Kalka River 1223: Genghiz Khan's Mongols Invade Russia (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Book Description

In 1221, Genghiz, Great Khan of the Mongols, ordered an armed reconnaissance expedition into Russia commanded by Subodei Bahadur and Jebei Noyon 'The Arrow'. The consequences for the history of Europe were incalculable. The decisive Mongol victory at Kalka River, opened up vast regions of Russia and Eastern Europe to Mongol conquest. Genghiz ordered his victorious army to return eastwards, delaying the final cataclysm by a few years. Genghiz died in 1227, but within 10 years his son Ogedei ordered a return to Russia to complete the conquest. This title details the events of the dramatic Kalka River campaign.

Customer Reviews:

Good Overview of Mongol Invasion.......2002-07-28

Kalka River 1223: Genghiz Khan's Mongols Invade Russia is an excellent overview of the first Mongol invasion of medieval Russia. It is quite different from most other Osprey books, since the majority is dedicated to the describing the armies and their weaponary. As a result the book gives one a more indepth look at aspects other than the battle. While the 40 pages or so dedicated to the armies does not do either justice, it is a very good beginning.

Where the book falls off is in the description of the battle. One would surmise that the lack of a full description is caused by the lack of information. However, this is a minor matter.

An excellent account of the Mongols and medieval Russia.......2002-03-14

This new title from Osprey really gave me a new perspective on history. I knew a great deal of the mongols and their empire before, but reading David Nicolle's book gave me loads of new information concerning this era and the details of the battle, which I never could have imagend. Nicolle and co-writer
V Shpakovsky has excelled in bringing light to this otherwise "dark" period in history with a comprahensible style of writing. The splendid illustrations by Victor Korolkov adds to the mesmorizing historical account. One is not only introduced to the Mongols, but also with the Russian and polovtsian men at arms as well, everything based on careful examinations along with the most recent archelogical findings.
I must say,that I didn't know much about the russian warriors at all, but this book really gave me an opportunity to find out more about this subject which history often seems to forget.

The battle of Kalka 1223, in which the Mongol generals Subotai and Jebei (with orders from Genghiz Khan) utterly crushed the russian military alliance, truly was one of the more decisive battles in european history, since it subsequently led to the devastating invasion of central europe in 1241. David Nicolle (and Shpakovsky) has brilliantly achieved with bringing ancient history into life, and I look forward to read more books by this author, as well as other titles from Osprey too of course.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in- and wants to learn more about the Mongols, Middle ages or just history in general.

Military Archaeology, Not History.......2002-03-13

Since there are so few books on the Mongol campaigns, even mediocre ones such as Kalka River 1223 should be appreciated. To be fair, Dr. David Nicolle, author of many Osprey titles on Medieval Warfare, has done his usual thorough research into a subject of great interest to himself and produced a sturdy synthesis. Unfortunately, Dr. Nicolle's talents lie in the realm of military archaeology, not military history, which somewhat reduces the value of this volume to military readers.

Kalka River 1223 begins with a rather lengthy 7-page section on origins of the campaign and a chronology. An interesting two-page color map depicting the Eurasian steppes' climatic zones is also provided in the introductory section. The sections on opposing commanders and armies are rather lengthy compared to other Osprey titles - a full 31 pages or one-third of the entire volume. While the section on Mongol and Russian leaders is quite good, the section on armies will only appeal to medieval armor and weapon enthusiasts. Alas, Dr. Nicolle is so enthralled with detailing seemingly every aspect of Russian and Mongol equipment that he leaves virtually no space to discuss military organization, tactics, doctrine or training. Instead, he does make some generalized comments about tactics in the following section on opposing plans, which...does not discuss opposing plans. While it is fairly obvious that the Russians sought to defeat or deter invasion and the Mongol incursion was a reconnaissance in force, surely more could have been said about objectives and strategic goals. There are a total of five 2-D maps in Kalka 1223 (Eurasian Steppes, Mongol campaigns in 1220-2, the Russian armies assemble in 1223, Movements to the Kalka River and the Mongol Withdrawal) and three 3-D "Bird's Eye View" maps of the Battle of Kalka River. Probably the best aspect of this volume is the artwork, which is a radical departure in quality and quantity from the standard Osprey format; instead of three battle scenes, there are 10 excellent illustrations (Mongol troops, Russian cavalry, Polovtsian troops, the capture of Gemyabek, Russian troops on the march, the Mongol commanders, the Mongol charge at Kalka River, the attack on the Kievan camp, the escape of Prince Mstislavic and the Mongol victory feast) by a Russian artist. These illustrations help to enliven an otherwise plodding text.

The actual account of the Battle of Kalka River is a bit hazy due to the paucity of sources - the exact location of the battle is not even known - and Dr. Nicolle covers it in less than 6 pages of text. Dr. Nicolle concludes that, "in this first clash between Mongols and Russians, Genghiz Khan's warriors had encountered an opponent who was strong militarily but who lacked the Mongols' mobility. The Russians had also shown themselves to be extraordinarily disorganized." However, the rest of the account does not support the conclusion that the Russians were defeated due to inferior tactical mobility. At the outset of the campaign, the Russians joined forces with the Turkic steppe people known as the Polovtsians who also were threatened by Mongol aggression. Dr. Nicolle points out that the Polovtsians had light and heavy cavalry that was equal in mobility to the Mongol cavalry and in the advance to the Kalka River, the Allied covering force three times defeated Mongol cavalry rearguards. Furthermore, the Allies were defeated by the shock effect of a sudden charge of Mongol heavy cavalry that crumpled the Polovtsian advance guard and spread panic throughout the Russian army. The Russians were hit at the worst moment, with the three main corps split by a river-crossing operation. Yet while ¾ of the Russian army disintegrated, it is interesting that the remaining Kievan army was able to circle its wagons and survive for three days against the entire Mongol army. The Kievans eventually surrendered when their water was exhausted, but the episode demonstrates that the Mongols had difficulty in defeating steady troops. While Nicolle correctly identifies Russian disorganization as a contributory factor, lack of unity of command and poor command control combined with poor morale were probably the main reasons for the defeat, not fancy Mongol maneuvers. Russian command and control was a joke, and due to the requirement to negotiate military plans long in advance between the various princes, the Russian army lacked flexibility or adaptability. In addition, only about 20% of the troops were trained and well-equipped soldiers, with the other 80% representing the usual un-trained peasant militia cannon fodder. When this poorly commanded and polyglot force came under sudden, severe attack most of it shattered like a rack of billiards hit by a cue ball. Russian morale was probably also undermined by operating so far from friendly territory, in the relatively unknown steppes. Nevertheless, Nicolle's narrative makes it appear that the Russian defeat was inevitable which is less than certain. Had this army been deployed behind the Dniepr River and allowed to fight a set-piece battle, it would have done better. Certainly the Mongol defeat shortly after Kalka River at the hands of the Volga Bulgars demonstrates that the Mongols were not invincible.

Average customer rating:
Kalka River 1223: Genghiz Khan's Mongols Invade Russia (Campaign Series, 98.)
D. Nicolle and V Shpakovsky
Manufacturer: Osprey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JVGQLC

Average customer rating:
Kalka River 1223: Genghiz Khan's Mongols Invade Russia (Praeger Illustrated Military History)
D. Nicolle; V. Shpakovsky
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORJ6LS

Customer Reviews:

THE Authority on the WEST.......2007-02-08

If you are a historian, this book should definitely be on your shelf. It is packed full of New Western History ideals. Despite its topical form, the book still allows for a firm grasp of the chronology. White has woven a single volume that integrates, with fludity and detail, the most critical social, economic, racial, gender, and political issues of the West. Fastidiously researched. A spectacular introduction to New Western History for the aspiring or seasoned historian.

Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Git Along, Little Dogies.......2003-09-30

Richard White work reexamines the American Western History much in the same format as Patty Limerick has. Rather than seeing the United States movement across the continent as a political/military or even industrial happening it strives to write a history of the "place" known as the American West. In doing so, the author's comprehensive history chronicles in 634 pages European arrival in the American West to the modern era 1980s.

The author's work reminds me of that geography theme- human and environmental interaction. He points to how the Spain's introduction of the horse altered life for the plains Indians. (21) Later in chapter five he addresses how various geological surveys and the changed what was know of the west. (135) He illustrates the challenges that the settles experienced in the face of 164-degree changes over the course of one year in the severe Montana climate. (229) No history on the American west would be complete with some time devoted to the railroad as White does on page 247 in the chapter entitled "the West and the World Economy." Yet Whites perspective is that of economics rather than merely industrial expansion and conquest. In doing so the railroads were not the subject history revolved around yet one part of the economic transformation occurring in the American West. Interesting and perhaps obvious to a historian of the West appears on page 142 when the author states that the catalyst for most of the legal changes to the land system stems from the 1862 Homestead, Pacific Railroad Grant, and Morrill Acts passed by Congress during the Civil War. Perhaps the author could have better stated that it was the war and the resulting absence of Southern representation that enabled this long debated westward movement legislation to clear the gridlock of antebellum politics.

White in the spirit of Limerick and other "New Western Historians" does an excellent job of illustration a multicultural, multiethnic, multi-political, and gender rich history of the land west of Missouri. At numerous occasions, he interjects the diversity of the American West throughout its history. Examples of this are the section on Red Cloud and his white-Indian culture, (105) the portrayal of Mexican-American migration during the war years, (504) the birth of Kearney's Workingmen's Party centered around nativist attitudes of the late nineteenth century, (334) and most memorable melting pot that was the California Gold Rush. (189) It was interesting to see how White's work influenced a later work - Susan Lee Johnson's Roaring Camp: The Social World of the California Gold Rush (2000) which focused entirely on such issues over one period of Western History and did it so well it garnished a Bancroft Prize.

"The Imagined West" is White's final chapter and in it, the author demystifies and explains how the History of West has taken on a sort of folklore quality. Naturally, the fictional efforts of Buffalo Bill (614) and Owen Wister (621) are attributed for part of the myths about the West. However in addition, are real actors in this history that appear bigger than life such as George Armstrong Custer (625) and Kit Carson (616). One criticism of the author is that he, like most "New Western Historians," ignores the impact of Turner's Thesis unless it is to debunk it, which by the way is easily done. Yet an argument can be made that Turner was correct in that the West was a "place" unique to the American Experience unlike anything in Europe and special in its own right. One would think if an author was writing about the West, as a "place" credit would be given to the historian famous for this identification. Although White never mentions Turner this is done mildly with the citation by Henry Thoreau on page 620.

In terms of style, the book is an easy and quick read despite its behemoth size. Most frustrating is the author's lack of notes. In five years of graduate school, the reader has yet to come across a book the void of any footnote or endnotes. Furthermore, the publisher - Oklahoma Press is probably the primer research university on this subject and noted for quality historical documentation. The reader was subjected to never-ending frustration due to this omission. Where is White get information for example, "As one historian of expansion has noted, the United States had acquired 100-horsepower empire, but only a 10-horsepower government to manage it. . ." ? (84) Another example centers around statistical information, "The death rate on the trail was about 3 percent, or about 10,000 people in all, compared to a death rate of 2.5 percent in America society as a whole." (199) Had a note be added it only would lend the author greater credibility. On the other hand, White's unorthodox historical approach pays off when he releases a zinger like, "The Texans accomplished all this amidst revolutionary maneuverings more appropriate to Groucho than Karl Marx." (68)

It's all our misfortune ..........2000-02-01

Recently, movements such as the Sagebrush Rebellion in Nevada have sprung up in the West pitting ranchers, mining companies, and developers against federal government agencies in charge of managing the land. It's been a long held myth that the government agencies, especially the Forest Service and BLM, have enacted rules to hasten the end of these economic interests in the Western US. This is one of the first books to accurately dispel many western myths such as the lone individual expressing a lifestyle of freedom, land and neighbors be damned! Read this book and learn before automatically siding with groups whose sole motivation is greed at any cost to our precious land, land that will take centuries to recouperate if left alone. These "interests" hide their motives behind "noble" state rights issues, insisting that American taxpayers turn over to state politicians (who receive the bulk of their campaign funds from these special interests) what's left of western wilderness so cattle can graze, ranchers can grow surplus crops such as alfalfa, foreign mining companies can rape the land and pay a pittance to the US Treasury, and developers can hasten the destruction of what's left of our western lands. We need more books like this one to combat the misinformation these special interests spread. Remember that in the end all american taxpayers pony up the money for these groups either through ridiculously low grazing and mining fees to subsidized water systems. This is big business, not mom and pop operations nor is it the Marboro man riding into the sunset. And after reading this book, read Cadillac Desert (Marc Reisner) to better understand how these special interest groups are threatening our beloved west.

It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own : A History of the American West

Average customer rating:

It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own : A History of the American West
Richard White
Manufacturer: Univ of Oklahoma Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OM5UUO

It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own : A New History of the American West

Average customer rating:

It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own : A New History of the American West
Richard N. Et al White
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLXLD8

Average customer rating:

It's Your Misfortune and None of My Own A History of the American West
White Richard
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UDWCXU

Book Description

This book shows the state of the art in Europe on a very new discipline, Space Weather. This discipline lies at the edge between science and industry. This book reflects such a position with theoretic papers and applicative papers as well. It is divided into five chapters. Each chapter starts with a short introduction, which shows the coherence of a given domain. Then, four to five contributions written by the best specialists in Europe give detailed hints of a hot topic in space weather.

From the reading of this book, it becomes evident that space weather is a living discipline, full of promises and already full of amazing realizations. The strength of Europe is clear through the book, but it is also clear that this discipline is worldwide.

Space Weather & Telecommunications (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)

Average customer rating:

The Relationship of Space Weather and Telecommunications

Space Weather & Telecommunications (The International Series in Engineering and Computer Science)
John M. Goodman
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Astrophysics & Space Science | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Engineering | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Professional & Technical | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Science | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Computers & Internet | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Science | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0387236708

Book Description

This book is both a survey of practical concepts for forecasting the performance of various telecommunication systems as well as a balanced treatment of space-weather phenomena that give rise to telecommunication impairment episodes. It bridges the gap in the relationship that exists between the following two disciplines: space weather and telecommunication system performance.

There are a number of books that address one of the two disciplines in some detail, but only merely mention the other as an afterthought. In this book the author has married the two disciplines so that the readership can see the connections more clearly.

All professional and academic researchers in the fields of telecommunication science and technology; military and civilian telecommunication; applied aeronomy and ionospheric physics; and space-weather will find this book essential. It will also be of interest to professionals and researchers in the fields of solar and magnetospheric physics.

Customer Reviews:

The Relationship of Space Weather and Telecommunications.......2005-05-17

Divided equally between Space Weather and Telecommunications, the author presents a non-mathematical view of the solar-terrestrial environment known as space weather and how it impacts radio communications of various types. This relationship is examined essentially for predicting and forecasting variability in communication outcomes. Emphasis throughout is on interpreting the numerous published scientific studies to better understand this impact.

The author writes chronologically and often describes his professional experiences as if recording a scientific journal or diary. Thus it is easy to follow the complex threads of physical science inquiry as he travels from meeting to meeting where other scientists also present their findings. One need not be a mathematician to interpret the meaning of a few dozen equations. A Bachelor's degree in Physics, a related science, or engineering will suffice to comprehend fully the concepts.

In the first part, attention is given to the Sun, the Magnetosphere and Geomagnetic storms, and the Ionosphere. There is an excellent summary of recent work in modeling and prediction and the author makes a point that "...we are now unfortunately faced with the job of predicting outcomes from models driven by parameters that also need to be predicted..." and continues on to address the uncertainty in this process. Readers engaged in the space weather field will find an excellent overview of the topic, which includes storm and ionospheric modeling, but few surprises. Attention is given to ionospheric layers, sporadic-E, solar flares, European Union COST Action models, and scintillation models. A significant feature of the first part is that the names and organizations of researchers are cited. This allows the reader to reach into the literature for additional technical details of this research most of which is recent or current.

The second part is devoted to studying propagation in the bands from ELF ( <3 kHz) through EHF (30-300 GHz) which is essentially the entire real-world telecommunications spectrum. The growth in technology, including the extensive use of Global Positioning (GPS), suggests that this part has many innovations, particularly in the HF spectrum, in which the author makes the connection to space weather. Such well-known topics as waveguide, wave-hop, skywave, groundwave, skip and skip distance, ducting, scatter, OTH radar, MUF and LUF, scintillation in earth-space, Doppler shift, Faraday rotation, and absorption are examined. Attention is given to modeling of the scintillation channel along with mitigation schemes.

There are discussions of HF system performance models including: IONCAP, VOACAP, ICEPAC, ASAPS, and REC533. Because satellite communications is expanding, the author explores refraction, path delay errors, radiowave trajectory, phase and group path variation, Doppler shift, Faraday rotation, dispersion, Total Electron Content (TEC), diurnal variation of scintillation, and the global morphology of scintillation.

In the section entitled, "Space Weather Support for Systems," the focus shifts to military Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (C3I) requirements. Attention is given to such significant systems as: GLOBALink/HF, HFDL, FAA WAAS, and the benefits of space weather information. Considerable space is devoted to forecasting and prediction services and systems including NOAA, RWC Canada, RWC Australia, JPL, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory at Oxfordshire, England, RWC Warsaw & IDCE, RWC Brussels & SIDC, and military systems such as the Air Force Weather Agency at Scott AFB. Commercial services as NWRA, RPSI, and STD-Canada are also described.

Considerable space is devoted to research activities including the National Space Weather Program, Military Space Weather Involvement, and the international involvement of COST Actions, the European Space Agency, Sweden, France, Japan, Canada, and Australia. Also discussed is the work of URSI, COSPAR, SCOSTEP, ITU-R, NCEP, and CSWIG. Finally, the activities of CEDAR, GEM, SHINE, CISM, and CAWSES are outlined. Sufficient information is provided to give the reader a good understanding of each project without exhaustive explanations of the technical details.

The Epilogue consists mainly of a lengthy dialog between Dr.Ernest Hildner, Director of the NOAA Space Environment Center at Boulder, CO, and Dr. Goodman (author) worthy of analysis. It closes with an 11-page list of acronyms which is very valuable in cutting through the terminology fog.

The volume includes a number of reference lists which identify the most recent studies supported by many tables and figures which illustrate the text.

The author has drawn heavily on his more than three decades of research (1960-1991) at the Naval Research Laboratory in Anacostia for this volume. The reviewer was stationed at NRL during 1945 and is aware of the significance of the experiments conducted there during its long history.

Dr. Goodman has produced a book which is readable and presents a comprehensive up-to-date overview of the relationship of space weather and the telecommunications field. Written primarily for physical science specialists and engineers it also will be useful to licensed amateur radio operators engaged in voice, CW, and data communications who must deal with the practical impact of propagation every time they are on the air.

Leonard C. Silvern
Systems Engineering Laboratories
Clarkdale, AZ

Average customer rating:

An Introduction to Space Weather
Mark B. Moldwin
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Astrophysics & Space Science | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Space weather is an emerging field of space science focused on understanding societal and technological impacts of the solar-terrestrial relationship. The Sun, which has tremendous influence on Earthâ€™s space environment, releases vast amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic and particle radiation that can damage or destroy satellite, navigation, communication and power distribution systems. This textbook introduces the relationship between the Sun and Earth, and shows how it impacts our technological society. One of the first undergraduate textbooks on space weather aimed at non-science majors, it uses the practical aspects of space weather to introduce space physics and give students an understanding of the Sun-Earth relationship. Definitions of important terms are given throughout the text. Key concepts, supplements, and review questions are given at the end of each chapter to help students understand the materials covered. This textbook is ideal for introductory space physics courses.

Average customer rating:

NASA-NOAA-DOD weather satellite program on track.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department ... Satellite and Broadcasting Newsletter
Gale Reference Team
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Comets, Meteors & Asteroids | Astronomy | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Wireless Satellite and Broadcasting Newsletter, published by Thomson Gale on May 1, 2007. The length of the article is 476 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: NASA-NOAA-DOD weather satellite program on track.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Defense)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Wireless Satellite and Broadcasting Newsletter (Newsletter)
Date: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 17 Issue: 5 Page: 11(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Further studies of rain effects on earth-space propagation (Stormy Weather Group Scientific report)

Average customer rating:

Further studies of rain effects on earth-space propagation (Stormy Weather Group Scientific report)
R. R Rogers
Manufacturer: Prepared for Communications Research Centre, Dept. of Communications, McGill University
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Average customer rating:

Space Weather & Telecommunications
John M. Goodman
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6FDQM

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books