Here we offer a selection of our favourite books on military history. Some are the books we have used as sources for this site, some are good introductions to their subjects and others are interesting oddities. We now have a selection of 2,239 longer book reviews.
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Recent Game Reviews
The Silver Bayonet – A Wargame of Napoleonic Gothic Horror, Joseph A. McCullough.
An entertaining skirmish scale game that combines the Napoleonic period with gothic horror, seeing teams of competing specialists from different European powers attempting to investigate and defeat monsters from European folklore, so we see musketeers, riflemen etc taking on vampires, goblins or werewolves, in quick moving scenarios. A nice simple D10 based system with a wide range of attributes shared between the heroes, monsters and weapons, a potentially rather brutal combat system (but with mitigation), and a nice experience system that will reward success without letting the winning team pull too far ahead (Read Full Review)
War Story – Occupied France, Dave Neale & David Thompson.
A cooperative adventure game that is a combination of a pick your own adventure game and a board game, with the players taking on the role of a team of four SOE agents infiltrating occupied France. Each agent has different stats, some have special abilities, so the choice of agents affects your game. Early choices will have a long term impact, with the game keeping track of the results of earlier encounters and sending you on different paths later on depending on earlier results, so each game will play differently. Plays well, and with linked scenarios has plenty of scope for replaying. Works well as a solo game, but will feel very different with a team arguing about every choice! (Read Full Review)
Recent Book Reviews
Crescent Dawn – The Rise of the Ottoman Empire and the Making of the Modern Age, Si Sheppard.
A detailed account of the great expansion of the Ottoman Empire in its first three centuries, from its origins as one of many small powers in Anatolia to almost its peak, ruling much of the Balkans, the Middle East, Egypt and North Africa, and threatening to break out into the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Covers Ottoman expansion into the Balkans, Egypt, the Middle East and North Africa, the defeat of the Mamluks and the long wars with the revived Persians, as well as the rise of Ottoman naval power. Ends with a look at the Portuguese entry into the Indian Ocean, and the European search for Prestor John, a mythical Christian ruler eventually merged in the western mind with the rulers of Ethiopia, part of a wider attempt to find allies against the Ottoman power (Read Full Review)
The Nazi and Japanese Human Experimention Programmes – Biological War Crimes during WW2, Tim Heath.
Looks at some of the most horrifying war crimes committed by the Germans and Japanese during the Second World War, a mix of genuine if horrific medical experiments, mass murder and what appears to be appalling sadism with little other purpose. Supported by an extensive use of eyewitness accounts, from people ranging from junior German medical staff to survivors of the atrocities, collected by the author over many years. A harrowing read, but also a valuable examination of a very dark corner of the Second World War (Read Full Review)
A6M2/3 Zero-sen – New Guinea and the Solomons 1942, Michael John Claringbould.
Looks at the Zero’s use as a land based fighter in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, two campaigns in which they were able to more than hold their own against Allied fighters but at a high cost in experienced fighter pilots which saw the picture begin to change in 1942. Covers the design of the Zero, the training of the pilots and the organisation of their units as well as the actual fighting. This includes bomber escort, interception and ground attack missions, showing how flexible the Zero was (Read Full Review)
Wartime Industry, Neil R. Storey.
Looks at several key aspects of the British war industry of the Second World War, starting with the first mass produced item, gas masks, and moving on to the major shadow factory scheme, shipyards, minitions, tanks, vehicles, uniforms and boots, before finishing with a look at the workforce who filled all of these factories (Read Full Review)
Wartime Entertainment – How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War, Anton Rippon and Nicola Rippon.
A wide ranging look at the forms of entertainment available in Britain during the Second World War, covering sport, music, theatre, cinema, dances, radio etc. Goes beyond being a simple look at the popular music, films and starts of the era to cover the debates about what sort of entertainment was suitable for wartime, how to provide it, exactly what the famous stars of the period should do, as well as the risks of gathering large crowds in entertainment venues, with several being hit by German bombs causing some large scale tragedies (Read Full Review)
Abandon Ship – The Real Story of the Sinkings in the Falklands War, Paul Brown.
Looks at all of the major warships sunk during the Falklands War, starting with the Belgrano and moving onto the seven British ships lost during the conflict. This book looks at those losses, giving each its own chapter, and looking at the events leading up to the attack, the damage that was inflicted, and how the crews reacted in the aftermath of the attack. Shows failings on both sides, along with many examples of individual bravery in the aftermath of the attacks (Read Full Review)
The Hundred Years War 1337-1453, Anne Curry.
A splendid shorter account of the Hundred Years War written by one of the most highly respected experts on the period, and with excellent sections on the situation before the war, the less familiar periods of the conflict, the impact it had on civilians and trade, as well as the famous battles of the war. An excellent study of this long war that cast a shadow over Anglo-French relations for centuries afterwards (Read Full Review)
The Gladius - The Roman Short Sword, M.C. Bishop.
Covers an impressive range of topics, including how the gladius entered Roman service after being encountered in Spain, why its combination of a strong stabbing point and two strong cutting edges made it so flexible, the many different ways in which it was constructed, and the contemporary Roman debates about how it should be used in battle, and the impact that would have on Roman formations. An excellent look at one of the key weapons behind the success of the Roman army over such a long period (Read Full Review)
Chrome Dome 1960-68 – The B-52s’ high-stakes Cold War nuclear operation, Peter E. Davies.
Looks at the 1960s programme to always have a number of US nuclear armed bombers in the air, to provide a rapid response force that couldn’t easily be destroyed by a Soviet first strike, a scheme that may have helped deter Soviet aggression, but also saw several ‘Broken Arrow’ incidents where nuclear armed aircraft crashed with potentially devasting results. Paints a picture of a technically very impressive operation, but one of uncertain benefit, and very great cost (Read Full Review)
US Marine versus Japanese Soldier – Saipan, Guam and Peleliu, 1944, Gregg Adams.
Looks at three island battles of 1944 in which the Japanese learnt from their mistakes on Saipan and Guam, where attempts to defend the beaches followed by immediate counterattacks had simply resulted in heavy losses and shortened the battle, and moved onto a defense in the interior of Peleliu, aimed at inflicting as many casualties on the Americans as possible rather than actually stopping the invasion (Read Full Review)
Stalingrad Airlift 1942-43 – The Luftwaffe’s broken promise to Sixth Army, William E. Hiestand.
Looks at the failure of the German attempt to supply the besieged Sixth Army at Stalingrad by air, an airlift that only achieved its stated objectives on one day, and more often failed to get anything into the bridgehead, even in the early days when the Germans had access to the better airfields inside the bridgehead, only becoming worse as the Soviets squeezed the pocket, while also threatening the key airfields outside it. Looks at why the decision to attempt an airlift was made, and the effort that went into make the doomed attempt work, as well as the many reasons for its failure (Read Full Review)
The SAS 1983-2014, Leigh Neville.
Looks at the S.A.S. during its more visible post-war period, after the Iranian Embassy Siege had brought it back into the public eye. Covers the last years of the Ulster Troubles, the Balkans and the post 2000 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the smaller operations carried out by the unit. Thus looks at a period where the conflicts often played into the Regiment’s strengths, with plenty of high value targets best dealt with by Special Forces (Read Full Review)
USS Princeton, The Life and Loss of ‘Sweet P’, David R. Leick.
Looks at the career of the light carrier USS Princeton, one of a class built on cruiser hulls in an attempt to get new carriers into service quickly, and which made a valuable contribution to the war in the Pacific before suffering fatal damage during the battle of Leyte Gulf. Looks at the reason for her construction, the effectiveness of these smaller carriers and the Princeton’s own impressive combat record, before ending with the prolonged efforts to save her after she was hit by Japanese bombs, and the cost of its eventual failure, tragically felt heavily on the cruiser USS Birmingham as she attempted to aid the carrier. (Read Full Review)
The Winter Campaign in Italy 1943 – Orsogna, San Pietro and Ortona, Pier Paolo Battistelli.
Looks at the battles that saw the Allies advance to the Gustav Line, where they would end up stuck for several months, covering battles on both ends of the coast, and involving the US and British led wings of the Allied army. Includes battles on the mountain heights in the west, and the impressive German defence of the cosstal town of Ortona in the east, where the German commander turned the town into a trap, ensuring that even after it fell the Allies were too exhausted to continue their offensive (Read Full Review)
Medieval Indian Armies (2), Indo-Islamic Forces, 7th-Early 16th Centuries, David Nicolle.
Covers a vast topic, a millennium of Indian history, with at least twenty eight Islamic dynasties claiming some part of the sub-continent. Starts with useful overviews of the involvement of Islamic powers in the area, before moving on to look at the military history and armies, split into five chapters, each of which discusses the main military activities of the period with an overview of what we know about the armies involved (Read Full Review)
Sniping Rifles in the War Against Japan 1941-45, John Walter.
Looks at the weapons, training and combat use of Japanese, British and Commonwealth and American snipers in the Pacific and Burma theatres, where the Japanese began with an advantage which they lost as the war progressed. Good sections on the main sniper rifles, as well as how they were used, the counter-measures used against them and what impact they had (Read Full Review)
Steel Lobsters - Crown, Commonwealth and the last Knights in England, Myke Cole.
Looks at the fate of the last regiment of cavalry known to have fought in full plate armour in Britain, the regiment of heavy cavalry raised by Sir Arthur Heselrige for service in the Parliamentary army in 1643, and which had a brief life in full armour, ending with a costly defeat at Roundway Down. Starts with twin biographies of Sir Arthur and his direct rival Richard Atykns, and a look at the way cavalry tactics were changing in the first half of the sixteenth century, before moving onto the Civil War, and Sir Arthur’s experience of battle from Edgehill to Roundway Down. A very atmospheric look at an interesting side-story of the Civil War (Read Full Review)
Fw 190 Sturmjager Defence of the Reich 1943-45, Robert Forsyth.
Looks at the heavily armed Sturmjagers, heavy attack fighters intended to make heavy assaults on US bomber formations, ideally to break them up and leave them vulnerable to other fighters. Traces the development of the US threat, the training of Sturmjager pilots, the dedicated Fw 190 variants involved, with almost half the book looking at the combat, showing that the Luftwaffe could still be dangerous late in the war, but at heavy cost to themselves (Read Full Review)
Czechoslovak Armies 1939-45, Nigel Thomas.
Looks at the varied wartime experiences of members of the Czechoslovakian Army that was denied the chance to defend its country in 1938, and ended up fighting for the Soviets, French, British and with the Resistance, eventually playing a part in the final battle of Prague in May 1945. A useful guide to a widely scattered army that might have made a big difference if its allies had been willing to support it in 1938 (Read Full Review)
Bf 109 Jabo Units in the West, Malcolm V. Lowe.
Looks at the relatively short career of the Bf 109 fighter bomber on the Western Front, really running from the summer of 1940 to the spring of 1941 before it was replaced by the Fw 190, with one final disaster at the start of 1945 when large numbers of irreplaceable pilots were lost during Operation Bodenplatte (Read Full Review)
Second Punic War in Iberia 220-206 BC, Mir Bahmanyar.
A useful study of the second major theatre of the Second Punic War, Hannibal’s original power base and the key part of the revived Carthaginian Empire after their defeat in the First Punic War. Traces the outbreak of the war, Hannibal’s move east and the Roman move west to Iberia, and the ever changing nature of the war that saw one generation of the Scipio family killed in battle only for the war to be won by the next generation (Read Full Review)
Tanks on Iwo Jima 1945, Romain Cansiere.
Looks at the relatively small scale use of armour by both sides during the battle of Iwo Jima, with only 35 tanks on the Japanese side, and four times that many on the US sides. Looks at how the US Marines modified their tanks to try and protect against known Japanese weapons, how the Japanese chose to deploy their limited number of tanks, and how the two sides fared in battle (Read Full Review)
Me 163 vs Allied Heavy Bombers, Northern Europe 1944-45, Robert Forsyth.
Looks at the development of both the Me 163 and the later versions of the B-17 that it fought and the training of the opponents, before moving onto look at most if not all of the actual clashes between the Me 163 and Allied bombers. Reveals the Me 163 to have been an impressive technological achievement, but one that was still vulnerable to the much larger numbers of Allied escort fighters and which had very little impact on the fighting, especially when one looks at the effort that went into its development (Read Full Review)
The U-Boat War – A Global History 1939-45, Lawrence Paterson.
A detailed examination of the entire U-boat war, looking at all of the theatres in which the Germans deployed their U-boats, from the Atlantic to the Far East, and just about every other ocean. Argues that the U-boat war was doomed from the start, with far too few U-boats when the British were most vulnerable, and a failure to develop and deploy new types of U-boats meaning that the Germans fell further and further behind technically (Read Full Review)
Day of the Rangers - The Battle of Mogadishu 25 Years On, Leigh Neville.
Looks at the background to the famous battle of Mogadishu, the previous US ranger operations, the disasterous raid that saw two Black Hawk helicopters shot down and the resulting battle. This was a complex affair, involving a siege around the original target and first crash site, and several relief efforts, before a properly organised effort on the day after the crash finally rescued the besieged US troops (Read Full Review)
Flashpoints – Air Warfare in the Cold War, Michael Napier.
Looks at eight conflicts during the Cold War, mostly very short (apart from the Congo and the Iran-Iraq War), which involved significant air combat (starting and ending with British carrier aircraft operating far from home!). Each gets a brief political background, summary of the ground war and description of the air forces on both sides before moving onto the detailed combat narratives. Ends with a useful conclusion chapter that looks at what can be learnt from these wars (Read Full Review)
US Battle Tanks 1917-1945, Steven J. Zaloga.
A wide ranging study of US tank design and combat experience from the First World War to the end of the Second World War, covering an impressive range of topics, including the doctrinal disputes that disrupted US armoured vehicle design and the feedback from the end users, as well as a good technical history of the vehicles. Benefits from covering all of the armour in single volume, as we see how the different types compared and worked together, rather than treating each one in isolation (Read Full Review)
The Siege – The Remarkable Story of the Greatest SAS Hostage Drama, Ben MacIntyre .
An excellent study of the famous 1980 siege of the Iranian Embassy in London, looking at the experiences of the hostages, the motivations and actions of the terrorists, the attempts by the police to end the siege peacefully and the well known finale, where the SAS stormed the Embassy after one hostage had been killed. Paints a vivid picture of what the hostages experienced, the toll the siege took on the police trying to end it, and the eventual SAS attack, which made the regiment famous overnight (Read Full Review)
Warship 2024, ed. John Jordan.
Covers a wide range of topics, including the early history of the battleships Nagato and Mutsu and the very different wartime destroyers produced by Japan, the changes made to the Russian battleship Orel when it became the Japanese Iwami, a naval clash off the Bosphorus in 1915, the civilian history of the ship that became the German commerce raider Seeadler, the Frenhc battleship Bouvet, and a range of others (Read Full Review)
Soviet Motor Gunboats of World War II – The Red Army’s ‘river tanks’ from Stalingrad to Berlin, Przemyslaw Budzbon.
Looks at a uniquely Soviet weapon, motor gunboats armed with standard tank turrets, developed for use on the long border rivers of the Soviet Union, and deployed in most major rivers fought over on the Eastern Front, as well as the Baltic, Black Sea and Sea of Azov. A useful weapon, capable of supporting river crossings, harassing enemy crossing points, escorting river convoys and of being moved from river to river as the fighting on the Eastern Front swept east, then west (Read Full Review)
The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71, Stephen Badsey.
A good history of one of the most important wars of the later 19th century, which saw the unification of Germany, the collapse of the French Second Empire and a switch in the balance of power in Europe, as well as making the German army the one emulated by many others. Covers the two main phases of the war – the dramatic battles of the first phase and the combined siege of Paris and minor campaigns of the Second, as well as looking at the political framework of the conflict. A good guide to this important conflict (Read Full Review)
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