What are the Forum members reading (2 Viewers)

[Evzone]

Just read Fighter Heroes of World War 1 by Joshua Levine. The tag line describes the book as '...The extraordinary story of the pioneering airmen of the Great War...' and it does just that as it says on the 'tin'. Gripping stuff with lots of Boys Own escapades amongst the class bigotry, horror and destruction.

I found this book a thoroughly excellent account of the RFC and RNAS and recommend it, especially to but not exclusively the aviation buffs. If you want to brush up on the dawn of aerial warfare this is a good place to start.

Lots of inspiring ideas for a future range or two?

 

[acw cavalry]

Just treated myself to a copy of An Illustrated History of the "Armies of the Napoleonic Wars" by Chris McNab and published by Osprey. Havent really got round to reading it yet, but at first glance the text seems to be very informative covering all of the forces involved be they large or small. Also very well illustrated throughout, again with very informative colour plates and paintings. Lots of lesser know ranks and regiments also feature which would make for original additions to any gloss or matte napoleonic 54 mm collection. On the same subject very dissappointed to learn that the new volume in the Encloypedia series by Digby Smith published by Lorenz Books that was going to feature the Uniforms of the 19th Century and include the Crimean War and US Civil War amongst others has once again been put back and delayed with a publication date now of February 2010!! I have emailed the publisher's reps here in the Uk and complained about this delay, but given that both of the previous titles in the series suffered similar problems I think this must be par for the course as far as they are concerned. Why they insist on giving a date for publication when they probably already know that it is not achievable is beyond belief!

I'll let everybody know if I get any definite news about a realistic publication date for this title if and when the publishers ever get back to me.

Martin aka acw cavalry

 

[Bellerophon]

I have just read Battles of the Dark Ages by Peter Marren.
Britain was a place of conflict in the Dark Ages, between the departure of the Romans and the Norman Conquest 410 to 1065 . Clashes of allegiance, competition for territory and resources, and intense rivalries among the warlords and kings gave rise to frequent outbreaks of fighting. This was the time of legendary military leaders, like Arthur, Alfred and Canute, and of literally hundreds of battles. If your interested in English ,Scott,welsh Irish,Saxon,Celts, Pict's,Viking and the Angles and hundreds of Kings, warlords and freemen ,then this is the book for you.


Cheers Mark

 

[theBaron]

I finished "Doomed at the Start" over the weekend, I recommend it very highly. It's a great look at the actions of the fighter pilots stationed in the Philipines when the Japanese invaded, and almost all of the material collected from the surviving veterans themselves or from their families. An inspiring story for us today.

I also finished "Pearl Harbor: The Verdict of History" by Gordon Prange, part of his trilogy on the attack. This book, too, has much to tell us, because the attitude that prevailed in this country, on the part of the military, the politicians and civilians parallels much of our attitudes today, as far as real, existential threats are concerned, and that, despite the fact that we've suffered 2 terrorist attacks now, on our own soil. We never learn.

I recommend both books, very highly.

 

[cantinetozzo]

Started reading "The Lost City of Z"..a break from the usual military history books i read , it's about the search for a mitical city in the Amazon Forest by Colonel Percy Fawcett , who trying to locate this city vanished in 1925..it's already in production as a movie and the part of the colonel will be played by Brad Pitt..a very interesting book .

 

[theBaron]

Re-reading Christopher Duffy's "The Army of Frederick the Great", for something like the 50th time (read it perhaps twice a year or more, since I bought it in 1996). I recommend it for anyone interested in the Seven Years War. I have his books on the Austrian and Russian armies on my wish list.

 

[Evzone]

Half-way through Neil Hanson's account of the German aerial bombing offensive against England during the Great war entitled ' First Blitz - The secret German plan to raze London to the ground in 1918'.

An interesting account of the development of strategic bombing; I've just got past the Zeppelin raids and started the section on the Gotha bomber raids. It's fascinating when one considers that only a few years before Bleriot just made it over the Channel to be followed by squadrons of incendiary laden bombers unloading their wares over an unsuspecting metropolis, and how the British people, Government and military reacted to the threat.

 

[theBaron]

Picked up Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism", and Leavitt & Dubner's "Freakanomics", both in paperback, last week at B&N. I've read "Freakanomics" before, but I never got to read "Liberal Fascism" when it first came out. I did get to read reviews and discussions, and thought that Goldberg has given form and organization to observations I've made on my own, in reading about politics here and in Europe in the last 120 years.

I recommend both, they're interesting reading.

And in progress on Duffy, at the same time.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Deitz]

Just picked up "Blood on Painted Mountain", Zulu Victory and Defeat Hlobane and Kambula, 1879, by Ron Lock

 

[trooper]

Just obtained "The Home Guard" by David Carroll, a photographic record of Dad's Army showing the whole developement from improvised preparations for invasion through to the quite well armed and equipped force that existed by war's end. Some really interesting images including a roller skate platoon!
Gives a lot of good ideas for Home Front dioramas.

 

[Rob]

Finally picked up a copy of the unofficial Bible of German AFV's, 'Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War two' By Peter Chamberlain and Hilary Doyle.It really is as good as folk say it is.

Rob

 

[cantinetozzo]

Finally picked up a copy of the unofficial Bible of German AFV's, 'Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War two' By Peter Chamberlain and Hilary Doyle.It really is as good as folk say it is.

Rob

I have that book..it was one of my first books in english and i paid it something like 5£..really a steal...Great book.

 

[Rob]

I have that book..it was one of my first books in english and i paid it something like 5£..really a steal...Great book.

It really is isn't it,very glad I finally got it.

I also took delivery on Saturday of Concord's 'British Armour in NW Europe,and Ospreys 'Sherman V Panther', 'Panther v T34' , ' Sopwith Camel v Fokker',and by British Historian Prof Richard Holmes ' Churchills secret Bunker'.So lots of reading this week!

Rob

 

[cantinetozzo]

It really is isn't it,very glad I finally got it.

I also took delivery on Saturday of Concord's 'British Armour in NW Europe,and Ospreys 'Sherman V Panther', 'Panther v T34' , ' Sopwith Camel v Fokker',and by British Historian Prof Richard Holmes ' Churchills secret Bunker'.So lots of reading this week!

Rob

Wonderful choices..i love Richard Holmes style..his British Army trilogy is really a great work, Redcoat , Sahib and Tommy are a sort of bible for me.Good reading Rob!!!

 

[Rob]

Wonderful choices..i love Richard Holmes style..his British Army trilogy is really a great work, Redcoat , Sahib and Tommy are a sort of bible for me.Good reading Rob!!!

Thanks mate,I've got Tommy and Redcoat(very enjoyable) but havn't read Sahib yet,will put it on the list.I really like Prof Richard Holmes style,he presented an excellent series on the WW1 Western front on the BBC.His description of young German troops being shot down in their hundreds at Mons was very moving.He did another excellent series entitled 'In the footsteps off Churchill' which retraced the places which featured in the great man's life,very interesting.

Rob

 

[cantinetozzo]

Thanks mate,I've got Tommy and Redcoat(very enjoyable) but havn't read Sahib yet,will put it on the list.I really like Prof Richard Holmes style,he presented an excellent series on the WW1 Western front on the BBC.His description of young German troops being shot down in their hundreds at Mons was very moving.He did another excellent series entitled 'In the footsteps off Churchill' which retraced the places which featured in the great man's life,very interesting.

Rob

I have the book drawn from that BBC Series about Churchill (but i must read it)and a few more books by Holmes (Wellington,The Napoleonic War Experience)..i'm reading Sahib, is a wealthy source of informations about a culture i was always attracted (the indian one) other than military life in the subcontinent.I must get that series about WWI, i really like the openings of his books (Redcoat with the french attack, and Sahib , very similar, with an episode in the Sikh Wars)!Even if fictional they instantly get you in the mood of the period, and of the book .

 

[Rob]

I have the book drawn from that BBC Series about Churchill (but i must read it)and a few more books by Holmes (Wellington,The Napoleonic War Experience)..i'm reading Sahib, is a wealthy source of informations about a culture i was always attracted (the indian one) other than military life in the subcontinent.I must get that series about WWI, i really like the openings of his books (Redcoat with the french attack, and Sahib , very similar, with an episode in the Sikh Wars)!Even if fictional they instantly get you in the mood of the period, and of the book .

I'd forgot how many good books he's written,he did another called 'Riding the retreat' about how he travelled the Mons Battlefield on horseback.

Rob

 

[kilted vampire]

"My Life in France" Julia Child with Alex Prudhomme. Really changed my feelings about her. A very good read. Entertaining to no end. Also an interesting perspective on Franco American relations.

 

[redhugh]

being a fan of books with lots of pictures rather than text i can recommend
waffen-ss divisons 1939-45 , the spellmount vechicle idenitifcation guide by chris bishop....its not a weighty tome but rather a brief summary of the different divisons with lots of illustrations of different vechicles,probably too lightweight for the more learned members of the forum but just enough info for me to navigate the different divisons and their symbols and an easy read

by the way if you live in the uk get down to Borders before they shut up shop, and raid the military history sections , currently 30% off , waiting for more reductions before I hit the osprey section

 

[Rob]

being a fan of books with lots of pictures rather than text i can recommend
waffen-ss divisons 1939-45 , the spellmount vechicle idenitifcation guide by chris bishop....its not a weighty tome but rather a brief summary of the different divisons with lots of illustrations of different vechicles,probably too lightweight for the more learned members of the forum but just enough info for me to navigate the different divisons and their symbols and an easy read

by the way if you live in the uk get down to Borders before they shut up shop, and raid the military history sections , currently 30% off , waiting for more reductions before I hit the osprey section

Thanks for tip mate,I'm all over it!

Rob