What are we reading?

[Gusington]

^'You and me, we're the same.' 

[Sir Slash]

I read both of those religiously Carl. I had a whole bunch until they disintegrated finally up in my attic years ago.

[FarAway Sooner]

So, I'll put a plug in for a really provocative WWII title recommended to me by a fellow Grog here a few months ago.

How the War was Won, by Phillips Payson O'Brien, is a thoroughly researched and fascinating look at how each side's military production evolved over time.  There is a strong emphasis on the division of manpower and resources between aircraft production, naval production, and land-combat production for each of the major combatants in WW2.

The book eschews typical treatments of individual battlefields, except to compare some of the most famous battles to monthly production figures (typically to highlight how the "battlefield narrative" of WW2 largely misses out on the realities of equipment production and equipment loss.  He also spends a lot of time examining the explicit policy decisions made by each nation's leaders, both in terms of industrial production and in terms of how air and naval power were used to attack the enemy's means of production.

He also conducts a much deeper examination of non-combat losses throughout the war, especially for air planes.  While I didn't agree with every single point he advanced, I learned A LOT from the book and would recommend it to anybody who can't answer questions like, "How did German and Japanese non-combat operational aircraft losses differ from 1942 to 1944?" or "How much money did Germany spend on equipment fighting Russia in 1943 versus the other Allies?"

The author is English and seems to exhibit some of the Anglocentric biases one finds in other English WW2 historians.  That said, he's not shy about calling out English failures (particularly in the strategic air war), and the sheer volume of data he raises on all the major combatants is impressive.

It's definitely worth a read.  Given how often he cites detailed production charts, I'd definitely recommend the paperback version over any e-Book version (unless you plan to read it on a big-ass PC screen or have fantastic eye sight).

[ArizonaTank]

So, I'll put a plug in for a really provocative WWII title recommended to me by a fellow Grog here a few months ago.

Looks like just my sort of thing... Thanks for the recommendation, it's now on my list.

[Dammit Carl!]

Can't wait to see if a similarly priced Creepy bundle comes out in the future.

The Gods were listening!

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/creepy-comics-collection-dark-horse-books?hmb_source=&hmb_medium=product_tile&hmb_campaign=mosaic_section_1_layout_index_1_layout_type_threes_tile_index_3_c_creepycomicscollectiondarkhorse_bookbundle

[Gusington]

^Jesus, some of the covers featured there I will never be able to unsee.

[Sir Slash]

You can't say that title's not accurate. 

[Gusington]

I'm still recovering.

[Dammit Carl!]

Would do.

And I cannot wait to re-read the "Shark!" special issue (and between this and the Eerie series, finally find the issue where astronauts go to hell, see Hitler, and have a bad day all-around).

[Gusington]

 

[Dammit Carl!]

No kinkshame here, man.

[Gusington]

 

[Dammit Carl!]

Ain't proud, man.

(skelly lady got a hot rack, tbh.)

[Gusington]

Well...no one mentioned if that was actually a lady 

[ArizonaTank]

Just finished "War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861–1865" by James M. McPherson

I had a bit of a blind spot about the naval combat during the Civil War, and this book was really very informative.

Most of the early Union victories during '61 and '62 came at the hands of, or were supported by the Union Navy.

Naval technology combined with technique had finally 'cracked the code' on how to neutralize land fortifications, and the Union Navy practiced this with gusto.

The history of the naval war is much more rich, complex and exciting than just the blockade, the ironclad duel at Hampton Roads, and the storming of Mobile.  The naval war was very much a global one, with CSA raiders prowling the global oceans, being chased and many times run down by intrepid US Navy ships. The Union Navy also found itself fighting a "brown water" war on the rivers, often using dash, engineering and technology to bring the war deep into the south. Like-wise, the CSA Navy knowing it could never match the Union Navy ship for ship, looked to innovative technologies like mines (called torpedoes in those days), submarines and naval rams (an ancient idea suddenly made relevant again by ironclads and steam). Overall, a great read.

This is my second James McPherson book on the Civil War, and he is quickly becoming one of my favorite Civil War authors.   

https://www.grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=564.5820