What are the Forum members reading (1 Viewer)

damian said:
Those look interesting.

The Centurion was updated in South Africa as the "Oliphant" and was still in service in the late eighties at Cuito Cuanvale against the Cubans .

Great tank
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Damian mate,
I did some serious reading about the Oliphant since you posted this and like always enjoy reading what various countries have done with the Mighty Centurion. It would seem, like in the Golan Heights, that the South African Centurions (Oliphants) creamed the Angolian T54/55s.

Korea, the Middle East and Angolia just go to prove that the Russian or Chicom T54/55s were no match for the graceful British Centurion.

Cheers Howard
 
Now reading an old book by Edward Behr "Hirohito - Behind the Myth". Great writing and analytical expose on one of the perpetrators of this war.
 
Finally reading Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles. Why did I wait? A true Cornwell hit. Recommended!
Paddy
 
Northgate Woods said:
Just finished re-reading both Volumes of Aussie Armour In Vietnam. 500 pages each Volume. The so-called experts said that the Mighty Centurion would not succeed in NAM. {sm4} Ask the Infantry who had many lives saved by Canister rounds clearing the Jungle and Bunker busting track turns.

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As a follow up to reading Aussie Armour In Vietnam I thought I would read Marine Corps Tank Battles In Vietnam by Oscar Gilbert. Whilst having a great respect for the USMC I found by the end of the book I had a huge lost of faith in the High Command of the USMC during this War. The huge amount of KIA and WIA of Marine Tankers who were sent into situations alone and with out infantry support just boggles the mind. It would seem that Marine Generals had no idea how to use Tanks successfully.

Marine Corps Tank Battles In Vietnam.jpg

Looking now for advice from Treefrog Members on the best books to read on the subjects of the Battle Of Hue and U.S. Army Tank Operations in Vietnam??
 
I just finished, "One Vote Away", by Ted Cruz, and "Heart", by Dick Cheney and Dr. Jonathan Reiner. That one was particularly interesting, to follow the history of a patient with coronary disease.

And now, in advance of the anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, I'm re-reading John Lundstrom's "First Team".

Prost!
Brad
 
...so, a bit of this and a bit of that....firstly some history....

"With A Machine Gun To Cambrai" by George Coppard.....the author served in the Machine Gun Corps...originally printed in the late 1960's and then updated and reprinted a number of times.....an absolute must-read if you are interested in the life of the rank-and-file during the Great War....it really does bring you into the trench....

"Somme" by Lyn Macdonald
"They Called It Passchendaele" by Lyn Macdonald

...can't quite believe I've never read these two books before now.....extremely well-written, using the actual recollections from soldiers of the time to help weave the story.......sadly, what are also well-written are the recent obituaries for Lyn Macdonald who passed this year on 1st March '21...leaving us with a truly wonderful set of histories....highly recommended....

...and for the lighter fictional reader...

"King Solomon's Mines" & "Allan Quatermain" by H. Rider Haggard

"Beau Geste" by P.C. Wren

...great 'boys-own' reading from another bygone era....

..enjoy!
 
theBaron said:
I just finished, "One Vote Away", by Ted Cruz, and "Heart", by Dick Cheney and Dr. Jonathan Reiner. That one was particularly interesting, to follow the history of a patient with coronary disease.

And now, in advance of the anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, I'm re-reading John Lundstrom's "First Team".

Prost!
Brad
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I'm a huge fan of Lundstrom's work. The First Team is unequaled in research and is a brilliant history. Heck, next month is the Midway anniversary so it is also time to break out Shattered Sword and maybe give Lord's Midway a long overdue re-read. -- Al
 
Cairnbeg said:
...so, a bit of this and a bit of that....firstly some history....

"With A Machine Gun To Cambrai" by George Coppard.....the author served in the Machine Gun Corps...originally printed in the late 1960's and then updated and reprinted a number of times.....an absolute must-read if you are interested in the life of the rank-and-file during the Great War....it really does bring you into the trench....

"Somme" by Lyn Macdonald
"They Called It Passchendaele" by Lyn Macdonald

...can't quite believe I've never read these two books before now.....extremely well-written, using the actual recollections from soldiers of the time to help weave the story.......sadly, what are also well-written are the recent obituaries for Lyn Macdonald who passed this year on 1st March '21...leaving us with a truly wonderful set of histories....highly recommended....

...and for the lighter fictional reader...

"King Solomon's Mines" & "Allan Quatermain" by H. Rider Haggard

"Beau Geste" by P.C. Wren

...great 'boys-own' reading from another bygone era....

..enjoy!
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The Macdonald books are all truly great reads. I have found that the best book on the Somme I have ever read is Middlebrook's classic First Day on the Somme. It remains a favorite of mine after all this time. -- Al
 
lancer said:
The Macdonald books are all truly great reads. I have found that the best book on the Somme I have ever read is Middlebrook's classic First Day on the Somme. It remains a favorite of mine after all this time. -- Al
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....thanks for the recommendation....I checked my local library and they have it, so it's now reserved for me...I am an advocate of the 'if you don't use it you may lose it' approach to libraries, I like the fact I can order and try new books (the wondrous heft of a hardback!) at no cost to myself which are then added to the library catalogue for others to borrow....and if I feel it is worthy of being added to my home collection then I can do so at a later date (second-hand)....

...I plan on also reading another Lyn Macdonald, "To The Last Man - Spring 1918"...

Cheers -- Ian
 
Cairnbeg said:
....thanks for the recommendation....I checked my local library and they have it, so it's now reserved for me...I am an advocate of the 'if you don't use it you may lose it' approach to libraries, I like the fact I can order and try new books (the wondrous heft of a hardback!) at no cost to myself which are then added to the library catalogue for others to borrow....and if I feel it is worthy of being added to my home collection then I can do so at a later date (second-hand)....

...I plan on also reading another Lyn Macdonald, "To The Last Man - Spring 1918"...

Cheers -- Ian
Click to expand...
The Middlebrook book left a lasting impression on me, and along with Horne's book Verdun 1916, has always bookmarked 1916 as the year of the Great War that defines the whole of the war to me. Hope you enjoy it. -- Al
 
I re-read Rana Minter's "Forgotten Ally: China's World War II 1937-1945" over the weekend. It's an excellent look at China's war with Japan, and its effects that reach down to today.

I'm between books, though my annual Midway reading is coming up, with the anniversary approaching.

Prost!
Brad
 
"In Good Faith" by Sergio Miller. This is the first in a two-volume account of the Vietnam conflict. The first book covers 1945-65. The second volume "No Wider War" has just been released by Osprey. A nice balance of brevity and detail.

No Wider War - Osprey Publishing
 
...a bit more history....

"Last Man Standing - The Memoirs of a Seaforth Highlander during the Great War" by Norman Collins......interesting short book...the length of time actually serving at the front could be measured in weeks, after taking into account time for training and more importantly the time taken to recover from the number of wounds received.....

"Somme Mud - The Experiences of an Infantryman in France, 1916-1919" by E.P.F. Lynch .....great story of perseverance whilst in the front line....the eternal 'mateship' of the Australian soldier....

"The First Day On The Somme" by Martin Middlebrook ....(a welcome recommendation from Al)....written 50yrs ago....one of the first / finest examples to use the serving man's own recollections to form a story....the courage that was required to 'do the right thing' and clamber over-the-bags to approach the enemy, into the modern killing grounds...and now with hindsight to read about the missed opportunities to advance further forward of the line when there was not much resistance ahead in one particular section, which could have saved many men's lives at a later date, but they were held back due to decisions made at HQ....sad....especially when you view the lines of white crosses nowadays...

...all worthy of your time to read...
 
Just finished this one. Now reading his follow-up, which is about the Battle of Kiev.
 

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Finished Winston Churchill's River War and a good read. Starts with the downfall of Gordon which led to the Nile Expedition.

Started Omaha Beach and Beyond by John Slaughter. He was an NCO in the 29th Division and I bought the book from him at a Louisville gun show. He was instrumental in establishing the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. BTW, that gun show was where I got to meet Buck Compton and four other members of Easy Company. A memorial event. Chris
 
Currently re-reading "365 TAO, Daily Meditations", by Deng Minh-Dao.

Also started "THE DAILY STOIC, 366 Meditations On Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living" by Ryan Holiday & Stephen Hanselman.

Later today I plan to start reading Marcus Aurelius' "MEDITATIONS" translated by Gregory Hays
 
"Started Omaha Beach and Beyond by John Slaughter. He was an NCO in the 29th Division and I bought the book from him at a Louisville gun show. He was instrumental in establishing the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA."

Finished Omaha Beach and has an appendix with several first hand accounts by survivors of the landing and beyond. It's a heart rending account of the slaughter
endured by the 29th Division. The original division did not exist after the battle for St Lo 5 weeks later.

Was reading an account of the Battle of El Gazala and noticed a reference source listed as British Intelligence in the Second World War. This is the official 6 vol history of the Intelligence Service published by HMSO in 1981. Purchased vol 5 which includes accounts of the war in the Middle East with Alamein and the Mediterranean, Crossbow, Operation Mincemeat (The Man Who Never Was), The Twenty Committee, and much more. Chris
 
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