Featured battle : Narva

Part of Second or Great Northern War

Date : 20 November 1700

The Russians with an army of 40,000 were besieging the city of Narva. Charles XII, commanding about 10,000 Swedes came to relieve the city. Aided by a snowstorm the Swedes attacked the Russians breaking through the centre of their line and then fanning out to take forces in the flank. The shock tactics, carried out at speed and with great bravery, surprised the mainly 'green' Russian soldiers. The battle was significant success for Charles XII and his Swedes but the ease of the victory sowed the seeds of his eventual defeat.

The Battle for the Maginot Line, 1940

Donnell, Clayton
If you've ever wondered what the point of the Maginot Line was, this book will tell you. It begins with a decent overview and history of the construction and layout of the forts and other works, along with a brief description of the concepts. It then jumps into an exceptionally detailed account of the battle for each fortified section including the types of casemate, the units and composition of both sides involved, and the date, time and nature of their demise. It also covers the unsung resistance of the southern section of the line which proved very successful against the Italian advance, but to me the most affecting sections are those where the interval troops, infantry support and artillery backup are withdrawn, leaving small handfuls of men to delay panzer regiments. The book concludes with a thought-provoking section on the strengths and weaknesses of the line and whether it's reputation as a military 'white elephant' is undeserved, and caught up in (and often blamed for) the whole debacle of June 1940 which was so psychologically damaging the French nation.

As with many military history books, this one could do with more and better maps. Most chapters contain tactical diagrams of offensives but they are quite small and difficult to read, so I had an atlas to hand (and google maps!) to get a better impression of the spatial situation. On the whole though, an excellent and very well researched read, though perhaps a little too detailed to keep the casual reader's attention. I for one, however, am already planning my next trip to SF Maubeuge, Haguenau and Ouvrage Sainte-Agnes, and this book will be in my hand-luggage.
Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley, 2017