Marc K. Blackburn
Reviews By Author
|
The Chaco War, 1932-1935: Fighting in Green Hell (Latin America @ War, no. 20)Published:
From the perspective of the United States, the interwar period, the interval between the First and Second World Wars, our story was insular – the hedonism of the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the road to war. From the US perspective, it was a time of peace. Far to the south of us, there was a bloody struggle between Bolivia and Paraguay over a region known as Chaco. In the newest edition of Helion & Company’s ongoing series on warfare in Latin America (number 20 in their series) it tackles the Chaco War. Like many publishing companies, Helion uses a formula of a concise narrative, photographs contemporary to the time period, color profiles of vehicles, planes and ships, and a small selection of uniforms. I believe that there is a separate volume in this same series that covers… more |
|
Velikiye Luki 1942-43: The Doomed Fortress (Campaign 351)Published:
When the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, known as Operation Barbarossa, began on 22 June 1941, it would quickly become the campaign that would destroy the Nazi Empire. Long before the battle of Berlin began in 1945, there were a thousand moments of violence and drama that would define this struggle. While many know the broad strokes of the eastern front, these individual battles within larger campaigns remain in the shadows. This book focuses on one of those struggles. Velikiye Luki is the 351st offering in Osprey’s long running campaign series. They follow a tried and true formula. It begins with a brief introduction that speaks to the origins of the campaign, a brief chronology, the commanders of both sides, the forces at their disposal, the plans of both sides,… more |
|
Dutch Waffen-SS Legion & Brigade 1941-44Published:
Osprey’s long running men at arms series has produced another volume, this time based on the Dutch Waffen SS. Osprey has a tried and true formula for this series – providing introductory information, battles and campaigns they took part in, and aftermath. These volumes are illustrated with contemporary black and white photographs and color plates of uniforms, flags, and rank insignia. As with most Osprey publications, the production quality is outstanding as are the color plates. The page count is low, which makes sense since the Dutch SS lasted as long as the occupation of Holland and the Second World War. With the rise of Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany, smaller fascist movements popped up in Western Europe, including Holland. Heinrich Himmler, the commander of the… more |
|
Logistics in World War II, 1939-1945Published:
There is an old axiom that amateurs pursue tactics, but professionals manage logistics. It is a topic that largely goes unexplored in the voluminous literature of the Second World War. Outside of the modeling world, I am an academically trained military historian who works in the public history field. I have had a keen interest in the topic. Given my background, I was keen to review this work. From a production point of view, Pen and Sword knows what they are doing – high quality binding, heavy paper, and well produced photographs, contemporary to the war and modern, color photographs of restored vehicles form the Second World War. My criticisms are with the content. Logistics is a broad topic that can be split into many different things. The author certainly recognizes this.… more |
|
Napoleon’s Imperial Guard Uniforms and Equipment, Vol II, The CavalryPublished:
This the second volume in a series devoted to the uniforms and equipment of Napoleon’s Imperial Guard. The first volume concentrated on the Infantry and I have not seen it. This volume focuses on the cavalry. The Imperial Guard, as the name suggests, was Napoleon’s personal guard that expanded into the elite regiments of the French Army. The material culture of the military through the ages has always attracted buffs, historians, and modelers. The author, rather than relying on secondary sources has dipped into archives and museum collections to understand the nitty gritty details, in particular colors and construction. As the author points out, despite the evidence that does exist, in many cases, we will never know many of the details that made up the uniforms of Napoleon’s elite… more |
|
World War II German Super-Heavy Siege GunsPublished:
When HobbyBoss released a 1/72 kit of the German super siege gun known as ‘Dora’ I knew I wanted one. Unfortunately, I still do not have one in my stash (if anyone get me one cheap I am all ears!) so this book will have to do! As with most Osprey titles, they combine well reproduced historical photographs with artist’s renderings. This book is no different. The broad focus of the book are the super siege guns but it is split between those manufactured by Germany and those from foreign manufacturers that were absorbed by the Wehrmacht. The final part of the book concentrates on their operational history. Anyone familiar with the heavier artillery used by the Germans knows that in the aftermath of the Versailles Treaty and the defeat of Germany, with one exception, they were… more |
|
Blackburn Shark (Orange Series)Published:
MMP Books has a series called the Orange Series. This prolific publishing company has a number of series and this one is relatively new and the Blackburn Shark is one of three imprints in this series. In a sense it is a profile publication that highlights one model of aircraft. As with many publications of this genre, it is well illustrated with pictures contemporary to the aircraft’s service (very well produced), drawings, and color profiles. My surname is Blackburn, but to my knowledge, I am not related to the founders of the Blackburn aircraft company. Prior to receiving this book, I had never heard of this particular aircraft. A contemporary of the famous Swordfish, it saw only limited service in World War Two before being relegated to secondary roles. In the aftermath of… more |
|
Combat Vehicles of Russia’s Special ForcesPublished:
Osprey is a prolific publishing company based in England that not only covers historical military history topics, but modern ones as well. Published in 2020, this work as a tight focus on vehicles used by the wide variety of elite and specialist troops in the Russian Republic. As with nearly every series of Osprey the book is filled with well reproduced photographs (all color) and illustrations. It divides the book into the various users and, again as a regular feature of these books, a short list of suggested works for those who would like to know more. The first part of the book is related to Russian Special Forces, the Spetsnaz. The book focuses on a cross section of light vehicles used by these elite soldiers. They book focuses on light military vehicles, primarily their… more |
|
Hitler’s Heavy Tiger Tank Battalions, 1942-1945: Rare Photographs from Wartime ArchivesPublished:
The images of war series, published by Pen and Sword but distributed by Casemate Publishing, is a prolific series that covers a huge variety of topics. They will often feature a campaign or a particular vehicle and then provide a brief narrative and photographic coverage of the vehicle’s service life. The author’s do their best to find photographs that have not been widely published. The audience for these publications are history buffs and. I would say, modelers. This particular volume focuses on the individual Tiger Tank battalions that were formed with the advent of the Tiger. The book takes a chronological approach and starts every chapter with a brief overview of what was going on. This is not a photo essay on the Tiger, but the battalions that they served. They served on… more |
|
Journal of the Military Vehicle Preservation Society (Vol. 2, Issue 2 - October/November 2019)Published:
The Military Vehicle Preservation Society (MVPA) is a hobbyist group that restores and operate historical military vehicles. While the journal is for members, for modelers that enjoy soft skins, the images are worthwhile. From what I can figure out, it appears that History in Motion is available to members as opposed to something you would find in a hobby shop. This publication is the result of merging the previous two membership publications into one. Like many membership publications, there are articles from the officers, features that highlight membership activities and special articles. The articles in this issue that caught my attention was the last part of three part series on Canadian Five Ton trucks., the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings and a number of… more |