by RNS | Apr 9, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Robbie MacNiven, British Light Infantryman versus Patriot Rifleman (Osprey, 2023)
In British Light Infantryman versus Patriot Rifleman, Robbie MacNiven zeroes in on a crucial aspect of the American War of Independence, the contest between light troops in the often difficult terrain for regular 18th Century linear warfare. It is an intriguing story, and one that perhaps contains a few surprises for AWI traditionalists.
After introducing us to the development of light infantry in North America, MacNiven surveys the opposing sides in the American Revolution. The Patriots were better on an individual basis partly because they used rifles against the British who carried mostly smoothbores. But the British collectively could reload quicker, were better in close combat, and tended to be more disciplined in battle. The tree-filled battlefields favoured the Patriots, however, though the British don’t seem to have been too far behind in that regard. MacNiven also notes that the Patriots had a better reputation, which caused some disquiet among the British; but as the British light infantry improved, the apprehension became reciprocated.
Having established who these soldiers were and what they could do, MacNiven takes us on a brief journey through three battles where light infantry action proved significant: Harlem Heights, where Virginia Riflemen outflanked and helped repulse the British light infantry; Freeman’s Farm, an exemplary light infantry engagement as both armies jockeyed for position; and Hanging Rock, a significant southern Loyalist defeat at the hands of Patriot Riflemen. MacNiven supports his accounts with excellent maps and illustrations, and his analysis of the three battles provides valuable insight into light infantry tactics. Ultimately, MacNiven declares the contest between Patriot Riflemen and British Light Infantry much closer to a draw than many of the books I’ve read on their combat. As a wee appendix, MacNiven outlines the organisation for the light troops on both sides. And we should add here that he also supplies a very useful bibliography for further reading, and an index!
One criticism of the Osprey Combat series is that it rehashes previous material into a ‘new’ format. That certainly isn’t the case with MacNiven’s book. This is a well-written text that highlights an important aspect of a peculiar 18th Century conflict. That the fighting between Riflemen and Light Infantry was much closer than many may believe is a bit of a surprise, but MacNiven argues his case well in such a relatively slim volume. His text is given the usual Osprey gloss to produce a more than satisfactory addition to the Combat series and your bookshelves.
by RNS | Apr 2, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Michael Fredholm Von Essen, The Shogun’s Soldiers, The Daily Life of Samurai and Soldiers in Edo period Japan, 1603-1721 Volume 1 (2022)
The Shogun’s Soldiers is a fascinating book and one that takes our understanding of Japanese society and the Samurai’s role within it to a new level and makes it easily accessible.
Von Essen covers aspects of the military organisation, structure, and weapons, and goes into some detail on the transition from the traditional instantly recognisable Samurai to the more lightweight folding armour. Von Essen also looks at the aspects of their new roles and how that develops as the society under the Tokugawa Shogunate remains at peace after centuries of incessant warfare.
The bulk of the book is focused on the city of Edo, providing descriptions of the key areas, its social structure, inhabitants, housing, and public services, with topics ranging from Samurai serving as firemen and police to the merchant class, craftsmen, and labourers. Where they lived, what they ate, transport, public baths, and the etiquette involved in many social interactions are also covered. Von Essen has provided a real insight into the lives of both the Samurai and the civilian population of Edo and opens a door on to the complex world of Japan in the 17th and 18th Centuries.
As usual with Helion, there are numerous coloured photographs and black and white period illustrations throughout this book, supporting the text, along with 8 coloured plates showing Samurai in a variety of civilian and unarmoured military dress.
Readers who are looking for a tome containing vast details on the armies of the age of war will need to look elsewhere; although if you do you that, you will be missing a treat. However, if von Essen ever decides to write that book, I’ll be first in the queue to get a copy – Helion’s continued releases of new and interesting books will I think lead many of us to penury. Recommended for those who watch too many chanbara movies, who would want to imbue their Samurai skirmish or roleplaying games with accurate backgrounds, or perish the thought, anyone who has a fascination for a unique culture and just wants to increase their knowledge.
(Reviewed by Mike Huston)
by RNS | Apr 1, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Jonathon Riley, The Colonial Ironsides English Expeditions under the Commonwealth and Protectorate 1650-1660 (Helion, 2022)
The Century of the Soldier series from Helion covers a wide range of topics, but the one I am most interested in is the English Civil Wars of the 17th century. This book covers the period after the main fighting was over and how the Commonwealth dealt with various issues around the world that needed military intervention. Jonathan Riley surveys the various expeditions that the Commonwealth and Protectorate despatched across the decade.
Riley starts with the smashing of Royalist enclaves within the British Isles and the colonies and continues as Oliver Cromwell and his successor navigated the treacherous waters of European diplomacy. The general scene is first set with the Commonwealth testing the waters of whether they wanted to be on the side of France or Spain. This includes being on the side of Spain while also attempting to wrest control of various Caribbean colonies from them. Eventually, this leads to the conquest of Jamaica and England’s definitive siding with the French. There are 19 chapters in all that cover everything you probably need to know about these expeditions. It is full of scenario ideas for the wargamer (like me) and provides some food for thought for what games I can use my large ECW army for. The failed attack on Hispaniola looks the most likely.
There is an odd affectation in the book whereby most of the chapters have an appendix or two before the next chapter. I expect an appendix to be at the back; although it makes it easier to get to the data on Orders of Battle and the like, I would have simply called most of the appendices chapters too. The other curiosity is when a larger map explanation is needed, the text suddenly swaps to landscape, meaning you need to turn the book, which gets annoying. There are also some editorial issues where words are missing, or a map references the British Empire, which doesn’t exist in this time frame. The same map then only references England and ignores the rest of the Commonwealth.
None of those minor issues detract from the book. It sheds light into a lesser known part of the Cromwellian period and especially explains the convoluted nature of European diplomacy in a simple manner that I may not have seen so clearly before. I may now need to get a Spanish army to refight Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Flanders. Or find someone who has one. And I need to paint some English soldiers in redcoats. If you have even a slight interest in this period, then get this book as it is a great addition to any library.
(Reviewed by Dom Sore)
by RNS | Mar 30, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Peter Green, Captured at Arnhem (Pen & Sword, 2022)
A most unusual book. Weighing in at 564 pages, Captured at Arnhem seems like a daunting read even for the most avid reader of Operation Market Garden literature. There’s a catch, however, but a good one as we shall see. Peter Green’s mission was to uncover the experiences of the Allied soldiers captured at Arnhem gleaned from questionnaires given to them on their return to England. Not only does he throw the kitchen sink at it, Green also gives you the sink to see for yourself.
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If you don’t know, Operation Market Garden was an ill-fated attempt by the Allies to shorten the war in September 1944 by capturing the Dutch town of Arnhem to open a bridge across the Rhine and drive a stake into the heart of Nazi Germany. It didn’t go well, and 6,000 Allied soldiers entered German captivity as Prisoners of War. On their release at the end of the war, MI9 gave them questionnaires to complete; 2,357 did so, and Green dredges through them to find out what happened to those men. In Green’s prelude to his findings, he outlines the questionnaire, the problems with locating those missing, and the general findings. Then we are into the tables.
The first table is Prisoner’s Details, 168 pages of listings of name, rank, unit, numbers for service and PoW, wounded status, and camps in which they were initially interned. How men became prisoners and where comes next with brief descriptions of the camps. Interrogation methods follow, with Green highlighting specific answers to quote as he does throughout his book. Table 3, of 62 pages, lists the men’s answers to the question if they were interrogated, where, and how. Chapter 4 surveys some of the camps the men would call home for the remaining months of the war, and the subsequent chapter examines camp life, complete with another 161 pages of tables. Attempted escapes (fewer than you might expect because these were deterred with the war’s end so close), evacuation marches, and liberation conclude Green’s book, including another table.
Somewhere in Captured at Arnhem there is a very good book waiting to break out. Green does well enough, teasing out a useful text from his main sources, but you’re left thinking he could have dumped the tables into his research folder and written a more fluent book. There is, however, something to be said for the pleasure of reading through all the entries, particularly the various attempts to escape by the intrepid soldiers; some of them are quite remarkable. Those that enjoy reading about Arnhem or PoWs will enjoy this text and rummaging through the tables, I did, but it’s not a book I would give to open someone’s Arnhem reading account.
by RNS | Mar 28, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Nic Fields, The Hydaspes 326 BC (Osprey, 2023)
Even the greatest reach their limits, no matter what they excel in. For Alexander the Great, the Macedonian general that bludgeoned his way through the mighty Persian empire, that limit lay just beyond the River Hydaspes, when his army urged him to turn around even though he had just won another great battle. In this Campaign book from Osprey, Nic Fields describes that battle, the last to showcase Alexander’s tactical genius.
The Campaign series of books are formulaic in their structure, and The Hydaspes does not deviate from that. Fields opens with the necessary background narrative that brings the combatants to the banks of the Hydaspes. He also works through the main sources for the battle; the Greek historians might be familiar but the Indians probably less so. After an annotated chronology of Alexander’s reign, Field comes to the opposing commanders; the still controversial Alexander and the more obscure Poros. Then there are the respective forces; Alexander’s all-conquering phalanx against Poros’ elephants, though obviously there was more to both armies than that simple equation suggests. That brings us to the Hydaspes with Alexander on one bank and Poros on the other, and Poros intended to keep it that way. Alexander had other ideas, however, and crossed downriver overnight to appear on Poros’ flank. The resultant crushing victory for Alexander, though at some cost, opened the gates to India. Fields calls this ‘the triumph of genius in command’, but Alexander’s soldiers were at the end of their rope; so, after this signature victory, the Macedonians turned west not east.
The Hydaspes is an outstanding introductory survey of Alexander’s last great battle. Fields obviously knows his material and writes well, and he is ably supported by Osprey’s usual excellent graphics content in maps, artwork, and photographs. Most books of this kind focus almost exclusively on Alexander, so I particularly enjoyed finding out more on the Indian side of the campaign, and also noted the useful bibliography for further exploration. The Hydaspes is recommended for anyone starting their journey into discovering Alexander’s greatness and for those who knew it already.
