ANZAC Day

In the excitement of last week we missed ANZAC Day on the 25th April. For those of you who don't know, and it can't be many, ANZAC day celebrates the incredible bravery and sacrifice that the Australian and New Zealand Forces made in World War I, in particular at the bloody horror that was Gallipoli. I was reminded that we had forgotten it by this brilliant post at Dogfight at Bankstown which has some great photos and first-hand accounts of the ANZACs in action - it is well worth a look.

Killing Rommel

I had certain expectations when I approached Killing Rommel by Steven Pressfield. When you see a title like Killing Rommel and a write-up like the following you have a fair expectation of what you are going to see:

Autumn,1942: Hitler's legions have swept across Europe. Soviet Russia reels under the German onslaught while across the channel, Britain struggles on. And in North Africa, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps have routed the 8th Army, threatening the oil fields of the Middle East. The war hangs in the balance...Out of this, the British hatch a desperate plan - to send a small, heavily armed yet highly mobile force behind enemy lines to strike a blow that will stop Rommel's army in its tracks. It is to be called the Long Range Desert Group and its exploits will become the stuff of legend. Based on real events, Steven Pressfield's bold new novel brings to pulse-racing life the ingenuity and daring of this maverick commando unit - a disparate, dedicated 'band of brothers' who sacrificed so much for the sake of freedom...

Now I hate to say it, being one myself but I think the Marketing department have got their hands on this book description and may have got a little carried away. We in the Osprey marketing department have never done this, of course - no prizes for the person who sends in our most blatant over-hyping by-the-way.

So what is Killing Rommel really like? Well for a start it is pretty damn good, decent maps at the start of a book always give me a good feeling about the rest of it and this has them. It is the fictional war-time memoir of Richmond 'Chap' Chapman a young lieutenant following him from his university days in Oxford, basic training with the Royal Tank Regiment and eventual secondment to the Long Range Desert Group and action in the deserts of North Africa.

The narrator is restrained, educated and abhors some of the savagery required of him in combat. This takes a little getting used to if you are expecting a 'pulse-racing' read throughout but has the ring of truth. He is not a warrior raised from birth but an ordinary Englishman thrust into a conflict which seems to consist of journeying incredible distances in terrible conditions, with trucks breaking down, fuel running out and incredible weather conditions. He takes part in several actions where confusion reigns and the outcome is inconclusive at best. Coupled with the fact that Steven Pressfield has obviously done his research into the actual characters, conditions and equipment used this gives it a sense of historical accuracy and a depth that the back cover copy does not convey.

So don't be fooled by the cover, it is some of these things but it is a whole lot more. Well worth a read and if you want the perfect Osprey book to accompany it I recommend Desert Raiders: Axis & Allied Special Forces 1940-43.
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Field of Glory Stock

Osprey is happy to announce that both the Field of Glory Rulebook and the Rise of Rome companion book are now back in stock in the UK and can be ordered directly from our website. Stock is limited for the next couple of weeks as we try to catch up with the original overwhelming demand so order now.

Be sure to pick up your copy of the wargaming rules that have taken the industry by storm! Here is just a sample of what the wargaming community is saying…

“…with the production values and the quality of game design, I think we are looking at the system that will dominate the next decade of Ancients…”
- Richard Millner, Dakka Dakka

“What [the Field of Glory rules] turned out to be is an excellently produced set of ‘proper’ wargames rules that will be familiar to old time gamers, but innovative in their game delivery.”
- Rich Jones, Wargames Journal

“This is by far the most professionally-produced miniatures rule set I have ever seen.”
- Scott K., Deep Fried Happy Mice

We should be back in stock in the US in the middle of April.

Toys for Big kids

I saw this at the weekend. Is it wrong to want one?

And for more figures including the SS Major and the US Marine Sergeant click here.

What subjects have we missed? (Part 2)

Wow! Thank you everybody who submitted suggestions to my previous post: What subjects have we missed?. The following is a brief overview covering those subjects on the list, what we may have done on them already and what is to come in the future. It was good to see some common ground between your list and ours. As for the rest - they will take a little while to digest.

It is almost impossible to pull out some meaningful themes from the wars, campaigns and soldiers mentioned except to say that your interest in military history is eclectic and insatiable. Some topics I noted for discussion here include the Wars of Unification in Germany and Italy, a strong showing for conflicts in Greece, Africa and South America, the Successor States of Alexander and an urgent need to get that Wurtemberg book started.

So, in no particular order, here are some books we are doing. Please be aware that although our team are great at hitting dates the further ahead we look the greater the danger of them moving - you have been warned. We are doing:

• Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan (Elite) - July 2008
• Special Operations Forces in Iraq (Elite) - November 2008
• Imperial Armies of the Thirty Years War (Men-at-Arms) - October 2009
• Bay of Pigs (Elite) - January 2009
• Belgian Army in WWI (Men-at-Arms) - March 2009
• American Loyalist Troops (Men-at-Arms) - September 2008
• OSS (Elite) - 2010
• Seminole Wars (Men-at-Arms) - April 2009
• Landing Craft - Infantry & Fire Support (New Vanguard) - June 2009
• Salamis (Campaign) - See William's superb blog posts on his progress
• Actium (Campaign) - 2009
• War Elephants (New Vanguard) - November 2008
• Zeebruge Raid (A new series: Raid) - November 2009
• A-1 Skyraiders (Combat Aircraft) - November 2009
• East India Company Armies (Men-at-Arms) - April 2009
• Amiens 1918 (Campaign) - June 2008
• Battle of the Coral Sea (Campaign) - October 2009
• Czech Legion (Men-at-Arms) - November 2008

There are a lot more on this list that we are seeking authors and illustrators for at the moment. They will eventually end up at a Publishing Meeting where your input will count. These are part of both existing and new series. We are launching two new series next year, Raid I have mentioned above and Command which was a popular request in the comments.  There are a couple of others in the pipeline - watch the blog for more announcements on all of these.

We did notice several suggestions for titles we have done already. So please go back and check the website again, just in case you missed it. If they are out of stock do not despair. You may have seen our announcement about short-run printing; we will be able to reprint a lot more titles over the coming months.

One final question - can anyone tell me why the Gran Chaco War is so popular?

Why a knife can be more dangerous than a gun

One of the perks of working for Osprey is getting your hands on early promotional copies of books that you really want to read. Last week I just finished a book titled Tools of Violence: Guns Tanks and Dirty Bombs.

It is a great book about the reality of modern weapons from handheld devices through bombs to fleets of ships and it is a great analysis of the realities so often misrepresented by the media. You will be able to get your hands on it in April.

The most interesting part for me was about the realities of the 'shoot to kill' doctrine, something that was in the news last year because of the fatal shooting of Charles De Menezes in Stockwell underground station, London in July.

The truth of that event is still obscured but Chris McNab and Hunter Keeter have written some highly relevant research on the the limitations on using handguns. For example on the perceived advantage of a gun over a knife they relate the research that has taken place at the FTU (Firearms Training Unit) and FBI Headquarters in Quantico, Virginia where within 21 feet a man with a knife is perfectly capable of getting within range of an officer with a handgun and injuring or killing him:

"the harsh reality in such circumstance is that unless the shot happens to hit the attacker in the central nervous system, the attack will succeed... At closer ranges, the attack was successful before the agent could raise his weapon and fire a shot"

The book is full of this kind of research and was a fascinating insight into the reality never shown in films and rarely portrayed in the media, I'll be boring friends and family alike for weeks to come. 

What subjects have we missed?

We recently had a hit-list meeting here at Osprey where Editorial, Marketing, Sales and anyone who knows anything about anything sit down and talk through future titles. We take a look at submissions from Authors both old and new, ideas from all our Editors, feedback from shows and bookshops, the results of the monthly poll and then we sit down and start bickering (amicably).

Obviously we are a commercial organisation that would like to continue to produce these books. So we have to balance out the obvious 'big-hitters' with the niche topics that are going to do well alongside the gaps we have not filled yet. Sadly we can't everything and there are impassioned debates over topics like the Selous Scouts as everyone has their favourite unit, campaign or tank. The dilemma was neatly summarised on Armorama with a review of our Duel series by Jim Rae.

Finally we came to a resolution but I thought it worth putting the question out their again. What have we missed? Forgetting for the minute your personal favourite, that only you and one other person on the other side of the world is interested in, what obvious great topics have we not done? Let us know and we'll start the bickering again...

Field of Glory delays

Last Wednesday I was down at our book distribution centre somewhere near Grantham, standing in a vast warehouse full of books from different publishers including Lonely Planet and Titan books. This routine visit coincided with the release of Field of Glory, a release that was not without problems as the scale of orders temporarily overwhelmed us. There was certainly some lively discussion on forums as Amazon delivery dates shifted back and forth between various dates in February and March. The situation has now stabilised and the vast bulk of the orders have now been fulfilled, although due to the huge success some will have to wait until the first reprint is delivered at the beginning of March.

I thought I would briefly explain how the process works so you can understand better the number of people that are involved in delivering a book to your door and maybe get an insight into why there were problems with Field of Glory. Once a book proposal comes up for consideration our Sales Managers consult with bookstores, hobby shops and online outlets like Amazon to estimate how many copies they 'think' they will need. These numbers are used to determine whether a book is a viable proposition or not. Once it has been approved the Editorial team work with the author and artists to put the book together (another story altogether) and then it goes to Production & Design who prepare it for printing and publication. We confirm final printing numbers.

At this stage the stores etc have still not put their firm orders in so these numbers are based on estimates. These estimates are continually revised, but they’re still not firm numbers.

So once the books begin printing there is still the chance that actual orders will come in above or below the numbers we are printing. We are printing in the UK, USA and China. Once the books are printed they are shipped (if from China by sea) to the distribution centre I mentioned above, or an even larger one in the USA where orders from a huge amount of publishers are fulfilled. It is just before they arrive here that orders with the stores are confirmed. In the case of Field of Glory this is where it began to go wrong in the UK/Europe, or I should say right, as orders came in far higher than original estimates, particularly from Amazon. We had to quickly reallocate stock between different priorities, order reprints and then reorganise ourselves, our printers, our distribution centre and our stores to cope with demand, a process which took us a bit of time, as it involved so many partners. This did impact on delivery dates but we hope that almost everyone should be seeing a copy now barring a couple of hundred Amazon customers who may have to wait until the reprint comes in at the beginning of March (which we are flying over from the printers to minimise the wait). Although orders do keep coming in...

So we were caught by surprise by the scale of the success of Field of Glory, a reflection of the great set of rules that Slitherine have created, the fine production values that our Editorial and Production & Design teams have delivered and your enthusiasm for something new. We are sorry for the confusion, it should be all sorted out now. We'll be ready for next time.

I have almost stopped twitching every time someone says 'it is a nice problem to have'.

For Goat-lovers everywhere

For those of you concerned about Goats being mistreated by the Royal Navy in the UK I can confirm that they are now safe. The Ministry of Defence has announced they will no longer be using them aboard submarines.

For the full story click here.

The Religion - Hospitallers and Ottomans

I'm currently reading The Religion by Tim Willocks, a bloody historical thriller set during the Siege of Malta in 1565. It tells the story of Mattias Tannhauser, an arms dealer and former janissary who agrees to accompany a French Countess searching for her long-lost son on Malta.

Then the Ottomans arrive to wipe the Knights Hospitallers off the island and all hell breaks loose. Willocks doesn't muck about with his writing, the battle scenes are gory and brutal, and they give a vivid sense of the siege and the horrendous ordeal endured by the Knights and citizens of Malta. The story is pretty good too.

The only thing it doesn't have is a map showing the various bastions and citadels as they were blown to pieces, so I searched around online looking for a decent map for reference. I found maps of the time I could not see properly and modern maps with all the names changed so I gave up and carried on reading.

Then I remembered who I worked for, checked our backlist, found The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945 with a perfect map on page 11 (it looks better in print). Guess where I'm looking first next time I open a book and need a map...

An analysis of 'Bloody' Omaha

Military History on the TV can be pretty bad, with poor history, a need for new 'revelations' and a tendency towards repeating itself every two minutes. But last night I caught up with the BBC Timewatch programme 'Bloody Omaha' which attempted to analyse what happened on the beach during the D-Day invasion, and although it occasionally exhibited some of these symptons it turned out to be pretty good. With an impressive line-up of talking heads including Steven Zaloga the programme took a sober view balancing personal experiences with historical analysis. The most chilling phrase, consistently repeated was "it was a numbers game", a statement graphically illustrated when the casualty figures were re-examined and doubled since they were originally worked out. It covered the Allied plans for invasion, the increase in German defences after Rommel took over and the incredible raid at Pointe du Hoc.

You can still catch it for the next few days on the BBC iPlayer site but hurry up as it will soon be gone. Steven's analysis of the battle for Osprey will be back in print in March.

10th Military History Carnival

The 10th Military History Carnival is taking place at Walking the Berkshires from today. Dedicated to the late George McDonald Fraser it summarises the best writing on military history in the 'blogosphere' this month.

Advanced Terrain Modelling reviewed

I thought I'd share this review with you because I think that Advanced Terrain Modelling by Richard Windrow is a fantastic resource for any modeller but its great to hear someone else say so, and when Armorama say it is 'an extraordinarily well presented, informative and inspirational book' I think everyone who worked on it, especially Richard is entitled to a moment of satisfaction. Anyway don't take my word for it visit the review for a detailed analysis of the book.

George McDonald Fraser has passed away

George McDonald Fraser, the brilliant author of the Flashman Papers has died aged 82. He was a fantastic writer and a favourite of many Osprey readers. He will be very much missed.

Is Alternate History worth it?

There is some suspicion of Alternate History - the exercise of looking at the past and asking "what if"?  - as it can stretch to the most ludicrious situations. Personally I love it, all of it, from serious scholarly counter-factual history to Lizards invading Earth during the Second World War. The possibilities are endless. Just at the moment I'm having a good look at Alternatehistory.com which is contains some very credible attempts to imagine what might have been. Scenarios include:

• If the Confederacy had not invaded Kentucky, they would have been able to survive for much longer in the Eastern conflicts, Lincoln would have lost the election, McClellan would have taken over and peace would have been signed between the two sides.
• Or what about if Alexander discovered a possible conspiracy against him and wasn't poisoned going on to create an empire that ultimately extends from Gaul to India, and which lasts 130 years, and in one form, beyond.

These scenarios generally work on the plausible or likely event. My absolute favourite does not. Guns of the South by the master of Alternate History fiction, Harry Turtledove is a brilliant book where white supremacists deliver the means to make AK47s to the Confederacy and Robert E Lee.  As an exercise in plausible implausibility, it cannot be beaten.

So what do you think? From credible counter-factual analysis to wilder flights of fancy is there any historical validity in it all?

What to buy for Christmas

As a military history enthusiast it is your duty to spread your love of uniforms, campaigns and hardware as far as you can. Your grown-up non-warfare obsessed friends are probably far too used to you now. When you start talking about the importance of Basil Liddell Hart to German tank strategy and tactics they probably roll their eyes and head for the bar. But you can still reach them, as the festive season approaches. Now is your chance to influence the future interests of their offspring. Why not buy your nephews, nieces or friend's children those fantastic toys that stimulated your interest in all things military? Or at least some modern equivalents.

OK, so in the UK Action Man is not what he once was, but in the US GI Joe still bears some resemblance to a military figure. And if you look further there is plenty of choice.

Interested in Ancient Rome? Have a nephew you reckon might want to know the difference between a pilum and a gladius? Playmobil seems a great starting point.

Or Medieval knights are your thing. Look no further than Schleich figures. I saw a great game at Historicon played with these. Cost the guy who ran it a fortune but it was worth it.

Into reading? There is really only one choice - Osprey Graphic History of course. Sorry, can't resist it!

Anyway there must be much more out there, both sides of the pond so please share your top tips.

So when you are sitting around the Christmas tree in a few weeks time you can bask in a sense of satisfaction as you start the kids on a truly satisfying hobby. As their parents look at you with murder in their eyes...

A Little Light Reading

For anyone with several days to kill I recommend The War of the World by Niall Ferguson. Don’t be deceived by the initially intimidating length, fondness for graphs and tables of economic growth. This is a heavyweight but accessible trawl through the ‘100 years of hatred’ that was the Twentieth Century.

Challenging the conventional wisdom that the Second World War began in 1939, Ferguson hammers home exactly how much hatred, violence and mayhem was unleashed over our recent past, from the scientific atrocities of the Nazi regime to the random acts of violence committed by every side. Backed by statistics on every conceivable aspect – including which Allied army you should surrender to as a Wehrmacht soldier - horrifying first hand accounts and a strong argument, this is sometimes not comfortable reading but it explains the horrifying events of our last century in a global, economic and political context that made sobering sense to me.

Rapid Fire Weapons for Children

Every morning, the kids get to watch a bit of TV and for the last week, one advert keeps catching my eye. It is for the Rapid Fire mobile assault vehicle, which is suitable for eight-year-olds apparently.

This kid's toy puts "maximum firepower and major maneuverability under their control. Featuring a rapid-fire, 12-shot cannon that fires foam darts, long range attack capability up to 20 feet and full function steering, the Rapid Fire mobile assault vehicle is a blast".

Although part of me is thinking that this is very wrong, the rest of me is thinking that it isn't that long till Christmas...

What makes a Hero?

Having spent time with Pete Scholey a few weeks ago and read bits of his new book Heroes of the SAS, in which he recounts the stories of so many of the men he regards as unsung heroes, I got to thinking about what makes a hero. In the book Warriors, Max Hastings recounts some of the stories of the great heroes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries but at the same time demonstrates that some of their actions which appear courageous are actually the actions of somewhat damaged individuals with a capacity for violence – incongrous and out of step in peacetime, but perfect for the terrible conditions of war.

For example, Guy Gibson will be forever remembered for the heroic Dambusters mission, soon to be remade into a film by Peter Jackson. According to Hastings, the reality was "more complex" and "more melancholy" than that. A driven loner, he was famously cruel to subordinates and ground crew alike and his heroism was a product of a distant father and alcoholic mother. Does this matter? Not to Bomber Command I suspect, but how does it square with our idea of a hero, based on books and films alike which portray them as much more likeable figures?

Perhaps it is not the ferocious character who storms gun emplacements, guns blazing or leads his men into the enemy flak who is the hero but the ordinary man, who quietly gets on with his duty with a burning desire to go home to his family rather than immortal glory. I don't know and I'm unlikely ever to find out, but I know it can never be as simple as our national histories or present media often portray.

Commando: On The Front Line

I watched a fascinating programme last night. Commando: On The Front Line follows 50 new recruits to the British Royal Marine Commandos as they undertake the toughest basic training in the world and then head out for their postings. I was most surprised by the experience of one 23-year-old officer who finished his training then was posted to Helmand province in Afghanistan. The time between finishing training and then shipping out to the warzone? Three weeks! And he like the others relished the prospect.

If you would like more details or to catch it online visit here.

Swastikas at Frankfurt Book Fair

We're off to Frankfurt Book Fair this week for the annual European book trade extravaganza. We'll have some of the Duel artwork up as a backdrop to the exhibition stand with one slight difference. Come to the stand (J955 in Hall 8) and look closely at the FW190 as it swoops down and you'll see something missing.

The swastika on the tail has gone. It's illegal in Germany to display the symbol appropriated by the Nazis, which makes entirely good sense when you are trying to prevent Neo-Nazi groups getting the oxygen of publicity. But it doesn't make much sense to me when dealing in the illustration of historical fact.

Meeting the SAS

I have a great job. On Wednesday, I was paid to go down to the National Army Museum in London to meet with the author of one of our upcoming books on the SAS (Special Air Service Regiment). Pete Scholey is an ex-SAS man himself and has already published an account of his time in the regiment called The Joker. (If you get the chance, do read The Joker as it is a great book: funny, moving and an incredible insight into one of the best special forces regiments in the world.) When you meet him, you realise how he came by the nickname as he never stops joking. He brought with him some ex-SAS mates and all of them were the friendliest men you could ever hope to meet. You couldn't even begin to imagine some of the incredible experiences they have been through.

After the meeting, we also got to have a quick look round the museum. There are some great exhibitions there spanning the experiences of the British Army, including one on the soldiers of 16 Air Assault Brigade, covering their experiences fighting in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in 2006. It really brings home the personal experiences of the soldiers serving out there.

I love my job...

The Latest Bernard Cornwell

OK I'm happy. I've just bought the latest Bernard Cornwell continuing the story of Uhtred and Alfred the Great. Sword Song occurs some five years after the events described in Lords of the North and tells how Alfred's forces evict the Danes from London. I love these books, possibly more than the Sharpe series, the characters and sense of time and place that Cornwell conveys is just brilliant. Read this extract and tell me the hairs don't rise on the back of your neck as they row in for the kill.

Inevitably once I've finished it I'll either start the series at the beginning again or head for the Osprey library to see what we have that covers the period. For a start there is nothing like the artwork of Gerry Embleton to convey the clash of shield walls.

The Battle of Brunanburh from Viking Hersir 793–1066 AD

Anyway Sword Song out now in the UK, although you will have to wait in the US for a little while longer. Just enough time to read the preceding books I reckon.

FUBAR appears in The Spectator

We are all looking forward to October and the release of FUBAR, our book of soldier slang. It is already attracting interest from both military historians and language enthusiasts alike as this article from The Spectator shows. Dot Wordsworth seems particularly taken with the connection between soldiering and food and the ensuing slang terms - Arsch Mussolini anyone?

Maybe the release will be the incentive I need to dig out Eats Shoots and Leaves from under the large pile of other books and finish it. After I've read FUBAR of course.

Why study military history?

We have been talking a lot recently here about whether military history is thriving as a subject and how you and I got hooked into it, but what we have not considered is why?

Now ask most amateur or professional historians this question and I reckon the answers would be pretty similar – a version of "we need to understand the past to avoid making mistakes in the future" – an answer I myself would normally give. But thinking about this, is this really the truth?

Realistically, most of us (and I exclude those serving or working for the military) are not in a position to be able to properly apply the lessons of military history. Knowing you don’t attack squares of Napoleonic British infantry with just cavalry could not help me create a new minisite for one of our books for example.

If you are in a position of power an understanding of past conflict might help. But is an understanding or love of Military History really driven by learning the lessons when we don't get to apply them? (How does that help us in our daily lives?)

Perhaps our love of military history has a more primeval, visceral or subconscious appeal to parts of ourselves we don't often recognise. Maybe there is comfort in knowing about the organisations, uniforms and shared experiences of soldiers which gives us a sense of belonging. Or do we, by studying military history, find a grown-up way of going back to childhoods full of soldiers, guns and comics? Or is a passion for studying organised conflict a way of channelling a part of us that likes violence?

I don't know but I am certain at least for myself that it is not just about learning lessons.

Occasionally a work scenario might occur where some obscure battle tactic might help but in reality the imagined thrill (not having actually done and respecting those who have done so, I’m talking imagined here) of weapons and combat might be appealing on a different level? So why does it work for you? And if you are going to tell me that understanding the past helps us with our present I'm going to need examples...

Panorama and the Waffen SS

If like me you watched the Panorama special on BBC One last night 'Weekend Nazis' you may be asking yourself some hard questions.

The programme was filmed at this year's War and Peace show and asked - 'why do grown men spend the weekends in out-of-date uniforms rolling around in the mud?' To be honest John Sweeney the reporter wasn't really interested in the answer to that question. He was interested in something much more specific and sensationalist. Why were there ten people dressed as Germans to every one British? Why were so many of them dressed as Waffen SS? And did their uniforms reflect their views?

Harry Pearson, author and wargamer offered, albeit briefly a theory as to the appeal of re-enactment as a whole for British people at least. He explained that maybe British men of a certain age see two versions of World War II, the actual one fought and the one fought in their homes and gardens of the sixties and seventies as they played out their childhoods. From my experience at other re-enactment shows including Salute the vast majority of people practice their hobby with an enthusiasm for history and maybe that sense of nostalgia for some form of ‘dressing up’, without any undertones and somebody needs to play the bad guys right?

But the answer Sweeney offered wasn't pleasant. During the course of his investigation he uncovered a series of individuals, many through hidden filming, who not only espoused seriously fascistic views but links to far-right groups like Combat 18 and Blood and Honour. Dressing as Waffen SS was only the tip of the iceberg for them. He also found some morally repugnant Nazi pamphlets and paraphernalia along with David Irving the Holocaust apologist that just gave the show, reenactment and the study of military history an undeserved bad name.

We work hard at Osprey to report the facts of history as they happened, however unpleasant, without passing judgement as that is not our role. But working for a publisher that does a roaring trade in books on the German Army and with a reasonable sense of responsibility I believe and hope that Harry's version is closer to the truth than John's because if not my passion and profession would make me feel very uncomfortable indeed.

Military History Blogging

Two posts ago I asked, a bit flippantly, when did Military History go out of fashion? I then received loads of great, entirely serious comments debating this, particularly in reference to the teaching of it in schools on both sides of the Atlantic and the influence of ‘political correctness’ and the rise in social history.

Now I was sitting reading this at Historicon surrounded by huge numbers of amateur and professional historians, all with encyclopaedic knowledge of their particular period(s). All of them overflowing with enthusiasm and commitment. And it didn’t feel out of fashion at all. So when I got back here I started to look again at the subject.

Now while commentators both on the original post here and elsewhere have already hammered the academic establishment I was struck by something much more heartening. There is, and my experience at Historicon bore this out, a vibrant Military History community discussing the subject with intellectual rigour and great enthusiasm, recognising that war is a bloody business but recognising as well the lessons it teaches. The latest exponents of this are blogging and podcasting on diverse topics, making me think that it hasn’t really gone out of fashion at all.

Anyway here are just some of the ones I picked up on. If you know of anymore why not drop them in so we can all share them.

http://militaryhistorypodcast.blogspot.com/ - George Hageman. 15 years old and bringing you “the strangest anecdotes, most innovative technology, and most significant events in Military History."

http://airminded.org/2007/03/18/state-of-the-military-historioblogosphere-march-2007/ - state of military history blogging.

http://www.battlefieldbiker.com/home - “a fortysomething guy who loves military history and riding motorcycles.”

http://www.investigations.4-lom.com/ - "Failing better at understanding the past."

http://warhistorian.org/wordpress/ - "Blog Them Out of the Stone Age is the finest example of the application of a historian's passion and tradecraft in the new medium of blogging. It combines research, analysis and pedagogy issues with a keen desire to engage with the broader public." -- from the Cliopatria Award Citation."

Battler Britton returns to the skies

I may have been a bit premature in my last post about the unpopularity of military history as it seems to have been popping up all over the place. This week a copy of the first all-new Battler Britton comic appeared on my desk fresh from Wildstorm. Written by the great Garth Ennis and illustrated by Colin Wilson it turned out to be a fantastic read combining the best traditions of British war comics with a modern story featuring as many battles between the American and British pilots as with the enemy in the North African campaigns of 1942.

Flying Beaufighters, P-40s and Hurricanes against the Luftwaffe the men of the RAF and US Army Air Corps are brilliantly brought to life. Ennis writes the traditional dialogue ‘just keep your grubby mitts to yourself!!’ so well it does not appear contrived or old fashioned. And Wilson delivers the action in the skies and on the ground with fantastic attention to detail.

Now when are they going to do the same for Union Jack Jackson?

When did Military history go out of fashion?

I have a theory, for the UK at least. I can even lay the blame. A few weeks ago was the 30th anniversary of the release of the first Star Wars movie and it got me thinking back to my blissfully idyllic childhood full of Action Men (GI Joe for the Americans amongst us), plastic soldiers and guns. Toys that contributed to a consuming interest in military history and a job at Osprey.

But all this was about to end. Around 1983, my younger brother started buying a set of figures called Action Force, a fictional and futuristic elite fighting force. I took one look at the bright red enemy soldiers and said “Hang on, these are German Stormtroopers painted red, with their faces covered up and a laser rifle”. Little did I realise what it signalled. 24 years later and I am traipsing through toyshops with my son, surrounded by a variety of space and superhero action figures with not a soldier in sight. Warlord and Victor are gone and wizards rule.

So who is to blame for this catastrophic chain of events? When I realised that this insignificant moment was a major cultural shift I got curious and looked up Action Force and discovered this:

The Action Force range was born in August 1982 as a product of the combination of the ideas behind Palitoy's (a major UK toy company) two major product lines, the 12” tall Action Man Range, and the 3¾” Star Wars figures. Action Man sales were dropping and the massive success of the Star Wars line prompted Palitoy to produce a new range of small Action Men. This new range was called 'Action Force'. (Thanks to http://www.actionforce.org, although the site now seems to be down.)

So when everyone else this week is celebrating Star Wars, take a moment and think about what it replaced.

So that's my theory. Star Wars is to blame. What's yours?

When did Military History hook you?

So why am I a military history nut? Why, when my brothers went unscathed did I develop an unhealthy interest in guns, soldiers, swords and cannon that has survived childhood, the teenage years, marriage and children?

I have two possible influences that I can think of. The first is my grandfather’s study, which was a place of wonder to a kid. He served in the Middlesex Yeomanry during World War Two and his study was a den of militaria, from toy soldiers to captured Italian flags and camel saddles. I have some of it now he's gone and I guard it jealously.

The second is this book The Story of Arms & Armour, a Ladybird book published in 1971 and my first illustrated history book. It goes from stone age man to a seventies vision of a nuclear conflict where once again we end up living in caves (surprisingly political for a kid’s book) with wonderful illustrations by Robert Ayton of knights, archers and redcoats. It survived surprisingly well alongside my obsession.

So I think that’s me – how about you? What was the trigger that sent you down this road to financial and social ruin?

Recently Henry, my three-year-old, has started showing an avid interest in both my battered copy of Arms and Armour and the Osprey books lying around the house. Explaining what Bronze Age chariots are to a small boy is a task fit to challenge any military history enthusiast.

So that’s another hooked.

OK, so who reads a book more than once?

Ever read a piece of fiction more than once? Whenever I mention that I’m rereading books I’ve read before I get sarcy remarks, about how I didn’t read it properly the first time.  My reply is generally unprintable but once I’ve got over the rage I explain.

There are some books that are just comfort books. Having a crap week at work – turn to Flashman. For those of you who don’t know who I’m talking about – what on earth are you doing here? Anyway the full round-up on the life of Sir Harry Flashman, VC, cad, rogue and cheat can be found here - www.harryflashman.org. His custodian and Editor George McDonald Fraser has done a brilliant job at bringing the papers of this Victorian soldier and ‘hero’ to light and life. The combination of lechery, skulduggery and scandal is enough to restore any jaded wage slave to full health. Incidentally for real scandals and military misdemeanours keep an eye out for a book from Osprey coming later in the year - it is in fact called Military Misdemeanours if you're interested ;-).

So a couple of chapters of the duplicitous old goat charging through history’s great moments from the Battle of the Little Big Horn to the Charge of the Light Brigade and I’m happy again. I’ve read them maybe five or six times over in order of publication and chronologically. Where Fraser has broken a book in half with twenty year gaps I’ve stopped one book halfway through, starting the next one at the correct date and coming back to the first book when we reached that period in his life. Doesn’t everyone do that?

So as far as I’m concerned reading a book repeatedly is not weird at all, am I the only one?