Review by Martin Koenigsberg
If the title of the Book looks familiar to those reading about the modern Day Ukrainian War of Independence headlines- yes- its the same Crimea. This was another war fought to restrain Russian imperial ambitions, although in this case it was more about the Balkans. The British and the French, coming to the assistance of their gallant ally Turkey- were trying to make sure the Russians did not bully the Porte, something they usually felt was their birthright in this era. But the idea of the war as a quick punitive expedition like most “gunboat diplomacy” episodes turned into a long siege against a determined foe. Fought in 1854-56, the war featured some of the new technologies, especially in Medicine (after a terrible start, narrow gauge railroads, and artillery, but also commanders trapped in Napoleonic doctrines. The story is ably told by John Sweetman, an author with a lot of European conflict histories to his credit. In the classic essential Histories style, we meet the main characters, but also some common folk or rankers, so we understand a bit about how the war was lived. Lots of maps, diagrams and images of all kinds pepper the narrative. The Crimean War is where the British Army finally had to modernise some practices that harked back to Wars like the Spanish Succession, Jenkin’s Ear or the 7 years War. Coming at the start of the Victorian age, officers blooded in the Crimea would go on to fight all of Queen Victoria’s wars. Military history buffs will like this quick guide to the conflict- but i think general audience readers will appreciate learning about a pivotal European struggle. Most of the adult themes are political , but there are some issues and the medical passages may be enough to make this best for the Junior Reader over 13/14 years. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast there are some great points. For the Gamer, this a perfect introduction for any local game club members taking the historical plunge in a Campaign- if they have only played RPGs/40K/LOTR style games- or to learn about other 19th Century wars if the ACW is getting to be too much. The modeler will like the understanding of the period, but will need even more images for diorama/build assistance. The Military Enthusiast gets a qood quick introduction to a War that was to colour all the later Victorian wars- and has shadows to this day.
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