February 2019

Finished the first military read of the month in the form of The Romanian Battlefront in World War I (A); if you're looking to learn about Bucharest's participation in the Great War this is the one book that you need to read.

Finished a long but enjoyable The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922 by D K Brown. I enjoy the books by D K Brown which, although rather technical, he infuses with some humor and personal observations.

Completed a very interesting Leonard Wood: Rough Rider, Surgeon, Architect of American Imperialism by Jack McCallum. All I really knew about Wood before this was that he was the commanding officer of the Rough Riders. Turns out he is one of those amazing individuals who had a great influence on so many events of his lifetime yet is almost forgotten to history. The author has scrupulously noted all his references and has a wealth of endnotes, but still seemed to make some pretty basic errors which make me wonder a bit about the accuracy of other items I'm not familiar with. However, my overall opinion is that these are just minor items which would have been caught by a more knowledgeable editor. Overall I can highly recommend this book.

Finished Regulus: America's First Nuclear Submarine Missile by David K. Stumpf. Rather dry but still enjoyable if you are interested in the subject.

Completed an excellent How Can Man Die Better: The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed by Mike Snook. This is a detailed analysis of the battle, including conjectural reconstructions based upon inference and military logic. Some might disagree with the author's finding, but it is a very informative book nevertheless. And what's better is that the Kindle version I read was only $1.30 USD.

As for the other significant books of the month there's Dubno 1941 and The Italian Army and the First World War. The first is kind of workmanlike but coverage of World War II from the Russian perspective is always to be appreciated; somewhat ironically, the author does NOT believe that this battle was the greatest tank action of the war. The second is a very good overview of Italy's participation in the Great War that is somewhat broader than the title suggests.

Completed Gentlemen of War: The Amazing Story of Commander Karl Von Muller and the S.M.S. Emden by Dan van der Vat. Very well written and I have to admit really not knowing anything about the ship or the escape of some of its crew.