FOCH - AS MILITARY COMMANDER by General Sir James Marshall-Cornwall. (9" x 6"; 268 pages; 30 illustrations; 12 maps. Batsford £ 4) Very aptly Ferdinand Foch, French Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies in 1918, reminded me more and more of a wargamer as I followed his career through the pages of this book, beautifully produced in the manner that we have come to expect from Batsford. Just as many intense and enthusiastic wargamers avidly read all available literature on their chosen period while doggedly and often unsuccessfully pursuing their misconceived impressions on the wargames table, so Poch displayed Gallic elan in blindly and disastrously applying to modern war the archaic tactical lessons he had single mindedly absorbed from studies of the Napoleonic Campaigns and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The resemblance is heightened by Foch's attack .....attack....attack policy which caused him to throw-in real-live soldiers with the same reckless abandon that marks the wargamer's practice of sacrificing metal and plastic warriors in the same relative casualty scale. For much of the book, even the author finds it difficult to grant his subject any qualities other than a relentless and optimistic self-confidence which could arise from a narrow, short-sighted, even unintelligent attitude that, in a man of Foch's standing, would be generally unchallenged. The hard experience of the years 1914-1918 changed Foch's attitude to modern war and, just as Churchill was the man for the year in 1940, so Marshal Foch revealed in 1918 that he possessed the ability to combine tenacity, tact, optimism and the military co-ordinating experience of a lifetime to become a competent "Production Manager" for the Allied drive to victory. A very interesting, readable book about a colourful character who, with Haig and numerous other French and British generals, cause me to thank God that I was in World War II and not World War I! WARFARE by Michael Palmer. (10" x 7 1/2"; 96 pages; 69 illustrations. Batsford £ 1.30PT One of the "Post-into-Present" Series, this book covers the history of warfare, primarily so far as Britain is concerned, from the Romans up to the Post-War Period. An amazing amount of information is packed into the relatively few pages of the book, including some rather slanted political views that may, or my not, be considered pertinent in such a study. The illustrations are plentiful, relevant and first-class and the price of the book, in this day and age, is one of its best selling points! THE KING'S SHROPSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY by J.R.B. Moulsdale. (8 1/4" x 5 1/2"; 92 pages; 26 illustrations. Leo Cooper - £ 2.10p). Another of the "Famous Regiments" series, this one holds a pleasurable personal angle for me that began when I discovered those wonderful poems in A.E.Housman's " A Shropshire Lad" that mention the old 53rd. Liking their yellow facings, next I built up a 50-strong regiment of the 53rd for my Napoleonic wargaming. Their colourful history, so fully and ably related in this book, bestow upon them an aura that will, I hope, stand them in good stead on my wargames table. OSPREY "MEN-AT-ARMS" SERIES are each 10" x 7 1/2" and contain numerous drawings and illustrations including 8 full colour pages; £ 1.25P. The latest issues are: GEORGE WASHINGTON'S ARMY by Peter Young. Really well done and packed with information, including an account of the 'battle' of Port Royal Island 1779 which is tailor-made for the wargames table. If this little volumedoes not stimulate many to take up the American War of Independence (particularly now that Airfix have provided the figures) then I will be surprised! THE 30th PUNJABIS by James Lawford. Co-editor with Peter Young of that lovely book "History of the British Army" Colonel Lawford actually served with this regiment. For the "colonial" wargamer this will be a most valuable book, containing much detail of battles, uniforms, arms and equipment. THE BUFFS by Gregory Blaxland. English County regiments don't come much more typical then the Buffs whose title has gone into our language through the injunction "Steady, the Buffs!" As this regiment took part in about every campaign involving the British Army, the book contains details of many wars and periods. The wargamer seeking an unusual colour for the uniforms of his units will leap at this one! ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS by William McElwee. And they do not come much more Scottish than this regiment, whose name is synonymous with all those kilt swaying, pipes-playing actions that colour our military minds. Every wargamer has Soots regiments among his armies - this book will tell him all he wants to know about one of the most famous of them. WEREWOLF by Charles Whiting. (8 1/2" x 5 1/2"; 209 pages; 17 illustrations; 3 Maps and drawings. Leo Cooper - £ 2.75P). A very readable, although highly fictionalized, account of activities of German Partisan Groups during the last days of the 3rd Reich. Authentic and well researched but full of surmise and conjecture so far as thoughts, impressions, feelings and conversations are concerned. Seemingly grossly overpriced also! Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 126 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1972 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com