by RNS | Feb 4, 2024 | Beating Tsundoku
James F. Slaughter, The ‘Grossdeutschland’ Division in World War II (Osprey, 2024)
Over 18 million men joined the German Army in World War II. Some of them fought in units that became almost legendary in military history; units that saw intense combat or fought against terrible odds and survived. One of those was the Grossdeutschland division that operated mostly on the Eastern Front and blunted many Soviet attacks. In this book in Osprey’s Elite series, James F. Slaughter tells that story.
Slaughter traces the Grossdeutschland division to 1921 as a short-lived ceremonial force. Fast forward eighteen years to the invasion of Poland, and we find the Grossdeutschland not yet involved in combat but preparing to fight. It was ready in March 1940. Slaughter here provides the first of many sit-reps on how the regiment, as it was then, was organised and armed. He then narrates combat operations, beginning in Belgium in May 1940. He incorporates casualty statistics into his overview and biographical information on many of the officers. The first of the division’s war crimes, the massacre of French-African prisoners, does not go unnoticed either. The Grossdeutschland earned its combat reputation in Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. Officially a division before the summer offensive of 1942, and after a period or rest, the Grossdeutschland took the field from June to October, suffering heavy casualties in the process. The following year found the division still on the Eastern Front, where in a period of refit, it was restyled as a panzergrenadier division. That meant a considerable improvement in equipment and armour support.
The upgraded division took part in the massive Battle of Kursk and all that entailed, which drained the division’s combat effectiveness. Slaughter notes that this battle was the division’s high tide as they fell back against the Soviet onslaught. That continued in 1944 with the Grossdeutschland withdrawing to cover Rumania, striking the Soviets with counter-attacks along the way. In July, the division moved to Lithuania, while other elements moved west and took part in the Battle of the Bulge. Also in December, the division became a Panzerkorps, which it would remain until the end of the war. The scattering of the division across numerous fronts gained pace in 1945 as the Reich collapsed, though most of the division remained in the east. Slaughter concludes that while the Grossdeutschland had ‘dirty hands’, its reputation as an effective combat organisation outlived its physical existence.
It is not clear from this book that the Grossdeutschland deserves a place in the pantheon of elite units, but it was certainly a German mainstay in the thickest actions, particularly on the Eastern Front. Slaughter writes well, never letting technical information bog down his narrative. Along the way, he highlights the stories of some of the courageous soldiers who earned their medals, though quite a few did so posthumously. Slaughter’s text is accompanied throughout by excellent photographs and colour illustrations. Students of the German army and general military history readers will enjoy this book.
by RNS | Feb 1, 2024 | Beating Tsundoku
Ralph Riccio, Mario Pieri, Daniele Gugliemi, Italian Soft Skinned Vehicles of the Second World War Volumes 1 and 2 (Helion, 2023)
A major part of any modern land-based fighting force is transport, which often does not have the same protection as your main battle tanks or armoured cars. These two volumes are concerned with those soft skinned vehicles that the Italian Army had access to leading up to, and during, World War Two. They are extensive surveys, covering everything from motorcycles to heavy trucks, and include the variants that each may have had. Volume 1 covers Motorcycles, Motorcars, and Light Trucks, while Volume 2 details Medium and Heavy Trucks, Artillery Tractors, Special Purpose Vehicles, and Trailers.
These are encyclopaedia style books where each vehicle gets its own entry with accompanying photograph/s and technical specifications. You are also provided with developmental and service history in addition to a technical description and list of known variants. The authors have very obviously committed to extensive research to provide this run through of the lesser lights of Italian Transport, and there are surface details for all the non-armoured vehicles that the Italians used in World War Two.
Given the level of research, there seems to be details that could have been added to improve the reader’s understanding of what was used where and by who. That is a minor gripe, however, with the wealth of information the authors have provided. What it is really screaming out for is an index of the vehicles so that you can find the one you want easily. An indicator on some of the photographs of when it was taken would also be useful for those of us who need to know when something was used.
Those quibbles aside, these are two excellent reference volumes for anyone interested in vehicles used in World War Two by the Italian Army. Knowing exact capabilities of machines also allows the rules writers among us to more accurately model capabilities in our games. Outside of that, the photographs are often very interesting, such as the Lancia 3Ro towing an M13 tank on a trailer, which gives you a true grasp of just how big the trucks could be (clue: they are massive). Here’s hoping the authors are working on the armoured vehicles of the Italian Army for a future book or two.
Reviewed by Dom Sore
by RNS | Jan 31, 2024 | Beating Tsundoku
Michael John Claringbould, Operation Ro-Go 1943 (Osprey, 2023)
The Japanese air offensive, Operation Ro-Go, commenced on 1 November 1943, leading to a concentrated period of action that lasted two weeks. The transfer of planes from Truk to Rabaul kicked off the campaign, with the pilots being told that their primary mission was to destroy enemy ships. But events took over as the Allies attacked Bougainville, and the Japanese switched from offense to defence. In this Osprey Air Campaign series volume, Michael John Claringbould tells that story.
Claringbould begins with a broad overview of the operation and a timeline of events. He notes the importance of weather and naval actions to the Ro-Go operation while acknowledging the growing disparity between the Japanese and rapidly expanding US air forces. Claringbould surveys the capabilities of each side, not just the planes and weapons, but the crews, logistical support, airfields, and radar systems. He turns to objectives and the conduct of the campaign, delving into the interplay of air, sea, and land forces to create a flowing narrative of operations. A telling photograph of a crashed Japanese Betty bomber introduces Claringbould’s description of the campaign’s aftermath and his analysis.
Operation Ro-Go will barely register with many readers of the Pacific War, and given the results, it might easily return to the background hum of that conflict. However, the variety of action stands out along with the intensity and dedication of both sides in this relatively small slice of a titanic struggle. Claringbould expertly illustrates a stage of the war that was turning against the Japanese, and there was seemingly little they could do about it. Osprey’s usual excellent artwork, maps, and photographs accompanies an engaging text that readers of WWII military history will enjoy.
by RNS | Jan 16, 2024 | Beating Tsundoku
Stu Fone, Basic Guide to Modelling (Key Publishing, 2023)
Books are dead trees, and their days are done, right? So, you have a model kit to build, you jump onto your laptop and search for all the stuff and knowledge you need to build it; then you download what you have found into a folder from which you can retrieve what you need. Or you can buy a book written by an expert that knows everything you need to know. Sometimes, old school is the right school.
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This book is a collection of twelve articles from Airfix Model World magazine. It begins with the tools you will need for every aspect of completing your kit. Then you have to cut the pieces from their sprues and tidy them up, or you can paint first and then clip. Gluing and painting occupy much of your time and are adequately covered. Applying decals follows, and Fone points out that these can make or break your finished model, so be careful here. But as with everything in this book, Fone walks you through that process assisted on each step by simple colour photographs. He moves onto some more advanced techniques with weathering and other environmental effects. Once you think you are done, you are not; next comes the tricky wee problem of applying the right varnish in the right way. If you are feeling really confident, Fone discusses some of the aftermarket extras you can add to your model. You might even want to have a go at scratch-building, which Tone covers in his penultimate chapter. Finally, you will want to know more, and Fone points you in various directions for techniques and inspiration.
A basic guide is judged on the clarity of instructions and a common sense approach to process. Fone’s guide to modelling passes both of those with flying colours. This is a book that will surely sit on your modelling desk and will be well-thumbed before too long.
by RNS | Dec 26, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Gareth Glover, Marching, Fighting, Dying (Pen & Sword, 2021)
The Peninsular War is one of the most studied conflicts within the Napoleonic Wars of the early Nineteenth Century. The main reason for that was the involvement of the British army, which generated copious source material for historians to rake through and write about. You might think that we had exhausted those sources, but Gareth Glover has uncovered an often overlooked source, soldiers’ letters, that allow him to paint a more complete picture of the British army on campaign and in battle.
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Glover covers almost all aspects of the soldier’s life in the Peninsula War. That begins with the voyage to Portugal, the first of many unaccustomed experiences. The men’s bewilderment at the Portuguese and Spanish landscape and people quickly became evident, and there was little enjoyment available on the march with the extreme climate, sickness, and poor food all contributing. Camp life was no picnic either, but at least men had some comforts and entertainment; Glover argues against the myth of the army sleeping rough under the stars in the open, especially on cold nights. Transgressing army rules could meet with a flogging or the hangman’s rope; much to the horror of the locals, though the soldiers seemed to accept the necessity of those punishments. It appears that the British soldiers did not hate the French, but that did not diminish their efforts in battles or sieges, nor did it reduce the impact of wounds and death; Glover points out that the latter stalked the army on the march as well as the battlefield.
Each chapter in Glover’s book is structured with the author introducing a theme, presenting the source evidence with minimal commentary, then offering a brief conclusion. That gives it a ‘sourcebook’ feel for readers and history students familiar with those – a wee bit dry at times. Nevertheless, Glover mixes the variety of his excerpts enough to keep things interesting. Most of the evidence is not organised chronologically, which negates questions on continuity and change across certain themes, but that does not adversely affect the value of the material. Overall, Glover has produced an informative and useful book suitable for students of the Peninsular War and military history in general.
by RNS | Dec 23, 2023 | Beating Tsundoku
Mark Galeotti, Russia’s Wars in Chechnya 1994-2009 (Osprey, 2024)
Before there was Ukraine, there was Chechnya. Between 1994 and 2009, post-Soviet Russia fought two wars against the small but historically irritating State of Chechnya on its southern border. In many ways, the Russian experience there foreshadowed much of the disaster that has befallen them in Ukraine, though there are also several important differences. Mark Galeotti’s Russia’s Wars in Chechnya explores Boris Yeltsin’s then Vladimir Putin’s efforts to control their southern neighbour.
That Russian interference in Chechnya was never going to easy is obvious from Galeotti’s historical survey that opens his book. Chechnya was a country riven by internal strife, but one that came together when foreign invasion threatened. He compares the armies: one disciplined and organised for conventional warfare, the other a product of a warrior people that knew every nook and cranny of the mountainous country they defended. As the Soviet Union broke apart, after 1991, the new Russian president Boris Yeltsin chose Chechnya as a showcase for demonstrating Russian power. In 1994, he engineered a war, but it was not the walkover the Russians expected. After fierce fighting, a peace deal was agreed in 1996, though, as Galeotti points out, it was a ‘hot’ peace that would not last. Enter Vladimir Putin as Russian president in 1999, determined to enforce Russian power in Chechnya. He launched a second invasion that was more methodical than the first and therefore more successful, but at what was then considered a severe price. The disunited Chechens succumbed, though Galeotti notes they could still hurt the Russians in Chechnya and Russia mainly through small-scale operations and terrorist attacks. Putin managed, however, to take advantage of Chechen divisions to promote a Chechen solution, declaring an end to the war in 2009 while backing the Kadyrov faction that remains in control of the country.
Galeotti narrates the Russian campaigns, exposing shortcomings on both sides, while describing the primarily political changes that the wars engendered. Galeotti does not dig deeply into the fighting itself, though he provides enough detail to illustrate the nature of the war. Neither does Galeotti make overt comparisons to Putin’s war in Ukraine: anyone paying attention to that ongoing conflict will not need a heavy-handed author to point them out. Suffice to say that anyone reading about the military aspects of the Chechnya wars will wonder if the Russian commanders learned anything from their experiences. Galeotti’s explanation of political developments highlights the growing presence of fundamentalist Islam in Chechnya and also the fractious nature of civil politics, which is different from Ukraine. Overall, Galeotti’s concise account of the Russian adventures in Chechnya, ably supported by Osprey’s usual quality maps and photograph selection, makes this an informative and thought-provoking contribution to Osprey’s Essential Histories series.
