What are you currently reading ?

[Ithoriel]

Just finished "Roman Battle Tactics 109BC–AD313" by Ross Cowan (Author) and Adam Hook (Illustrator).

Roughly sixty pages to say,"We don't really know much about Roman battle tactics."

If you know nothing about the Roman army it's probably too esoteric to be useful, if you know anything about the Roman army this probably isn't going to add much to the sum total of your knowledge.

Very readable, nicely illustrated but not sure who this is aimed at.

[Heedless Horseman]

I've not tried Kindle. I don't even use a Mobile phone much... older generation... so idea of reading from a little box is a bit alien. Might be a good idea, though, as eyes deteriorating and think Font size can be enlarged.Years, gone, used to lie, reading, in bath for ages... but Glasses steam up, now! lol. 

[fred.]

For novels I almost entirely read and purchase them on Kindle - not least due to lack of shelf space for physical books. 

It is worth pointing out that Kindle is two things. First there are the books, these are bought on the Amazon website and importantly can be read on virtually any device using the Kindle App. I find this very handy as I can have a whole library available on my phone which is great for travelling. Your progress through a book is maintained across devices so you can swap between devices very easily. 

Then there are the physical Kindle reader hardware devices - these are in no way necessary to read Kindle books. But they are a good way of reading them as the screens are very much optimised for reading and low power consumption. The downside is that is another device to purchase and carry. But it is optional. 

[kipt]

I do not like Kindle or any of the electronic readers.  Just not the same as a book (of which I have thousands - but have run out of room on the shelves).

Anyway, finished a novel, "The War in 2020" by Ralph Peters (who is also the author of a ACW series I thought was great).

In this the US Army has been humiliated in Africa by South Africans and their Japanese "advisors".  The Japanese are waging economic war on the US.  Our hero of the book is a young helicopter captain (George Taylor) who gets shot down and traverses for 3 months to get back to friends, having lost all his squadron.  There is also a plague in the world that either kills quickly of, for the lucky ones, leaves horrible scarring, and our hero gets it and has a "devils face".

We follow Taylor into a war south of the US border, years later, and then as commander of the 3rd Cavalry.  Russia is being assaulted by the Asiatic peoples of their southern region, as well as the Iraqis and other groups, again with Japanese "advisors".  Russia has asked for US help and so Taylor leads his regiment to Russia.

Needless to say the US troops, with a new wonder weapon, defeats the Japanese coalition (who also have a horrible weapon), kills the Japanese CO (who we find out, was the pilot in the South African jet that shot down our hero way back when), and thus saves the world.

In the manner of Clancy novels so fast and fun.

[fsn]

I am a Kindle fan, but only for certain types of books. If I am reading a novel, then the Kindle is fine. It will even read to me if I need it to. Basic histories can also be on the Kindle, but reference books need to be paper.

I've just taken delivery of The Armies and Uniforms of Marlborough's Wars by CS Grant, and there's no way I would have it on a Kindle. Quick flick through has a lot of pretty coloured pictures and tables of facings, so I'm a happy Nobby.   


On the Kindle, I'm reading The Armed Rovers: Beauforts and Beaufighters Over the Mediterranean by Roy Conyers Nesbit. This is a companion to The Strike Wings: Special Anti-Shipping Squadrons 1942-45 and tackles the subject of anti-shipping aircraft in the Mediterranean in the same way. A mix of memoirs of the  veterans and what seems to have come from official histories.

[DecemDave]

The Great War explained by Philip Stevens.  Very much an intro overview book and also very focused on the Western front.  Nonetheless I found it an interesting read but have zero interest in gaming the bloodbath offensives .
One point I did take away is that even at Somme Ypres Paschendaele and the like, some parts of the offensives did succeed which sadly led to the belief that it just needed more artillery and more men...In an appendix he reaches a total of 16million dead all theatres and participants.

[kipt]

Finished a little booklet "The Wit & Wisdom of Winston Churchill: A Treasury of More Than 1,000 Quotations and Anecdotes" by James C. Humes.  It also has a foreword by Richard M. Nixon, of all people.

Fun little book.

[kipt]

Finished "Thrilling Stories of the Russian-Japanese War" by J. Martin Miller and an introduction by General Nelson A Miles.  It has a copyright of 1904, but has some discussion of 1905.  It however does not conclude with the peace treaty.

Pictures, engravings and text (which is pretty even handed).  The book is 463 pages but up to page 300 it is about the history of Japan, Russia and Korea, so no "thrilling stories" in those parts.

One interesting piece concerns the sinking of the Russian ship the Petropavlovsk. According to the book it was believed that is was sunk by a Japanese submarine, rather than mines which is what actually happened.  The author details in great extent the submarine and its actions.

Another item I found interesting is that Japanese explosions from artillery are from Shimose powder, which I had not heard of before.  Turns out it is similar to the British Lyddite and the French Melinite, but developed by a Japanese Scientist named Shimose.  It was more powerful that the Brit or French powder.

Interesting war, on the cusp of WWI with machine guns and massed attacks, so horrendous casualties.

[Steve J]

Re-reading '1809 Thunder on the Danube' by John H Gill.

[kipt]

Finished Volume 1 of Samuel Eliot Morison's History of United States Naval Operations In World War II, "The Battle of the Atlantic; September 1939-May 1943".

Always wanted this set and had my children get it for me for my birthday.  Really enjoying Morison's writing.

[kipt]

Finished "The Battle For The Swiepwald: Austria's Fatal Blunder At Koniggratz, the Climatic Battle Of The Austro-Prussian War, 3 July 1866" by Oberst Ernst Heidrich.  Amazing battle where the Prussian 7th Division essentially fought 3/4 of an Austrian Corps.  At the end a unit from the 8th Division and the Crown Prince's army coming from the north finally settled it.

Back and forth for most of the day within the woods.  Prussian brigades broke to regiments, to battalions, to companies and to sections, all intermingled.  Similar happened to the Austrians.  Prussian schnellfeuer stopped many Austrian attacks, even though the defenders were outnumbered.

Maps, photos and sections on the organization of the armies.  Much detail and since I have all the Prussian forces for 1870 I am tempted to do Austrians for this war.  (Would need to add some Prussian 12# batteries and some different commanders).

[kipt]

Finished "The Gurkhas" by Byron Farwell.

Good book about fantastic soldiers.  When the independence of India happened, the Gurkha regiments were split up; 4 to the British service and the 6 remaining to the Indian service.  Both the men and the British officers were not well treated during this transition by the British government.

Anyway, the book has the history of the Gurkhas from their founding to 1984 (when the book was published).  Since then there have been further reductions but there is still a Brigade of Gurkhas.

[kipt]

Finished "The Battle of Allatoona Pass: Civil War Skirmish in Bartow County, Georgia" by Brad Butkovich.  Great little, but bloody, fight with a weaker Union force holding the pass (has a star fort and redoubt) against a Rebel division from Hood's army in 1864.  Very tactical description.

The author has published several books on ACW scenarios, adaptable to many scales, with maps, pictures and OB's, as are included in this book.  Will need to play this one using RFF.

[Sean Clark]

Allatoona Pass was the first ACW battle I played on the tabletop. Looking back now, it wasn't a great scenario (from an old Wargames Illustrated I think) but I enjoyed it.

[kipt]

Finished "The Advance From Mons 1914" by Walter Bloem, at that time an infantry company commander for the 12th Grenadiers, Prussian army. A day by day account from just before mobilization to when he was wounded, about 14 September 1914.  Bloem went on after recuperating to command a battalion on the Eastern front, but that is not part of this book.

All the sweat, dirt and exhaustion from the constant marching.  His company of 250 men dwindled to 85 in a month, and this before trench warfare.Very good, first person discussion.

Bloem was a novelist before the war and wrote a trilogy of the Franco Prussian War (The Iron Year, People Against People and The Forge of the Future), which I would like to get.  I saw the first of the novels, translated into English, listed on Amazon, but unavailable at this time.