I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will eagerly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. I am also interested in books on Africa, but again, mostly the history of the continent, especially in the 20th Century. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

German Night Fighter Force, 1917-1945 (Five Stars)

From 1940 on Germany faced the wrath of the RAF bomber command, which chose to conduct its raids on German cities at night. In response, the Luftwaffe not only increased the number of ground-based antiaircraft units but also formed dedicated night-fighter squadrons. Mr. Aders discusses the evolution of the force, from its reliance on sound detectors and searchlights to the employment of dedicated and purpose-built (sort of) fighters which could detect bomber streams and target individual enemy aircraft in the dark.




Aders book starts with World War One, which saw primitive aircraft attempting to intercept small-scale bomb raids at night. Prior to World War Two very little thought was put towards night fighting and when the Luftwaffe was created the emphasis was on attack, not defense. However, RAF bomber raids demanded a response and German fighter pilots were trained for the first time to fly on instruments only. From there, the history of the German night fighter force was largely one of improvisition and necessity. The Me110 was the first fighter to be relegated to the night fighter role after its disappointing performance during the Blitz. From then on the night fighter force usually employed obsolescent airframes, which, if they were lucky, had been somewhat modified for their new role. Superior aircraft designs were on the drawing board but with so many aircraft which could be used for night fighting (although not optimally) just sitting in storage or factories the Reich would not divert the resources from its limited manufacturing base for truly superior planes.




Aders clearly knows the topic. His book discusses personalities who were involved in the design of Germany's air defenses, such as General Kammhuber. His book looks at the various aircraft adopted for use as night fighters, such as the Me110, the Ju-88, the He219 and the Ar240, as well as the drawbacks to designs put forward due to lack of available engines, etc. He discusses ground-based radars such as Freya and Wurzburg and the roles they played in early warning and guidance of the fighters. He also looks at Lichtenstein and other airborne radars for targing individual enemy aircraft, not to mention efforts to use infra-red targetting. Aders' book includes discussions of individual night fighter pilots and operations of night fighters outside of the Reich.




Reading this book you will be surprised at how the defenses that threatened the RAF were hobbled together. It will make you wonder how much greater the damage might have been if the Germans had changed their priorities, even temporarily. You would be hard-pressed to find another book as good as this one on the topic of German night fighters. I found myself skipping over technical details at times but I know where to find those details if I need them. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white photographs, maps and organizational information.

U.S. Army in the Plans Indian Wars 1865-1891 (Five Stars)

Between the Civil War and the Spanish-American War the U.S. Army found itself primarily in the west, fighting the occasional Indian uprising. This book looks at the Army and how it was equipped, trained, armed and deployed for battle. For a small book it is an excellent resource, providing maps of Division of Missouri and the districts which came under it, tables showing the strengths of various U.S. Army regiments and many excellent photographs. It even discusses the doctrinal changes which saw the Army finally adjust to the realities of increased and accurate firepower of the individual trooper and soldier. Definitely earns a permanent spot in my library.

Intercept 1961: The Birth of Soviet Missile Defense (Four Stars)

In 1961 the USSR, after many tries, successfully intercepted a ballistic missile with an anti-ballistic missile. As the author points out, this was a significant success for the Soviets, not just for the achievement itself but for what their scientists learned from the problem: headway was made in communications, computing, radar, rocketry, warhead design, etc.








The only flaw I find in the book is its redundancy. I have no doubt after reading Intercept that Mr. Gruntman is an expert, maybe even THE expert in the west, on the topic of Soviet ABM design. However, he goes back and forth in several chapters about the exact same topic in the exact same way. He also goes into excrutiating detail about how design bureaus worked in the USSR when I believe there must have been a simpler way to discuss these topics. And he also discusses individuals involved in ABM design which at first seemed to be too much detail but when the reader gets into the internal politics of the Soviet defense budget it makes it clear that petty feuds and disagreements steered Soviet defense thinking.








This book is well illustrated, provides links to online sources and explains a lot about the Moscow defense system. An important addition to anyone's library who is interested in antiaircraft and air defense.

Fabulous Las Vegas in the 50s (Five Stars)

If you want a fun pop-culture book on Vegas this is probably the one with you. Great pictures of the old casinos, the shows, and other aspects of Las Vegas in the 1950s. Well worth spending time on.

Arcade Fever (Five Stars)

A fun book on the early video games. Absolutely loved it! Very well illustrated with color photos and artwork. I even loved Sellers' descriptions of the games. A great pop culture book.

America's First Great Eclipse (Five Stars)

This is a great book about the 1878 eclipse. This major astronomical event saw the area of totality (total eclipse) move across the American West, placing parts of Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana in total darkness. This was an interesting time of contrasts: the astronomers who wanted to observe the eclipse primarily went to Colorado in part due to its accessibility by railroad. Montana, in contrast, had no astronomical expeditions because not only had the iron rails not reached the territory but the destruction of Custer's command at the Little Big Horn had taken place there in 1876.




Ruskin does an excellent job of describing some of the quirks of this event and descrobes many of the personalities involved, including an all-female expedition and inventor Thomas Edison's attempt to use one of his inventions to study the eclipse. Ruskin discusses the changes then taking place in the field of astronomy and how the Great Eclipse helped to firmly establish America's place in the field. Well-illustrated.

I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will eagerly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. I am also interested in books on Africa, but again, mostly the history of the continent, especially in the 20th Century. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

The Passport Book (Three Stars)

This book is all right... it has beautiful covers of passports in full color but I believe the book should have been done a little better. Instead of the almanac/encyclopedia info on each country's GNP, pax per mile, etc. I would have preferred more information related to each country's passport system and the use of their passport. For instance, the fact that several country's not only do not recognize Israel's passport but will ban third parties who have an Israeli visa in THEIR passport. There must be several different factoids that could be incorporated in this book... whose country produces the passport LEAST LIKELY to be seen outside of their territory (I'm thinking DPRK)? Which was the first country to produce printed passports? The first country to include photos for identification? What additional information or artwork is included in the passport? And while we're on the topic, what does that country's visa look like for visitors from foreign country's? And illustration could be provided of that as well.




Perhaps the book might even include a section on defunct passports, such as those for Rhodesia, the USSR, and Manchukuo. In my opinion, that is what it would take to make this a five-star book.

Flak: German Antiaircraft Defenses, 1914-1945 (Five Stars)

Flak played an integral part of Germany's air defenses during World War I and II and this well-researched and well-written volume looks at the development of the antiaircraft artillery, its doctrine, organization, employment and manning. No other book I have ever come across has done as good a job as this one in discussing the ground-based air defenses of the Luftwaffe and the German Army.




Mr. Westermann goes beyond simply looking at developments... he puts them in perspective for the reader, employing charts and numbers which provide snapshots of Germany's ground-based air defenses. More importantly, Westermann explains the driving force of technology on German doctrine, the importance of deception and the German theorists on both sides of the "measurement of success" debate within the military community (whether the destruction of enemy aircraft should be the sole yardstick of effectiveness for antiaircraft or should the minimalization of enemy accuracy be the measurement). The production of the excellent "88," the wartime development of radar and other aspects are just some of the topics presented in this volume.

Republic of Korea Army: ROKA (Five Stars)

Excellent book featuring ROKA weapon systems such as the K30 "Flying Tiger" antiaircraft gun, the K1 tank, the K9 "Thunder" self-propelled gun, the K2 "Black Panther" tank prototype and a host of other truck and utility vehicles employed by the ROKA. Mr. Arthur has included a thumbnail sketch of the history and current state of South Korea's army. Certainly  a valuable reference for anyone who will be stationed in the ROK or is interested in Asian military matters. The photography is excellent!

Raytheon Company: The First Sixty Years (Four Stars)

This book provides a visual history of Raytheon, a company which has produced several notable weapons systems, air traffic control radars and many other products. A pioneer in certain types of tubes, Raytheon did notable work on early tactical surface-to-air missile systems and has a large presence in the corporate landscape. My only disappointment was in the selection of photos (far better photos of Patriot and HAWK missile systems exist). A good book but it's a topic you're already going to have to be interested in to get anything out of it.

Rhodesian African Rifles (Four Stars)

This book, part of a series of small volumes of important British regiments, looks at the history of the Rhodesian African Rifles, the RAR. While well-written, it only covers the period in which the RAR was organized and later sent to Burma to fight the Japanese. A complete volume (as written in 1970, as this book was) would include operations in Malaysia and in the Bush War in Rhodesia itself. As such it can only serve as an introrduction to the Rhodesian African Rifles.

Building the Wall (One Star)

Well, let's start with the errors in fact and then work our way to the conclusions.
First of all, it is clear that no research was done regarding certain facts. Yes, yes, I know it's a PLAY, but even plays must answer to facts. Besides, there's more than enough fantasy behind the author's conclusions without pretending that the author has even known anyone in the military.




For instance: on page 21 the author implies that Rick (one of only two characters in the play, thank God) was made a Military Policeman after he joined up "because he had experience in security." In fact, a quick call to the local Army recruiter would have provided the fact that the Army signs a contract with the recruit before they ever raise their hand to take the oath and the recruit will be shown a large number of possible options, from Air Defender to X-Ray Technician. The Army doesn't pick the MOS, the recruit does.




Second, Rick says he was stationed in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. After 9/11.




Well... no.




You see, the KSA had mostly Patriot units stationed on its soil in the 1990s and was never really that comfortable doing that. Following the start of operations in Iraq our presence in Saudi Arabia dropped to almost nothing except the occasional exercise involving aircraft. So Rick would never had been sent to Saudi Arabia in an MP company.




On Page 63 we have a discussion about how President Trump doesn't like to shake hands. Obviously the author has never been to a MAGA event, but that would kind of go without saying.




Finally, we get to the fantasy part: by building a wall to protect our borders and enforing our existing immigration laws we will wind up building death camps to kill illegals. Rick is put in charge of one of these camps because he must have been a sergeant or a specialist or something and naturally multibillion dollar corporations are looking for savvy NCOs to run their multimillion dollar facilities, especially if they intend to kill people.




The conclusion is breathtaking. I only marvel that it takes some 108 pages to get there. You see, this is a liberal fantasy in which instead of just CALLING people who support President Trump Nazis we have created a whole series of "future events" which actually results in them BEING Nazis! Oh, and the author gets to denigrate all those things he dislikes: privatized prisons, police (who are all racist), George W. Bush, people who claimed that undocumented immigrants were bringing back eradicated diseases to California (they were), Republicans, the Wall and, of course, Trump. In this fantasy America Trump has been impeached (and no doubt via some means not outlined in the Constitution Hillary is now president) and countries like Mexico are refusing to take their citizens back.




Hm. Could they watch Fox news and realize that some of these people committed heinous crimes after being deported from the U.S. several times.




Really, I can't imagine sitting in a theater and listening to two characters go back and forth, with one mouthing DNC talking points and the other a victim of circumstance but still contemptable because he supported president Trump. Oh, and thank God for the "commentaries," which give us goodthink. Why, if not for this book I might not have been aware that "illegal immigration ended nine years ago."

The Alamo 1836 (Five Stars)

For a slim volume this book did a very thorough job of looking at the Battle of the Alamo and putting it in context with other events in Texas that were happening at the same time. Santa Anna actually had two columns invading Texas, the one he personally led and a second one advancing along the coast. The dictator of Mexico no doubt needed the time he spent outside the Alamo to collect his army, which suffered from crossing forbidding terrain during the winter, when there would be no provisions available.

Hardin pulls no punches when it comes to the key leaders involved, looking at them as men instead of the ideal we believe in. Certainly there were mistakes made all around: had Santa Anna tried to terrorize the Texas populations by giving no quarter to Fannin or Travis's men, but instead made them into martyrs. The collapse of the Texas government due to personalities made central leadership almost impossible. And finally, in his eagerness to catch Houston's army Santa Ana divided his command and left himself, both commander of the expedition and leader of Mexico, in a vulnerable position. The Battle of San Jacinto resulted in the transfer of huge amounts of territory from Mexico to Texan control, and ultimately to U.S. control.

Well illustrated with photos, original artwork and contemporary illustrations.

I am glad to say I seem to be caught up with my book reviews. For anyone interested in getting a book reviewed, feel free to get in touch with me. I am primarily interested in history books, particularly African and military history. If you have a book on antiaircraft or air defense I would be VERY interested in reviewing. Also, I am sympathetic to self-published books but please look at the reviews I do before asking me to look at your work. I have been known to be impatient with errors and poor writing.

Murder in the Zambezi: The Story of the Air Rhodesia Viscounts shot down by Russian-made missiles (Four Stars)

This fascinating book looks at a crime virtually unknown in the United States: the murder of over 100 men, women, and children when terrorists shot down two Rhodesian Air turboprops serving a resort area in Africa. Most of the survivors of the first crash were gunned down in cold blood by ZIPRA guerrilas.




The weapon employed by the terrorists was a Soviet SA-7 man-portable missile. A so-called "revenge" weapon (the primitive seeker could only lock on to an aircraft's exhaust) the "Grail" was more than effective enough to shoot down an airliner, fully-fueled and and heavily weighted, on takeoff. Certainly shooting down an airplane loaded with people on vacation is less dangerous than attacking military aircraft, just as murdering missionaries is safer than trying to fight armed soldiers.
Pringle tells the story of many of the victims, putting a human face on this tragedy. As a pilot, he is also uses his flying experience to explain exactly why the events happened as they did. And finally, Pringle does a good job of explaining the significance of the the air disaster in the last stages of the long bush war fought by Rhodesia.




Murder in the Zambezi brings to light not just the cold-blooded murder of civilians but also the muted or non-existent response by the United States and European countries, all of which should have been concerned by the use of man-portable SAMs against civilian airliners. Illustrated by black-and-white photos and maps. It also lists the names of the aircrew and passengers killed in this crime.

Sharpshooting Rifles of the American Civil War (Five Stars)

Excellent book! As an introduction to the topic, Peglar's book provides insight not just to the weapons available during the Civil War but also to the way they were deployed and the tactics that were used. Like many books produced by Osprey, this small volume packs a punch. The book also looks at the technology of the times and some of the controversy surrounding the adoption of sharpshooting rifles. Peglar also adds his own conclusions as to the effects of sharpshooting had on the adoption of true marksmanship standards in the U.S. Army following the Civil War, something that is worth reading. Includes excellent photos and artwork.

Symbols of War: Pershing II and Cruise Missiles in Europe (One Star)

This incredibly dated book looks at the deployment of the Pershing II and Ground-Launched Cruise Missiles in the 1980s. Pershing IIs were longer-range ballistic missiles designed to support the U.S. Army in Europe. They were deployed because the Soviet Union deployed SS-20s within range of the NATO line of defense in West Germany. You wouldn't know it from this book, which is more concerned about what the Pershing II might do to Soviets in Ukraine, Byelorussia and Lithuania than what the SS-20 might do to Frankfurt-am-Main or Hamburg. Also, the writer either had no idea of how weapon systems are procured in the United States (especially very expensive, very complex systems) or was being deliberately misleading. One very strange argument is that the United States Army would be given strategic nuclear weapons... for the first time!

This book is only good as a nostalgic look at communism and the weak-minded stooges who did their bidding in the various peace movements in the 1980s.

Elvis in the Army (Four Stars)

A fun book, Elvis in the Army looks at the King of Rock and Roll's time as a draftee. He served in Germany as a scout for an armored battalion, a critical job but one that seemed to be perfect for Private Presley for a number of reasons. Taylor talks about some of the interesting things he saw during Elvis's tour in Germany due to his enormous popularity, as well as the ordinary, down-to-earth soldier he got to know. Definitely worth reading if you're interested in Elvis Presley.

Under the Cover of Light: The Extraordinary Story of USAF COL Thomas "Jerry" Curtis's 7 1/2 Year Captivity in North Vietnam (Five Stars)

An amazing book, Under the Cover of Light tells the true story of Lt. Col. Tohmas J. Curtis's ordeal as a captive of North Vietnam following the shootdown of his rescue helicopter. Curtis endured starvation, torture and isolation in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions (which both the United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam were signatories) during the seven and a half years he spent as a prisoner. His faith in God provided the resilience he needed to survive.

Both inspirational and heartbreaking.

Scars of Independence: America's Violent Birth (Two Stars)

While this book is well-researched and goes into painstaking detail, it is unfortunate that the author feels a need to place it in a modern context. The American Revolution is relevant to drone strikes? Really?

Hoock's avowed purpose is to make sure that Americans do not continue to be misled into their thinking their Revolution was an exception to the violent nature of revolutions, without really talking about revolutions other than France's, which admittedly IS relevant. He goes on to discuss in nauseating detail specific atrocities visited by both sides on each other and on innocent bystanders.

It's a pity that Hoock does not spend more time talking about the American grievances leading to the separation of the United States from the British. If he decided to detail the victims of economic malaise caused by British taxation policy and a lack of "taxation without representation," if he had discussed the deprivations of the Indians on frontiersmen which resulted in NO punishment for said Indians who were under the protection of the crown (think of the frontier as a "sanctuary territory") and made mention of major disputes with more than a curt mention of the Regulator Wars.

Hoock mentions Tryon several times in his book, relevant to his position in the British occupation of New York and New Jersey. Does Hoock even know who Tryon was? Tryon was the last royal governor of North Carolina. He had a brick "palace" built for himself in New Bern and tried to have the cost paid for by the people, thus the Regulator Wars. Arbitrary justice, relentless taxation, a government far removed from the interests and desires of the governed while failing to provide protection for those same people... is it any wonder that the Revolution was violent?

I also feel I have to take issue with Hoock's supposition that Americans are ignorant of the violence involved in the Revolution. I recall learning in high school about the violence of both sides (minus the actual fighting, which needless to say was violent). Modern Revolution sites discuss the violence seen in these places. Perhaps since Mr. Hoock did not grow up in America he has not been raised to learn U.S. AND state histories.

The author's bias becomes clear when, I suppose out of some sense of social duty, he feels the need to discuss "neoconservatives," "extreme rendition," and "America Empire" in terms right which would make Howard Zinn proud.

Advance copy included typos which may or may not have been corrected. Some illustrations. No modern maps.

The Divided Berlin, 1945-1990 (Five Stars)

Great book! Along the lines of the Past Finder Berlin book about the city during the Nazi era, Divided Berlin looks at the sites involved with occupation zones, the formation of communist East Germany and the Cold War. The volume is filled with maps, photos and trivia. The only disappointment I had was that the book didn't include anything on the World Clock.

 I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will gladly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. I am also interested in books on Africa, but again, mostly history. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

Elizabeth City, North Carolina and the Civil War (Four Stars)

This book tells the fascinating story of Elizabeth, a small community which found itself caught between the demands of the Confederate and Union governments. The Confederacy was unable to prevent the Union from landing troops seemingly at will and the Union was unable to maintain a presence in the area due to demands in other areas of Northeast North Carolina. Both the Confederacy and the Union competed in the area for recruits and resources but always at expense of the other side. Unionists and rebels alike tired of the seesaw nature of the conflict as both sides turned to a struggle for control and legitimacy and tried to work out a deal to rid themselves of BOTH Confederate AND Union troops.

Very detailed and includes contemporary black and white illustrations.

Panic at the Pump (One Star)

I only got to page 21 before I had to put this book down. The author begins by looking at oil (and criticizing free market economies in the process) and George H.W. Bush (although the way she writes I'm not sure if she thinks she's writing about George W. Bush) but the worst part was where she as much as said something to the effect that Republicans realized in the 1960s "that race baiting wouldn't get them the policies they wanted in regards to oil legislation." Considering that LBJ needed Republican votes to get Great Society legislation through this is absurd. Thank goodness I didn't spend money on this book.

Red Star Rogue (Four Stars)

This extremely interesting book looks at an incident in which a Kilo-class Soviet ballistic missile submarine sank in 1960 a few hundred miles from Hawaii. Piecing together public information and some classified information Mr. Sewell argues that this submarine was actually lost during a rogue attempt to launch a nuclear missile at the United States and he makes a very compelling case. Unfortunately, most historians simply see this incident as an unfortunate accident and the photos and physical evidence which would prove (or disprove) that theory is still classified or in secret storage somewhere.

Definitely glad I read this!

The Prisoner in his Palace (Four Stars)

An interesting book about the detail which guarded Saddam Hussein following his capture by the U.S. Army in Iraq. Young MPs, they did not see the brutal dictator of Iraq but rather an old man who wrote poetry and liked to smoke cigars. It is well-written and interesting, but it never talks about the infamous photo of Saddam in his underwear. Did one of the "Super Twelve" take this picture? If so, what happened to this person?

One thing this book confirmed for me was the location of Saddam's incarceration at Camp Victory. I would run most days when I was there in 2005 and when going by the small lake I noticed a building on its own island with extra security. Unlike other buildings it had no sign for the unit occupying it or its function. I mentally tagged it as a possible location for Saddam.

Stalin and the Red Army (Three Stars)

This book is interesting as a study of psychology, rather than a useful study of the military arts. When originally written, this book came out following the Great Purge, which saw the deaths of senior Red Army leaders. Better men than Voroshilov ended up in the Gulag or shot in the back of the head. So, the sole source for this book is Stalin's writings. It discusses Stalin's role in the defense of Tsarytsin (later Stalingrad) and his security-consciousness in regards to the Red Army. A very thin book and much of the material is redundant.

Rhodesian Light Infantryman (Five Stars)

Excellent overview of the Rhodesian Light Infantry, the rapid reaction force of Rhodesia during its long fight against Marxist guerrillas. The RLI never enjoyed the technological advantages that the U.S. Army of the time could claim, nor was it lavishly funded and equipped as some European regiments were. However, the RLI managed to consistently find and defeat the "terrs" by using the most suitable equipment available and tactical innovations, such as the Fireforce concept. Splendidly illustrated with photos and original artwork, Grant's book touches on virtually all aspects of life in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, including weaponry, uniforms and clothing, manning (volunteers at first, then conscripts), billeting, pay, etc.

Like most Osprey books, this volume serves as an excellent book in its own right or a reference when reading about the history of this forgotten conflict.

 I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will gladly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. I am also interested in books on Africa, but again, mostly history. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

Rebel Watchdog: The Confederate States Army Provost Guard (Four Stars)

Before there was Military Police there was the Provost Guard. In this book Mr. Radley discusses the Confederate use of Provost Guards in a variety of roles familiar to MPs in the modern U.S. Army: prison guards, battlefield policing and security, POW processing, searching for deserters, etc. However, the Confederate experience also saw the use of PGs to root out spies and disloyalty among the civil populace, internal passport control and the security of transportation assets. Employing whatever units could be spared, the Provost Guard enforced unpopular edicts and were often seen by the military and civilians alike as nuisances. The effectiveness of the Provost went down as the fortunes of the Confederacy went down and reliable units were not available for use as Provost Guards.

Kenneth Radley has obviously spent considerable time researching this topic. His use of first-person accounts and specific Confederate acts and regulations make this a vital book for understanding how the Confederate Army (and in fact the Confederacy itself) was policed.

My Holiday in North Korea: The Funniest/Worst Place on Earth (Two Stars)

I found the book funny at first. The author's quips seemed to be dead-on from what I know of the rogue regime.

However...

Ms. Simmons seems to be determined not to utter the "C" word, the one that describes the totalitarian regime that literally owns the means of production and resembles a Stalinist state, except with medium-range ballistic missiles and an "intranet." It's almost as if she's afraid of offending her left-leaning friends in the United States. Paranoid? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Communist? WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, BE JUDGMENTAL OR SOMETHING?!

So she reserves confines herself to talking about how the electricity is spotty and running water is a luxury (even though the fixtures are all there). You almost get the impression that if these things were fixed then Kim Il-Sung's delusion that he was going to "co-host" the Seoul Olympics would be unworthy of discussion, that Kim Jong-il's mishandling of the famine of the 1990s is just a distant memory and Kim Jong-Un's fascination with nukes and missiles is just a loveable quirk.

And the writing... goodness! Thank God Missileman can't drop the same number of A-bombs on America as the F-bombs Simmons dropped on North Korea... the country would be a radioactive wasteland from sea to shining sea. And really, I don't need to know how you and one of your handlers bonded over your periods.

I have no doubt that if this book had come out this year Kim Jong-Un would come off better than either Billy Graham or President Donald Trump.

Confederate Artilleryman, 1861-65 (Three Stars)

Good book, but most of the information was available from other sources. I did NOT know that Confederate batteries swapped their guns for captured Union-made models at the first opportunity nor that most had no live-fire experience prior to battle. The main draws for having this book is that it concentrates the information on the Confederate Army's artillery arm in one place and it has some great original artwork. I will certainly keep it as a quick reference.

Armistice: The Hot War (Four Stars)

In this, the third book in the Atomic War series, both the United States and the Soviet Union have suffered utter devastation thanks to atomic bombs delivered by B-29 Superforts and Tu-4 Bulls. Lives have been overturned as eastern Europe rises up against the Soviet occupation... not to mention some soviet socialist republics which never really bought into the whole USSR thing.

Once again, Turtledove brings the period to life using the experiences of his characters. Of course, this seems to be a bit repetitious or disconnected after a while as some of the characters have no real contact with the war anymore. Indeed, by the time the book is over it feels unfinished.

U.S. Grenade Launchers (Five Stars)

This book is a thorough study of the 40mm grenade launcher systems carried by soldiers of the U.S. military. Little did I know when I arrived at my line battery and was handed an M203 that a lot of thought and development had gone into the weapon.

The grenade launcher was designed to cover the indirect fire "dead zone" between the reach of mortars and the throw of hand grenades. U.S. soldiers had previously used rifle grenades to cover this area but through the use of grenade launchers (dedicated M79s at first and then later under-the-barrel launchers like M203) the soldier could not only hit a target but could use pyrotechnics and specialized munitions.

Despite the slightly heavier weight of the M203 over the M16A1 I came to appreciate the weapon. I only got to fire the grenade launcher ONCE (our unit had M203s but were not issued ammunition for qualification) and that under the worst possible conditions. Nevertheless, I dropped a round into the top hatch of a target-practice tank, lighting it up for a moment like a Christmas tree. The M203 is a very respectable weapon.

The book is well-written and illustrated with photos and original artwork. An excellent guide to our grenadiers.

The Sunshine Land... Ghana Fifty: Memories of Independence, 1957 (Five Stars)

In this book David Wedd recounts his experiences and observations made during his tenure as a leftenant seconded to the Gold Coast Regiment in 1956. The following spring the British colony of the Gold Coast became Ghana, the first of many former colonies to become independent states. Thanks to notes and journals he kept during the period his book discusses the regimental life of African soldiers and the unique aspects of life in the tropics. Wedd's observation of the transfer of power to Kwame Nkrumah (who would later start another tradition, that of first-elected leaders deciding they need to remain as dictator) is confined to the enthusiastic celebrations and ceremonies related to independence. Later in the book, when he discusses post-coup trips to Accra, does he look at the problems related to Nkrumah's presidency.





What I found most fascinating was the trip David Wedd and James Ankumah (another officer of the regiment) took to Timbuktu. While a fascinating adventure, dealing with new people, French bureaucracy and the difficulties of African motor transport it was a trip that possible in the 1950s that could not be done today. It also says something about the kind of things lieutenants can get away with that field grade officers cannot.





Includes lots of photos by the author.

 I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will gladly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. I am also interested in books on Africa, but again, mostly history. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

Planet of the Apes: Tales From the Forbidden Zone (Five Stars)

This book draws on characters not just from the classic Planet of the Apes movies but also from the short-lived TV show as well. Overall, the writing is good and the use of existing characters makes most of the stories fun to read. The use of alternate timelines and some programs I must have missed made some of the stories a little confusing but I'm glad I got this book.

Pastfinder Berlin: 1933-1945 (Four Stars)

Very interesting book. When I was in Germany I almost got the German-language version but since I don't read or speak the language very well I'm glad I held out for English. This is a very good book, with maps to locate some of the more interesting places associated with the Third Reich and good commentary. Even if you are not terrbily familiar with the War you will still find this book helpful, as it provides bios and breakdowns of key leaders and organizations. It was a bit redundant in places, though, and I'm not sure I would have organized it in the same. Very helpful photos.

Confederate Coal Torpedo (Three Stars)

Interesting book on a sabotage device invented by the Confederacy and apparently used on a small scale... the fact that anyone got with one of these devices would have been shot without consideration might have had some to do with it. There was also a lot of information about the device's inventor. Overall good writing, and includes useful photos and line drawings.

Operation Chowhound (Five Stars)

This book tells the inspirational story of Operation Chowhound, the 8th Air Force (and Bomber Command, under Operation Manna) effort to deliver food to the Dutch population who were starving to death in the last days of the war. In early 1945 the Netherlands were still firmly occupied by the Nazis and worse, they had the means to destroy the dikes and flood most of the country if they were forced to retreat. Eisenhower and his chief of staff worked out a deal with the Nazis: Allied bombers, which no longer had targets to speak of in the Reich, would drop food from very low altitude and speed. In exchange, the German flak would not fire at the bombers.

In this surreal endtime of the war the truce held and soon food was being "bombed" at pre-agreed upon locations while bombers flew specific "lanes" to reach their "targets." And the flak (for the most part) did not fire on the aircraft, even though they certainly could have caused enormous damage to the bomber fleet.

I loved the writing and recommend this for any student of WWII.

Writer, Sailor, Soldier, Spy (Five Stars)

Reynold's book makes a case for Hemingway's role as an intelligence officer, a soldier, and a combat sailor... although all on his own terms. A leftist in the 1930s, documents show that he was even recruited by the NKVD, although whether or not he could have been useful to them is problematic. Papa Hemingway was a man larger than life and this book looks at what is no doubt his dark side in the cause of anti-fascism.

A Question of Loyalty (Four Stars)

An interesting book that puts the circumstances surrounding General Billy Mitchell's court-martial into perspective. Mitchell, a latecomer to military aviation but one of its strongest proponents, had made his name during the Great War as the combat leader of the United States Air Service in France. He was not its chief. When he returned to the United States he was made Deputy Chief of the Air service and worked with the Navy to prove that land-based aircraft (bombers) could destroy battleships during a demonstration off the Virginia coast. He was not its chief. He appealed directly to the American people for an opportunity to show what airpower could do by pushing for an air force co-equal with the Army and the Navy. He used newspaper articles and books to spread his ideas about airpower. For his troubles he was sent out to Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
When the Navy suffered two aviation fiascos in one week (the destruction of the airship Shenandoah and the disappearance of a Navy amphibian trying to reach Hawaii nonstop from the West Coast) Mitchell could not help himself: he wrote a press release accusing the government, the Navy and the Army of frittering away the lives of pilots because they were ignorant of the needs and potential of airpower.

In doing so, Mitchell made many enemies (including the president).

A good book, although the way it jumps forward and backward in time is a little hard to track at times. The author clearly has some research behind the material he uses. It also includes some helpful photos.

 I review almost exclusively history books (with rare exceptions). I will gladly review any book having to do with antiaircraft or air defense. Get in touch with me for more information. Most of my book reviews are also on Goodreads and Amazon.

Darwin 1942 (three stars)

Not well known in the United States, the February 19th, 1942 Darwin Raid saw the Allies once again taken by surprise by the Japanese. This book is one of the few that really looks at the topic.

While the author clearly knows the topic, the emphasis seems to be a bit off in this Osprey book, which is part of a series that focuses on specific campaigns. While the author does provide background (the "road to war" type info) he seems to be more obsessed with the U.S. Army Air Corps unit which just happened to be at Darwin during the raid, the P-40s of the 33rd Pursuit Squadron. This unfortunate unit, just formed using pilots who had no combat experience and didn't know each other, did not last long at the hands of the veteran pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy. While this is an important story, does it warrant describing the circumstances of each pilot's shootdown? Does it make any sense to map where every single P-40 went down? And is it necessary to discuss the motivations of one of the pilots involved in the melee?

As I said, the author obviously knows the topic, as evidenced by map produced showing the attack patterns of the various Japanese elements. But little is said about the antiaircraft artillery present other than a few impressions here and there. Did the guns lack experienced crews? Did they not have ancillary equipment such as predictors? Were any of the zeros dedicated to suppressing the flak? None of this is looked at.

Good artwork, maps and photos.

MacArthur (Four Stars)

One of the Ballantine illustrated paperbacks of WWII, this volumes packs a lot of information, photos and maps  good information about General MacArthur's prior to WWII, such as his role in the Philippines following the Spanish-American War, the fighting he did during WWI with the AEF, his role in the Billy Mitchell court martial and in suppressing the Bonus March... a lot of material. In fact, this book does an admirable job in telling the story of a man whose life touched so many episodes of the American saga. It does not include a discussion of his role in reconstructing Japan or as Supreme Commander in Korea, but as I understand it, this is covered in a second book in this series.

Far Away in the Sky (three Stars)

David Koren went to Nigeria's eastern region as a Peace Corps volunteer, a school teacher, in the 1960s. After he completed his tour he went back to the United States but when Nigeria was torn apart by civil war he took an opportunity to help with the humanitarian relief efforts underway to save the women and children of the breakaway state of Biafra. This is his story.

Koren does a great job talking about his work with children in the eastern region, his own personal life on leaving the Peace Corps and the problems his group found at Sao Tome on arrival there. I like his attitude... when Nigeria needed teachers he was a teacher. When the airlift needed people to organize the aid coming in for Biafra he helped sort out the warehouses. When they needed aircraft mechanics more than they needed warehouse minders he became a mechanic. And in all of this Koren does a great job of telling the story of the airlift itself, a dangerous job given the problems involved in airlifting aid at night to indifferent airfields in Biafra, flying older aircraft and doing it all during the ever-present threat of Nigerian MiGs. A great memoir. Illustrated with black and white photos.

This is the Army, Mr. Jones! (Five Stars)

What a unique book! Chrisman, serving in the Pacific during WWII, didn't simply use his one-page V-Mails to write letters to his family and friends... he used it to draw cartoons about his service and military life in general. And Harry Chrisman was a REALLY good cartoonist. So when Sheryl Jones put these one-pagers together in a single book (with some background on each of the cartoons) it becomes something that is entertaining, educational AND funny. 

Thunder in the Mountains (Five Stars)

This book looks at the short conflict which took place in southwest West Virginia when violence escalated, first when private detectives in the pay of the coal companies got into a gunfight with locals in Matewan when the detectives came out to evict the families of miners trying to unionize. and then exploding when the local pro-labor constable, Sid Hatfield, was shot down on the steps of the courthouse in Welch by detectives in broad daylight as he was about to go to trial. The detectives were freed on bail.

The situation rapidly spun out of control as miners collected their rifles and pistols and decided to march to free other miners being held on murder charges related to the Matewan incident. It became clear that state police could not stop the men and there was no National Guard in West Virginia at the time, so federal troops were brought in to restore order or, if necessary, fight the miners. General Mitchell sent fighters and bombers to suppress the uprising. The United States appeared to be on the verge of another civil war.

This is an amazing story, one I was only vaguely  familiar with. Mr. Savage has written a great book on this topic, bringing several of the characters to life discussing the political and social issues involved in coal mining in the 1920s. His book is detailed without getting bogged down in details. If you only want to read one book on this topic then this should be the one. Includes black and white photos.

Fires of October (three stars)

There is a lot of good information about the planned U.S. invasion of Cuba in this book, which includes information about Soviet tactical nukes which was not known until relatively recently. However, the book also contains simple errors, such as describing the division of Cuba into three military regions, two eastern and one central (by the description of the areas, it was clear that one of the easterns should have been a western). There are a few other errors of this sort.

The invasion of Cuba was in response to the siting of intermediate- and medium-range ballistic missiles on the island, posing an immediate threat to the southeast and Midwest and a threat to all of CONUS short of Seattle once the intermediates became operational. The U.S. planned a combined amphibious-air assault-airborne operation which would rapidly take control of key airfields and other objectives in the vicinity of Havana. Unfortunately, the information reads more like a PowerPoint presentation than a description of a potentially-hard-fought and courageous battle who save the United States from the threat of nuclear annihilation. Still, an excellent reference if you ever want to write an alternative history novel about the invasion

The Reporter Who Knew Too Much (two stars)

I started out REALLY liking this book, as the author has done a good job talking about Kilgallen, an exceptional investigative reporter and entertainer during the 1930s, 40s and 50s. However, with the assassination of President Kennedy she decided that the Warren Commission and the justice system were doing their jobs. She was, as I said, an accomplished journalist and perhaps she did have a file that she took with her to the set of What's My Line (where was it when she was on-camera?") but how is it that Kilgallen was right and everybody else was wrong? Where was the proof? Her columns dealing with the death of president were more along the lines of editorials than proof of anything nefarious. And her own death (which we know is coming because of the helpful countdown) just "proves" she was on the right track and "had to be eliminated." I was still going to give this book a chance but it just droned on and on and on about toxicology reports and hearsay evidence and so on and so on as a tool used by conspiracy nutjobs to "prove" things they.ve got no physical proof of. By the way, if Kilgallen was such a great reporter why didn't she discuss Oswald's attempted assassination of General Walker a few days before the JFK assassination? For the same reason NO conspiracy nutjobbers talk about it: because it contradicts the "Oswald was an innocent patsy" theory.

I found that I had to move on. I recommend the author do the same.