What are the Forum members reading (6 Viewers)

[Desertkiwi]

Picked up a hardcover copy of 'The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean' by Kiwi author Brendan O'Carroll and published in 2020.

It follows on from his previous 4x books about the famous LRDG.

I'm only 2x chapters in but its a goodie already. Its primarily about the Allied occupation of the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean ordered by Churchill himself and how things go from bad to worse in a heart-beat in November 1943.

A largely forgotten action that involved LRDG, the Special Boat Service, No 30 Commando in support of 3,000 regulars from 234 Brigade. While most troops ended up captured after hard fighting, many of the LRDG & SBS managed to escape the islands while make for enthralling reads. Plus a chapter dedicated to the experiences of a German Stuka pilot.

 

[Terp152]

Picked up a hardcover copy of 'The Long Range Desert Group in the Aegean' by Kiwi author Brendan O'Carroll and published in 2020.

It follows on from his previous 4x books about the famous LRDG.

I'm only 2x chapters in but its a goodie already. Its primarily about the Allied occupation of the Dodecanese Islands in the Aegean ordered by Churchill himself and how things go from bad to worse in a heart-beat in November 1943.

A largely forgotten action that involved LRDG, the Special Boat Service, No 30 Commando in support of 3,000 regulars from 234 Brigade. While most troops ended up captured after hard fighting, many of the LRDG & SBS managed to escape the islands while make for enthralling reads. Plus a chapter dedicated to the experiences of a German Stuka pilot.

Army Chief of Staff Geo C Marshall emphatically told Churchill and Brooke "not one American boy will die on those beaches (Dodecanese)." Part of Churchill's "soft underbelly" campaigns, if I remember correctly, Churchill rewarded the Malta bgde for withstanding the siege by stranding them on Kos.

 

[Desertkiwi]

Army Chief of Staff Geo C Marshall emphatically told Churchill and Brooke "not one American boy will die on those beaches (Dodecanese)." Part of Churchill's "soft underbelly" campaigns, if I remember correctly, Churchill rewarded the Malta bgde for withstanding the siege by stranding them on Kos.

Exactly.........I'm for some reason reminded of Churchill's decision to send the ill-fated Allied troops to defend Greece and the dire state many were left to defend Crete.

The author goes into this during the book's introduction. After the capitulation of the Mussolini's Fascist Italian Government in September 1943, Churchill was keen to capitalize by occupying the Dodecanse Islands which had been under Italian rule since 1912 and tie down the German forces in eastern Mediterranean while the invasions of Sicily & Italy got underway.

His hope was to encourage the Italians on the islands to join the Allies with the aim to snare Rhodes whose vital airfields were key to the command of the Aegean. He was also hoping to encourage neutral Turkey to join the Allies which would allow Allied access to the Balkans and Russia access via the Dardanelles and of course we all know how that turned out during WW1.

The Germans of course were having none of it and that's how the book unfolds.....

Interestingly to also learn that this campaign was the inspiration for Alistair McLeans 'The Guns of Navarone'.

Cheers

 

[theBaron]

Re-reading "Shogun" for the umpteenth time. The binding has finally started falling apart. I'm going to have to glue it back together.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Horus]

Re-reading Wallace Breem's Eagle in the Snow, for I think the third time. Excellent novel portraying life on the Frontiers, on the Wall in Britain and on the Rhine in Germany, just in time for the great events that over took them at the end of the fourth century A.D.
If only the Rhine hadn't frozen !

 

[Terp152]

Re-reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, the Lincoln Cabinet during his presidency and the war. Includes some humorous anecdotes such as the president riding in a coach with Sec of State Seward. When the driver lost control of the horse team and began to swear Lincoln asked him if he was an Episcopalian. Another time, in his younger yrs, he proposed to a rather corpulent woman. When she turned him down he vowed never to marry because he could not marry someone so low who would accept him.

 

[jazzeum]

 

[Terp152]

Rick Atkinson is one of my favorite current authors and have read his Pulitzer prize winning WWII US Army trilogy. Also twice read his first volume of the American Revolutionary War, The British Are Coming. It takes about 4-6 yrs (he once graciously emailed me regarding his research process) for each succeeding book to be published. I just learned the second volume is due to be published May 2025. Mr Atkinson is 71 yrs old and I hope he doesn't follow the path of Wm Manchester who died before publication of the final volume of his Winston Churchill trilogy. That last vol was eventually published by his assistant but the writing wasn't up to Manchester's standard.

 

[Terp152]

What do you think of the book Brad? I've read several memoires by Easy Company and found most to be very interesting, excluding Dick Winters book oddly enough. Buck Compton's and Malarkey's books were very good. Also read some accounts by F Company survivors.

 

[lancer]

Rick Atkinson is one of my favorite current authors and have read his Pulitzer prize winning WWII US Army trilogy. Also twice read his first volume of the American Revolutionary War, The British Are Coming. It takes about 4-6 yrs (he once graciously emailed me regarding his research process) for each succeeding book to be published. I just learned the second volume is due to be published May 2025. Mr Atkinson is 71 yrs old and I hope he doesn't follow the path of Wm Manchester who died before publication of the final volume of his Winston Churchill trilogy. That last vol was eventually published by his assistant but the writing wasn't up to Manchester's standard.

Chris, thanks for posting this info. Have been awaiting V2 of the Rev war, like many other people. Loved his US Army trilogy, especially V1, where my knowledge was thinnest. -- Al

 

[Currahee Chris]

Just finished "Remember the Ramrods" written by David Bellavia MOH. This book was given to me by my daughter for Christmas in 2022. It highlights his extraordinary tour during the second battle of Fallujah and recounts his extraordinary journey during the 15 years between his MOH actions and being the first living recipient to receive the medal for their actions in Iraq. Just couldn't put it down- fabulous from beginning to end. A lot of modern warfare books I have read are littered with current military jargon and anacronyms which can overwhelm a reader who isn't familiar with them (American Soldier by Gen Franks immediately comes to mind). This book is completely different. It is very well written where anyone can take it off the shelf and read it and instantly be hooked. Refreshingly, it isn't filled with a bunch of "soldier talk" with a lot of profanity laced "on the scene" recounts of the conflict (trust me, it was there in spades in real life, he just sanitizes it for a broader audience).

SSG Bellavia is unerringly open and honest about his tour and his adjustments to civilian life after Fallujah II. There was just so much I read in this book where I had to put it down and walk away as he was hitting some very raw nerves in myself and the struggles I had leaving the Army I dearly loved behind. Still, I couldnt stop reading it and just went right back for more. His recollection of returning from Iraq to Vilsbeck Germany (home of the Big Red Nasty) and not having anyone there awaiting him clearly affected him and will be a pain he endures for the rest of his life. Unfortunately, this happened to too many GI's and I was impressed that he opened up on that level.

He does a great job taking the reader back and forth through a timeline spanning 15 years from the incident in Fallujah to the awarding of the MOH in 2019. The chapters are spaced out seemlessly and read very well and the reader doesn't get lost in the timeline and what is going on in the story.

One overrarching story arc I hope all readers come away with is the fact that we have so much to do to repair our vets coming back from the GWOT. So many of them went through very brutal combat and just couldn't leave it behind them and their lives spiral into depression, addiciton and even suicide. SSG Bellavia touched on this and it made me redouble my efforts to reach out to my brothers and sisters to tell them everything will be ok and it's time to live and enjoy the life you fought so hard for. It's ok to go forward and enjoy life and reap the rewards for the sucess you achieved. You too are entitled to success in the civilian world like everyone else- more so.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough- I put it in my top 10 all time war/ military history books, slightly behind "Where men win glory" but on par with Donald Burgett's "Currahee" WW2 memoir. This is first rate, top tier boots on the ground military history. After reading this, I was ok with forgiving the $2k I paid on my daughter's latest college student loan debt!!! {sm4}{sm4} I owed her one for getting me this phenomenal book.

 

[jazzeum]

What do you think of the book Brad? I've read several memoires by Easy Company and found most to be very interesting, excluding Dick Winters book oddly enough. Buck Compton's and Malarkey's books were very good. Also read some accounts by F Company survivors.

Chris, I like it. The book is primarily interviews the author did with family members of some of the members, such as sons, daughters, nieces and nephews. There is a little bit about their actual experiences in WW II but most of it is focused on what and how they did after WW II, how they adjusted, what their families learned about what they did and what each vet was like. I’m about a third through and the most interesting thing I’ve found out that Pat Christenson was quite an accomplished artist. He drew pictures of battle experiences.

 

[jazzeum]

Here are three of Pat Christensen’s drawings.

 

[theBaron]

Re-reading "Shattered Sword". I usually read it at the anniversary of Midway, but felt like reading it now.

Last year, I found and bought a second-hand hardcopy edition. My paperback edition's spine had cracked so many times, and I glued it back together so many times, that I couldn't lie on a couch or in bed and read it. It kept cracking in new places. I had to sit at a table with the book laid open if I wanted to read it.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Terp152]

Chris, I like it. The book is primarily interviews the author did with family members of some of the members, such as sons, daughters, nieces and nephews. There is a little bit about their actual experiences in WW II but most of it is focused on what and how they did after WW II, how they adjusted, what their families learned about what they did and what each vet was like. I’m about a third through and the most interesting thing I’ve found out that Pat Christenson was quite an accomplished artist. He drew pictures of battle experiences.

Thanks Brad, I've always been interested in post-war careers and found Compton and Marlkey's bios of high interest. Another book added to my "to read" list. I'm going to have to last to my 90s :rolleyes2:.

 

[Terp152]

Re-reading "Shattered Sword". I usually read it at the anniversary of Midway, but felt like reading it now.

Last year, I found and bought a second-hand hardcopy edition. My paperback edition's spine had cracked so many times, and I glued it back together so many times, that I couldn't lie on a couch or in bed and read it. It kept cracking in new places. I had to sit at a table with the book laid open if I wanted to read it.

Prost!
Brad

I'm with you Brad having read it twice and maybe coming up on number 3. :smile2:

 

[lancer]

Re-reading "Shattered Sword". I usually read it at the anniversary of Midway, but felt like reading it now.

Last year, I found and bought a second-hand hardcopy edition. My paperback edition's spine had cracked so many times, and I glued it back together so many times, that I couldn't lie on a couch or in bed and read it. It kept cracking in new places. I had to sit at a table with the book laid open if I wanted to read it.

Prost!
Brad

Such a great book. Totally changed how I viewed Midway, and how I viewed Fuchida's account. A total must-read for Midway fans and history fans in general. -- Al

 

[theBaron]

Such a great book. Totally changed how I viewed Midway, and how I viewed Fuchida's account. A total must-read for Midway fans and history fans in general. -- Al

After I read "Shattered Sword" for the first time, I found it hard to read Prange's "Miracle at Midway" ever again.

Last night, I took "Enola Gay" down off the shelf and read that again. That's another one that you can read in an afternoon.

Prost!
Brad

 

[lancer]

After I read "Shattered Sword" for the first time, I found it hard to read Prange's "Miracle at Midway" ever again.

Last night, I took "Enola Gay" down off the shelf and read that again. That's another one that you can read in an afternoon.

Prost!
Brad

Brad, Prange relied heavily on Fuchida's accounts in regards to the Japanese POV, in many matters. Prange spent many hours in personal face to face interviews and took Fuchhida at face value. Fuchida aparently embellished his accounts and did his best to make his interviewers happy by telling them what he thought they might want to hear. This has lead to the widely different accounts that Prange and Fuchida published compared to 'Shattered Sword'. 'Shattered Sword' was a game changer for the history of Midway. -- Al

 

[jazzeum]

Thanks Brad, I've always been interested in post-war careers and found Compton and Marlkey's bios of high interest. Another book added to my "to read" list. I'm going to have to last to my 90s :rolleyes2:.

I have a very bad habit of reading several books at once and I put this down for awhile as I got distracted. Anyway, I just finished and many of the men didn’t have an easy life after WW II, being changed by the war negatively; many divorces and a lot of drinking. Others like Lipton did have successful lives. Then there were others who never got a chance to live their life. Brotherton has a section on them, focusing on men like Salty Harris, Robert Van Klinken and Skip Muck.