REVIEWS
Our pick of the latest military history books and films
In August 1966, D company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, was operating in the Long Tan area in South Vietnam, when it encountered Viet Cong forces. What was first believed to be a small platoon turned out to be an entire regiment, putting the Australians against nearly ten times their number. is an intense retelling of the ensuing battle, recounting how these conscripts and volunteers – with an average age of just 20 – fought desperately against the odds and in the middle of a monsoon.
The filmmakers have not shied away from overt references to classic war films such as
or
– all iconic movies now embedded in the mainstream imagination of the Vietnam War. However, Long Tan was an Australian and New Zealander battle, and as such presents the less well-known contribution of these countries to the conflict. Victoria native Travis Fimmel Ragnar Lothbrok) does an admirable job as the battle-hardened
Major Harry Smith, a veteran of the also less remembered Malayan Emergency of the 1950s.
Producer Martin Walsh was involved in a 2006 documentary film on Long Tan, and this is apparent in the attention to detail and respect for accuracy on the screen. For viewers perhaps a little more knowledgeable about the battle, there is a huge amount of detail that remains true to the actual events in 1966, while those less familiar are not left behind. A large amount of focus is placed on the decisions that were made at all levels and their immediate and often severe consequences on the ground, with the New Zealand artillery teams behind the lines adjusting their guns to the frantic calls from the infantrymen on the frontline.
A few degrees either way was the difference between life and death, and the filmmakers have done an honourable job conveying the heroic challenges faced by the real veterans of the battle.
ONE OF THE VIETNAM WAR’S MOST INFAMOUS AGAINST-THE-ODDS BATTLES, AND THE AUSTRALIAN ARMY’S TOUGHEST, IS RETOLD ON THE BIG SCREEN
Danger Close
Full Metal Jacket, Apocalypse Now (Vikings’
Platoon
Danger Close
We have no shortage of books by esteemed authors and history luminaries that pass across our desks on this magazine, but few have come with introductions of their authors quite so intimidating in its prestige as this one. David Mccullough, author of has won the Pulitzer Prize twice, the National Book Award twice and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honour in the United States, which he was given by President George W. Bush in 2006. Suffice to say, with we’re in more than capable hands.
As the title intimates, this is a highly focused history of one of the most pivotal years in the War of Independence between the soon to be declared United States of America and the British Empire. Inspired to delve deeper into the year that the Declaration of Independence was signed during his acclaimed biography of
John Adams, this book focuses mainly on George Washington, although it gives no short shrift to the lives and utterances of those around and against him.
While many of the key names, such as Washington and George III will be very familiar to even those with a passing understanding of the American Revolutionary period, the portrait that is painted of such men may be quite eye-opening. Mccullough gives an even-handed and honest account of everyone’s positions, standing back from expressing any particular judgement on their motivations or the veracity of their arguments. History, ultimately, has proven the rights and wrongs of the positions, who the heroes and villains of this story actually were, so instead we see the human frailty and fallibility of all those involved, which is a refreshing experience.
Washington comes across as a deeply moral and upright person, but also quite indecisive and prone to seeing defeat where actually victory is close at hand. It’s been famously quoted that when George III was told that Washington intended to relinquish his commission and hand the army back to the Congress upon completion of the war he replied, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” But reading Mccullough’s account it comes as little surprise that Washington would have behaved in such a way, given just how principled he was.
For George III’S part, a historical figure often painted as an all-out villain in less considered histories or adaptations that aim for higher drama, we get a picture of a king who cares very deeply for the continuation of the British Empire and who sees the rebellion across the Atlantic as a threat to stability and prosperity for all the colonies, not to mention for the British Isles themselves. While his ministers bicker about whether the rebels must be crushed now or the chance to crush them has passed, we see some relatively well-reasoned arguments to defend the status quo from those it best benefits.
This is a very focused work and some broader understanding of the events prior and following 1776 would likely bring you greater enjoyment of this wonderfully constructed book. And of course this Folio reprint has all the glorious colour reproduction and quality binding we expect from the publisher. A truly engaging and worthy read.
DELVING DEEPER INTO THE YEAR THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE WAS SIGNED 1776, 1776
Landing on Sword beach on D-day, 1 Suffolks had the crucial task of capturing several fortified German positions, including one codenamed Hillman, which dominated the local area. Under the inspired leadership of Richard Goodwin and Geoff Ryley, they did exactly that – it cost Ryley his life. From that day on, the Suffolks were in the line, fighting their way through Normandy, Belgium, the Netherlands and into Germany itself, ending the war in Bremen. Along the way they suffered their share of casualties, becoming a veteran unit. Forsdike tells the story of the campaign from the viewpoint of the soldiers themselves, while putting their war into the context of the wider conflict. The knowledge and attention to detail in the book is impressive, with background information on many of the characters that is not only a tribute to the author’s research, but draws the reader in. The chapters on the fighting in Normandy and northern France in particular are excellent, with a real feel for just how hard the struggle was. Throughout, Forsdike’s obvious admiration for the men whose story he is telling, is obvious. In his own words, “The Suffolk soldier is by his very nature a quiet, unassuming man. He does not seek glory, nor does he chase fame.” He then continues, “Though his actions were gallant and his dependability could always be assured, he never seemed to get the credit he deserved for his efforts.” Having served in the Suffolk’s successor regiment, I can wholeheartedly agree with his assertion, and hope that this book goes some way to remedy that situation.
HOW THE WEST’S ENEMIES LEARNED FROM 21ST CENTURY CONFLICT TO BECOME A SERIOUS THREAT TO AMERICA AND ITS ALLIES AND DISABLE THEIR MILITARY ADVANTAGE