Human beings sure like to squabble, and the more history they share, the more enmity they seem to feel. America is little over 200 years old, and has had only one internal conflict during that time, and yet it still impacts the country to this day.Imagine, then, a region occupied for millenia2, and the potential only increases.

India and Pakistan have been at each other’s throats since the day of partition, and the author Ravi Rikhye, does a good job of explaining the incredible complexities of the hostility for the average reader.Suffice it to say that my head was buzzing after reading the introduction. It’s very hard for someone not born in that part of the world to really understand what the grievances are. The author himself states flatly that writing history is a subjective experience, and that there are no “bad guys” or “good guys” in this struggle. After reading the entire book I have to agree.

In any case, the conflict of 1971 is described in detail here, and the author includes some really interesting pictures of troops, armor and aircraft to highlight his points. Since both sides were often armed with the same equipment, identification on the battlefield must have been something of a challenge at times.However, some of the ad hoc camouflage makes for some potentially interesting modeling challenges.

All in all, this is a very useful book for the modeler of an on-going region of conflict, which may well outlast the 21^st century. Ravi has done a terrific job of documenting the battles (such as they are), the people and weapons, and points out that the conflict ultimately fizzled rather than ended with a bang, ensuring that more conflict will surely follow.

For anyone interested in brush warfare or low-level conflicts, this is a useful book to add to your collection. My thanks to Helion and Company and Mr. Rikhye for providing such a document, and to IPMS/USA for a chance to add it to my own library.

Stay safe, everyone, and happy modeling!