What are you currently reading ?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

World Walkers, Neal Asher's latest, it's a bit good! 

[kipt]

Finished "Total Germany:The Royal Navy's War Against The Axis Powers 1939-1945" by David Wragg.

Interesting title since the book is about the fight against the entire Axis.  Chapter 12, Disaster and Revenge in the Far East, concentrates on the US Navy.  But all in all, a good look at Britain's WWII experiences.

[kipt]

Finished "USN Submarine VS IJN Antisubmarine Escort: The Pacific, 1941-45" by Mark Stille.

Typical Osprey with pictures and stats.  Does a good job showing how unprepared the Japanese were for ASW.

[kipt]

Finished Vol. 88, No. 2 of "The Journal of Military History".

Articles include:
Treason Refuted: Why Major general Charles Lee's Plan for the British to "Win" the Revolution was an Act of Patriotism,

Local Defense, the British West Indies, and Recruitment in the First World War,

Policing Venereal Disease at Fort Huachuca, 1941-1945,

For a Period of Four Years: The Evolution of Term Lengths for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Also 102 pages of book reviews.

[Chris Pringle]

John Ellis, "Wednesday 25th October 1944: One Day in a Very Long War".

Enjoying this tremendously. I know a lot about WWII but this 'snapshot of a day' approach explored new dimensions for me - deserters and black markets in Brussels, Chinese conscription practices, the battle of Leyte Gulf (I don't usually do boats). Strikes a great balance between the high-level strategic (talking about so many millions of tonnes of shipping lost) and the personal accounts that bring it to life. Highly recommended.

To quote the blurb:
"In a new and exciting approach to history, John Ellis presents a brilliant overview of a truly global battle, focusing on a single day in the fifth year of the Second World War, when the Allied war machine was in top gear but the outcome was far from certain. He describes a world-wide conflict from the viewpoint of those who took part on all fronts in both Allied and Axis forces - field marshal or private; president, prime minister, prisoner-of-war or munitions worker - just as they saw it on 25th October 1944, without foresight, only with clouded and partial hindsight. Among the set-piece actions of the day are the titanic naval battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines, Hitler planning an Ardennes offensive which is to lead to the Battle of the Bulge, the eruption of the Red Army into Eastern Europe, a frustated wolf-pack in the Atlantic, the saturation bombing of Essen and Hamburg, V2 rocket attacks on London and high secret Manhattan Project. The war in the rear, where civilian families find themselves in the battle zone, infantry replacements anxiously await their first taste of battle whilst the Communist guerrillas thrive in the Balkans and in China."

https://www.amazon.co.uk/One-Day-Very-Long-War/dp/0712674659/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3JPSG65BATCS8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.KNM87g55cAFfadCgL8kCHul_waYhW0NYlIDL0Mc0oG8.XYJrtGAT9F49Fdr-OnTBRb7Dia9IuRxar60_snPXFg8&dib_tag=se&keywords=ellis+one+day+in+a+very+long+war&qid=1725716594&sprefix=ellis+one+day+in+a+very+long+war%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-1

[kipt]

Finished "British Aircraft Carriers 1945-2010" by Angus Konstam and illustrated by Paul Wright.  A typical Osprey.

A bit late for the period I'm interested in but I didn't realize how many carriers Britain had in WWII. 50 in service and 18 building (38 were escort carriers - 32 of which were US Lend Lease and were returned at the war's end).