Highlights "the range and richness of scholarship on medieval warfare, military institutions, and cultures of conflict that characterize the field". History 95 (2010) The latest collection of the most up-to-date research on matters of medieval military history contains a remarkable geographical range, extending from Spain and Britain to the southern steppe lands, by way of Scandinavia, Byzantium, and the Crusader States. At one end of the timescale is a study of population in the later Roman Empire and at the other the Hundred Years War, touching on every century in between. Topics include the hardware of war, the social origins of soldiers, considerations of individual battles, and words for weapons in Old Norse literature. Contributors: Bernard S. Bachrach, Gary Baker, Michael Ehrlich, Nicholas A. Gribit, Nicolaos S. Kanellopoulos,Mollie M. Madden, Kenneth J. McMullen, Craig M. Nakashian, Mamuka Tsurtsumia, Andrew L.J. Villalon

‘. . . it is nine months this evening since I last saw the light in my own house, when I had to tear myself away from all that is dear to me. And today is also my little son’s birthday. Oh, how I long for home.’

So wrote Michael Muller in 1901 as he gazed at the lights of Cape Town from a ship bound for Bermuda, after months of internment in a British POW camp in Simon’s Town. The camps were full, so Boer prisoners were being sent to other parts of the empire. Michael’s brothers, Chris and Pieter, were exiled to Ceylon, while Lool was held in the Green Point camp in Cape Town.

Remarkably, three of the brothers kept diaries – the only known instance of this happening in the Boer War. They recorded their intimate thoughts and turbulent emotions, and the diaries gave them agency. The scrawled notes of Chris on the evening after the legendary Magersfontein battle, the rain-dashed pages written by Lool in Colesberg, and the angry words penned by Michael about his treatment at Surrender Hill, have the urgency of men determined to go on record.

When Beverley Roos-Muller first began to explore writing about the Boer experience of the war, she read the tiny war diary of Michael, grandfather of her husband, Ampie Muller. It led her to the discovery of the other diaries and many more documents. She also records the brothers’ difficult return home and examines the consequences for South Africa of the bitterness this strife invoked.

This is a beautifully told account of the fellowship of four brothers in war, their capture and their eventual recovery.

This book includes a selection of articles from The 2018 Multidisciplinary International Conference of Research Applied to Defense and Security (MICRADS'18), held in Salinas, Peninsula de Santa Elena, Ecuador, from April 18 to 20, 2018. MICRADS is an international forum for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, results, experiences and concerns in the various areas of defense and security, together with their technological development and applications. The main topics covered are: Information and Communication Technology in Education; Computer Vision in Military Applications; Engineering Analysis and Signal Processing; Cybersecurity and Cyberdefense; Maritime Security and Safety; Strategy, Geopolitics and Oceanopolitics; Defense planning; Leadership (e-leadership); Defense Economics; Defense Logistics; Health Informatics in Military Applications; Simulation in Military Applications; Computer Networks, Mobility and Pervasive Systems; Military Marketing; Military Physical Training; Assistive Devices and Wearable Technology; Naval and Military Engineering; Weapons and Combat Systems; Operational Oceanography. The book is aimed at all those dealing with defense and security issues, including practitioners, researchers and teachers as well as undergraduate, graduate, master's and doctorate students.

The author develops the concept that logistics constitute a bridge between the national economy and the combat forces. He explains the role of the civilian as well as of the professional, and discusses the differences in their modes of thought and methods of operation.

How do small groups of combat soldiers maintain their cohesion under fire? This question has long intrigued social scientists, military historians, and philosophers. Based on extensive research and drawing on graphic analysis of close quarter combat from the Somme to Sangin, the book puts forward a novel and challenging answer to this question. Against the common presumption of the virtues of the citizen soldier, this book claims that, in fact, the infantry platoon of the mass twentieth century army typically performed poorly and demonstrated low levels of cohesion in combat. With inadequate time and resources to train their troops for the industrial battlefield, citizen armies typically relied on appeals to masculinity, nationalism and ethnicity to unite their troops and to encourage them to fight. By contrast, cohesion among today's professional soldiers is generated and sustained quite differently. While concepts of masculinity and patriotism are not wholly irrelevant, the combat performance of professional soldiers is based primarily on drills which are inculcated through intense training regimes. Consequently, the infantry platoon has become a highly skilled team capable of collective virtuosity in combat. The increasing importance of training, competence and drills to the professional infantry soldier has not only changed the character of cohesion in the twenty-first century platoon but it has also allowed for a wider social membership of this group. Soldiers are no longer included or excluded into the platoon on the basis of their skin colour, ethnicity, social background, sexuality or even sex (women are increasingly being included in the infantry) but their professional competence alone: can they do the job? In this way, the book traces a profound transformation in the western way of warfare to shed light on wider processes of transformation in civilian society. This book is a project of the Oxford Programme on the Changing Character of War.

In the bleak moments after defeat on mainland Europe in winter 1939, Winston Churchill knew that Britain had to strike back hard. So Britain's wartime leader called for the lightning development of a completely new kind of warfare, recruiting a band of eccentric free-thinking warriors to become the first 'deniable' secret operatives to strike behind enemy lines, offering these volunteers nothing but the potential for glory and all-but-certain death.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare tells the story of the daring victories for this small force of 'freelance pirates', undertaking devastatingly effective missions against the Nazis, often dressed in enemy uniforms and with enemy kit, breaking all previously held rules of warfare.

Master storyteller Damien Lewis brings the adventures of the secret unit to life, weaving together the stories of the soldiers' brotherhood in this compelling narrative, from the unit's earliest missions to the death of their leader just weeks before the end of the war.

An analysis of the Anglo-Irish War of 1916-1921 using the framework of a people's war, this study explains how one of the smallest nations on earth emerged victorious against one of the world's most powerful empires. Of the many accounts of the Irish War of Independence, none adequately explains the Irish victory over a force that was superior in technology, industry, military force, and population. While the theorists associated today with the strategies characteristic of a people's war were either not yet born or were unknown to those in the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fein, the war they waged closely fits later revolutionary models.

This is the first critical study of the insurgent and counter-insurgent campaigns in a controversial and often misunderstood conflict. The Republic won in 1921, but what did it win? The Irish succeeded in securing Home Rule on their own terms when England refused to give in. Meanwhile the Crown Forces gained valuable experience in a form of war that would continue to plague them decades later. Appendices include information on the political, military, and paramilitary organizations in Ireland; important Irish political documents; songs of the rebellion; and a critical bibliography.

A systems engineering-level introduction to the field of Information Warfare (IW), this text provides an overview of threats to commercial, civil and military information systems, and shows how these threats can be identified and systems protected.

Detailed, comprehensive survey of the siege, looking at its development across three continents. Medieval warfare was dominated by the attack and defence of fortified places, and siege methods and technology developed alongside improvements in defences. This book uses both original historical sources and evidence from archaeology to analyse this relationship as part of a comprehensive view of the whole subject, tracing links across three continents. It considers the most important questions raised by siege warfare: who designed, built and operated siege equipment? How did medieval commanders gain their knowledge? What were the roles of theoretical texts and the developing science of siege warfare? How did nomadic peoples learn to conduct sieges? How far did castles and town walls serve a military purpose, and how far did they act as symbols of lordship? The volume begins with the replacement of the western Roman empire by barbarian successor states, but also examines the development of the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim Caliphate and its successors, and the links with China, through to the early thirteenth century. The companion volume, A History of the Late Medieval Siege, continues the story to 1500.

This study is one of the rare contributions to the very small library of genuine strategic studies. Strategy here covers all military activity. The broad purpose is to show how strategy works, using air power and special operations as substantial case studies, but also addressing sea power, nuclear deterrence, and information warfare. Although this book says interesting things about the future of air power, the reliability of non-nuclear deterrence, the true character of joint warfare, the utility of special warriors, and the limitations of excellence in information warfare, the primary intention is to deepen the understanding of the nature and working of strategy and strategic effect.

A neglected war in the history of the United States, the Korean conflict played a key role in greatly expanding America's commitments worldwide and contributed to the U.S. decision to engage in direct military action in Vietnam fifteen years later. This up-to-date, readable analysis and ready-reference guide to the Korean War is designed to help students and interested readers understand the causes, events, and implications of the War and to provide a wealth of material for student research. Materials include a detailed timeline of events, six topical essays on various aspects of the war and its impact, seventeen lengthy biographical profiles of key players, the text of fifteen important primary documents, a glossary, and a comprehensive annotated bibliography.

Following an introductory essay that explains the causes and history of the war, five topical essays examine the Western Alliance and, in particular, our relations with Great Britain over the War, an analysis and new insights on the role of the Soviet Union and China, the Chinese Communist intervention, the prisoners of war issue, and the meaning and implications of the Korean conflict. Primary documents include the text of speeches, memoranda, telegrams, and official government reports. Biographical sketches provide thorough discussion of the role of major players in the conflict. A section of photographs complements the text. Because it is based on the most recent scholarship and written for the high school and college student researcher, it is the ideal companion to a study of the Korean conflict and its implications for post-World War II America.

Drawing upon a wide range of interviews with many of the key actors, Andrew Dorman examines how defense policy was formulated and implemented during the premiership of Margaret Thatcher. This period witnessed major transformations in international and domestic politics, with defense emerging from its traditional postwar position of relative insignificance to become one of the key issues at the 1983 and 1987 general elections. Dorman provides a new understanding of policymaking by analyzing defense policy in terms of three constituent parts: declaratory policy; military strategy and procurement policy.

Military coalitions are ubiquitous. The United States builds them regularly, yet they are associated with the largest, most destructive, and consequential wars in history. When do states build them, and what partners do they choose? Are coalitions a recipe for war, or can they facilitate peace? Finally, when do coalitions affect the expansion of conflict beyond its original participants? The Politics of Military Coalitions introduces newly collected data designed to answer these very questions, showing that coalitions - expensive to build but attractive from a military standpoint - are very often more (if sometimes less) than the sum of their parts, at times encouraging war while discouraging it at others, at times touching off wider wars while at others keeping their targets isolated. The combination of new data, new formal theories, and new quantitative analysis will be of interest to scholars, students, and policymakers alike.

This book examines the history of a military expedition the Japanese government sent to southern Taiwan in 1874, in the context of Japan's subordination to Western powers in the unequal treaty system in East Asia. It argues that events on the ground in Taiwan show the Japanese government intended to establish colonies in southern and eastern Taiwan, and justified its colonial intent based on the argument that a state must spread civilization and political authority to territories where it claimed sovereignty, thereby challenging Chinese authority in East Asia and consolidating its power domestically. The book considers the history of the Taiwan Expedition in the light of how Japanese imperialism began: it emerged as part of the process of consolidating government power after the Meiji Restoration, it derived from Western imperialism, it developed in a dynamic relationship with Western imperialism and it increased Japan's leverage in its competition for influence in East Asia.

From Shakespeare's plays and contemporary verse to modern novels, this annotated bibliography covers fiction written about the Wars of the Roses since 1440. Providing a valuable resource for students and teachers of English history, the volume acquaints the reader with fiction that shaped both contemporary and later perceptions. The partisan ballads of the period show the sentiments of all classes and factions. The dramas of Shakespeare shaped the opinions of succeeding generations, with many of the novels written prior to the 20th century showing Shakespeare's influence. Following an introductory essay overviewing the conflict, the volume includes over 550 entries on novels, short stories, verse, and plays.

The volume opens with an introductory essay overviewing the conflict and discussing some of the works. It then provides fully-annotated entries on over 550 novels, short stories, verse, and plays. Most annotations are descriptive, but some point to weaknesses in historical accuracy or literary style.

A 'discourse trap' is a phenomenon seen worldwide in which the discourses and associated terminology devised for political or military reasons can entrap policymakers by motivating or constraining their actions. Beginning with the discourse of 'counter-terrorism' that occurred post 9/11, this book examines the language employed inside the US Defense Department during the period 2001-2012. Michaels demonstrates how during the course of a conflict, the politics of terminology can constitute an important battlefield in its own right. As the studies of 'Global War on Terror', 'Shock and Awe', 'Iraq Adversary Characterizations' and 'The Surge' presented here demonstrate, the language of war had a direct impact on US strategy and operations, and not necessarily a positive one.

This book provides readers a thorough understanding of the applicability of new-generation silicon-germanium (SiGe) electronic subsystems for electronic warfare and defensive countermeasures in military contexts. It explains in detail the theoretical and technical background, and addresses all aspects of the integration of SiGe as an enabling technology for maritime, land, and airborne / spaceborne electronic warfare, including research, design, development, and implementation. The coverage is supported by mathematical derivations, informative illustrations, practical examples, and case studies. While SiGe technology provides speed, performance, and price advantages in many markets, to date only limited information has been available on its use in electronic warfare systems, especially in developing nations. Addressing that need, this book offers essential engineering guidelines that especially focus on the speed and reliability of current-generation SiGe circuits and highlight emerging innovations that help to ensure the sustainable long-term integration of SiGe into electronic warfare systems.

This book describes the logistical systems and requirements of the North Korean People's Army and Chinese Communist forces during the Korean War. The author examines the performance of the Communist logistical system from June 1950 to July 1953, explaining the failure of the United Nations air interdiction campaign in terms of the constant improvement of Communist logistical capabilities. The author concludes that the United Nations air force damaged, but was unable to destroy, the Communist distribution system. The North Koreans and Chinese Communists were able to supply their front line units sufficiently to enable them to conduct a strong static defense, which prevented a United Nations victory, and in the last months of the war, to mount strong, sustained offensive actions.

A remarkable compendium of the worst military
decisions and the men who made them

The annals of history are littered with horribly bad military leaders. These combat incompetents found amazing ways to ensure their army's defeat. Whether it was a lack of proper planning, miscalculation, ego, bad luck, or just plain stupidity, certain wartime stratagems should never have left the drawing board. Written with wit, intelligence, and eminent readability, "How to Lose a Battle" pays dubious homage to these momentous and bloody blunders, including:

Cannae, 216 B.C.: the bumbling Romans lose 80,000 troops to Hannibal's forces.

The Second Crusade: an entire Christian army is slaughtered when it stops for a drink of water.

The Battle of Britain: Hitler's dreaded Luftwaffe blows it big-time.

Pearl Harbor: more than one warning of the impending attack is there, but nobody listens.

"How to Lose a Battle" includes more than thirty-five chapters worth of astonishing (and avoidable) disasters, both infamous and obscure -- a treasure trove of trivia, history, and jaw-dropping facts about the most costly military missteps ever taken.

Collection of source material and crucial interpretations, offering a comprehensive guide to Anglo-Saxon warfare. Selected by Choice for the 2011 list of Outstanding Academic Titles. The warfare of the late Anglo-Saxon period had momentous consequences for the development of the English state following Alfred the Great's reign. This book provides a comprehensive guide, with extracts in translation from the principal sources for our knowledge, accompanied by the most important interpretations by scholars through the ages, and new introductions by thepresent author. It looks at every aspect of the topic, from land and sea forces to logistics and campaigning, from fortifications and the battlefield to the final peacemaking. In so doing, it highlights the significance of warfareand its organisation for the late Anglo-Saxon state, and the multitude of ways in which it was recorded and remembered. Dr Ryan Lavelle is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Winchester.

This book presents advanced technologies used in practice to enable early recognition and tracking of various threats to national security. It discusses practical applications, examples and recent challenges in the application fields using sophisticated sensory devices, embedded designs and airborne and ground unmanned vehicles. Undeniably rapid advances in the development of sophisticated sensory devices, significant increases of computing power available to embedded designs and the development of airborne and ground unmanned vehicles offer almost unlimited possibilities for fighting various types of pathologies affecting our societies. The book provides scientists, researchers, engineers and graduate students involved in computer vision, image processing, data fusion, control algorithms, mechanics, data mining, navigation and integrated circuit (IC) with numerous valuable, useful and practical suggestions and solutions.

This book, first published in 1955, collects together accounts of some of the men and women who served as members of the remarkable S.O.E. This organisation was set up by Britain to encourage, help and organise resistance movements in occupied countries, and this book provides a valuable record of the types of people involved, and the work that they undertook.

This is an ideal reference work, for it contains more than 10,000 entries arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. Each entry is a concise, factual description of an event together with relevant background information and identification of the locale and the major participants. As the author puts it, this is a chronology of conflict rather than of war.' His intent is that it should be used as a research tool.' Fortunately, it does contain a detailed index as well as a glossary of abbreviations. "Infantry"

An historical chronology of some of the grimmest events of the past two decades, this encyclopedic account of conflict and conflict resolution profiles human violence, struggle, heroism, and suffering. It covers warfare of all kinds, state violence against civilians, civil uprisings, race riots, massacres, and terrorism, as well as efforts to end conflicts and reach peaceful solutions to many of the most tragic and intractable problems of our time. Based on a variety of authoritative sources, including military and government documents and publications, this work contains more than 10,500 entries arranged chronologically by year, month, and day. Each entry presents a concise, factual description of the event together with relevant background information and identification of the locale and the major participants.

Appropriate for library reference collections, "A Chronology of Conflict and Resolution" will be used by scholars, students, and general readers with an interest in warfare, international terrorism, military history, politics, race relations, human rights, conflict resolution, and related subjects.

This book reviews the nature of the alleged abuse committed by the UK military forces, exploring the legal paradigm in which the abuse allegedly occurred; the morality of those accused; and the robustness of the accusation of a 'policy of abuse'.

This book offers an original combination of cultural and narrative theory with an empirical study of identity and political action. It is at once a powerful critique of rational choice theories of action and a solution to the historiographical puzzle of why Sweden went to war in 1630. Erik Ringmar argues that people act not only for reasons of interest, but also for reasons of identity, and that the latter are, in fact, more fundamental. Deploying his alternative, non-rational theory of action in his account of the Swedish intervention in the Thirty Years War, he shows it to have been an attempt on behalf of the Swedish leaders to gain recognition for themselves and their country. Further to this, he demonstrates the importance of questions of identity to the study of war and of narrative theories of action to the social sciences in general.