What are you currently reading ?

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

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Terry37

Two things here. First to answer Leman's question how to include Leonardo's war machines in a game - easy answer Play HOTT! My HOTT Renaissance Italian army has bot the tank and the winged glider guys.

Finished hte little book on Rocroi and started  a second read of Christopher Scott's "Malplaquet".

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

Leman

I have that in  mind for a quick game in 10mm and heroic 28mm on 100mm wide bases.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

kipt

Finished "Armored: Part Human, Part Machine, All Soldier" edited by John Joseph Adams, a Sci-Fi collection of short stories about powered armor.  It has 23 short stories by as many authors.  Not all combat, but at least against the elements on far away (time and distance) worlds.  Interesting and quick to read.

Steve J

Ardennes 1944 by Beevor. Really good read so far. I hadn't planned on starting this yet, but given Norm's board campaign, it seemed to make sense to read it as the campaign unfolds.

KTravlos

I finished "The Great Game of Genocide" by Donland Bloxham ( https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-great-game-of-genocide-9780199226887?cc=tr&lang=en& ). This is the most honest book I have read on the Armenian Genocide, and accompanying killings between Greeks, Armenians, Turks, Aeris, Assyrians, Kurds in the 1914-1935 period.

I have read both authors refusing to use the term genocide (ranging from those that consider it as nothing special like McCarthy and Erickson, to those that recognize the ethnic cleansing Dundar) and proponents (Hovanessian), but Bloxham does a great job presenting a honest account, which is very critical of not just the CUP, but also Armenian political organisations, the Great Powers, the Armenian Republic, diaspora politics etc.

If you are looking for a one volume overview of the genocide, the ethnic destruction of other groups (Muslim and non-Muslim) and the political and diplomatic frameworks of the period an the later treatment of the issue, this is the book.

kipt

Finished "The Hundred Thousand Sons of St Louis:The French Campaign In Spain, April to October 1823" by Ralph Weaver.  The "saving" of Ferdinand VII by the Royal French army.

A short book about a campaign little written about.  In it the author describes the uniforms of the French and the Spanish, talks about the commanders and each area of campaigning.  It is done in a regional listing, going through each area before going on to the next, rather than a constant time line.

Obviously many Napoleonic commanders, on both sides; marshals, generals, ex guerrilla leaders (again on both sides).  There were French on the Liberal side, some ex-Guardsmen as well as other volunteers and officers.  This is essentially a redo of Napoleon's "visit" to Spain but without the messy guerillas and atrocities - the Royal French were diligent in paying for what they needed, and in this case, the peasants were on the side of the king.

Interesting read, with maps and illustrations.

Cavillarius

Jan Morris, Heaven's Command. An imperial progress
An excellent read!

kipt

Finished "The Reformation of War" by Col J.F.C. Fuller, DSO.

The first part of the book comes across as a mystical philosophy.  Fuller must have been a difficult person to talk to; he had lots of ideas and wasn't afraid of expressing them.  The second half is a bit more down to earth where he discusses how he thinks combat will develop.  Pretty much right on with the armored vehicles, but way off on gas (the most humane weapon as it does not necessarily kill).

He feels armies will be smaller and more professional; lots of movement, attacking flanks, etc.  Infantry only good for garrisoning what the armor overruns.  He does feel air power will only get stronger and that the submarine will make the BB's obsolete.  He does not see mass armies, (but then how do you protect your flanks - more troops would seem to be the answer.)  He did feel that the peace settlement at the end of WWI was not going to bring peace because it did not give the Germans a say in society.  Right on there.

Not an easy read but parts were interesting.

KTravlos

The hope mass armies will go away was political. There was a perception, partly from interpretations of the rise of Athenian democracy that Mass Armies=Mass politics=democracy. Lots of people of certain political  hoped technology will render obsolete all three elements of the perceived triad.

kipt

Finished "From Cape Charles to Cape Fear: The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War" by Robert M. Browning, Jr.

Lincoln declared a blockade of the South, but the US Navy had very few ships and those they did have couldn't get close to the coast line.  A massive building and buying program was started.  The officers on blockade called for more specialized ships, and sometimes received them.

About half of the officers went with the South, and with that and the loss of Norfolk, VA, the Navy had a rough start.  However, as you know, the North did win.  No surprise there as the South never did have an offensive navy, other than a few commerce raiders.  The southern ironclads were made for defensive warfare to keep the Union from traveling up the rivers and sounds.

The title describes it but lots of interesting boat actions, fights against forts and fortifications as well as some amphibious warfare (the army and navy did NOT get along on the east coast).

Leman

Just started Christopher Duffy's By Force of Arms - the Austrian army's exploits during the SYW. Each chapter is a consecutive year of the war, with masses of maps. Although a fairly hefty tome, the text is really clear and lively, and actually reads like a story rather than a series of dry facts. To get a feel of the SYW in central Europe this is a recommended read. Plenty of information included to recreate the Austrian army's battles in the SYW.
The artist formerly known as Dour Puritan!

Terry37

Finished  Nick Smith's "Extinction, Red Line" which was really good, and a great prequel to the "Extinction Cycle" series, but I think best read last. Anyway, this morning I started Stuart Reid's "Battle of Killiecrankie 1689" Seems a good treatment of the subject and I am enjoying it. Although the editing is a bit lacking as there are word errors and date transpositions which I always find annoying.

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

FierceKitty

Quote from: Leman on 04 January 2019, 08:45:59 AM
Just started Christopher Duffy's By Force of Arms - the Austrian army's exploits during the SYW. Each chapter is a consecutive year of the war, with masses of maps. Although a fairly hefty tome, the text is really clear and lively, and actually reads like a story rather than a series of dry facts. To get a feel of the SYW in central Europe this is a recommended read. Plenty of information included to recreate the Austrian army's battles in the SYW.

Good one, that. Had me cheering for the Austrians.
I don't drink coffee to wake up. I wake up to drink coffee.

steve_holmes_11

Irregular Wars: Wargaming at the world's end.

They look like good light fun, but I anticipate difficulties filling out many of the army lists.

fred.

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 05 January 2019, 09:16:02 PM
Irregular Wars: Wargaming at the world's end.

They look like good light fun, but I anticipate difficulties filling out many of the army lists.

They are good fun rules. There are a huge amount of army lists, and the temptation is to try to build all of them!!
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