by RNS | Jan 6, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
Bryn Evans, Airmen’s Incredible Escapes (Pen & Sword, 2020)
The chances of surviving a raid over enemy territory for Allied airmen during World War II were never great to begin with and diminished the more operations they flew. Allied planes came down at a stunning rate, consigning thousands of their crew members to death, but even in the direst circumstances, in the incident or its aftermath, men made it through to tell their stories of survival. Bryn Evans has collected thirty-seven of them in this fascinating and sometimes eye-popping book.
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Evans’ book is arranged chronologically, and each story is accompanied by a photograph of the airman involved, a brief biography, and the context for his remarkable escape. The incidents include surviving friendly fire, low and high bale outs, getting lost in Africa, anti-aircraft fire, enemy fighters, accidental collision, ditching at sea at night, escaping enemy custody, and navigating dense jungles. These took place in all the theatres of war where flight operations took place, including France, Holland, Italy, North Africa, Burma, New Guinea, and the North Sea. The aircraft they flew in were also varied; from Hurricane, Spitfire, and P39 fighters to the Halifax, Lancaster, B17, Stirling, and Wellington bombers, and Catalinas and Dakotas.
What these men had in common were resilience, courage, spirit, and quite a bit of luck. Their stories, while differing in detail, are all remarkable, and to his credit, Evans’ selection and organisation keeps them from melding into one less-focused narrative. He also acknowledges the roles of those who helped these airmen often at the risk of their own lives. That these were ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances is reinforced by Evans tracing their post-war normality, though we are reminded of their psychological and physical sufferings that stayed with them the rest of their lives. Readers of World War II air combat will certainly gain insight into the dangerous world of these brave men, and indeed those who never came back.
by RNS | Jan 1, 2022 | Beating Tsundoku
John R McKay, Surviving the Arctic Convoys (Pen & Sword, 2021)
Berwick lad Charlie Erswell served in the Royal Navy during World War II. It was an ambition he had always wanted to fulfil; war and his 18th birthday gave him the opportunity. Surviving the Arctic Convoys is his autobiography as told to John McKay.
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Too young to join up on the outbreak of war, Erswell worked as a telegram boy during the London blitz, but he signed up for the Royal Navy as a gunner in December 1941. He describes the perils of the Arctic convoys that would challenge him and his shipmates when he joined the destroyer HMS Milne. Erswell’s first Arctic convoy was PQ18, the one that followed the disastrous PQ17, so there was some apprehension on board HMS Milne. Submarines and enemy aircraft presented the biggest threats to the convoys, and Erswell narrates the action as they were encountered by his ship and others. He also relates the horrors of ships being sunk around HMS Milne, and the Milne’s rescue efforts to save sailors from the freezing seas. Despite incessant attacks, convoy PQ18 survived relatively intact and Erswell emphasizes the roles of training and efficiency in ensuring that success.
Routine maintenance and fighting the bitterly cold conditions occupied the sailors’ time in between German attacks. When they arrived off the Soviet Union, the destroyer escort turned round to take another convoy home with the fear of submarine attack ever present. On completion, HMS Milne sailed south to take part in Operation Torch via a boozy night in Gibraltar. On the way home, the ship was diverted into the Atlantic for more convoy duties and more U-boats. Some leave followed HMS Milne’s return to Scotland, then it was back to Arctic convoy work for Erswell in February 1943. A change of ship, to the HMS Savage, came next, in early 1944, and another Kola Run as the Arctic convoys were called. Despite the loss of an accompanying destroyer, it was clear to Erswell that the tide of war had turned against the German U-boats. Erswell next saw active service at the D-Day landings, defending against possible E-Boat attack. Then it was back to the frozen north but facing considerably less opposition. His last convoy escort took place in March 1945. Discharged in June 1946, Erswell joined the Merchant Navy. He bounced around the Mediterranean before leaving that service in 1949.
On first reading, Charlie Erswell’s autobiography has a ‘so what’ feel to it. While he certainly took part in some hair-raising combat in extreme conditions, Erswell himself did little of note other than his duty, which he freely acknowledges. Much of the rest of the book contains stories that many ex-sailors can relate to. But it is the very ordinariness of Erswell’s war that is the most profound aspect of this book. War has its heroes, but it is the extraordinary circumstances of war that ordinary men find themselves in that are the pulse of socio-military history; that in itself makes Erswell’s autobiography valuable. He isn’t helped by his editor, John McKay who takes too much for granted from his readers, leaving Erswell’s story under-contextualized when greater background detail could have added so much more to the story and the veracity of the memories on display. Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable read and an eye-opener for readers who have not realised the importance of the Arctic convoys and the men who fought to keep them afloat.
by RNS | Dec 31, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Jon Diamond, The Liberation of the Philippines (Pen & Sword, 2021)
In this latest edition of Pen & Sword’s Images of War series, Jon Diamond surveys the United States’ clearance of the Japanese occupiers from the Philippines towards the end of World War II.
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The connection between the USA and the Philippines stemmed from the US invasion of the archipelago in 1898. Diamond fast-forwards to the outbreak of WWII when the Philippines presented a major obstacle to Imperial Japan’s plans for expansion. Their inevitable invasion took place in December 1941 and caught the American and Philippines defenders almost completely unprepared; surrender and the horror of the Bataan death march followed. No one was more synonymous with this defeat than General Douglas MacArthur who escaped the enemy and vowed to return. He did, in 1944. The final three-quarters of this book tell that story in words and pictures. There are many photographs of US soldiers peering into underground bunkers; tanks, artillery, and mortars firing at enemy positions before the troops move in, some with flamethrowers; urban warfare; Japanese casualties; and naval and air operations in the Leyte Gulf. Diamond discusses the main commanders on both sides, and he acknowledges the role that ordinary Filipinos played in their own liberation. Diamond concludes by noting that when the atom bombs dropped on Japan, there were still 115,000 Japanese soldiers active in the Philippines. They did not surrender until 2 September. Some of his final photographs are of General MacArthur, who had returned but at an incredible cost to all involved in the occupation and liberation.
The Images of War series works well on two levels: as an introduction to the campaign or battle and as a visual supplement to other more in-depth works. Diamond’s contribution here satisfies both requirements. His text and photographs convey the magnitude of the fighting while keeping their sense of a very human conflict often fought at close quarters. What also comes across is the variety of combat situations the Americans and Filipinos encountered, and the range of tactics used to defeat the Japanese. This is therefore a solid addition to the Images of War series.
by RNS | Dec 30, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Andrew Lucas & Jürgen Schmieschek, For King and Kaiser (Pen & Sword, 2020)
In For King and Kaiser, Andrew Lucas and Jürgen Schmieschek return to the Saxon army in the Great War that they first featured in Fighting the Kaiser’s War. They narrate the story of the war those soldiers experienced, using their words and photographs. The result is an absorbing account of men at war.
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The chapters are preceded by a useful commentary on the text and photographs to follow. This begins with the introduction of trench warfare in 1914 as the Saxons settled in for their long war. We soon join the fighting in Ploegsteert Wood and First Ypres complete with maps, drawings, and first-hand accounts, one of which relates the story of the Christmas ‘truce’. We are also introduced to some of the Saxon soldiers through brief biographies. Diary entries linked by explanatory text, take us into Second Ypres. Life in the rear areas is also given its due coverage. We enter 1916, which is signaled by the photographs of well-constructed German trenches, far removed from the desperate scrapings of 1914. Canadian sources are introduced as the Saxon opponents to provide a more rounded picture, and the authors add another layer to that by discussing the barren and depressing environment the men fought in as the war continued into 1917 and the Third Battle of Ypres. Our authors again visit the Allied lines during 1917 to enhance our view of the fighting, then we are into 1918 and the crumbling German war effort despite the best efforts of the Saxons. The book concludes, fittingly, with a survey of remembrance and how the German post-war cemeteries were established.
This is a book that could have been a dud; there are no combat photographs, and the authors are considering a comparatively small section of the German army along a quite narrow front. The authors, however, do a remarkable job of extracting a considerable amount of information from their sources. The photographs and personal accounts are judiciously chosen and full of fascinating details. Even the posed unit photographs are laden with poignancy through being marked with little crosses to signify those killed in action. In addition, the modern photographs attach current readers to the experiences of those who fought and died. As an enthusiast of military history told from the ground up, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it.
by RNS | Dec 28, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Dan Spencer, The Castle in the Wars of the Roses (Pen & Sword, 2020)
The Wars of the Roses were noteworthy for their colourful cast of characters competing for the English crown, savage battles decided by close combat, and crumbling codes of medieval chivalry when loyalty and treachery clashed. Castles seem to be conspicuously missing from the scene, treated as an anachronism by many contemporary and modern chroniclers. Dan Spencer is here to address that neglect and return castles to their rightful place in the Wars of the Roses tapestry.
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Spencer begins with a helpful overview of castle development from William the Conqueror to the 15th Century, demonstrating their multifunctional purpose at the heart of English military, political, and economic life. He complements that with the background story leading into the Wars of the Roses in which besieged castles play their part. And that is how Spencer proceeds, weaving a mostly familiar narrative between unfamiliar locations and events. In following him, we visit castles the length and breadth of England and Wales – having lived in Northumberland, I found the stories of those castles particularly interesting. We also find out how sieges were conducted in war – thirty-six of them apparently – and how castles were built and modified in peace. Spencer concludes that castles played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, though in some places and times more than others. He adds appendices on notable characters, recorded and possible sieges, and recorded garrisons. It is also worth noting that Spencer includes an excellent set of notes to accompany his text and a proper bibliography.
In some ways, this is a straightforward retelling of the Wars of the Roses narrative. But it’s as if Spencer has travelled down a different road to get there. He has written an engaging text full of those little side stories that make the Wars of the Roses so interesting outside of the more obvious dynastic powerplays. A collection of diagrams and colour plates of castles helps his cause. Readers of the Wars of the Roses and castles will enjoy this book and appreciate Spencer’s contribution to both fields.
by RNS | Dec 26, 2021 | Beating Tsundoku
Rene Chartrand, The Armies and Wars of the Sun King 1643 – 1715 Volume 3: The Cavalry of Louis XIV (Helion, 2020)
Helion, via the talents of Rene Chartrand, brings us the third volume on Louis XIV’s Army and the wars they fought. It describes the historical events from 1685 through to the end of the Wars of the league of Augsburg and the cavalry from 1643 through to 1715.
The author starts with the persecution of the Huguenots by Louis XIV, the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the impact that this had on the French and Dutch armies, with large numbers of civilians and soldiers fleeing France. He then rolls straight into the Jacobite Wars in Ireland pausing briefly to mention the Scottish Jacobite’s before coming to rest at the end of the Wars of the League of Augsburg. It is a bit of a whistle stop tour, but it covers the ground in an easy to understand manner and provides background for the main focus of the book, which is the description of the French cavalry.
The book comes into its own now, and Chartrand starts by covering the development of the Gendarmerie de France, which formed a brigade sitting between the line cavalry and the Guard. The organisation, weapons, equipment, and uniforms of the Line Cavalry, Dragoons, and Hussars are all covered in sequence, and there is a real wealth of detail in these chapters which will be of interest to many. There are a couple of chapters outwith the main theme: one covering the costs of the Kings Wars, indicating what a smooth operator Louis could be, and the other describing the much vaunted Wild Geese and their place in the French army.
The book, as with all the others in the series, is supported by a large number of illustrations. There are 32 colour plates, 5 of which were specially commissioned for the book and drawn by Ed Dovey, and very nice they are too. There are far too many period black and white illustrations for me to count, but they have been carefully selected and I found that they were the ones that I studied the most. The Appendices are a bit of a mixed bag but contain some useful information, including a list of uniform colours for the more important Line Cavalry and Dragoon Regiments.
Chartrand knows his stuff and he is able to share this with the reader in an easy to digest format. Recommended for those already familiar with the army of Louis XIV who either want more detailed information on the organisation of the French cavalry across the period, a wider view of the history of the wars of Louis XIV, or a bit of both.
(Reviewed by Mike Huston)
