Small, Forgotten Small Wars

[davidbfpo]

The online, free British Journal of Military History has two book reviews in the latest edition:

1) David French's 'Fighting EOKA: The British Counter-Insurgency Campaign on Cyprus, 1955-1959' and the author concludes:

In short, this is an authoritative and exhaustive resource for anyone who needs to understand the Cyprus emergency in its domestic and international aspects or is interested in issues surrounding the control of force and reactions to excessive force and losses of control.

Link:http://bjmh.org.uk/index.php/bjmh/article/view/125/97

2) Huw Bennett's 'Fighting the Mau Mau, The British Army and Counter-Insurgency in the Kenya Emergency':

This is a superbly researched book, based a tremendous amount of archival research including the secret Colonial Office archive, which has only just been released to the National Archives in Kew. It is vital reading for anyone seeking to understand the British Army's role in modern counter-insurgency actions, whether in Kenya or in Afghanistan and this book cannot be recommended too highly.

Link:http://bjmh.org.uk/index.php/bjmh/article/view/128/100

[davidbfpo]

The civil war / insurgency in Mozambique between the FRELIMO government and RENAMO an opposition (originally a spin-off from the Rhodesian War and funded by Rhodesia) rarely gets attention.

Although the article's title shows the focus, it does provide insight into the war and numerous sources. The title then: 'Auxiliary Armed Forces and Innovations in Security Governance in Mozambique’s Civil War' by a Dutch academic.
Link, currently free from the journal 'Civil Wars':http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...9.2017.1412752

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to WoTR for this fascinating article on joint action against pirates along the Chinese and Korean coastline, between 1854-1855 when the Royal Navy was distracted by the Crimean War.

Link:https://warontherocks.com/2018/01/pr...inese-pirates/

The catalyst for the article is the discovery of a set of captured flags, thought to have been lost for over a hundred years.

Adam G. may note this as evidence it's not just the UK that loses historical items.

[AdamG]

The Cuban Army Abroad – Fidel Castro’s Foreign Cold Warriors
http://militaryhistorynow.com/2016/0...-foreign-wars/

[davidbfpo]

A rare article on the war between Ethiopia and Somalia over the Ogaden - a region of Ethiopia with a Somali majority and desired by Somalia, way back in 1977-1978. A war with three Cuban brigades deployed, a switch of Soviet support to Ethiopia; an 'all-arms' war which Somalia lost.
Link:https://defenceindepth.co/2019/02/19...retrospective/

Curiously of the key players on the Ethiopian side only one remains alive, Mengistu remains in exile in Zimbabwe. The Cuban general was purged and shot dead.