‘Colbeck’s book reads like a film script at times. But lest we forget, he was up to his neck in muck and bullets during the Falklands War. Colbeck was a sergeant in 3 Para, which played a significant part in the campaign, marching from Port San Carlos to Port Stanley and fighting in two crucial battles of the conflict. ... With 3 Para to the Falklands is a much needed first hand account of a junior soldier’s experiences in a very nasty little war.’ - Focus (Military of Defence magazine) reviewing With 3 Para to the Falklands by Graham Colbeck.
‘We have become used to photographs of destruction and rapine in newspapers, magazines, and primarily on television, so that we are dulled to their impact. Yet these simple water-colours rendered with faithfulness have a powerful effect, if only because they are of an event in yesterday’s bright colours and with its dashing presence. The almost serene confidence of the early plates, under the leafy canopy of trees, is contrasted to the grim scenes of winter as the demoralised army straggles back to safety. The immediacy of the campaign is brought back to life through these pictures, and the human-ness of those involved - not abstract forces of history but suffering people - is made everywhere evident. Faber du Faur’s views of what actually went on give their sufferings a concreteness and an imperishable sense of being there. It is a valuable record of a terrible time.’ - The New Criterion (USA) reviewing With Napoleon in Russia: The Illustrated Memoirs of Major Faber du Faur, 1812, edited and translated by Jonathan North.
‘It is a good idea to produce a selection from them, a sort of “menu de degustation”, for the benefit of anyone with a general interest in the subject and who might want to go on to a more detailed study. Ian Fletcher, with his intimate knowledge of the ground and the units and personalities concerned, is well-equipped to present this set of personal accounts taken across the whole period of the war; connecting them together with appropriate narrative and minimum analytical comment. The extracts are well-chosen and enjoyable to read. They provide a vivid picture of life at the sharp end from the pens of officers and non-commissioned ranks alike.’ - The Royal Engineers Journal reviewing Voices from the Peninsula: Eyewitness Accounts by Soldiers of Wellington’s Army 1808-1814, edited by Ian Fletcher.
‘These six German light cruisers illustrate a fascinating period of warship design splendidly presented in this fifth volume in the Greenhill series on German surface warships of the Second World War. Four earlier books covered the Bismarck and Tirpitz, the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, heavy cruisers of the Hipper-class and pocket battleships of the Deutschland-class. Hundreds hitherto unknown and unpublished photographs, mostly from private collections, bring vividly to life the operations of the Reichsmarine and Kriegsmarine between the wars. These volumes will enthral warship enthusiast and naval historians.’ - Ships Telegraph (Ministry of Defence) reviewing German Light Cruisers of World War II: Emden, Konigsberg, Karlsruhe, Koln, Leipzig, Nurnberg by Gerhard Koop and Klaus-Peter Schmolke.
‘Dr Griffith’s The Art of War of Revolutionary France is a stimulating, idiosyncratic, opinionated, sometimes truculent and controversial, revisionist interpretation of an important subject, synthesising, and sometimes disagreeing with, a mass of recent published research and earlier works. It is clearly structured with ‘user-friendly’ subheadings, diagrams and tables, references within the text in brackets, 41 monochrome illustrations, a glossary, and a useful 15-page annotated bibliography. Its contents include the revolution and war, pillage system, government at war, representatives on mission, generals, theatres of war, army and staff organisation, operations, battles, artillery engineers, fortifications, ‘unconventional armies’ - including counter-revolutionary forces - and the navy. ... The Art of War of Revolutionary France is an interesting, informative and sometimes provocative work which would enhance any library of military history.’ - Soldiers of the Queen reviewing The Art of War of Revolutionary France 1789-1802 by Paddy Griffith.
‘Well-written and well-researched ... is written in such a way as to put the reader in the middle of the action as in a well-written novel.’ - Military History (USA) reviewing A Rain of Lead: The Siege and Surrender of the British at Potchefstroom by Ian Bennett.
‘Presents a convoluted story with lucidity ... an invaluable source of information as to the organisation of formations which made up a major part of the Wehrmacht from its inception until the end of the Second World War, and the histories provided for each are neatly written.’ - Journal of the Royal Artillery reviewing The German Order of Battle: Waffen SS and Other Units in World War II by George F. Nafziger (Combined Books, USA).
‘The Chronology the Great War could not be described as a book at bedtime. It is, however, one of only a couple of definitive reference works for the serious student and, surprisingly, has yet to be superseded. The greatest value in the book, for my mind, is the way in which events can be tracked simultaneously in all of the six operational environments .. The book is eminently readable and the researcher has the option of following events through the medium of the tables, either by theatre or by chronological sequence, or by using the quite excellent indices to focus in on one event, or series of events ... the Appendices are a further rich source of information and abound with vignettes that bring life to some of the more stark entries in the tables ... this book is essential reading for the serious student of the Great War, 1914-1918. Probably best confined to the reference section of a library, it would still provide many hours of inspiration for those with an academic bent.’ - Journal of the Royal Artillery reviewing Chronology of the Great War 1914-1918 edited by Major General Lord Edward Gleichen KCVO, CB, CMG, DSO.
‘A unique and exceptional book. For the first time the German inside view is published! ... A very readable book which serves to complete the current picture of D Day ... an interesting book for both historian and the military alike.’ - Journal of the Royal Artillery reviewing Fighting the Invasion - The German Army at D Day edited by David C. Isby.
‘These engaging Crimean War letters were edited by Dallas’s great-great-grandson, Michael Hargreave Mawson. The result is not only an excellent work of familial piety, but a superb contribution to understanding the soldiers’ perspective of the mismanaged Crimean War.’ - Harold E. Raugh Jr. in The Journal of Military History reviewing Eyewitness in the Crimea: The Crimean War Letters of Lieutenant Colonel George Frederick Dallas, edited by Michael Hargreave Mawson.
‘As a sergeant in a Milan anti-tank platoon with 3 Para, Graham Colbeck tabbed from Port San Carlos to Port Stanley and took part in one of the crucial battles of the conflict, the night assault on Mount Longdon. One of the few to keep a diary during the campaign, his notes bring an immediacy to With 3 Para to the Falklands, which has just been published by Greenhill Books at £19.95 shows how ordinary men deal with extraordinary situations with humour and courage.’ - Soldier reviewing With 3 Para to the Falklands by Graham Colbeck.
‘F. Loraine Petre’s estimable work has been again reissued ... appearing first in 1901, it was a master work of its genre ... Petre’s volume is not just a century-old classic; it remains in many ways unsurpassed for its attention to the military details of the Polish campaign ... This is an excellent work (with adequate maps) for the student who wants to trace each step in the unfolding of a campaign or a battle - especially that of Eylau.’ - The Journal of Military History (USA) reviewing Napoleon’s Campaign in Poland, 1806-1807 by F. Loraine Petre.
‘Von Below writes clearly, honestly and objectively, and gives yet another insight into the mind of the one man who alone changed the course of 20th century history. Well worth reading.’ - Pennant: The Journal of the Forces Pension Society reviewing At Hitler’s Side: The Memoirs of Hitler’s Luftwaffe Adjutant 1937-1945 by Nicolaus von Below.
‘A deeply moving look at a man who was obviously difficult to live with and work for; a man who could be creatively insubordinate; a man who was often on the brink of dismissal or resignation ... this new look must rate as the definitive study - very strongly recommended.’ - Pennant: The Journal of the Forces Pension Society reviewing Bomber Harris: His Life and Times by Henry Probert.
‘The standard history of the world’s most famous handgun.’ - Pennant: The Journal of the Forces Pension Society reviewing The Luger Story by John Walter.
‘A clear insight into the daily lives of Wellington’s soldiers.’ - Pennant: The Journal of the Forces Pension Society reviewing Voices from the Peninsula: Eyewitness Accounts by Soldiers of Wellington’s Army, 1808-1814 edited by Ian Fletcher.
‘As with other books in this series, The Sea Eagles includes more than 160 photographs, 17 of them in colour. Although this book is not the definitive work on this aspect of World War II, the author’s information is interesting, well presented, well crafted, and easy to grasp. Readers interested in this area of Luftwaffe operations will appreciate the pictures of the men, aircraft, and weapons. I recommend The Sea Eagles to any student of the Luftwaffe.’ - Aerospace Power Journal (USA) reviewing The Sea Eagles: The Luftwaffe’s Maritime Operations, 1939-1945 by Peter C. Smith.
‘This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies in WW2. ... The authors write as if these and other events had really happened, projecting imaginary scenarios that are all too real. This, the latest title in a series of convincing ‘what if’ books from Greenhill is a truly amazing book, and one that is so well written that it is difficult to put down. The counter argument to alternative history usually follows the theme ‘It didn’t happen, so why write about it?’ But this is to ignore both the plausibility of the book and the avenues of thought it so readily opens.’ - Military Modelling reviewing Third Reich Victorious: Alternate Decisions of World War Two edited by Peter G. Tsouras.
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