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Reccomendations for military history study


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Well, I went to ask DH (who until last year was the Professor of Aerospace Studies at our local USAF ROTC detachment), and he started asking me, "What era? What branch? What focus?" He has several books to recommend.

 

I found this course: http://iweb.tntech.edu/preagan/336syl.html but frankly, it scares the crap outta me (LOL) and I'd NEVER EVER IN A BAJILLION YEARS take this class. Okay, I might sign up for it, but would run like the wind after I reviewed the syllabus.

 

However, it might give you an idea of how you might do "Military History Lite" (grin) and focus on one particular branch of service. The USAF has only been "official" for 60ish years, and we've only been flying for roughly 100 years. That's manageable to me...naval warfare is ancient!

 

But by all means, direct him to just get started. :) There are many, many biographies of great warrior/leaders he can read.

 

HTH,

 

Lori

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I was first introduced to Hanson's work when I read Who Killed Homer? which he co-authored. He is a classics professor, military historian, farmer in N. Calif., and Hoover Institution fellow.

 

His wrote the intro. for the Landmark Thucydides. He has written about warfare from ancient to modern times. His blog is here:http://victorhanson.com/. He has written many books. My daughter has read parts of Carnage and Culture--Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power, and A War Like No Other which discusses the the Peloponnesian Wars.

For another resource, we both liked the Teaching Company's Great Battles of the Ancient World. We only had time to listen to Prof. Fagan's lectures; he is terrific.

(Pardon my font troubles; can't seem to fix it.)

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For another resource, we both liked the Teaching Company's Great Battles of the Ancient World. We only had time to listen to Prof. Fagan's lectures; he is terrific.

 

We loved these, too. My boys still quote him at random times, during dinner, whenever...!

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My ds would like to study military history as one of his electives. Does anyone know of a book that they could reccomend?

Thanks

Peggy

 

Victor Davis Hanson, Ripples of Battle

Edward Beach The United States Navy (Very readable history of the Navy)

Stephen Ambrose, several titles including The Pegasus Bridge, Citizen Soldiers and Band of Brothers.

John Keegan, The Face of Battle (there is a good audio version of this book)

 

Trying to do general military history might be a very big chunk to try to chew. Maybe a more focused course, ancient, once service, one war (Napoleonic, WWII, modern warfare), the influence of technological advances on war, literature of war (both fiction and autobiographic), etc.

 

I did a Naval History course that was the history of the US Navy that used Beach's book as a spine. Then each student was expected to do a research project on one event (mine was an abortive mutiny that led to founding the Naval Academy).

 

I found several syllubi by searching military history syllubus. This one looks like a good departure point. I also found one from West Point here

 

I think that a course like this would be a great place to develop research and writing skills, rather than trying to master what is a very large body of information.

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Victor Davis Hanson is da' bomb.

 

I'm looking at weaving military history into our "regular" history program this coming year. I am looking at excerpts from the following (except the first which is really short, and will be read in its entirety).

 

For a basic overview of pretty much everything in the past and how it relates to the present,

 

Warrior Politics, Kaplan (only 155 pages and an easy read)

 

For decisive battles:

 

100 Decisive Battles from Ancient to Modern Times, Paul K. Davis (Oxford)

Military Misfortunes, The Anatomy of Failures in War, Cohen and Gooch

Impossible Victories: 10 Unlikely Battlefield Successes, Bryan Perrett

50 Battles that Changed the World, Weir

 

Classics of Warfare:

 

The Art of War, Sun Tzu

On War, Clauswitz

Attacks, Rommel

General Patton's Principles, Williamson

Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife, Nagl (this is the definitive book on counterinsurgency strategy)

 

Anything by John Keegan (A History of Warfare, The Face of Battle, etc.)

 

Good books:

 

The End of Faith, Harris (this is FASCINATING - it is about the role religion plays in warfare)

Gods and Generals, Shaara (time period before the US Civil War)

The Killer Angels, Shaara (Civil War)

We Were Soldiers Once, ? (Vietnam)

The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, Tuchman

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, Tuchman

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We used these at West Point

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.my/THE-WEST-POINT-MILITARY-HISTORY-SERIES-8-DIFF-TITLES_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQitemZ380077876322

 

though we certainly didn't pay$96 shipping!

 

There were atlases to go with them

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110335213869

 

that were even better. I think there were 3 or 4 of the atlases.

 

I have to agree with the pp who said to narrow it down. This was a course for juniors, with a lot of reading and homework.

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I've never done that before. He wants to learn about warefare of the western world. The books from Westpoint look really interesting. The book I was looking at that got this all started was Military History of the Western World by J.F.C. Fuller. Another I saw was Soldiers and Warriors: An Illustrated History. I thought he could pick one volume of the Military History, because there is several, and we could call it Military History I. What's the first step I need to take in planning a course? How do I know how much to have him do?

Help!

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