April 2017 Reading

Guess I'll get things rolling with The Spartan Regime (A), which while arguably more political than military history examines the military realities (the hoplite revolution and a dicey strategic situation) that led to the creation of the unique Spartan political system.

Just finished The Killing of SS Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich by Callum A. MacDonald which mostly dealt with the political background of the Czech Government in Exile and bio of Heydrich. I thought it could've covered the assassination and aftermath in more depth. It was a good book, but not as good as I had hoped for.

I am re-reading The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy. He seems to me to be the best modern roman military historian. I just wish he would not waste so much time with his miltary fiction projects.

At this point in the month I've also finished French Cruisers 1922-1956 (A) and The Dirlewanger Brigade (B-). The former is a very nice survey of its topic while the second tries to cut thru the misconceptions of what the role of the notorious punishment unit really was (...it might have read better in the original French).

I'm at Sowing the Dragon's Teeth, which edits and translates two 10C Byzantine military treatises - the Praecepta Militaria of Nikephoros Phokas and part of the Taktika of Nikephoros Ouranos - and appends a general discussion of 10C Byzantine warfare.

Completed a short but interesting Unheard, Unseen: Submarine E14 and the Dardanelles by David Boyle.

Finished Six Armies in Normandy by John Keegan which was a fairly quick overview of the Normandy invasion until the capture of Paris by focusing on six particular engagements, some lasting a few days and others a few weeks. While I picked up a thing or two, it makes me want to read a more thorough treatment of the invasion and since I've read the first two of Rick Atkinson's Liberation trilogy, I'll put The Guns at Last Light in my next military history slot.

Finished up Victory Fever on Guadalcanal (B) yesterday evening, a close analysis of how the Ichiki Detachment came to such a catastrophic demise; rather more is known about the Japanese side of things then you might imagine. That said Bartsch spends so much time constantly reminding you that the battle actually happened on the Ilu River, not the Tenaru, that it feels like a nervous tick after awhile!

Completed 1864: The Forgotten War That Shaped Modern Europe by Tom Buk-Swienty.

Finishing reading (on the Kindle) The Ice Diaries: The True Story of One of Mankind's Greatest Adventures by Captain William R. Anderson. Maybe not one of mankind's greatest adventures, but certainly going from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the North Pole, underwater, was pretty interesting.