What are you currently reading ?

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

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kipt

Finished "Lincoln's Trident: The West Gulf Blockading Squadron During the Civil War" by Robert M. Browning Jr.  He has two other books on the ACW blockade (just ordered from Amazon).  It's a long book and deals primarily with Farragut who was a very active commander.  the Federal dilemma was not enough shallow draft ships able to get close to shore to capture the blockade runners.  More got though than I thought.

A lot of small actions both on the water to water and water to land.  Could make some great scenarios if you have the ships and figures.  Fortifications, sailing ships, paddle wheels, ironclads and more.

Leman

Picked up 1914 again by Mallinson. It is a weighty tome, which I had previously got half way through, and the British cabinet still hadn't properly discussed recent events in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it was now 28th July. Anyway decided to bang on from where I had left off, and I must admit, if you are prepared to give the time to stick with it, it does give an in-depth yet very clear account of how the great powers drifted towards war ( or in a couple of cases drove towards it at full pelt - with various machinations used to make it look as though they were not). Mallinson describes well how the very efficiency of German military planning made it very inflexible when it came to modifying issues like mobilisation, compared to most of the other countries. Will press on over the remaining couple of hundred pages as Churchill has now sort of mobilised the RN and the BEF is being made ready, not to mention the Belgians preparing the Liege forts and the Austrians shelling Belgrade before war has even been declared (not a great idea to have your capital right on the enemy's border).
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Duke Speedy of Leighton

The Soldier by Neal Asher, hard sci-fi that's about to get nasty...
You may refer to me as: Your Grace, Duke Speedy of Leighton.
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Hwiccee

I have been reading two new books from Helion. The first is what will be the definitive book on the Russians in the Great Northern War by Boris Megorsky. An extremely informative look at all aspects of the Russian army and navy in this war.

The 2nd book is about closer to home. It is John Barrett's book on the ECW campaign of 1646 which ended with the battle of Stow on the Wold. A fascinating look at an over looked campaign through my part of the world.

Both highly recommended.

mollinary

Just finished Steven Saylor's latest novel, the last in the Roma sub Rosa series 'The Throne of Caesar'. It takes Gordianus the Finder through the ill omened days of March, while Caesar makes the final preparations for his Parthian campaign.  Everyone knows what happened next, but Steven Saylor is a master of pulling the unexpected out of the predictable, and he does it superbly here. I was genuinely shocked at the denouement, and am only sad that Gordianus will not be back to entertain us again. Thoroughly recommended, as is the whole of the series.
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Westmarcher

For WW2 and tank fans, I recommend Tank Action by David Render (with Stuart Tootal). All about a 19 year old rookie Sherman Troop Commander (David Render) who takes command of a troop of veterans in Normandy in 1944. Just finished it and thoroughly enjoyed it.   :-bd
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.

kipt

Finished "The Flying tigers: The Untold Story of the American Pilots Who Waged a Secret War Against Japan" by Sam Kleiner.  I bought this book from Costco when I finished the book I had with me.  Turned out to be a good read.

It is essentially the life of Claire Chennault and how he became very partisan for the Chinese.  He recruited American pilots (most of whom were military and who resigned and signed on with Chennault because of the adventure).  This was the American Volunteer Group, which later became known as the Flying Tigers.  The pilots were under contract to the Chinese and were to receive a bounty of $500 for each Japanese plane destroyed - the survivors did eventually receive the money.

The US Army was anxious to bring the group into the service but most of the pilots just wanted to go home when their year contract was up.  Chennault, though he had a troubled history with the army, did eventually give i.  He was first a colonel and then a brigadier general.

One misconception about the group was that they were in combat against the Japanese prior to Pearl Harbor, but actually did not go on their first combat mission until two weeks after.

The combat missions described seem like the airwar fights by bigjacmac.  Not as much detail but still engaging.

kipt

Finished "Admiral Togo" by Georges Blond (who also wrote "La Grande Armee" as well as 3 others that I know about).

Good book about Togo's life and goes to Tushima until Togo's death.  A good description of Japan before opening up to the west, the intervention into China, Togo's education and training, the naval combat with the Chinese.

A quick book to read and very interesting.

kipt

Finished "Carrier War' by Lieutenant Oliver Jensen, USNR.  This was printed in 1945 so written before the war ended.  Jensen was a Life magazine staff writer and was with Task Force 58.  He was also a destroyer officer in the Caribbean and North Africa before transferring to naval aviation.  He was on the Yorktown.

Because it was done as a wartime book, he does not say that the Third Fleet and the Fifth Fleet were the same, just changing commanders.  Lots of pictures of the ships and pilots, along with descriptions of the various actions against the Japanese held islands.  Jensen does a good job describing the action.

Terry37

Just finished Hell Divers III and what a great read! I am switching gears a bit and have decided to read Howard fast's "The Crossing" about the Battle of Trenton in 1776, which I'll start tonight.

Terry
"My heart has joined the thousand for a friend stopped running today." Mr. Richard Adams

lowlylowlycook

I wonder, what is the most expensive part of this forum to read, the new releases section or this thread?

KTravlos

Finished "Ottoman Army Effectiveness in World War I" by Edward J. Erickson. It fills in some of the gaps from "Ordered to Die", and is a nice example of what is called a one and half comparative research design. A very important fact of interest for Greek history is that in 1919 the Ottoman Army was still 61000 strong (41000 field army) with the whole infrastructure remaining at place for rapid mobilization (that could reach at full power 250000 men). Interesting that the Allies let the Ottomans keep their General Staff when they did not let the Germans.

Leman

That'll be owing to Russia going communist. Turkey then provided a nice buffer.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Steve J

Lobositz to Leuthen. Horace St Paul and the Campaigns of the Austrian Army in the SYW 1756-57.

Basically it's his diary with some notes where appropriate as well as copious maps and illustrations. On the opening moves so far but very intriguing how the Army moved, sending out detachments to secure crossings, observe the enemy etc. Simply loads of ideas already for kleine krieg games or slightly larger engagements using HoW.

kipt

Finished a pamphlet taken from ROYAL ENGINEER PROFESSIONAL PAPERS, "Field Engineering Battle of Woerth" by Capt. R Da Costa Porter 1880.  Inside it starts on page 41 and is titled "Paper IV, A Study in Field Engineering: The Battle of Woerth".  What the good captain has done is to have taken the movements of the pioneer companies on the Prussian/Bavarian side and given them tasks.  These tasks are not historical, but what he thinks they could have/should have done.

Tasks considered are repairing bridges, laying bridges using materials on hand when the corps bridging trains were not available, digging gun pits (quite extensive), digging rifle trenches (and using infantry help), making villages/houses defensible and using gun cotton to open up walls into villages.  He follows the Prussian official history as his direction.

All in all very interesting in 22 pages.  I was an engineer officer in the army so also had that interest. Would like to find the other papers since this is titled Paper IV.