Raymond JonasThe Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire

Harvard University Press, 2011

by Jay Lockenour on May 1, 2012

Raymond Jonas

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Raymond Jonas‘ The Battle of Adwa: African Victory in the Age of Empire (Harvard UP, 2011) places Menelik alongside Napoleon and other greatest strategists. The Ethiopian emperor carried out a brilliant maneuver across hundreds of miles, essentially defeating his Italian adversaries without battle. That battle came was the colossal blunder of the Italians and one that cost thousands of Italian and Askari soldiers their lives. More than just the history of the campaign, The Battle of Adwa provides keen insights into Menelik’s court and elucidates Italian imperial ambitions.

Interview with Raymond Jonas [ 34:36 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Jörg MuthCommand Culture: Officer Education in the U.S. Army and the German Armed Forces, 1901-1940, and the Consequences for World War II

March 12, 2012

This week we’re continuing our focus on the Second World War, as our guest author, Jörg Muth, chats about his recent book Command Culture: Officer Education in the U.S. Army and the German Armed Forces, 1901-1940, and the Consequences for World War II (University of North Texas Press, 2011). Muth’s book, which has recently been selected [...]

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David StahelOperation Barbarossa and Germany’s Defeat in the East

February 13, 2012

This week’s podcast is an interview with David Stahel. I will be talking to him about his 2009 work, Operation Barbarossa and Germany’s Defeat in the East (Cambridge University Press). One of our previous guests, Matthias Strohn, recommended the book, and I am glad he did. Stahel’s book is an important contribution to our understanding [...]

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Michael MathenyCarrying the War to the Enemy: American Operational Art to 1945

December 16, 2011

Ask many military historians about the origins of American operational art and many will place it sometime after the Second World War. Conventional wisdom has long held that the American military only developed a rough understanding of operations – the planning and conduct of large-scale (Corps-size or greater) coordinated offensive and defensive actions – in [...]

Interview with Michael Matheny [ 53:27 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Fredric KromeFighting Future Wars: An Anthology of Science Fiction War Stories, 1914-1945

December 4, 2011

It is not often that fictional accounts might warrant serious consideration by military historians, but in the case of Frederic Krome’s recent book, Fighting the Future War: An Anthology of Science Fiction War Stories, 1914-1945 (Routledge, 2011) some of the most fantastic stories from the realm of pulp science fiction are given a second look. Surprisingly these [...]

Interview with Fredric Krome [ 55:01 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Timothy NunanCarl Schmitt: Writings on War

October 25, 2011

Carl Schmitt (1888-1985) was the author of numerous influential books and essays on political theory, law, and other subjects. In Carl Schmitt: Writings on War (Polity Press, 2011), Rhodes Scholar Timothy Nunan has provided us with an excellent translation of three of Schmitt’s essay on military affairs. These essays are relevant from a variety of [...]

Interview with Timothy Nunan [ 1:05:54 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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David UlbrichPreparing for Victory: Thomas Holcomb and the Making of the Modern Marine Corps, 1936-1943

October 5, 2011

The story of the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific Theatre in the Second World War is no doubt quite familiar to our listeners. Less well known, however, is the story of how the Marine Corps readied itself for the challenges of amphibious warfare during the interwar period. No less obscure is the record [...]

Interview with David Ulbrich [ 1:09:38 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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John GrenierThe Far Reaches of Empire: War in Nova Scotia, 1710-1760

September 23, 2011

For many readers, colonial history begins and ends with the original 13 American colonies. This perception overlooks the other British colonies throughout the New World, each of which created their own unique challenges for their imperial master. Historian John Grenier considers one of these “other” colonies in his book The Far Reaches of Empire: War [...]

Interview with John Grenier [ 44:32 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Charles TownshendDesert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia

August 31, 2011

An earlier author described the British invasion of Mesopotamia in 1914 as “The Neglected War.” It no longer deserves that title thanks to the brilliant treatment of the subject by Professor Charles Townshend (University of Keele). His Desert Hell: The British Invasion of Mesopotamia (Harvard University Press, 2011) describes in impressive detail both the political [...]

Interview with Charles Townshend [ 1:03:34 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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Michael NeibergDance of the Furies: Europe and the Outbreak of World War I

August 4, 2011

As we close in on the centennial of the First World War, no doubt there will be a flood of new interpretations and “hidden histories” of the conflict. Many books will certainly promise much, but in the end deliver little. Fortunately this is not the case with Michael Neiberg’s latest book Dance of the Furies: Europe [...]

Interview with Michael Neiberg [ 47:19 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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