Compiled by the Commanding Officer of 1st Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, Lieutenant Colonel James Groves, to enhance the intellectual component of fighting power and learn from others' experience. This reading list is divided into focal areas for ease of reference.
A novel set in the American Civil War and focusing on a soldier who questions his personal suitability for combat and his nation's decision to go to war with itself. Very detailed battle descriptions and portrayal of a soldier’s fear in combat. It is available as an audiobook on Spotify, and a free PDF is available (click on the book cover above).
A non- fiction exploration of the sense of belonging, of being part of a tribe, and how that impacts people’s resilience in natural disasters, personal crisis and even in war. A short book written by a very engaging author.
A contemporary leadership book, written for those whose teams – like modern society – contain diverse people from a range of upbringings and with a range of motivations and abilities. This books asserts that no team can compete or succeed when internal relationships are based only on harmony – they must be anchored in respect to allow adaption and advantage.
To Boldly Go, Chapter 9 ‘The Empire’s New Hope’ by James Groves. A book dedicated to drawing out lessons on leadership, strategy and war studies from popular science fiction. This chapter focuses on minority leadership through the prism of the Star Wars universe, using a Social Identity approach to explore the under-representation of alien species within the Imperial Navy.
A short record of a Jewish POW’s experience in German concentration camps and his understanding of the mind’s ability to cope with suffering, find meaning in it, and move forward in a manner that appears to defy physical suffering. One of the most profound books I've ever read.
A non-fiction account of the author’s experiences when embedded with a US Army platoon in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, in 2007-08. The book is divided in to three broad categories of fear, killing and love and each category is explored in the context of the platoon’s experiences. Vivid and heartfelt.
A non-fiction collection of short stories, all based on personal experiences, which describe the Armoured Corps experience fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. An important book covering a under-reported aspect of the Australian experience in war – that of the Black Beret.
A short collection of observations from German combat experience in the First World War. The tactics have changed but this book’s focus on the effects of tempo, importance of timely information, the value of experience, leadership by example, and the relative value of technology compared with the will to win remain as valid as ever. A free PDF is available (click on the book cover above).
A scifi novel which is very different from the 1997 film. The novel follows the lead character’s military career in an inter-stellar war against alien species but explores philosophical and moral questions of service along the way.
A scifi novel in which all military recruits are elderly humans who have already lived a full life and volunteer to undertake significant genetic upgrades which enhance their physical and cognitive skills to levels unimaginable in their earthly bodies. These augmented soldiers, who are increasingly emotionally detached from their parent planet, fight inter-galactic battles to preserve the peaceful existence of Earth knowing they can not only never return home but are increasingly 'alien' themselves.
A creative book aimed at shining a light on combat trauma and PTSD by comparing the Vietnam War experience with Classical heroic stories of Achilles and others in Homer’s Iliad. Through the motif of combat trauma as an ‘unravelling’ of character, this books states that individuals, families, and society are all impacted and all have a role in understanding and rehabilitating those in pain.
A scifi novel which sees highly trained units of humans taken away to battlefronts many, many lightyears away to fight aliens. In between punctuations of combat are long periods of travel to and from their home planet. Each time the soldiers return, decades or centuries of time have elapsed ‘back home’ and they are increasingly socially isolated from the very nation which sent them to war. Based partly on the author’s experiences in Vietnam.
This manga isn't on the Reading List because of its content, instead it's here because of the manner in which it delivers information to the audience. Defence White Papers, including the annual 'Defence of Japan' series, are not typically written to be accessed and understood by a broad audience, but in publishing a manga edition the Japanese Ministry of Defense have shown courage and confidence in communicating with their nation - potentially enhancing the understanding between society and Defence quite significantly!
Taking its name from Benjamin Franklin’s maxim ‘For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost’, this book uses case studies from the 17th Century to present day to argue that logistics and communications – alone – don’t win wars but failure to respect them certainly loses wars.
A ‘black swan’ event, says the author, is a highly improbable situation which is characterised by its unpredictability, its significance, and that it ends up being over-rationalised it in order to make it seem less unexpected. The attacks of September 11th are an example. The author feels we do not, instinctively, assess risk well and we over-simplify events which defy expectation and prediction. This book aims to raise our awareness of black swan events to create more comprehensive and enduring risk management practices.
A remarkable study of the logistical aspects of war fighting from the perspective of one who has been both an arms corps officer and a senior logistician in different theatres of war. The author fought in the Great War, served as G4 of the Mediterranean Theatre in the Second World War, and held Division, Corps and Army Command in the 1950s. Such credibility is rare and his short book is exceptionally informative. A free PDF is available (click book image)
A first-hand description of the pressures and expectations placed on a USMC PL Comd in the early 2000s. Decision-making, personnel management, moral and physical courage and situational awareness are all explored with unashamed honesty, all in the context of we are all ‘one bullet away’ from doing our boss’ job. Probably one of the most influential books I read as a Lieutenant. Evan Wright’s Generation Kill (also a TV series) covers the PL’s experiences from different perspectives.
One of the defining war memoirs in Australian literature. Describes the claustrophobic Pacific Theatre as it appeared to one young Officer battling fatigue, isolation, fear and the enemy. The author’s ability to maintain his mission focus – and his courage – is a result of finding beauty in small things, a friendly smile from a local PNG villager for example, and drawing inspiration to fight another day.
Written around 370 BC, this is the personal account of a Greek mercenary in the service of Prince Cyrus in Persia. Xenophon and his fellow mercenaries are betrayed and must conduct a fighting withdrawal across difficult terrain whilst under near-constant attack from regular and irregular enemy forces. This book describes individual courage, personal resilience and the strength that formed bodies of troops can draw from one another under periods of shared hardship and danger. A free PDF is available (click on book image).
A historical novel set in eastern Greece in 480 BC written by the same author of the Richard Sharpe series. Tells the story of the preparations, training, deployment and combat experience of the Spartan army through the eyes of a young periokos commander. In keeping with ancient Greek story-telling, the themes of fate and irony are strong, but modern audience see descriptions of duty, honour and esprit de corps.
Another of my all-time favourites because of its unnerving insight into how the US Civil War, and Gettysburg in particular, was fought and what it meant to the people charged with planning and fighting its battles. Less a ‘war book’ and more a written documentary of what it takes to go to war against your fellow countrymen.
Written at the start of the nuclear age, amidst the backdrop of the Cold War, this book discusses the evolution of strategy, deterrence theory and the economics of strategy. All Majors should read Chap 9 ‘Limited War’ and Chap 10 ‘Strategy Wears A Dollar Sign’ at a minimum. A free PDF is available (click on book image).
Written as a first-hand memoir from Comd 3 Cdo Bde during the Falklands War, the value of this book is the insight it provides to the ‘commander’s intent’ aspect of campaign planning, clarity in orders, timeliness in reports and returns, and adapting to realities in combat. The terrain, use of staging areas and extended lines of communication make this a comprehensive case study for combat, combat support and combat service support professionals alike.
A very heavy read, full of strategic lessons. For our purposes, however, only three specific tracts are recommended for your reading and consideration: the Speech of the Corinthians (1:1.68 – 1.72) focusing on why we go to war; the Funeral Oration of Pericles (2:34-2.47) focusing on the moral component of fighting power; and The Melian Dialogue (5:84-5.116) focusing on political realism and the fate of middle powers.
This account is a gift to all military professionals and is a monument to the warfighting experiences of the XIV Army, and their US and Chinese counterparts, against the Japanese Imperial Army throughout the Burma Campaign. It is a lesson in high command and an insight in to the deep thinking, broad awareness and infinitely human considerations that comprise a senior leader’s decision- making at the strategic level in war.
Clash of the Gods of War, Chap 22: An Orchestral Composition by Ellen Creswell. Far more than an exploration of combined arms at the Battle of Hamel, this chapter unearths clear lessons for innovation and experimentation. The author shows us that innovation is not purely for peacetime armies, it can be forced upon us 'mid-stride' in war, and it's up to us to create best conditions, be it a matter of timings, geography or force ratios, for clarity in experimenting with new technologies or tactics.
If you don’t view the Battle of Long Tan as a case study for modern Gunners, please read this book. A detailed account of one of our Army’s most defining battles, with significant quotes from veterans. The entirety of 1 Fd Regt was involved in this battle and we should take great pride in the conduct and dedication of our forebears, in their support of D Coy 6 RAR in this momentous battle. Must also read each appendix in detail. Read The Battle of Coral, by the same author, as soon as you’re done.
A young Officer’s experience in a Forward Observer Party with 5RAR and 6RAR in Vietnam. The author describes the tension, danger and frustrations of the war as well as the demands placed on him, his Party and their fellow members of 101 Fd Bty.
An exciting first- person narrative of one Forward Observer’s view of the Falklands War from mobilisation through deployment, combat, victory and return to UK. It is equal parts gripping, tragic and humorous but is, above all, honest. All members of the Tac Gps, not just JFT Comds, will benefit from reading this highly accessible book.
A comprehensive account of counter-battery fire, known as counter fires in modern parlance, from the eyes of yet another incredible Australian academic. This book offers excellent insights into our own Regiment’s combat history particularly in the North African and New Guinea campaigns of the early 1940s. The obstacles we faced in terms of being significantly outnumbered by enemy artillery in Libya, and in terms of the hostile jungle terrain in New Guinea, are made clear.
