by RNS | May 30, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Myke Cole, The Bronze Lie (Osprey, 2021)
They were the Spartans, an elite and fanatical society renowned for their dedication to developing and maintaining military superiority over the Greeks and those who came against them, most notably the Persians. The Spartans sacrificed every aspect of their culture to that cause, earning them admiration and wonder ever since, especially among military thinkers envious of Sparta’s reputation. But was it real? Was Sparta too good to be true? Myke Cole thinks so, and he is here to burst the Spartan bubble.
Cole begins with a passionate explanation on why the myth of Spartan military supremacy, beloved by the modern Far Right in particular, is toxic and needs to be exposed. He sets about his task with gusto. He describes Spartan society and culture, knocking down each myth as it arises and revealing an idealised apartheid system that doesn’t stand up to historical scrutiny. Cole highlights the contradictions at all points of the myth, from the curious upbringing of eugenically selected boys to become warriors to the notion that Spartans were super-soldiers. He then takes us into Sparta’s wars and battles, beginning in the Archaic period (800-490 BC) and the First Messenian War, which lasted a suspiciously long time for proper myth creation. Cole moves from battle to battle in this and subsequent wars, highlighting Sparta’s failures as much as their successes. He notes that they were particularly inept at conducting sieges.
The Greco-Persian wars loom large in Sparta’s reputation, particularly the famous last stand at Thermopylae. Cole is having none of it, and to that he adds Plataea as a battle where you need to take the much vaunted Spartan achievements with more than a pinch of salt, though he acknowledges the Spartans as excellent heavy infantry in combat. For the Peloponnesian War, Cole argues that Athens lost it more than Sparta won it. He essays this argument through another series of battles in which the legend of Spartan superiority was finally and fatally punctured despite some subsequent victories that led to victory in the war. Nevertheless, Spartan supremacy lasted only one year followed by a three decade long decline, punctuated by victories and defeats in accordance with the rest of their military history. What remained of Spartan power was broken by Thebes at Leuctra in 371. Cole continues his relentless assault on the Spartans, labelling them as ‘irreformable’ and ‘irrelevant’ as their state dissolved into the Hellenistic world. He concludes with an unusual and fascinating overview of why destroying the Spartan myth matters today in the continuing fetishisation of them, particularly by the Far Right. A note on historiography and a solid bibliography complete Cole’s excursion into the Spartan world.
The myth of Spartan military supremacy has been exploded in academic circles for over a century as Cole acknowledges in his introduction. However, Cole brings that into the public sphere with a refreshing enthusiasm. There will be those who bemoan the lack of footnotes and referencing, but Cole makes it clear those aren’t difficult to find if you follow the original sources. A second quibble is Cole’s win/lose summaries of Spartan battles that might be a bit too simplistic, though his detailed analyses of many of the actions provides enough cover here. Overall, Cole makes a compelling case for burying the Spartan myth and the timeliness of the book is evident in a world where too many see the Spartans as exemplars rather than the flawed people they actually were. Anyone interested in Sparta and ancient warfare will enjoy this and appreciate Cole’s military insight.
by RNS | May 23, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
David Grant, Alexander the Great A Battle for Truth and Fiction (Pen & Sword, 2022)
David Grant describes the ancient sources as, ‘that knotted and frayed ball of historically intertwined string’. They are riddled with problems, awash in unreliability, and seemingly worthless if the depressing introduction is anything to go by. Grant spends the next 200 pages reinforcing that view.
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Grant begins with the primary sources, those closest to Alexander, and those writing during the wars of Alexander’s Successors, which makes them suspect almost by definition as they promoted their candidates to inherit Alexander’s legacy. Grant also highlights chronological issues leading to problems in the historiography. He then moves onto the secondary Roman sources and their cultural filters. Here Grant introduces the damaging art of rhetoric that permeated historical writing along with the historians he describes as the Compiler, Entertainer, Preacher, and the Romanized Soldier, all of them labelled ‘misdirecting preservatives’. Grant also attacks the numbers used in battle descriptions and the Roman acceptance of them, which seems a bit of a straw man to swing the hatchet at, but it is in keeping with the theme of Grant’s book. He also devotes a chapter to tearing down the Greek Alexander Romance as a combination of history and legend before a treatment of how Alexander’s death helped foster his legend. A digression on the treatment of Alexander’s women follows, then Grant turns to actual and potential historical forgeries. The latter reviews books lost, such as those burned with the library at Alexandria, and those filtered through various processes including mediaeval monasteries. Renaissance attempts to recover ancient texts and accusations of forgery occupy Grant, and difficulties in reproducing accurate texts continued through the 19th Century. Grant notes the paucity of original texts to begin with in a wide ranging diatribe where even the names of some of the original writers is called into question, particularly the enigmatic Quintus Curtius Rufus. Grant sums up the pursuit of Alexander as a cautionary tale where the historians have muddied the waters to such an extent that the historical Alexander may never be found.
As someone with a passion for studying history, I found Grant’s book useful but bleak. It is standard practice, of course, to question our sources, but while Grant is clearly knowledgeable, he brings that to the brink of annihilation when it comes to recovering Alexander the Great. Yet, there are places in his text where Grant alludes to a workable history of Alexander, and he notes the work of historians and other specialists who have worked diligently to analyse the sources, separating the wheat from the chaff. Grant doesn’t do that, seemingly accepting the defeat, or is he just keeping his cards close to his chest? I couldn’t quite discern the answer to that. Nevertheless, Grant highlights the problems with sources for Alexander and does so in a clear, structured manner, and for that, we should be grateful.
by RNS | May 9, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Anne Curry, The Hundred Years War (Osprey, 2023)
The Hundred Years War was the name given to the series of wars fought between England and France from c1337 to 1453. The bone of contention was the French crown, with Edward III officially declaring himself king in 1340. That set off a chain of events that changed the fortunes of both countries and therefore of Europe. It was also a complex war at all levels of society. What you will need to get started with your understanding of it all is a good overview. Who better than Anne Curry to provide it?
Curry begins with an era of relative peace between England and France from 1259 to 1328, but the seeds of conflict were already being sown over the tangled land claims across the Channel and fighting briefly broke out in 1294 and 1324. The year 1328 saw two new kings on the English and French thrones, and it was how they asserted their authority, argues Curry, that ignited the Hundred Years War. She analyses both those monarchies and their military capacities.
Tensions rose in 1336 and 1337 leading to an untidy start to the War. Curry moves on to the phases of the war; from 1337 to 1360, 1369 to 1399, 1399 to 1429, and 1429 to 1453. She narrates all the major events and developments, including the battles and sieges that typified mediaeval warfare and the list of characters that make this period so fascinating. Curry pauses in her narrative to consider the effects of war; the chevauchees (military expeditions designed to cause havoc, which they did); the severe damage caused to France at all levels, including the exploits of the routiers (lawless soldiers waging war on whoever got in their way); raids against England; the effects of war on English trade; and the increases in taxation on both sides of the Channel. Curry returns to her narrative to describe how the war ended with the English losing Normandy in 1450 and Gascony in 1453. Curry then sums up what it all meant for the course of Anglo-French history, and she adds a brief but useful further reading list.
If asked to recommend an introduction to the Hundred Years War, I would happily point to this book. Curry writes well and sticks admirably to her task; to provide a clear narrative of the War while introducing readers to the main themes – my only quibble is the lack of discussion on the Church and religion. She is ably supported by the usual excellent Osprey production of illustrations, and in particular, clear, coloured maps. All in all, Curry does justice to an important but complicated series of events conducted in a very different era to our own.
by RNS | May 2, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Brian Lane Herder, Early Pacific Raids 1942 (Osprey, 2023)
Between 1 February and 10 March 1942, the United States conducted raids in the Pacific to avenge the Japanese surprise attacks of December 1941 and keep them strategically off-balance. These were a remarkable achievement for a depleted US Navy and an ominous warning for the Japanese of what was to come. In this Osprey Campaign Series book, Brian Lane Herder follows the action.
The American reaction to Japan’s attacks was swift and aggressive. Herder notes the rapid American reorganisation of its Pacific fleet, both in ships and command, then turns to the opposing commanders. Here we meet, among others, Admirals Yamamoto, Shigeyoshi, and Goto for the Japanese, and Admirals King, Nimitz, and Halsey on the US side. What and who they commanded follows, with the Japanese Kido Butai leading the way, backed by defensive forces based at sea and on captured islands. The US in the wake of Pearl Harbor organised Carrier task forces to conduct operations, again with defensive support. A brief survey of respective strategies precedes Herder’s narrative of the campaign. This included the submarine attack on the USS Saratoga, the Japanese invasion of Rabaul, the aborted US attack on Wake Island, and the February 1942 raids on the Marshalls and Gilberts, attacks on Kwajalein, Wotje, and Taroa. The Japanese carrier force reacted, but they lacked any real purpose. Their invasion of Lae and Salamaua in March 1942 proved more useful, though they were hit hard by a US air raid shortly thereafter. Herder closes by noting that while this first US campaign was relatively minor compared to what was to come, it had positive strategic consequences for the American war effort.
Despite its uninspiring title, Early Pacific Raids 1942 is an enjoyable read that covers a lot of action. Herder writes well, managing to convey the sense of the US learning how to fight with Carriers, and Japanese indecisiveness playing out a strategy they hadn’t quite anticipated – they meant to sink the Carriers at Pearl Harbor. Herder is limited by the format to a surface level exploration of this fascinating campaign, but he adds a useful bibliography for further reading. As ever, Osprey supports their author with excellent maps and artwork. A good read for those interested in the Pacific theatre or Carrier warfare in World War II.
