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.