What are we reading?

[ArizonaTank]

Just starting:
Rogue Heroes: The History of the SAS, Britain's Secret Special Forces Unit That Sabotaged the Nazis and Changed the Nature of War by Ben Macintyre

This book about the origin of the SAS was the basis for a BBC action/drama mini-series a few years ago. But the book is much more about military operations...and while I eventually lost interest watching the BBC mini-series, the book is fascinating.

I highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Heroes-History-Britains-Sabotaged/dp/1101904186/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.jTTlfWSwERvcCOpbn2mG8rCGWRKXUnZDAQHL4Kog7oygNtFZH2GTN9jBdgfvftzV4JIDtGvfG-cEonm6BerMV-YZXKJLYbyzE8anPzYIGsHqJWERlibxfDr4oN05g5VsvC5RCoRG-3gVEjUsasK7ThbHlsQpkH-IPQtHqEQ_T4GftFd1yFJAEPL0uPdAQ3OzjuyKqy6ptCMxDfSBXs4g2Z0p9mmv4XcFMULXkZze7IU.AEwrhsjYs4MkZscuQEA0JHv9oGUlgB_LK3Y_lzyT69k&qid=1713966320&sr=8-1

[ArizonaTank]

Just finishing: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James Swanson

Fascinating telling of John Wilkes Booth's nearly two-week evasion as he attempted to go deep into the South, and from there possibly Mexico.

The book does a great job bringing the era and people to life, making the story seem relevant and contemporary.

The author also fills in many gaps that most other books gloss over.

The book was the inspiration for a TV series on Apple+, but as with most book-to-TV series, the book is much better, and more focused on the crime, escape and capture.

Recommend the book for anyone interested in the era.

https://www.amazon.com/Manhunt-12-Day-Chase-Lincolns-Killer/dp/0060518502/ref=sr_1_1?crid=392ETKMC5V1YA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dnp1CgaJLzzV8D2qMeHmFArMuNgrUE_z8sK2ETeFnwiiqXXarh4nisHRc1XqmbGh89Dfy4SwrwUlMD04jXRyii6KbmXOVBu76uh8iEy66M1Iv_TywDPILzH2tlg1-3VJENAlngtlvNtgLKm2gecZzh72qixoFN42qHkyrZ8JpJT2ZvfCowgTkCDjup_LxvFZvz-aurFBxkKDJINkSViqzXK-u4yAkzWEkR5TiqIx8Eo.QQ94ZuNMTNPfFL7hqo9-E5b0Lx0COrXKIR0RUCwimys&dib_tag=se&keywords=manhunt+the+12-day+chase+for+lincoln%27s+killer&qid=1715172550&sprefix=manhu%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1

[Gusington]

Just starting The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan. Just finished The Mars Mystery by Graham Hancock.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I'm about halfway through The Traitor of Arnhem.
Very interesting book.  Makes me hate Communists and the idiotic western "elites" who support them even more.  Didn't think that was possible.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Traitor-Arnhem-Greatest-Betrayal-Changed/dp/1802797408

[ArizonaTank]

Just finished "Cactus Airforce: Air War over Guadalcanal," by Eric Hammel and Thomas Cleaver.

If WWII air combat is your thing, this is a great book. Guadalcanal saw some of the most intense air / naval fights of the entire war. The book makes a good case for Guadalcanal, and not Midway as being the turning point of the War in the Pacific.

The book has some truly exciting descriptions of the combat and heroism seen over Guadalcanal. It is mostly written from the US point of view.

https://www.amazon.com/Cactus-Air-Force-over-Guadalcanal/dp/1472851072/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3MUF01PVNQ43I&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fjk-XE2__VTbPEW9HOyR8kzXvBTsoLN4D6Dlt-jF0CnEsRXCI1IlBVxzvt1fYGdlvUYVgkQhUbHK1reFNJ-RCB1MND6Oew8s7pS7Q5snLNMhjgsmBJuLy-DXZVbS4F3YQBggDoNsD5kyxRSXOUP6qkAq3rvuO2rW3jD3C4z5P_KpvoiDzAbImKrSalM275_diaXy8PPqZNmW33p3K5B1VuyGNYh8vMYVJaPeir9nvhQ.tWiCPX-dIdIJEWKcRN4CfJ35IWEWhpG2oXDlp-49FqI&dib_tag=se&keywords=cactus+air+force+book&qid=1719237899&sprefix=%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-1

[Sir Slash]

I just finished, "Desert Armour: Tank Warfare in North Africa" by Robert Forczyk. A two-volume set covering the entire war in N. Africa from the formation of armored forces by America, Britain, Germany, and Italy before the war to the campaign's finish in 1943. Great series with lots of technical facts and details of logistics, weather, and training. The author, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel, served 18 years as an officer in the U.S. 2nd and 4th Infantry Divisions and an Intelligence Officer with the 29th Infantry Division. He doesn't hold back on good and bad opinions of the commanding generals on both sides, being both praising and condemning at times. Lots of great pics and charts to peruse but only a few poorly placed maps throughout.    Still a great series if you're interested at all in the campaign.

[ArizonaTank]

I just finished, "Desert Armour: Tank Warfare in North Africa" by Robert Forczyk....

Forczyk is one of my favorite WWII authors. Really loved his "Case White," "Case Red," and "Where the Iron Crosses Grow." But I haven't read any of his armor series yet. Definitely in the queue.

[Jarhead0331]

Almost finished with "19 Minutes to Live" about a Cobra Pilot's experience in Vietnam. Combat stories include missions in the A Shau Valley and at Hamburger Hill. Amazing stuff. I can barely put the book down.

[ArizonaTank]

I recently wanted to 'get smart' on the 1745 Scottish Jacobite Rising ("The '45"), so I read two books on the subject. One I recommend the other is a "maybe."

Recommended is: "Bonnie Prince Charlie" by Carolly Erickson.

Not as much a military history, but a very good biography of the fascinating leader of the 1745 rising. One of the last of the Stuart dynasty, he viewed the rising as a way to restore the Stuarts onto the English throne. His thrown together army made up mostly of northern Scottish clansmen, managed to invade England, and get within 120 miles of London. In his youth, Charlie was a dynamic and charismatic leader, who was loved by those who followed him. In defeat, and as an old man, he became a bitter drunk, easily side-lined by the British aristocracy. The book flows well, is informative and entertaining. I recommend it to anyone looking to understand the period.

https://www.amazon.com/Bonnie-Prince-Charlie-Carolly-Erickson/dp/0688060870/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VhOFJIVvJsaywRkE2vBTBoXxNgqAdK3owTLpu7QmW_48Vji36Ooi7bM0riclIzrKEpmk1IEnLV43NsyYubUyOgtcwDh8guS0uaMucBt5eHgTVHB5TMowNpfvNrWqMXXFITFWGQSTbwvIaiaRprFuIXIVnZkt3ZaIr2WjVcwV9cEu-A_9w6tflnkicJ6ayueElRasPMARebXqsX8kPFDuC9E2k14SDeiwQod3y1IIJOk2mxU7xtnmt3QQdJOuigqbZdq2xVmCNvGTCokoTWBvmFwuA1sBg7momu4AtyDjsck.yXJrB3YNIGmifFsIhsM8QfXnIRFokTD2yKOpBOtNxpk&qid=1719493028&sr=1-3

A "maybe" is:  "Culloden" by Trevor Royle

Firstly, the book is competent history of the British military in the middle years of the 18th century; as that it does well. But I wanted a book about the battle of Culloden and "The '45" rising. Only about half the book covers that. The book places Culloden in a larger context of the struggle between France and Britain. That is OK, but it then spends much time talking about the Seven Years War, or the French and Indian War. That is when it started to lose me. Also, the book manages to tell its story without one map (at least the paperback version). Sure, I can look maps up myself, but I really miss not having them in the book itself. Overall, I suspect there are better military histories that concentrate on "The '45." But "Culloden" still has value if you are interested generally in the British army of the mid-18th century, this book is probably a place to start.

https://www.amazon.com/Culloden-Scotlands-Battle-Forging-British/dp/1408704013/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ci58-IvmB0Whk3tKtRVIl46cbva7ySnKcPOcTfeApSdNdk5r_1I-lkNlA0k4IZs3GTt5ECp23-uMzFQO8g8ROaM1HBEnE62rP1r-4Li8yV3QtuJPQeRCz-IkVHbnUFkzXCDNwKEFdMsEO_XHVXriUwzQrM5O1Tu8PvGwZcR8It-DWQQ1tCPZonMH2Afvn-GrUfSI-OqCnu9IXH45Mrc_kPm5fz6uiqqk8hy69FX5pV0.euhXD8yH1Z8nwGcxk7DWWlQ5G_HTF5HExu2vKp33MRc&qid=1719493083&sr=8-8 

[ArizonaTank]

oops double post

[Redwolf]

Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway —The Great Naval Battles as Seen Through Japanese Eyes

I'm actually on my second run through it. Great book.

[ArizonaTank]

Japanese Destroyer Captain: Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Midway —The Great Naval Battles as Seen Through Japanese Eyes
I'm actually on my second run through it. Great book.

Excellent book!!!

[ArizonaTank]

I just finished, "Desert Armour: Tank Warfare in North Africa" by Robert Forczyk....

Forczyk is one of my favorite WWII authors. Really loved his "Case White," "Case Red," and "Where the Iron Crosses Grow." But I haven't read any of his armor series yet. Definitely in the queue.

Based on Slash's recommendation I picked up Volume One of "Desert Armor" by Forczyk.

Great book, and a must read for any serious study of the desert campaign. Volume one covers the early part of the campaign, through 1941 and Operation Crusader. The book does a great job in covering early battles between the British and Italians; also covered are Rommel's early battles with the British. The author is no Rommel fanboy, and he rightly calls out some of the "Desert Fox's" early failings. He also explains how lack of training, organization and tank technology led to early Italian defeats. But Italian tanks, technology and organization improved. By the end of 1941, some Italian formations could hold their own against the British. The book is pretty much a hard-core military history, with plenty of great maps and tables; kind of like an extended Osprey campaign book (the author has actually written several of them as well). While there are plenty of great pictures, color plates and color maps, it is no-nonsense military analysis...no idyllic descriptions of desert sunsets in this book....

As a side-note, a perfect wargame companion to this book is WDS' "Panzer Battles: Battles of North Africa 1941." The extensive notes, describing the numerous battles in detail, are a very nice bonus for the price of admission. The game covers many of the relatively obscure armor battles from late 1940 to late 1941.

https://wargameds.com/collections/panzer-battles/products/battles-of-north-africa-1941

[Sir Slash]

I just ordered Forczyk's "Case White" today. Can't wait.

[ArizonaTank]

I just ordered Forczyk's "Case White" today. Can't wait.

Another great book. He does a great job in showing that the Germans were not as prepared as Goebbels made us believe.