Various Book Mini-Reviews

by many

CHICKAMAUGA 1863

The River of Death: (Camp 17), by James R. Arnold This volume in Osprey's Campaign Series squarely hits the mark. Chickamauga is a concise 96 page narrative of the battle and is well illustrated with battle maps (as well as detailed OB's for the two sides ... ), including several computer generated battlefield cross-sections that do a fine job of showing both the absurdly obstructed terrain and the positions of the troops that fought the battle. Numerous well-captioned photos and color drawings bring home to the reader just what the troops of both sides faced and what they looked like. Arnold doesn't try to take sides. He simply describes what happened, in detailed, evocative, style. The four pages of wargames notes at book's end include suggestions on rules, terrain, and scenarios, all well considered. An excellent primer on this important battle - well recommended! Available from your local hobby dealer for $14.95.- BILL RUTHERFORD

THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR 1936-1939:

This edition of Col.Willoughby's work, originally published in 1939 in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War (SCW), is an excellent one-sitter primer for the gamer as well as the casual historian. 36 pages long,

The Spanish Civil War traces the war by its campaigns and includes short discussions on various academic military topics - types of maneuver, tactics and techniques, uses of aviation, etc., in the context of the SCW. Interestingly written, this little volume provides a wealth of insight into this bloody little war. It was written, not so much as a history, but as an after action report on the SCW. Pat Condray, the present publisher, includes three pages of Editor's notes These clarify various points in the text - something about what's clear in 1939 being not so clear in 1992! - and provide interesting descriptions of various organizations and bits of equipment that might otherwise be obscure to the reader. At $6.00, this booklet is a bargain, both to the SCW gamer and the armchair historian. Available from the Historical Products Company, c/o Patrick Condray, 8234 Kings Arm Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308. BILL RUTHERFORD

STORM TROOP TACTICS: INNOVATION IN THE GERMAN ARMY, 1914-1918:

By Bruce 1. Gudmundsson (New York: Praeger, 1989), this 200 page hard cover provides not only a detailed picture of the development of German infiltration tactics during the First World War, but also gives an excellent overview of the evolution of modern infantry tactics in all the western nations from the more rigid systems of the 19th century. Starting with a description of the stagnation of the 1914 war of maneuver into a state of siege (itself worthy of note by students of the period), Gudmundsson goes on to examine the various ways that the combatants attempted to break the deadlock. He concentrates his analysis on the German tacticians, who hoped to regain a war of mobility by developing an infantry force capable of breaking through the trenchlines on the Western front.

He puts this process into perspective by describing what the other nations did as well (develop the tank, for instance), and by showing the relationship between 'operational' and 'tactical' thinking within the German high command. From the initial efforts of Captain Rohr and some other creative soldiers, this book traces the evolution of German stosstruppen on the Eastern and Western fronts and in Italy. Gudmundsson goes into great depth in describing the 1918 Peace Offensive, demonstrating the fact that the German army, much of which was trained in the new system, was indeed capable of doing what the high command had envisioned. This book is excellent for wargamers in its detailed descriptions of the battles it uses as examples (there are many fine scenarios just waiting to be written - although you'll need to supply your own maps), and in the detailed unit organizations and descriptions of weapons capabilities, training, and equipment. (It could also prove a useful source of tabletop techniques for use against more conventional opponents.) It is equally excellent for anyone interested in the evolution of the infantry tactics of the Second World War, and, by extension, the modern era. Gudmundsson has made a point of writing a book that is useful on a practical level in the modern world, and the result is both a fine historical work, and one that is particularly well suited for use by wargamers. - AROFAN GREGORY.

GERMAN ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA 1933 - 1945, CENTERED and BRITISH ARMY UNIFORMS AND INSIGNIA OF WORLD WAR TWO:

Both books are by Brian L. Davis. German Army Uniforms is THE reference for WWII German uniforms. Davis crams an immense amount of information into 224 pages - 460 b&-w photos and drawings, all extensively and informatively captioned, detail every conceivable facet of German uniforms and equipage, picturing, as they do, a nice mix of dress and field (grungy) settings. Four pages of color depict 67 different shoulder straps and collar patches in almost every rank/specialty combination imaginable, as well as 51 different company side-arm knots (you know - the dingus called a Trodel - that hangs over the bayonet frog on a German full dress uniform!) and three depictions of army (not the better known Waffen SS) camouflage patterns. Waffenfarben - the colored piping you frequently see on German uniform collars and caps - is completely deciphered, as are more arcane topics like shoulder strap buttons and the wide variety of proficiency badges worn by all ranks. With British Army Uniforms, Davis does it again! He uses the same format as in the former tide to good effect, providing about 750 photos and drawings, all well-captioned, with a nice mix of field and barracks settings. Four pages of color provide a wide selection of rank, specialist, arm- of-service, and formation badges, as well as four different uniform camouflage patterns. One section I particularly liked was a chart showing field service cap colors (piping, crown, details, etc.) for 137 different regiments and corps. This is an easy way, in whatever scale you game, to add color to your units! All of the various types of the Battle Dress uniform are depicted, as are numerous airborne, tropical, and specialist uniforms. Davis discusses personal equipment in great detail, describing and illustrating web gear, helmets, body armor (P), NBC equipment, and more. If you game in any scale from about 15mm on up, you'll find these books invaluable for general colors and markings, as well as all those little uniform details you didn't even know about before. Priced at $24.95 each, these books are bona fide bargains and are well recommended to anybody with an interest in the German or British Armies of WWII. Distributed by Sterling Pub. Co., Inc., of 387 Park Ave. So., NYC, NY 10016, they should be available from your local game shop of bookstore. BILL RUTHERFORD

STERLING PUBLISHING RELEASES:

Sterling is nothing in not a prolific publisher of books of interest to the Historical Gamer. More books have come in this past quarter than I could ever read or review. A Taste For War ($24.95) a 320 page hardcover describing eyewitness accounts of WWII - many skirmish scenario possibilities here. Warrior's Words ($29.95) - quotes from Sesostris III to Schwarzkopf, 528 pages of them. The Price Of Surrender, 1941($29.95) is a true story of 8 RAF servicemen captured by the Germans during the Air Assault on Crete - a Great read! The Civil War Years, day by day (1500 entries') account of the war ftom the pens of the grunts who fought it ($24-95) and finally NINJA a paper back ($14.95) which describes the famous Japanese Warrior Cult. 16 color pages and 70 B & W illustrations round it out. All are available ftom the good bookstores or write to Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., 387 Park Ave South, NY NY 10016 for ordering details DICK BRYANT

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