What are you currently reading ?

[fred.]

Listening to the BBC's LOTR. (First time in ages.)
Not as word perfect as I used to be.

Is this available on iPlayer? 


Or do you have it on discs for the phonograph Phil?

[Raider4]

Is this available on iPlayer?

Cough, the Internet Archive might be your friend. 

[Techno 3]

Or do you have it on discs for the phonograph Phil?

Don't you mean the wax cylinder version ?

That's about the only version I haven't got, Forbes.
Got it on CDs and cassette.

Got loads of 'stories/series' on CD.

Favourite radio series are Elvenquest, Old Harry's Game, Cabin Pressure, Welcome to our village, please invade carefully, H2G2.

I can listen to that lot over and over again.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Good choice there Phil

[Raider4]

Favourite radio series are .... Old Harry's Game... 

If you like Andy Hamilton try Revolting People. 

[Techno 3]

I DO like Revolting people.....just haven't got a physical copy.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Libertad! And Future War Commander.

Trying not to confuse rules sets.

[kipt]

Finished "The Cavalry of the Army of the Cumberland" by Dennis W. Belcher.

History from the battle of Perryville to the Atlanta Campaign in the ACW.  One great chief of cavalry, General Stanley, who was requested by Rosecrans.  Stanley was able to bring together the regiments that had been under the command of infantry officers and used for minor roles.  He instilled a sense of purpose as well as getting better weapons (Colt revolving rifles at first) and securing needed remounts.

Other heads of cavalry for this army were either not the right person or used ineffectually (by Sherman when he had this army as well as two others under his command).

Some good tactical stories and many bios of the Corps, Division, Brigade and Regimental officers.

[fsn]

Just taken livery of "Future War Commander".

I am slightly embarrassed to say that this is my first Pendraken ruleset.   

It is a thing of beauty, with lots of pretty picture and examples.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Tis isn't it

[kipt]

Finished a great little book, "The Bomber Mafia" by Malcolm Gladwell.  The title was derived from a group of US Army Air Corps pilots in the 1930's.  Because WWI was so devastating and caused so many casualties, these pilots determined that if a countries industries necessary for the war were destroyed, the country involved would give up because they would not have been able to continue.

They decided on the name they gave themselves because they were going against army policy of the air was to support the ground troops.  They wanted strategic bombing.  A theory until the Norden bomb-sight was invented and this group thought their theories would prove correct.

The British did night bombing to avoid casualties while the Americans thought that their bombers would get through due to more defensive firepower and formations. Unfortunately the pilots in the formation would start to "jink" to avoid flack which upset the bombardier with his calculations.  In addition, cloud cover affected the results.  In one case, with 300 bombers, only 1 bomb hit the target.

General Curtis LeMay had a bomb group and told the pilots no more getting out of formation to avoid flak and that he would lead the next strike.  Some improvement - 87 bombs on target.

The biggest proponent of the strategic bombing was MG Haywood Hanson.  After Germany he was transferred to the war against Japan, where he tried to implement his precision bombing.  Cloud cover over Japan, and the discovery of the jet stream continued the poor results of precision bombing.

As an aside in one mission the navigators determined they were moving at 480 mph instead of the 340 mph they should have been going.  This totally threw off the bomb sight.  When they dropped their bombs they were already 12 miles passed the target.  Everyone was bewildered and the pilots couldn't explain it to their superiors.  No one believed a 150 mph wind.

Le May relieved Hanson as CO of the Twenty-First Bomber Command.  He implemented low level napalm strikes against Japanese cities which was effective.

So the book has great stories about the development of the Norden bomb-sight (Norden was very eccentric), the development of napalm and the trials and tribulations of precision daylight bombing versus night time saturation bombing (which the British had started in the belief it would damage the German civilian morale.  When asked if the German bombing of London had affected the British civilian morale, they said, well no, but the Germans are different).

Really enjoyed this book.  Printed in 2021 so not so old.