I reread this short novel, preparing to teach a European military history course and a battlefield trip in Portugal.
At its simplest, this is the story of an English soldier’s private war against a French company during the Peninsular War. Cut off from his unit, Dodd’s odyssey to return to his comrades immerses him in the savagery of the Iberian guerrilla war.
For years on the list of recommended readings by the US Marine Corps, Dodd exemplifies the soldierly traits of unit loyalty, tactical skill, and unwavering commitment. The book focuses on military personnel who practice their ancient trade far away from the generals and events that dominate most military history.
It is brilliantly written and a great introduction to war at the sharp end.
Rifleman Dodd is a novel set during the Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars, written by C. S. Forester. The story follows the adventures of a British rifleman, Matthew Dodd, who becomes separated from his regiment during a retreat and must survive behind enemy lines in Portugal. Dodd's resourcefulness and determination are put to the test as he faces numerous challenges, including hunger, fatigue, injury, and encounters with the enemy. Along the way, he befriends local Portuguese villagers who help him in his quest to rejoin his comrades. The novel is a thrilling tale of survival and heroism, and offers…
Blending extensive research with masterful analysis, Beth Bailey explains the US Army’s resolution of racial turmoil in the post-Vietnam era.
Bailey skillfully places what the Army termed “the race question” within the broader spectrum of societal and generational unrest in American society. She artfully intersects ‘big narrative’ with detailed micro studies on points of conflict and conciliation, such as Darmstadt 27 and the “salt and pepper” Davisons.
Through it all, Bailey illustrates how an institutional culture founded on discipline and leadership struggled to overcome internal evidence that it was providing neither.
This is a book that is both disturbing in revealing the degree of individual and institutional racism that permeated the service and inspiring in tracing how the Army developed policies, practices, and leaders to overcome its racial crisis.
By the Tet Offensive in early 1968, what had been widely heralded as the best qualified, best-trained army in US history was descending into crisis as the Vietnam War raged without end. Morale was tanking. AWOL rates were rising. And in August of that year, a group of Black soldiers seized control of the infamous Long Binh Jail, burned buildings, and beat a white inmate to death with a shovel. The days of "same mud, same blood" were over, and by the end of the decade, a new generation of Black GIs had decisively rejected the slights and institutional racism…
As part of an international project comparing imperial retreat and the wars of decolonization (or national liberation), I had to do extensive reading in this growing field.
Although there have been some important works, including a recent Pulitzer Prize winner, Martin Thomas’s book was one of the first and remains one of the best. The book’s title summarizes the choice facing post-World War 2 British and French leaders: did they attempt to defend colonial rule or abandon their overseas empires?
In both countries, the overseas colonies were seen as essential both economically and for national prestige. With impressive research and even more impressive fairness, Thomas challenges long-held interpretations that emphasized British moderation and managed decolonization with alleged French repression.
He also covers the anticolonial movements in both empires, emphasizing both their local roots, their shared international connections, and how the liberation movements played such an important role in Cold War international relations.
Although shattered by war, in 1945 Britain and France still controlled the world's two largest colonial empires, with imperial territories stretched over four continents. And they appeared determined to keep them: the roll-call of British and French politicians, soldiers, settlers and writers who promised in word and print at this time to defend their colonial possessions at all costs is a long one. Yet, within twenty years both empires had almost completely disappeared.
The collapse was cataclysmic. Peaceable 'transfers of power' were eclipsed by episodes of territorial partition and mass violence whose bitter aftermath still lingers. Hundreds of millions across…
Real Soldieringprovides the first comprehensive study of the US Army’s transition from war to peace. It is both a wide-ranging history of the army’s postwar experience and a work detailing the commonalities of American soldiering over almost two centuries.
Linn examines the postwar force as a distinct entity worthy of study as a unique and important part of US Army history. He identifies the common dilemmas the service faces in the aftermath of every war, such as officer acquisition and career management, personnel turbulence, insufficient personnel and equipment, and many others.
Insightful and entertaining, provocative and empathetic, and a work of history with immediate relevance, Real Soldiering will resonate with military historians, defense analysts, and those who have served in the armed forces.
