by RNS | Nov 27, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Michael McNally, Tannenberg 1914 (Osprey, 2022)
Tannenberg 1914 is another in the Osprey Campaign series (#386). As such, it follows a conventional format of assessing the opposing commanders and forces, then analysing the opposing plans before describing the campaign and its aftermath. But this was a massive, complex battle that requires deft handling by the author.
McNally circles into his subject by outlining the broad causes of WWI and the German and Russian grand strategic plans once it started. The single page, step by step chronology shows that the Germans declared war on Russia on 1 August 1914 and fought their way to Tannenberg within the month. That brings McNally to a consideration of the opposing commanders and the forces they commanded, including the orders of battle – a brief glance highlights what a titanic struggle this would be. Then we are into the respective plans for the battle. The Russians planned a double-envelopment, while the Germans opted for an ‘active defence’, but the Russians had overlooked logistical planning: the Germans had not. McNally then follows the armies on their campaigns and into battle. That included Stallupönen, on 17 August, and Gumbinnen on 20 August, after which the Germans changed strategy and field command with things looking decidedly grim.
Enter Generalmajor Erich Ludendorff. He took command and stabilised the German position, aided by staunch defending against impressive Russian numbers. The Germans also benefitted from superior aerial reconnaissance and better use of artillery to hold back the Russian advance. The Russians did not help their own cause by their forces spreading too widely, reducing cohesion. The Germans took advantage of the cracks in the Russian positions to defeat them in detail and working around their flanks until the Russians were surrounded. The destruction of the Russian army followed in what was a crushing defeat for the Tsar and a spectacular victory for the Kaiser.
Tannenberg 1914 is one of the more text heavy books in the Campaign series, but McNally has a lot to cover with this sprawling battle. He does an excellent job of it too, explaining all the operational activity while adding enough on-the-ground coverage to add flavour and human interest. McNally also carefully weaves analysis through his narrative along with nuanced character descriptions of the major players. The text is accompanied visually by uncluttered, colour maps, photographs, and ‘action’ illustrations of the usual Osprey high quality. Overall, this is a solid introduction to this pivotal Great War battle and an enjoyable read.
by RNS | Nov 22, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Simon Elliott, Roman Warriors: The Paintings of Graham Sumner (Greenhill, 2022)
Have you ever wondered how Roman soldiers dressed over the whole period of their Empire? If so, you are in for a treat with this collection of prominent military artist Graham Sumner’s authoritative illustrations brought together in a coffee-table style book.
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Before we get into the main body of Sumner’s artwork, Simon Elliott introduces the man himself through a potted biography and appreciation of his work. The illustrations are arranged in chronological order, beginning in the pre-Roman era of the Villanovans and Etruscans and extending into the post-Roman, so-called Dark Ages, and the Byzantine period in the East. Most of the illustrations are of standing soldiers from all points of the Empire, highlighting their clothing, weapons, and armour. Some auxiliaries and enemies are included, the latter in dramatic combat pictures. Sumner deviates at times to showcase Roman installations such as forts, watchtowers, a blacksmith, a bath house, and a street scene in occupied Britain.
The accompanying text by Elliott provides background information on the figures and their context, including the organisation of the army and the campaigns they fought, and many have a description of the colour plates complete with sources. Along the way, Elliott drops in little snippets of Roman army life, such as rates of pay, what soldiers did on their ‘down time’ etc. An epilogue showcases some of Sumner’s latest work that extends outside Rome to other historical eras, and a useful bibliography closes the book.
It almost goes without saying that Sumner’s illustrations are uniformly excellent. Each of them offers a little insight into the world of the Roman soldier, and Elliott’s text complements them well. Sumner bases his artwork in the archaeology, and each figure looks as if they have been lifted from an historical scene. These are not mannequins, however, because Sumner has a particular talent for expression, animating his figures and making the viewer aware of a narrative happening just below the surface. The best coffee-table books have that almost passive educational element to them, and Roman Warriors succeeds admirably in that regard.
by RNS | Nov 8, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Sergey Shamenkov, Charles XII’s Karoliners (Helion, 2022)
This is the first volume in what promises to be another outstanding series from Helion & Company. The subject is the Swedish Infantry & Artillery of the Great Northern War 1700-1721, which is a useful place to start when digging into that pivotal 18th Century conflict.
Shamenkov breaks down his survey into seven chapters. The first explains the battle formations and tactics of Charles XII’s infantry, which provides much of the context for Shamenkov’s description of the Swedish king’s army in the field. The soldiers’ weapons and accoutrements follow with photographs of museum pieces, including drums and belts. Then Shamenkov considers uniforms, beginning with the many caps and hats the Swedish soldiers wore, then coats and overcoats as he works his way through their development over the course of the war. He pauses to describe briefly Estonian and Livonian uniforms before moving onto the coat adornments of NCOs, uniforms for musicians, waistcoats, gloves, breeches, cloaks, and footwear. The variations in officers’ uniforms deserve their own chapter, including the surprisingly simple uniform worn by Charles XII. Some officers also wore gorgets and cuirasses, though the latter were for ceremonial purposes. Officers’ weapons receive not much more than a mention, which is curious given the variety of other accoutrements they wore. Shamenkov moves on to the artillery, guiding readers through their uniforms in much the same way he did with the infantry; though here he defers to a classic work on Charles XII’s army by Lars-Eric Höglund, so doesn’t dive into great detail on the subject.
Charles XII’s Karoliners is more than a handy guide to the Swedish army. The text is clean and serviceable, but it is the artwork that lifts this book out of the ordinary. You know those uniform guidebooks that offer a couple of colour plates in the middle and can be frustrating when you need a wee bit more? This book isn’t that. It is full of colour plates of soldiers, each furnished with a suitable description. Photographs of museum pieces and contemporary painting supplement the original artwork, and Shamenkov’s useful bibliography points the way for further research. For wargamers or figure collectors interested in the Swedish army of the Great Northern War, Shamenkov’s book is an excellent starting place and highly recommended.
by RNS | Nov 1, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Gioal Canestrelli, Celtic Warfare (Pen & Sword, 2022)
Gioal Canestrelli opens his book on Celtic Warfare with the oft-cited idea of Celtic warriors as wild beasts as seen by their ‘civilized’ enemies. He rejects this view, arguing that Celtic warfare developed over time and through contact with other cultures, peaceful and otherwise. To support that, Canestrelli deploys a multi-disciplinary approach to examine Celtic warfare across its temporal and geographical variances.
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Celtic Warfare is divided into four chronological chapters, beginning in c480 BC and ending in the 1st Century BC, and two geographic chapters covering Alpine and British Celts and the Celts in Iberia. He starts each chronological chapter with a brief background on the period in question and how that affected Celtic warfare. Then he is straight into the archaeological evidence, introducing the panoply: the helmet, armour, shield, pole weapons, swords, knives and daggers, ranged weapons, and the war chariot. Canestrelli follows with a survey of how all this was used in combat, and for the first chapter, how warriors trained. This is an effective scheme, if a bit repetitive, that allows Canestrelli’s readers to follow his evidence quite clearly.
As the chapters progress, Canestrelli introduces new elements, such as new weapons and the cavalry for the La Tene B1 period from 400-320 BC, and greater unit specialization from 320 to 180 BC. There are also more archaeological finds and written sources, particularly Roman, for Canestrelli to build his analysis. In Chapter 5, Canestrelli notes that the British Celts were outliers maintaining archaic structures. which he proceeds to analyse using the same scheme as the chronological chapters. That applies to the Alpine Celts too, though they receive only a cursory survey. The final chapter examines the Iberian Celts as a particular group and Canestrelli makes his case quite comfortably. A brief overview of siege warfare concludes Canestrelli’s study.
By refusing to lump together the phases of Celtic warfare as some surveys do, Canestrelli has produced a more nuanced picture of a culture that had obvious developmental similarities but also significant geographical differences. He also firmly embeds this in the archaeological and written sources and is supported by illuminating monochrome illustrations and colour plates. While I wouldn’t go so far to argue that Canestrelli’s work is definitive, he certainly makes a good case for a continuing development of Celtic warfare far removed from the ‘hairy, savage barbarians’ popular image of these resolute and tactically adept warriors.
