What are you currently reading ?

[kipt]

Finished "Failure In The Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign" by David A. Powell.

A book that looks into the failures of the Rebel cavalry during this campaign.  Forrest was new to the job of Division and then Corps command, and liked to get into the action.  At one point he charged Union infantry with his escort troop plus a detachment, rather than attending to a Corp commander job.

Joseph Wheeler, although West Point trained, more or less did what he liked.  Direct, specific orders from Bragg went unheeded.  Wheeler removed his troops from direct contact with the Union army at the most inconvenient times.

Cavalry duties during the ACW were scouting and screening flanks and the heads of columns.  These two commanders did a poor job of it (although Forrest was a bit better, being more aggressive by nature).

Bragg received a lot of criticism for the failures before, during and after Chickamauga, but a lot of the blame should rest on the use of the cavalry by these two commanders. 

[Steve J]

Case White: The Invasion of Poland 1939 by Robery Forczyk

A few chapters in and so far looking at the Polish problems in the lead up to the invasion. So far so good and plenty of good background info as to why the Polish forces fought as they did, due to being hampered by lack of equipment and poor doctrinal plans to deal with invasion, whether by Germany or the Soviet Union. Highly recommended.

[Leman]

Currently having another look at Glory Halleluiah Black Powder ACW supplement. Going solo these days means I will have more time to ponder the ACW subleties of the game.

[kipt]

Finished "Attack On The Redan" by Garry Douglas Kilworth.  A novel set in the Crimean War with the hero a sergeant of the 88th, but part of a scout/spy unit.  Our hero is Jack Crossman, whose real name is  Alexander Kirk, the bastard son of a baronet who he had never gotten along with and who would not support him.  So, he enlisted under an assumed name.

This is evidently number 5 of a series I had not heard of, and there may be one more.  This one printed 2003.

Fast reading and interesting.

[kipt]

Finished "The Green Curve" by Ole Luk-Oie.

Hans Christian Andersen's character "based upon a folk tale telling of a mysterious mythic creature of the Sandman who gently takes children to sleep and, depending on how good or bad they were, shows them various dreams".

It is the pseudonym of MG Ernest D. Swinton.  He was one of the driving forces behind the creation and adoption of the tank, and may have given the name tank to the machine.  It was based on him seeing a Holt tractor earlier.

"In April 1918, while on a tour of the US, Swinton visited Stockton, California to publicly honour Benjamin Holt and the company for their contribution to the war effort and to relay Britain's gratitude to the inventor. Benjamin Holt was recognized by the General at a public meeting held in Stockton".  Which is interesting to me as I went to U.O.P. in Stockton.

Swinton also wrote "The Defense of Duffer's Drift", a military classic on minor tactics.

"The Green Curve" is a collection of short stories, fictional, about the British army at the human level.  It has the Boer War, a fictional story of an invasion of Britain by the Germans, the repair of a bridge and its subsequent destruction by early helicopters, a view into the method of a commanding general and several others.  Very entertaining.