Burma: The Longest War 1941-45
by Louis Allen (isbn 0-75380-221-X, £16.99) This 680 page tome is an in depth account of the war against the Japanese in Burma. Not only is it very readable but full of topographical maps which can easily be converted to the tabletop. I managed to cull 16 major tabletop scenarios from this book alone.
STRONG ARMED MEN: The United States Marines vs Japan
by Robert Leckie (isbn 0-306-80785-8, £9.70). Strong Armed Men is a narrative history of the US Marine Corps campaigns in the Pacific. Whilst it certainly provides a good introduction to the Central Pacific theatre it`s principal focus lies with the 88 USMC Medal of Honour recipients and weaves the stories of their heroism into the historical overview of each island battle. Overall, a decent read but too lightweight to be anything other than an introduction to the island hopping campain in the Central Pacific. However, if you want a good synopsis of the battles for places you may barely have heard of such as Saipan, Eniwetok, Guam, Peleliu etc, this may just be the book for you to get started.
THE BEAR WENT OVER THE MOUNTAIN: Soviet Combat Tactics in Afghanistan
by Lester W. Grau (Frank Cass, isbn 071464413-7, £17.50). A superb book for the wargamer, with 49 vignettes (ready made scenarios) of Soviet actions against the Mujahideen. The actions described, range from Spetznaz ambushes, to infantry patrols, attacks on convoys, and regimental level 'search & destroy'sweeps. All recorded by the platoon leaders, company & battalion commanders who were there. Each vignette comes with a detailed map of the operation, about half of which can be translated onto the tabletop with little effort. If only such a book was available on Vietnam! Highest wargaming VPP (Value Per Page) of any book I`ve read.
STREETS OF FIRE
by Eric Hammel. Heaped with praise, Streets of Fire may well be a good read for the general reader but it left the wargamer in me feeling frustrated. I found myself lost in the maze of Marine unit nomenculture (ie F/3/1 Marines), whilst the many personal actions decribed serve to fragment the story of the battle. I found that after the chapter on the initial Communist assault, that I could build no cohesive picture of events. The book would have certainly benefited from more maps showing the ebb and flow of the fighting.
EVERY MAN WILL DO HIS DUTY, an Anthology of First Hand Accounts from the Age of Nelson,
edited by King and Hattendorf. Review by CM. (ISBN 0-8050-4608-9). For the Age of Sail gamers, this is a book highlighting a number of naval actions in the 18th and 19th centuries. All accounts are first hand and detail specific high-action parts of the cruise. The scenarios that are done here for As Per Margin are from this book. It is detailed enough for the scenarios to be developed and very quick reading. I picked it up on the discount rack of a Barnes & Noble for $7 (Hardback). It is a fine addition to the library of the Age of Sail wargamer.
Tankovye Operacii I Tanki Vpered
Tank Operations in WWII by T. Tom and Tanks Forward by Hans Guderian. ISBN 5-88590-994-6
A pair of books under a single title. The reason I put the original title in Russian is because the whole book is published in Russian by Rusich out of Smolensk. It is a very good pairing of books and has Appendices that give technical data for both German & Russian Tanks of the entire war. It outlines how operations were conducted, from two different perspectives. Numerous diagrams and written in straight-forward Russian, so even language novices can understand it. Recommended for the WWII gamer who speaks a little Russian…
Uniforms of the Union & Uniforms of the Confederacy 1861-1865. These are two packs of seven glossy cards each showing different uniforms, from General to Private, Zouave to Regular Infantry. The paintings are by Frederic Ray and the company is out of Gettysburg. I picked these up in Winchester, Virginia - a very historical place in its own right. There were three separate Civil War battles fought in Winchester proper and at least ten in the vicinity of Winchester. Back to the Uniforms. For $2 each from a gift shop, I had to have these. They are historically accurate and will act as the color guide to give to my Russian painting sub-contractor. Very easy instructions (given in Russian, of course) - "Make them look like this." The sculpting on the Foundry figures will receive the color schemes well. $500 in Foundry figures and two $2 painting guides. Sounds like a great deal to me!
I also picked up a child's book called Confederate Army Paper Soldiers. This was a good buy at $5 because it shows a total of 24 different Confederate uniforms on glossy heavy cardstock, both front and rear views. Very, very nice as a painting guide - and for historical purposes, it shows a few variations of the butternut uniforms. It even shows a drum major in parade dress! The book is by A.G. Smith, ISBN 0-486-28453-0. Other books published by Mr. Smith include Union Army Paper Soldiers (they didn't have this in stock, unfortunately), Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color: 100 Authentic Union and Confederate Soldiers (it shows a price of only $5.95 - a deal if it's anywhere near as high quality as the book I have). The coloring books we'll leave out, although, we've all played in games where one or more of our opponents belonged in kindergarten with a coloring book, and not making decisions… Look for these at historical sites around the country, and decide for yourself.
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© Copyright 1999 by Craig Martelle Publications
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