December 2023 MBR The Military History Shelf

The Military History Shelf

The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943
James Holland
Atlantic Monthly Press
c/o Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
www.groveatlantic.com
9780802161604, $32.00, HC, 480pp

https://www.amazon.com/Savage-Storm-Battle-Italy-1943/dp/080216160X

Synopsis: Following victory in Sicily, and while the central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied troops crossed into southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces north and liberate Rome by Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German divisions fiercely resisted, and the hoped-for quick victory descended into one of the most challenging and protracted battles of the entire war.

With the publication of "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943", James Holland chronicles the dramatic opening months of the Italian Campaign in unflinching and insightful detail. Unlike any campaign history yet written. Holland narrates the war at ground level, and chronicles events almost entirely through the contemporary eyes of those who were there on all sides and at all levels -- Allied, Axis, civilians alike.

Weaving together a wealth of letters, diaries, and other documents (from the likes of American General Mark Clark, German battalion commander Georg Zellner, New Zealand lance-corporal Roger Smith, legendary war reporter Ernie Pyle, and Italian politician Filippo Caracciolo) Holland traces the battles as they were experienced across plains, over mountains, through shattered villages and cities, in intense heat and, towards the end of December 1943, frigid cold and relentless rain.

Such close-up views have persuaded Holland to recast important aspects of the campaign, reappraising the reputation of Mark Clark himself and other senior commanders of the U.S. Fifth and British Eighth armies. Given the shortage of Allied shipping and materiel allocated to Italy because of the build-up for D-Day, more was expected of Allied troops in Italy than anywhere else, and, as accounts at the time attest, a huge price was paid by everyone for each bloodily contested mile.

"The Savage Storm" puts the reader vividly in the moment as events unfolded, with characters made unforgettable by their own words. Simply stated "The Savage Storm" is a defining account of the pivotal months leading to Monte Cassino, and a landmark in the writing about war.

Critique: A massively detailed study, "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" is exceptionally well researched, written, organized and presented -- making it an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university World War II Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Savage Storm: The Battle for Italy 1943" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $16.99).

Editorial Note: James Holland is one of WWII's finest historians and the author of Brothers in Arms, Sicily '43, Normandy '44, Big Week, The Rise of Germany and The Allies Strike Back in the War in the West trilogy, and Dam Busters. He has written and presented the BAFTA short-listed documentaries Battle of Britain and Dam Busters for the BBC. His WWII podcast is We Have Ways of Making You Talk. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holland_(author)

Roman Conquests: Gaul
Michael M. Sage
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399077323, $26.95, PB, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Roman-Conquests-Michael-M-Sage/dp/1399077325

Synopsis: "Roman Conquests: Gaul" by Michael M. Sage is newest addition to the Roman Conquests from Pen & Sword Books. This is definitive series that deals with some of the best known Roman campaigns of all.

Indeed, due to the involvement of Julius Caesar in the Roman military campaigns agaist the Gauls, and the commentaries he wrote upon them, these are some of the most studied of any ancient campaigns.

Before Caesar, however, Rome had already established a foothold across the Alps in Gaul (the Province, modern Provence) and with "Roman Conquests: Gaul", historian Michael M Sage starts this historical study with these early acquisitions which were largely reactive and defensive.

The Gauls were one of the great warrior societies of ancient Europe and some of Rome's heaviest defeats were suffered here at the end of the second century BC. This context makes all the more remarkable the dazzling success of the audacious campaigns, just half a century later, by which Caesar rapidly completed the initial conquest of the rest of Gaul.

The subsequent revolts that soon occurred, culminating in the great unified rising under Vercingetorix, are also covered in detail, with the epic siege of Alesia as the dramatic climax.

Michael Sage deftly narrates and analyzes all of these campaigns, revealing just how the Roman military war machine was able ultimately able to overcome vastly superior numbers of Celtic warriors, ultimately resulting in the extension of Rome's rule from the Mediterranean to the English Channel.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a section of color plates and maps, "Roman Conquests: Gaul" also features a seven page Appendix (Development of the Roman Army of the First Century BC), nine pages of Notes, a nine page Bibliography, and a five page Index. "Roman Conquests: Gaul" is fascinating, informative, deftly organized and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in presentation. Originally published in hardcover in 2012, this new paperback edition is a solidly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library Roman History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Roman Conquests: Gaul" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Michael M Sage gained his doctorate in Classics from Toronto University in 1973. After a long teaching career at the University of Cincinatti, Ohio, he is now Emeritus Professor of Classics. His previous works include Warfare in Ancient Greece: A Sourcebook (1996) and The Republican Roman Army: A Sourcebook (2008).

Allied Victory Over Japan 1945
Jon Diamond
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399042888, $28.95, PB, 232pp

https://www.amazon.com/Allied-Victory-Over-Japan-1945/dp/1399042882

Synopsis: In 1944 with the war in Europe turning in the Allies' favor, Japan still occupied vast swathes of South East Asia and the Pacific.

In Burma, the seemly unstoppable Japanese advance was halted at Kohima and Imphal in June and July 1944. Six months later the advances made by British-led forces enabled the re-opening of the supply routes from India to US forces in China. It was not until Spring 1945 that British-led forces seized first Mandalay and then the port city of Rangoon after a year of grueling fighting.

Admiral Nimitz's and General MacArthur's forces meanwhile were overcoming fanatical Japanese resistance as they invaded Saipan, Guam, Tinian, Leyte and Luzon in late 1944. Iwo Jima and Okinawa fell to the Allies in early 1945. These successes enabled USAAF Superfortresses to bomb mainland Japan. Late Spring/Early Summer 1945 saw the steady recapture of the Northern Solomons and Brunei, Borneo and former Dutch colonies. The Soviets were advancing into Manchuria and Korea.

The atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 finally forced the Japanese to surrender without the inevitable carnage of an invasion of their mainland.

The tumultuous events of the final year of the Second World War in the Far East are brilliantly described in the pages of "Allied Victory Over Japan 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime Achieves by Jon Diamond who provides a wealth of contemporary well captioned images supported by a succinct text.

Critique: The large format paperback edition of "Allied Victory Over Japan 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime Achieves) from Pen & Sword Books is a high value and unreservedly recommended contribution to personal, professional, community, and college/university library Pacific Theatre World War II collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Allied Victory Over Japan 1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime Achieves" (a part of the Pen & Sword 'Images of War' series) is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Jon Diamond MD is a kidney specialist in the USA with a deep interest in the Second World War. He is a keen collector of photographs. His Stilwell and the Chindits, War in the South Pacific, Invasion of Sicily, Invasion of the Italian Mainland: Salerno to Gustav Line, 1943-1944, Onto Rome 1944; Anzio and Victory at Cassino and Beyond Rome to the Alps; Across the Arno and Gothic Line, 1944-1945 and Op Plunder The Rhine River Crossing are all published by Pen and Sword in their Images of War series.

The Dieppe Raid
John Grehan, author
Alexander Nicoll, author
Frontline Books
c/o Casemate Publishers
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399067201, $34.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Dieppe-Raid-Assault-Hitlers-Fortress/dp/1399067206

Synopsis: As dawn was breaking on the morning of 19 August 1942, Allied troops leapt ashore to the east and west of the French port of Dieppe. These were British commandoes accompanied by U.S. Rangers, tasked to silence the German gun batteries that flanked Dieppe. Other troops (the men of the 2nd Canadian Division) landed closer to Dieppe to capture the German positions that overlooked the port while, minutes later, the main body of the predominantly Canadian assaulting force began clambering from landing craft that had run onto the beach along Dieppe's seafront. This was the start of Operation Jubilee, the Allies' most ambitious assault upon Hitler's so-called Fortress Europe that quickly became a bloodbath.

The early months of 1942 had been difficult ones for Prime Minister Churchill. Stalin was demanding action in Western Europe to lessen the pressure of the 280 German divisions that were bearing down upon Stalingrad. Roosevelt was insisting that U.S. soldiers must start fighting the Germans in Europe, and Mackenzie King, the Canadian Prime Minister, desperately needed Canadian troops to become involved in the war to keep his politically divided nation together. Churchill's response to these measures was to authorize a 'super-raid' upon German-held territory, and the target selected by the planners was Dieppe.

Apart from the notable success of No.4 Commando, the raid was a disaster with more than 50 per cent of the 6,086 men who landed being killed, wounded, or taken prisoner, plus all the Churchill tanks landed in support of the infantry suffered mechanical failure or were shelled into smoking wrecks. Yet amid the scenes slaughter, of confusion, and communication breakdown, were acts of almost unimaginable heroism, ingenuity, determination, and self-sacrifice to which the awarding of two Victoria Crosses paid a worthy tribute. There were also special missions associated with the raid, the details of which remained a closely guarded secret until long after the war.

A part of the Frontline Books 'Images of War; series, "The Dieppe Raid: The Allies' Assault Upon Hitler's Fortress Europe, August 1942" by co-authors John Grehan and Alexander Nicoll opens a window on Operation Jubilee, allowing the reader a rare insight into the death and destruction inflicted upon the Allied force during just a few hours, and of the damage done to Dieppe itself, with many of the photographs being taken by the victorious German defenders. The raid saw the heaviest casualty figures experienced by Canadians in the Second World War, and the photographs in this book are a stark reminder of that fateful day in late summer of 1942.

Critique: This large format (7.75 x 0.5 x 10 inches) paperback edition of "The Dieppe Raid: The Allies' Assault Upon Hitler's Fortress Europe, August 1942" is a truly stunning collection of authentic historical B/W photos whose images and captions provide rare insight into the death and destruction inflicted upon Allied forces during the Dieppe Raid. While highly recommended for personal, professional, community, and college/university World War II collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "The Dieppe Raid: The Allies' Assault Upon Hitler's Fortress Europe, August 1942" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99).

Editorial Note #1: John Grehan has written, edited or contributed to more than 300 books and magazine articles covering a wide span of military history from the Iron Age to the recent conflict in Afghanistan. John has also appeared on local and national radio and television to advise on military history topics. He was employed as the Assistant Editor of Britain at War Magazine from its inception until 2014. John now devotes his time to writing and editing books.

Editorial Note #2: Alexander Nicoll has been involved in writing and publishing military history for thirty years. He began his career with local history, and has since written numerous books and magazine articles, predominantly on subjects relating to the two world wars.

Duel in the Deep
David Sears
Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781682475607, $34.95, HC, 376pp

https://www.amazon.com/Duel-Deep-Hunters-Hunted-Finish/dp/1682475603

Synopsis: In Autumn 1943 the Battle of the Atlantic (World War II's longest seagoing campaign) reached a new crescendo. Anti-submarine aircraft and ships using new tactics, technologies, and weaponry dominated a seascape where German U-boats once ruled supreme. But then unexpectedly, in eerie, mid-ocean darkness, an elemental hull-to-deck, sailor-to-submariner duel erupted.

On Halloween Eve, U.S. Navy destroyer Borie, an outmoded, thin-skinned "tin can" of World War I vintage, set out alone to track down an elusive U-boat. Borie had thus far toiled in the war's backwaters, her crew of young reservists anxious to prove its mettle.

When Borie trapped U-405 on the surface, that chance arrived. As Borie's deck guns unleashed withering fire and U-405's skipper angled his submarine to launch torpedoes, Borie's young skipper (a salesman in civilian life) resorted to the original (and the only) means of sinking a submarine: ramming, full speed ahead, consequences be damned.

Borie's slashing collision with U-405 ignited a swashbuckling, no-holds-barred brawl of cannons, machine guns, small arms, and even knives and spent shell casings. In the wreckage-strewn aftermath, desperate sailors on both sides fought for survival in a heaving, frigid, unforgiving sea.

"Duel in the Deep: The Hunters, the Hunted, and a High Seas Fight to the Finish" deftly weaves together high-stakes strategy and lethal gamesmanship with poignant human backstories, pounding air/surface/subsurface action, epic heroism, and wrenching sacrifice.

Critique: Rescuing from an undeserved obscurity one of the most dramatic and unique submarine battles during World War II, "Duel in the Deep: The Hunters, the Hunted, and a High Seas Fight to the Finish" by military historian David Sears is a simply riveting read and an unreservedly recommended pick for personal, professional, community, and college/university library World War II U.S. Navel History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of Maps, a six page Glossary of Terms and Acronyms, thirty-six pages of Notes, and a fifteen page Index, it should be noted that "Duel in the Deep" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.22).

Editorial Note: David Sears (https://www.duelinthedeep.com) is a New Jersey-based author of four book-length military history narratives: The Last Epic Naval Battle, At War with the Wind, Such Men as These, and Pacific Air. Sears is also a frequent contributor to print publications focused on aviation history, naval history, military history, and veteran affairs.

British Coastal Forces: Two World Wars and After
Norman Friedman
Sealforth Publishing
c/o Naval Institute Press
www.nip.org
9781399018586, $100.00, HC, 400pp

https://www.amazon.com/British-Coastal-Forces-World-After/dp/1399018582

Synopsis: With the publication of "British Coastal Forces: Two World Wars and After", military historian Norman Friedman presents the first comprehensive study on Britain's coastal defences and forces during and after World Wars I & II.

Using contemporary official material, much of which has not been used previously, and published memoirs, Friedman connects the technical story of the coastal craft and their weapons and other innovations with the way they fought. In both world wars much of the technology was at the edge of what was feasible at the time.

Boats incorporated considerable British innovation and benefited from important U.S. contributions, particularly in supplying high-powered engines during World War II. In contrast with larger warships, British coastal forces craft were essentially shaped by a few builders, and their part in the story is given full credit.

"British Coastal Forces" also contains all the sophisticated analysis for which Friedman is so well known as a military historian, and a superb collection of illustrations is includes detailed plans by John Lambert. Like other books in the Sealforth Publishing series, "British Coastal Forces is based very heavily on contemporary official material, much of which has not been used previously -- like the extensive reports of U.S naval observers, who were allowed wide access to the Royal Navy as early as 1940.

Critique: Profusely illustrated throughout, "British Coastal Forces: Two World Wars and After" is informatively enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a listing of Abbreviations, and Appendix (Air-Sea Rescue Boats), forty-three pages of Notes, a two page Bibliography, a five page Coastal Forces Craft Data List, a twenty-four page List of Coastal Forces Craft, and a five page Index. Extraordinary and exceptionally well written, impressively organized and presented, this large format (9.76 x 1.18 x 11.42 inches, 4.81 pounds) hardcover edition of "British Coastal Forces" is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and college/university library 20th Century British Naval & Maritime Military History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Norman Friedman (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Friedman) is a prominent international defense analyst and historian specializing in the intersection between policy, strategy, and technology. He has published more than forty books, including The Fifty-Year War, an award-winning history of the Cold War; a history of naval fighter aircraft; and design histories of many U.S. and British warships.

Battle of the Cities
Anthony Tucker-Jones
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399072007, $42.95, HC, 264pp

https://www.amazon.com/Battle-Cities-Urban-Warfare-Eastern/dp/1399072005

Synopsis: The Stalingrad battle and the Leningrad siege were just two of the brutal, devastating urban conflicts that marked the awful struggle between Germany and the Soviet Union during the Second World War. The cities were strategic fixed points in the sweeping advances and retreats of the opposing armies across eastern Europe. Yet no one has concentrated on these city battles before or has sought to tell the story of the campaigns through the fighting that took place in and around them. That is Anthony Tucker-Jones's purpose in publishing "Battle of the Cities: Urban Warfare on the Eastern Front ", a concise and vivid history of the urban war on the Eastern Front.

Early in the war, during the Wehrmacht's crushing offensives of 1941 and 1942, the Red Army was forced out of a series of key cities. Moscow was threatened, Leningrad surrounded. Then, after the climactic battle at Stalingrad, the Red Army with increasing confidence, speed and power drove the Germans from the Soviet and East European capitals they had occupied. The final urban battles were fought in Germany's cities, culminating in Berlin.

As he traces the course of the fighting for each city, Anthony Tucker-Jones also looks at the local circumstances, the opposing forces, the strategic significance and the tactics employed. In "Battle of the Cities" he focuses not only on the destruction and cruelty of such warfare, but on the heroism displayed on both sides and on the fate of the civilians who found themselves on the front line.

Critique:"Battle of the Cities: Urban Warfare on the Eastern Front" is deftly organized into four major parts (The Relentless Nazi Tide; Breakwater Cities; Lifting the Nazi Yoke; Final Agonies), and features two sections devoted to historic B/W photos, two Appendices (German Siege Weapons; Soviet Siege Weapons), a five page Bibliography, and a nine page Index. A seminal and groundbreaking study from start to finish, "Battle of the Cities" is an exceptional and highly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library World War II (European Theatre) history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Battle of the Cities" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.49).

Editorial Note: Anthony Tucker-Jones (https://www.atuckerjones.com) is a former defense intelligence officer and a widely published expert on regional conflicts, counter-terrorism and armored and aerial warfare. He is the author of over thirty books, is security and terrorism correspondent for intersec - The Journal of International Security, and has freelanced for Channel 4 News.

Air War Vietnam
Martin W. Bowman
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526746276, $39.95, HC, 328pp

https://www.amazon.com/Air-War-Vietnam-Martin-Bowman/dp/1526746271

Synopsis: "Air War Vietnam" by Martin Bowman is a revealing narrative of the aerial conflict in South-East Asia, 1965-1972, which had its beginnings in 1 November 1955, engulfed Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and only ended with the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975 has resulted from decades of painstaking fact-finding as well as detailed correspondence with surviving aircrew incorporating a wealth of first-hand accounts, some never told before, supported by dozens of rare and unusual photographs. Collectively they describe in adrenalin-pumping accuracy the furious aerial battles of a long suffering and bitter war in South-East Asia and in particular the frontline action in the skies over Vietnam that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.

The readers will also acquire a new and useful perspective on a conflict that cost the Americans 58,022 dead and brought the USA worldwide condemnation for its role in Southeast Asia. Nearly 2,500 Americans remained 'missing'.

"Air War Vietnam" also serves as a tribute to the courageous pilots who flew the F-104 Starfighter in the 'Widowmakers' war and B-52 bomber crews on 'Arc Light' 'Linebacker II' strikes and the eleven days of Christmas which ultimately ended the aerial campaign against North Vietnam. And as well, strike aircraft such as the USAF F-4 Phantom and the F-105 'Thud' and the US Navy carrier-borne jet and propeller-driven strike aircraft and the Americans' sworn enemy, the North Vietnamese MiG fighters, feature large, from 'Rolling Thunder' onwards. Equally, the Hueys and Chinooks and other notable work horses that participated on combat assaults or Ash & Trash missions and transports like the C-130 'Herky-Bird', C-123 Provider, Caribou and Vietnamese C-47 - the 'Haulers On Call' - that performed sterling service during the grueling air campaign are not forgotten either.

Here presented, at first hand, are their stories which also include some of the less publicized American forces like the pilots and crewmen who flew the Bird Dogs and all manner of helicopters as well as the largely forgotten Australian and New Zealand Air Force units and the Anzac Battalions whose valuable contributions are too often overlooked. So too is the cost in human misery, death and destruction.

Critique: Exceptionally well organized and presented, as well as impressively enhanced for the reader with a section of historic B/W photos, "Air War Vietnam" is a seminal and critically important contribution to personal, community, and college/university library Vietnam War history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Martin Bowman is one of Britain's leading aviation authors and has written a great deal of books focusing on aspects of Second World War aviation history. 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. (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Martin-Bowman/a/164)

Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918
Maarten Otte
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526796219, $22.95, PB, 216pp

https://www.amazon.com/Belleau-Wood-Vaux-June-July/dp/152679621X

Synopsis: The Battle of Belleau Wood has a prominent place in the history of the United States Marine Corps. It took place between 6 and 27 June 1918 (sometimes considered to be 1-26 June). However, when on 6 June 1918 the marines launched their attack on the wood, the biggest German threat here was nearly over.

Its significance to the Corps is underlined by the presence not only of a monument to the 4th (Marine) Brigade of the US 2nd Division but also by a preserved part of the wood, which is situated to the rear of the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. The fighting here marks the first major battle by the USMC in Europe.

The battle came (although the participants were unaware of this) at the end of the the third great German offensive of Spring 1918, the Blucher-York Offensive, also known as the 3rd Battle of the Aisne, which was launched on 27 May and officially ended on 4 June. Like its predecessors that Spring, an offensive which had started with startling territorial gains had almost ground to a halt by the time that the 2nd Division, and thus the marines, were called in to assist the French Sixth Army in holding the line and in retaking, where possible, crucial positions.

What started out as preventing the Germans from breaking through the French lines and pushing on to Paris ended in a three-weeks long slogging match in and around Belleau Wood. It was on French General Duchene's instigation that the woods were attacked; but in reality the marines could have just held the line and been satisfied with that. As it was, they were flung into action with little time to prepare.

The fighting in Belleau Wood was extremely brutal and involved several attacks and counter-attacks; neither side was willing to yield an inch of the terrain of a feature that had local strategic significance, particularly to the Germans. Although the offensive locally here came to an end and the initial German threat in the area was nearly overcome, the focal point of the fighting moved to Villers Cotterets, twenty-five kilometres north-east of Belleau. The Americans were not quite finished when Belleau Wood was finally captured, as the nearby village of Vaux was taken by an army brigade of the 2nd Division in a text book attack on 1 July.

The USMC has always had a good 'publicity machine' and Belleau Wood was certainly well known to the wider American public in the war years, particularly as it was an early action by a formation of the AEF. Although largely forgotten since the Second World War (the memory perhaps kept alive by the unusual preserved remnant of the battlefield), Belleau Wood's reputation has been enhanced by increased interest in the war since the turn of the century.

Nowadays, the battle is sometimes called a 'pivotal event in the First World War and an iconic battle in US Marine Corps history' by several American authors, which some of their European counterparts might regard as somewhat exaggerated.

Although there have been several guide books on Belleau Wood published in recent years (a clear indication of American interest in the battle today), what differs in the publication of "Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918" by Maarten Otte is the number of points to visit as well as the clear narrative that precedes the tours section. Not only are many new points of interest explored in Belleau itself, but the surrounding countryside is not forgotten. Headquarters, temporary burial sites and other features are included.

"Belleau Wood and Vaux" is profusely illustrated by contemporary photographs and numerous maps, the narrative supplemented by a number of first hand accounts; the whole is supported by several walking and car tours.

"Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918" is the latest in a series of Battleground books by Maarten Otte on the American Expeditionary Forces, with several more in preparation. The AEF's performance in the war is relatively little known, not least in the USA; Belleau Wood is one of the few engagements that still carries some resonance. It is fortunate that so many of the AEF's actions took place in parts of France that have seen little development and are in agricultural or wooded country, which means that traces of their fighting are relatively plentiful.

Critique: Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, "Belleau Wood and Vaux: 1 to 26 June & July 1918" is a seminal and unreservedly recommended core contribution to personal, community, and college/university library World War I military history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Maarten Otte is a long time resident of the Argonne. Growing up in the Netherlands with a fascination with the Great War, particularly the role of the United States. He has published books on Nantillois in 1918 and on US Medal of Honor winners.

Hitler's Imperfect Victories
Rex Bashford
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399070263, $42.95, HC, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Imperfect-Victories-Campaigns-1939-1941/dp/1399070266

Synopsis: There have been many books on Adolf Hitler, and specific military campaigns and battles during the time of the Third Reich. However, there has never been a comprehensive analysis of Hitler's role as the supreme military leader of the Third Reich across all the major campaigns until the publication of "Hitler's Imperfect Victories: Campaigns in Western Europe 1939-1941" by Rex Bashford.

Hitler combined every senior position in government and the armed forces until he was at the same time Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Chancellor, Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Army. He was involved in every aspect of the German war effort including new weapons development. How well did he perform these roles? He called himself a genius and was described as "the greatest German military leader of all time" by one of his most senior military leaders -- but was he? What does the evidence show?

"Hitler's Imperfect Victories" analyses each of the Third Reich's military campaigns paying special attention to Hitler's role in them. This detailed study is based entirely on the evidence of the most senior military personnel who were there at the time, from their contemporaneous diaries and subsequent writings. The sources used include the diaries and recollections of three Chiefs of the Army General Staff, Field-Marshals Rommel, von Rundstedt, von Bock, von Kliest, von Manstein, numerous other senior generals, Hitler's military adjutants, ministers of his government and evidence from the Trial of the Major War Criminals at Nuremberg. The question answered is whether or not there is a consistent thread in this evidence.

Critique: Featuring a seciton of historic B/W photos, "Hitler's Imperfect Victories: Campaigns in Western Europe 1939-1941" is a fascinating, detailed, informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking study that also includes a one page bibliography of Suggestions for Further Reading, twelve pages of Notes, a two page Select Bibliography, and a nine page Index. While also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99), "Hitler's Imperfect Victories: Campaigns in Western Europe 1939-1941" is a strongly recommended pick for both community and college/univesity library World War II History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Rex Bashford has been an avid student of military history at all periods during the whole of his life. He has collected an extensive library with many source materials on a wide variety of historical subjects, especially the military history of WW1 and WW2. He was admitted the Supreme Court of NSW as a Barrister in 1985 and has practiced as a consultant to many of the largest companies in Australia.

Fighting for the French Foreign Legion
Nils Elmark
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781399069151, $42.95, HC, 272pp

https://www.amazon.com/Fighting-French-Foreign-Legion-Americans/dp/1399069152

Synopsis: On 24 August 1914, forty-four Americans joined the Foreign Legion and "with a cowboy swing" marched through Paris, wildly cheered by the crowd. They were Ivy League graduates, artists and dreamers and soldiers of fortune starting on equal terms as recruits in the French Army. They were the first Americans in the Great War, driven by a love for France and a thirst for adventure with no idea of the horrors awaiting them. "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Americans who joined the First World War in 1914" by journalist Nils Elmark is the amazing story of these American legionnaires told by three of the young volunteers:

David Wooster King - a 21-year-old dropout from Harvard, son of a rich businessman. King survived four years in the trenches ending as an officer in the US Army chasing German spies in Switzerland. He became a modern global adventurer and when the world went to war again David King was the first to volunteer for an even greater adventure in North Africa.

Alan Seeger - a 26-year-old poet and dreamer from a New York family of intellectuals. Seeger was killed during the Battle of the Somme on 4 July 1916. Six weeks earlier, he wrote the famous poem, 'I Have a Rendezvous with Death' which was to become his legacy and the favorite poem of President Kennedy. It has inspired a line of American presidents during the 20th century and is an indestructible poetic lifeline linking France and the United States of America.

Eugene James Bullard - the last of the three legionnaires and a 19-year-old entertainer and boxer from Columbus, Georgia. His father was born a slave, his mother was Creek Indian. Although wounded at Verdun and invalided out of the French Army, Bullard became the world's first black aviator. After the war he settled in Paris and ran a bar in Montmartre before going to war for France again in 1940.

The three men represent different pillars of the American soul, and their lives and dreams symbolize the story of how America became modern and remind us of the strong historic ties between France and America. Most of all, "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Americans who joined the First World War in 1914" is a fantastic saga of brave men, great adventures and terrific sacrifices that bring hope and a new direction in a time of human division.

Critique: A seminal study and an absorbing read from start to finish, "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Americans who joined the First World War in 1914" is a unique and highly recommended pick for personal, community, and college/university library World War I history and military biography collections. An ideal pick for supplemental World War I curriculum studies lists, it should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Fighting for the French Foreign Legion: Americans who joined the First World War in 1914" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $18.99).

Editorial Note: Nils Elmark is a European journalist and non-fiction writer. He specializes in digging up near-forgotten stories, and delights in revealing their exciting, hidden connections in modern history. With four books under his belt, Fighting for the French Foreign Legion is his fifth book and second in English. Before becoming a reporter, he served in the Danish Royal Guards.

Elite Bastards
Edward L. Dvorak
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.penandswordbooks.com
9781526789655, $37.95, HC, 296pp

https://www.amazon.com/Elite-Bastards-Missions-Company-Vietnam/dp/1526789655

Synopsis: "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" by Edward L. Dvorak is an extraordinary first-person combat memoir of a special forces soldier at war.

Edward Dvorak joined the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam in the summer of 1967. He then joined Company F, 51st Infantry, Long Range Patrol, Airborne. For Dvorak and his buddies of Company F, LRP, their real training started with the MACV (Military Assistant Command Vietnam) Recondo School at the 5th Special Forces Compound in Nha Trang, South Vietnam. That training culminated with an actual Combat LRP mission.

If you lived through the patrol, you graduated.

Dvorak would remain with Company F for 19 months going on dozens of combat patrols deep behind enemy lines. "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" is his story.

Critique: Rightly noted as 'The quintessential first-person combat memoir of a special forces soldier fighting in the jungles of Vietnam', "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" is enhanced with the inclusion of a section of full color historic photos. A compelling and memorable read from start to finish, "Elite Bastards" is a high value, seminal, and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, community, and college/university library Vietnam War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted that "Elite Bastards: The Combat Missions of Company F, LRP Teams in Vietnam" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.49).

Editorial Note: Edward Dvorak voluntarily enlisted on May 1, 1967, for a 3-year tour of active duty in the US Army. After three months in Vietnam, he volunteered for Company F, 51st Infantry, Long Range Patrol, Airborne. Company F was formed from volunteers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and Company E from volunteers of the 101st Airborne Division. The two LRP Companies eventually became the first two Long Range Patrol Companies of the 75th Ranger Regiment when it was activated on 1 February 1969. He remained with Company F LRPs for 19 months and was promoted from a Spec 4 to Staff Sergeant during that time period. He served in every position on a LRP Team, which culminated with his promotion to the team leader (TL) for LRP Team 1-3. Among his many decorations, Dvorak earned the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), Silver Star, Bronze Star with "V" Device, and the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf cluster (2 Purple Hearts).

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