What are you currently reading ?

[Leman]

Started to read Military Blunders, but had to give up as it was becoming an increasingly depressing read. Spion Kop particularly blunderful.

[steve_holmes_11]

Rebels and Patriots - 2nd walk through in progress.

[kipt]

Have now finished "Napoleon's 1797 Campaign; Carl von Clausewitz" translated by Nicholas Murray and Christopher Pringle.  As I said in another thread, I was enjoying this book very much.

It is a great book for this campaign and the authors are to be congratulated on their translation and for bringing it out.  The narrative and the comments in the footnotes, both by Colin (French author around 1900) and the authors.

If you are interested in the Revolutionary wars and particularly Italy, get this book.

[fsn]

Just finished Oman's "The Art of War in the Middle Ages" from 1885.

You can tell it was written at the height of the Victorian Empire. Very up with the Romans and Byzantines; not so much the Frankish warrior.

His description of the Swiss: "In the Swiss, as in the Roman, character we find the most intense patriotism combined with an utter want of moral sense and a certain meanness and pettiness of conception, which prevents us from calling either nation truly great. ... Repulsive as was the bloodthirstiness of the Roman, it was far from equaling immoral guilt the needless ferocity displayed by the hired Swiss soldiery on many a battlefield of the sixteenth century."

I think was he's trying to say is that neither Roman nor Swiss enjoyed the benefits of being British.

[Leman]

Now I have started Stewart Reid's (or is it Stuart - I can't remember) 1745. Moves along at a good pace. I knew there were a number of Scots in the Royal army, but I didn't realise quite how many or that some of the units were Highlanders.

[Westmarcher]

There is this myth among ill-informed types on both sides of the border that this was a Scotland v. England conflict when it was arguably a civil war. I think I read somewhere that 4 out of 16 Government battalions were Scottish and at least one other from Wales or Ireland.

[FierceKitty]

At the close of the 2nd Boer War there were more Afrikaaners fighting for Britain than against her.

[FierceKitty]

There is this myth among ill-informed types on both sides of the border that this was a Scotland v. England conflict when it was arguably a civil war. I think I read somewhere that 4 out of 16 Government battalions were Scottish and at least one other from Wales or Ireland.

Hands up those who have encountered Englishmen who maintained that the "Wars of the Roses" were fought between Yorkshire and Lancastershire....

[Ben Waterhouse]

Hands up those who have encountered Englishmen who maintained that the "Wars of the Roses" were fought between Yorkshire and Lancastershire....

Where?...

[Leman]

Yorkshire......the epitome of 'stuff Brexit! We want to be separate from the UK!'

[Ithoriel]

I think Scotland would fight Yorkshire for the honour, Leman. 

[Leman]

Quite possibly, but it has been an awful lot longer since Yorkshire was a separate kingdom, as part of Northumbria.

[kipt]

finished a Sci-Fi book "Old Man's War" by John Scalzi.  The premise is that upon attaining the age of 75, citizens can choose to join the colonial Defense Force.  This is an off-world force to protect earth and its colonies from other races.

Once joined, the person gets a new green, enhanced body, age based about early 20's, and becomes a soldier.  Lots of combat but also good dialogue within the story.  I believe this is the first of several of this series.  The center of the story is John Perry, who does become good at what he does.  A thinking soldier.  I will follow him with interest.

[steve_holmes_11]

The myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0141023996


I hope this one won't involve any re-basing.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo, had it for ages, but it made a 2 hour train journey whip by.