The Military Shelf

The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told
Tom McCarthy
The Lyons Press
http://lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
http://www.globepequot.com
9781493066131, $19.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Military-Mission-Stories-Ever/dp/1493066137

Synopsis: For many a battle, the orders to proceed were nothing more than a=
n invitation to die, and usually in unpleasant ways. But the soldiers proce= eded nonetheless, because a higher cause was at stake.

"The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" by award-winning editor a=
nd writer Tom McCarthy is stunning collection of war stories and a tribute =
to the courage, steely resolve, and discipline of men who accomplished daun= ting missions in the face of almost certain death. Nonetheless, they steppe=
d into the breach and performed heroically. That was their duty and they di=
d not question. They had a mission and they accepted.

"The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" is comprised of ten power= ful stories of American soldiers and sailors that span more than 200 years =
of action with one common theme, summed up succinctly a participant who too=
k control of Omaha Beach on D-Day, 1944.

From Marines taking Iwo Jima's Mount Suribachi or defending Khe San, Navy p= ilots taking to the air to defend Pearl Harbor, or an outnumbered American = regiment in Korea defeating the Chinese at the Battle of Chipyong-ni, coura=
ge was the common watchword, death the common consequence. Such is the lot =
of soldiers everywhere.

"The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" is also a not-so-gentle r= eminder of the price of freedom that was paid by American men for more than=
200 years of struggle, from the Revolutionary War, the Spanish-American Wa=
r, Civil War, World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam.

Critique: Also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.63), and unr= eservedly recommended for the personal reading lists of all dedicated milit= ary history buffs, "The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told" is an = inherently engaging and core addition to personal, professional, community,=
college, and university library American Military History collections and = supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Bloody Verrieres
Arthur W. Gullaghsen
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636240947, $37.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bloody-Verri%C3%A8res-Verri%C3%A8res-Bourguebus-Till= y-Camp agne/dp/1636240941

Synopsis: South of the Norman city of Caen, Verrieres Ridge was seen a key = stepping-stone for the British Second Army if it was to break out of the No= rmandy bridgehead in late July 1944. Imposing in height and containing perf= ect terrain for armored operations, the Germans viewed it as the lynchpin t=
o their defenses south of the city of Caen and east of the Orne river.

Following the failure of British Operation Goodwood on 18-20 July and the c= ontainment of the Canadian Operation Atlantic, further Allied attacks to se= ize the ridge would have to defeat arguably the strongest German armored fo= rmation in Normandy: The I. SS-Panzerkorps 'Leibstandarte.'

"Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verrieres-Bourguebu=
s Ridges: Volume II: The Defeat of Operation Spring and the Battles of Till= y-la-Campagne, 23 July - 5 August 1944" by Professor Arthur W. Gullachsen i=
s the second volume of a two-volume military history, that chronicles in de= tail the premier Anglo-Canadian operation to capture Verrieres Ridge, Opera= tion Spring on 25 July. Designed as an attack to seize the ridge and exploi=
t south with armor, this battle saw the 2nd Canadian Corps attack savaged a= gain by German armored reserves brought in specifically to defeat another G= oodwood.

Not satisfied with this defensive victory, German armored forces would then=
seek to restore an earlier defensive line further north, attacking to dest= roy the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. Largely unknown, these were some of=
the strongest and most successful German armored operations to take place =
in the Normandy campaign.

Critique: An invaluable and superbly researched contribution to personal, p= rofessional, community, and academic library World War II European Theatre = histories, "Bloody Verrieres: The I. SS-Panzerkorps Defence of the Verriere= s-Bourguebus Ridges: Volume II: The Defeat of Operation Spring and the Batt= les of Tilly-la-Campagne, 23 July - 5 August 1944" is informatively enhance=
d for the reader with the inclusion of a six page Bibliography, eighteen pa= ges of Endnotes, a Glossary, a listing of Rank Equivalents, and an eleven p= age Index. It should be noted for students, academia, military history buff=
s, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that = "Blood Verrieres" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $22.9= 5).

Editorial Note: Arthur W. Gullachsen (https://www.rmc-cmr.ca/en/history/art= hur-gullachsen) is an Associate Professor within the Royal Military College=
of Canada's History Department. A Canadian Army officer, he currently teac= hes military history. The author of An Army of Never-Ending strength: The R= einforcement of the Canadian Army 1944 - 1945, he is also a regular contrib= utor to the Canadian Military History Journal and has authored chapters to = the US Army University Press's Large Scale Combat Operations book series. A=
graduate of the University of Western Ontario History PhD program, he comp= leted his degree in 2016. Captain Gullachsen currently resides in Kingston,=
Ontario.

C-130 Hercules: A History
Martin W. Bowman
Pen & Sword Books
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
9781399074858, $34.95, PB, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/C-130-Hercules-History-Martin-Bowman/dp/1399074857

Synopsis: Designed in response to a 1951 American military requirement, the=
C-130 Hercules is the most successful military airlifter ever built. Since=
it first flew in prototype form on 23 August 1954, more than 2,100 have be=
en produced in over eighty different versions. Across its variants, the Her= cules serves more than sixty air forces, as well as many civilian cargo ope= rators, in a multiplicity of roles, including air-to-air refueller, gunship=
, airborne command post, flying hospital and fire-fighter.

This rugged and easily maintained aircraft entered service in 1956 with the=
USAF Tactical Air Command. Ten years later the 'Charlie 130' was providing=
essential logistical support in Vietnam. This period in South-East Asia wa=
s the Hercules' finest hour. Paradrops, airlift and evacuation operations w= ere completed around the clock, often at low level, usually under fire and = nearly always in bad weather.

A generation later this 'Mr Dependable' was serving with equal distinction =
in the Gulf War in the role of airlifter, radio-countermeasures and 'psy-op=
s' platform, gunship and, once again, 'block-buster bomber'. The 'Herky Bir=
d' or 'Fat Albert', as the C-130 is fondly known, has proved a key componen=
t in humanitarian relief operations ever since, in all parts of the world.

The incredible success story of the C-130 is far from over. With the public= ation of "C-130 Hercules: A History", military aviation historian Martin W.=
Bowman tells the full story of this remarkable aircraft at first-hand.

Critique: Profusely illustrated with b/w photography throughout, "C-130 Her= cules: A History" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended addition to per= sonal, professional, community, and academic library American Military Avia= tion collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Exception in or= ganization and presentation, "C-130 Hercules: A History" is a comprehensive=
and detailed history that is also available in a digital book format (Kind= le, $2.99) for students, academia, military buffs, and non-specialist gener=
al readers with an interest in the subject.

Editorial Note: Martin Bowman is one of Britain's leading aviation authors = and has written a great deal of books focussing on aspects of Second World = War aviation history. He lives in Norwich in Norfolk. He is the author of m= any Pen and Sword Aviation titles, including all releases in the exhaustive=
Air War D-Day and Air War Market Garden series.

Red Army Tank Commander
Vasiliy Bryukhov
Pen & Sword Books
c/o Casemate (US distribution)
www.casematepublishers.com
https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk https://iremember.ru/en/memoirs/tankers/bryukhov-vasily-pavlovich 9781781590232, $34.95, HC, 224pp

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Army-Tank-Commander-Eastern/dp/1781590230

Synopsis: What was it like to command a T-34 tank on the Eastern Front duri=
ng the Second World War? How were tank operations organized and carried out=
, what was the actual experience of combat, and what were the qualities tha=
t made the difference between success and failure - and what were the chanc=
es of survival? "Red Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern F= ront" by Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryukhov's vivid, detailed and gripping memoir o=
f his wartime service gives a fascinating and authentic insight into these = questions.

In addition, "Red Army Tank Commander" provides an accurate, unsentimental = record of the day-to-day life of a tank man whose unit fought in the forefr= ont of the Red Army throughout the conflict across the western Soviet Union=
and into Eastern Europe. Vasiliy's first-hand eyewitness account is a memo= rable personal story, and it gives a powerful insight into the reality of t= ank warfare seventy years ago.

Vasiliy was born in 1924 in Osa. In April 1943, after graduation from tank = school, he was given command of a T-34 tank, and he took part in the Battle=
of Kursk. He served continuously until the end of the war, fighting throug=
h Ukraine, Moldavia, Romania and Hungary to Austria. In one action his crew=
destroyed nine German panzers and in another he led the vanguard of his ta=
nk brigade through German lines to capture bridges and cut off the German r= etreat. In 1944, he was promoted to battalion commander. For his actions at=
the end of 1944 and 1945, he was nominated for the title Hero of the Sovie=
t Union, but this nomination was not fulfilled until 1995 when he was given=
the title of a Hero of the Russian Federation for the courage and gallantr=
y he displayed in battle during the Great Patriotic War.

Critique: Ably translated into English by Vladimir Krupnik, "Red Army Tank = Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front" by Vasiliy Pavlovich Bryu= khov is a simply fascinating and impressively informative account which wil=
l be a welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing library of = World War II military histories and biographies. While unreservedly recomme= nded for community and academic library World War II Biography/Memoir colle= ctions, it should be noted for students, academia, military history buffs, = and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Re=
d Army Tank Commander: At War in a T-34 on the Eastern Front" is also avail= able in a paperback edition (9781399077330, $26.95) and in a digital book f= ormat (Kindle, $2.99).

Bombs and Barbed Wire
Ronald Cormier
Goose Lane Editions
www.gooselane.com
9781773102788, $19.95, PB, 222pp

https://www.amazon.com/Bombs-Barbed-Wire-Prisoners-1939-1945/dp/1773102788

Synopsis: Little has been written about the Acadians who served in Canada's=
armed forces during the Second World War. In fact, the prevailing notion s= uggested that Acadians refused to support the war effort.

"Bombs and Barbed Wire: Stories of Acadian Airmen and Prisoners of War, 193= 9-1945" by Ronald Cormier provides an alternative point of view, revealing = the commitment and bravery displayed by the approximately 24,000 Acadians w=
ho voluntarily joined the war effort. Battling both language barriers and a=
culture of exclusion, they overcame frustrations and prejudice to fight fo=
r the freedom of the country they loved.

Based on extensive, in-depth interviews Cormier conducted in 1990 with elev=
en surviving Acadian veterans, "Bombs & Barbed Wire" brings to life the exp= erience of Acadian soldiers for English-language readers for the first time=
..

Critique: "Bombs and Barbed Wire: Stories of Acadian Airmen and Prisoners o=
f War, 1939-1945" is volume 29 of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Serie=
s. A unique and exceptional contribution to the growing library of World Wa=
r II histories, "Bombs and Barbed Wire" will have a very special appeal to = dedicated military history buffs and is unreservedly recommended to persona=
l, professional, community, and academic library World War II collections a=
nd supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note: Ronald Cormier is a passionate Second World War historian. =
He has written several French-language books on the war and has served as t=
he historian of the Dieppe Veterans' Association since 2003. He previously = worked for Radio-Canada and History Television, where he wrote and directed=
documentaries on the Second World War.

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