What are the Forum members reading (3 Viewers)

Combat said:
Turning off the oil supply forced Japan's hand. They either had to attack us or give up their territorial objectives in Asia. FDR knew that would most likely result in war. It is somewhat amazing how quickly the Japanese were put on the defensive and defeated given the vast distances of the Pacific. They bomb Pearl on Dec. 7, 1941 and by mid-1942 are generally contained. After that it is one defeat after another. Both the Germans and Japanese were highly dependent on external sources of natural resources that could be cut off. Whereas the allies had an almost unlimited supply. That was an advantage that could not be overcome.
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True, the embargo was the last in a string of political moves that drove certain factions within Japanese leadership to decide to attack, but that was by no means a unanimous decision.

The Japanese military ruled the country, controlling the government. And the military leadership was split between the Army and Navy, who both had different goals, and who were openly hostile to each other. The Army's focus was its land war in China, which followed age-old Japanese ambitions to be more of a power to be reckoned with on the continent. The Army also eyed the Soviets, whom they saw as a rival to establishing hegemony on the mainland. The Navy always looked to at the US as its potential rival, and planned since the end of WW I for the "One Great Battle" to be fought across the northern Pacific, after our fleet had been worn down with submarine and surface attacks, until a Jutland-style battle would be fought to the east of the home islands. But the Navy was split on the decision to precipitate that war. Combined Fleet-Yamamoto's command-wanted to strike, but Naval GHQ was against the idea, and only reluctantly came around to accept it, especially after Yamamoto threatened to resign if he didn't get his way.

But they did not need to go to war with us to achieve their goals; it was a devastating miscalculation on their part that they did. If they had not attacked us, we were not likely to go to war with them. There just was not enough public sentiment to go to war over other countries' issues. And there were no circumstances under which the Japanese could win-eventually our superiority in resources would tell, and we would overwhelm them. It was only a matter of how long it would take.

Prost!
Brad
 
"Panic in the Pacific",,an attempt to take Belushi and 1941 seriously,,a Japanese invasion of the west coast w 15K supply lines ,,aircraft carrier aviation etc,,semi nonsense but better on a later re read,
 
Thanks to the Military Book Club I just picked up a couple of excellent bargains. I had read about 1/3 of Atkinson's 'The British Are Coming' before I had to return it to the library, so when it showed up on the MBC list, I bought it. I got really lucky as the copy I received is a publisher's first edition as opposed to a BC edition. Now I can finish reading this terrifically interesting book. I also got an excellent new ACW title from Savas Beatie Publishing, 'Lee is Trapped and Must be Taken: Eleven Fateful Days After Gettysburg, July 4-14, 1863' by Thomas Ryan and Richard Schaus. I got these 2 titles during the MBC Labor Day Sale, meaning I paid $30 for the books as compared to the regular full retail of $73. Normally, MBC titles run about 25% off, so this was a good deal. Can't wait to finish the Atkinson book. -- Al
 
lancer said:
Thanks to the Military Book Club...
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Is that outfit still around? I belonged to a Military Book Club, back when I was in high school. I think it was a subsidiary of Time-Life, or one of the other major news publishers. And it was set up like the other "of the month" clubs, particularly the record and later CD clubs. You got 10 or 12 books as your initial purchase, for some ridiculously low price-a dollar? I can't remember-and then you had a minimum requirement to buy, before you could cancel. But that wasn't bad, since the selection was pretty good. I was in a History Book Club, too, similar terms. That's interesting if it's still the same company, after all these years.

Prost!
Brad
 
I'm reading Niall Ferguson's "The Sqaure and the Tower", on the effect of networks on events throughout history, compared to the effects of hierarchies, which, Ferguson writes, is the usual focus of historians.

The title comes from the images of medieval towns like Siena, where a square or plaza, representing networks, trade, communication, is usually adjacent to a tower, representing hierarchy, authority.

It's a good book, and his model makes a lot of sense, not just in examining history, but also in looking at organizations in the world around us.

Also wrapping up Mark Levin's "Unfreedom of the Press." Next in my queue are Victor Frankl's "Man's Search For Meaning", and Os Guinness' "Last Call for Liberty."

Prost!
Brad
 
"Scarface and the Untouchable" by Max Collins and A. Brad Schwartz an interesting account of Al Capone and Eliot Ness in Chicago. Ness died before the 1950s TV show made him famous. He sort of faded into obscurity during his own lifetime despite his years fighting gangsters and being the inspiration for Dick Tracy. Interestingly enough he lived out his final days here in PA.
 
theBaron said:
Is that outfit still around? I belonged to a Military Book Club, back when I was in high school. I think it was a subsidiary of Time-Life, or one of the other major news publishers. And it was set up like the other "of the month" clubs, particularly the record and later CD clubs. You got 10 or 12 books as your initial purchase, for some ridiculously low price-a dollar? I can't remember-and then you had a minimum requirement to buy, before you could cancel. But that wasn't bad, since the selection was pretty good. I was in a History Book Club, too, similar terms. That's interesting if it's still the same company, after all these years.

Prost!
Brad
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Brad, both the MBC and the HBC are still in operation. They are interconnected although you don't have to belong to both. You can pretty much order whatever book that either club carries through which club you belong to. Not sure who owns/operates the clubs. They are not the great deals they used to be, but in many cases they do offer publishers editions instead of cheaper BC editions but figuring out which titles might be publishers as opposed to BC is a matter of hit or miss and knowing a bit about what publishers might be supplying books at any given time. The clubs can still be a good deal if you order during holiday sales or other special events. -- Al
 
I'm reading "A Land so Strange" The Epic Journey of Cabeza de Vaca.
Mark
 
I have just pick a couple of the Pen & Sword Tank Craft books, they are a great mix of historical information, modelling explanations and examples of Tamiya, Dragon, etc kits, way to build and paint.
Oliver. D Panther Tanks - Germany Army and Waffen SS, Normandy Campaign
Oliver. D Jagdpanther Tank Destroyer
Oliver. D Tiger I and Tiger II - Germany Army and Waffen SS, Last Battles in the West 1945

I will definitely be buying others in the range.

I picked up the following book
Moore. C German Self-Propelled Artillery Guns of the Second World War
it is a great guide to German SP Guns, I particularly like the stuff on the 10.5cm leFH 16 auf Geschützwagen Mk.VI(e)
vickers-105mm-german-spg.jpg
 
Raven's Shadow by Ryan Anthony

1st book
Blood Song
(Raven's Shadow #1)
by Anthony Ryan (Goodreads Author)
4.44 · Rating details · 64,379 ratings · 3,666 reviews
“The Sixth Order wields the sword of justice and smites the enemies of the Faith and the Realm.”

Vaelin Al Sorna was only a child of ten when his father left him at the iron gate of the Sixth Order. The Brothers of the Sixth Order are devoted to battle, and Vaelin will be trained and hardened to the austere, celibate, and dangerous life of a Warrior of the Faith. He has no ...more
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13569581-blood-song

ravens.jpg

Already reading part 3
 
I just finished reading "Man's Search for Meaning," by Viktor Frankl. Last night, I read, "As Good As Dead", by Stephen Moore, about the Palawan Massacre. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

Prost!
Brad
 
There are a couple of new Hitler biographies out this week that look interesting:

Hitler: A Biography by Peter Longerich. Longerich has written books on Himmler and Goebbels. Not the easiest read but informative.

Hitler A Global Biography by Brendan Simms. Supposedly makes the questionable argument that Hitler viewed his main enemy not as communism but capitalism.

https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/brendan-simms/hitler/9781541618206/
 
Combat said:
There are a couple of new Hitler biographies out this week that look interesting:

Hitler: A Biography by Peter Longerich. Longerich has written books on Himmler and Goebbels. Not the easiest read but informative.

Hitler A Global Biography by Brendan Simms. Supposedly makes the questionable argument that Hitler viewed his main enemy not as communism but capitalism.

https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/brendan-simms/hitler/9781541618206/
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The fascination with Hitler never seems to end. There must be hundreds of biographies and related works must run to the thousands. I found the bios by Bullock, Fest, and especially Kershaw to cover Hitler pretty completely but reinterpretation every few years seems to be needed. I wonder if these new works offer any 'new' info? -- Al
 
lancer said:
The fascination with Hitler never seems to end. There must be hundreds of biographies and related works must run to the thousands. I found the bios by Bullock, Fest, and especially Kershaw to cover Hitler pretty completely but reinterpretation every few years seems to be needed. I wonder if these new works offer any 'new' info? -- Al
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If it weren't for Hitler, aliens, and ghosts, there would nothing to watch on cable TV! The Simms books is trying to make a case that Hitler viewed the US rather than the USSR as his primary threat. I think that is bunk but I haven't read the book.
 
This dropped through my door on Thursday and just finished it,

Latest in The Last Kingdom series of books, there are a few authors where I just stop reading the book i am reading, in this case it was Daniel Silva The Other Woman. There are two others this month will be Andy McNab [17th] and Lee Childs [31st].

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Just received 'The Battle of Prokhorovka: The Tank Battle at Kursk, The Largest Clash of Armor in History' by Christopher Lawrence. This is a 2019 abridged edition of Lawrence's 2015 massive original study 'Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka', which was an incredible 1662 pages long. This newly abridged version, by Stackpole Books, is still a hefty 638 pages, but is considerably less expensive, $44.95 MSRP (it can be had for less as I paid $35), compared to the original, which today is exceedingly expensive, @ $265 minimum, and up. Since this is obviously a cheaper and shorter version, some sacrifices were made in production, most notably in photographic reproduction. The photos simply aren't very clearly reproduced, and the maps suffer from downsizing and lack of color. That said, there remain many useful charts and graphs for the reader, as well as the written history itself, which seems pretty detailed and well done. All in all, an affordable version of the landmark work. -- Al
 
I have read an ACW book that I have enjoyed more than just about any other ACW book I have read in ages. The title is 'Last Chance for Victory: Robert E. Lee and the Gettysburg Campaign' by Scott Bowden and Bill Ward, published in 2001. I don't know how I missed this book for so many years but it is a brilliant study on the causes of the Confederate defeat, all that went right, went wrong, intelligence failures, communication problems, leadership failures, and just about everything else that effected the battle. It is a heavily Confederate study, but does include Union countermeasures and leadership decisions. This is not a minute by minute study of the battle, some aspects are only briefly covered, but the detail on the heavily covered aspects of what went wrong is superb. It has taught me quite a bit, has changed many of my conceptions of the battle, and has reinforced just how close the battle actually was, how close the Confederacy came to a stunning victory on numerous occasions, and how Meade and the Union forces won. It is a very worthwhile read and may change your mind on many aspects of the Confederate loss. Highly recommended. -- Al
 
"Dreams of El Dorado" by H.W. Brands. Getting ready to start this one about the American West.



 
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