War stories
ALEXANDER WATSON singles out some of this year’s military history titles, from battle narratives to biographies
ThereT have been a lot of great military historiesh out this year. My favourite soldiers biography is Ronald C White’s monumentalm American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S Grant (Presidio Press). At 800-plus pages, this is no light read, but the writing is delightful and the story of how Grant rose in just seven years from being a civilian with a mid-life crisis to commander of the Union armies during the American Civil War, and then US president, is compelling. For those who like their history broad and quirky, Lukasz Kamienski’s Shooting Up: A Short History of
Drugs and War (OUP) is well worth a look. He argues warfare can only be understood with a knowledge of what narcotics soldiers take, and uncovers a surfeit off binge drinking and pill popping. From drunk Greek hoplites to substance-abusing child soldiers, he reveals a little-known side of war.
The Second World War continues to dominate publishers’ lists, and two particularly fine books appeared this year. Daniel Todman’s Britain’s War: Into Battle, 1937–1941 (Allen Lane)) isi theh impressively erudite and readable first book in a two-volume history. He offers a genuinely new interpretation of how Britain fought and was transformed by the struggle. Blending grand strategy, events in the empire, military action and experiences on the home front, this will be a defining account for years to come.
James Holland’s Burma ’44: The Battle that Turned Britain’s War in the East (Bantam) is a smashing battle history of the uninspiring sounding, but important, Defence of the Admin Box. The fear and tension off jungle combat are tangible in this pacey narrative of how British and Indian troops won their first decisive victory over the Japanese. Lastly, (published very late in 2015), I strongly recommend Tim Judah’s In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine (Allen Lane). Based on his reportage in 22014–15, this moving book is essential to understanding the conflict. It is a powerful reminder of why good military history is important: Judah shows how Ukraine’s past has been weaponised, with violence fuelled by divided memory and deliberate misinterpretation of the last century’s bloody conflicts.
Grant rose in just seven years from being a civilian with a mid-life crisis to commander of the Union armies in the Civil War