Book Reviews

“On War”, “Vom Kriege” in the original German, is regarded by many as the pre-eminent work on the philosophy of war. Written by Prussian Major General of Artillery Carl von Clausewitz after the Napoleonic wars in which he had fought with and against the Frenchman, it was still unfinished at the time of his death in 1831. His widow, Marie, took from the manuscript and published it the next year.

The late Carel Birkby was a fine writer and “Uncle George” illustrates well his fine eye and finer humour. Brigadier, then Major General George Brink commanded 1 SA Division in East Africa and later in the Libyan desert. His command was however cut short by a back injury.

South Africa entered World War Two with no navy. Some naval trained personnel, yes; but ships, no. From three officers and three ratings in September 1939, the South African Naval Service, then the Seaward Defence Force (SDF) and finally the South African Naval Forces expanded rapidly, and by late 1945, when demobilisation began, some 9455 men had served South Africa at sea on some 78 ships, mostly trawlers and whalers taken up from trade but including three newly-built Loch-class frigates.

Major Darrell Hall was a well-known expert on the South African War and his “The Hall Handbook of the Anglo Boer War” was meant as a “general reference book, providing background information for those who wish to study the war, but have no real knowledge of how the opposing forces were organised, their equipment, the personalities involved, and so on.”