What are you currently reading ?

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

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Leman

Be you one o' those bods who reckon Brisl be in Gloucestershire.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

No it be in Wales arrrrr Jim Lad
FOG IN CHANNEL - EUROPE CUT OFF
Lord Kermit of Birkenhead
Muppet of the year 2019, 2020 and 2021

hobuyuran

I just started long waited "The Wars of German Unifications" by Dennis Showalter.
It started hard and slow but now going nice and smooth. I liked his style of writing.

Leman

Where does it take off? I started reading it a couple of years back and stalled as it seemed a little like wading through porridge. However, I am reading a lot from that period at the moment, so would want to have another crack at it if it is worthwhile.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

kipt

Finished a short one, "The Armageddon Inheritance" by David Weber, he of Honor Harrington renown.

Good space opera but vol 2 of the series.  Ned to go find 1 and 3, which my son has.

KTravlos

Last week I finished "The Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885-Combat at Slivnitsa" by Colonel Regenspursky, a Nafziger translation. I got it from Caliver Books.

This is pretty much the only readily available source in english for the military aspect of the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885 (there are some older public domain books as well). This is an in depth study of the battle of Slivnitsa. The Author wrote from the Bulgarian perspective, but also relied on another book written by a foreign observer from the Serbian one. It is a dense book providing a very good overview of the military operations from the start of the war and up to,and including, the Battle of Slivinitsa. Unfortunately it does not give but a cursory coverage of the Battle of Pirot.

And interesting thing is that you can see why military observers might had been mistaken that the bayonet attack was still a decisive weapon. The Serbian doctrine was to win the fire-fight, while the Bulgarians, Russian trained, relied on cold steel. In general in this battle the cold steel won. However, a conclusion on the superiority of the bayonet can only come by dis-regarding two key elements here: 1) The terrible fire discipline of the Serbians who expended a lot of ammunition without always being able to hit. 2) The fact that while the Bulgarians and Serbians had comparable rifles, the Serbs were still using La Hitte guns.

Another thing the book nicely points out is how  in such minor power wars, a decisive factor was the availability of ammunition. The Serbs were out of ammo by the end of Slivintsa, while the Bulgarians still had enough rounds for one more major battle.

All in all interesting but dense. I am taking a small break from military reading right now. Reading Number 18 of the Aubrey-Maturin series, plus a bit on my work "Reliability and Validity Assessment". Grading season is up so that means less time to read.

On the shelf are
Embrees "Radzetsky's Marches". I have been slowly reading this one and of for a year now. It really is too dense.

Next in line
Andrew Mango "Ataturk"
Walter R.Borneman "1812"
Nick Lloyd "Hundred Days" to be read in conjunction with Margaret Macmillan "Paris 1919"
Chester Wilmot "The Struggle for Europe"
Nikolaos Trikoupis "Commanding Major Units" (in Greek, the military memoirs of the commander of the 1st Army Corps during the debalce of 1922)
Metxas and Venizelos "The History of the National Schism" (In Greek, the newspaper correspondence between Venizelos and Metaxas on the events of the 1915-1922 period).
"Breaking Point of the French Amry"
"German Army of the Spring Offensive 1917"

Here are also quick opinions on a number of books I read since the last time I posted

Osprey "the Army of Northern Virginia"-adequate primer
Osprey "Armies of the Greek-Turkish War 1919-1922"-adequate primer
Osprey "Armies of the Balkan Wars"-good primer
Osprey "The Mexican Revolution"-good primer
Osprey "Armies of the Volga Bulgars and Khanate of Kazan"-interesting
Osprey "Armies in the Balkans 1914-1918"-excellent primer, good TOEs
Osprey "The Italian Army of World War I"-excellent primer
Osprey "Fortifications of the Western Front 1914-1918"-excellent primer
Osprey "The Chaco War 1932-1935"-adequate primer
Osprey "First Ypres 1914"-good
Osprey "The Czech Legion 1914-1920"-poor
Osprey "the Battle of the Marne, 1914" -excellent
Osprey "Armies of the Russo-Polish War 1919-1921-good primer
Osprey "Chinese Warlord Armies 1911-1930"-excellent
Osprey "imperial Chinese Armies 1840-1911"-good primer

Leman

One Military Historian's comment on the Ospreys - "They are a military historian's porn."
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

kipt

Finished "Cannae" by von Schlieffen.  This volume was a translation by The Command and General Staff School Press, 1931.

Even though it lists 101 maps that originally went with the book, none are here.  Big disappointment.  However, Caliver Press has the set as print on demand and I was able to order just the map volume.  Hasn't arrived yet.

I have heard of this book for a great many years, but did not realize that after 4 pages on Cannae, it goes into Frederick the Great and Napoleon. but the bulk of the book is 1866 and the empire portion of 1870.  Really liked this and am anxious to see the maps.

FierceKitty

Quote from: Leman on 06 May 2017, 04:15:20 PM
One Military Historian's comment on the Ospreys - "They are a military historian's porn."

;D
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

kipt

Finished " Towards Armageddon" by MG J.F.C. Fuller. Printed 1937.

Seems Fuller at this time was very impressed by Hitler and did not realize what he was after. "Therefore, myself, I am certain that Hitler does not want war."

Like Liddell Hart he is pushing for mechanization but not as radical as Hart.

Fuller is also very down on the British government who in his mind value economics over reality. Interesting comments from the time just before WWII.

kipt

Finished a very good book on The Battle of the Bulge, "Snow & Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944 - 1945" by Peter Caddick - Adams.

Interviews and oral histories of both sides.  He discusses Hitler's thoughts of splitting the allies, how the Americans were surprised and then how they fought back, ruining the Wermacht time table.

Balanced discussion about Monty (Peter is British but that is not really a factor here).

Long, 716 pages of text with 73 pages of acknowledgements and foot notes.  Many references in the notes to historical websites.

Great reading.

Steve J

The Hollow Legions: Mussolini's Blunder in Greece 1940-41 by Mario Cervi.

Only on the first chapter but so far a good read. Really trying to read up on this conflict for some games with my Italian vs Greeks and, possibly, British.

Leman

'The Tide at Sunrise' - picked up second hand and very reasonably priced (under a tenner) for a 500 page hardback. It's a history of the Russo-Japanese War, but unlike many such books this one is a real page turner, opening with the Japanese surprise attack on the Russian fleet at anchor in Port Arthur (now that rings a bell). It then deals with the C19th modernisation of Japan, which was a real eye opener, before launching into the war itself. Dozens of maps and photographs. For me this has been one of the best buys in a long time.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

KTravlos

Quote from: Steve J on 12 May 2017, 07:29:00 AM
The Hollow Legions: Mussolini's Blunder in Greece 1940-41 by Mario Cervi.

Only on the first chapter but so far a good read. Really trying to read up on this conflict for some games with my Italian vs Greeks and, possibly, British.

I have collected OOBs information, and map information on the Battle of Pindus (the actions of the Davaki detachment against the Alpini). If you want I can share with you.

With Respect
Konstantinos

Steve J

Thanks Konstantinos, will PM you for the info :).