Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good but flawed synthesis, April 20, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: The Balkan Wars 1912-1913: Prelude to the First World War (Warfare and History) (Paperback)
This is a readable brief account of a series of conflicts about which far too little has been written in English, which should serve non-Balkan specialists well. But it falls considerably short of what one would like, even for a book of 176 pages. There are an embarrassing number of editing lapses (e.g., repetition of the sentence beginning "Negotiations..." on p. 69) and typos, for which the publisher bears some responsibility. Forms of proper names are mostly Bulgarian (with inconsistencies), with no cross-reference to, say, the usual Yugoslav spelling of "Pashich" and rendering of Turkish names, when they are given at all, without dotless i's, etc. Previous reviewers have commented on the grossly inadequate maps; the photo on the cover of the paperback edition whets my appetite for more illustrations, which are completely lacking. Anyone with access to a large public or university library should look for old literature on the war, such as Hermenegild Wagner's _With the Victorious Bulgarians_ (1913), which has very good maps of the Thracian theater. Hall depends heavily on Slavic sources on the wars, especially Bulgarian ones, which he has thorough control of, but the results are some quite idiosyncratic casualty figures. (The Turkish General Staff's official history of the war, _Balkan harbi_, is cited nowhere, presumably because the author doesn't read Turkish.) The Serbian army's casualties seem far too small, considering that they took every Turkish position by direct assault (e.g., less than 4,000 Serb casualties for the battle of Kumanovo, as opposed to 12,000 Turkish losses). If the Turks had simply retreated instantly, the low casualties would seem understandable, but the Ottoman casualties given for the Macedonian theater are quite high, so one might conclude either that Serbian casualties were greatly underplayed or that the progress of the battle is totally misrepresented. The Turkish casualty figure of 100,000 for both theaters seems incredibly high (though Edward Erickson's _Ordered to Die_ , by an author who knows Turkish sources, gives a far more astounding figure, 250,000.) Hall is addicted to military and diplomatic second-guessing, which grows tiresome by the end of the book. Though he puts his finger on the more consequential faux pas (the inability of the Russian government to arbitrate Balkan League conflicts, the confusion in Sofia at the opening of the 2nd Balkan War), I would prefer analysis of why errors were made to shoulda-coulda. I would also question Hall's understanding of cholera (which rivaled combat as a source of death); it was most likely not spread by armies, but by soldiers' repeated use of untreated water-hence its reoccurrence in eastern Thrace. Above all, even for a short book, one would like more on the human rather than strictly political consequences of the war. Virtually nothing is said of the fate of the millions of ethnic Turks and Slavic-speaking Muslims trapped in non-Muslim states as a result of the Balkan Wars. Maybe Hall himself will someday write a more complete book on the wars (and, I hope, get better editorial support).
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the best book in English on the subject, November 28, 2001
This review is from: The Balkan Wars 1912-1913: Prelude to the First World War (Warfare and History) (Paperback)
I've just finished writing a book about the Ottoman Army's participation in the Balkan Wars. Consequently, I've read (or scanned) almost every book ever written in English, German, Turkish, and French about the Balkan Wars. Dr. Hall's book is the only book written in English which lays out the flow of events in an understandable format that links the various theaters together. Nobody in the past eighty years has ever done a better job in explaining the military side of this war. If you only read a single book on this subject - this is it. The challenge of writing a balanced book on this subject is extremely difficult due to the problem of access to available sources and the problem of fluency in multiple (and uncommon) languages. Dr. Hall has done a creditable job in crafting a capstone book that captures the overall strategic picture of the Balkans in 1912/1913. While some readers may find criticisms (maps, editing, use of mainly Bulgarian sources, etc.) this should not obscure what the author has achieved. I enjoyed the book and I refered to it frequently while writing my own book when I neeeded to fall back on a meaningful context and framework of understanding. Finally, "The Balkan Wars 1912-1913" will leave you hungry for more information about this important war. I hope that it will stimulate interest in a long neglected subject. It's worth the money!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"Some damned silly thing in the Balkans", February 7, 2001
This review is from: The Balkan Wars 1912-1913: Prelude to the First World War (Warfare and History) (Paperback)
As Bismarck is attributed as saying in 1898, "If there ever is another war in Europe, it will come out of some damned silly thing in the Balkans." This book is a diplomatic and military history of the First and Second Balkan wars. It's rather amazing that these local conflicts were not the "damn silly thing" and did not erupt into a wider conflict. It would take Princip's shots at Sarajevo to spread the flames of war to the Great Powers. Much of the belligerent nations' subsequent diplomatic decisions can be attributed to the events and results of the Balkan Wars. Bulgaria's alliances with Germany in the subsequent two world wars are clearly rooted in the Balkan Wars. Serbia's actions and the Austrian reactions to them were first choreographed during the Balkan Wars - with disastrous consequences in July of 1914. The book provides excellent background on the early 20th century conflicts which incubated today's controversies regarding Macedonia, Kosovo, and other lingering Balkan animosities. The author makes the point that in the Balkans, there was almost no pause between these wars and the beginning of the Great War. Many of the belligerents were engaged from 1912 until the Armistice of 1918. Because of the short time between the end of the Balkan Wars and the beginning of the Great War, the author argues that the military lessons of the Balkan Wars regarding machine guns, quick firing artillery, and aircraft reconnaissance could not be properly absorbed by the military tacticians of the day. Of particular interest to military historians is the book's description of the Gallipoli campaign during the First Balkan War in which the Turks conducted an amphibious assault against the defending Bulgarians. The Turks were able to make good their lessons learned from their attack when they were in the reverse role of defending against the British and ANZACs in 1915. The Great Power conferences which finalized the results of the two Balkan wars were like the last symphonies in the Concert of Europe. The Balkan belligerents had to maintain one eye on their patrons among the Great Powers as they pursued their territorial goals. Never again would Great Power diplomatic pressure alone be successful in redrawing the borders of Europe. For example, the birth of the Albanian state as a result of Austrian and Italian interests against those of Serbia and Greece was a major outcome of the First Balkan War. I could only give this book three stars due to some shortcomings. The maps are simple line drawings and do not provide enough detail to adequately support the text. The author has a habit of "giving away" the results of a battle before his description of the entire event is complete. For example, indicating that control of a road would be critical to an army's eventual retreat before describing the actual battle. Finally, the author has a predilection towards perfect hindsight judgments regarding the belligerents' ways and means. Overall, a nice and short read on a little documented prelude to the Great War.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
