count on Lucullus and his military abilities. Lucullus then chased Mithridates out of Asia Minor and into Armenia. Lucullus was the first Roman to bring Roman arms so far into the Near East. Unfortunately for Lucullus, this Third Mithridatic War also ended in a stalemate. Lucullus' Roman Army became mutinous over the length of time that had transpired in this campaign, along with the mileage that they had been forced to march chasing after Mithridates. Lucullus was replaced as governor, and he pretty much retired from Roman political life. His epicurean delights and life after his military fame have unfortunately caught most people's eye. Cicero himself felt that Lucullus and his achievements were exemplary, and even described Lucullus as the 'highest man'.

 This book is only 145 pages long, but it is followed by an extensive 'endnotes' section. The book has eight pages of colored pictures from places mentioned in the text. Dr. Fratantuono does an excellent job of bringing this man Lucullus back out of the shadows and into the light. 

Book: Lucullus
Author: Lee Fratantuono
Publisher: Pen&Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Gaius Marius

by

Marc Hyden

 

 Gaius Marius, or as he is usually known as just Marius, is at first glance a study in opposites. He was a 'New Man' (Novus Homo), this meant he had no ancestors that Romans would know. He had only a very slim chance to rise in the 'Honors Race' (Cursus Honorum). He became Consul an unprecedented seven times.  He was also touted as the 'Savior of Rome'. As a general, he was one of the best of his age. As a politician, he was one of the worst. True, the Roman Republic was in a downward spiral, but Marius did more than his fair share to destroy the Republic. He was a demagogue who was friendly with, and was allied to, some of the worst Roman politicians of the time. Marius was obsessed with power and the glory that military success could bring him. He was prepared to, and did frequently, trod on any and every Roman law or long established precedents to get what he wanted. 

 The author shows Marius the man, warts and all. He has given us an excellent biography of Marius. This could not have been an easy task. Marius' life is as faceted as a diamond in the sunlight. He was also quite possibly the savior of Rome. Destroyer of the Roman Republic, no, but he showed the next generations where to plunge the knife. The author does contend that Marius' enemies wrote the history of the period, so that he may not have stooped so low as we have read before. It is also quite possible that Marius' legacy was saved by his execrable nephew. He may also have been just as bad as he has been painted. 

 Savior, murderer, and trampler of all laws, Marius' life certainly deserves this biography by Mr. Hyden.

 The book also paints Sulla, Marius' inveterate enemy, in a very bad light. We will agree to disagree on this point. The author brings forth not only the man Marius, but the age in which he lived. He also gives us a very good breakdown of Roman politics, and a civics course in ancient Rome.  

 The book cover shows an almost unbelievable, but historic, event in the life of Marius. Marius is to the right. He is around seventy years old, and unarmed. His assassin is overawed by Marius' voice and personality, and cannot commit the deed.  

 The book itself is 300 plus pages long. It is touted as being the first comprehensive biography of Marius in 150 years. I am looking forward to the author's next endeavor.

Robert

Book: Gaius Marius

Author: Marc Hyden

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Caracalla A Military Biography

by

Ilkka Syvänne 

 Why did the names of some of the worst Roman emperors start with the letter 'C', as in, Caligula, Commodus, and Caracalla? I am not talking about the the emperors who only wore the purple for a short time, but those who at least had a few years in their reign.

 I am not a big fan of the Roman Empire; most of my reading is done during the period of the Republic. I have to say that this book is truly an amazing gold mine of military history and everything else you would want to know about the Roman army during this time.

 Caracalla, or more correctly, at birth Lucius Septimus Bassianus, and later Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus was described by Gibbon as "the common enemy of mankind". The author of this book cuts through 1800 years of slanted history to give us the real story of the man and his rule. The book even goes into the history before his birth and after his death. 

 This book has worked its way into the top five of my favorite books. For someone who has been reading voraciously for fifty-three years it is quite an accomplishment. The writing is superb, and it still amazes me what the author has packed into a little over three hundred pages. The book is also filled with pictures, some colorized, maps and diagrams. This is a one book encyclopedia of Roman history and military during the middle part of the empire. When you can take a subject that the reader normally doesn't care about and turn it into a page turner, that is something few authors have been able to do. Caracalla has been one of the poster children for despots for many years. To bring his story into perspective and help the reader rethink his views on a much maligned man is not an easy task. To be honest, the author does not try to make him a Boy Scout, but to bring the history of the time alive for the reader to judge for himself what he would have done in the same situation. Since Caligula, the emperor had been a marked man. Except for the time of the 'good' emperors - Trajan to Marcus Aurelius - the man in the gilded seat seems to have had a target on his head. Very few of the Roman emperors died in their beds, at least of natural causes.

Oddly enough, Caracalla's murder seems to be one of the very few where the Roman Army was actually upset over his demise. Usually they were in the plot thick as thieves.

 I cannot praise the book enough. From the illustrations to the diagrams that show how Caracalla tried to emulate the army of Alexander the Great, the information in the book is priceless. 

Robert

Book: Caracalla a Military Biography 

Author: Ilkka Syvanne

Publisher: Pen And Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers 

Fighting The Somme

by

Jack Sheldon

 Well gang, I am here to report that Jack Sheldon has done it once more. His numerous books on the German army in World War I have almost become the stuff of legends. They are not only jam packed with history, but also have tons of first hand accounts. 'Fighting on The Somme' is no different. There have been tons of books written about the battle from the British side, from paeans of praise for Haig to the more well known 'lions led by donkeys'. But you cannot have a battle with only one side, and this is where Jack Sheldon comes in. We have all read numerous accounts of the battles for the Schwaben redoubt, but now I know exactly why. It was the linchpin of the German defense. I will use the author's own words about the redoubt:

" The priority thus afforded to the vital ground (by the Germans) is in sharp contrast to the position adopted by General Haig, commander of the BEF, as recorded in his diary following a tense meeting with General Joffre during the evening of July 3d. 

"Joffre pointed out the importance of our getting Thievpal Hill ... I was considering the desirability of pressing my attack on Longueval ... at this General Joffre exploded in rage. 'He could not approve of it'. He 'ordered me to attack Thievpal and Pozieres ... The truth is the poor man cannot argue, nor can he easily read a map."

 "On the contrary, the fact of the matter is that, after two years of directing major battles against the German Army, Joffre had developed clear ideas about what was considered important by his enemies. he definitely could 'read a map', could spot a Schwerpunkt (point of main effort)  when he saw one, but the command relationships meant that he did not have the power to order General Haig to do anything." 

 The tragic part about the Schwaben redoubt is that it was captured on the first day of the Somme by British soldiers, only to be lost in a counter attack.

The chapters of the book are:

In the Beginning Were The Reformers

Falkenhayn's Folly: Sleepwalking To Near Disater

1st July 1916: The Battle For The Schwerpunkt

Haig Lets The Defence Off The Hook. 1st-15th july

Army Group Gallwitz: A Failed Experiment

Hindenburg And Ludendorff Pick Up The Pieces

Strained To Almost The Breaking Point

Pyrrhic Victory Or Bloody Stalemate 

 Falkenhayn (chief of the German Great general staff) was too interested in his operations at Verdun to 'bleed the French dry' to objectively listen to General Fritz Von Below and his warnings about the French and British looming attack on the Somme. Even after the Allied attack, Falkenhayn only reluctantly released troops from the charnel house of Verdun to the Somme area. So, in many ways the Battle of The Somme fulfilled its role in taking pressure off of the French Army at Verdun. It is true that the Allied, and especially the British Army, spilled much more blood than necessary at the time. The British Army was, in 1916, a force that had to deal with a lot of growing pains. Unfortunately they had to learn many things on the job. The author shows and explains these points and more.

 Mr. Sheldon has, as usual, done a superb job in showing us the thoughts, actions, and reasoning behind the German defense. His chore is made that much more difficult because of the loss of most of the Prussian records from WWI in 1945. He shows that the battle was a learning process for both Armies. The author ends the book with an insightful look at the battle as a whole, and its repercussions for both the German and Allied Armies.


Robert

Book: Fighting The Somme
Author: Jack Sheldon
Publisher: Pen And Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Mark Antony A Plain Blunt Man

by

 Paolo de Ruggiero 
  

 The author states on page 161:

"Suetonius is impartial and credible when he frowns in disgust at the image of a father, and son, after Phillipi, forced to roll die for who would survive, and then Octavian giggling at the suicide of the survivor in front of the body of the deceased. Let's read his comments:

"His conduct so disgusted the remainder of the prisoners, including Marcus Favonius, a well known imitator of Catos's, that while being led off in chains they courteously saluted Antony as Imperator, but abused Octavian to his face with the most obscene epithets".

 Historical figures, especially generals, are much like boxers or sports figures in general. We somewhat remember their glory, but always bring to mind their last attempt at fame, no matter how much it hurts to see the fall of the mighty. If Pompey had died of natural causes right after subduing the pirates, we would find library shelves full of him. If Caesar had survived the Ides only to fall to a Parthian arrow in defeat, would there be that many books about him? Mark Antony, much like many others, lived too long. He has had many books written about him and his last wife, but it is always about Antony the loser. The Gods have not been kind to Mark Antony. The winner always writes the history. So Antony is shown as a love-besotted fool, incapable of anything but obeying Cleopatra.

 The author is to be commended; he tries to set the historical record straight. Mark Antony was ruler of half of the Roman world, and he was Caesar's second in command. This is not revisionist history, but just history. You did not become ruler of half the Roman world then because of your name, you had to earn it. Through all of Antony's ups and downs he was respected by most of his countrymen. If he lost to the Parthians, so did many other Romans down through the years.

 Antony had three wives: Fulvia, Octavia, and Cleopatra. Cleo is the one who gets all the press. I think there should be a larger fan base for Fulvia. The first woman to be on Roman coins, she also led a civil war against Octavian for her husband. She was a firebrand who had helped all three of her husbands to work the Roman mob.

 The author raises many good questions, such as why does Plutarch despise Antony's suicide so much? It was considered noble to end ones life in such a way. Cato, Cassius, and Brutus etc. are not slandered for it, so why Antony? Plutarch's words:

"Antony took himself out of the world in a cowardly, pitiful, and ignoble manner, but still in time to prevent the enemy from having their person in his power".

 I will end with the author's words:

"Shortly thereafter, Marcus Antonius, cavalry commander, military Legate, Quaestor, Augur, Master of Horse, Consul, Procunsul, Enemy of the State, Triumvir, last leader of the Hellenistic world, exhaled his last breath between the arms of his lawfully wedded wife, Cleopatra VII Thea Philopater of the house of Lagos." 

Robert 

Book: Mark Antony A Plain Blunt Man

Author: Paolo de Ruggiero

Publisher: Pen And Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

 

Great Generals of The Ancient World

by

Richard A. Gabriel

 Let's begin this review with a list of the book's chapters. These are:

What Makes Great Generals Great
Thutmose III Of Egypt
Moses
Sargon II The Great Of Assyria
Phillip II Of Macedon
Scipio Africanus
Hannibal Barca
Julius Caesar
Marcus Agrippa
Muhammad
Why Not Alexander?

 I agree completely with five of the nine choices, but you aren't reading this for my choices. Mr. Gabriel starts out with an easy choice for ancient Egypt. Instead of Ramses the what, we have Thutmose The Great. Ramses II's long life allowed him to build or put his name on almost every part of Egypt. However, his claim to 'greatness' falls short, especially in the military field. Mr. Gabriel shows that Thutmose III and Phillip II are the only two on the list that were true innovators in the military field in their time. If not for Thutmose III, the splendor of the New Kingdom would not have reached the heights it did. 

 It is hard to judge the two religious leaders Moses and Muhammad, because we mostly only have religious or religiously bent writings about them, although the author makes a fine argument for them to be on his list.

 Assyrian kings are usually not thought of as ancient conquerors or generals. They are usually portrayed as ancient psychopaths that happened to wear a crown. Why they are always singled out I don't know. There was enough terror and horror in ancient warfare to spread the wealth. Mr. Gabriel makes a great case for Sargon II to  not only be a great ancient general, but also deserving of the title of 'great'.

 Phillip II we have touched upon. He took a backwards impoverished small nation and made it ready to conquer almost the entire known world. Before Phillip II, the Macedonians spent more time killing each other. Very few of the Macedonian kings died in their beds from old age.

 Scipio needs no introduction, as Hart's biography of him is titled 'Greater Than Napoleon'.

 Hannibal is in a class by himself. Not only did he have more engagements than most of the others, he was leading a mercenary army for the most part. His romping through Italy for a decade and a half is the stuff of legends.

 Caesar, the first one, not one of the name thieves; if his own lengthy paean of praise for himself is only half true he belongs on the list.

 Agrippa, whilst Octavian wept and shook while nursing a queasy stomach, conquered an empire for him. Agrippa must have been a rare man indeed. One little push here or there and the world would be awash with the name Marcus of Agrippa, instead of Caesar.

 In the last chapter, the author makes a good argument for not including dear old Alex. This will probably stun more people than not. Didn't Hannibal famously list Alexander as #1? Actually, Plutarch has the list slightly different in the two places he writes about it.

 Now that we have come to the end, I will list the generals that did not make the list, but I believe should have:

Pyrrhus

Antigonus

For the Romans: Marius, Sulla, or Belisarius instead of Agrippa

Pompey

Khalid Khan

 Mr. Gabriel does plead a great case for his inclusions and omissions.  Do yourself a favor and pick this book up and argue over it as I have.

Robert

Book: Great Generals Of The Ancient World

Author: Richard A. Gabriel

Publisher: Pen And Sword

Distributor: Casemate publishers

 

Images Of War 

 Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) At War 1939-1945

by

Ian Baxter 

 The 'Images Of War' books are exactly that. These are mostly rare photos of the LSSAH at war, and sometimes at peace. These are just photos of normal soldiers and lower ranked commanders. There are no press shots of Peiper or Dietrich. 

 The author does a good job of giving you a condensed history of the division. He also does not shy away from the LSSAH's many war crimes. That is one of the problems with studying or reading and writing about the German forces in World War II. How do you give them credit for their splendid war records, while still remembering at times it was they who were the subhuman monsters.

 This is one of the striking differences when I look at this book. You will see soldiers at war, and sometimes even see groups of them as friends laughing at an unheard joke. The pictures don't show us werewolves or vampires or other monsters, but in reality these men slaughtered men, women, and children. I am not talking about killing POWs here. Many good soldiers on both sides of conflicts have done this, usually in the heat of battle. These men fought and died like lions, yet still they committed unheard of atrocities. 

 The book's chapters are:

 Training For War

 Baptism of Fire 1939-41

 Barbarossa 1941

 Kharkov and Beyond 1942-43 

 The last year 1944-45

 The appendices are:

 SS Infrantryman 1939-1942

 Combat Uniforms of the Waffen-SS 1943-45

 The Second Model of The LSSAH Standard

 Waffen-SS Order of Battle

 Each chapter starts with a written piece on the background history of the year or campaign that the pictures shown took place. As is usual with the 'Images of War' books, the photographs are mostly newly found unpublished ones from the war.

 For model makers and others, the book is a great source on uniforms, weapons, and markings of the LSSAH. As you can see, their insignia was a skeleton key, but it was also a play on words. Their first commander was Sepp Dietrich, and Dietrich in German means skeleton key.

Robert

Book: Images of War: Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSSAH) At  War 1939-1945
Author: Ian Baxter
Publisher: Pen And Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Tanks Of The Second World War

by

Thomas Anderson

   In this book, the author chose to go back in time and start with the development of the tank in the First World War and its usage.  One of the strangest designs we see is a picture of the Russian 'Lebedenko Tank', if you could call it one. In reality, it looked like a huge tricycle in reverse. It had two massive front wheels that were connected to a small wheel and motor in the back. Had the engines of the time been able to produce more horsepower, who knows where this concept and other strange ones might have led? The book then goes into the interwar period, with a lot of emphasis on the Spanish Civil war. This war was used as a test bed for most of the European powers to try their armaments and tactics out on living subjects. 

 The interwar period saw designers go both large and small with tanks. Some countries developed huge multi-turreted land battleships that had the agility of a ruptured beetle, while other countries worked mostly on tiny tankettes. They could speed across the terrain so that the occupants could rush to their demise enveloped with armor slightly thicker than a tea kettle or several sheets of Reynolds Wrap. 

 The world had the tank, but what to do with it? The interwar period also saw a huge amount of printed material in all countries purporting to show the 'correct use' of the tank. The only problem was that they all contradicted themselves. 

 One of the most proficient designers was the American, John Christie. The Christie tanks didn't make him much money at all, but they were the sires of many British and Russian subsequent designs.

 The book has the following chapters:

 Tank Warfare
 Genesis
 The Interwar period
 Tanks in action: The 1930's -  this segues into World War II tanks
 Prospect: The Long Road To The Main Battle Tank

 Each chapter goes through the major, and sometimes not so major, designs of the period in question. The book also comes with an interesting 'bulls-eye' design for the comparison between the different World War II tanks. It is a cross-hair where each arm is labeled armor, speed, engine to weight ratio, and penetrating power.

 The different tanks shown down through the years and all of the various comparisons remind me of an adage attributed to various famous fliers: 'It is the man, not the machine'. 

 This book is a great one for tank newbies, but also for us unofficial tank gearheads. The book is filled with many wartime photos, but also shows many one of a kind tank designs. So through the book you really get a sense of the sometimes halting design path to nowadays main battle tanks.


Robert


Book: Tanks Of The Second World War
Author: Thomas Anderson
Publisher Pen And Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Roman Republic At War

 A Compendium Of Battles From 502 To 31 B.C.

 By

Don Taylor

 Part one of the book is an 'Introduction to warfare during the Roman republic'. This short but well written preamble is necessary for the neophytes among us, as is the next section 'The Navy of the Roman Republic'. These two together are very good primers on Roman republican land and sea warfare. 

 The book itself is an alphabetical listing of all of the battles and some sieges from early Rome to the end of the Republic. The author lets us know which ancient sources he used. If a battle is not listed, it is because of a dearth of information about it.

 The listings in the book are not meant to be complete histories of each battle. They are at most two pages long, and as little as a small paragraph. A lot of the major battles are accompanied by maps that show how the action took place. The author stresses that he takes the ancient sources at face value and does not analyze or embellish the accounts. Where there are differences in the different ancient authors he lists them.

 After the introduction to Roman warfare there are two very helpful lists of all the battles in the book. The first is an alphabetical listing of the battles. The second is a chronological list that helps you to follow the battles through the myriad of Roman wars.

 There is one caveat for complete Roman newbies. The description of where the battles took place would be instantly recognizable to Roman eyes. Unfortunately, that is not the case for most 21st century English speaking people. The  good news is that maps of ancient Rome etc. are just a click away for most of us. So finding out exactly where each battle was fought is not that difficult.

 One of the book's assets is that you can see the progression of parts of Roman history through the tales of each battle. The civil war after Caesar's death is one example, and the war against Antiochus The Great is another.  This book will certainly lead readers to fill in the gaps by reading more Roman history. If that is all the book does it is certainly worth its weight, but the book is much more than that and is a great reference for old hands of Roman history. The maps are especially useful for understanding exactly what each side in the battles had to contend with.

Robert

Book: Roman Republic At War: A compendium Of Battles From 502 To 31 B.C.

Author: Don Taylor

Publisher: Pen And Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Military Technology of The First World War

by

Wolfgang Fleischer

 

 This is not your typical book about arms and armaments of a certain period. It does not have just one or two pages about each weapon along with its specifications, along with a small write up on its usage. This book is an overview of all of the weapons and different technologies of the war. The chapters are:

The Administration of Scarcity

Machine Guns In The First World War

Trench Warfare And Geology

The Rise Of Artillery

Tanks

Chemical warfare

From The Catapult To The Mortar

Flamethrowers In Place of Fire Extinguishers

Motor Vehicles In Field Gray

From The Eye In The Sky To The Fist Of The Military Leadership

 Machine guns are gone over in detail, as they should be. Their development changed warfare tremendously. The book goes into the various countries' early machine guns, and how their armies attempted to come up with tactical plans for their usage.

 The pictures in the book are incredible. They not only show a large amount of obscure armaments, but also allow us to glimpse the life of a soldier from a hundred years ago. The illustrations of bunkers, guns, and ammo teaches you how the war's nuts and bolts really worked.

 The section on trenches describe not only the trenches themselves, but all of the defensive measures taken. On page fifty-nine is something I had never read about before. It shows a British Mark IV tank overturned in what can only be described as a 'Tiger trap' built for tanks. Simple yes, but incredibly effective.

 The section on artillery shows many different guns from all of the combatants, many that I had never seen a picture of. The pictures of gas mortar batteries are especially sinister looking.

 The chapter on mortars alone is worth the price of the book. Many books on World War I artillery pay scant or no attention to this weapon. On page 148 there is a drawing of a makeshift German 24kg 'mortar' in the loosest use of the word. It is really an iron pot with two attached rails to it. Just looking at it makes me feel for the extremely gallant or foolhardy soldiers who had to use them. There is even an illustration of a German spring catapult to toss grenades or gas bombs. This chapter is especially full of one of a kind photos and illustrations.

 For those interested in the military technology of the First World War, this book is an instant buy. For those of us who are interested in obscure and sometimes one of a kind weapons this should also be on your shelf.

Robert

Book: Military Technology Of The First World War

Author: Wolfgang Fleischer

Publisher: Pen And Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Death Was Their Co-Pilot

by

 Michael Dörflinger

 Death Was Their Co-Pilot; what an apt title. You could also add that death was their constant companion. Of the fifteen original German Fokker monoplane pilots in 1915, none lived to see 1917. This book is filled with facts as sobering as that one. It also tells you about Gustav Leffers, who was a 'Blue Max' ( Pour Le' Merite) recipient, and he actually flew in a captured Nieuport 16.

 The book starts with the story of Roland Garros. Then it goes into the life of the first air ace Celestin Pegoud. The next ace's life it goes into is British ace Lanoe Hawker. We change gears, and go into the exploits of the first Fokker monoplane (eindecker) aces, Immelmann, Boelcke, and the rest. The 'Dicta Boelcke', Boelcke's commandments for aerial combat are still taught today.

 Naturally the book goes into the controversy of the number of 'kills' for each pilot. The German method seems to have been the 'best' as far as being able to actually account for all of their pilots' claims. However, the book uses some examples, specifically with Herman Goering, that sometimes the Allied and German records do not match up. This is especially true when it comes to pilots who claimed numerous kills on solo flights into enemy territory. Of the four nations: Britain, France, Germany, and the U.S. and their highest ranking pilots, only Germany's Richtofen did not survive the war. Richtofen's younger brother Lothar, was able to amass forty victories in only seventy-seven operational days. A lot of the pilots carried pistols for suicide in case they were shot down in flames. In World War I the powers that be decided that the airplane, and not the pilot, was important so no pilots were given parachutes in the beginning years of the war. During 'Bloody April' of 1917 the life span of a British pilot was on average three weeks. It seems that if luck or innate skill was with you in the beginning of your career, you were then offered up a large diet of fledglings.

 The book is filled with so many stories of heroism and patriotism, it is hard to pick the best examples. So many on each side returned to the fray in physical and mental conditions that should have kept them in a hospital bed, and not a cockpit.

 The other fronts besides the Western are touched on, as is the evolution of both armaments and the actual planes themselves. If you are looking for a book that shows the facts and figures, but also goes deep beyond them, then this book is for you.

Robert

Book: Death Was Their Co-Pilot

Author: Michael Dörflinger

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Images Of War: Allied Tanks Of The Second World War

 by

Michael Green

  Light, medium, and heavy tanks, and everything in between. The book is setup this way:

Light Tanks

Early-War Medium Tanks

Late-war Medium Tanks

Heavy Tanks

 The chapters start up with a write up on the different Allied nations tanks of that class. The rest of each chapter is full of pictures of almost every make and model allied tank. A lot of the pictures were taken of surviving examples of these tanks at museums. The bad thing is that at least two of these museums have closed down. There are also plenty of actual wartime photographs.

 The photos show the progression of science and technology from the prewar to the late-war tanks. Included are pictures of some of the armament of the tanks along with ammunition. There are a few photos of the inside crew positions of the tanks.

 The T-34 and Sherman and their variant photos and write-ups take up a lot of the book. Being the most produced tanks of World war II, this stands to reason.

 Once again this is a great book for tank modelers. It is also a good 'starter book' for someone who doesn't know much about the Allied armor in World war II, but wants to learn.

Robert

Book: Images of War: Allied Tanks Of The Second World War

Author: Michael Green

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Distributor: Casemate publishers

Sherman Tanks

British Army and Royal Marines 

Normandy Campaign 1944

by

Dennis Oliver

 This book has surprised me. I am a Duesenberg, and not a Ford Model T person. So the 'Model T' of tanks, the Sherman, has never impressed me. I knew it was rugged and dependable, but I also knew it was known as the 'Tommy cooker'. It was a perfect tank up until 1943. In the last two years of the war, its reputation went downhill. The Sherman armor was not up to snuff when playing with the German big cats: Panthers and Tigers. By 1943 the Sherman's short 75mm gun was also not powerful enough. Even with the issues mentioned above, the Sherman did have some good points. It was easy to drive, was fast, and could be repaired quickly. The Sherman was meant to be mass produced, and was it ever. It is the third most produced tank in history!(the most produced tank was not the T-34, but the t-54/55 if you include all of the Chinese models of it).

 The book starts with short history of the Sherman, and then goes into its use in British armored formations. This then segues into a history of each British armored division or brigade in the Normandy campaign.

 Then the book has twelve colored pages of front and side pictures of all different types and models of Shermans', including the model V with the 17 pounder gun. The author believes that the term 'Firefly' for this version was not used in WWII. These pictures are excellent material for all of us model builders.

 We get into the model section next. There are six different models showcased from world class model builders. The two that stick out to me are the Sherman Crab (this had a revolving bar with heavy chains attached to set off mines), and the BARV(Beach Armored recovery Vehicle). I am a sucker for armor oddities or tanks that had  very low production figures. The BARV is soon to be available from ROCHM Model for both Dragon and Tasca kits.

 Next in line is a rundown of all of the different kits in the 1/35 and 1/48 scale. The pages right after this are for all of the metal and resin add-ons that you can buy to trick out your next Sherman kit. The book ends with a few more pages of background on the different Sherman production models and some more history.

 This book, along with the one on Tigers I-II that I just reviewed, are great books for someone who wants a short history of these tanks that are filled with facts and pictures of them. Their obvious audience are modellers. For this group the books are of tremendous value. 


Robert 

Book: Sherman Tanks British Army and Royal Marines Normandy Campaign 1944
Author: Dennis Oliver
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Distributor: Casemate Publishers

Tiger I and tiger II Tanks German Army and Waffen SS Eastern front 1944

by

Dennis Oliver

  The German big 'cats'; who would not be impressed by them? The total amount of these tanks that were constructed was not very much, but their influence on so many battlefields went far beyond mere numbers. There are so many stories of Tigers limping back to their own lines with shell marks on them too numerous to count. They were bent, bruised, and battered, but still capable of taking out any Allied tank. They are a mechanical marvel. All it takes is to watch some tanks go through their paces on the TV to see the difference. All the other tanks lurch and clank and sputter. The Tigers go through their paces like a Ferrari. Otto Carius said that you could steer it with one finger. Over engineered, certainly. Deadly in the hands of a veteran crew, almost certainly. 

 This book is a bit of a amalgamation. It is about the history of all of the Tiger tanks and their crews that fought on the eastern front in 1944, but it is also about Tiger I-II models.

 There are six different models of Tiger Is and IIs, and also a Sturm Tiger. All are from different world class model makers, and they are fantastic. They are enough to make you get your poorly made Tiger models and throw them away. The weathering and the detail is superb. The dirt and snow in the first models tracks are unbelievably realistic. There are also ten pages of excellent side shots of different Tigers for modellers to use in their builds.

 Then there are pages of the Tigers that are on sale from all of the different model companies. Dragon, Italieri, Tamiya etc, they are all here. Speaking of Tamiya, did you know that the company started out as a sawmill? They started a sideline business of wooden ships and airplanes. The side business did so well they closed down the sawmill. The book is filled with that fact and so many others. 

 After the model companies are listed, there are a few pages of specialist companies that build add-ons to enhance your model. Metal, resin, and brass - you name it, it is listed here. 

  The unit histories are usually about a page in length. The book goes on to state and show all of the changes the different Tigers went though during their three years of construction.

 From a technical standpoint the book is a winner. Throw in all of the unit histories and then add the modelling, and it is a superb book on the Tiger I-II tanks. This book is part of the Pen and Sword 'Tank Craft' books. The book is really a showcase of the modellers and their builds, and gives the rest of us a shot in the arm to up our game on our next Tiger tank.

 I will be doing a review of another 'Tank Craft' book: 'Sherman Tanks British Army and Royal Marines Normandy Campaign 1944'. I cannot wait to see what the modellers have done in this one.

Robert

Book: Tiger I and Tiger II Tanks German Army and waffen SS Eastern front 1944

Author: Dennis Oliver

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Distributor: Casemate publishers