What are you currently reading ?

[Ithoriel]

The Tank War - The British "Band of Brothers".

Any good? Saw it going cheap in The Works and wondered about picking up a copy to add to the book mountain that accompanies my lead one ... 

[Tawa]

Ha! That's where I got mine 

Only up to chapter 3 so far, but the little bit I've read has been good. Grab it while you can! 

[KTravlos]

Erickson "Defeat in Detail". A  pretty good look at the organisation and operations of the Ottoman Army during the First and Second Balkan War. To get a full picture you will still need an operations book from the other sides. But it fills in a lot of the gaps that the other side operational histories have. It is thus a must have book for anyone interested in the Balkan Wars. It did make me respect the Ottoman Staff during the 1912 campaigns (the people purged by that @@!%^!^! Enver Pasha)

There are problems.The maps are not that detailed. A more expansive list of place names in different languages is a must so as to permit cross-referencing among campaign histories. And finally the OOBs unfortunately are not that good in the end. There is a massive OOB for the Regular Army in 1911, but if you want detailed OOBs for the Balkan Wars you should use the excellent Italian Bulgarian Artillery Site

http://www.bulgarianartillery.it/

[fsn]

"The Longest Afternoon: The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo."

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Whatever I can find in my collection on a Saint Privat, wanna get this sorted before I disappear to my Dad's in Wales for a couple of days!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Didn't know you were related to Phil ?

IanS

[Leman]

Michael Embree - Too little Too Late.

[kipt]

Finished a strange little book "The Duel between France and Germany" by Charles Sumner, 1811-1874.  The book was written in 1870, so the FPW was not over.  Sumner was an American and a great budding socialist.

Napoleon III was a criminal according to him and then Prussia, although innocent of the war, was evil in it militarism.  Sumner writes about the glories of [peace and the evils of war, and discusses the different worker's parties in the various countries of Europe (in advance of communism), and how, by banding together they can abolish standing armies and war.

About the only part that I found interesting was his discussion of Prince Leopold, who was invited by Spain to become King.  This is what he says:

"But audacity changes to the ridiculous, when it is known that the Prince is nearer in relationship to the French Emperor that to the Prussian King, and this by three different intermarriages, which do not go back to the the twelfth century [the Prince's connection to the Prussian family - my note].  Here is the case,  His grandfather had for wife the daughter of Joachim Murat, King of Naples, and brother-in-law of the first Napoleon; and his father had for wife the daughter of Stephanie de Beauharnais, the adopted daughter of the first Napoleon; so that Prince Leopold is by his father great-grandson of Murat, and by his mother he is grandson of Stephanie de Beauharnais, adopted daughter of the first Napoleon, and aunt to the present Emperor; and to this may be added still another connection, by the marriage of his father's sister with Joachim Napoleon, Marquis de Pepoli, grandson of Murat."

Strange if true.

[Steve J]

Michael Embree - Too little Too Late.

I'll be interested to hear your views on this. From my point of view full of loads of info so far but poor editing has made it a hard read .

[Leman]

Let you know when I get to the end Steve.

[kipt]

Finished "A Treatise on the Employment of Light Troops on Actual Service: containing General Principles, Compiled from Eminent Practical Authors, British and Foreign; Illustrated by Numerous Examples, Showing their Application to Skirmishing in the Field.  In Conformity with Her Majesty's Regulations" by Lt.-colonel Charles Leslie, K.H. late 60th King's Royal Rifles.

Actually not a lot of examples but those that it has a re from the Napoleonic and Indian/Afghan wars.  It's not a list of regulations but discussions of various situations light troops would be involved with.

A bit of a hard read.

[Leman]

Published by Short Snappy Titles R Us.

[kipt]

Agreed. Took up the whole front cover.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Speed by Guy Martin, Xmas pressie from my eldest. Dead good

[Techno]

Listening to "Thankless in death", by J.D Robb.

(I've listened to about another half dozen 'books' since I last posted in this thread.)

Cheers - Phil