The Angry Staff Officer<p><strong>April Showers Bring May Books</strong></p><p>I will not apologize for my horrendous title. You deserve it.</p><p>When the world is a mess, you lean into your reading list. Hard. This month was a solid mix of military history and historical fiction, with author Naomi Novik once again dropping some bangers. She is rapidly turning into one of my favorite authors. But despite her prowess, this month my top book is *shockingly* a work of history. I know, I know, literally no one is shocked. </p><p>If there were to be a theme for the month, I think it would be that although war and battles are often the tempting solution to solving problems, they usually produce more problems than they solve. Wars are like Jason’s Molotov cocktails on the show <em>The Good Place </em>– he uses them to solve his problems, because after you’ve thrown one, you suddenly find that you have many more problems and your initial problem is no longer a concern. I feel as though the geopolitical events of May and June have mostly borne this out, as nations struggle to disentangle themselves from military conflicts that don’t seem to want to go quietly back into their boxes.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9780190931513" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Allure of Battle – by Cathal Nolan</a></strong></p><p>Do you ever read a book and find yourself stopping to text your friends screenshots or quotes? Well for me, that was <em>Allure of Battle</em>. This work is probably one of the most meaningful reflections on military history and national strategy that has been published in the last decade. Nolan pulls few punches; in fact, it’s fair to say that he comes out swinging and doesn’t stop delivering knock-outs until you close the book. And even then, you’re left chewing on the thesis for another week or two. </p><p>His thesis – that when nations and military leaders seek decisive battle to solve their problems, they find themselves bogged down in a tactical mess no closer to any real solution – is particularly meaningful at the moment. The US Department of Defense is making a big push to increase “lethality” and a “warrior” spirit in the military. Both of these initiatives fall into what Nolan calls “Plan[ing] for battle and not for war.” As a mentor of mine put succinctly put it, “America is always looking for tactical answers to strategic problems.” Suffice to say, it’s not a great way to plan for the future. </p><p>The author spares not the pen on past generals and leaders. Not even Bonaparte is safe, as Nolan points out that even the king of decisive battles waged far more and bloody <em>indecisive </em>battles. Nolan is harshest on the 1871-1945 Germans (erstwhile darlings of the DOD until recent years). Quoting von Moltke, he summarizes their tactics and technology-based approach to war as “Punch a hole and then see what happens,” which is hardly a strategic approach. Which, of course, is why the Germans took big fat Ls in two world wars. Turns out, connecting national goals with achievable battlefield results is important. Who knew? Through the words of participants and theorists over the years, Nolan crafts a skillful argument backed by excellent research. <em>The Allure of Battle</em> should be mandatory reading for all field grade officers and GS-15s and above. Because, yes, we of the US Army definitely make an appearance in basically everything post-Korea. National self reflection is hard, but we badly need it.</p> <p><strong>The Temeraire Series – Naomi Novik</strong></p><p>“Napoleonic War but what if dragons” continues in <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9780593359556" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Throne of Jade</a></em>, <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9780593359563" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Black Powder War</a></em>, <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9780593359570" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Empire of Ivory</a></em>, and <em><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9780593359587" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Victory of Eagles</a></em>. These delightful – but also stressful? – books continue the story of a Royal Navy captain turned aviator and his opinionated dragon. In these four books, Captain Will Laurence and Temeraire travel to China, Turkey, Africa, and many places in between in the long struggle to defeat Napoleon Bonaparte. Bonaparte shows possibly more deftness and diplomatic ability in this world than he showed in real life, but one can see that you would want to have an adversary worthy of Temeraire. Novik’s world building skills are on display once again as she imagines how different nations and cultures would adapt to dragons, their rights and duties, and how to adapt them to warfare. Her ability to craft unique characters for dragons remains delightful (they’re like cats but also dogs?). Highly recommend for those looking for well-written historical fiction (she drops some wonderful Easter eggs throughout, and Wellington’s appearance is exactly as fantastic as you would hope) and also some unexpected discussions on duty and ethics. The books do not require an investment of energy and make a good distraction from the travails of the day-to-day.</p><p><strong>If We are Striking for Pennsylvania – by Eric Wittenberg and Scott Mingus</strong></p><p>Links here for <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9781611215847" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Volume 1</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9781611216110" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Volume 2</a></p><p>Even though I am what I’d call a consummate Gettysburg nerd, even I have to ask “do we really need not one, but <em>two </em>more books on the Gettysburg campaign?” Thankfully, the authors themselves asked this question – sharing the remarkable factoid that there are so many books on Gettysburg, that it’s like one has been published every three days since the battle ended. What makes this series different from most is that it places the Gettysburg campaign within the larger context of the eastern theater of the Civil War. It encompasses operations from the Shenandoah Valley across to the coasts of North Carolina and Virginia in minute detail, placing the campaign within its proper strategic context. The reader gains a far better appreciation for the stakes at hand, Robert E. Lee’s operational missteps, and George Meade’s competency as an army commander. The two volumes follow Lee from his lines along the Rappahannock in early June as he receives permission from the Confederate cabinet to invade Pennsylvania to the engagements in Winchester and the Loudon Valley along the way, the cavalry fights around Hanover as Stuart and Lee blindly try to find each other, and the opening shots of the battle of Gettysburg. The works present a vastly more rich perspective on the campaign and it is hoped the authors produce something similar on the aftermath of the battle. Because yeah, I am a sucker for G-burg content.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9780870239595" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Revolution Downeast: the War for American Independence in Maine – James Leamon</a></strong></p><p>Seeing as it is the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution, I took to the stacks to read one of the very few comprehensive books out there on the war in the Pine Tree State. Then still a part of hated Massachusetts, Maine is often overlooked in scholarship and lumped into that state. Which is a pity, as Maine’s people deserve to stand forth on their own. While Leamon does separate Maine from the lair of the Massholes, his analysis comes up somewhat short of what I had hoped for. Typical of its era, it does a good job of providing a social and political summary of the people while giving an overview of military operations in the district. It glances at Arnold’s march, gives perspective on the burning of Falmouth, and points to the failures in the 1779 Penobscot expedition. The author covers the frontier conflicts in adequate detail, but the reader is left wanting more on the experience of the Wabanaki peoples. What is sadly lacking is a history of Mainers in the Continental Army. For that, we shall have to wait. In the meantime, this work provides an excellent jumping off point for future scholars.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/114985/9781640124295" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Unsung Hero of Gettysburg: The Story of Union General David McMurtrie Gregg – Edward Longacre </a></strong></p><p>Okay, I won’t lie – I went to this book not because of some interest in US cavalry officer David Gregg, but because I wanted more context on the evolution of US cavalry in the eastern theater in the Civil War and Longacre is known for his cavalry work. I can’t say I came away from the book afire with devotion for David Gregg, but I do have additional appreciation for his actions. Did he save the Union at Gettysburg? I mean, didn’t everyone in the Army of the Potomac? That’s how to wiggle out of that thorny question. What the author does deliver is an excellent overview of the use of US cavalry from 1862-1865 (the period of Gregg’s service). The evolution of tactics and technology takes the cavalry arm from the era of the scout and the saber charge to the era of mobile infantry in just about two years. By the Petersburg campaign, US cavalry brigades and divisions demonstrate proficiency at maneuver warfare. For example, Gregg ended the war fighting two of his regiments dismounted and backed by an artillery battery in sections, with a mounted regiment in support. This flexibility enabled him to react to a rapidly changing battlefield and to exploit opportunities when they appeared. While it was not the comprehensive overview I would have liked, Longacre delivered an engaging read.</p><p>That wraps it up for May, coming in just under the wire with July looming on the horizon like a…like a…like a thing that looms. Look, not every sentence can be a winner. Thanks for bearing with me as I mess with the thorny issue of reviewing books. The bookies at Atlantic City will give you good odds on how soon I receive a complaint from an author.</p><ol></ol> <p><em>Enjoy what you just read? 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