Join Simon and Tom as they look over their history reading of the year so far. As ever, Tom is keen to review elements of modern German history, and Simon shares an eclectic mix of books covering battles and armour from the early modern period.
Don't call it a comeback! Join Simon and Tom for a monster-length review of our history highs and lows. We discuss our favourite history books and events from 2023, and our goals for next year.
In this episode of the History Hermanos, we review "The Men Who Lost America: British Command during the Revolutionary War and the Preservation of the Empire" by Andrew O'Shaughnessy and published by Oneworld. The book is a history of the American War of Independence, told from the perspective of the British, and more specifically, the senior politicians and military commanders who presided over the British defeat.
In this episode, Simon and Tom talk about "Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943" by Gregory Liedtke. The book is nothing if not an extremely thorough re-examination of the German/Axis war effort on the Eastern Front during the critical war years of 1941-43, focussing particularly on the German army's ability to make good on their losses during this period of time.
In this episode of the History Hermanos, we discuss "The Vanquished: Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917 - 1923", written by Robert Gerwarth and published by Penguin Books. Gerwarth's work deals primarily with the situation in Eastern Europe following the Armistice of 1918, charting the collapse of the old Imperial powers and the wave of violence that was unleashed by the resulting instability.
We review "The Taste of War: World War Two and the Battle for Food," which is a fascinating exploration of the Second World War from the perspective of food and food logistics.
In episode 4 of the History Hermanos, we review "The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East", which explores the First World War from the perspective of the Ottoman Empire; its leadership and peoples.
Join Simon and Tom, along with a few coughs and sniffles, for our discussion of Ian Kershaw's "The 'Hitler Myth'". This book uses the framework of "charasmatic authority" to understand how and why Hitler became popular during the early years in power, and how that was sustained over time. It was a seminal book within the new era of scholarship from the 1970s and 80s, and highly regarded to this day.
Join Tom and Simon for episode 2 of the History Hermanos where we discuss 'Ring of Steel' by Alexander Watson. The book explores the German and Austro-Hungarian experience of the First World War, focusing in particular on the citizens of those states and asking how their governments sought, maintained, but ultimately lost the popular consent necessary to wage The Great War of 1914-1918.
Join Simon and Tom as we discuss "The German Way of War" by Robert Citino, which is an overview of German military doctrine from Frederick William to the Battle of Moscow in 1941. In this book, Citino suggests that German military doctrine may be best typified by the continuity of thought relating to the importance of operational procedures rather than tactical, among other elements that have their roots in Prussian military culture. The book goes on to detail the success and failures such principles have over the course of history due to changing strategic conditions and technological advances.