Has anyone read "War with Russia" by Gen Sir Richard Shirreff?

[Skybird]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Russia-General-Richard-Shirreff/dp/1473632250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478969253&sr=8-1&keywords=war+with+russia

I read about the book in Germjan press, which gives it a a mixed greeting. Seesm to compare to Clancy's Red Storm Rising, but more realistic and of course up-to-date. Author has been former Vice-Chieftain (called Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe by traditionalists... :) ) of NATO, and should know the stuff quite well.

Has anyone read it, is it good, is it if not realistic at least exciting - or is it just dumb and shallow stuff? It gets quite some praise for the accuracy of the military scenario of Russia suddenly attacking and taking the Baltic.

[STEED]

I don't read military fiction. :rolleyes:

[Skybird]

:06:

Should I change the question now to "Has anyone not read the book - I would like to get no feedback"...?

[Oberon]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/War-Russia-General-Richard-Shirreff/dp/1473632250/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478969253&sr=8-1&keywords=war+with+russia

I read about the book in Germjan press, which gives it a a mixed greeting. Seesm to compare to Clancy's Red Storm Rising, but more realistic and of course up-to-date. Author has been former Vice-Chieftain (called Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe by traditionalists... :) ) of NATO, and should know the stuff quite well.

Has anyone read it, is it good, is it if not realistic at least exciting - or is it just dumb and shallow stuff? It gets quite some praise for the accuracy of the military scenario of Russia suddenly attacking and taking the Baltic.

Yet to read it, but some of the comments seem to indicate that it's more of a political than military affair, basically lambasting the west for failing to stand up to Putin and that sort of thing.
This quote in particular concerns me:

The last UK Defence Secretary's fictional stand-in comes in for some really purile derision, where the author almost seems to stop telling the story and starts acting out what seems to be a bizarre personal revenge fantasy.... Apparently, in real life, this particular politician tried to have the author sacked as a general, so that figures.

I suppose if you can pick it up for cheap then it'll pass some time but it doesn't appear to be Red Storm Rising level. For that, I recommend "Team Yankee (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YWE3YGM/ref=pd_sim_351_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4MB78Z0HHT7MV3QBAP01)", "Chieftains (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chieftains-Bob-Forrest-Webb-ebook/dp/B006ISI2DK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1478971525&sr=8-6)", "The Untold History of the Third World War (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Books/Third-World-War-Untold-Story/0450055914/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1478971860&sr=8-3&keywords=Third+World+War+hackett)" and "The Red (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1781320888/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=XQD6Z75E9VVE9N9MMQM4)/Black (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1781321221/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PMS6RFZB8452TCS9PWKM)/Blue Effect (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/178132221X/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=PMS6RFZB8452TCS9PWKM)." oh, and "Red Army (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0671676687/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QM4TCF2V4NZ0H11PNFNT)" for a good view from the other side.

[Skybird]

The good ol' Harrol Coyle saga Team Yankee - and maybe that was not even his best one. I have read such stuff more back in those days.

The book I now ask for gets criticism for its demonising of Russia (talking of German comments), but praise for the realism in which the scenario lets the Russians take the Baltic: realistically, and matching schemes of deception we have seen in the Ukraine; cyberwarfare and little green man doing destabilisation long before the military show starst to ignite with loud sounds and bright lights. Greetings from the Ukraine.

The political development seems to be be underdone, but maybe is not the focus of the author'S interest. He seems to have focussed on how such a war would be waged by Russia, and why NATO would get overrolled: doing too litte, too late, and with insufficient forces.

In the Baltic states, immediately after Trumps election they started to disucss what this could mean for the military situation with Russia and these states' military safety (or lack of). In (traditionally Russophile) Germany, at the same time the politicians were stunned, and the media focussed on warnings over gay and lesbian rights, as one commentator bitingly remarked, and he has a point there. :doh: Living in the dnager zone seems to sharpen your senses for priorities. Sometimes I find it hard not to wish for the West falling.

Well, I take from reading about the book that if the Russians would go for the Baltic, this book describes with great competence how the Russians probably would do it and in what way they would go in - and once they are in, NATO is not likely to get them out again that quickly .

[Oberon]

The thing is, and I ponder about this, we've seen Russia hit Georgia and Ukraine, we've seen their playbook so far, we know about the 'Little Green Men' and so forth, so having seen Moscow play those cards already, if sudden 'Little Green Men' started appearing in Estonia then surely alarm bells would start ringing in Brussels? Hence why NATOs current objective seems to be the preparation and practicing the deployment of rapid reaction forces. It's not something that's going to stop a major Russian advance, but it's not meant to, it's meant to slow it down until reinforcements can be deployed. Of course, if there's no political willpower to deploy those reinforcements then the whole thing is doomed from the start.

The Beeb did a fairly decent job of this a few months ago:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3q8go9

[Skybird]

Yes, but the author is not just any someone. He was Deputy Saceur. I think it is natural to assume that - as long as one does not attest him malicous intentions of wanting to mislead people - this experience could add immense crdedibility to his scneario and the way he unfolds it. One would assume he knows one thing or two that the ordinary press usually does not have on its minds.

[Oberon]

Yes, but the author is not just any someone. He was Deputy Saceur. I think it is natural to assume that - as long as one does not attest him malicous intentions of wanting to mislead people - this experience could add immense crdedibility to his scneario and the way he unfolds it. One would assume he knows one thing or two that the ordinary press usually does not have on its minds.

True, but he has an agenda, so it's debatable whether he could be a neutrally reliable resource.

[Sailor Steve]

:06:

Should I change the question now to "Has anyone not read the book - I would like to get no feedback"...?
:rotfl2: Very good.

It's not the kind of subject I usually get into, but I do like to read people's reviews of things outside my field of interest. I look forward to hearing more.