In A.D. 9 the German leader Arminius successful ambushed three Roman legions in the desolate Tuetoburg forest. The destruction of the legions was complete, the magnitude of the defeat hard for the Romains to grasp. Although the German's victory was short lived it had profound consequences on the Roman state; never again would the Romans consider the region east of the Rhine as conquered, the dream of global conquest was over. However, the Romans did not dwell on the defeat, and it time it all but vanished from history.
Considering its important the battle is not well known. Indeed, the site of the battle has only recently been definitive located. This popular history book attempts redress that. Covering both historical and archaeological sources Peter Wells attempts to put the battle into its historical perspective and as far as possible determine what happened when and why. The actual layout of the battle seems surprising like the second battle in 'We were Soldiers once and young'. Although I did find some faults, particularly with some pointless repetition of the more bloodthirsty details, I found this book interesting and informative. I can certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in history.
W.W. Norton & Company, 256 pages