Military Science Books - Page 5

The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day

Cornelius Ryan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 76 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

A true classic of World War II history, The Longest Day tells the story of the massive Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Journalist Cornelius Ryan began working on the book in the mid-1950s, while the memories of the D-day participants were still fresh, and he spent three years interviewing D-day survivors in the United States and Europe. When his book was first published in 1959, it was tremendously successful, establishing many of the legends of D-day that endure in the public's mind. Ryan was enormously skillful at weaving small personal stories into the overall narrative, and he would later use the same technique to depict the airborne invasion of Holland in A Bridge Too Far. Not only is The Longest Day a pleasure to read, but subsequent historians, dutifully noting its accuracy, have relied heavily on Ryan's research for their own accounts. In short, the book is a "must read" for anyone interested in the D-day invasion. --Robert McNamara

One Shot One Kill

Charles W. Sasser, Craig Roberts

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Total reviews: 45 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

They are the lone wolves of the battlefield. Tracking the enemy, lying in wait for the target to appear -- then they shoot to kill. Armed with an unerring eye, infinite patience and a mastery of camouflage, combat snipers stalk the enemy with only one goal...

In World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Beirut, American snipers honed the art of delivering a single deadly shot from nowhere -- and devastating enemy morale. They met the enemy on his own turf, picking off officers, unwary soldiers, and even other snipers from extraordinary distances of up to 1 ½ miles. Now, these uncommon men tell their stories: of the emotions felt when a man's face came into their crosshairs and they pulled the trigger, of the nerve-wracking hours and days of waiting, motionless, for the enemy, of the primal savagery of a sniper duel.

Often trained haphazardly in wartime, and forgotten in times of peace, combat snipers were officially recognized after the Vietnam War, when the Marine Corps became the first military branch to start a full-time sniper school. One Shot-One Kill is their powerful record of desperate trials and proud victories.

A MAIN SELECTION OF THE MILITARY BOOK CLUB

Civil War Curiosities: Strange Stories, Oddities, Events, and Coincidences

Webb Garrison

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 11 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Just the facts, ma'am 2 out of 5 stars.
13 of 15 people found this review helpful.

Webb Garrison's CIVIL WAR CURIOSITIES, subtitled "Strange Stories, Oddities, Events, and Coincidences", is his attempt to provide a compendium of such judged by brevity, interest, and novelty. The author pretty much succeeds at the first but, for the casual reader, more or less flops on the last two. However, Sgt. Joe Friday of the old TV cop series DRAGNET, wanting just the facts, would be pleased.

In twenty-seven chapters grouped under five parts, Garrison belabors such topics as soldiers' wives following their husbands into battle, the enlistment of Black soldiers, hostages, soldiers' pets, atrocities, gaudy uniforms, battle flags and their bearers, warships, Lincoln's appearance, outmoded and new weapons, the sounds of combat, and leaders' opinions of their contemporaries. Rather than pen a coherent and learned book on, say, the role of the fighting clergy, the author makes his point on the cheap with disconnected paragraphs and clusters of paragraphs about individuals. Taking as one of the shortest examples - Garrison does achieve brevity, if not particular interest - we read:

"A report published in the Memphis 'Bulletin' said that notorious Tennessee guerrilla leader Richardson had as his chief aide the Rev. Captain Burrow, an ordained minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church."

And, if novelty was a criterion for inclusion, then how can there be so many entries of a type? In the chapter about officers continuing or returning to fight while severely ill or after being crippled, one reads of at least sixty-six such Tough Guys. The entire chapter is a litany of factoids of which the following is representative:

"When Edward A. Wild's left arm was hit at Shiloh, he used his training as a physician to direct the amputation. As a brigadier, he later led black troops on raids and against guerrillas in North Carolina."

Mind you, there are occasional gems of interesting novelty, this one concerning the Rebel capture of the coal brig "J.P. Ellicott" by the "Retribution":

"When crew members of the captured vessel were replaced by Confederates, the wife of the Ellicott's mate was left aboard. As soon as the Retribution was out of sight, she broke out a store of rum and the captors became thoroughly drunk. Then the wife ... put irons on Confederates and sailed the bark into St. Thomas, where she delivered it and her captives to the U.S. consul." You go, girl!

Or, this one:

"According to the New York 'World' of September 12, 1861, any man near St. Louis in a Federal uniform was in mortal danger. 'Mrs. Willow and a free colored woman named Hanna Courtena were arrested yesterday for selling poisoned pies to the soldiers at Camp Benton'." Hmm, I may have had one of those once at a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving dinner.

And this:

"Lincoln's private secretary, John Hay, refused to deliver papers to (Secretary of War) Stanton unless ordered to do so by the president. 'I would rather make a tour of a smallpox hospital' than ask him for a courtesy, he said."

Though I'm not a serious student of the Civil War, I've read more tomes about it than any other conflict. For me, CIVIL WAR CURIOSITIES was nothing more than a collection of uncurious scraps brought together in a single binding to justify a book sale. If you're a Civil War fanatic looking for fodder for a trivia game among the like-minded, then this volume may be of some use. Otherwise, it isn't worth the effort in a lifetime challenged by too many books and too little time.

Editorial Review:

This fascinating collection explores the unusual and often bizarre persons, attitudes, and events of the Civil War. Illustrated and indexed.

Tactics of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Methods

H. John Poole

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Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Tactics of the Crescent Moon comes none too soon for deployed U.S. service personnel. Little, if any, of their battlefield intelligence has been tactically interpreted. U.S. analysts are generally more interested in the enemy’s strategic or technological capabilities. Even if those analysts did want to tactically assess the information, most lack the infantry and historical background to do so. This book fills that void. It reveals—for the first time in any detail—the most common small-unit maneuvers of the Iraqi and Afghan resistance fighters. Its author is a retired infantryman and recognized authority on guerrilla warfare. He has traveled the world extensively and still trains active-duty U.S. units.

Tactics of the Crescent Moon could save many lives (if not turn the tide of war) in the Middle East. It is a heavily researched, well-illustrated, and spell-binding account of how Muslim militants fight. While the book delves mainly into their tactical method, it also uncovers their cultural orientation. This nail-biting nonfiction covers events as recent as 15 September 2004.

On War (Oxford World's Classics)

Carl von Clausewitz, Beatrice Heuser

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Total reviews: 68 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

On War is one of the most important books ever written on the subject of war. Clausewitz, a Prussian officer who fought against the French during the Napoleonic Wars, sought to understand and analyze the phenomenon of war so that future leaders could conduct and win conflicts more effectively. He studied the human and social factors that affect outcomes, as well as the tactical and technological ones. He understood that war was a weapon of government, and that political purpose, chance, and enmity combine to shape its dynamics. On War continues to be read by military strategists, politicians, and others for its timeless insights. This abridged edition by Beatrice Heuser, using the acclaimed translation by Michael Howard and Peter Paret, selects the central books in which Clausewitz's views on the nature and theory of war are developed. Heuser's introduction explains the originality of Clausewitz's ideas, his education and background, and summarizes his key theories, while explanatory notes provide further information on the historical examples Clausewitz cites.

American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880 - 1964

William Manchester

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

ON BEING "DUGOUT DOUG" 4 out of 5 stars.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful.

General Douglas MacArthur is one of the few military figures in American history who, even today, evokes heated partisan responses. The title of the headline for this piece clearly tells where this writer is on the partisan divide. The nickname "Dugout Doug" goes back to the days when after the Japanese invasion of the Philippines General MacArthur got himself out of harm's way, with a due fanfare, while his subordinates and the troops for the most part got left behind to face the brunt of the Japanese forces. It was not pretty. This story and many others are detailed in the late journalist William Manchester's biography of the general.

The history of the United States has produced a few military figures who were flamboyant. It has also produced a fair number with some military skills. It is, however, unusual to have the two come together as they did in the self-advertised grandeur of MacArthur. Europe has had some familiarity with the `man on horse back'. One thinks of France, in particular. In America that notion, at least publicly, has not been presented by military leaders while in uniform. MacArthur was an exception. Manchester is not incorrect to see that if there were such a candidate for the role of Caesar (or its modern variant, Bonaparte) in the United States MacArthur by skill, élan and appetite fit the bill. That thread runs through the whole story line here.

No one can question that MacArthur had exceptional military skill in both World Wars, especially his role in the Pacific in World War II. One, however, should note, and note carefully his role in dispersing the Bonus Army in Washington, D.C. in the early 1930's. That might provide a taste of what the American Caesar had in store if he ever took power. Furthermore, one should note that MacArthur was well out of his element when he faced essentially `unconventional' armies in Korea. Call it `limited warfare' if you will but he totally underestimated his North Korean and Chinese opposites in the age of new `warfare'. Later American generals faced, and are today facing, similar conditions. And making the same wrong estimation. That MacArthur's reputation has mainly survived his Korea debacle owes more to hubris, including his own, than reality. In any case, read this book to get a flavor of the old American Army and its most well known general.

Editorial Review:

Part One Of Two PartsMacArthur was not only a lean, chiseled military genius and master of strategy; he also suffered unexplained lapses. For example, he knew of the Pearl Harbor attack but neglected to deploy his Philippine air force, a failure which resulted in its total destruction. And the success of his Inchon invasion was all but undone by the Chinese hordes that later swarmed across the Yalu--a response easily predicted, disastrously ignored."AMERICAN CAESAR is gracefully written, impeccably researched and scrupulous in every way...a thrilling and profoundly ponderable piece of work." (Newsweek)

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Jon Ronson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 61 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Just when you thought every possible conspiracy theory had been exhausted by The X-Files or The Da Vinci Code, along comes The Men Who Stare at Goats. The first line of the book is, "This is a true story." True or not, it is quite astonishing. Author Jon Ronson writes a column about family life for London's Guardian newspaper and has made several acclaimed documentaries. The Men Who Stare at Goats is his bizarre quest into "the most whacked-out corners of George W. Bush's War on Terror," as he puts it. Ronson is inspired when a man who claims to be a former U.S. military psychic spy tells the journalist he has been reactivated following the 9-11 attack. Ronson decides to investigate. His research leads him to the U.S. Army's strange forays into extra-sensory perception and telepathy, which apparently included efforts to kill barnyard animals with nothing more than thought. Ronson meets one ex-Army employee who claims to have killed a goat and his pet hamster by staring at them for prolonged periods of time. Like Ronson's original source, this man also says he has been reactivated for deployment to the Middle East.

Ronson's finely written book strikes a perfect balance between curiosity, incredulity, and humor. His characters are each more bizarre than the last, and Ronson does a wonderful job of depicting the colorful quirks they reveal in their often-comical meetings. Through a charming guile, he manages to elicit many strange and amazing revelations. Ronson meets a general who is frustrated in his frequent attempts to walk through walls. One source says the U.S. military has deployed psychic assassins to the Middle East to hunt down Al Qaeda suspects. Entertaining and disturbing. --Alex Roslin

Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit

Charlie A. Beckwith, Donald Knox

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Not quite as good as Haney's book, but still good 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

If I had not read Eric Haney's book "Inside Delta Force" before I read this one, I probably would have loved it. The inherent problem is that both books cover roughly the same time frame, with Beckwith's book beginning earlier (going back to Vietnam inspirations) and ending while Haney was still in Delta. Both books provide detailed coverage of Operation Eagle Claw, which can be a little redundant, but that's no one's fault really. What I liked about Beckwith's book was the understanding it gave about where the idea for Delta came from, what his operational credibility was, and the intense opposition he faced in birthing this elite unit. Some folks will be bored with the various political machinations at work, but I found it interesting to see how something like this comes to be. Less interesting to me was Beckwith's account of Selection and the like because he didn't have to go through it like Haney did. I'd definitely recommend this book, but if you only want to read ONE book on Delta, I'd recommend Haney's first. And while there is certainly some overlap in information between the two works, I read them back to back and still enjoyed them.

Editorial Review:

The only insider's account ever written on America's most powerful weapon in the war against terrorism

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army [Revised and Updated]

Jeremy Scahill

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 247 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Can you say "Witch Hunt"? 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This book doesn't even pretend to be objective. Scahill obviously has a serious hate-on for all private military contractors (Blackwater especially). This is the "in" thing right now. It's cool to hate on these guys, and Scahill's looking to make his mark as the coolest. So what if his research, while thorough, is biased and guided by his own axe to grind? Blackwater employees wouldn't even have given this guy the time of day, and Blackwater's CEO flat-out refused an interview with him. I'm sure it's because they saw through him and knew he was only there for a witch hunt. I'm not saying don't read this book. What I'm saying is look at more than just his viewpoint. I doubt that this guy's ever been in a combat zone, but he wants to critique every move made by those who work in them. I'd recommend you read Robert Young Pelton's book "Licensed to Kill: Hired Guns in the War on Terror". He actually rode along with Blackwater employees and got an interview with the CEO. He's as close as you'll come to an objective viewpoint.

Editorial Review:

On September 16, 2007, machine gun fire erupted in Baghdad's Nisour Square leaving seventeen Iraqi civilians dead, among them women and children. The shooting spree, labeled "Baghdad's Bloody Sunday," was neither the work of Iraqi insurgents nor U.S. soldiers. The shooters were private forces working for the secretive mercenary company, Blackwater Worldwide.

This is the explosive story of a company that rose a decade ago from Moyock, North Carolina, to become one of the most powerful players in the "War on Terror." In his gripping bestseller, awardwinning journalist Jeremy Scahill takes us from the bloodied streets of Iraq to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans to the chambers of power in Washington, to expose Blackwater as the frightening new face of the U.S. war machine.

* Winner of the George Polk Book Award
* Alternet Best Book of the Year
* Barnes & Noble one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2007
* Amazon one of the Best Nonfiction Books of 2007

The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme

John Keegan

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 69 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Reads like a PhD Thesis 2 out of 5 stars.
4 of 9 people found this review helpful.

I have read many recent historical works of John Keegan including has book on WWI and the Price of Admiralty. I enjoyed them both. So, I was very disappointed when I tried to get into the Face of Battle. The language was so stilted, the use of commas and long run-on sentences going in differnet directions was so painful that I almost stopped reading it. The book has an excellent premise: how to describe three important battles in three very differnt centuries from the perspective of the soldiers actually doing the fighting rather than the 10,000 foot view employed by contemporary military historians who were not participants in the battle. Unfortunately, Keegen spends the first third of the book explaining what a good military historian (like himself) can or should do, focusing on the unique quality of British military historians (they are less biased because the wars were mainly fought on someone else's soil. The book improves as he gets into the battles of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme, but a good editor could have made this a much better read. I realize this book was written in 1978, so perhaps it was, at the time it was written, in line with Keegan's academic proclivities. Not a book I would recommend to anyone other than an academic.

Editorial Review:

Although he has never fought in a war the author creates a realistic picture of the fears, pressures, and mechanics of fighting a battle, emphasizing three particular campaigns.