Collected Miscellany

French Poilu (1914 – 1918) by Ian Sumner is an excellent book about the millions of French citizens who were called upon to defend their country during World War I – the Poilu.  I am the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of the French, but even I have to admit that the French soldiers of the past were not to blame for their poor performance in battle – they were often very poorly led.  This book reenforces that opinion and helps to enlighten those of us who know nothing about the French soldier in World War I.

The book covers all aspects of the Poilu – joining the army, equipment and weapons used, living in the trenches, combat, and leaving the trenches.  Sumner calls upon the personal accounts of individual French soldiers to provide a dose of real world experiences to his writing.  For example, he quotes Gabriel Chevallier (novelist) when describing what it was like the first time going “over the top” (climbing out of a trench) in an attack.  Since I have not read much war literature from a French perspective – these were interesting to read.

In the course of the book, Sumner explains why the French did so poorly in the early stages of the war, why their losses were so appalling, and the reasons for the 1917 Poilu mutiny.  With regard to the poor performance, the French military was in a time of turmoil at the outset of World War I – the Dreyfuss affair and various political scandals had destabilized the French military leadership.  Their losses were horrendous because of poor leadership and inadequate equipment (some troops went into combat with red pants – can’t conceal yourselves very easily with those on) and an aggressive attack attitude that did not take into account the advent of the machine gun.  Finally, the Poilu did not revolt because they wanted to get out of the war,but because of continued poor leadership and lack of any comforts – they were rarely given any leave.

This book is an excellent resource for someone who wants to get a general idea of the French Poilu in World War I.

Russian Battleship Vs. Japanese Battleship: Yellow Sea 1904-05 by Robert Forczyk is a book in Osprey’s “Duel” series, which provides accounts of machines of war pitted against each other and the combatants that operated them.  As with most of the technical books of Osprey, this is a very detailed analysis of the Russian and Japanese battleships that fought in the Russo-Japanese War.

I have always had an interest in learning more about this war.  Although this book does not touch on the land battles between the Russians and Japanese, it provides a wonderful account of what occurred between the two countries’ navies in two crucial battles (Yellow Sea and Tsushima) and several minor skirmishes.  This was the coming-out party for the Imperial Japanese Navy and what a party it was.

Forczyk not only provides a detailed narrative of the naval battles and how the Japanese bested the Russians (overwhelmingly so in the Battle of Tsushima), but he also includes an in-depth analysis of the competing battleship designs and ideas (including gun, communication, and armor development).  For example, he looks at the British and French designs for battleship design (these two countries were the leaders in design at the time) and how those designs influenced the outcome of the war.

Forczyk’s gives an objective analysis of the Russian and Japanese commanders.  He criticizes the performances of each side’s commanders – although the Russians are judged more harshly based upon their extremely poor performance.  For instance, in the Battle of the Yellow Sea, he criticizes Russian Vice-Admiral Vilgelm Vitgeft for his timidity and Admiral Heihachiro Yogo for his poor attempt of “crossing the T” maneuver.

For anyone interested in the late 1800s and early 1900s international battleship development race, this book is an excellent resource.