What are you currently reading ?

Started by goat major, 03 November 2012, 06:40:05 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Westmarcher

24 March 2016, 12:52:15 PM #1725 Last Edit: 24 March 2016, 12:54:01 PM by Westmarcher
Agreed. Better armoured plus leading from the front - as James IV (unwisely) did. Probably also because they were better trained in hand-to-hand combat but I thought I read somewhere that all of the Scots were novices when it came to handling pikes which were acquired in Europe along with some French(?) 'advisers' who were brought in to train them. What does the book say, Leman?
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

kipt

Finished "Napoleonic Warfare: The Operational Art of the Great Campaigns" by John T. Kuehn.

Well written, with a discussion of Operations in contrast to Tactics and Strategy.  Some comparison to Soviet deep battle theory.

A couple of proof reading errors: debauching instead of debouching - perhaps apropos of the times?

Leman

Re. Flodden. the book says that the nobility had to go into the front ranks of the pike to encourage the ordinary men to join in - basically a morale thing. Barr claims that it was successful. He also cites the defeat of the younger Howard on the right flank (where there was no soggy ground) as demonstrating that, despite their newly acquired weaponry, given the right conditions a Scottish pike block would roll over an English bill and bow battle. Unfortunately for the Scots the other two pike blocks were unaware of the little stream at the bottom of Branxton hill, and it was the effort to cross this which disordered the pikes badly, allowing the bill to get into them, in much the way the Roman legionaries broke into Macedonian phalanxes. Incidentally, those French advisors not killed by the English were killed by the disgruntled Scots.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Duke Speedy of Leighton

Did I say I had finally read 'The Shepherd's Crown', great last book by Pratchett. Kind of glad I left it a year.
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
2016 Pendraken Painting Competion Participation Prize  (Lucky Dip Catagory) Winner

Westmarcher

Quote from: Leman on 03 April 2016, 06:51:18 PM
Re. Flodden. the book says that the nobility had to go into the front ranks of the pike to encourage the ordinary men to join in - basically a morale thing. Barr claims that it was successful. He also cites the defeat of the younger Howard on the right flank (where there was no soggy ground) as demonstrating that, despite their newly acquired weaponry, given the right conditions a Scottish pike block would roll over an English bill and bow battle. Unfortunately for the Scots the other two pike blocks were unaware of the little stream at the bottom of Branxton hill, and it was the effort to cross this which disordered the pikes badly, allowing the bill to get into them, in much the way the Roman legionaries broke into Macedonian phalanxes. Incidentally, those French advisors not killed by the English were killed by the disgruntled Scots.

Fascinating, Many thanks for commenting again. I've visited the battlefield on a number of occasions and just can't get my head around how so many thousands stood their ground and fought and died with such butchery.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

Poggle

"Lawrence in Arabia," by Scott Anderson. It's an interesting read. One 'what if' he raises is Lawrence's idea of a landing at Alexandretta/Iskenderun to cut off Syria and all points South from the Ottoman Empire, instead of undertaking the Gallipoli landings. Scope for a mini campaign, perhaps.

Techno

Listening to The Lord Of The Rings (for the umpteenth time.)

Bit of a lash up on the library van front, so I haven't picked up anything new from them for over two months.  =)

Cheers - Phil

Roy

Words of Command, by Allan Mallinson.

Got to get it finished asap, as I've to wade through a number of ECW Ospreys and a Europa Militaire that Col. Bills lent to me so I can paint up an ECW wagon for him.
Trying to figure out what colour coats Artillery Train Guards wore.
I've spotted a quick mention about them, White for Royalists and some't like a red for Parliament - though I'd need to check, as I can't remember. 
princeps Roy , prince de Monacorra, (ascended in February 2023)
His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince of (the imaginary sovereign microstate of) Monacorra

All Hail the Principality of Monacorra!  8-}

Chad

Just started 'Armies of the First French Republic' volume 1 by Phipps. Covers the Armee du Nord. Volumes 2 and 3 will follow covering the campaigns of 5 other armies.

Next project getting closer, but will not be in 10mm unfortunately. 😞

Roy

Started reading James Ellroy - Perfidia.

Should be reading Col. Bills Osprey books he lent me  :-[
princeps Roy , prince de Monacorra, (ascended in February 2023)
His Serene Highness the Sovereign Prince of (the imaginary sovereign microstate of) Monacorra

All Hail the Principality of Monacorra!  8-}

Fenton

Currently listening to Dominion by CJ Sansom

Very good so far
If I were creating Pendraken I wouldn't mess about with Romans and  Mongols  I would have started with Centurions , eight o'clock, Day One!

Leman

The Mule Soldiers - a fictionalised account of an historical event in the ACW. Apparently while Grierson was busy bashing up Newton Station a mounted infantry raid was taking place further east, in Alabama and Georgia, and taking up Forrest's attention. The Federal soldiers were mounted on mules, many of which were initially unbroken. Unlike a lot of these types of novels this one reads well and is keeping my attention.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

FierceKitty

Quote from: Westmarcher on 24 March 2016, 12:52:15 PM
Agreed. Better armoured plus leading from the front - as James IV (unwisely) did. Probably also because they were better trained in hand-to-hand combat but I thought I read somewhere that all of the Scots were novices when it came to handling pikes which were acquired in Europe along with some French(?) 'advisers' who were brought in to train them. What does the book say, Leman?

Replace the pikes with salmon, perhaps? Then you'd see an improvement.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

Westmarcher

An interesting theory, FK. Although there is one school of thought that says that even if the Scots had used salmon, they would still have been smoked .....


See how I got two fish jokes in there.   :)
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

FierceKitty

Depends on the number you have on a bass....
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.