Customer Reviews

The Immortals: History's Fighting Elites

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Throughout recorded human history, the theme of warfare has been ubiquitous. The stories of warriors, generals, battles, and the clash of city states, kingdoms, and empires have provided inspiration, traditions, and cultural consequences that have shaped every generation. In "The Immortals: History's Fighting Elites" by military historian Nigel Cawthorne, major battles and epic clashes involving the most renowned and distinctive military forces are superbly showcased. These include the Persian Immortals of Darius; the Spartans of King Leonidas, the Roman Praetorian Guard, the Ninja, the Mongol Hordes, the Prussian Guard, the Stonewall Brigade, the Gurkas, the Green Berets, the U.S. Navy Seals, and a great many others. Profusely illustrated throughout, "The Immortals" is informed, informative, 'reader friendly', and highly recommended for both academic and community library World History and Military History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

"The Immortals: History's Fighting Elites" by Nigel Cawthorne is a survey book on various organizations of fighters that were honored and feared as the best of their age. The book is a great introduction on what each of these groups did in their time.

The book covers 50 different groups dating from the 'The Persian Immortals' through today's Delta Force. Aside from the 14 American groups, Cawthorne offers a culturally balanced book featuring numerous European and Middle Eastern groups. Each of the chapters is laid out in 4-page format featuring a very brief overview of the organization; operational highlights; full-color photographs or artwork; and a timeline.

Despites the author's misuse of the term 'elite' when the more correct term would have been 'legendary' {or even mythical in the case of the Amazons}, the book is well-written, informative, and visually pleasing. The information is not detailed enough to make you an expert, but it will whet your appetite when you learn about some of their accomplishments, such as the French GIGN assault on a yacht seized by Somali pirates. This book is recommended for readers looking for a basic introduction to these legendary units.

I for one love this book in how it it lists some of the most legendary warriors and warrior cultures throughout history, From the bronze age to the modern day this book will not fail to give lots of interest to the reader whether you study history or not. Now the only thing that I think they left was to include the Samurai but there is the ninja in it's place so I'm content.

All in all I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in history,different cultures,or even the military and believe me you wont regret buying tis book!

THE IMMORTALS: HISTORY'S FIGHTING ELITES
Nigel Cawthorne
Zenith Press, 2009
Hardcover, 224 Pages, Photographs, Illustrations, $30.00


A military elite is defined as a unit of soldiers or recruits selected for their competence and placed in a special elite unit. Elite units enjoy some benefits as compared to other military units, at least in the form of higher status, but often also higher pay and better equipment. With that being written, the units listed in THE IMMORTALS: HISTORY'S FIGHTING ELITES by author Nigel Cawthorne (he has a BS in Physics from University College, London with no other apparent education or qualification) appears to have been pulled from the Internet with no real grasp of what makes military units "elite". I will list what "units" he has in the book with the appropriate comments:

*The Persian Immortals: Yes, but barely so.

*The Spartans: No, Sparta was a city-state. We are talking the entire male population
of that city-state and that hardly makes it an elite unit.

*The Amazons: No, they are mythical.

*The Sacred Band of Thebes: No, they were a 150-man unit of gay couples. They were
organized in 378 BC and made a good showing in one battle-
Leuctra and then were annihilated by Alexander the Great
in 338 BC.

*Alexander the Great's Companion Cavalry: No, the Companion Cavalry were the first
shock cavalry unit and arguably the best
cavalry of the ancient world but the elite
cavalry unit was the Chosen Companions. He
selected the wrong unit.

*The Roman Praetorian Guard: Yes and no. The Praetorian Guard started out as elite but
they became dogs who turned on their masters.

*The Sacred Band of Carthage: No. They were raised, trained, and equipped as an elite
fighting force but were totally wiped out at the Battle
of Krimissus. The proof of an elite unit is its valor-
and success-in war. This unit didn't make the cut.

*The Ninja: Absolutely not. They were spies and assassins for hire, who were considered
outcasts. They were the opposite of elite.

*The Ottoman Empire's Janissaries: No, they were a class within society, not unlike the
Mandarin in Chinese society. They acquired power
over time but they were never a unit or elite.

*Ivan the Terrible's Streltsy: No, these units starteed out as a presumed "elite unit"
because they were volunteers. They were never elite in
their performance and were plagued by poor training and
recruiting problems. The term "streltsy" was also
applied to a variety of organizations including the fire
watch in some cities.

*The Bowmen of England: Give me a break! These men were bowmen because they were poor.
They were never actually "fighting men". This would be the same
as calling field artillery units "elite".

*The Knights Hospitaller and the Knights Templar: No. Both were religious orders of the
Roman Catholic Church. These men were
monks. They did, however, constitute
the most effective fighting
organizations in the Christian
Crusades but they were religious
Orders first and their membership
qualification was based upon
religious obligations.

*The Mongol Hordes of Genghis Khan: No, they were a people and included men, women, and
children. That would be like calling the Japanese
\ people "elite" due to the military success that
Japan experienced from 1936-1942.

*The Wild Geese-King Louis XIV's Fighting Irishmen: No and the Irish in France weren't
the Wild Geese. The Wild Geese were
the earls who fled Ireland to avoid
capture, trial, and execution by
the English crown. There were Irish
regiments fighting under the flag
of France and some of these were
recognized as "elite", but this
author has it wrong.

*The Prussian Guard: No. Everything Prussian seems to be considered "elite". These
units may have been good infantry units but that is all they were.
They were severely hammered both in the Franco-Prussian War and
World War I.

*The Highland Charge: I have absolutely no idea what this is supposed to be.

*Napoleon's Imperial Guard: No, these were body guards for Napoleon. Many listed on
this list were considered "elite" because they were Life
Guards or Imperial Guards; their closeness to Napoleon
making them "elite" in a social sense. It didn't
necessarily make them good.

*The Ever Victorious Army-China's Imperial Force Under The Command of Frederick T. Ward
and Gordon: Yes and No. Ward organized, trained, and led this mixed force of foreign
mercenaries and Chinese. After he died, Gordon took command but
contributed little and eventually ruined it. The actual elite unit was the
Bodyguard of Filipinos, comprised of Europeans and Africans with about 100
Chinese, formed by Ward.

*The Stonewall Brigade: No, the Stonewall Brigade was a very effective infantry brigade
but it lacks the qualities usually attributed to an "elite"
unit.

*New York's Zouaves: No, there were five Zouave regiments from New York and they were
often considered "elite" because of their high casualty rates. The
Union had 70+ such units while the Confederacy had about two
dozen. Several of the Confederate Zouaves were well below
regimental strength and were indeed "elite" unit. By the way, the
French Zouaves were an "elite" unit but don't appear in this book.

*The Chiricahua Apache Under Geronimo: No, while the Chiricahua did possess a very
effective cavalry; they are an American Indian
tribe and not an "elite" unit.

*The Zulu Impis: No and again the author mistakes an effective fighting force for an
"elite" one.

*The Old Contemptibles-The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in 1914: No. We are
talking four infantry divisions and five cavalry brigades. How
in the hell is that "elite"? Even the name is a farce. The name
supposedly came from an order issued by Kaiser Wilhelm II. He
never gave any such order. The order was actually created in
the British War Office for propaganda purposes and the veterans
of the BEF awarded it to themselves.

*Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command Pilots of the Battle of Britain: Yes, they
earned it.

*The Waffen SS: Yes, by definition.

*Special Operations Executive (SOE): Close but no.

*Office of Strategic Services (OSS): No, they were a very effective clandestine unit
but more effective than elite.

*The Screaming Eagles: No, we are talking about an infantry division-the 101st-with all
of its ups and downs. At one time, roughly a quarter-century, it
was a airborne division which elevated it to an "elite" status
but before and after it isn't elite.

*The Old Breed-1st Marine Division: No, literally speaking, the Old Breed were the pre-
World War II U.S. Marines. They didn't engage in
forcing beaches and weren't elite.

*U.S. Army Rangers: Yes, by definition.

*Merrill's Marauders: No, this unit was a conventional infantry unit in the China-
Burma-India Theater (CBI). They were only marginally successful.
The name was given them by a war correspondent. Merrill never
commanded them in combat.

*The Devil's Brigade: Yes but their real name was the 1st Special Service Force.

*The French Foreign Legion: Yes, they built their "elite" status with their own blood.

*The Gurkhas: Yes, that is attested to by the fact that the British brought them into
the British Army after facing them in battle.

*The Chindits: No, they were mobile infantry in a difficult theater but never an
"elite" unit.

*The Special Air Service (SAS): Yes, by definition.

*The Royal Marine Commandos: No, the Royal Marine Commandos are the British equivalent
of the U.S. Marine Corps' Fleet Marine Force (FMF). They
are "elite" in the same manner that the whole FMF is
"elite". They are, however, better trained than the FMF.

*The Special Boat Service (SBS): Yes, by definition.

*1st Battalion, the Parachute Regiment or 1 Para: No, by definition. 1 Para is the
is the Special Forces Support Group;
they support the U.K. "elite".

*Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR): This needs to be defined. If he is writing
about the SRR in Europe during World War II,
yes. If he is writing about the recently
formed unit, no. The recently formed unit has
had major problems. As the U.S. Marine Corps
learned with its own "Special Operations"
unit, calling them "elite" doesn't make them
so.

*The Spetsnaz: This needs to be defined.

*The Green Berets: Yes, by definition but that would be the 1st Special Forces
Regiment.

*LURPS: No, despite their desperate attempts to be considered "elite".

*U.S. Navy SEALs: Some uninformed and cravenly ignorant, people might consider them
to be so.

*Delta Force: No, since their beginning they have never lived up to their Hollywood
image.

*U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command: Only as it relates to the Pararescue or
"PJ's".

*Israel's Sayeret Matkal: Israel considers them an "elite" unit. They have also
conducted assassinations overseas. There was a revolt among
its members in 2003 because they refused to conduct the
missions they were ordered to do in occupied territories. A
very controversial unit.

*Germany's GSG-9: No! This is a unit of Border Police not a military unit.

*Poland's GROM: No. This unit was transfered to the military from the Department of the
Interior in 1999. It has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, without
apparent distinction. What makes them elite?

*France's GIGN: No, this is a police unit. It is a very good police unit but it is a
police unit.


The author's effort as reflected in this book, is quite amateurish and a total embarrasment to himself.


Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida