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.
by RNS | Apr 29, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Gareth Glover, The Great Waterloo Controversy (Pen & Sword, 2020)
What a sight it must have been: Napoleon’s Imperial Guard in all its glory, advancing magnificently into the teeth of Allied fire at a place called Waterloo on 18 June 1815. Minutes later, the bloodied remnants of that force fled from the punishment meted out by British muskets. The battle was lost, as was Napoleon’s cause. But did the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment administer this final beating? It is a topic of enduring controversy, so Gareth Glover follows them through the Waterloo campaign and battle to find out.
BUY NOW
The 52nd had built a reputation as a redoubtable regiment from their founding in the 1750s and had fought extensively through the Napoleonic Wars. The 2nd Battalion, albeit depleted, was in Belgium on garrison duty when news came of Napoleon’s escape from Elba and the renewal of war. When the 1st Battalion arrived from Ireland, they integrated the 2nd Battalion to muster approximately 1,000 men. Glover narrates their preparations, then leads us into the campaign, bringing out every detail we could need to follow them. On 18 June, the 52nd was in position behind the Allied lines when the French cannons opened at around noon. They would not join the fight for over four hours. Glover describes the 52nd in grim detail as they endured cannon fire then Napoleon’s massed cavalry charges.
Then came the attack of the Imperial Guard. Glover discusses the confusion in the sources before his attempt to untangle truth from faulty memories and memoirs. To do so, he analyses the assault from both sides and promotes a new, comprehensive version of the event. It is clear from that how important a role the 52nd played in stopping then turning the Imperial Guard advance, but they did not act alone, according to Glover. The 52nd then took part in the Allied pursuit, including an unfortunate encounter with their own cavalry. With nightfall and a well-earned rest, the 52nd counted the cost, over 200 killed and wounded. Glover tails off his narrative with an account of the march on Paris and the occupation. He notes that the 52nd was the last regiment to return from France after the campaign. Glover changes tack, examining the claims and counter-claims over who defeated the Imperial Guard. He concludes that the 52nd has not received its proper credit but there has been no conspiracy against them.
The Great Waterloo Controversy is both a well written narrative and an analysis of the defeat of the Imperial Guard. Glover deploys numerous primary sources to make his case, though his tendency to lead with the evidence takes a bit of getting used to, and he perhaps gives some of his sources too much room when more authorial editing and commentary might have kept everything on track. Nevertheless, Glover is thorough and leaves no stone unturned in his pursuit of what actually happened. He obviously knows his material, and it would take a brave critic to take him on over what is clearly his home ground. Students of Waterloo will enjoy this book, though the uninitiated should probably read a Waterloo primer before diving into this.
by RNS | Apr 23, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Mark Lardas, US Destroyers vs German U-Boats (Osprey, 2023)
Of all the high risk combat in World War II, the cat and mouse manoeuvres of German U-Boats and American destroyers must rank near the top. One mistake, one stroke of luck, or one superior tactical decision could send a vessel to the bottom of the sea. This new volume in Osprey’s Duel series takes us out into the frigid Atlantic for some searing action.
For 45 months between September 1941 and May 1945, U-Boats and US Destroyers fought thousands of engagements. Lardas notes that most led to no result, but others developed into intense combat with one or the other, or sometimes both, being sunk. He adds that these fights were usually one-to-one, the Americans were rarely involved in fighting the notorious wolfpacks. Moreover, the Americans adopted aggressive methods and increasingly hunted down the hunters.
After a brief chronology of engagements, Lardas narrates the development of destroyers and their role in escorting convoys. He repeats that treatment for the U-Boats, Lardas noting that their early war superiority declined as the Allies introduced new technologies to hunt them down. Lardas moves on to describe the strategies and tactics deployed by both sides, starting with British efforts before the Americans entered the war in December 1941, though they were already involved in the Atlantic in a period of armed neutrality. Then we are into technical specifications for propulsion, weapons, and electronics, followed by a survey of the men who fought. Lardas remarks on the competence and capability of the Americans at all levels in the service, while the all-volunteer U-Boat crews were often the best young men Germany had to offer. Then Lardas focuses in on some individual combats between destroyers and U-Boats. In his concluding analysis of this cat-and-mouse warfare, Lardas notes the fearful casualties sustained by the U-Boats, though US destroyers accounted for only a small percentage of those. When U-Boats were hit, moreover, they tended to go down with all hands, while a destroyer could survive a torpedo hit reasonably well. Lardas closes with a brief but useful reading list for those who want to know more.
US Destroyers vs German U-Boats is an enjoyable introduction into something of a sideshow in the greater Battle of the Atlantic, though none of the men involved on both sides would have thought that way. Lardas writes well and clearly knows his material, and he is ably supported by Osprey’s usual excellent illustrations, including some 3D colour graphics and maps. Naval history readers, in particular, will appreciate this book, but it is not out of reach for even the most dedicated landlubber wanting to get their reading feet wet.
by RNS | Apr 19, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Andrew Long, Secrets of the Cold War (Pen & Sword, 2022)
Mention the Cold War and what comes readily to mind is a stand-off between the two superpowers, USA and USSR. Both armed to the teeth, guarding themselves against the other’s imminent attack, while their proxies fought small wars across the globe. Beneath the surface, however, both sides worked feverishly to determine the capabilities of the other through clandestine intelligence activities. In this book, Andrew Long surveys many of those operations and the warriors who fought in the shadows.
BUY NOW
Long opens with tables that, while useful, could have better served as appendices: a list of Dramatis Personae, a glossary of abbreviations, and a basic chronology of events. His narrative begins in the Stalin era with a survey of Soviet intelligence and the quest for atomic weapons. The Soviets deployed the Rosenberg network among others to boost their atomic knowledge, quite easily too, so it seems because the US and UK were shocked when the USSR conducted their first atomic detonation. The traitor Klaus Fuchs leads Long’s British contingent of spies into the 1950s and 1960s. It took a while, but the Soviet spy rings began to fall apart when a defector in Canada exposed them. Then came the brilliant counter-intelligence work of the Venona programme that finally dismantled the rings, though Long notes that some high profile spies escaped detection, and that the whole episode was a remarkable success for Stalin.
A relatively lengthy biography of British spy George Blake kicks off a new phase of the Cold War intelligence battle. His name will always be linked to the mind-boggling Berlin tunnel operation, though his long prison sentence and subsequent escape have somewhat masked his role in the betrayal and deaths of up to forty people. Long moves on to three cases that exemplified tradecraft, the skills needed for effective intelligence work: the Portland spy ring, the Oleg Penkovsky story, and the Gerald Brooke case. The latter led to UK involvement in spy swaps for the first time. We then move onto a chapter revealing how NATO intelligence operations, including ‘tours’, worked along the blurred lines between east and west from the end of WWII, until the reunification of Germany made them redundant. In his conclusion, Long ties up the loose ends from the stories in his book and reflects on a war played out in the shadows, some of which have yet to reveal their secrets.
They say never trust a book by its cover, or in this case, title. There is very little in Secrets of the Cold War that should be considered as ‘secret’. Indeed, most of what Long includes is well-trodden ground, particularly for readers of a certain age. The emphasis is on the early Cold War for the most part, leading to some curious omissions from the latter period. That said, newcomers to Cold War espionage will find this a fascinating read, even if some of it is a bit dry, and Long’s book should have them reaching for more.
