MBR: The Military Shelf
Midwest Book Review
Lucky Thirteen
Ken Wiley
Casemate
1016 Warrior Road, Suite C, Drexel Hill, PA 19026
193203353X $32.95 www.casematepublishing.com 1-610-853-9131
Author Ken Wiley tells of his service in the U.S. Coast Guard during
World War II in Lucky Thirteen: D-Days in the Pacific with the U.S.
Coast Guard in World War II, a military memoir in first-person
perspective. Wiley was only 17 when he enlisted in the Coast Guard in
1943; in the Pacific Theater, he was given responsibility of
commanding "Lucky Thirteen", his own Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel.
His task was to shuttle troops and supplies form the transport to the
beaches, often while under fire and during inclement weather
conditions. He served in campaigns for the Marshall Islands, the
Marianas, the Philippines, and Okinawa. Lucky Thirteen recounts beach
combat, kamikazes and suicide boats, sniper fire, and dangerous jungle
river expeditions as well as sad tales of lost loves, friends made and
lost, and humorous accounts of shipboard life. A personable and
engaging tale of World War II from an oft-overlooked point of view.
The Wolves of World War II
Hans Thiel, author
Ivan Fehrenbach, translator & editor
McFarland & Company
PO Box 611, Jefferson NC 28640
0786429712 $29.95 www.mcfarlandpub.com 1-800-253-2187
The Wolves of World War II: An East Prussian Soldier's Memoir of
Combat and Captivity on the Eastern Front is the true-life story of
author and East Prussian farmer Hans Thiel, who was conscripted into
military service on September 1944, close to the end of World War II.
Thiel felt a troubled resignation toward the Nazi Party, yet feared
that the end of the war would result in utter destruction for his
nation. Taken prisoner by Soviet forces, Thiel endured for three years
as a postware prisoner, held first by the Red Army then transferred to
camps under Polish control. The Wolves of World War II covers agrarian
life during the war, Thiel's combat experience, and the harshness and
atrocities inflicted upon postwar prisoners in retaliation for German
military war crimes. A handful of black-and-white photographs and maps
illustrate this stark, unflinchingly honest account.
Of Men and Material
Gary J. Schmitt & Thomas Donnelly, editors
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
1150 Seventeenth Street, NW Washington DC 20036
084474249X $20.00 www.aei.org/books
Co-edited by American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Gary J.
Schmitt and resident AEI fellow and "Armed Forces Journal"
contributing editor Thomas Donnelly, Of Men and Material: the Crisis
in Military Resources is a collection of scholarly essays discussing a
very real problem - the erosion of cores strength in American military
forces. From the billions of dollars spent on operations in Iraq,
Afghanistan, and elsewhere, to the under-replenishment of military
equipment, to the difficulty in successfully recruiting sufficient
warm bodies for the Army and Marine Corps, the United States military
has undergone a "hollow buildup" with dangerous shortfalls. The essays
are "Numbers Matter", "Protracted Wars and the Army's Future", "Age
and Indifference Erode U.S. Air Power", "Number and Capabilities:
Building a Navy for the Twenty-First Century", and "The Marine Corps:
A Hybrid Force for a Hybrid World". Each underscores key weaknesses
and sizeable gaps between America's strategic ends and military means,
and exhorts difficult choices that must be made soon given the current
rate of expending resources while failing to properly replenish them.
Highly recommended.
The Road to Unafraid
Captain Jeff Struecker with Dean Merrill
Westbow Publishing
c/o Thomas Nelson
Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214
0849900603 $19.99 www.thomasnelson.com
In 1993 author Jeff Struecker went to Somalia as part of an elite
military force and found himself on a suicide mission to rescue a band
of downed soldiers. At once a story of courage, military experience
and survival, THE ROAD TO UNAFRAID also serves as a model for
spiritual strength and thus is especially recommended for any
spiritual collection.
Letters from the Front Lines: Iraq and Afghanistan
Rear Admiral Stuart Franklin Platt, USN Ret. With Duffrey Sigurdson
Granville Island Publishing
c/o Greenleaf Book Group LP
4425 Mopac South, Suite 600, Austin TX 78735
1894694481 $24.95 www.GranvilleIslandPublishing.com
Any who would wonder at the lives and experiences of Americans
overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan will want Letters from the Front
Lines, a collection of letters from men and women in uniform serving
in these countries. The letters capture experiences of the front lines
and were handwritten communications that used to be the only source of
communication before email. Any who would wish for a 'you are there'
experience of the war will find plenty of insight in these poignant
writings, a 'must' for both military and public library holdings.
Osprey Publishing
443 Park Avenue South, New York NY 10016
www.ospreypublishing.com
These excellent military history guides are top picks for any
comprehensive military history library, offering specifics on strategy
and military issues you won't find in your usual general-interest
title. Mark Lardas' AFRICAN AMERICAN SOLDIER IN THE CIVIL WAR
(1846030927, $17.95) surveys the history of the U.S. Colored Troops
who fought bravely during the war. Chapters consider their transition
from slave to warrior to free man and provide insights on how they
fought the war, and their lives thereafter. Black and white drawings
and photos throughout supplement details. Nic Fields' ROME'S SAXON
SHORE: COASTAL DEFENCES OF ROMAN BRITAIN AD 250-500 (1846030943,
$16.95) provides a technical survey of the design, history and
technology of key fortresses and defensive systems of early Roman
Britain, making it a pick for military collections and libraries
strong in early history. The 'Saxon Shore' forts of Britain are among
the most impressive monuments of the Roman occupation of the British
Isles: their ruins are part of today's British landscape and their
history is surveyed here with maps, photos and black and white and
color illustration throughout. Shlomo Aloni's ISRAELI F-15 EAGLE UNITS
IN COMBAT (1846030471, $20.95) joins others in the 'Osprey Combat
Aircraft' series to narrow the focus on the Israeli F-15 Eagle Unit,
bought in the mid-1970s to secure Israeli air superiority in the
region for decades. The history of these aircraft, their engagements,
and their crews is supplemented with black and white and color photos
throughout.
Building Parent Involvement Through the Arts
Michael Sikes
Corwin Press
2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320
1412936837 $29.95 www.corwinpress.com
Teachers seeking activities and projects to build classrooms and
schools will find Building Parent Involvement Through the Arts:
Activities and Projects That Enrich Classrooms and Schools an
outstanding survey. It shows how to build a rich cultural arts program
parents can participate in, from dance and theater to visual arts,
music and folk art. From lesson plans and worksheets to project and
activity ideas, Building Parent Involvement Through the Arts is an
inspirational hands-on program any elementary-level teacher or
teacher's library will relish.
West Point to Pearl Harbor
Dick Spangler
Dorrance Publishing Company, Inc.
701 Smithfield Street, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
0805972048 $36.00 www.dorrancebookstore.com
WEST POINT OF PEARL HARBOR is military autobiography at its best,
telling of a child's memories of the Japanese attack, its effect upon
the Spangler family and the survivors of Pearl Harbor, and the lasting
lessons from that attack. The private journals of the author's
father's life, including letters written between his parents,
compliment these eyewitness accounts of surviving soldiers and
sailors, making for a vivid presentation liberally peppered with black
and white photos throughout.
The Red Arrows Story
Peter R. March
Haynes/Sutton Publishing
Phoenix Mill, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2BU, UK
0750944463 $12.95 www.suttonpublishing.co.uk www.amazon.com
The Red Arrows have received acclaim as the RAF's most famous
aerobatic display team and have an international following, so THE RED
ARROWS STORY is a top pick for any serious military aviation
collection and many a public library holding. Its slim appearance
masks a virtual treasure trove of information, from vintage black and
white photos and history to contemporary modern color shots of the Red
Arrows in aerial action. A 'must' for any serious military aviation
collection!
Osprey Publishing
443 Park Avenue South Suite 806, New York, NY 10016
www.ospreypublishing.com
These new additions to Osprey's in-depth military history titles add
to the ancient history 'Fortress' and more modern 'New Vanguard'
series titles offering specialized, in-depth insights for military
history collections. Steven J. Zaloga's US FIELD ARTILLERY OF WORLD
WAR II (1846030617, $15.95) tells of a new generation of field
artillery weapons and tactics born in the 1930s and used in World War
II. With vintage photos and plenty of technical detail, US FIELD
ARTILLERY OF WORLD WAR II provides a fine survey essential to any in-
depth coverage of the equipment and strategies of the times. Stephen
Turnbull's THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA 221 BC-AD 1644 (1846030048, $16.95)
examines the history of the most famous fortification in the world,
considering the realities, myths, and military history of how the wall
was conceived, built, and patrolled. Chapters survey its defensive
measures and provide plenty of vintage illustration, maps and more.
Randy E.M. Foster's VIETNAM FIREBASES 1965-73: AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN
FORCES (1846031036, $16.95) considers artillery fire support bases of
the Freeworld forces, surveying their use as troop shelters and
command centers, their defense, and their key strategic role during
the war. Serious military libraries will want all these histories.
Russia and Postmodern Deterrence
Stephen J. Cimbala and Peter Jacob Rainow
Potomac Books Inc.
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
1574888145 $24.00 www.potomacbooksinc.com
Adding to the 'Issues in 21st Century Warfare' series is Russia and
Postmodern Deterrence, a survey which provides insights on post-
communist Russia's social, cultural and political changes and what
this means for military options and deterrence. Chapters provide
plenty of military and social history on all sides, analyzing
interactions between world powers and major events and insecurities
affecting their choices. It's a recommended pick for any college-level
collection strong in military history or Russian/Soviet social issues.
Greenhill Books
c/o MBI Publishing
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
www.mbipublishing.com
Saul David's THE DEFENSE OF LUCKNOW: T.F. WILSON'S MEMOIR OF THE
INDIAN MUTINY, 1857 (185367723X, $29.95) offers insights on a
surprising battle which revolved around rifle lubricant. Told by Staff
Officer T.F. Wilson, it tells of troops who rose up against their
colonial masters and covers the siege of Lucknow, defended by under
2,000 men. Specialty military collections will find it invaluable.
Digby Smith's CHARGE! GREAT CAVALRY CHARGES OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS
(1853677221, $24.95) will also appeal to specialty military holdings
in focusing on the cavalry charges of the Napoleonic Wars at a time
when cavalry ruled the battlefield. Battles could be decided solely on
mastering of cavalry: chapters here focus on key battles and consider
offensive and defensive strategies within the cavalry routine. Gareth
Glover's FROM CORUNNA TO WATERLOO (1853677094, $39.95) provides the
letters and journals of two Napoleonic Hussars from 1801-1816 and is
also a top pick for any specialty library emphasizing Napoleonic
history and battles. Any studying the era in depth will find these
writings from participants who wrote home regularly and described both
events and their feelings to be most enlightening and essential for
capturing the conflicts and sentiments of the times. All will prove
top acquisitions for serious, in-depth military reference collections.
Osprey Publishing
443 Park Avenue South Suite 806, New York NY 10016
www.ospreypublishing.com
Larry Hama's FIGHT TO THE DEATH: THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL
(1846030609, $9.95) isn't your usual military survey of events: it is
presented in a graphic novel format, and captures the facts of battle
into a presentation filled with fictionalized adventure. More so than
most nonfiction standard histories it brings to life the events and
drama of Guadalcanal and is especially recommended for students just
learning about events who will appreciate the intimacy and events of
the graphic novel format. The same is achieved in Steve White's DAY OF
INFAMY: ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR (1846030595, $9.95), which provides a
colorful graphic novel focusing on Pearl Harbor events. These
histories will also appeal to young adults studying the facts of
military history - this audience will find a much more accessible
format and history, here. Jon Stanaway's 475TH FIGHTER GROUP
(1846030439, $22.95) joins others in the 'Aviation Elite Units' series
to focus on a superior fighting force, the pet project of an air force
chief which made headlines from its entry into combat in August 1943
until the war's end. Vintage black and white photos compliment color
plane specs and history in a detailed survey of special interest to
military aviation collections. Dr. Stephen Bull's WORLD WAR II JUNGLE
WARFARE TACTICS (1846030692, $17.95) describes and illustrates the
course of the Allies as they struggled against Japanese strongholds in
the pacific. Wartime training documents and front-line memoirs of
action spice a survey of these battles and bring history to life.
Kenneth W. Estes' US ARMY SOLDIER: BAGHDAD 2003-04 (1846030633,
$17.95) charts modern war experience in showing how Baghdad fell under
US control and how stabilization attempts were made. It's an important
guide for any who would understand the progress of U.S. military
efforts in the region. John Sayen's US ARMY INFANTRY DIVISIONS 1944-45
(1846031192, $23.95) reviews the organization, tactics, and military
doctrine of the U.S. Infantry from 1944-45, surveying a period when
many major changes were made to an army structure which resisted
changes. All divisions are outlined and resources and changes surveyed
in a specialty title recommended for any in-depth World War II
collection. Ken Ford's THE RHINE CROSSINGS: 1945 (1846030269, $18.95)
covers the last major battle of World War II in a region which no
invading army had crossed since Napoleon's forces. The history of
these last battle strongholds comes to life in a survey filled with
black and white vintage photos and detailed discussions of crossing
tactics and logic. Clayton Donnell's THE FORTS OF THE MEUSE IN WORLD
WAR I (1846031141, $16.95) tells of new forts built around the cities
of Liege and Namur, known as the 'forts of the Meuse'. It was a huge
project which produced over twenty modern forts to defend strategic
gaps and transportation arteries: any collection strong in World War 1
strategy needs to understand this project's history and evolution. D.
Lindholm and D. Nicolle's THE SCANDINAVIAN BALTIC CRUSADES 1100-1500
(1841769886, $15.95) covers the weaponry, armor and ships of the
expeditions of the Scandinavian Catholics against the pagans to the
east of the Baltics. This is a specialty coverage indeed and so will
be limited to collections strong in early military history - but
little has been written about this phase of the medieval Crusades and
so it's a key pick.
The Deserter's Tale
Joshua Key as told to Lawrence Hill
Atlantic Monthly Press/Grove
841 Broadway, New York NY 10003
0871139545 $23.00 www.groveatlantic.com
When Joshua Key enlisted in the Army it was with a belief in his
country and government. It wasn't until he was sent to Iraq that his
convictions were shaken: once he realized the war he was fighting
wasn't against the terrorists he had expected - and once he saw Iraqi
civilians being beaten and killed for no provocation, he determined to
leave and never return. His decision to desert recounts human rights
abuses, issues of responsibility, and a family man and patriot who
decided he could no longer serve his country. A hard-hitting
autobiography which offers first-hand observations from the unusual
perspective of a deserter.
Drift Station
William F. Althoff
Potomac Books
22841 Quicksilver Drive, Dulles, VA 20166
1574887718 $39.95 www.potomacbooksinc.com
The Cold War and subsequent years saw governments staking claims in
the Arctic through the establishment of isolated 'drift stations' on
ice floes, which conducted key scientific research. While such
stations were military in nature, they've evolved to become key
outposts of scientific research, offering up studies in meteorology,
oceanography, and other disciplines with results moving beyond the
political and military interests of the superpowers and the Arctic
nations. DRIFT STATION details history from early explorers to modern
times and is a 'must' for any collection strong in either military or
scientific history.
Weather Warfare
Jerry E. Smith
Adventures Unlimited Press
One Adventure Place, Box 74, Kempton, IL 60946
1931882606 $18.95 www.adventuresunlimitedpress.com
WEATHER WARFARE: THE MILITARY'S PLAN TO DRAFT MOTHER NATURE is a
frightening, eye-opening survey which surveys military interest in
weather cloud seeding and modification processes. Chapters survey
tests and research results from countries around the world who have
studied earthquakes, typhoons, and ways hurricanes can be 'moved' to
military locales, making from an essential survey of both science and
geopolitical conflicts which are provoking new ideas on conducting
warfare. This enlightening, frightening coverage is recommended not
just for military collections but for general-interest public
libraries as well.
Indian War Veterans
Jerome A. Greene
Savas Beatie
P.O. Box 4527, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
193271426X $45.00 www.savasbeatie.com
Indian War Veterans: Memories of Army Life and Campaigns in the West
1864-1898 provides the first comprehensive collection of veteran
reminiscences in print, and is a 'must' for any college-level holding
strong in either American Indian history and culture or American
military history. Soldiers' experiences are recounted, from fighting
with Custer to Powder River battles, Wounded Knee and more. A range of
sources compliments entries which are packed with firsthand
observation and history, while dozens of previously unpublished photos
and two original maps round out the information. INDIAN WAR VETERANS:
MEMORIES OF ARMY LIFE AND CAMPAIGNS IN THE WEST, 1864-1898 is not to
be missed by any holding seeking definitive coverage of Indian or
American military history.
Marine Air
Robert F. Dorr
Berkeley Calibur
375 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014
0425213641 $15.00 www.penguin.com
Think of Marines and you'll think of the ground forces - but their air
arm is also legendary, and military historian Robert F. Dorr provides
here the first illustrated oral history of the Marine Air Wing, which
began in 1917 and became a major force during the Second World War.
Any military collection will find it a 'must' addition, and many a
public library holding will find it a popular lend.
Iwo Jima Recon: The U.S. Navy At War, February 17, 1945
Dick Camp
Zenith Press
380 Jackson Street Suite 200, St. Paul, MN 55101-3885
0760329931 $19.95 www.mbipublishing.com
Before the Marines landed there was the recon of Iwo Jima, a pre-
invasion battle which superceded Iwo Jima's events and which
surprisingly has never been fully explored, until now. IWO JIMA RECON
is packed with vintage photos and moment-by-moment details of the
recon actions before the invasion, and is essential for any in-depth
collection including coverage of Iwo Jima events.
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