New Issue of the Estonian Yearbook of Military History: Military Thought and its Transformation in the Newly Independent States of Europe in 1918–1940
The Estonian Yearbook of Military History 2023 Military Thought and its Transformation in the Newly Independent States of Europe in 1918–1940, published in cooperation between the Estonian War Museum and Tallinn University Press, is dedicated to the military theories of the European states that emerged after the First World War.

The First World War profoundly transformed previous concepts of warfare, necessitating a thorough revision of military theoretical thought. The 14th Annual Baltic Military History Conference, Military Thought and its Transformation in the Newly Independent States of Europe in 1918–1940, organised by the Estonian War Museum, the Baltic Defence College, and the Estonian Military Academy in 2023, examined how the newly independent European states of 1918–1940 addressed this challenge. The six articles in this yearbook explore the writings of Czechoslovak officers, threat assessments by the Finnish army, Marshal Józef Piłsudski's role in Polish military thinking, General Johan Laidoner's contribution to Estonia's defence modernisation plan, the views of Dutch military theorist Michael Calmeyer, and assessments of Estonia's war readiness in both historical and contemporary contexts. The review section examines two monographs on Estonian military thought. Contributors include military historians from the Czech Republic, Finland, Poland, the Netherlands, the United States, and Estonia.
The Estonian Yearbook of Military History is a peer-reviewed journal established in 2011 and published by the Estonian War Museum - General Laidoner Museum and Tallinn University Press. The journal is aimed at scholars researching military history both in Estonia and abroad, as well as a wider circle of military history enthusiasts. The editor-in-chief of the publication is Toomas Hiio.
Table of contents:
Mari-Leen Tammela
Introduction
Michal Cáp
The Challenges of Our Defence: Military Knowledge and Officers’ Writings in Interwar Czechoslovakia.
Markus Wahlstein
The Red Army Rises – the Impact of Threat Assessment on Defence System and Military Thinking in Finland in the 1920s
Tomasz Gajownik
Polish Military Thought in the Interwar Period of the 20th Century and the Role of Marshal Józef Piłsudski
Aarne Ermus
Implications of General Johan Laidoner’s Active Defence Doctrine in the Estonian Defence Modernisation Plan of 1938
Wim Klinkert
Michael Calmeyer: A Dutch Infantry Officer Contemplates Modern War, 1935–1940
Peter Mitchell, Tanel Tatsi
Examining the Indefensible: Guarding Estonia in the Interwar Period and the Future
Toomas Hiio
History of Estonian Military Thought