Areas of study

My current area of study is Supply and Transport in the Soviet Army during the Russo-German War 1941-5. This has a rich source of Russian material although very little is written in English and there is sparse coverage by English language authors. Given a widespread lack of knowledge, it is important to use a "Comparative History" approach and lay out German methods alongside the Soviet ones to compare and contrast them. The Russo-German War faces numerous historiographic issues which have been highlighted by David Glantz. He has written extensively about the dangers of an over reliance on German archival sources and personal accounts. However since 1992 and particularly in the last ten years, the release of original material by the Russian Ministry of Defence has made this task easier and a new generation of Russia authors has written on a wide array of subjects. It is to be deplored that some Western authors continue to churn out operational books based solely on German sources without reference to the 'Other side of the hill'.

Study Areas

• Soviet Army in the Russo-German War 1941-1945
• Prussian/German Army supply and transport 1745-1945
• British Army logistics 1715-1945
• Logistics of the C18th and C19th
• Civilian transport covering the same time periods

Career

Most of my career has been spent working in academic publishing on both the books and journals side, for a number of publishing houses concerned with history, international studies and military studies. These included

publishing houses

• Frank Cass Publishing
• Taylor and Francis
• Yale University Press

Published Works

The influence of railways on military operations in the Russo-German War 1941-45

Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol 30 Issue 02 published May 2017

doi.org/10.1080/13518046.2017.1308120

How Soviet railway superiority made a significant impact on the course of the war

Abstract: In common with much of the historiography of the Russo-German War of 1941-45 there has been extensive study of the role of railways in the war with either side concentrating on different aspects of the subject. But to date there has little attempt to make a comparative study of the railways on both sides and to gauge the effect of differences in capacity on military operations and their outcomes. This lack has allowed one or both sides to obscure key failures and to deflect the influence on military operations away from railways. Yet the ubiquitous nature of railways for travel and transport in Russia, due to the large size of the country and the inability of motor vehicles to support operations beyond 3-400 km, meant that every military operation of the war was dependant on railways and the way in which they were used was a key element in their success or failure. The current study aims to compare operating practices between Soviet and German military railways, to give estimates of the railway capacity available to both sides and then to use this information to gauge the effect of this capacity on military operations.

You can read the Accepted Manuscript here

Logistics of the Combined-Arms Army – Motor Transport 

Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol 31 Issue 04 published December 2018

doi.org/10.1080/13518046.2018.1521360

Abstract: Motor vehicles have always been regarded as an indicator of modernity, technological advancement and industrial progress, right from the time of the first motor car in 1885. The Soviet Union was no exception, and there is an extensive Soviet historiography of the development of motor transport and its use during the German-Soviet War. The aim of this article is to put the wartime military and economic use of Soviet vehicles into a wider context, highlighting how mechanization was not the only important variable in successful logistics. The case study here will be the role of transportation in the logistics of a Soviet combined arms army (общевойсковая армия) utilizing detailed primary source material from the pamyat-naroda.ru website.

You can read the Accepted Manuscript here

Logistics of the Tank Army - Uman-Botosani Operation

Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol 33 Issue 03 published December 2020

https://doi.org/10.1080/13518046.2018.1521360

The Uman- Botosani Operation in January 1944 was the first occasion that a Tank Army managed to conduct a deep penetration operation against the German Army. Despite the Rasputitsa, Soviet armoured forces cut the Heeresgruppe in half and opened up a 300 km gap in their defences that was never really closed. Archival material on this operation now allows a new interpretation of this critical operation and comes to some surprising conclusions.

The economics and Logistics of horse-drawn armies

British Journal for Military History (BJMH)

Addresses the conflict between Van Creveld's viewpoint and that of James Lynn to create a working model of horse drawn armies from 1613 up to 1945.

Works scheduled for Publication

Logistics of the Combined-Arms Army – the rear

Journal of Slavic Military Studies accepted and due to be published Spring 2021

A study into the logistics of the Combined-arms Army in 1943 and 1945 showing that a combined use of railways and horse-drawn wagons, supported by a small motor vehicle fleet could produce the high mobility needed for deep operations.

Works in Preparation

Logistics and mobility of mechanized corps

Logistics and mobility of Cavalry-mechanized groups