March 2019

I finished Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation by Laura Silber and Allan Little. This history by two BBC correspondents does a very good job of presenting the chronology and events of this massive deadly tragedy. The book deftly separates the many different threads of nationalism and nation building that led to the multi-faceted years-long conflict with horrifying atrocities that gave the world the term "ethnic cleansing." The authors are more interested in the evolving politics and nationalism that brought about and affected events. Battles and troop movement are, of course, described, but military details are not the authors' main concern. Nevertheless, I found this to be a very good overview that will effectively inform more detailed reading about battles, etc.

The most relevant books I read this month were The Myth of the Eastern Front (B+) and The Vanquished (B+). The first I would have been better off reading a few years ago but it does offer a step-by-step examination of how the myth of a "clean" Germany Army on the Eastern Front came to be. The second is a good digest of how the "War to End All Wars" merely became the first half the second Thirty Years' War.

Completed reading a comprehensive but very good Thunderchief: The Complete History of the Republic F-105 by Dennis R. Jenkins. These books from Jenkins and Specialty Press are excellent, although due to space limitations some of the photographs and illustrations are reproduced in a smaller than desirable format. Also while the title says "Complete History" it is really the complete technical history, not a complete combat history, although there is some relating of service in the Vietnam War. Still, they are superbly written, illustrated and produced and well worth the price.

Finished a very long but enjoyable (for a retired engineer!) Kindle version of Nelson to Vanguard: Warship Design and Development 1923–1945 by D. K. Brown.