Modern warfare Books

Book SynopsisLike Volume one, Volume two of The Russo-Japanese War in Global Perspective examines the Russo-Japanese War in its military, diplomatic, social, political, and cultural context. In this volume East Asian contributors focus on the Asian side of the war to flesh out the assertion that the Russo-Japanese War was, in fact, World War Zero, the first global confl ict of the 20th century.Table of ContentsPreface, The Editors Introduction, Iriye Akira I.Military Visions and Revisions 1. Study Your Enemy: Russian Military and Naval Attaches in Japan - Wada Haruki 2. Miscalculating One's Enemies: Russian Intelligence Prepares for War - Bruce Menning 3. Differences Regarding Togo's Surprise Attack on Port Arthur - Aizawa Kiyoshi 4. Between Two Japano-Russian Wars: Strategic Learning Re-appraised - Yokote Shinji 5. Military Observers, Eurocentrism and World War Zero - David Jones 6. Approaching Total War: Ivan Bloch's Disturbing Vision - Tohmatsu Haruo II.The Home Front 7. Japan Justifies War by the "Open Door": 1903 as Turning Point - Kato Yoko 8. Riding the Rails: The Japanese Railways Meet the Challenge of War - Steven Ericson 9. Japan's Monetary Mobilization for War - Ono Keishi 10. Patriotic Recession: Kyoto Responds to War - Takemoto Tomoyuki 11. Why Did Japan Fail to Become the "Britain" of East Asia? - Tadokoro Masayuki 12. Unsuccessful National Unity: The Russian Home Front in 1904 - Tsuchiya Yoshifuru III.The Cultural Prism 13. Shifting Contours of Memory and History, 1904-1980 - Chiba Isao 14. White Hope or Yellow Peril?: Bushido, Britain and the Raj - Hashimoto Yorimitsu 15. Natsume Soseki's Nuanced Views of the Conflict - Tsukamoto Toshiaki 16. Serial War: Egawa Tatsuya's Tale of the Russo-Japanese War - Kitamura Yukiko IV. Regional Relations during and after the War 17. A Damocles Sword?: Korea's Hopes Betrayed - Ku Daeyeol 18. The War and US-Korean Relations - Kim Ki-jung 19. The "Eastern Miscellany" Informs the Chinese Public - Li Anshan 20. Qing China's Northeast Crescent: The Great Game Revisited - Nakami Tatsuo 21. Portsmouth Denied: The Chinese Attempt to Attend - Hirakawa Sachiko 22. The "Rat Minister": Komura Jutaro and US-Japan Relations - Tosh Minohara

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Book SynopsisAn obvious hiatus amidst the abundance of Pacific War studies is the story of Indonesia during that period. The Encyclopedia of Indonesia in the Pacific War, edited under the aegis of the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation, now fills that gap. This state of the art work reflects the different experiences and historiographic traditions of Indonesians, Japanese, and Dutch. The aim is to present the developments in the Indonesian archipelago in as much a rational and dispassionate way as possible, taking into account regional and social variations and interpreting them within the international context of pre- and post-war trends. With due acknowledgement of different perspectives, ambiguities, unresolved issues and conflicting views, it sets out to enhance mutual understanding and academic dialogue.Trade Review"This volume brings together a fascinating collection of scholarly articles and primary sources, complemented by a truly wonderful, eye-opening, and extensive selection of photographs, describing the history of WW II as it was experienced in Indonesia [...] Since the Japanese period has not been much explored in English-language scholarship on Indonesia, this book is a significant contribution for academic audiences and for others interested in learning more about life on the ground in wartime in a colonial world. This work will be very important for library collections and of immediate use to any university that offers courses in Southeast Asian history and/or social or cultural histories of WW II." – S. Maxim, University of California, Berkeley, in Choice Reviews Online (June 2010). "This book marks a return to basic historical studies, juxtaposing an amazing range of critical information about the occupation period in Indonesia. This book will change the image of the Japanese occupation, facilitate the sharing of knowledge among scholarly communities, and stimulate a new generation of research on this problematic period of Indonesian history. While I dream of future work, this book is a welcome addition to any bookshelf and well worth the hefty price." – Mayumi Yamamoto, Waseda University, in Journal of Asian Studies (2010). "The present volume covers this traumatic period in great detail and maintains a long tradition of scholarly research from the present publisher. Whilst it is clearly not aimed at the general public it offers the English-speaking reader an in-depth survey of the subject. It deserves a place in the library of any serious academic institution offering courses relating to Indonesia, the PacificWar or South East Asia more widely." – Peter Wellburn, in Reference Reviews 25/5 (2011).

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Book SynopsisIn May 1940, the Netherlands were overrun by German armed forces. The five-day campaign might seem to be a prime example of Blitzkrieg, which led shortly afterwards to the rapid and unexpected overthrow of France. This book, based on the newest scholarly research, argues that this is too simple a view. Even though the German assault on the Netherlands made use of tanks, aircraft and airborne troops, it was still a classic campaign against a weak opponent in a theater on the margins of Fall Gelb. In many instances, artillery and infantry were the decisive factors and it is debatable whether the bombing of Rotterdam can be seen as a precursor to the aerial terror campaigns against civilian populations that marked the later stages the Second World War. Contributors are H. Amersfoort, H.W. van den Doel, P.H. Kamphuis, P.M.J. de Koster, C.M. Schulten and J.W.M. Schulten.Trade Review"This edited volume is a fascinating read from beginning to end. ... Fully footnoted and benefiting greatly from an annotated bibliography, the source material is in itself a valuable resource enhancing greatly the detailed narrative and analysis found within the main body of the text. The translation is of the highest quality and amply demonstrates the considerable time and effort that this must have taken. The range of photographs is extremely impressive and really helps to illuminate the story not just of the invasion and defense, but also the events leading up to the start of the European war. Especially noteworthy are the thirteen color maps at the book's beginning, which are later reprinted within the main text in monochrome. This is indeed a most commendable military study, one of the best that this reviewer has ever received, and would grace any bookshelf." - Andrew Stewart, Defence Studies Department, King's College London, in: Global War Studies 8 (2) 2011, 98-100 [DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5893/19498489.08.02.10]Table of ContentsPreface Colour maps I. Introduction, H. Amersfoort The Netherlands and the war The shock The questions II. The Emergence of the German Threat, H.W. van den Doel The consequences of the First World War Versailles The 1920s: seeking stability Fascism and National Socialism National Socialists in power The German Lebensraum ambitions Conclusion III. Between Hope and Fear: The Netherlands armed forces in the interwar period, C.M. Schulten and P.M.J. de Koster Introduction The legacy of neutrality After the First World War The cupboard is bare - from 1922 to 1933 Turning point Rising tensions The military geography of the Netherlands Strategic policy Winkelman’s operation plan IV. The Gathering Storm: The German armed forces in the interwar period, J.W.M. Schulten Introduction The German rearmament Baptism of fire The German operation plan for the Westfeldzug Plan of attack of the 18th Army The alert V. The Generals’ Duel: Five days of war at the military strategic level, H. Amersfoort and J.W.M. Schulten Düsseldorf, Friday 10 May 1940 The Hague, Friday 10 May 1940 Düsseldorf, Saturday 11 May 1940 The Hague, Saturday 11 May 1940 Düsseldorf, Sunday 12 May 1940 The Hague, Sunday 12 May 1940 Düsseldorf, Monday 13 May 1940 The Hague, Monday 13 May 1940 Düsseldorf, Tuesday 14 May 1940 The Hague, Tuesday 14 May 1940 Rijsoord, Wednesday 15 May 1940 VI. ‘Fall Festung’: A surprise attack on The Hague, C.M. Schulten Introduction Ypenburg, Valkenburg and Ockenburg captured by the Germans The continuing battle for the airfields on 10 May The recapture of Ypenburg The battle for Valkenburg Ockenburg back in Dutch hands Further actions against the airborne troops and the battle at Overschie Concluding remarks VII. Disputed Territory: The battle in the Dutch provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Zeeland, H.W. van den Doel Introduction Operations against the bridges over the river Maas The battle at Mill Passage through Noord-Brabant Zeeland struggles on The final pocket of resistance eradicated Conclusion VIII. The Field Army Defeated: The battle for the Grebbe Line, H.W. van den Doel Introduction The fall of the IJssel Line The attack on the outposts of the IVth Division General Harberts’ countermeasures The German attack on the main resistance sector Chaos among the military leadership The fall of the Grebbe Line The battle at Scherpenzeel The end Conclusion IX. “Vorwärts denken, vorwärts sehen, vorwärts reiten!”: The battle in the northern provinces, P.H. Kamphuis The territorial defence of the northern Netherlands A morning of battle and a pursuit in vain The collapse of the Wons Position The offensive reconnaissance mission fails Conclusion X. Not a bridge too far: The battle for the Moerdijk bridges, Dordrecht and Rotterdam, H.W. van den Doel The German plans Dutch combat readiness The German airborne landings Consolidation of the German positions Actions by the border battalions and the Kil Group The Light Division takes action Die Panzer arrive on time The battle in Rotterdam The bombing of Rotterdam Conclusion XI. Myth and reality, H. Amersfoort Still coming to terms with the past? Analysing the military operations Pre-war defence policy: does it require re-evaluation? Annex: Table of land forces rank equivalents Annotated bibliography Index Biographical notes Photo acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisDuring the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) suffered one of its greatest defeats in Burma. Both in Malaya and Burma, the bulk of the British Commonwealth forces comprised Indian units. Few people know that by 1944, about 70 percent of the Allied ground personnel in Burma was composed of soldiers of the Indian Army. The Indian Army comprised British-led Indian units, British officered units of the Indian princely states and the British units attached to the Government of India. Based on the archival materials collected from India and the United Kingdom, Sepoys against the Rising Sun assesses the combat/military/battlefield effectiveness of the Indian Army against the IJA during World War II. The volume is focussed on the tactical innovations and organizational adaptations which enabled the sepoys to overcome the Japanese in the trying terrain of Burma.Table of ContentsContents Preface xi Acknowledgements xiii List of Maps and Tables xiv List of Abbreviations xvi Glossary xx Introduction 1 Maps 10 1 The Indian Army before the Far Eastern War 18 Introduction 18 Recruitment and Expansion of the Indian Army 18 Combat Experience and Modernization of the Indian Army 35 Conclusion 48 2 Fall of Hong Kong: 8 December–26 December 1941 50 Pre-war British Hong Kong 50 The Commonwealth Forces and its Opponent 51 The Battle 59 Conclusion 65 3 Disaster in Malaya: 8 December 1941–31 January 1942 66 Commonwealth and Japanese Forces in Malaya 68 Japanese Advance and Commonwealth Retreat 87 Reasons behind Commonwealth Military Failure 104 Conclusion 120 4 The Siege of Singapore: 4 February–15 February 1942 122 Introduction 122 Organization of the Defence 125 Retreat from the Beaches 133 Assessment 144 Conclusion 150 5 Collapse in Sarawak and Borneo: 16 December 1941–3 April 1942 153 Introduction 153 Defensive Preparations 154 The Invasion 155 Conclusion 159 6 Retreat from Burma: 11 December 1941–20 May 1942 160 Commonwealth Units in Burma and their Japanese Opponent before the Invasion 162 The Long Retreat 170 Assessment 198 Conclusion 207 7 Reorganizing and Retraining the Indian Army: May 1942–February 1944 209 Lessons of Defeat 209 Training Infrastructure in India 215 External Influence 233 Hardware and Transportation 239 Organization for Victory 248 Conclusion 255 8 Jungle War in the Arakan: 1942–1945 256 Introduction 256 Defeat in the Arakan: February 1942–16 October 1942 258 The First Arakan Offfensive 263 Stalemate 276 HA GO Operation 283 Japanese Retreat in Arakan 293 Conclusion 300 9 Imphal and Kohima: March–July 1944 302 Introduction 302 Training, Equipment and Force Structure 302 Japanese Defeat in Imphal and Kohima: March–July 1944 315 Assessment 334 Conclusion 346 10 Endgame in Burma: August 1944–15 August 1945 349 Introduction 349 Combat Efffectiveness of the British and Indian Armies 349 Planning and Deployments of the Commonwealth and Japanese Armies 364 Mandalay-Meiktila and the Race for Rangoon 370 Assessment 381 Conclusion 386 Conclusion 389 Bibliography 401 Subject Index 419 Military Units Index 433

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Book SynopsisSwastika over the Acropolis is a new, multi-national account which provides a new and compelling interpretation of the Greek campaign of 1941, and its place in the history of World War II. It overturns many previously accepted English-language assumptions about the fighting in Greece in April 1941 – including, for example, the impact usually ascribed to the Luftwaffe, German armour and the conduct of the Greek Army Further, Swastika over the Acropolis demonstrates that this last complete strategic victory by Nazi Germany in World War II is set against a British-Dominion campaign mounted as a withdrawal, not an attempt to ‘save’ Greece from invasion and occupation. At the same time, on the German side, the campaign revealed serious and systemic weaknesses in the planning and the conduct of large-scale operations that would play a significant role in the regime’s later defeats.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ... ix List of Maps and Figures ... xi Conventions ... xv Introduction ... 1 PART ONE: SETTING THE SCENE 1. Axis Ambitions in Europe and Greece 1933-1940 : ‘Greece is assigned to the mercy of Italy’ ... 17 2. The Italo-Greek War, the Powers and the Balkans : ‘My friend Mussolini is a very sensitive gentleman’ ... 35 3. Albania, the Bulgarian Frontier & Greek Defensive Schemes ... 71 4. The Die is Cast : German and British Planning in Early March 1941 ... 91 5. The Gathering Storm : Mid-March and Early April 1941 ... 115 PART TWO: THE DRAMA UNFOLDS 6. Opening Moves (6-7 April) ... 149 7. The Fall of Northeastern Greece (8-9 April) ... 179 8. New Battle Lines (10-12 April) ... 207 9. The Battle of Vevi (12-13 April) ... 237 10. Pressure on the Passes (14-15 April) ... 271 11. Allied Withdrawal Planning & Operations (15-16 April) ... 301 12. The Battle of Pinios Gorge (17-18 April) ... 329 13. Across the Plains of Thessaly (17-18 April) ... 359 14. The End in Epirus (19-21 April) ... 391 15. Brallos and the Thermopylae Pass (22-24 April) ... 425 16. Corinth and the Peloponnese (25-26 April) ... 457 17. The Final Evacuations (27-28 April) ... 485 PART THREE: EVALUATION 18. The Outcome Explained ... 513 19. Justifications, Vindications and Unnecessary Debates ... 543 20. Marita and Barbarossa ... 569 Epilogue ... 589 Bibliography ... 599

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Book SynopsisIn Belgium’s Dilemma: The Formation of Belgian Defense Policy, 1932-1940, Jonathan Andrew Epstein presents, for the first time in English, a detailed examination of the formation of Belgian defense policy in the eight years leading up to the crucial World War II Blitzkrieg campaign in Western Europe. Belgium’s decision to renounce military ties with France in 1936 has been widely criticized as a fatal mistake but it was in fact a reasonable response to Belgium’s situation and was not a significant factor in the Allied defeat. Drawing on Belgian documents, Jonathan Andrew Epstein looks at the leaders and issues that shaped the Belgian army of 1940 and demonstrates that while mistakes were made, most of the decisions were sound.Trade ReviewBelgium’s defense policy between the world wars was to protect the country from any conflict involving its powerful neighbors. Epstein describes this goal as reasonable. His well-documented analysis segues smoothly among the domestic, diplomatic, linguistic, and military considerations shaping the strategy. He describes an army that in 1940 fought well against long odds that quickly became hopeless. And he demonstrates failure and incompetence are not always synonymous. Dennis Showalter, Professor of History, Colorado CollegeTable of ContentsAcknowledgements…ix List of Figures…xi Introduction...1 1 Belgium and World War I...12 The Size of the Army Before World War I...13 The Language Issue to World War I...13 Deployment Controversies before World War I...19 The Belgian Army in World War I...22 The German Occupation of Belgium...25 Belgium and the Peace Settlement...31 2 Belgium Looks for Allies...39 3 Belgian Defense Policy to the Great Depression... 51 The Main Actors in Defense Policy ...51 The Reduction of the Belgian Army ...55 Plans for Defense Against a Threatening Germany ...58 General Galet ...61 The Language Issue between 1918 and 1932 ...64 The Depression and the Belgian Military ...67 4 The Devèze Years ...70 The Chasseurs ardennais ...77 The Budget Controversy ...79 Raoul van Overstraeten ...82 Devèze v. Nuyten ...84 Franco-Belgian Stafff Talks ...89 The Motorization of the Cavalry Corps ...93 The Debates over Coverage and Service Time...103 The Reoccupation of the Rhineland...110 5 The 1936 Mixed Commission...122 The Language Issue from the Mixed Commission to the War...152 Other Commissions...162 6 ‘Independence’ and its Origins...165 7 The Belgian Army to May 10, 1940...190 The Development and Assessment of the Belgian Military...191 Fortifijications from 1938 to 1940...194 Defense Against Aircraft...199 The Sudeten Crisis and the Pied de Paix Renforce...200 New Mobilization Plans...208 8 Belgium to May 10, 1940...210 Diplomacy...210 Belgium and the Netherlands...217 Mobilization...220 Belgian Military Intelligence and Alerts...226 9 The ‘Eighteen-Days’ Campaign’...236 Conclusion...264 Bibliography...274 Index...282

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Book SynopsisThe authors in this anthology explore how we are to rethink political and social narratives of the Spanish Civil War at the turn of the twenty-first century. The questions addressed here are based on a solid intellectual conviction of all the contributors to resist facile arguments both on the Right and the Left, concerning the historical and collective memory of the Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship in the milieu of post-transition to democracy. Central to a true democratic historical narrative is the commitment to listening to the other experiences and the willingness to rethink our present(s) in light of our past(s). The volume is divided in six parts: I. Institutional Realms of Memory; II. Past Imperfect: Gender Archetypes in Retrospect; III. The Many Languages of Domesticity; IV. Realms of Oblivion: Hunger, Repression, and Violence; V. Strangers to Ourselves: Autobiographical Testimonies; and VI. The Orient Within: Myths of Hispano-Arabic Identity. Contributors are Antonio Cazorla-Sánchez, Álex Bueno, Fernando Martínez López, Miguel Gómez Oliver, Mary Ann Dellinger, Geoffrey Jensen, Paula A. de la Cruz-Fernández, María del Mar Logroño Narbona, M. Cinta Ramblado Minero, Deirdre Finnerty, Victoria L. Enders, Pilar Domínguez Prats, Sofia Rodríguez López, Óscar Rodríguez Barreira, Nerea Aresti, and Miren Llona. Listed by Choice magazine as one of the Outstanding Academic Titles of 2014Table of ContentsCONTENTS List of Contributors ix List of Illustrations xv Introduction: Post-Memory and Historical Agency *Aurora G. Morcillo 1 PART ONE - INSTITUTIONAL REALMS OF MEMORY From Anti-Fascism to Humanism: The Spanish Civil War as a Crisis of Memory *Antonio Cazorla-Sanchez 21 Valle de los Caidos: A Monument to Defy Time and Oblivion *Alex Bueno 51 Political Responsibilities in Franco’s Spain: Recovering the Memory of Economic Repression and Social Control in Andalusia, 1936–45 *Fernando Martinez Lopez and Miguel Gomez Oliver 111 PART TWO - PAST IMPERFECT: GENDER ARCHETYPES IN RETROSPECT The Battle to Defijine Spanish Manhood *Nerea Aresti 147 From Militia Woman to Emakume: Myths Regarding Femininity during the Civil War in the Basque Country *Miren Llona 179 The Republican Mother in Post-Transition Novels of Historical Memory: A Re-Inscription into Spanish Cultural Memory? *Deirdre Finnerty 213 PART THREE - THE MANY LANGUAGES OF DOMESTICITY Embroidering the Nation: The Culture of Sewing and Spanish Ideologies of Domesticity *Paula A. de la Cruz-Fernandez 249 The Mythopoeia of Dolores Ibarruri, Pasionaria *Mary Ann Dellinger 285 PART FOUR - REALMS OF OBLIVION: HUNGER, REPRESSION, AND VIOLENCE Franco’s Bread: Auxilio Social from Below, 1937–1943 *Oscar Rodriguez Barreira 319 Corpus Delicti: Social Imaginaries of Gendered Violence *Sofia Rodriguez Lopez 359 Locks of Hair/Locks of Shame? Women, Dissidence, and Punishment during Francisco Franco’s Dictatorship *M. Cinta Ramblado Minero 401 PART FIVE - STRANGERS TO OURSELVES: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL TESTIMONIES Chelo’s War: Late Memories of a Falangist Woman *Victoria L. Enders 437 Memories of War and Exile: Two Autobiographical Narratives of Exiled Women *Pilar Dominguez Prats 467 Contents Contents V PART SIX - THE ORIENT WITHIN: MYTHS OF HISPANO-ARABIC IDENTITY Military Memories, History, and the Myth of Hispano-Arabic Identity in the Spanish Civil War *Geofffrey Jensen 495 “Carmencita” Goes East: Francoist Cultural Discourses about the Middle East *Maria del Mar Logrono Narbona 533 Conclusion: Ricoeur’s Le Pouvoir De Faire Memoire *Aurora G. Morcillo 557 Index 565

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