January 2023 MBR The Military Shelf

The Military Shelf

The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told
Tom McCarthy
The Lyons Press
http://lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
http://www.globepequot.com
9781493066131, $19.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Military-Mission-Stories-Ever/dp/1493066137

Synopsis: For many a battle, the orders to proceed were nothing more than an invitation to die, and usually in unpleasant ways. But the soldiers proceeded nonetheless, because a higher cause was at stake.

"The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" by award-winning editor and writer Tom McCarthy is stunning collection of war stories and a tribute to the courage, steely resolve, and discipline of men who accomplished daunting missions in the face of almost certain death. Nonetheless, they stepped into the breach and performed heroically. That was their duty and they did not question. They had a mission and they accepted.

"The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" is comprised of ten powerful stories of American soldiers and sailors that span more than 200 years of action with one common theme, summed up succinctly a participant who took control of Omaha Beach on D-Day, 1944.

From Marines taking Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi or defending Khe San, Navy pilots taking to the air to defend Pearl Harbor, or an outnumbered American regiment in Korea defeating the Chinese at the Battle of Chipyong-ni, courage was the common watchword, death the common consequence. Such is the lot of soldiers everywhere.

"The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" is also a not-so-gentle reminder of the price of freedom that was paid by American men for more than 200 years of struggle, from the Revolutionary War, the Spanish-American War, Civil War, World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.

Critique: Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.63), and unreservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated military history buffs, "The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" is an inherently engaging and core addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library American Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Bloody Verrieres
Arthur W. Gullaghsen
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636240947, $37.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Verri%C3%A8res-Verri%C3%A8res-Bourguebus-Tilly-Camp agne/dp/1636240941

Synopsis: South of the Norman city of Caen, Verrieres Ridge was seen a key stepping-stone for the British Second Army if it was to break out of the Normandy bridgehead in late July 1944. Imposing in height and containing perfect terrain for armored operations, the Germans viewed it as the lynchpin to their defenses south of the city of Caen and east of the Orne river.

Following the failure of British Operation Goodwood on 18-20 July and the containment of the Canadian Operation Atlantic, further Allied attacks to seize the ridge would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armored formation in Normandy: The I. SS-Panzerkorps 'Leibstandarte.'

"Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verrieres-Bourguebus Ridges: Volume II: The Defeat of Operation Spring and the Battles of Tilly-la-Campagne, 23 July - 5 August 1944" by Professor Arthur W. Gullachsen is the second volume of a two-volume military history, that chronicles in detail the premier Anglo-Canadian operation to capture Verrieres Ridge, Operation Spring on 25 July. Designed as an attack to seize the ridge and exploit south with armor, this battle saw the 2nd Canadian Corps attack savaged again by German armored reserves brought in specifically to defeat another Goodwood.

Not satisfied with this defensive victory, German armored forces would then seek to restore an earlier defensive line further north, attacking to destroy the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Largely unknown, these were some of the strongest and most successful German armored operations to take place in the Normandy campaign.

Critique: An invaluable and superbly researched contribution to personal, professional, community, and academic library World War II European Theatre histories, "Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verrieres-Bourguebus Ridges: Volume II: The Defeat of Operation Spring and the Battles of Tilly-la-Campagne, 23 July - 5 August 1944" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a six page Bibliography, eighteen pages of Endnotes, a Glossary, a listing of Rank Equivalents, and an eleven page Index. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Blood Verrieres" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.95).

Editorial Note: Arthur W. Gullachsen (https://www.rmc-cmr.ca/en/history/arthur-gullachsen) is an Associate Professor within the Royal Military College of Canada's History Department. A Canadian Army officer, he currently teaches military history. The author of An Army of Never-Ending strength: The Reinforcement of the Canadian Army 1944 - 1945, he is also a regular contributor to the Canadian Military History Journal and has authored chapters to the US Army University Press's Large Scale Combat Operations book series. A graduate of the University of Western Ontario History PhD program, he completed his degree in 2016. Captain Gullachsen currently resides in Kingston, Ontario.

C-130 Hercules: A History
Martin W. Bowman
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399074858, $34.95, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/C-130-Hercules-History-Martin-Bowman/dp/1399074857

Synopsis: Designed in response to a 1951 American military requirement, the C-130 Hercules is the most successful military airlifter ever built. Since it first flew in prototype form on 23 August 1954, more than 2,100 have been produced in over eighty different versions. Across its variants, the Hercules serves more than sixty air forces, as well as many civilian cargo operators, in a multiplicity of roles, including air-to-air refueller, gunship, airborne command post, flying hospital and fire-fighter.

This rugged and easily maintained aircraft entered service in 1956 with the USAF Tactical Air Command. Ten years later the 'Charlie 130' was providing essential logistical support in Vietnam. This period in South-East Asia was the Hercules' finest hour. Paradrops, airlift and evacuation operations were completed around the clock, often at low level, usually under fire and nearly always in bad weather.

A generation later this 'Mr Dependable' was serving with equal distinction in the Gulf War in the role of airlifter, radio-countermeasures and 'psy-ops' platform, gunship and, once again, 'block-buster bomber'. The 'Herky Bird' or 'Fat Albert', as the C-130 is fondly known, has proved a key component in humanitarian relief operations ever since, in all parts of the world.

The incredible success story of the C-130 is far from over. With the publication of "C-130 Hercules: A History", military aviation historian Martin W. Bowman tells the full story of this remarkable aircraft at first-hand.

Critique: Profusely illustrated with b/w photography throughout, "C-130 Hercules: A History" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and academic library American Military Aviation collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Exception in organization and presentation, "C-130 Hercules: A History" is a comprehensive and detailed history that is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99) for students, academia, military buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Martin Bowman is one of Britain's leading aviation authors and has written a great deal of books focussing on aspects of Second World War aviation history. He lives in Norwich in Norfolk. He is the author of many Pen and Sword Aviation titles, including all releases in the exhaustive Air War D-Day and Air War Market Garden series.

Red Army Tank Commander
Vasiliy Bryukhov
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
https://iremember.ru/en/memoirs/tankers/bryukhov-vasily-pavlovich
9781781590232, $34.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Army-Tank-Commander-Eastern/dp/1781590230

Synopsis: What was it like to command a T-34 tank on the Eastern Front during the Second World War? How were tank operations organized and carried out, what was the actual experience of combat, and what were the qualities that made the difference between success and failure - and what were the chances of survival? "Red Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front" by Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryukhov's vivid, detailed and gripping memoir of his wartime service gives a fascinating and authentic insight into these questions.

In addition, "Red Army Tank Commander" provides an accurate, unsentimental record of the day-to-day life of a tank man whose unit fought in the forefront of the Red Army throughout the conflict across the western Soviet Union and into Eastern Europe. Vasiliy's first-hand eyewitness account is a memorable personal story, and it gives a powerful insight into the reality of tank warfare seventy years ago.

Vasiliy was born in 1924 in Osa. In April 1943, after graduation from tank school, he was given command of a T-34 tank, and he took part in the Battle of Kursk. He served continuously until the end of the war, fighting through Ukraine, Moldavia, Romania and Hungary to Austria. In one action his crew destroyed nine German panzers and in another he led the vanguard of his tank brigade through German lines to capture bridges and cut off the German retreat. In 1944, he was promoted to battalion commander. For his actions at the end of 1944 and 1945, he was nominated for the title Hero of the Soviet Union, but this nomination was not fulfilled until 1995 when he was given the title of a Hero of the Russian Federation for the courage and gallantry he displayed in battle during the Great Patriotic War.

Critique: Ably translated into English by Vladimir Krupnik, "Red Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front" by Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryukhov is a simply fascinating and impressively informative account which will be a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing library of World War II military histories and biographies. While unreservedly recommended for community and academic library World War II Biography/Memoir collections, it should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Red Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front" is also available in a paperback edition (9781399077330, $26.95) and in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99).

Bombs and Barbed Wire
Ronald Cormier
Goose Lane Editions
www.gooselane.com
9781773102788, $19.95, PB, 222pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bombs-Barbed-Wire-Prisoners-1939-1945/dp/1773102788

Synopsis: Little has been written about the Acadians who served in Canada's armed forces during the Second World War. In fact, the prevailing notion suggested that Acadians refused to support the war effort.

"Bombs and Barbed Wire: Stories of Acadian Airmen and Prisoners of War, 1939-1945" by Ronald Cormier provides an alternative point of view, revealing the commitment and bravery displayed by the approximately 24,000 Acadians who voluntarily joined the war effort. Battling both language barriers and a culture of exclusion, they overcame frustrations and prejudice to fight for the freedom of the country they loved.

Based on extensive, in-depth interviews Cormier conducted in 1990 with eleven surviving Acadian veterans, "Bombs & Barbed Wire" brings to life the experience of Acadian soldiers for English-language readers for the first time.

Critique: "Bombs and Barbed Wire: Stories of Acadian Airmen and Prisoners of War, 1939-1945" is volume 29 of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series. A unique and exceptional contribution to the growing library of World War II histories, "Bombs and Barbed Wire" will have a very special appeal to dedicated military history buffs and is unreservedly recommended to personal, professional, community, and academic library World War II collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Ronald Cormier is a passionate Second World War historian. He has written several French-language books on the war and has served as the historian of the Dieppe Veterans' Association since 2003. He previously worked for Radio-Canada and History Television, where he wrote and directed documentaries on the Second World War.

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