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Book Reviews
“The Armed Forces of North Korea; On the Path of Songun” (2020) by Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
“The Armed Forces of North Korea; On the Path of Songun” is probably the best available published information on the North Korean military.
“Into Helmand with the Walking Dead; A Story of Combat in Afghanistan” by Miles Vining and Kevin Schranz (2020)
“Into Helmand with the Walking Dead; A Story of Combat in Afghanistan” is the account of how a young man goes from being a civilian to a battle hardened Marine fighting in the War on Terror.
“Chassepot to FAMAS; French Military Rifles 1866-2016” (2019) by Ian McCollum (Video Review)
Beautifully made, this book gives a comprehensive rundown of French military service rifles from 1866 to effectively the modern day.
“Armoured Warfare; A Military, Political and Global History” (2017) by Alaric Searle
This book provides a comprehensive and concise overview of the history and nature of armoured warfare over the last 100 years.
“Afghantsy; The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89” (2011) by Rodric Braithwaite
Book review of the excellent account of the Soviet war in Afghanstan.
“The Moon is Down” (1942) by John Steinbeck
An excellent example of successful propaganda that should be of interest to historians and military officers.
“China’s India War; Collision Course on the Roof of the World” (2018) by Bertil Lintner
On the topic of the 1962 Sino-Indian War, China’s India War is a revisionist text that re-examines the long standing opinion on this conflict that it was provoked by Indian intrusion into Chinese territory.
“Killing Rommel” (2008) by Steven Pressfield
It must first be pointed out that this is not a factual book; it is a novel and, as such, is an unusual selection to be on Military Matters, which generally deals with factual sources. The reason for its inclusion is that Pressfield manages to convey something in this book that most writers never seem to get right – the sheer confusion, boredom and terror of war.
“Under Fire; An American Story” (1991) by Oliver L. North with William Novak
Yes. THAT Oliver North.
For anyone who may not know, Lt. Col. Oliver North, USMC, was one of the most controversial figures of the late Cold War and continues to be a deeply polarising figure – for some a traitor, for others a hero.
“Intelligence and Espionage: Secrets and Spies,” (2019) by Drs. Daniel Lomas and Christopher Murphy
A book aimed as an introduction to Intelligence History for university students, Intelligence and Espionage: Secrets and Spies is understandably a thorough study of the subject. While it purports to provide only an introduction to the subject, the authors have written an excellent piece of work that provides great balance between high end academia and readability – two items that are quite often mutually exclusive.
“The Lion’s Gate; On the Front Lines of the Six Day War” (2014) by Steven Pressfield
Dealing with a subject that has had copious coverage - the astounding victory of the Israeli Defence Force over numerically superior Arab armies in the “Six-Day War” of 1967 - Pressfield adopts an unusual methodology in writing The Lions Gate, which he admits to immediately in the prologue.
“War Is a Racket” (1935) by Maj.Gen. Smedley Butler
Written by one of America’s most decorated soldiers, "War Is a Racket" warns of what became known of as the “Industrial-Military Complex”.
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