Nimble Books LLC » Military History

Kriegsmarine Naval Histories: German Pocket Battleships

wfz-admin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:05:59 +0000

German Pocket Battleships: Shipcraft 1 by Rogar Chesneau

. In the volume, the author has chosen the German ‘pocket battleships’ of WW2, the best known of which was the Admiral Graf Spee, scuttles after the battle of the River Plate in 1939. This innovative and infamous class of surface raiders has long been a popular subject for ship modellers, many manufactures producing kits of the Graf Spee and Admiral Scheer and the rather different Deustschland. This book shows model shipwrights how to turn their kits into something really special, while its unparalleled level of visual information is a superb source for the general warship enthusiast.

Antonio Bonomi is working on a volume of Kriegsmarine Naval Histories for Nimble Books that will complement this perfectly.

About BORODINO: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY

wfz-admin — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:44:34 +0000

Dear readers,

I have been reading about military history and Napoleon for almost forty years, and I can tell you that I’ve never encountered a book quite like the one I’ve just written about Borodino. To be perfectly candid, that’s something of a mixed blessing. It’s got some unique strengths, and it’s got some weaknesses. To dispense with the weaknesses first, it is a short book (36 pp) and I am not a scholar of the battle — so this is not an authoritative narrative of what happened. What you do get in this book that is pretty cool is the following:

* Beautifully printed full-color pages with many full-page images of the battle and the battlefield. If you take pleasure in flipping through stylish color picture books–as I do!–you should enjoy browsing through this visual treatment of the battle.

* Interesting encounters with carefully selected primary sources that describe some of the battle’s key moments. Frankly, I found as I read for this project that the personal memoirs written by participants in the years immediately after the fall of Napoleon were often a lot more interesting than the modern "who marched where" military histories. I like the emotional side of military history, trying to imagine what it felt like to be there.

* A thought-provoking argument about why Borodino matters in the shadow of today’s conflicts–particularly Iraq. I don’t expect everyone to agree with everything I write, but I’m putting the arguments out there to provide a fresh perspective.

The elements of this book, considered together, are an experiment, a new format for writing about military history. I don’t expect everyone to love everything about it, but I am confident that many people who are interested in military history and the Napoleonic era will find this an interesting addition to their bookshelf.

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

Introduction

wfz-admin — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:49:46 +0000

The purpose of this book is to mine the military history of World War II for ideas and insights that may be helpful in understanding the “Global War on Terror.” I hasten to add that I do not advance a simple-minded equation between the two global struggles. I merely suggest that there are enough similarities to sustain interesting discussion. At the macro level, World War II was an effort by various major powers to recast the world system to their advantage. Does that sound anything like what’s happening today?

To be sure, the current struggle is different in many ways. To name just one, non-state organizations like al Qaeda and Hezbollah have played a major role in the most dramatic events of the period. But one might argue that the very reason non-state organizations have been so active is that the Western powers enforce a world system in which the power of the formerly “colonial” states is severely limited. In this light, the new power of non-state organizations is, fundamentally, a reaction to the system of international relations. In this view, it is no accident that the formerly colonial nations of the world have produced most of the angry non-state actors.

Furthermore, one must acknowledge that in many ways the current era is quite familiar, as conventional nation-states are working assiduously to recast the world system to their advantage. In that respect, the current period seems a lot like other periods of convulsive global change such as the Napoleonic era, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War.

At the micro level, some things are familiar, some things are not. Just as in WWII, G.I.s are riding around in trucks and relying on superior firepower while America sends expeditionary forces to the far corners of the earth in pursuit of Truth, Justice, and the American Way. But the “coalition of the willing” is a lot less robust than the Allied Coalition in World War II when either the United States or the Soviet Union, standing alone, had enough industrial power to overwhelm any combination of the Axis powers. Similarly, despite the flip David Shrum coinage of the phrase “Axis of Evil,” the “Axis” in the current struggle is in many respects different from the actual Axis of World War II. Palestinian homeboys being crushed by Israeli bulldozers are a lot more sympathetic than Nazis wearing the double lightning bolts of the Waffen SS.

I will argue in this book that there is a great deal that can be learned about the current struggle from looking at World War II at the “micro” level of individual battles and campaigns. The simple reason why this is true is that, as Ecclesiastes observed, “there is nothing new under the sun.” Of course, things do change, but many fundamental principles of war, politics, technology, and human nature remain the same. When we look closely at the campaigns and battles of World War II, it will not be difficult to find patterns and phenomena that give pause for thought about today’s situation.

One might argue that other historical periods are, in fact, more similar to the current period than World War II. For example, the Napoleonic period can be seen as a ruthless effort by a single “hyperpower,” governed by an ambitious, aggressive militarist, to export its radical social model throughout the “civilized” world, on its own terms, in a completely un-collegial manner. Sound familiar?

Let me conede at the outset that other historical periods may well shed equal or more light on the current struggle. There are sound practical reasons why I have chosen World War II as the jumping off point for my discussion.

WW II has been the subject of exhaustive study. Hundreds of thousands of books and monographs have been published. Official records and archives have been opened for scrutiny. We think we know most of what actually happened (unless we have read too many Jack Higgins novels). Most people who are interested in military history know at least something about the military history of World War II. Yet for almost everyone, there’s still plenty to learn! Finally, there is a ready-made community that should find the premise of this book provocative and interesting. At the end of the day, publishing is a practical art.

Gibraltar: The History of a Fortress by Ernie D. Bradford

wfz-admin — Mon, 28 May 2007 18:31:50 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “More a general history than a military history, but not without its interest. A childhood gift from my parents.”
Harcourt (1972), Hardcover

Getting It Right: American Military Reforms After Vietnam to the Gulf War and Beyond by James F. Dunnigan, Raymond M. Macedonia

wfz-admin — Sat, 05 May 2007 17:56:22 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “An essential topic treated by the geniuses behind the STRATEGY & TACTICS magazine that I loved as a teenager.”
Quill (1995), Paperback, 320 pages
tags: military history

At the Water’s Edge : Defending Against the Modern Amphibious Assault by Theodore L. Gatchel

wfz-admin — Sat, 05 May 2007 16:58:35 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “An essential topic for any understanding of counter-US military strategy in the 21st Century.

My first book scanned in using CueCat!”
US Naval Institute Press (1996), Hardcover, 266 pages
tags: military history

76 Hours: The Invasion of Tarawa by Eric Hammel, John E. Lane

wfz-admin — Thu, 03 May 2007 20:13:21 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “Tarawa is required reading for anyone seeking to understand the American psyche.”
Pacifica Press (CA) (1985), Hardcover, 266 pages
tags: military history, war in the Pacific

Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley, Ron Powers

wfz-admin — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:40:30 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “7th printing.”
Bantam (2000), Hardcover, 384 pages
tags: military history

From the Jaws of Victory by Charles M. Fair

wfz-admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:43:51 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “A much-beloved treasure from my days as a young military history buff. Excellent case studies of military folly. The one about General Ambrose Burnside stands out in my memory.”
Simon & Schuster (1971), Hardcover, 445 pages
tags: military history, defeat

The War Game by Charles Grant

wfz-admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 14:23:35 +0000

wfzimmerman’s review: “A much-beloved classic how to play with "little soldiers", complete with beautiful illustrations of actual miniatures and a fascinating mock campaign. One of the most treasured books in my library.”
St. Martin’s (1974), Hardcover
tags: wargaming, military history, Napoleonic