My latest article is now published: Logistics of the Front: The Power Behind Soviet Mobility, published in The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, Volume 38 Issue 4, is now available to access via tandfonline.com. doi.org/10.1080/1351...

I have a short essay out in the @histassoc.bsky.social's journal "Teaching History" about the historiography of late Stalinism. www.history.org.uk/publications... Helpful reminder of being forced to keep to under 2,000 words, and have the same challenge as our undergraduates.

If you are super bored this Friday night then go and spend 5min reading through my new article on birds and Auschwitz! #History #WW2 #Article open.substack.com/pub/twovoice...

Predictably History Reclaimed complain about a ‘hatchet job’ rather than recognise Biggar’s weak performance and arguments.

Name a book from your childhood that had a deep and lasting impact on how you saw things. For me: Rosemary Sutcliffe’s ‘Eagle Of The Ninth’. Latin went from being dull and boring to one of my favourite subjects, and I found a lifelong love of history and reading.

I’ve decided to sell my beloved S&H Jewell mahogany partners desk, because, space. I’ll take some proper photos this weekend and it’ll probably go on eBay but if anyone here wants it (as I know it’s been much admired over the years!) please let me know. It needs a good refurb - Collection Sussex.

The full collection of review articles can be found here in @josms.bsky.social ’s volume 38, issue 3 of 2025: www.tandfonline.com/toc/fslv20/3...

As always, if you are interested in writing for @josms.bsky.social check out our list here docs.google.com/document/d/1... but please reach out to an editor first to make sure something isn’t already in the works. An author or publisher with a recommendation, reach out too!

It’s the holiday season, so get your friends and loved ones books or journal subscriptions to read (instead of new brain-rot devices). Even better if you go directly to a publisher or through your local bookstore! That said, here are some recent JSMS book reviews...

How Amazon, from its warehouses to the killing fields of Gaza to our public services, is becoming out technofeudal overlord. And how the Resistance is already beginning! www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Another outcome for which the Kremlin worked, lest we forget. Described in "Road to Unfreedom."

Speaking of lies and economic damage…

An indulgence - a late b’day present to me from me with luv to me!

John Westwood, historian of Russian and Soviet railways has died peacefully at his home in East Kent. Westwood, J. N. A History of Russian Railways. London: G. Allen and Unwin, 1964. Westwood, J. N. Soviet Locomotive Technology During Industrialization, 1928-1952. London: Macmillan CREES 1982.

Soviet ideology called for the emancipation of women, but reality often fell short. Soviet women did serve in the Red Army, but life during WWII was more than the heroic tales we know today. This week, we spoke to Regina Kazyulina about gender and survival. patreon.com/posts/fraternization-144312034

Animals at War Conference for 2026 www.portal-militaergeschichte.de/content/natu...

@dienekes.bsky.social Pritt which would you consider your most influential German-Soviet War book?

My latest paper has just been published as Open Access in the Journal of Slavic Military Studies: The Logistics behind the Front: The power behind Soviet mobility doi.org/10.1080/1351...

A relief that university finances are in such good shape

This Thursday at UCL SSEES! www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

My latest paper has just been published as Open Access in the Journal of Slavic Military Studies: The Logistics behind the Front: The power behind Soviet mobility doi.org/10.1080/1351...

Rosarkhiv's New Order: A Step Toward Total Secrecy in Archives Rosarkhiv Order No. 38 dated March 20, 2025, introduces "official information of limited distribution" (DSP) for archival documents, allowing denials of access to materials that allegedly pose a "potential threat to the interests of

RAISE YOUR VOICE: Now is the time to pledge your support for banning octopus farming. Octopus farming would be an ethical and environmental disaster, but with enough public support, we can protect octopuses from a lifetime of suffering: secure.everyaction.com/lE4sjpZgqUST...

The BBC as national broadcaster has just imploded with the resignation of Davie, virtually admitting that the Beeb is biased. If either Fragage or Conservatives get into power in the next Parliament, I think we will see it torn down and politicised into another GB News.

Watching @davidolusoga.bsky.social and his new show "A Gun through Time" A social history of the Brown Bess, Lee Enfield SMLE, Thompson sub machine gun and Maxim machine gun.

Wonderful 'Ghost Trains' paper!

How the Witch of November doomed the ‘Edmund Fitzgerald’ #Science #Other hashtag 1: #EdmundFitzgerald 2: #MaritimeHistory 3: #GreatLakes

T-34 tank driving through the streets of Moscow #OTD in 1941. The annual parade commemorating the October Revolution was still held that year despite the nearing German forces. Troops marching in the parade continued towards the front lines to fight in defense of Moscow. #tanks #history #WW2 #WWII

On 16 July 1936, following a decree issued by the Reich Interior Minister Wilhelm Frick for ‘Combating the Gypsy Plague’, 600 Roma and Sinti living in Berlin were arrested and taken to the Marzahn detention camp. 📸 Roma inmates in the Berlin-Marzahn camp, date unknown. Landesarchiv Berlin.

The ‘leading academics’ were from History Reclaimed

Latest reading has turned up, what's not to like about a book about microfiche!

Today one Russian paper warns that “one Poseidon drone would be enough to send that cocky little island [Britain] to the bottom of the sea.” Other papers: “[China’s] imports of Russian oil down 21%”, plus “increased risk of bankruptcy” for Russian companies. #ReadingRussia

I'm really enjoying "Once Upon a Time in Space". I was, however, fascinated by the different versions of the same events in episode 2 "The Russian Thing" www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m... and the 1998 Horizon documentary "Mir Mortals" (link below). 1/2

Some Russian papers showcase the country’s new nuclear-powered cruise missile and underwater drone. Another paper: “Citizens have begun to actively economise on food.” #ReadingRussia

Amazing, spent the morning listening to politicians praising the police and ambulance crews and never mentioning railway staff. Now announced that one of the most seriously injured was the train manager. Railway staff did brilliantly in getting train to the station nearest help.

Praise should be give to LNR staff on the train for raising the alarm and the National Rail staff for diverting a high speed train off the main East Coast line and onto the local line so that the train could be grought to a halt at Huntingdon where the police were waiting. Stellar performance.

Chilling effect of Ukraine-Russia War is beginning to spread through academia. I know of researchers being banned from doing research, other being detained at the airport by Counter-Terrorism Police. The use of the Counter-Terrorism Act against people mirrors its use against climate protestors

My (very old) kindle is finally dying. I see Bookshop.org do ebooks now. Any e-ink device suggestions anyone? I'm generally keen to not give Amazon more money than i have to these days.

and "Espionage and destructive activities of the communist and Soviet secret services on the territory of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, Slovenes (Yugoslavia) in the 1920s and 1930s" by Andrzej Krzak... We've got a handful of book reviews as well, noted in in the next post...

‘The longer the war lasts, the harder it gets.’ Heinz Guderian’s Private Letters in Operation Typhoon (October-December 1941), from David Stahel...

Looking for a distraction from the news? Turn your attention the latest JSMS issue found here www.tandfonline.com/toc/fslv20/3..., volume 38, issue 3, including papers about fascists, and antifascists... we'll let you delve into which is which...

Shock! horror! universities take credit for other peoples work has been going on from Sutton Hoo right up to Richard III www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Saturday 1 November 2025, 14.00-15.00 In-person Talk at the SCRSS centre: HGW Davie on Everything for the Front! Resource Management in the Red Army During the German-Soviet War 1941-45 The usual tale of the USSR during the Second World War is one of successful

Saturday 1 November 2025, 14.00-15.00 In-person Talk at the SCRSS centre: HGW Davie on Everything for the Front! Resource Management in the Red Army During the German-Soviet War 1941-45 The usual tale of the USSR during the Second World War is one of successful

The patient. 🩷she thanks everyone rooting for her, we should know more tomorrow about how things are going. All we want is for her to be pain free and have a good quality of life.

We are pleased to invite you to this #PROLang roundtable event, which will examine the results of Romanian Presidential election, their causes and the consequences for politics and society in Romania and the Romanian diasporas. 🗓️ 25 November at 5pm 📍 UCL SSEES ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

'Several university libraries have already indicated they are open to dropping deals with at least one of the publishers....[On] 14 October, the University of Sheffield said its executive board had agreed to “significantly reduce library spending on resources over a three-year period”.' 3/3

'It is understood that for Sage, Wiley and Taylor & Francis, the sector [seeking 5-15% price reduction] felt that only minor changes were required for them to be acceptable. However, offers from Elsevier and Springer Nature were deemed to require significant improvements around pricing.' 2/3

'New proposals by Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, Wiley and Sage were sent to universities this week after their initial offers were decisively rejected by institutions in a sector-wide consultation run by Jisc,...negotiating jointly with Universities UK on behalf of universities.' 1/3

Giving a talk at the SCRSS on "Everything for the Front" - Resource management in the Red Army. Saturday 1 November www.scrss.org.uk/cinemaevents...