By Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (Ret)

Looking to beef up your beach reading, or just eager for a dose of military history? One of these five recommendations – or maybe more – will hit the spot this summer.

You can order the books through the links in the titles below; MOAA is an Amazon Associate and earns money from qualifying purchases, with the revenue supporting The MOAA Foundation.

The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook

By Hampton Sides. Doubleday, 2024. ISBN 978-0-385-54476-4. Audio version available.

Captain Cook is often considered Britain’s greatest explorer, and his three ocean voyages of exploration set a high mark for courage, boldness, determination, and risk-taking. This book tells of Cook’s last and most important voyage (1776-1780) from England across the Atlantic, through the Indian Ocean, and to the Pacific – Tahiti, Alaska, and finally Hawaii, where he was killed.

Sides reveals much about Cook’s leadership, seamanship, and treatment of Pacific islanders – his brilliance and contempt. Wonderful, revealing history.

[MORE GREAT READS: MOAA’s Military Professional Reading List]

The Soldiers Fell Like Autumn Leaves: The Battle of the Wabash, The United States’ Greatest Defeat in the Wars Against Indigenous Peoples

By Rick M. Schoenfield. Westholme Publishing, 2024. ISBN 978-1-59416-423-1. No audio version.

Schoenfield’s provocative history tells of the Battle of the Wabash in Ohio on Nov. 4, 1791, America’s “worst disaster in the history of the Indian wars,” when Gen. Arthur St. Clair led an army of regulars and militia in an avoidable and unnecessary campaign against the Maumee Confederation of tribes.

He also carefully describes the arrogance and shameful treatment of the tribes and their lands that led to such a costly and humiliating defeat. An important yet ignored piece of American military history.

General Naval Tactics: Theory and Practice

By Milan Vego. Naval Institute Press, 2020. ISBN 978-1-68247-541-6. No audio version.

European naval officer Vego is an expert on naval tactics and operational art, and his book expands the discussion of the theories and practices of naval tactics in the modern era, using a blend of historical examples and naval theory. He discusses the great importance of identifying proper objectives, command and control, combat support (logistics, underway replenishment, etc.), but focuses on tactical organization, decision-making, planning, execution, leadership, doctrine, and training.

Wartime examples deftly illustrate his points. An excellent primer for the education of all the officers of a maritime nation.

[RELATED: Books by MOAA Members]

Endgame 1944: How Stalin Won the War

By Jonathan Dimbleby. Oxford University Press, 2024. ISBN 978-0-19-776531-9. No audio version.

World War II historian and filmmaker Dimbleby presents an excellent, detailed, and perceptive history of the Russo-German war on the Eastern Front in the critical year of 1944 – the year when Stalin and the Russian army were strong enough, bold enough, and smart enough to begin a massive offensive to destroy the Germans, seize territory, and create a standoff with the West.

Dimbleby also brilliantly describes Stalin’s plans to unleash millions of men and machines on all his enemies, exact revenge, and dictate peace terms with the allies. Brutal, graphic descriptions of vicious fighting, destruction, and subjugation of millions of people.

Adopting Mission Command: Developing Leaders for a Superior Command Culture 

By Donald E. Vandergriff. Naval Institute Press, 2019. ISBN 978-1-68247-105-0. No audio version.

Former Marine and Army officer Vandergriff explains why command leadership training for officers must skip rote learning and focus instead on adaptability, critical thinking, and creativity. He acknowledges that technology training is certainly necessary, but that developing “the student’s mind” is paramount.

Much of his argument is Army-oriented, but it clearly applies to all services. He goes from John Boyd and the OODA Loop to combat fitness and free-play exercises to challenge leaders in stressful, unpredictable combat situations. An interesting approach with obvious value.

Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (Ret), is a regular contributor to MOAA.org and Military Officer magazine.