Troops Books

Published a little after the 30th anniversary of airborne warfare this book is a wealth of information about parachutes, gliders, uniforms and weapons involved in airborne warfare. It is well illustrated with photographs and drawings and the author discusses German, U.S., British and Soviet equipment, although he briefly touches on other airborne establishments as well.

A more recent book which discusses Soviet operations in Afghanistan and U.S. operations in Afghanistan and Iraq would be better this will have to do for now.

This ambitious book covers the insignia of the Commandos, SAS, OSS, Rangers, Allied airborne units, various private armies and other 'special forces' of the WWII era. This is accomplished through many illustrations of rare insignia and of personnel wearing them, and through text sketching the history of the units and their insignia. As tends to be the case when one addresses a broad topic, the quality and depth of coverage is uneven. I noted several errors and the inclusion of a few insignia of questionable authenticity in sections where I have expertise. Whether this trend continues throughout the book, I cannot say. (I would expect that it does not, as those sections I do not feel qualified to judge are ones where I would expect the author, who is British, and his sources to be on firmer ground.) My overall sense is that with a little more research and greater care editing for accuracy, the text of this book could have been raised to the level of the illustrations, producing a truly outstanding reference. Even then, this book would fall short of being all-inclusive, leaving to other authors the opportunity to expand the coverage and address missing topics. Nevertheless, this is a reference that collectors with an interest in the topic that is the title of the book will wish to add to their libraries. (As an aside, those who find the subject of this book to be of interest are encouraged to seek a copy of Len Whittaker's now out-of-print "Some Talk of Private Armies," a book of substantially narrower focus than the one reviewed here, but one that speaks, in the opinion of this reviewer, with greater authority.)

This is a lively account of the 93d Division during World War I--how they organized, trained, deployed and fought. Despite some discriminatory practices at home and abroad, the men of the 93d fought long, well and hard in some very unique situations while attached to the French army. They faced the spirit of their times without bitterness, and established a legacy that deserves to be remembered. They dealt with adversity by ignoring it, proving their mettle as soldiers and men. When it comes to offensive operations, they excelled brilliantly and usually without complaint. The reader will be aware that the soldiers were black; I doubt the soldiers cared one way or the other.

"Anna Apple" is the first in a series of cleverlittle books called "the fruits of the spirit". Anna's storyis about kindness, and packs a good message into a fun package. The sturdy fruit shaped books have thick pages and bendable gumby legs and arms so you can do more than just read them. The subject matter is perfect for older preschool and young school age kids, but the reading level is a little advanced for beginners so parents will want to help out. I found this book to be somewhat akin to the "Veggie Tales" series that is so popular right now. Easy for kids to relate to, and helpful in teaching good values and behavior. We could use more tools like these!

Those familiar with the critical role that the recruitment of black troops into the Union Armies in the American Civil War usually think about the famous Massachusetts 54th Regiment under Robert Gould Shaw which has received wide attention in book, film and sculpture. And those heroic fighters deserve those honors. Glory, indeed. However, other units were formed from other regions that are also noteworthy. And none more so than the 1st South Carolina Volunteers commanded by the arch-abolitionist Theodore Higginson one of John Brown's most fervent supporters and an early advocate of arming the slaves during the Civil War. He desperately wanted to lead armed blacks in battle and got his wish.

I have remarked elsewhere (in a review of William Styron's Confessions of Nat Turner)that while the slaves in the South, for a host of reasons, did not insurrect with the intensity or frequency of say Haiti, the other West Indian islands or Brazil that when the time came to show discipline, courage and honor under arms that blacks would prove not inferior to whites. And Higginson's book is prima facie evidence for that position.

One should note that, unlike the Massachusetts 54th which was made up primarily of freedman the 1st South Carolina was made up of units of fugitive and abandoned slaves. Thus, one should have assumed that it would have been harder to train and discipline uneducated and much-abused slaves. Not so. After reading a number of books on the trials and tribulations of various Union regiments, including the famous Irish Brigade, the story Higginson tells compares very favorably with those units. While Higginson's use of `negro' dialect in the telling of his story which may not be to the liking of some of today's `politically correct' readers of this book it is nevertheless a story worth reading told by a `high' abolitionist and Civil War hero.

In this book you will read several essays about Generals including, Bragg, Jackson, Grant, Pickett, and Rosecrans. These essays will go into detail that for a number of key decisions that they made in the war were influenced not only by the needs in the military and in the active theater by by politics as well. For Grant and Bragg especially will be hindered by things due to political generals. The rest of the essays attempt to get into the mindset of each General and help the reader to understand many of the decisions that they made and to "get in their shoes".

This book is invaluable. You have a 3star general advising you on the most common of issues facing people in command or in leadership positions. I have given copies to all my junior officers and it has saved them and I often in the common sense approach to solving situations.

The book is a collection of detailed special operations stories from the Vietnam war to the last invasion of Iraq. Most of the stories are complemented by detailed pictures of mission plans and military hardware.

However, the book provides claims that US special forces organized, advised and run operations together with PKK in northern Iraq, PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by the US State Department. Therefore, if the details in the book (listed below) are true, the book is a groundbreaking revelation of the sins of the US military/state establishment. If they are not, then one suspects the validity of other details in the book.

I have no way to prove or disprove the following claims, but you can verify their presence by the Amazon's search inside function:

Link to joint US operations with terrorists:
page 225: "10th Special Forces Group teams working with peshmerga militia soldiers from the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK in the Kurdish north..."

Link to US support of terrorists:
Page 252: "For years since Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the 10th Special Forces Group had been discreetly working with the PKK ..."

Link to US advising terrorists:
Page 253: "...commander of Joint Special Operations Task Force-North (JSOTF-N). Originally, JSOTF-N's mission was to act as advisers to the PKK, which would have formed a vanguard for the 4th MID on their drive south. ..."

Link to US matchmaking between terrorists and their rivals for operational security:
Page 264: "The KDP was a rival to the PKK, and the two political groups' jockeying for power in the Kurdish-controlled territory was an element that complicated American operations in the Kurdish controlled territory...".

PKK has been responsible for more than 40,000 deaths in US ally Turkey and therefore viewed as the al-Qaeda problem of Turkey. Perhaps these revelations explain why US lost support and face in a previously staunch supporter.

State Department Link to the status of PKK:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/jan/99128.htm

Unlike most "contribution" books on black soldiers in American history which treat them simply as dark-skinned, blue-jacketed white men, Christian's work focuses on the meaning of African Americans' military service for race relations in Texas. This state, both a century ago and now, lay at the nexus of several cultures and races, including Anglos, Hispanics, and Blacks. The presence of black troops strangely revealed similarities between the other two groups with regard to anti-black racism, indicating that Mexicans themselves adopted much of the "southern" outlook toward English-speaking minorities. Christian's book will not sell as well as others on this topic, like Leckie's for example, because he addresses little of the "saddles and boots" history that campaign narrative fans are so fond of. But he moves military history in an admirable new direction, taking on questions that social historians have asked for twenty years. His approach and methodology are somewhat traditional, ignoring many books on the sociology of race which could complement his study, and the writing is a tad dry. But those problems are minor. Hopefully this study will gain the place it deserves, both in African American history and the history of the army in Texas.

This book covers the last two weeks of the hardest infantry course in the western world. 6 months ( withou injury ) and then a week in the field immediately followed by a series of combat fitness tests. THe text accuratly covers what happens near the end of training for those who chose to be a bootneck and those who want to earn the covetted Green Beret and return to their home units to work alongside bootnecks in the field. I been to lympstone ( where recruit training is undertaken ) - the only thing missng is this book are the three hour PT 'beastings' on the assault course and the warmups prior to attacking any physical challenge. ( NB. All commando tests are carried out in BOOTS and with weighted webbing 22lbs min + weapon ) Excellent.