By Christopher Miskimon

Full Reviews

The Showman: Inside the Invasion that Shook the World and Made a Leader of Volodymyr Zelensky (Simon Schuster, William Morrow, New York NY, 2024, 363 pp., photographs, notes, bibliography, index, $32.99, HC)

The Road Past Monchy: Fighting the First World War at Arras, 1914-1918 (Terrence Loveridge, Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN, 2024, 401 pp., maps, illustrations, appendix, notes, bibliography, index, $35, HC)

Generals and Admirals, Criminals and Crooks: Dishonorable Leadership in the U.S. Military (Jeffrey J. Matthews, University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame IN, 2024, notes, bibliography, index, $38 HC)

Life and Death at Abbey Gate: The Fall of Afghan-istan and the Operation to Save our Allies (Mikael Cook with Robert Conlin, Casemate Publishers, Havertown PA, 2024, 192 pp., maps, photographs, $24.95, Osprey Publishing, Oxford UK, 2023, maps, photographs, notes, bibliography, index, $35, HC)

Urban Battlefields: Lessons learned from World War II to the Modern Era (Edited by Gregory Fremont-Barnes, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD, 2024, 389 pp., maps, notes, index, $44.95, HC)

Crecy: Battle of Five Kings (Michael Livingston, Osprey Books, Oxford UK, 2024, 303 pp., maps, illustrations, appendix, notes, bibliography, index, $22, SC)

The Battle of Bong Son: Operation Masher/ White Wing, 1966 (Kenneth P. White, Casemate Publishers, Havertown PA, 2024, 192 pp., maps, photographs, appendices, bibliography, index, $34.95, HC)

Port Arthur 1904-05: The First Modern Siege (Robert Forczyk, Osprey Books, Oxford UK, 2024, 96 pp., maps, illustrations, bibliography, index, $25, SC)

Short Burts

From Yeomanettes to Fighter Jets: A Century of Women in the U.S. Navy (Randy Carol Goguen, Naval Institute Press, 2024, $34.95, HC) This new book covers the gradual integration of woman into the navy over the course of a century. The book highlights their contributions and challenges.

Men of God, Men of War: Military Chaplains as Ministers, Warriors, and Prisoners (Robert C. Doyle, Naval Institute Press, 2024, $34.95, HC) From the American Revolution onward, military chaplains have served their nation and fellow soldiers under the most adverse conditions.

Hawk Recon: Headhunters in the A Shau Valley (William “Doc” Osgood, Pen and Sword Books, 2024, $32.95, HC) A medic in a reconnaissance platoon in the 101st Airborne in Vietnam, Osgood was his unit’s unofficial combat artist.

The Soviet-Afghan War 1979-89 (Gregory Fremont-Barnes, Osprey Books, 2024, $20, SC) The USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 sparked a terrible nine-year war. This book covers its major events and effects.

The Cimbrian War 113 – 101 BC: The Rise of Caius Marius (Nic Fields, Osprey Books, 2024, $25, SC) Marius contained the Germanic Threat to Rome in 105 BCE before defeating them in 102-101 BCE. Has excellent battle illustrations and detailed text.

The Flying Grunt: The Story of Lieutenant General Richard E. Carey, USMC (Ret.) (Alan E. Mesches, Casemate Books, 2023, $37.95, HC) Enlisting in 1946, Carey gained a commission and became a combat pilot, flying 204 combat sorties in Vietnam.

Burning Horizons: British Veteran Accounts of the Iraq War 2003 (Julian Whippy, Casemate Books, 2023, $34.95, HC) Recounts the experiences of ordinary soldiers during the Iraq invasion in March and April 2003.

Danger Zone: U.S. Clandestine Reconnaissance Operations Along the West Berlin Air Corridors, 1945 – 1990 (Kevin Wright, Helion & Company, 2023, $29.95, SC) The Cold War saw extensive efforts by both sides to monitor the other’s military preparations. Detailed coverage and excellent illustrations.

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