What are you currently reading ?

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

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T13A

Hi Steve

Regarding your planned Market Garden campaign, the 'Rapid Fire!!' people do a very useful 'Operation Market Garden' campaign guide which would easily convert to BKC-II. It has plenty of OOB's (again convertible to BKC) and scenarios and not just Arnhem itself. I have it in front of me while I type but I believe it is only available in PDF format now. Here's a link:

http://www.rapid-fire-uk.com/product-category/rapid-fire-pdfs/

Please keep us informed on how you get on.

Cheers Paul
T13A Out!

Steve J

Hi Paul,
thanks for the link :). I'm making notes as I go along, especially with regards to certain 'what if's?' that could be gamed. For example, what if they'd gone for a dawn drop or very early morning? I've also ordered a book the following book which looks to contain some useful info:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1910777153/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Steve J.

fred.

I've recently read a very detailed review of the air plan - and it was geared to dropping the paras in good order and on the drop zones. Which it succeeded admirably in. Certainly if you compare with Normandy or Scily. There was very little room for changes in the air plan not least due to the shear distance from the air fields in England to the DZs.
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Smoking gun

Quote from: T13A on 04 October 2017, 10:07:47 AM
Hi Steve

Regarding your planned Market Garden campaign, the 'Rapid Fire!!' people do a very useful 'Operation Market Garden' campaign guide which would easily convert to BKC-II. It has plenty of OOB's (again convertible to BKC) and scenarios and not just Arnhem itself. I have it in front of me while I type but I believe it is only available in PDF format now. Here's a link:

http://www.rapid-fire-uk.com/product-category/rapid-fire-pdfs/

Please keep us informed on how you get on.

Cheers Paul

I have heard that there are plans for a new Market Garden campaign book from Rapid Fire next year. I don't have any details of what it will contain.

Regards,

Martin
Now they've knocked me down and taken it, that still hot and smoking gun.

kipt

Finished voolume 81, No.2 of "the Journal of Military History.  4 volumes a year with many different articles.  This one has

Bruno of Merseburg's Saxon War: A Study in Eleventh Century German Military History, useful for SAGA?

Battle of Warsaw, 1920: Was Radio Intelligence the Key to Polish Victory over the Red Army?

Ghost Guerillas: The CIA and "Tiger General" Li Zongren's Third Force during the Early Cold War.

As well as others and also book and magazine reviews.

Some volumes are more interesting than others but that depends on what one likes.

Leman

Jackboot a History of the German Soldier by John Laffin. Bit of a misnomer, as it starts with the Great Elector of Prussia and goes through to the end of WWII, with half the book covering the two world wars. Also, up to WWI focuses on generals and leaders. He was a serving soldier in WWII. The book was written in 1964. He has some pretty uncompromising views, and once he got into the descriptions of wounds suffered in WWI i had to abandon it. One for the charity shop methinks.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Steve J

Operation Market-Garden: the Campaign for the Low Countries Autumn 1944: Seventy Years On.

So far an excellent read, but a bit difficult in places due to the amount of info at times. The book is based upon lectures presented at the University of Wolverhampton on 2014. I've learnt a lot so far, which will be great for my planned campaign and I think the book will benefit from a re-read, certainly for those chapters directly linked to the campaign and planning. Highly recommended.

cameronian

Quote from: Leman on 08 October 2017, 09:36:32 AM
Jackboot a History of the German Soldier by John Laffin. Bit of a misnomer, as it starts with the Great Elector of Prussia and goes through to the end of WWII, with half the book covering the two world wars. Also, up to WWI focuses on generals and leaders. He was a serving soldier in WWII. The book was written in 1964. He has some pretty uncompromising views, and once he got into the descriptions of wounds suffered in WWI i had to abandon it. One for the charity shop methinks.

I had to stop listening to Montefiore's 'Into the breech' for the same reason, the most revolting thing I've ever heard.
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T13A

Hi

Just finished 'A Street in Arnhem' by Robert Kershaw. Excellent account of Arnhem from the point of view of the soldiers who fought on both sides and also the Dutch civilians caught up in the fighting along one street that ran from near the landing zones to the centre of Arnhem (about 7-8 k's).

Recommended.

Cheers Paul
T13A Out!

fred.

Quote from: T13A on 10 October 2017, 01:41:58 PM
Hi

Just finished 'A Street in Arnhem' by Robert Kershaw. Excellent account of Arnhem from the point of view of the soldiers who fought on both sides and also the Dutch civilians caught up in the fighting along one street that ran from near the landing zones to the centre of Arnhem (about 7-8 k's).

Recommended.

Cheers Paul


Seconded - a really different approach to documenting this battle. Which works really well as a book.

Quote from: Steve J on 09 October 2017, 09:01:15 PM
Operation Market-Garden: the Campaign for the Low Countries Autumn 1944: Seventy Years On.

So far an excellent read, but a bit difficult in places due to the amount of info at times. The book is based upon lectures presented at the University of Wolverhampton on 2014. I've learnt a lot so far, which will be great for my planned campaign and I think the book will benefit from a re-read, certainly for those chapters directly linked to the campaign and planning. Highly recommended.

I need to dig this out and finish it - some really interesting papers in it. Some are far more readable than others, but most examine lesser thought about areas of this campaign, and challenge some of the 'standard thinking'.
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Steve J

I like Kershaw as a writer and so will have a look a this book. Thanks for the recommendation.

Fred, the first two chapters have been very enlightening. I finished the second chapter yesterday evening and was frankly incredulous at the lack of planning with regards to close air support. Truly shocking. On the upside learning lots of stuff that's not normally included with regards the campaign, such as the 'agreed' push up the Aachen corridor to draw off German forces from the right flank. Certainly lots to ponder.


kipt

Finished "US Navy Escort Carriers 1942-45" by Mark Stile, an Osprey New Vanguard booklet.

Pictures and data as well as some history,a s usual with Osprey's.  Didn't know much about CVE's before so informative.

pierre the shy

Gallipoli - a ridge too far Edited by Ashley Ekins, published by the Australian War Memorial

One of the best books that I have read about Gallipoli, it covers various topics including Command Decisions made by both sides as well as the performance of some of the lesser known armies that participated in the campaign (French, Indian and Austro-Hungarians) as well as logistics and the Allies revisiting the area in 1919.

another outstanding production from the AWM.

If you ever get the chance to get to Canberra visit the AWM - a very moving experience awaits.
Though much is taken, much abides; and though
we are not now that strength which in old days
moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are.

paulr

Quote from: pierre the shy on 26 October 2017, 08:22:53 AM
If you ever get the chance to get to Canberra visit the AWM - a very moving experience awaits.
Seconded
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cameronian

The Master and Margarita - Bulgakov, just wonderful.
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