Blood and Iron: The German Conquest of Sevastopol - C.G. Sweeting

Title: Blood and Iron: The German Conquest of Sevastopol

Author: C.G. Sweeting

ISBN: 978-1-57488-7976

Publisher: Potomac Books

Year: 2004

Softcover

Pages: 200

Photographs/Maps: 99 b/w//4

The conquest of the Crimean peninsula and the capture of the fortress city of Sevastopol marked the culmination of months of preparation and intricate planning led by the brilliant general Field Marshall von Manstein. For the Axis forces this victory represented both the waning days of their offensive power and their excellence in the tactical and operational art of war; for the Soviets, their dogged resilience and capacity to continuously bounce back from crushing losses that would have crippled other nations.

Sweeting’s book commences with a very broad brush overview of Operation Barbarossa  thus far before narrowing down to focus upon an analysis of the capabilities of the Soviet, German and Romanian forces destined to clash in this campaign. Part in parcel of this examination is a detailed review of the German commander von Manstein and his strengths as both planner and combat commander. The authors overall approach is balanced, fair and comprehensive despite the shortness of the narrative.

The battle is tracked from the initial thrust of the Germans across the Crimean Perekop Isthmus and their subsequent drive to the gates of Sevastopol and the capture of Kerch on the Sea of Azov. The lessons derived from this section of the book include the advantages of close air support for the Germans, the continued challenges derived from the delta between the German and Romanian allies in terms of both capability and strategic goals, the shortfalls in Axis naval capacity (and the inability to prevent Soviet reinforcement by sea) and the continued dominance of the German forces over the Soviet. Additionally, an operational limitation for the Germans in terms of the use of paratroopers as a force projection option (they had never recovered both in terms of personnel and transport from the Crete campaign) is highlighted.

This section is followed by a review of the Soviet response through seaborne landings behind those Axis forces extended forward into the Kerch region. The resulting successful 100 mile retreat to the Feodosiya narrows highlighted the continued operational expertise of the Germans as well as the growing proficiency of the Soviets in joint operations. Von Manstein’s ability to quickly realign his forces to meet and eradicate this threat (despite being heavily outnumbered) while maintaining the siege of the Sevastopol was indicative of his operational brilliance. The losses sustained by the Soviets during these counterattacks exceeded 170,000 prisoners with untold thousands of dead and wounded.

The final section of the narrative covers the final assault and capture of Sevastopol itself. Sweeting does a commendable job with this review highlighting the role of the siege artillery brought forward specifically for this task (including the massive ‘Dora’ 81 mm cannon with her specially designed shells that could penetrate 5-6 meters of steel reinforced concrete). Sweetings writing captures for the reader the absolute brutal nature of the fighting associated with the capture of this fortress.

He closes his book with a series of annexes/appendices on the types and capabilities of the weapons utilized by both sides during this campaign. Moreover, he provides two detailed sections on the siege artillery of the Germans: the Karl and Dora weapons. These appendices are excellent in facilitating an appreciation of the unique nature of siege warfare.

Overall, this is a rather short but informative study of the Crimean campaign with a special emphasis upon the siege and capture of the fortress of Sevastopol. It is well written and flows well, however, the maps included were not adequate. Sweetings narrative style is technical where needed while not sacrificing the ‘human’ element of the fighting. As a start point for someone interested in this campaign I would not hesitate to recommend this book.

Wars, Pestilence and the Surgeon's Blade - Thomas Scotland and Steven Heys

Title: Wars, Pestilence and the Surgeon's Blade

Authors: Thomas Scotland and Steven Heys

ISBN: 978-1-909384-09-5

Publisher: Helion and Company Ltd

Hardback

Pages: 407

Photos: 78 

There are two things guaranteed when it comes to warfare: death and injury. The authors, following on their extremely informative first book "War Surgery 1914-1918", have undertaken to shed light upon the development of surgical and medical practices throughout the 19th Century; focussing particularly upon three capstone events: the Peninsular war of 1808 -1814, the Crimean War 1853 -1856 and the Boer War of 1899 -1902. Each is studied in detail with a view towards determining where things had improved, stayed the same or regressed. Concurrent to this they highlight the activities of individuals who made significant contributions in a variety of areas that moved both knowledge and yardsticks relating to medicine and the administration thereof. 

Scotland and Heys's evaluation falls into five distinct categories: medical surgery, administration and bureaucracy, logistics, lessons learned and statistical analysis. Each played a significant part in the expansion of knowledge and competency. The approach taken by the authors is to integrate the five together within the narrative in order to facilitate a multi-dimensional picture for the reader of the advancement (and regression) of medical support to the military.

It is both fascinating and disturbing to read about the lack of appreciation by British military (and civilian) leaders of the importance that a sound medical support system had for the successful execution of campaigns. It was only with the Peninsular campaign and the appointment of Dr James McGrigor as Wellington's Chief Medical Officer that the first steps in the formalization of medical care were taken. It was McGrigor who introduced the maintenance of patient records, standardized hospital care and recovery of wounded from the battlefield. He also established basic standards of training and education for those wishing to become military medical officers. Through his efforts, the first steps in the universality of care and the professionalization of the medical branch were taken. 

McGrigor and his colleagues are also remembered as the individuals who initiated not only the maintenance of statistics relating to illness, injury and a myriad of other information tracking for the British army but also, and just as critical, the interpretation of those statistics as a means of recognizing efficiencies and deficiencies of care. It is estimated that his ability to track and advise Wellington on the health of his army provided him an additional divisions worth of soldiers at a critical time during the war.

Crimea, which occurred almost fifty years after the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars, was, from a medical perspective, a story of forgotten lessons and needless suffering and loss. A failure of effective reconnaissance, not enough time and effort put into preparation, a continued lack of appreciation of the importance of medical administration and provision and a complex and inefficient command structure all contributed to terrible losses resulting from illness and treatment deficiencies. 

The Boer war continued to be characterized by the shortcomings of the previous conflicts, despite noteworthy advancements in medical intervention techniques, knowledge of hygiene, administrative practices and doctrinal maturity. Death and personnel shortfalls due to illness continued to outnumber those caused by combat by a significant margin; again much of it preventable. For example, despite the fact that a vaccine for typhoid existed and was known to the army, it was decided not to inoculate the soldiers before departure. The net result was that during the Second Boer war 7,782 died of wounds while 13,139 died of disease.  

The authors also look at smaller wars throughout the 1800's and the impact of operational geography upon death and illness rates (providing copious statistics for deaths per thousand in different regions as examples). They provide outstanding analysis of the complex intersection of scientific advances (such as the discovery of germs, anaesthetic and disinfectant), surgical, statistical and support techniques (of such pioneers as Keough, McGrigor, Ogston, NIghtingale and Guthrie) plus the military and political paradigm changes necessary to enact the changes required to see improvements in support to soldiers well being and health.  

The British Army of the 19th century was old and steeped in its own traditions and foibles that set it apart from the civilian community it served. These traditions serves as strengths building regimental loyalties and comradeship; however, the also acted as impediments to change and a bulwark against what many perceived as interference from their political (read civilian) masters. Those promoting change within the medical services had to overcome the bias afforded to 'outsiders' in addition to learning and applying the lessons of hygiene, surgery and long term care. Each of these trials would have been formidable in and of themselves; together, as Scotland and Heys point out, they were decades in overcoming. 

One of the real strengths of this book lies in the attention that it draws to the plight of the soldier in undertaking his trade. The average reader can pick up any one of thousands of books written that outline tactics, weapons capabilities, weapons production or any one of the many facets of warfare, but very few discuss the grim details of the human toll of fighting; and they are indeed grim. The present day soldier owes an immeasurable debt to those poor souls who served as the means for learning the art of healing and supporting the recovery of those wounded in combat or ill as a result of geographic location. We owe an equal debt to those doctors and practitioners who through their efforts and study advanced the medical trade in a military context. 

The production value of this book is superb. The authors have incorporated a commendable series of endnotes for each chapter for further study but no overall bibliography. They have also provided for each of the focus wars, a brief synopsis of the what transpired. It is not particularly detailed but enough that it provides context without detracting from the focus of the book. I believe that it would have been very beneficial had they provided an organization chart of the command structure of the British military medical services for the periods covered as it was, as previously noted, rather convoluted and difficult to follow. The book is noteworthy however, for how readable and accessible the authors have made this subject to the reading audience.  Scotland and Heys are outstanding medical historians and are to be commended for their work in this book.