Military Review English Edition July-August 2015 | Page 127

BOOK REVIEWS

legal jargon while others fail to accurately describe
the relevancy of their central points. Drone Wars is
not for someone with limited knowledge of drones.
This is a book for advanced readers with foundational knowledge on defense and policy matters and for
those researching authoritative sources.
A major shortcoming of Drone Wars is that the
book focuses entirely on aerial drones and completely
ignores the proliferation of armed maritime and land
drones. An astute observer of drones, or military robotic systems, over the past fifteen years knows that drone
technology is not limited to the air domain. In fact, all
four U.S. military services are heavily invested through
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop armed maritime and land drones. Many of these
new unmanned robotic systems are designed to meet
the same needs as aerial drones: to save money, reduce
risk, and leverage new technologies. If we are to have an
open discussion on the political, legal, ethical, and moral issues surrounding the employment of armed drones,
then we need to include all drone systems and types—
for they will all equally change the nature of warfare no
matter what domain they operate within.
Lt. Col. Andrew P. Creel, U.S. Army, Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas

THE LONGEST AFTERNOON: The 400 Men
Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo
Brendan Simms, Basic Books, New York, 2015,
208 pages

T

he Longest Afternoon is a historical account
of the Battle for the Farm of La Haye Sainte,
the precursor to the Battle of Waterloo. The
book is cleverly written in a third-person, omniscient
narrative form. The author walks the reader through a
minute-by-minute account of detailed actions by major
and minor characters throughout the battle. Through
his clever ability to entwine first-person accounting
with historical narrative, Simms allows the reader to
explore the many facets of the battle in detailed depth
and vivid focus.
The book spans approximately three days. Simms
begins on Saturday, 17 June 1815, the day following
Wellington’s Anglo-Allied army’s retreat from the
MILITARY REVIEW  July-August 2015

Battle at Quatre Bras, and ends two days later, the
day after the Battle for the Farm of La Haye Sainte,
with the retreat of Napoleon’s French army. The main
theme of the book is to account for the significance
of this battle and to recognize the overwhelming
impact that the bravery and courage of the 2nd Light
Battalion of the King’s German Legion—part of the
Anglo-Allied army—had on the final outcome.
This is a very authoritative piece. Between the
number of powerful first-per son accounts and
detailed historical events, the book reads as a minute-by-minute eyewitness accounting. The deliberate story line and powerful detailing leaves little
room for question.
The greatest attraction of this book is its ability to
tell the story of the battle in a very realistic sense. From
the prelude to the closing chapter, the reader is left with
a keen appreciation of everything from the weather
and the environment to the emotions and passion of
the soldiers on the battlefield. The reader is drawn into
the history and given insight to feel the accountings in a
very real and pragmatic fashion.
The major detractor from the book is the frequent
references to names and palaces. Since the focus of the
book takes place in context of a larger campaign, a lack
of knowledge of that campaign, the tactics of 1815, and
the relevant participants at specific locations doesn’t
allow a Napoleonic era novice to fully appreciate what
is happening in the author’s meticulously detailed
account. This is definitely not a book for someone that
doesn’t already have knowledge of Napoleon, the Battle
of Waterloo, or the French conquest of 1815.
The book contains many lessons that make it both
worthwhile and relevant to the security community. The lack of precombat checks on the part of the
legionnaires almost cost them the battle as they found
themselves critically low on ammunition due to a logistical oversight. Also discussed are Napoleon’s lack of
tactical patience; his failure to account for the impact
of environmental effects on men, weapon systems,
and terrain; and, finally, how courage and timing can
change the tide of combat. Were it not for the courage
and tenacity of the 2nd Light Battalion to occupy and
retain the Farm of La Haye Sainte, this battle could
have ended much differently.
Lt. Col. William Rogers, U.S. Army, Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas
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