Read the book, play the game
Volume 11, No. 55, November 02, 2006
By Cpl Andrew Hetherington

History told: The three new books launched at the CA’s History Conference: The Western Desert Campaign 1940-41; Chiefs of the Australian Army; and Australian Military Operations in Vietnam. Photo by Cpl Andrew Hetherington

THE documentation of Australian Army history has continued its technological leap forward.

Two of three books launched at the recent CA’s History Conference include interactive games on the feature campaigns, revolutionising the way military history is taught.

Developed by the Army History Unit, the books are The Western Desert Campaign 1940-41 and Australian Military Operations in Vietnam.

The author of Australian Military Operations in Vietnam, Dr Albert Palazzo, said the main purpose of the two books was to deliver lessons of military history to young soldiers and leaders of the Australian Army.

“Readers of these books will be informed of some of the lessons of past conflicts. They have some applicability to their current roles in operations,” he said.

“The books are heavily illustrated. We brought in graphic designers to produce original artwork and tried to use academic quality text combining it with a high degree of delivery.”

Dr Palazzo said history had the reputation of being quite dull, but including a CD game with the books enabled history to be written and studied in a more exciting format.

“When the book is read, we think, ‘OK, we are reading history’, but now [with the game] we are going to play history and from this interaction we are going to learn something. You won’t even be aware that you are learning,” he said.

“You will also realise history is not dull and dusty.

“This whole innovation is quite novel; we have not picked this up from somewhere else in the world, we are actually leading the world. We are sending these products off to the US and the UK.”

The two books add to the first title in the interactive Australian Army Campaign series, The Battle for Crete, which CA Lt-Gen Peter Leahy launched earlier this year.

The books will be distributed throughout the Army as a teaching aids.

Another book and interactive CD to continue the history series is currently under development. It will feature Gallipoli and the CD will contain an interactive battlefield tour.

The other book launched at the conference was Chiefs of the Australian Army – Higher Command of the Australian Military Forces 1901-1914.

Author Dr Jim Wood said he wrote the book after discovering there was not a text written on the topic.

“The book gives you an overview of the events and issues [within Army] of the period leading up to Federation and then from Federation to the outbreak of the Great War,” Dr Wood said.

“It is like a general political picture and the impact of all of this on the development of the Australian Army. I then looked at the careers and contributions of the key figures within the Army at the time.”

Dr Wood said one fascinating and very important figure who featured in the book was Brig J.M. Gordon.

“He negotiated with a man called Maj-Gen A.J. Godley, a senior British Officer in New Zealand commanding New Zealand forces,” he said.

“They got together in 1912 to develop the framework of what became the Anzacs. All of that work was done in 1912 under very secret circumstances.”

Dr Wood said he was currently writing the second volume to the book, which will cover the Chiefs of the Australian Army from 1914-1918.

The two Australian Army Campaign Series books are not available to the general public, but will be distributed as a learning tool through the Army. Chiefs of the Australian Army is available for $45 through www.warbooks.com.au or (02) 9542 6771.