Friday, November 03, 2006
The Age of Battles By Russell Weigley
In Age of Battles, Russell Weigley operates from the premise that warfare has passed through several distinct stages. Whereas the medieval period was characterized by sieges and raiding, and the modern age by society-destroying conflicts, the “Age of Battles” featured large set-piece battles in which political resolution was sought at the same time as military victory. But Weigley says that the goal of political resolution was never achieved—could not be achieved—through these large scale dramas. In the book, he examines a host of the most famous battles of history, including Breitenfeld, Lutzen, Rocroi, Blenheim, Mollwitz, Fontenoy, Culloden, Yorktown, Austerlitz, and, of course, Waterloo, which he marks as the end of the age. Age of Battles is a dense book, but worth the effort to a serious student of the era.
The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Angel In The Whirlwind By Benson Bobrick
Angel In The Whirlwind is a good, one volume account of the American Revolution. Beginning with the war’s proximate causes in the French and Indian War, and continuing on to 1782 and Washington’s retirement, this book is full of the colorful personalities that make this period so interesting. This was the first book I read when beginning my research into the Ameican Revolution. It’s a good place to start—or, if you are a Revolution aficionado, a good read to remind you why the Revolution caught your imagination in the first place.
Angel in the Whirlwind : The Triumph of the American Revolution
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The Face of Battle By John Keegan
Keegan is an instructor at Britain’s Sandhurst Academy (the equivalent of West Point in the United States) who is writing some of the best military history today. He often is a commentator in documentaries on The History Channel. In The Face of Battle, Keegan writes about what war must be like for the common soldier at Agincourt in 1415, Waterloo in 1815, and the Somme in 1916. There are some striking similarities in their experiences.
The Face of Battle : A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme
Saturday, September 02, 2006
The Napoleonic Source Book by Philip Haythornthwaite
Philip Haythornthwaite’s The Napoleonic Sourcebook is a good place to start for a basic understanding of the Napoleonic Wars. The volume is divided into six major sections: The Campaigns, Weapons and the Practice of War, The Nations Involved in the Wars, Biographies, Sources, Miscellaea and a useful glossary. There are more than 200 black and white illustrations, maps and charts. For the painter, the book has descriptions of various uniforms and lists of uniform, facing, hat and button colors.
The Napoleonic Source Book
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer
The Forgotten Soldier is Guy Sajer’s memoir of his life as a young soldier on the eastern front in World War II. A member of the famed Gross deutschland division, Sajer fought in most of the major battles of the war against the Soviet Union: Minsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Donetz ... Kursk. The book is an amazing work—exciting ... and chilliing. His descriptions are as vivid as any movie I have seen. Even though I read it nearly ten years ago, I can still recall the final battles in east Prussia—as horrifying an experience as I can think of. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
The Forgotten Soldier
Monday, August 28, 2006
The Military Experience In The Age of Reason
I picked up this book at a closeout sale and I’m really glad that I did. As a fan of the American Revolution period, I found it to be full of useful information. Duffy is a superior historian and writer, who manages to combine great detail with an easy to read style. Every aspect of warfare in this period is covered: the officers, common soldiers, sieges, set piece battles, and the home front. It’s a superior read.
Military Experience in the Age of Reason (Wordsworth Military Library)
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About the Miniature Wargaming Hobby
Miniature Wargaming is part of the "adventure games" hobby, which includes r ole p laying and board games. Wargamers recreate battles on the tabletop with toy soldiers, like a more complicated game of chess. Models range in height from 6mm to 28mm tall, with 15mm and 25mm being the most popular. There also is a growing interest in toy soldiers and military models, such as the 1/32 and 1/35 scale plastic soldiers from Conte, and Marx.
The most popular miniature wargames are fantasy and science fiction based, such as Warhammer, Warhammer 40K, Warmachine and The Lord of the Rings. World War II games such as Flames of War and Axis and Allies are new favorites. Other favorite historical periods include Napoleonics, the American Civil War, and ancients, such as Romans or Greeks. Other gamers enjoy miniature naval wargames, recreating battles like Trafalgar, Jutland and the Coral Sea.
Hobbyists research historical periods and paint their tiny soldiers in accurate uniforms. Others develop "historically realistic" rules sets or build scale battlefield terrain using model railroad techniques.
For pictures, visit the gallery.
Some of the bigger hobby companies are Games Workshop, which produces Warhammer, Wargames Foundry and Old Glory Miniatures. Wizards of the Coast produces several lines of pre-painted miniatures games, such as the Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons miniatures games, and a historical game with pre-painted miniatures: The new Axis and Allies game. Wizkids produces a fantasy collectable miniatures game, such as the Mage Knight and Heroclick fantasy games, the science fiction games MechWarrior and Rocketmen, as well as the quasi-historical Pirates of the Spanish Main.
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