Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917 - Gary Staff

This review was written by Chris Buckham but published by Sabretache magazine. The website for the magazine is: http://www.mhsa.org.au/journal.htmland the editor is Mr Paul Skrebels editor@mhsa.org.au.

 

Title: Battle for the Baltic Islands 1917

Author: Gary Staff

ISBN: 978-1-84415-7877

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Hardcover

Pages: 178

Photographs/Maps: 47 b/w//15

Conventional knowledge regarding naval operations in the First World War tends to be limited to the Battle of Jutland and perhaps the Battle of the Falkland Islands. Additionally, they are traditionally focussed almost exclusively upon engagements between the British and the German capital fleets; Russian, French, Austro-Hungarian and Italian fleet operations have generally been forgotten. Furthermore, the casual history buff will know only that the German High Seas fleet did not have another major engagement with the British following Jutland, rebelled at the end of the war and was scuttled after being interred at Scapa Flow. This is one of the main attractions of Staff’s book, the fact that it sheds light on a heretofore little known, yet critical, joint German engagement that had a fundamental impact upon the course of the war.

The German Fleet was, in fact, quite busy with operations in the Baltic against the naval forces of the Czar. This book centres upon the largest of these engagements, the Baltic Islands. Why this battle was undertaken involved both operational and strategic considerations on the part of the German Empire. Germany desperately needed to free up forces from the eastern front and the Russians continued to fight despite the Russian revolution which toppled the Czar and destabilized the country; Germany needed to deliver a blow that would quickly bring ‘whomever’ on the Russian side to surrender talks. The Baltic Islands were key to this as they controlled access to the Gulf of Finland which, in turn, controlled the approaches to St Petersburg, the Russian capital.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this battle was the jointness of the operation (led by the German navy under the command of Vizeadmiral Ehrhard Schmidt) on the German side. Planning involved the landing of naval as well as regular army forces (at Regimental and Divisional strength), supported by aircraft and zeppelin assets. The complexity of the planning, the cooperation between the elements and the critical success of the operation itself is testament to the capabilities of the German leadership. Another facet was the impact of the revolution on the effectiveness of the Russian forces. Soldier’s/sailor’s councils acted to consistently challenge and undermine the command and control of the Russian Commanders (as they had to convince as much as order in many cases). Regardless, they were still very well led by the overall Russian fleet commander, Vice-Admiral MK Bakhirev; there was a great deal of fight left in the Russians as they too realized the importance of these islands.

 

Staff’s writing style is very engaging and his analysis thorough and comprehensive. He presents a very balanced view of both of the protagonists in terms of tactics, personalities and strategic interests. Additionally, he draws attention to a number of interesting facets of the engagement that serve as a foreshadow of things to come: the fact that despite the confusion of the Russian Revolution, the Czar’s Intelligence service continued to function almost unaffected and the German Air Force undertook a series of successful air raids on not only land positions but also naval targets. The end of the book contains a series of appendices that explain the technical capabilities of the naval forces engaged, their command structures and a timeline of the battle; excellent for quick reference. Finally, much of the narrative is drawn from first hand recollections and sources of individuals present at the situations described. The author has made very good use of these, weaving the accounts seamlessly into the broader storyline.

 

Overall, I strongly recommend this book for its high production value, fascinating history and the strength of the writing and research of the author. The role that the German Fleet played in the war has been diminished and greatly overshadowed by events elsewhere and its utility as an effective arm of German foreign policy largely lost; Staff’s book sheds light on a successful fleet  engagement that had a fundamental impact upon the course of the war and resonated far beyond the islands that it was fought over.

The Lieutenant Don’t Know - Jeff Clement

Title: The Lieutenant Don’t Know
Author: Jeff Clement
ISBN: 978-1-61200-248-4
Publisher: Casemate
Hardcover
Pages: 264
Photographs/Maps: 46/2
 
The author has drafted a very readable account of his training and deployment as a Lieutenant in charge of 2^nd Platoon, Combat Logistics Battalion 6 in Afghanistan during 2010. He focusses a great deal upon the warrior ethos of the Marines and the flexibility with which they are employed. His observations on tactical leadership and planning are insightful and backed up through personal experience and examples. I enjoyed his obvious enthusiasm, candor and honesty; his tale is one of personal growth as a leader and the successes and failures that he met while enroute. This is a very informative and worthwhile book for a junior officer.

Organisation Todt: From Autobahns to the Atlantic Wall - John Christopher

Title: Organisation Todt: From Autobahns to the Atlantic Wall

Author: John Christopher
ISBN: 978-1-4456-3856-0
Publisher: Amberley
Softcover
Pages: 255
Photographs/Maps: 71b/w//38 colour//5
Rating: 3.5/5

Christopher has reproduced an edited version of an intelligence report produced in March, 1945 for the benefit of Allied commanders. Organization Todt (OT) was the construction engineering arm of the German Government charged with both the planning and execution of all major construction projects throughout the Reich; at its height it comprised over 1.5 million personnel. It was an extremely effective organization, undertaking, in five years, the largest building program since the Roman Empire. The book is an outstanding reference for this institution but it is very dry in its presentation; nevertheless, a fascinating study of a little known but critical aspect of the Reich.  

Caen Controversy: The Battle for Sword Beach 1944 - Andrew Stewart

Title: Caen Controversy:

The Battle for Sword Beach 1944

Author: Andrew Stewart

ISBN: 978-1-909982-12-3

Publisher: Helion

Hardcover

Pages: 164

Photographs/maps: 34 b/w//10 colour 

What is the Caen Controversy? In a nutshell, this centre’s upon a school of thought that suggests that the 3^rd Br Inf Div, tasked with the capture of Caen following their landing at Sword Beach on D-Day, did not achieve their goal in the anticipated time period due to an excessive amount of caution on the part of the command staff. Stewart has taken it upon himself to address this question with in-depth analysis of D-Day planning expectations, Divisional preparation, German defences and conditions as the attack unfolded. 

Stewart commences his discussion with a macro discussion of the planning surrounding the invasion. He provides particular emphasis on those aspects of the plan that are not often focussed upon, I believe, in order to provide a broader spectrum of insight for the reader. To that end, he discusses at some length the influence and stress under which the meteorologists laboured coming up with their go/no-go recommendation. He also spends a great deal of ink describing the complexities of the various elemental aspects of the invasion: naval, air and land; emphasized when one considers that the naval operations order alone was over 1100 pages long and covered over 22 separate actions. 

In order to provide an overall appreciation of the challenges facing the Allies on D-Day, the author undertakes a study of the German forces, their challenges, command climate and capabilities and a synopsis of their strengths and weaknesses. It is a fascinating study to view the development of the German preparations, intelligence efforts and response as they await what they know will be an inevitable attempt by the Allies at an invasion. 

As he draws the narrative into the actual invasion, he narrows the focus to Sword beach itself and the supporting activities of the 6^th AB Div which would provide flank support and capture or destroy key bridges across the river Orne to the left of the landing beach. The command decisions of Maj Gen Rennie, CO of the 3^rd Inf Div and, more importantly, Brigadier KP Smith, CO of the 185 Inf Bde, the spear point of the 3^rd’s drive inland on 6 June, are reviewed in depth with a view towards understanding how their experiences and the environment affected their decision making. Stewart’s narrative closes on the evening of 6 June with the 3^rd Div having achieved a solid lodgement but not the close to capturing the city of Caen as planned.  

Stewart’s evaluation of the battle for Sword beach is excellent. His operational insight and ability to seamlessly flow into a tactical narrative make this a battlefield study of some significant worth. He is very balanced in his evaluations with a keen eye towards the impact of the human condition on the limited success of the 3^rd on D-Day. It is clear why Brig Smith was relieved within a few days of the landing; his tactical decision making was not in keeping with the audacity demanded by the D-Day plan. His troops certainly did not lack courage but they did lack a single-mindedness of purpose and focus that was permeated from the top.

I enjoyed reading this book a great deal although it would have been helpful to have included an organizational chart and some additional maps that laid out the lines of approach of the 3^rd Div more clearly. The inclusion of a concise review of the planning and naval aspects of D-day and Sword assaults was very enlightening and provided additional insight into not only the complexity of the attack but what was also effectively achieved. Stewart is to be commended and Helion has published another quality book well worth the investment.

The Illustrated History of World War 1 - Andrew Wiest

Title: The Illustrated History of World War 1

Author: Andrew Wiest
ISBN: 978-1-78274-137-4
Publisher: Amber
Hardcover
Pages: 256
Photographs/maps: 100’s
Rating 4/5
 
There are many publications about WW1 in this centenary year of its commencement. This book is a high quality publication that provides the reader with an excellent synopsis of the war in pictures and maps broken down by year. He incorporates all of the fronts, both air and sea actions as well as short biographies of all of the major political and military figures. The information presented is not new but many of the photographs I have not seen before. I enjoyed the layout, style and presentation immensely; a good book to pick up and put down at your leisure and worth the investment.

Empires of the Dead - David Crane

Title: Empires of the Dead

Author: David Crane

ISBN: 978-0-00-745668-0

Publisher: William Collins

Softcover

Pages: 289

Photographs//maps: 12 b/w/15 clr//3 

When one travels the battlefields of WW1 and 2 throughout the world, it is very likely that you will come across one of the hundreds of Commonwealth War Grave Commission’s interment sites. Each is laid out identically with a stylized cross and inverted sword overseeing the rows of common gravestones marking the final intermingled resting places of officers and men. They are striking and moving places, stark reminders of the sacrifices and service given by so many to their countries. 

What is not well known or remembered is the road that led to the creation of these final resting places; the personalities, drama, anguish and reflection that marked the discussion and national debate surrounding the remembrance of the war dead. Crane has authored a book that lays out in a balanced and insightful way just what were the driving factors behind the debates, how the War Graves Commission came to be, the impact of World War 1 on the national psyche of not just Great Britain but the entire Empire, and who were the personalities who navigated the waters of emotion and pride that came to typify discussion. 

Central to the success of this program was Fabian Ware. While his name has, to a great extent, been lost to history, it was his vision and drive that saw the concept of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission take root and flourish. Cranes traces the role that this remarkable personality played and how his core belief in the unifying power of the British Empire and the debt that it owed its soldiers served as his unwavering guiding light. 

For the first time in its history, a war had directly affected all facets of society equally from the highest nobility to the lowest labourer and all in between. The British common man and the Imperial colonies would not be left out of the discussion of how to memorialize the dead. Ware displayed remarkable insight when, in setting up his initial Commission, he included representatives from all walks including senior government and union leaders as well as senior Colonial representatives.  

The breadth and complexity of this program was astounding: over 1,300 graveyards in France alone, over 580,000 graves that required exhumation and reinterment and a mandate that literally was worldwide. Additionally, was the necessity to come up with a means of memorializing the tens of thousands of soldiers with no known resting place in such a way as to provide their families with an opportunity for closure and remembrance; this while trying to manage cost, land distribution and artistic difference.

 

Crane’s book not only relates the story of the development of the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, he also captures the mood of the nations as they struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the sacrifice that had been made. From the point of view of 100 years later, it is almost impossible to fully grasp the depth of grief and loss that affected every facet of societies; Crane’s book provides a glimpse into that abyss. This is an outstanding book in every way: educational, moving, gripping and above all insightful and wrenching.

Valour Road - John Nadler

Title: Valour Road
Author: John Nadler
ISBN: 978-0-670-06821-0
Publisher: Viking Canada
Hardcover
Pages: 368
Photographs: 37 b/w

The title ‘Valour Road’ refers to the name that Pine Street in Winnipeg, Manitoba was changed to once it was discovered that three of the 71 Victoria Crosses (the highest medal for combat valour) awarded to Canadians since its inception following the Crimean War, had come not only from that street, but from the same block. All three were awarded during the First World War; two posthumously. The recipients Leo Clarke, Robert Shankland, and Fred Hall were all recognized for exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy and their stories and the story of the place from which they came is the focus of this book.

Nadler combines the accuracy and detail of a historian with the engaging style of a reporter to bring to life the world of these three soldiers, both at home and at the front. The tale is gripping and harrowing as one is plunged into the chaos and violence of trench warfare while concurrently introduced to the activities of the home front and their unique challenges. The author limits his narrative to the story of these families and soldiers. In doing so he is able to bring out detail that would inevitably be lost were the scope broader. Thus is the reader introduced to the Winnipeg ‘Bomber’ unit that Leo Clark and his brother were a part of; these  soldiers undertook hazardous strikes against enemy trench lines securing the flanks of the main body attacks. Such was their fame and reputation that the City of Winnipeg named their Canadian Football Team after them.

Nadler has drawn upon present day family recollections, diaries, unit histories and British, French and Canadian national military histories to put together a story of remarkable depth and personality. This fusion of historical narrative and personal recollection adds significant breadth to this snapshot of time. I was particularly impressed by the isolation of Winnipeg during this period. Access to information was very limited and it often took a significant amount of time to garner news about casualties and the Front. Further, the idea of travelling to Europe was comparable to the idea of going to the moon today. Despite this, the home front remained very supportive and active; Nadler does a commendable job of shedding light on the stresses of absent soldiers on the routine of everyday life. I was also impressed by the unquestioning loyalty to Empire and the Crown; on the surface a seemingly simpler but extremely challenging period for Canada.

Nadler’s descriptions of life at the front are of particular poignancy. The emphasis on the lives of these three soldiers and their immediate comrades brings the readers focus to the lowest and most basic level of life experience. Faces are put to the WW1 experience; these men are no longer black and white still photographs on a page. They are alive once more with their strengths, fears, flaws and desires highlighted in harsh reality. The capacity for these soldiers to be able to fight, function and maintain their sanity within the absolute nightmare of the Front, is testament to their strength of character developed through their upbringing and bonds of comradeship. Through their recollections we are introduced to the terror, boredom and humour of life in a time far removed from today.

What would have added to the story, in my opinion, would have been the inclusion of maps of the regions in which these men were operating. This would have provided better context and a visual reference for the reader.

This is a gem of a book. For Canadians it serves as an outstanding study of our history both domestic and overseas. Nadler has done an outstanding job and deserves full credit for the contribution he has made to the Canadian story. The narrative of these three men, their comrades and their families is the story of Canada at the turn of the century and we may be proud of the legacy that they left behind.