Soldier - Magazine of the British army


1918: A Very British Victory by Peter Hart THE British Expeditionary Force of 1914 was described by a German general as “a perfect thing apart”, writes Mike Peters. The British armies that faced the Germans in 1918 were huge in comparison but should be equally praised. Hart illustrates just how formidable they were. By 1918 no other army in the world could match the force that Britain and her empire had developed. This is an excellent book packed with lessons for the modern soldier. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 552pp, £20	Jungle Warfare by J P Cross JOHN Cross writes from deep experience. He served at the tail end of the war in Burma, fought the Viet Minh in French Indo-China, spent a year on the North-West Frontier and served throughout the Malayan Emergency. He also led the Border Scouts in Borneo during the Confrontation and commanded the Army’s Jungle Warfare School. His impressive CV in the field was rounded off by a tour as the last British Defence Attaché in Laos and visits to Vietnam. Pen & Sword, 265pp, £19.99	The Generals by Robert Lyman THE campaigns in Asia and the Far East were the most protracted of the Second World War, writes Mike Peters. Soldiers endured extreme hardships over unforgiving terrain. A general must possess exceptional qualities to lead an army to victory in this environment. This thought-provoking book explores those qualities and the performance of US, Australian, British, Chinese and Japanese generals. The pressures of high command during The Forgotten War were extraordinary. Constable, 383pp, £25

World War II by Alan Warren THIS ambitious project encapsulates the military history of the conflict in 16 chapters, from the invasion of Poland to final victory. To achieve this in a single book the author concentrates on the milestones – the fall of France, the Atlantic war, the Battle of Britain, Barbarossa, Midway, El Alamein, Stalingrad, Kursk, Normandy and so on. For students who wish to dig deeper there is a lengthy and detailed list of his sources. Tempus, 394pp, £25	By Tank: D to VE Days by Ken Tout KEN Tout knows what it was like to fight in a tank: he did so from Normandy to the end of the war. His intense observations on the experiences of the Northamptonshire Yeomanry in this new narrative are condensed from three previous memoirs – Tank; Tanks Advance and To Hell With Tanks. He and his conscript colleagues matched their outgunned Shermans against the heavier Tiger and Panther tanks of the Germans. Robert Hale, 240pp, £15.99	The Blockade Breakers by Helena P Schrader BARELY three years after the Second World War Europe faced a new crisis when Soviet troops closed all access to Berlin’s Western Sectors. This book marks the 60th anniversary of the year-long, round-the-clock airlift that prevented Berliners from starving or running out of fuel. As British and US forces held their nerve in a stand-off to thwart the Soviet Union’s aggressive attempts to expand into Europe, it became the greatest operation of its kind ever attempted. The History Press, 304pp, £19.99

A Cold War

light infantry

Darker days: Many of the images in Brig Barry’s book were taken by Soldier photographers. The main picture is of a Light Infantry battle-group mission in March 1996

A Cold War: Front-Line Operations in Bosnia 1995-1996 by Brigadier Ben Barry (Spellmount, 320pp hardback, £20).

Review: Maj Mike Peters AAC

THE current war fighting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan naturally dominate our thoughts today. It is therefore very easy to forget the role played by the British Army in the Balkans during the 1990s.
But just over a decade ago, there was only one theatre of operations on the mind of the British Army – Bosnia.

At its peak the civil war had the potential to draw the whole of Europe into a bloody and far-reaching conflict that could have ignited the region and beyond. British troops deployed in Bosnia and Croatia played a critical role in initially containing the conflict and ultimately in the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which finally ended the ethnic cleansing and savage fighting that had characterised the war in Bosnia.

The book focuses on the operations conducted by the 2nd Battalion, The Light Infantry during what was the most dangerous phase of the war. At the time the author was commanding officer of the battalion, which was deployed from Paderborn to Bosnia from November 1995 to May 1996.

His frank and detailed account encapsulates every phase of the operation, as seen through the eyes of the CO. A clear and engaging narrative gives the reader a real insight into the workings of a mechanised infantry battalion on operations, from receipt of the initial warning order through to its eventual return to Germany.

Amid the politics and intrigue that characterised operations in the Balkans, the author never loses sight of the daily dangers and challenges faced by the soldiers of his 2 LI battle-group. A wealth of first-hand accounts help explain the ever-changing situation on the ground and the physical demands of operating an armoured battle-group over some of the most unforgiving and hostile terrain in Europe.

The text is supported by excellent colour photographs, many courtesy of Soldier staff who shared the hardships.

Brig Barry captures the excitement of 2 LI’s tour and there are many examples of life-and-death decisions faced by officers and troops alike.

Particularly interesting are the moral dilemmas presented by the horrific realities of a civil war fought between warlords with, at best, medieval values. What leaps off the pages is the almost unique ability of the British soldier to adapt quickly to a new situation and complete whatever task he or she has been set.

The author’s writing style is eloquent, candid and engaging, making a subject that has the potential to be a turgid and confusing read a genuine pleasure.
He has succeeded in blending the many facets of a complex and confused war into an authoritative narrative. Brig Barry has written not only the seminal account of a Warrior battalion on operations in the Balkans, but a book that defines the British soldier of the 90s.

I recommend it to those who, like me, may have wondered what was really going on around us in Bosnia. You may gain a better understanding of what it was about.
Under new MoD rules, soldier-authors may not profit from books relating to their military experiences while serving, so the writer’s profit from sales will be shared by the Army Benevolent Fund and Help for Heroes. Money well spent. n

To have a chance of winning a copy of A Cold War, tell us on a postcard or email (comps@soldiermagazine.co.uk) the name of the capital of Bosnia. Closing date is August 29. Usual rules apply.

book briefs

AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Soldiers We Were. Virgins? We Weren’t by Jack Charlton. The author served with The Green Howards and Northumberland Fusiliers in the 1950s and his recollections of service during the Malayan Emergency, in Aden and in Germany, are perceptive and funny. In a foreword, Maj J Riordan, writes: “It brought back recollections of the great spirit of comradeship which existed in what were three of the most demanding years of my 35-year career with The Green Howards.” (Published by the author and available from him at Spindlestone Farm Cottage, Belford, Northumberland NE70 7ED, 135pp paperback, £8.50 plus £1.50 p&p.)

Rule Britannia by Bryan Kelly. A fascinating evocation of life in the 1950s from the pen of a Liverpool lad who happily left Britain behind on the troopship Empire Fowey to embark on his National Service in far off Hong Kong. Based at No 6 Forward Ordnance Depot in Kowloon, the young Kelly joyfully experienced the rough-and-tumble of Army life in the Orient, discipline, comradeship, skin complaints, a first romance. As much social history as a squaddie’s recollections. (Blenheim Press, 169pp paperback, £9,95,)

Faith of My Fathers by John McCain. This account of his capture and imprisonment in Vietnam, published for the first time in Britain, gives an insight into what makes the former US Navy pilot, and quite possibly the next leader of the Free World, tick. As the Republican candidate, Senator McCain is now within striking distance of the White House (Gibson Square, 340pp paperback, £8.99.)

UNIT HISTORY

Marines: An Illustrated History by Chester G Hearn. Large format coffee table publication which encapsulates the history of the US Marines in text and hundreds of eye-catching photographs. (Zenith Press, 192pp hardback, £18.99.)

EQUIPMENT

Tommy’s War: British Memorabilia 1914-1918 by Peter Doyle. Beautifully photographed, large format collection of just about everything that Tommy would have seen or touched in the First World War, from uniforms to insignia, weapons to trenching tools, postcards to propaganda, medals to souvenirs. (The Crowood Press, 209pp hardback, £19.95.)

Machine Guns of World War I by Robert Bruce. Large format, highly detailed colour photographs. If machine guns of this period are your thing, you will certainly want to add this to your collection. (The Crowood Press, 128pp paperback, £18.99.)

The World War II GI by Richard Windrow and Tim Hawkins. US Army uniforms of 1941-45, shot in modern settings, in full and detailed colour. (The Crowood Press, 144pp paperback, £16.99.)

M2/M3 Bradley at War by Michael Green and James D Brown. Pretty much everything you wanted to know about the Bradley, from Zenith’s “At War” series. Colour photographs, cutaways, close-ups and drawings, supported by authoratitive text. (Zenith Press, 128pp paperback, £12.99.)

SECOND WORLD WAR

New Georgia, Bougainville, and Cape Gloucester: The US Marines in World War II by Eric Hammel. A coffee table pictorial tribute to the Marines. Illustrated history of Pacific campaigns. (Zenith Press, 168pp hardback, £25.)

The Day of the Panzer by Jeff Danby. A dramatic, almost minute-by-minute account of the battle fought by GIs of L Company, 15th Regiment, US 3rd Infantry Division when they overran a Panzer headquarters in southern France in 1944 and found themselves surrounded and facing annihilation. (Casemate, 305pp hardback, £22.50.)

Barbarossa 1941: Hitler’s War of Annihilation by Geoffrey Megargee. A chance to read in paperback this concise history, first published in 2006, of Hitler’s campaign of conquest and genocide in Russia. It resulted in the systematic deaths of tens of millions of Soviet citizens and decimated vast areas. (Tempus, 223pp paperback, £9.99.)

Bader’s War by S P Mackenzie. Douglas Bader was simply Britain’s greatest Second World War hero. He became its most famous fighter pilot despite losing both legs in a flying accident before the war, led a Canadian Spitfire squadron during the Battle of Britain, and had his tin legs confiscated by the Germans to prevent him making yet another escape attempt after he was captured and imprisoned in Colditz Castle. The book’s sub-title – “Have a go at everything” – seems to sum up his uniquely inspirational, enigmatic, egotistical, opinionated and deeply complex character. (Spellmount, 192pp hardback, £20.)

MODERN WARFARE

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstam. A comprehensive new history of the Korean War which weaves descriptions of the major battles into the fabric of political momentum and miscalculation, the characters of the leading generals on both sides, and individual stories of soldiers on the front line. (Macmillan, 719pp hardback, £25.)

Chosin by Eric Hammel. New edition of this very detailed account of the defining battle of the Korean War, first published in 1981 and again in 1990. Chosin pitted the over-confident 1st US Marine Division against overwhelming Chinese forces, resulting in, depending on your point of view, an ignominious retreat or a successful withdrawal. However history judges it, Chosin involved pockets of US Marines in a protracted fight to survive against odds of ten-to-one and one of the harshest winters on record. (Zenith, 457pp paperback, £12.99.)

The Ethiopian Patriots by Andrew Hilton. Outgunned and overwhelmed by chemical weapons, the Ethiopian army was swiftly crushed during the Italo-Abyssinian War of 1935-41. First published in hardback last year, this book tells in the words of those who fought on the story of the Ethiopian people’s heroic resistence. (Spellmount, 191pp paperback, £14.99.)

HISTORICAL

The Siege of Derry 1689: The Militry History by Richard Doherty. A new analysis of James II’s siege of Londonderry, where the Protestant war cry of “no surrender” was first heard. Half the city’s population died during the civil war, with far reaching consequences for Britain and beyond. (Spellmount, 274pp hardback, £20.)

Soldier ordering service.
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