Page 118 - Australian Defence Magazine May 2022

118 BOOKS OF INTEREST
MAY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
WAR IN THE PACIFIC
STORM APPROACHING – 1931-1941 By Peter Harmsen
Published by Big Sky Publishing
RRP $32.99 in paperback
ISBN 9781922615336
War in the Pacific, Storm Approaching 1931-1941 is the first in a trilogy of books by Peter Harmsen to be published in Australia. In
this first book, Harmsen, who has worked as a foreign correspondent in East Asia as well as for Bloomberg and the Financial Times, demonstrates how Japan
A LIFE IN WORDS
COLLECTED WRITINGS FROM GALLIPOLI TO THE MELBOURNE CUP By Les Carlyon
Published by Allen & Unwin
RRP $39.99 in hardback
ISBN 9781760879723
The late Les Carylon will
be remembered as a gifted storyteller whose subjects ranged far and wide. His career in newspapers was stellar - he became editor of The Age at thirty-three and went on to become editor in chief of The Herald & Weekly Times. In military history,
and China’s ancient enmity grew in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries leading to increased tensions in the 1930s which exploded into conflict in 1937.
Against the backdrop of
the increasing militarisation of Japan and its regional ambitions, he reveals
the longstanding enmity between China and Japan and Japanese realisation
that naval power would be important to its future military success. He makes the point that US planning for war with Japan included an element
of condescension towards the Japanese and their skills in battle. Harmsen offers
up a compelling account of the geopolitical factors that coalesced to bring about the war in the Pacific that it took a superpower to stop. Books 2 and 3 in the series are set for release this year.
he will be remembered for two books: Gallipoli (2001) and The Great War (2006). This collection of his writings features an eclectic mix of short pieces including ‘Why history matters’ (it does, he argues), ‘Hirohito: each-way punter’ (the most successful each-way punter of the century, according to Carlyon, who was obsessed with
horse racing) and ‘The battles of Beevor’ (a wry look at a noted British war historian), among other pieces. If you enjoyed Les Carlyon’s books, then you’ll want to read this collection. Throughout it all, you get the very strong sense of his subtle wit and feet-on- the-ground attitude to life. I am sure many readers were saddened by his death at the age of 76. Fortunately, he has left behind a legacy of words for us all to enjoy.
STRATEGY AND COMMAND
ISSUES IN AUSTRALIA’S TWENTIETH CENTURY WARS
By David Horner
Published by Cambridge
University Press
RRP $59.95 in hardback ISBN 9781009067041
In this work, David Horner
sets out to provide an important insight into the strategic decisions and military commanders who shaped Australia’s army history from the Boer War to the evolution of the command structure for the Australian Defence Force in
THEN. NOW. ALWAYS
ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE ILLUSTRATED HISTORY 1921-2021 Published by Big Sky Publishing RRP $59.99 in hardback
ISBN 9781922615053
This book, published to coincide with the 100-
year anniversary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), relied on a long
list of contributors too numerous to mention. I think it is worth mentioning, however, the many historic photographs that illustrate this volume. It must have
the 2000s. Horner begins with the Boer War when individual states sent detachments to aid the British cause. It became Australia’s first experience of committing forces to coalition warfare. Fast forward to
the First World War and the struggle to turn the AIF into
a fully Australian force, one commanded by Australians at every level. The post-WWI period saw the army cut savagely.
Less than twenty years later,
the new Labor Prime Minister John Curtin was recalling the Commander of the AIF in the Middle East, General Sir Thomas Blamey, who expressed his apprehension about Australia’s war preparedness. It was 1942, a pivotal year in Australian history. Horner covers more recent history too, including the push for joint commands. This book is a compilation of research and writing on military history by one of Australia’s most noted military historians.
taken a considerable effort to assemble these resources. The RAAF has certainly come a long way since its early beginnings in the Australian Flying Corps as an element
of the Australian Army. From this modest beginning at the very birth of aviation, the RAAF has developed over the years to become an effective force involved in operations and peacetime activities. This is a story that encompasses both war and peace. It’s
about the people who have served and the evolution of the aircraft that have formed the backbone of the service over the years. Many readers will remember the F-111s with nostalgia. For anyone with a connection to the RAAF or an interest in Australian military aviation, this book will become a treasured addition to the book collection. ■
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