What History Books do you like to read? (2 Viewers)

Being that India the Raj and Afghanistan are interests of mine please post the ISBN for this book so I track it down.

Thanks

Dave
 
Dear Dave,

The Chitral book has the following number: ISBN.1 87050 054.

It was published by R.J. Leach & Co., 38 Inglemere Road, Forest Hill, London SE23 2BE. It was originally published in 1898, but the most recent edition was published in 1991. I got mine from a military book store in New Jersey, the name of which escapes me. You might ask Jim Hillestad at the Toy Soldier Museum in Pennsylvania (he's a K&C dealer, and you can get his info from the website).

Regards,

Louis
 
Thanks Louis I will check my sources here and see if I can find it. It sounds like a good one.

Dave
 
Minnesota has a great regional library system. Books are shared among all the public libraries, including colleges and universities, throughout the state. When a person uses the centralized catalog data base and finds a book not in the library near them, reservations can be made to have the specific book sent to the nearest library when it becomes available. Most take about a week. Its a great source for my reading. They can afford many more books than I can and if I really like a certain book, I can always buy it on Amazon.com or at some other book source. Its a great way to preview my personal library without the investment in mistakes. I urge everyone to use and support their public library, you will be pleased with what you find. :) Michael
 
We have the same system in Australia - that sixty cents reserve fee is a killer though :)
 
Dave,

Another great first hand account is the book "Zulu War Journal" by Colonel Henry Harford, C.B. It is actually a transcription of Harford's handwritten journal, kept during the war. At the time Harford was a brevet Captain serving on the staff of Commandant Lonsdale of the 3rd Regiment, Natal Native Contingent. There are several of his sketches of battlefields, as well as a very fresh and well written account of his experiences and observations. Here is a quote from his observations the day after Rorke's Drift:

"Acting Commissariat Officer, Mr. James Dalton, who in the absence of Lieutenant Chard, R.E., (who was down at the river . . . superintending Pontoon work at the moment when warning was received of the nearness of the Zulus), devised all the rapid arrangements for the defense as well as working like a Trojan himself with the men at the barricades and did much gallent work during the night. . . . Mr Thomas Atkins is the best judge of gallant deeds, and when he applauds you may be certain that he is right and does so with good reason, and I noticed that directly Mr Smith or Mr Dalton showed themselves they received an ovation from thje men, Which was unmistakable." (Page 40).

Pretty interesting information about who really led the defense of Rorke's Drift. In light of the fact that Gonville Bromhead was nearly totally deaf and left behind at the drift because he was considered a total liability on combat, and John Rouse Meriot Chard never saw combat before or after, and Dalton had been a Sergeant Major who saw tons of action on the Northwest Frontier, the above quotation about who the men applauded after the battle gives an interesting twist on the battle that was never included in the movie Zulu. Harford saw a good amount of action (and was mentioned in the dispatches) so his action descriptions (while understated and modest) are quite interesting.
 
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Hi Louis,

Very interesting indeed. Strange that not many folks know that Bromhead was as deaf as a post. He probably should have been in the artillery:D

I will have to look for that one I do have some other books on the Zulu War including Washing of the Spears by Morris and In Zululand with the British by Charles Norris-Newman.

Of course if you are interested in reading a WWII story I would recommend Stuka Pilot by Hans Rudel very interesting story about tank busting among other things. If you want to read a really skewed version of tank fighting by a Russian unit pick up a copy of White Mammoths its positively hysterical from a propaganda point of view and well worth a look.

Dave
 
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I have washing of the spears, but I had no idea that Rudel wrote an autobiography. I have to get it. At the Symposium in March I am presenting my good friend and co-host Hans Hedrich with K&C's version of Rudel's Stuka. As an aside, I am good friends with a gentleman named Bruce Whitman, a retired U.S.A.F. B25 Mitchell Pilot, who is friendly with both Rudel and Hartman. Bruce is a really interesting guy, who is on the Board of the Medal of Honor Foundation, the Smithsonian Museum and the D-Day Museum in New Orleans. He, along with Doug Stork, was honored at the mid-year (mini) Symposium we hosted in September of last year, and will be at this year's Symposium as well.
 
Hi Louis,

My copy of Rudels book is an old paper back that is falling apart I will get it out and get you the ISBN to make the search easier. Its only a couple of hundred pages and a very fast read.

I think I have heard of your friend from somewhere out side of this forum, has he ever been to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson? I am sure it will come to me where I know his name from.

Well I'll be in touch. By the way when is your next symposium? They sound like very interesting events maybe someday I'll be able to attend one.

Dave
 
There is also one on ebay right now. In the book section under military just type stuka in the search engine and I think 15 books came up with one being Rudels book.

Dave
 
Can you all give some book recommendations on Operation Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge? Thanks in advance.
 
Hi Brad,

There have been several books written about Market-Garden including 'It doesn't Snow in September'.

The best Bulge book is: 'Battle of the Bulge: Then and Know' by Jean Paul Pallud - it's a large format After the Battle publication with heaps of pics and maps.

A good general WWII book is: 'The History of World War II - The full story of the world's greatest conflict' By Lt-Colonel E. Bauer, who was a Swiss historian with a good degree of objectivitiy. It it well written, and illustrated with enough pictures and maps to keep anyone happy.
 
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Oz,

Thanks for the recs. I've actually seen that Then and Now book. A friend has one. Very impressive book. I'd like to get that and his Blitzkrieg book.
 
You cant go wrong with Ryans A Bridge Too Far. It is loaded with details and good photos and some very interesting personal stories as well. Battle by John Toland is a very detail account of the Bulge.

Enjoy

Dave
 
"THE LAST 10 DAYS"
It is about Berlin and what was going on in the city. One thing I recall was how the Zoo keepers were struggling to protect the animals in there care. This book maybe out of print and I don't have it in my library. It covered part history that nobody talks much about
I have about hundred books about WWII.
 
Brad,

If you would like really well written first hand accounts written by a member of the 101st airborne who fought in both of these battles, try Donald R. Burgett's wonderful books "A Screaming Eagle in Holland - The Road to Arnhem" and "Seven Roads to Hell".
 
Two very informative and in depth books by James Lucas,LAST DAYS OF THE REICH AND REICH,ww11 through german eyes...
 
Thank you all for the recs. I will certainly be following up on them.
 
jazzeum said:
Can you all give some book recommendations on Operation Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

As stated by other posters, there are manty. many books on both campaigns. Being interested in the overall battle, and with my personal interests in the technical aspects, I have enjoyed some of the Osprey titles. In the last few years they have done multiple volumes on the Ardennes campaign, including several volumes on the Orders of Battle for both sides, plus Steve Zaloga's two recent volumes on the northern and southern shoulders respectively. There is also a nicely priced series from Pen and Sword books that are part travel guide, part history. They give a nice "lay of the land" which is missing in many other books. There are volumes on Nijmegen, Arnhem/Oosterbeck, Arnhem bridge, Hell's Highway and The Island, as well as on St. Vith and Bastogne. I further recommend "The ****ed Engineers" by Giles - truly fascinating how elements of one battalion of combat engineers could react with Kampfgruppe Peiper in so many places so effectively. Another good one is "Nuts!" by Goldstein. This is the first book I have that went through the famous series of German combat photos from the ambush at Poteau that are so often used to depict the German advance, including pointing out the photos where the photographer had the SS troopers attacking the wrong way. This book also has the photo sequence of the execution of a captured German commando caught in US uniform.
 
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