Between a variety of factors in 2020 and most recently the Coronavirus isolation I've done next to no gaming and in it's place have gotten to read a great deal. For me at least. I thought to share my readings and recommendations (mostly) with you today.
Being a mature/old person who always had a love for military history it is getting harder to find something new. My interests in general have turned from grand, sweeping campaign reports to ones that highlight the individual and their contributions. The anecdotal side of things adds that human element so often missing from books just of statistics. So to begin:
I had a basic understanding of Japan's foray into the Indian Ocean but had no knowledge that Churchill post-war described perceiving it as his most dangerous moment. So it was an easy choice to acquire. The book succeeded in giving me a blow-by-blow description of the air-to-air and air-to-surface combat. Also the commerce raiding by a Japanese cruiser force. The sacrifice of the allied airmen who faced long odds in typically inferior aircraft was sometimes hard to read. The strategic decisions made by British Admiral Somerville became far clearer to me. He had the largest British battle fleet assembled during the war but hardly dared face the Japanese except under his explicit conditions.
The author has a personal connection to the campaign as his father survived the sinking of HMS Cornwall by the Japanese. The stories told and photos, many I'd never seen before, added to the tale. Certainly the Japanese dive bombers made short work of the allied warships and were at the peak of their ability. I've always been interested in wargaming this campaign, though the challenge would be long for the British.
On the negative side the book tends to repeat itself frequently. I sometimes got the sense that the author had a word count goal and was determined to make it. Some minor errors regarding Japanese ships and classes were made but really didn't significantly detract from the overall story. 180 pages long with lots of black-and-white illustrations. If like me you don't have a background in this "most dangerous moment" it is definitely worth the read. As to the perception of danger, the British assumed the Japanese foray was a precursor to an invasion of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) which would have had far-reaching effects. In actuality the Japanese were looking to eliminate the Royal Navy power in the Indian Ocean to give them a free hand elsewhere. In this they were mostly successful, sinking several significant warships and forcing the fleet to pull back to Madagascar and East Africa. 3.5/5 stars.
Next up "Night Duel Over Germany: Bomber Command's Battle Over the Reich During WWII."
Again, I was aware of the enormous sacrifices made by Bomber Command during the war and had been particularly moved when I saw a portion of a Lancaster bomber at the Imperial War Museum many years ago. But I could not appreciate the technological as well as airborne duels that took place. Beginning in 1940 and progressing to the very end, the advantage see-sawed back and forth as each side developed new measures and counter-measures to combat the air assault.
The book follows a chronological approach that gives you a clear feel for the ebb-and-flow nature of the combat. While the main focus is on Bomber Command and the personalities therein, it does not skip the Luftwaffe airmen and technicians that fought until they died or surrendered. The Luftwaffe always focused on keeping their "Experten" airborne and some of them racked up remarkable confirmed victory totals. Some 8,000 bombers were lost to all causes with the cost of 55,573 airmen over the course of 365,000 sorties. Whether the strategic campaign was worth the cost to the allies and German civilian population is not given a conclusion by the author, but he never loses sight of the cost as men whose names that became familiar now become fatalities.
I trifling criticism is the absence of a good appendice of airmen and other statistics. I know I earlier said I preferred to see fewer, but the absence had me Googling some points for a more graphic understanding. Still, a very solid 4.5/5 rating over 208 pages.
Finally, I offer up "Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History."
The best for last. This book punched all my buttons, strategic view, personal glimpses, internal conflict and great footnotes and bibliography (yes, I'm one of those types). As usual, I am not an authority on the three year siege, though I feel a bit of one now, but I can find no fault in the material contained within it's 452 pages. The book largely follows day-by-day chronology, skipping forward during the quiet times. The siege is unique in the that Spanish took no aggressive action for the first two years beyond trying to starve out the garrison, seeking instead to have it part of a negotiated peace. Millions were invested trying to save or defeat the garrison, in the end to no avail.
Of particular note to me was the ripple effect. As the American War for Independence carried on the Crown was forced to decide between letting the island fall from starvation or pulling all ships together to force a relief convoy through, at the cost of other areas. They opted to pull blockading ships from French ports to ensure the convoy success, which allowed one Vice-Admiral Compte de Grasse to slip out of Brest, bound for the West Indies and eventually a place called Yorktown. So in saving Gibraltar the Crown lost the American colonies.
The besiegers and besieged were an amazing mix of ingenuity, energy and ineptitude. The Spanish, later joined by the French after their successful conquest of Minorca, missed a huge number of opportunities. Even when they did unleash their fury upon "The Rock" it was not all it could have been. For those who reveal in drama and gaming ideas, there were sorties by the garrison and actions from gunboats up to ships of the line. Even the grand assault across the straits that never occurred could be gamed.
The book is well illustrated with black-and-white and color pictures, many contemporary from the siege or immediate aftermath. Finally some color photos of the current island show key land points. In the "Aftermath" chapter the author follows the lives of surviving participants, great and small. Some had remarkable careers while others happily went to private life as their regiments were disbanded in the peace. A bit of trivia that I found fascinating was that, although recognition from the Crown was somewhat stingy, the three Hanoverian regiments present was given "Gibraltar" as a battle badge. In 1914, as the BEF retreated a rear-guard action led to British battalions from the siege engaging German forces wearing the sleeve badge Gibraltar.
I'll close with a poem from one of the soldiers, as a tribute to all the brave and terrified men and women who have humbly gone to war:
Being a mature/old person who always had a love for military history it is getting harder to find something new. My interests in general have turned from grand, sweeping campaign reports to ones that highlight the individual and their contributions. The anecdotal side of things adds that human element so often missing from books just of statistics. So to begin:
I had a basic understanding of Japan's foray into the Indian Ocean but had no knowledge that Churchill post-war described perceiving it as his most dangerous moment. So it was an easy choice to acquire. The book succeeded in giving me a blow-by-blow description of the air-to-air and air-to-surface combat. Also the commerce raiding by a Japanese cruiser force. The sacrifice of the allied airmen who faced long odds in typically inferior aircraft was sometimes hard to read. The strategic decisions made by British Admiral Somerville became far clearer to me. He had the largest British battle fleet assembled during the war but hardly dared face the Japanese except under his explicit conditions.
The author has a personal connection to the campaign as his father survived the sinking of HMS Cornwall by the Japanese. The stories told and photos, many I'd never seen before, added to the tale. Certainly the Japanese dive bombers made short work of the allied warships and were at the peak of their ability. I've always been interested in wargaming this campaign, though the challenge would be long for the British.
On the negative side the book tends to repeat itself frequently. I sometimes got the sense that the author had a word count goal and was determined to make it. Some minor errors regarding Japanese ships and classes were made but really didn't significantly detract from the overall story. 180 pages long with lots of black-and-white illustrations. If like me you don't have a background in this "most dangerous moment" it is definitely worth the read. As to the perception of danger, the British assumed the Japanese foray was a precursor to an invasion of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) which would have had far-reaching effects. In actuality the Japanese were looking to eliminate the Royal Navy power in the Indian Ocean to give them a free hand elsewhere. In this they were mostly successful, sinking several significant warships and forcing the fleet to pull back to Madagascar and East Africa. 3.5/5 stars.
Next up "Night Duel Over Germany: Bomber Command's Battle Over the Reich During WWII."
Again, I was aware of the enormous sacrifices made by Bomber Command during the war and had been particularly moved when I saw a portion of a Lancaster bomber at the Imperial War Museum many years ago. But I could not appreciate the technological as well as airborne duels that took place. Beginning in 1940 and progressing to the very end, the advantage see-sawed back and forth as each side developed new measures and counter-measures to combat the air assault.
The book follows a chronological approach that gives you a clear feel for the ebb-and-flow nature of the combat. While the main focus is on Bomber Command and the personalities therein, it does not skip the Luftwaffe airmen and technicians that fought until they died or surrendered. The Luftwaffe always focused on keeping their "Experten" airborne and some of them racked up remarkable confirmed victory totals. Some 8,000 bombers were lost to all causes with the cost of 55,573 airmen over the course of 365,000 sorties. Whether the strategic campaign was worth the cost to the allies and German civilian population is not given a conclusion by the author, but he never loses sight of the cost as men whose names that became familiar now become fatalities.
I trifling criticism is the absence of a good appendice of airmen and other statistics. I know I earlier said I preferred to see fewer, but the absence had me Googling some points for a more graphic understanding. Still, a very solid 4.5/5 rating over 208 pages.
Finally, I offer up "Gibraltar: The Greatest Siege in British History."
The best for last. This book punched all my buttons, strategic view, personal glimpses, internal conflict and great footnotes and bibliography (yes, I'm one of those types). As usual, I am not an authority on the three year siege, though I feel a bit of one now, but I can find no fault in the material contained within it's 452 pages. The book largely follows day-by-day chronology, skipping forward during the quiet times. The siege is unique in the that Spanish took no aggressive action for the first two years beyond trying to starve out the garrison, seeking instead to have it part of a negotiated peace. Millions were invested trying to save or defeat the garrison, in the end to no avail.
Of particular note to me was the ripple effect. As the American War for Independence carried on the Crown was forced to decide between letting the island fall from starvation or pulling all ships together to force a relief convoy through, at the cost of other areas. They opted to pull blockading ships from French ports to ensure the convoy success, which allowed one Vice-Admiral Compte de Grasse to slip out of Brest, bound for the West Indies and eventually a place called Yorktown. So in saving Gibraltar the Crown lost the American colonies.
The besiegers and besieged were an amazing mix of ingenuity, energy and ineptitude. The Spanish, later joined by the French after their successful conquest of Minorca, missed a huge number of opportunities. Even when they did unleash their fury upon "The Rock" it was not all it could have been. For those who reveal in drama and gaming ideas, there were sorties by the garrison and actions from gunboats up to ships of the line. Even the grand assault across the straits that never occurred could be gamed.
The book is well illustrated with black-and-white and color pictures, many contemporary from the siege or immediate aftermath. Finally some color photos of the current island show key land points. In the "Aftermath" chapter the author follows the lives of surviving participants, great and small. Some had remarkable careers while others happily went to private life as their regiments were disbanded in the peace. A bit of trivia that I found fascinating was that, although recognition from the Crown was somewhat stingy, the three Hanoverian regiments present was given "Gibraltar" as a battle badge. In 1914, as the BEF retreated a rear-guard action led to British battalions from the siege engaging German forces wearing the sleeve badge Gibraltar.
I'll close with a poem from one of the soldiers, as a tribute to all the brave and terrified men and women who have humbly gone to war:
Remember friends if war should spare,
My life, I expect to share,
At my return each dainty dish,
Fowls, beef, mutton, veal or fish,
A jug of the best home-brewed beer,
To quench my thirst, my spirits cheer,
A pipe provide tobacco good,
A cheering fire of coal or wood,
A corner it must be my seat,
And then my wishes are complete.
