OT - Book (Non Fiction) Review/Recommendations Thread

[kato13]

Since we are a pretty well read group I thought we could share our opinions on any books we read recently. As the header indicates any subject books are allowed for review not just Post Apocalyptic.

If any book spurs a vigorous discussion I will spawn a new thread and put the links below.

[JHart]

The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat by Robert Drury and Tom Clavin

Read this a a month or two ago. An account of a Marine company in Korea holding of a Chinese attack at Chosin in 1950.

[Matt Wiser]

Marines in the Garden of Eden by Richard S. Lowry. The story of the Battle of Nasiriya during the opening days of the Iraq War.

Enemy at the Gates by William Craig: Stalingrad from beginning to end. Also see Antony Beevor's book Stalingrad

The Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan (the only one of his books not to be a movie): Berlin, 1945. And check out Beevor's The Battle for Berlin

Iwo by Richard Wheeler: The 37 Days to take Iwo Jima in 1945.

Storm on the Horizon, by David J. Morris: The Battle of Khafji in the First Gulf War.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Killing Time, My War In Iraq : Colby Buzzel. Account of a member of the Stryker brigade in Iraq.

A Soldiers Song : Ken Lukowiak. Story of his time in the Falklands war. Laugh out loud in some places, but very moving in others.

Sniper One : Dan Mills. Story of his time with the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment in Iraq.

Apache : Ed Macy. Story of Apache operations in Afghanistan, including the battle of Jugroom Fort.

More to add later.

[headquarters]

books - big classics imho ,so if you havnt read em..do.

The unknown soldier by Vaino Linna

All quiet on the Western front by Erich Maria Remarque

and I include the independently published An ace minus one which I rather enjoyed actually .

[TiggerCCW UK]

One soldiers war in Chechnya : Arkady Babchenko. Memoirs of a soldier in Chechnya. Very interesting because not much has come out of this war yet. A very personal account relating his service initially as a conscript and then having volunteered to go back. Deals a lot with the bullying and beatings handed out by senior ranks down through the chain of command, and also the problems with supplies etc. If this is indicative of the average quality of Russian troops we were scared of them for no reason. An excellent book.

Fighting Scared : Robin Horsfall. Memoirs of an ex SAS soldier covering his time in the regiment and after he left and became a bodyguard.

Guns for hire : Tony Geraghty. Analysis of mercenaries/pmc's in modern times. Includes Iraq and Afghanistan.

We were soldiers once.... And young : Lt Gen Harold Moore (Retd) & Joe Galloway. Now made famous by the film. Account of the first major battle between the US and NVA/VC.

We are soldiers still : Same authors as above. Details the return to the battle field after 40 years, including meeting with their former enemies. A very touching study of forgiveness on both sides. Highly recommended.

[Targan]

We were soldiers once.... And young : Lt Gen Harold Moore (Retd) & Joe Galloway. Now made famous by the film. Account of the first major battle between the US and NVA/VC.

I read this before seeing the film and was pleasantly surprised at how closely the film followed the book.

We are soldiers still : Same authors as above. Details the return to the battle field after 40 years, including meeting with their former enemies. A very touching study of forgiveness on both sides. Highly recommended.

I want to read this. Had no idea until now that it existed.

[TiggerCCW UK]

I hadn't heard of it either, until my brother got me it for Christmas. Can't recommend it highly enough.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Fetch Felix - The fight against the Ulster bombers, 1976-77 : Lt Col Derrick Patrick OBE. Memoirs of SATO (Senior Ammunition Technical Officer), the CO of 321 EOD in the mid seventies.

In the company of heroes : Mike Durant. The story of the Blackhawk pilot captured during the Blackhawk down mission. Details his earlier career and also the Mogadishu mission and its aftermath.

Deadly Beat : Richard Latham. Memoirs of an English man who served in the RUC.

Contact : AFN Clarke. Memoirs of a Lt in the paras two tours in NI in the early seventies. One tour in West Belfast, one in South Armagh.

The Raid : Benjamin F Schemmer. In depth study of the Son Tay raid, from planning to aftermath.

Lions Donkeys and Dinosaurs : Lewis Page. A study of how the British Army is equipped, the faults with the equipment and how the majority of it has been purchased for political reasons as opposed to actual operational requirements.

Platoon Leader : James McDonagh. Memoirs of a platoon leader in Vietnam.

[kato13]

This thread was actually bighauser's idea. I just wanted to thank him for it (but I wanted it to be successful first).

Have added quite a bit to my reading list.

[TiggerCCW UK]

I've more coming as well - just didn't want to dominate the thread too much I buy shed loads of stuff second hand and stockpile it for when I've time to read - like at the minute seeing I'm off work still

[General Pain]

My recomandations

fiction but a good read:

http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Viktor-Suvorov/dp/0241115450

nonfiction

http://www.amazon.com/Report-24-No-Gunnar-Sonsteby/dp/156980141X/ref=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&qid=1242134289&sr=1-1

This book I actually have it signed by G.S,nsteby himself (he is acustomer at my shop) he is the most decorated norweigian ever. - Stories from WW2 and norweigians doing saboteur-missions

Apart from that I can't recommend enough anything written by Terry Pratchett - his infamous discworld-novels are to die for

[Legbreaker]

"Those ragged bloody heros" - Peter Brune
"To the bitter end" - Lex McAulay

Two books detailing events in 1942-43 from the Kokoda Trail to the Japanese defeat at Buna and Gona in Papua New Guinea. At the beginning of this chapter of WWII, one understrength and dispersed battalion (the 39th) of VERY poorly trained and even poorer equipped Australian militia held back 10,000 of Japans best in a fighting withdrawal over the worst terrain imaginable until reinforced by a brigade hurriedly redeployed from the middle east.

"The Glass Cannon" & "The Barbarians" - Peter Pinney
A diary of one soldiers experience in Bougainville, 1944-45

"Tank warfare in world war II" - George Forty
First hand accounts from allied and Axis soliders

[TiggerCCW UK]

Here goes with another few for you all

Making a killing : James Ashcroft. Memoirs of a PMC in Iraq. Part of the group that had responsibility for the water infrastructure.

Joint Force Harrier : Cmdr Ade Orchard RN. Memoirs of a squadron leader flying harrier's on close support missions in Afghanistan.

Rules of engagement : Tim Collins. Colonel Tim's memoirs from the second gulf war, from the speech he gave on the eve of the war to the allegations of mistreating prisoners and his clearance of said allegations. Good read, especially because his family and mine are friends from years ago.

Post 381 : James Doherty. Memoirs of an ARP warden during the blitz on Belfast in WW2. I first read this as part of my GCSE history project. Only school text book I ever went and bought my own copy of.

An Ordinary Soldier : Doug Beattie. Memoirs of a member of the Royal Irish Regiment from his tour in Afghanistan. Cracking read.

Eight lives down : Chris Hunter. Memoirs of his tour as an EOD officer in Iraq.

The Forgotten Voices series. Transcriptions of audio records from the Imperial War Museum. There are a big selection of books covering from the first world war to the Falklands. First hand accounts of people who were there, truly harrowing in some cases, but well worth reading.

The Cage : Tom Abraham. Memoirs of an English man who served as an officer in the US army in Vietnam. He was captured by the VC but escaped and made it back to friendly lines.

And probably I've a few more recommendations to make yet

[Rainbow Six]

A few more...

A Million Bullets - James Fergusson - a study of the British Army in Afghanistan in 2006

3 Para - again, Afganistan in 2006, but focusing specifically on the Para Reg Battlegroup

The Circuit - Bob Shepherd - ex SAS guy who now works as a PMC

The Gamble - Thomas E Ricks - a study of the US Surge in Iraq focusing on the actions of General David Pertraeus (I'm reading this at the moment)

Defiance - The Bielski Partisans by Nechama Tec- the book that inspired the recent Daniel Craig film.

Centre of the Storm by George Tenet - memoir of the ex Director of the CIA

Would also second many of Tigger's recommendations, especially Sniper One, Eight Lives Down, and Rules of Engagement