OT - Book (Non Fiction) Review/Recommendations Thread

[Cdnwolf]

For a really good account about a Russian attack against a fixed defence position, I recommend "First Clash" by Kenneth Macksey.

Its about a meeting encounter between the 4'th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and the Soviets 1'st Guard Tank Division. It has lots of detailed maps and organizational charts. Fascinating read.

Also "Dragons at War - Land Battle in The Desert" by Daniel Bolger... a great behind the scenes look at the US Army National Training Center at Camp Irwin. It also offered insight on how to play the great game and get promoted.

[Adm.Lee]

Also "Dragons at War - Land Battle in The Desert" by Daniel Bolger... a great behind the scenes look at the US Army National Training Center at Camp Irwin. It also offered insight on how to play the great game and get promoted.

I'm a huge fan of Bolger's work. He wrote "Dragons" after a 1982 deployment by his brigade to NTC-- he was a company CO. He also wrote "The battle for Hunger Hill" about his brigade's (he was a battalion commander in the 101st) 1993 and 1994 deployments to the JRTC at Fort Polk. JRTC is the anti-guerrilla version of NTC-- a big laser-tag game, plus civilians, guerrillas, journalists and NGOs. I liked that book better, but it infuriated me later: to know that the Army *had* learned some lessons of counter-insurgency, and they couldn't get through to the high command.
He's also written two or three histories of post-Vietnam actions by the US, "Death ground," "Savage peace: Americans at war in the 1990s," and "Americans at war:1975-1986"; and a novel "Feast of bones."
Daniel P. Bolger-- says he now commands the 1st Cavalry Division.

[WonderGoon]

A Rumor of War by Phillip Caputo: Pretty good read about the authors time in Vietnam with the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade in 1965 and again ten years later when he returned as a newspaper correspondent.

Blood on the Risers: An Airborne Soldier's Thirty-five Months in Vietnam by John Leppelman: An honest, gut wrenching read which was a catharsis for the author (in my opinion). At times brutally honest. Has an afterword where the author expresses his opinions on allowing females to take jump training. Leppelman served as a paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne, an Army seaman, and an LRRP.

Infantry Soldier Holding the Line at the Battle of the Bulge by George W. Neill: Neill served with the 99th Infantry Division during the Battle of the Bulge. It also covers his time serving with a signal battalion in London after he recovered from wounds suffered on the line. An interesting read.

The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military This is a dictionary of military terms. Handy for those unfamiliar with military terminology. (I picked this up at Dollar General, of all places, for a dollar. Cover price is $7.99. Check the spinner rack at your local Dollar General, if you've got one nearby).

Enjoy!

Goon

[sic1701]

Reading "The Dead Hand:The Untold Story Of The Cold War Arms Race And Its Dangerous Legacy" by David E. Hoffman. A little lite reading.

Oh, and the six-issue "Zero Killer" comic series by DC. In which WW3 happens in 1973.

[Targan]

I'm currently reading a bit of a classic - The Fall of Saigon by David Butler.

[chico20854]

Reading "The Dead Hand:The Untold Story Of The Cold War Arms Race And Its Dangerous Legacy" by David E. Hoffman. A little lite reading.

It's on my stack of books to read.

About halfway through "Strategic Geography - NATO, the Warsaw Pact and the Superpowers" by Hugh Farrington, with a free preview at http://books.google.com/booksid=A5g9...he+superpowers

[sic1701]

Anyone read the John Birmingham Axis of Time trilogy; "Weapons of Choice", "Designated Targets", and "Final Impact" Helluva story.

His "Without Warning" isn't quite as good, though the portion of the story detailing the Israeli pre-emptive nuclear strikes on their adversaries is pretty interesting.

[Raellus]

Adrian Goldsworthy's How Rome Fell. Makes me fear for my own country. The parallels are numerous.

[Adm.Lee]

There is no freedom without bread! : 1989 and the civil war that brought down Communism by Constantine Pleshakov. According to him, the WP forces were really really weak, and no one trusted them to squash any of the 1989 revolts. Well, Ceaucescu did, and see what that got him.

[Dogger]

'Shattered Sword'. by Jonathan Parshall & Anthony Tully is a detailed account of the Battle of Midway from the Japanese perspective...and one of the best books of the battle that I've read. Wish I had gotten to it a lot sooner, excellent dissection of Japanese doctrine and a unique view into the actions, and inaction's that led to Kido Butai's fiery fate at the hands of the USN.

I especially enjoyed the detailed accounts of what was happening on the IJN CV's as USN bomb hits took place...very revealing. While I still enjoy Gordon W. Prange's Miracle at Midway for it's American view...Shattered Sword excellently completes the total view of the events of 4 - 7 June 1942.



Amazon Link

[Marc]

Adrian Goldsworthy's How Rome Fell. Makes me fear for my own country. The parallels are numerous.

Las year I read The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization, by Bryan Ward-Perkins. And in spite for the obvious differences, there are numerous and interesting parallelisms with the Twilight post-war world.

Some examples are the fall of the serial production (developed in certain fields), the lost of value of the currency in use and its substitution by the barter practicing, the interruption of the communication lines...

The fall of commerce in a very interdependent and specialized market caused starvation (in some cases) and the incapacity to continue the production of certain, since the moment, granted as needed, day to day goods.

Local production emerged as the only way to keep communities alive and the incapacity of the system to provide enforcing powers forced the different communities to develop their own self-defense methods against raiding parties. All with the inevitable lost of precious and specialized knowledge.

Of course, there are important differences with the Twilight world, above all, "the rhythm of the fall". Anyway I extracted some interesting ideas for our Twilight sessions.

[headquarters]

metro 2033 metro 2034

Russian SCi Fi ina dystopic post apoc setting - the worlds largest airraid shelter -the Moscow subway system and of course the story of a young man embroiled in a plot to bring about the end or new beginning for mankind.

Brutality and makeshift firearms in a hazmat suit enviroment.

Also a cool insight into todays Russia -if you choose to read that into it .

[Targan]

Russian SCi Fi ina dystopic post apoc setting - the worlds largest airraid shelter -the Moscow subway system and of course the story of a young man embroiled in a plot to bring about the end or new beginning for mankind.

Brutality and makeshift firearms in a hazmat suit enviroment.

Also a cool insight into todays Russia -if you choose to read that into it .

Ah. The books the new computer game Metro 2033 is based on. The game looks good.

[Marc]

Russian SCi Fi ina dystopic post apoc setting - the worlds largest airraid shelter -the Moscow subway system and of course the story of a young man embroiled in a plot to bring about the end or new beginning for mankind.

Brutality and makeshift firearms in a hazmat suit enviroment.

Also a cool insight into todays Russia -if you choose to read that into it .

Hmmmm... sounds good. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Glukhovsky

Added to my list.

[Adm.Lee]

'Shattered Sword'. by Jonathan Parshall & Anthony Tully is a detailed account of the Battle of Midway from the Japanese perspective...and one of the best books of the battle that I've read. Wish I had gotten to it a lot sooner, excellent dissection of Japanese doctrine and a unique view into the actions, and inaction's that led to Kido Butai's fiery fate at the hands of the USN.

This was friggin' awesome. One of the two authors also wrote one taking apart the night gunfight at Surigao Strait.

The South Pacific 1942 campaign has always been one of my favorites.