Iron and Blood

Peter Wilson’s “Iron and Blood” encompasses five centuries of political, military, technological and economic change to tell the story of the German-speaking lands, from the Rhine to the Balkan frontier, from Switzerland to the North Sea. Wilson’s narrative considers everything from weapons development to recruitment to battlefield strategy. If there is one constant it has been the sense of being beset by seemingly more powerful enemies — France or Russia or Turkiye — and the need to strike a rapid knockout blow to ensure a favorable result.