.It is one argument of this book that the Western way of war is grounded not merely in technological supremacy but in an entire array of political, social and cultural institutions that are responsible for military advantages well beyond the possession of sophisticated weapons.
Category: Military
Books – Eric Foner – Historian of the Civil War & Reconstruction
Eric Foner The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War A significant reevaluation of the causes of the Civil War, Foner’s study looks beyond the North’s opposition to slavery and its emphasis upon preserving the Union… Continue reading Books – Eric Foner – Historian of the Civil War & Reconstruction
Book – Soul of Battle – Victor Hanson
Never in history human conflict have such vast democratic infantry forces wrought such havoc and then dispersed among the consensual culture that fielded them.
Washington’s Crossing – The 1776 Trenton Campaign
While it could be ripped from today’s headlines, this is actually a book about the American Revolution. This is an impressive work on many levels. It’s an excellent history of George Washington’s first year as commander of the Continental army. It also provides insights into the conduct of the war and the morale of the armies that provided the ultimate success.
Forgotten books of World War II
I discovered Pipeline to Battle a few years ago, in its original 1943 pocketbook edition, along with yellowed paperback editions of the other books described below. It’s one of a neglected / forgotten series of books written shortly after the war by mostly lower rank active participants. These give a better overall understanding of World… Continue reading Forgotten books of World War II
Pipeline to Battle – a Memoir of World War II
When the Jasmine revolution of early 2011 erupted, Libya, Tunisia and Egypt returned to the headlines; probably the most active coverage since World War II with the Desert Rats and Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Libya’s eastern province was known as the Western Desert in World War II since it protected Egypt’s western border. Throughout the early… Continue reading Pipeline to Battle – a Memoir of World War II
King Hereafter – Dorothy Dunnett’s recreation of Macbeth
The King Hereafter is Dorothy Dunnett ‘s unique retelling of the Macbeth story — actually, most resemblance to Shakespeare’s ‘Scottish Play’ is purely incidental. Like the revisioning of the Arthur tales by Bernard Cornwell, Mary Stewart and many others, the barebones of what we think we know of the story become mere background whispers. For… Continue reading King Hereafter – Dorothy Dunnett’s recreation of Macbeth