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In this section we review new books, articles, wargame figures and anything
else related to Balkan Military History. Previous reviews are archived:
Current Reviews
Diary of a
Russian Artilleryman in the Shipka Pass 1877
The Foreign Correspondent
July 2010
This is a translated extract from the diary of a Russian artilleryman first
published in the Royal Artillery Institution in 1881. It paints a detailed
picture of how artillery was used in the Shipka Pass actions.
Eclipse of
the Crescent Moon
Geza Gardonyi
This is the story of the siege of Eger,
Hungary, in 1552. A small garrison successfully resisted a huge Ottoman army for
nearly six weeks, forcing it to withdraw. The novel concentrates on the life of
one of the Captains in the siege, Gergely Bournemissza. He takes us through his
early life and the events of the period he was engaged with. This all culminates
in the epic siege that is told in some detail.
Excellent novel, well written and highly
recommended.
Ottoman
Infantryman 1914-18
David Nicolle
Osprey
Latest title in the Warrior series covers the Ottoman infantryman of WW1. In
the usual format it covers the recruitment, training and weaponry used by these
troops as well as some idea of life on campaign. Well illustrated as always.
Vlad - The Real Dracula
C.C.Humpreys
A well researched history that keeps as close to what we know about the real
historical figure, yet written with a great fast paced dialogue. The real
Dracula was of course Vlad Tepes known as The Impaler after his favourite form
of execution. Dracula is a play on Dracul, or Dragon the knighly order he
belonged to. It was of course Bram Stoker who created the vampire version,
although in fact he did very little research on the original. The novel takes us
through Vlad's early years as a hostage in the Ottoman court, through several
periods as Prince of Wallachia until his final defeat by the Ottomans. To this
day Vlad is a national hero in Romania and many would welcome his success in
stamping out crime - even if his methods were a bit robust by modern day
standards!
Battle of Pydna
Slingshot 267
Richard Taylor
Detailed article on the Battle of Pydna, fought between the Romans and
Macedon in 168BC. The article takes the reader carefully through the sources on
each aspect of the battle and follows that with the author's interpretation.
Plus a helpful section on wargaming the battle.
Irregular
Miniatures 15mm Balkan Wars
Very useful new range from
Irregular Miniatures covering the main combatants of the Balkan Wars 1912.
Helpful review by Ogrefencer at his
blog.
Dawn of the
Tsarist Empire
Nicholas Dorrell Partisan Press
2009 ISBN 978 1 85818 594 1
A narrative history of the Poltava campaign 1708-09 with a detailed
description of the Russian army. Useful book somewhat damaged by the absence of
proof reading.
Aspirations
of Bulgaria
Stojan Protic
BiblioBazaar
ISBN 978-0559283390
This book covers
Bulgarian military and political actions during the early
20th century. The book claims to expose Bulgarian bad
behavior surrounding the Balkan Wars and refuting attendant
Bulgarian claims to the territory of Macedonia. It also
seeks to explain the background to Bulgaria’s attitude
towards the Great War (WWI). Written by a Serbian national
it should be read with some caution, none the less it offers
an interesting view based on sourced materials.
Austrian
Mountain Artillery in Bosnia 1878
Foreign Correspondent
October 2009
A reprint of an article first published in the Royal Artillery Institution
journal in 1881. A detailed look at the organisation, equipment and deployment
of mountain artillery in the 1878 Bosnian campaign.
Empires of
the Sea
Roger Crowley
Faber
ISBN 978 0 571 23231 4
History of warfare in the Med (1521 - 1580) from the siege of Rhodes through
to Malta and the Battle of Lepanto. Excellent narrative history covering the age
of the great galley fleets and the lesser raiding and minor conflicts dominated
by the Spanish and Ottoman empires.
Balkans in
World History
Andrew Wachtel
Oxford
ISBN 9780195338010
This history of the Balkan's seeks to take a more positive view of the region
in world history. It looks at the interaction of great civilizations with local
cultures. Good overview.
Battle of
Sarantaporo
Peter Holland
Wargames Illustrated
256 Feb 09
Early battle of the Balkan Wars between the Greek Army of Thessaly and an
Ottoman force defending fortifications by the Sarantaporo Straights. This
article gives a short description of the battle and uniform details for the
combat troops. Well illustrated.
Theoderic
Ross Laidlaw
Polygon
ISBN 9781846970825
Historical fiction but closely based on historical sources of the life of the
Ostrogothic King of Italy in the 5th and 6th century.
Skanderbeg &
Medieval Albania
Dave Watson
Hobilar
Dec 2008
Illustrated article on the editor's tour of Albania with particular reference
to Skanderbeg.
Capture of
Tirnovo 1877
William McElwee
Foreign Correspondent Issue 80 Oct 2008
Short narrative of the capture of the Bulgarian town of Tirnovo by the
Russian advanced guard in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877.
Lion of the
Balkans
Vladimir Chernozemsky
Triumvirate ISBN 1 932656 01 4
A novel based on Bulgaria during the First and Second Balkan wars. The main
focus is on a number of families in the Rhodope Mountains on the present day
southern border between Bulgaria and Greece. It graphically describes the impact
the war had on this border region with conflicting loyalties both national and
religious. A good read.
The Enemy at
the Gate
Andrew Wheatcroft
Bodley Head ISBN 978 0 224 07364 6
This is the story of the Habsburgs, Ottomans and the battle for Europe. The
author briefly covers the advance of the Ottomans into Europe up to the first
siege of Vienna in 1529. But the focus is on the second siege in 1683 and the
subsequent re-conquest of Hungary and much of present day Croatia. A period the
Austrians call 'The Age of Heroes'. This is a well balanced book that doesn't
fall into the common trap of portraying the Ottomans as simple aggressors.
Written in a lively style it is not only good history but a great read.
Battle of Lule Brugas
Bob Black
Wargames Illustrated
252 Oct. 2008
Detailed and well illustrated article of the key southern battle in Thrace of
the Balkan wars between the Bulgarian and Turkish armies.
Russo-Ottoman
wars 1710-13
Andrew Coleby & Nick Dorrell
Arquebusier Vol 31/2
An excellent overview of the conflict that followed on from the defeat of the
Swedish King Charles XII at Poltava. The authors set out the background to the
conflict and the Russian plans for a main assualt through Moldavia with
secondary fronts in the Crimea. The main battle on the Pruth was a rare defeat
for Peter the Great but it could have been a disaster on the scale of Poltava.
The article gives a good description of the troops engaged and the gaming
possibilities.
Red Storm
over the Balkans
David Glantz
University of Kansas ISBN 978 070061465 3
Usually overshadowed by the northern Soviet offensives in the Spring of 1944
this study traces the failed invasion of Romania by two Soviet army fronts in
April and May 1944. Heavily outnumbered Romanian and German troops fought a
skillful series of largely defensive actions that halted Stalin's Balkan
strategy. The campaign resulted in 200,000 casualties and David Glantz traces in
considerable detail the actions using the latest archive materials.
The Balkan
Wars of Independence 1821 - 1922
Achilles Kallos
Athena Press
ISBN 1 84401 065 1
The main sections of this book give a concise military history of all the
conflicts within the period of the book. The text is clear and the maps are very
good. There are also some drawings of typical troop types but no photographs.
The author is of Greek descent and this sometimes shows in his description of
events but that should not detract from a useful overview of a series of
conflicts, most of which have received limited coverage in English.
The Serbo-Bulgarian
war of 1885 - Combat at Slivnitsa
Colonel Regenspursky Nafziger
Collection ISBN 1 58545 177 0
George Nafziger has translated from the French this work first published in
1887 by a Colonel of the Austro-Hungarian Army. This is a valuable text as so
little has been written in English on this conflict and the decisive battle at
Slivnitsa. Unlike so many 19th century texts this was not written by a military
observer attached to one side and therefore producing an unbalanced report.
Regenspursky has produced a balanced work written close enough to the conflict
to benefit from a number of different reports. The maps could be better but
modern maps of the area are helpful as the area has not changed that much as
shown in the editor's visit to the battlefield.
Ottoman Wars
1700-1870
Virginia Aksan
Longman
ISBN 978 0 582 30807 7
This book covers what might be described as the slow decline of the Ottoman
military system following the defeat at Vienna in 1683 until the 1870's. It
describes the transition from a largely feudal force to a conscript army on the
Prussian model. This is by no means a narrative history and many of the key
campaigns are not always covered in detail. However, it does explain very well
the organisational, cultural and political context to the various changes and in
particular the attemts to introduce reform. This is an important contribution to
Ottoman military history and is highly recommended.
Battle of
Lugos 1695
Brian Burke
Arquebusier
Vol. 31/1
Well illustrated article on a lesser known battle in the Banat between the
Ottomans led by Sultan Mustapha II and the Imperial army commanded by Vetertani.
The Imperial army was the the Transylvanian corps left isolated by the main
Austrian force to the west and was heavily outnumbered. Surrounded on all sides
the Transylvanians were pushed back on their Tabor baggage that enabled the
cavalry to escape.
Captain Conan
Roger Vercel
South Carolina Press ISBN 978 1 57003
713 9
A translation of the 1934 novel about a French unit serving in the Balkans in
WW1. The focus of the book is in the immediate post-war period when French
troops were stationed in Bulgaria and Romania. It seeks to show the impact war
had on these young men. The peacetime chapters that form the majority of the
book are frankly slow reading. Cornwall this isn't!
Vienna 1683
Simon Millar
Osprey
ISBN 978 1 84603 231 8
Latest in the Osprey campaign series covers the siege of Vienna in 1683 the
high water point of the Ottoman advance into Europe. Usual campaign format with
a general introduction, a description of the opposing forces and a narrative of
the siege. Well illustrated including the usual colour plates and excellent
maps.
Serbia's
Great War 1914-18
Andrej Mitrovic
Hurst
ISBN 978185065883 2
At first glance this appears to fill a big gap in the English language study
of WW1. The battles against the Austro-Hungarian offensives followed by the
retreat across the Albanian mountains should make an epic read. Regrettably this
is not that book. This is primarily a political history, valuable as context,
but the military history is relegated to a few paragraphs.
In the Camp
of the Ban
Conrad Cairns
Foreign Correspondent January 2008
Notes on the 1848 Croatian army led by Jelacic that invaded Hungary in
support of the Hapsburgs. The focus is on uniforms and is illustrated with black
and white prints of the period.
Out of the
Italian Night
Maurice Lihou
Airlife
ISBN 1 84037 405 5
This is the story of Wellington bomber operations out of Italy in 1944-45.
Very much one man's experiences but the raids covered large parts of the
Balkans. The author flew the 'Wimpey' as part of 205 Group RAF mostly from a
base at Foggia . Raids included Sofia, Bucharest, Belgrade and Budapest as well
as mine laying in the Danube.
Realm of the
Black Mountain
Elizabeth Roberts Hurst
ISBN 978 185065 868 9
This is a narrative history of Montenegro from early times to the recent
declaration of independence. Unlike many Balkan histories it gives due weight to
the medieval period when Montenegro first became a recognisable entity and the
Ottoman period. Well written this is a great read.
Handcuffed to
a Corpse
Michael Kihntopf White Maine Books
ISBN 1 57249 242 2
A narrative of German involvement on the Balkan and Galician fronts during
WW1. The book gives a fairly basic description of the campaigns with a focus on
the role of German troops. The author's treatise is that German troops bailed
out the Central Powers at times of stress on these fronts. A few B&W photos and
poor maps.
The Guns of
Constantinople
Roger Crowley
Military History
September 2007
Story of the guns cast for Mehmed II by the renegade Hungarian, Orban for the
siege of Constantinople in 1453.
Battle of
Targul Frumos May 1944
Dave Brown
Wargames illustrated
July 2007
Germany's Army Group South had been driven out of Russia and the Soviet 2nd
Tank and 27th armies were pressing past Jassy to Targul Frumos inside Romania.
The defenders included Panzer Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland supported by
24th Panzer and 46th Infantry Divisions, all relatively well equipped by German
eastern front standards. This scenario written for the Battlegroup
Panzergrenadier rules includes a description of the battle and orbats as well as
a description of the refight.
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