The Military Shelf

The Winter War 1939-40
Philip Jowett
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636242385, $28.95, PB, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Winter-War-1939-40-Casemate-Illustrated/dp/163624238=
3

Synopsis: When the Soviet Union invaded Finland in late 1939, what transpir=
ed was a true "David and Goliath" conflict. When Finland refused a number o=
f Soviet demands, including the ceding of substantial border territories os= tensibly to enable the Soviets to protect Leningrad, the Soviets responded =
by launching an invasion. The invasion involved a large Soviet army, with s= everal thousand tanks, and a large air force.

But to the world's surprise the Finnish Army (many of them reservists witho=
ut proper uniforms and limited ammunition) and Air Force battled overwhelmi=
ng odds, and managed to resist Russian attacks for over two months, inflict= ing serious losses.

Geography played its part as much of the Finnish-Soviet border was impassab= le, meaning that Soviet numerical superiority was of less import. Operating=
in the winter, with temperatures ranging as low as -43F, the Finns' determ= ined resistance won them international reputation.

Although hostilities finally ended in a peace treaty that saw Finland cede =
9% of its territory, Soviet losses had been heavy, and Finland retained its=
sovereignty.

Critique: "The Winter War 1939-40" by Philip Jowett is a fully illustrated = text that covers all the forces involved and all stages of what is now know=
n to military historians as the Winter War. A part of the simply outstandin=
g Casemate Illustrated series, "The Winter War 1939-40" is an invaluable an=
d highly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, and acd= emic library 20th Century European Military History collections and supplem= ental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for students, academia, = historians, and military history buffs that "The Winter War 1939-40" is als=
o available in a digital book format (Kindle, $17.95).

Editorial Note: Philip Jowett (https://www.usni.org/people/philip-jowett) h=
as been interested in military history from an early age, published many bo= oks over the last twenty-five years, specializing in the armies of Asia in = the first half of the twentieth century, the Russo-Japanese War, and the ar= mies of the Second World War.

The First Bridge Too Far
Mark Saliger
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636243757, $24.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/First-Bridge-Too-Far-Primosole/dp/1636243754

Synopsis: Originally published by Casemate in August 2018, and now released=
in a paperback edition, the World War II conflict known as the Battle of P= rimosole Bridge is brought to life in Mark Saliger's "The First Bridge Too = Far: The Battle of Primosole Bridge 1943", a well-researched narrative sole=
ly dedicated to one of the bloodiest and hardest fought battles for British=
airborne troops of World War Two.

Primosole Bridge in Sicily (13-16 July 1943) provided the stage for the fir=
st instance of opposing elite paratroopers parachuting into battle and then=
fighting each other in a see-saw battle raging under the blazing Mediterra= nean sky. It's a story of courage and determination. A story of legendary m= ilitary units and their commanders. A story that now, on the eve of its 75t=
h Anniversary, finally needs to be told.

The British paratroopers of the famed Parachute Regiment's 1st Parachute Br= igade, known as the 'Red Devils,' fought their equally esteemed German para= trooper opponents, known as the 'Green Devils,' in a battle of attrition ce= ntral to the entire success of the Allies' first invasion of Hitler's Fortr= ess Europe. These two sets of elite Devils fought each other to a standstil=
l in Hellish conditions.

The paratroopers found themselves cut off behind enemy lines with dwindling=
ammunition and ever-growing enemy forces encircling. Their courage and det= ermination in standing up to overwhelming odds allowed the ground forces to=
arrive and capture the bridge in the nick of time before it was destroyed.

The hard-won experience gained by the 1st Parachute Brigade was again teste=
d only a year later at the Battle of Arnhem, the battle christened "a bridg=
e too far." It was in fact an almost identical battle, but on a larger scal=
e, to the ferocious fight that the British paratroopers had faced only mont=
hs previously.

The Battle of Arnhem is well documented. The Battle of Primosole Bridge, wh= ich provided the foundations for the men and planning for the legendary eve= nts at Arnhem, is virtually unheard of and needs to be told at last in orde=
r to honor the sacrifice of the Britain's unsung war heroes.

Critique: Also available for in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99), with=
the publication of "The First Bridge Too Far: The Battle of Primosole Brid=
ge 1943", author and veteran Mark Saliger rescues from an undeserved obscur= ity the World War II story that will prove to be an enduringly appreciated = acquisition for the personal reading lists of World War II military history=
buffs, as well as professional, community, college, and university library=
World War II history collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists=
..

Editorial Note: Mark Saliger served in the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Reg= iment for over six years including tours of duty in global theatres of oper= ations such as Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan where he experienced = combat situations on a regular basis. He has experienced first-hand both th=
e planning of operations and then being part of those same operations behin=
d enemy lines and is uniquely qualified to paint a soldier's eye view of th=
e battle.

Retreat through the Rhone Valley
Jorg Staiger, author
Matthais Strohn, editor
Linden Lyons, translator
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
9781636242309, $32.95, HC, 168pp

https://www.amazon.com/Retreat-through-Rhone-Valley-August-September/dp/163= 6242308

Synopsis: The Dragoon offensive in August 1944 was preceded by bombings and=
sabotage that hit hard at the German forces located in the South of France=
-- damaging communications, railroads and bridges. The landings were then = overwhelmingly successful, despite localized German resistance.

The following morning a German force the size of around four infantry batta= lions was able to launch a counterattack, but by the end of the day von Sch= werin ordered a retreat under cover of night. What ensued was a race to ret= reat to the Burgundian Gate, or Belfort Gap, before they were cut off by th=
e advancing Allied troops.

The Allies had all the means for a successful pursuit, while most of the Ge= rman troops, with the notable exception of the 11th Panzer Division, were l= argely incapable of undertaking an orderly retreat. Some units, including t=
he LXII Corps headquarters, were surrounded and captured.

With the publication of "Retreat through the Rhone Valley: Defensive battle=
s of the Nineteenth Army, August-September 1944", Jorg Staiger, recounts th=
e German retreat and explains how the 19th Army sacrificed divisions to ena= ble its retreat through the Rhone Valley.

Critique: Ably written by Jorg Staiger, deftly edited by Matthais Strohn, o= ccasionally illustrated with line drawn maps, and professionally translated=
into English by Linden Lyons, "Retreat through the Rhone Valley: Defensive=
battles of the Nineteenth Army, August-September 1944" is an eyewitness Ge= rman account of the German army's retreat following the Allied Dragoon land= ings of World War II. Also available for personal reading lists of students=
, academia, military buffs in a digital book format (Kindle, $14.99) "Retre=
at through the Rhone Valley" a singular and key addition to community, coll= ege, and university library World War II History/Biography/Memoir collectio=
ns and supplemental curriculum studies lists.

Editorial Note #1: There is a listing of military histories by German autho=
r Jorg Staiger on the www.Bookshop.org website at https://bookshop.org/cont= ributors/jorg-staiger

Editorial Note #2: Matthias Strohn (https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/research/h= ri/fellows/strohn) is head of historical analysis at the Centre for Histori= cal Analysis and Conflict Research and the British Army's strategic think t= ank, visiting professor of military studies at the University of Buckingham=
, and a member of the academic faculty at the Royal Military Academy Sandhu= rst. He holds a commission in the German Army and is a member of the milita=
ry attache reserve. He was awarded the highest German military decoration, = the 'Ehrenkreuz der Bundeswehr in Gold,' and has published widely on 20th-c= entury German and European military history. He has authored and edited ove=
r 20 books and numerous articles.

Editorial Note #3: Linden Lyons holds a master's degree in history from Mon= ash University in Melbourne, Australia. He studied German at the University=
of Freiburg and librarianship at the University of Canberra. He is the tra= nslator of several titles in the Die Wehrmacht im Kampf series, most recent=
ly Counter-Strike Operations, Normandy, and Rome to the Po River.

Headhunter
Peter C. Svoboda
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781636243214, $24.95, PB, 228pp

https://www.amazon.com/Headhunter-Their-Fight-Diyala-Valley/dp/1636243215

Synopsis: Selected in 2005 by the Army to be the first airborne reconnaissa= nce squadron, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, better known as 5-73 CAV=
, was formed from 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment. The mem= bers of the squadron were hand-selected by the squadron command team, Lieut= enant Colonel Poppas and Command Sergeant Major Edgar. With just more than = 400 paratroopers, they were half the size of a full-strength battalion and = the smallest unit in the Panther Brigade.

The squadron deployed to eastern Diyala in August, 2006. Despite their size=
, they were tasked with an enormous mission and were given the largest area=
of operations within the brigade. Appropriately for a unit known by the ca=
ll sign of its CO - Headhunter - 5-73 would go on to pursue various terrori=
st factions including Al Qaeda in Iraq. They got results, and 5-73 was awar= ded the Presidential Unit Citation for launching the Turki Bowl campaign fr=
om November 2006 to January 2007 against insurgent groups in Diyala Provinc=
e. However the toll would be heavy -- the squadron lost twenty-two paratroo= pers during the deployment.

With the publication of "Headhunter: 5-73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq's Di= yala River Valley", military historian Peter C. Svoboda provides a unique a= ccount of the war against Al Qaed in Iraq.

This is also a soldier's story, told by those very paratroopers who gallant=
ly fought to tame Diyala. Based on dozens of interviews conducted by the au= thor, the narrative describes the danger of combat, the loss of comrades an=
d the struggles of returning from a deployment. The voice of the families l= eft behind are also included, describing the challenges they faced, includi=
ng the ultimate challenge -- grappling with the death of a loved one.

This military history of the war in Iraq explores the human dimensions of l= oss and struggle and illustrates the sacrifices our service members and the=
ir loved ones make.

Critique: Originally published in hardcover in October 2020, "Headhunter: 5= -73 CAV and Their Fight for Iraq's Diyala River Valley", (and featuring an = informative Foreword by Lt. General William B. Caldwell (Ret.), former comm= ander, 82nd Airborne Division ) by Peter C. Svoboda is now available for pe= rsonal reading lists and community/academic library 21st Century American M= ilitary History collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists in a = paperback edition (9781636243214, $24.95), in a digital book format (Kindle=
, $11.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9= 798200153589, $39.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Peter C. Svoboda (https://petercsvoboda.com) divides his ti=
me between writing and working as a healthcare emergency management planner=
.. He was previously a firefighter for twenty-five years. He volunteers as a=
museum docent at the National Museum of the United States Army. Pete Svobo= da's dad is the reason he wrote Headhunter. He was inspired by his dad's Wo= rld War II service in the airborne forces along with a desire to tell the s= tory of this current generation of paratroopers.

Storm Clouds Over the Pacific, 1931-1941
Peter Harmsen
Casemate Publishers
1940 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083
www.casematepublishers.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9781636243016, $24.95, PB, 234pp

https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Clouds-Over-Pacific-1931-1941/dp/1636243010

Synopsis: 'War in the Far East' is a trilogy of books by Peter Harmsen and = comprise a general history of the war against Japan. Unlike other histories=
this three volume series expands the narrative beginning long before Pearl=
Harbor and encompasses a much wider group of actors to produce the most co= mplete narrative yet written and the first truly international treatment of=
the epic conflict.

Author and military historian Peter Harmsen uses his impressive ability to = weave together complex events into an entertaining and revealing narrative,=
including facets of the war that may be unknown to many readers of WWII hi= story, such as the war in Subarctic conditions on the Aleutians, or the mas=
s starvations that cost the lives of millions in China, Indochina, and Indi=
a, and offering a range of perspectives to reflect what war was like both a=
t the top and at the bottom, from the Oval Office to the blistering sands o=
f Peleliu.

"Storm Clouds Over the Pacific: 1931-1941" begins the story long before Pea=
rl Harbor, showing how the war can only be understood if ancient hatreds an=
d long-standing geopolitics are taken into account. Peter Harmsen demonstra= tes how Japan and China's ancient enmity grew in the late nineteenth and ea= rly twentieth centuries leading to increased tensions in the 1930s which ex= ploded into conflict in 1937.

The battles of Shanghai and Nanjing were followed by the battle of Taierzhu= ang in 1938, China's only major victory. A war of attrition continued up to=
1941, the year when Japan made the momentous decision for all-out war; the=
infamous attack on Pearl Harbor catapulted the United States into the war,=
and the Japanese also overran British and Dutch territories throughout the=
western Pacific.

Critique: Originally published in December 2018 and now newly available fro=
m Casemate Publishers in a paperback edition (9781636243016, $24.95), in a = digital book format (Kindle, $12.99), and as a complete and unabridged audi=
o book from Blackstone Audio (9798200842094, $41.99), "Storm Clouds Over th=
e Pacific, 1931-1941" is enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of a fo= urteen page Bibliography, thirty pages of Notes, and an eleven page Index. = Exceptionally well written for both academia and the non-specialist general=
reader with an interest in World War II history, "Storm Clouds Over the Pa= cific, 1931-1941" is a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal = reading lists and community/academic library collections.

Editorial Note: Peter Harmsen, PhD, is the author of "Shanghai 1937: Stalin= grad on the Yangtze" and "Nanjing 1937: Battle for a Doomed City", as well =
as the War in the Far East trilogy. He studied history at National Taiwan U= niversity and has been a foreign correspondent in East Asia for more than t=
wo decades. He has focused mainly on the Chinese-speaking societies but has=
reported from nearly every corner of the region, including Mongolia and No= rth Korea. His books have been translated into Chinese, Danish and Romanian=
..

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
s from authors or publishers. Full permission is given to post any of these=
reviews on thematically appropriate websites, newsgroups, listserves, inte= rnet discussion groups, organizational newsletters, or to interested indivi= duals. Please give the Midwest Book Review a credit line when doing so.

The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-x86_64)
* Origin: ---:- FTN<->UseNet Gate -:--- (3:633/280.2@fidonet)