The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been traditionally been viewed as a predominantly military institution focused on conventional warfighting. However, over the past few decades, this perception has broadened significantly. The ADF's remit now includes a variety of non-military tasks, such as disaster relief and support during public health emergencies. These activities have highlighted the inadequacies in our existing legal and policy frameworks, particularly the ambiguous term "domestic violence" …

Unsung Hero of the Pacific War   by Kevin C Holzimmer University Press of Kansas , 2007 (paperback reprint 2022), 330 pages Paperback ISBN: 978070064040 Reviewed By: Dayton McCarthy, CSC   Hailing from the University Press of Kansas – a long-standing publisher of high-quality military history – Kevin C Holzimmer’s book on General Walter Krueger book joins a growing body of work that (re)examines the role of the United States Army in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) during the Second World War. These …

Case studies of German offensive and defensive operations on the Western Front 1914-17   By Captain G.C. Wynne Helion , Solihull, 2011, 216pp, Images : c 40 b/w photos, 19 maps 9781906033767 - Paperback 9781909384033 - Hardback 9781907677915 - ebook Reviewed by Chris Roberts Within the English-speaking historiography of the Great War, the emphasis is largely from the British perspective, with only brief mention of the enemy’s action. In this admirable series of battle narratives, Wynne counters this trend …

The Forging of a First World War By Elizabeth Greenhalgh Cambridge University Press, 2011. 550. Online ISBN: 9780511835254 Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.) Within the English speaking world, many volumes have been written on Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig, Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, with seven biographies devoted to him in the decade prior to the centenary of the Great War. One such volume attributes him as ‘The Architect of Victory.’  This is not surprising given …

How Victory Turned into Defeat in Afghanistan and Iraq By Ben Barry Osprey , Oxford: UK, 2020, 528pp Paperback ISBN: 9781472831040 Hardback ISBN: 9781472831019 eBook (ePub) ISBN: 9781472831026 eBook (PDF) ISBN: 9781472831002 Reviewed by Dr. Al Palazzo When reviewing a book, I have a definite preference. I like to review books that I enjoyed reading so that I can share my pleasure with others — which explains why I found it so frustrating to review Ben Barry’s Blood, Metal and Dust: How Victory Turned into …

With Fear of Change By Williamson Murray Cambridge University Press , Cambridge, 2011, 342pp Online ISBN: 9781139005241 Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.)   The only constant in war is change. Williamson Murray addresses this factor through the lens of five case studies ranging from the Great War (1914-18) to the Yom Kippur War (1973).  Murray has written extensively on the subject of military effectiveness, defining military change during periods of peace as innovation, and during war as …

The British Fiasco in Norway, 1940 By John Kiszely Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017, pp. 375 9781107194595 - Hardback 9781316646427 - Paperback Reviewed by Dr Al Palazzo Periodically, one is fortunate to read a book that ticks all the boxes. It is interesting, impeccably written, and professionally relevant — a page turner that you just can’t put down. The kind of book that when you reach the end you think, ‘why did I not read this sooner’ or ask ‘what else has this author written’? John …

The Transformation of the French Army and the Invention of Modern Warfare By Michel Goya (translated by Andrew Uffindell) Pen & Sword , Barnsley, 2018. 323pp 9781473886964 - Hardback Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.)   A product of his doctoral thesis, Michel Goya, a former Colonel of the French marine infantry, has produced a superb study of the transformation, in all its features, of the French Army during the Great War. The breadth and depth of his work is impressive. Unlike much of the …

Shaping the Canadian Corps 1914-1918 By Kenneth Radley Helion , Warwick, 2018, 424pp 9781912174737 - Paperback Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.)   Following on from his excellent study of the 1st Canadian Division during the Great War ( We Lead, Others Follow ) Kenneth Radley’s Get Tough, Stay Tough: Shaping the Canadian Corps 1914-1918 considers the Canadian performance on the Western Front through a slightly different lens.  In his first book, Radley analysed why the 1st Canadian Division …

By KW Mitchinson Helion , Solihull, 2017, 290pp, c 20 b/w photos, 8pp colour maps 9781911512547 - Hardback Reviewed by BRIG Chris Roberts AM, CSC (Retd.)   In this comprehensive and very informative account, Mitchinson delivers a pragmatic and balanced study of a solid, yet unremarkable 48th (South Midland) Division that had its origins in the creation of the Territorial Force (TF) in 1908. Mitchinson has written extensively on the TF, and this book meets his previous high standards of research, based …