Military History, Book Reviews, and Other Things

Category Modern Global Conflict

The two World Wars

Heroe’s Portraits: Surgeon Captain Arthur Martin-Leake

Double VC holder: Surgeon Captain Arthur Martin-Leake Surgeon Captain Arthur Martin-Leake is a two-time winner of the Victoria Cross.   He is one of only three men who have won the VC twice, and two of the double winners were… Continue Reading →

Book Review: Soldat: Reflections of German Soldier, 1936-1949 by Sigfried Knappe

Book Review: Soldat: Reflections of  German Soldier, 1936-1949 by Sigfried Knappe and Ted Brusaw I realized this morning that it has been a while since I posted a book review and I just finished re-reading this book yesterday and thought… Continue Reading →

Battle Analysis: The German Invasion of Russia in 1941

The German invasion of European Russia was a huge mistake for several reasons, the biggest being that Germany had insufficient forces to win in the first year.   Another reason was the force disparity between the German and Russian armies… Continue Reading →

Battle Analysis: The Ludendorff Offensives of 1918

In the spring of 1918 the German army attempted a series of what they hoped would be war-winning offensives on the Western Front that ultimately were to fail and their failure led directly to the German signing of an armistice… Continue Reading →

Book Review: Bernard Porter, The Absent-Minded Imperialists: Empire, Society, and Culture in Britain

Porter’s book is in many ways an eye-opener.   It was a surprise to discover that Britain’s empire was not a topic of national discussion until the latter portion of the imperial period.   If porter’s thesis is correct and… Continue Reading →

WW II Tanks Panther-T-34 visual comparison

Was talking about WWII tanks at work today and while looking at pictures of the various tanks the visual similarities between the German Panther and Soviet T-34 Jumped out at me. The top photo is of a Panther and the… Continue Reading →

Book Review: The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War, edited by Hew Strachan

            The Oxford Illustrated History of the First World War, edited by Hew Strachan,  is one of those rare history books that manages to be both readable scholarly at the same time.   Indeed, it is an even rarer breed… Continue Reading →

Book Review: Decisions for War, 1914-1917

            In Decisions for War, 1914-1917, Richard Hamilton and Holger Herwig present a new thesis for the origins of World War I.   They argue that in all the belligerent countries the decision for war was made by a one… Continue Reading →

Newer posts »

© 2026 Battles and Book Reviews — Powered by WordPress

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑