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The Black Cross: a history of the Baltic Crusades
In the 12th to 15th centuries, crusading armies unleashed a holy war against the last pagan societies in northern Europe, particularly in the Baltic Sea region. Pluskowski explores how the construction of castles and towns, and the introduction of new languages, technology, economies, and religion, transformed the conquered societies.
The Black Cross: a history of the Baltic Crusades
Aleksander Pluskowski
Yale University Press, hbk, 480pp, £25
ISBN 978-0300279061
A Cool Head in Hell
This compelling historical narrative is based on Harry Silman’s diary, one of the few contemporaneous accounts by a POW under the Japanese to survive WWII. Graphic yet compassionate and rich with humour, this remarkable account has been transcribed by Silman’s daughter, who has added illuminating commentary throughout.
A Cool Head in Hell
Harry Silman, ed. Jacqueline Passman
Extraordinary Books, hbk, 208pp, £14.99
ISBN 978-1917569064
The Man who Stopped the Sultan: Gabriele Tadino and the defence of Europe
As ruler of the Ottoman Empire, Suleiman the Magnificent governed a vast realm stretching from Persia to the Atlantic Ocean. Turning his gaze to Europe, Suleiman attacked Rhodes, the island fortress of the Knights Hospitaller, but here he was opposed by a humble military engineer named Gabriele Tadino.
The Man who Stopped the Sultan: Gabriele Tadino and the defence of Europe
Edoardo Albert
Osprey, hbk, 304pp, £25
ISBN 978-1472869999
Thunder in the Mountains: the First World War on the Italian Front
Part history, part travelogue, and part battlefield guidebook, this publication tells the story of the Italian Front in WWI, exploring the battles fought in the most inhospitable environments, from the ‘howling wilderness’ of the arid Carso Plateau to the avalanche-ravaged mountains of the Dolomites.
Thunder in the Mountains: the First World War on the Italian Front
Tom IsittHelion & Company, pbk, 334pp, £29.95
ISBN 978-1804519080
The Accused: how women faced justice for Nazi-era crimes
To date, our understanding of women’s participation in Nazi war crimes has been shaped by political decisions made by men. Jessica Trisko Darden presents a compelling examination of the variety of atrocities that women of all ages committed during the Nazi era, and how – or whether – courts held them accountable.
The Accused: how women faced justice for Nazi-era crimes
Jessica Trisko Darden
Yale University Press, hbk, 264pp, £35
ISBN 978-0300278439
The War that Made the Middle East: World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire’s collapse at the end of WWI is often treated as a foregone conclusion. Aksakal overturns this conventional narrative. A story of war, politics, and ordinary people caught up in the devastation, this book offers new insights into the Great War and its lasting consequences.
The War that Made the Middle East: World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire
Mustafa Aksakal
Princeton University Press,hbk, 264pp, £28
ISBN 978-0691262499
PODCASTS
SpyCast
SpyCast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, takes listeners on a journey into the shadows of international espionage. Each week, host Sasha Ingber explores the latest insights and intriguing tales from spies, secret agents, and covert communicators, with a focus on how this secret world reaches us all in our everyday lives. Episodes cover a wide range of subjects, from the book club designed to bring down Communism in the Soviet Union to an interview with the CIA’s former ‘Q’, and the creation of the TV adaptation of The Night Manager. Tune in to discover the critical role that intelligence has played throughout history, and into the present day.
SpyCast
Sasha Ingber
www.spymuseum.org/podcast
Battleground
This weekly podcast presented by military historians Patrick Bishop and Saul David explores the narratives, turning points, and characters that shape conflicts, encompassing a blend of social and military history. Battleground is focused on 20th- and 21st-century warfare, having begun with a multi-part special on the Falklands War, before turning its attention
to the war in Ukraine. In other mini-series, the presenters look back to the seismic events of 1945, examine the Korean War, and discuss whether famous military figures are heroes or villains, as well as a host of other subjects. Special episodes include interviews with guest historians, authors, and experts.
Battleground
Patrick Bishop and Saul David
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/battleground/id1617276298
