OT - Book (Non Fiction) Review/Recommendations Thread

[Mahatatain]

The Longest Day Book not the movie (not bad Movie)

I assume that you mean the book by Cornelius Ryan If you do then it's a fantastic read and I would thoroughly recommend his book "A Bridge Too Far" that was also turned into a film (as I'm sure you're aware) as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bridge_Too_Far_(book)

I've also read "The Last Battle" by Ryan but didn't find it as good - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Battle_(Ryan)

[LT. Ox]

Yes and no

Yes I was talking about the Ryan book and thank you for adding " A bridge too far". I have not read his " the Last Battle" and I will even with your review.

[Adm.Lee]

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit by Eric L. Ha

"Now the inspiration for the CBS Television drama, 'The Unit.'"

Haney is one of the near-original members of 1st SFOD-Delta, so he's talking about the long selection period, training from the ground up on hostage-rescue missions, and missions quietly done in Central America and Middle East, as well as Grenada.

I had forgotten/never known that Delta had been studying/training for a mission into Laos in the early '80s, to go after the missing American POWs from the Vietnam War.

Listening to this on CDs as I drive, I've been leaning into wanting to run/play something like T2k/Merc again. Well, more than usual.

[Adm.Lee]

Glock: the rise of America's gun / Barrett, Paul M.

Not directly T2k-related, I suppose. This is about the manufacturing and (especially) the selling of a pistol line that became really popular, really quickly. How quickly They aren't in the 1st or 2nd edition, yet they became the issue weapon for the Austrian Army in 1983, not long before the game appeared.

By the early '90s, they were popping up in American police departments and in rap songs (but apparently not that many were bought/used by American criminals). Smith & Wesson and Colt lost a lot of market share, apparently, Glock snuck up on them, too.

I'm not finished reading yet, but there's a lot on some excellent salesmanship here. I skimmed ahead enough to know there's some financial skullduggery later on.

Only pictures are on the cover (close-up of the trigger area) and one of the founder/designer. I think it could have used some of the personalities involved, but that's just me.

I think one of these will pop up on an NPC as a "prestige" weapon soon.

[Raellus]

The Glock 17A is in the v1.0 Small Arms Guide (c. 1988).

[Adm.Lee]

Hm. I looked in the ToC, didn't see it. {Re-Look} Oh, there it is. Alphabetically after the H&K entries. I do that a lot, missing things that really should be obvious. I tell myself that's why God didn't let me have that career in the Army or CIA that I dreamed of; I'd miss that one little thing that would screw up a fight.

[Jpegform58]

Young writer might be interested in improving their own writing skills. Follow the link to read some interesting articles dedicated to that http://bigessaywriter.com/blog/best-...-essay-writing

[swaghauler]

Red Platoon by Clinton Romesha

This book is a detailed account of Romesha's CMH Award winning command of Red Platoon, B Troop 3-61st Cavalry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division while under attack by a superior Taliban force at Outpost Keating. The book is well written and an "easy read" from the standpoint of language (all the terms and slang are explained for "non-military" readers).

It is NOT an easy read from the standpoint of the story. Romesha goes into great detail about the members of Red Platoon and their histories (including all their very human flaws). This means you tend to feel rage/sadness when they are killed during the fight (these are REAL PEOPLE after all). The book pulls no punches in describing how bloody the battle was and how hard the members of B Troop take it when their friends are killed.

It also details how foolish the Army was in thinking that they could build an outpost in a valley surrounded by mountains (so it could be resupplied by truck, which it couldn't be by the way) as well as how their former Captain "hung them out to dry" by forbidding any defensive improvements or even allowing the changing out the Claymores that defended the perimeter (he believed they would be "shut down" by the Army any day and didn't want to use materials that were ACTUALLY ON THE SITE). in a twist of irony, he was relieved of command and replaced just days before the attack (although the Army later held him accountable).

It also pulls no punches when describing how the Afghan Army personnel abandoned their posts and actually looted the Troop's personal effects as the members of Red and Blue platoon were dying to keep the Taliban from overrunning Keating and killing everyone (including the Afghan soldiers). In addition, it details how some of the Afghan National Police turned on the Americans and attacked them in support of the Taliban fighters.

If you can handle the harsh reality the book portrays, it is worth reading. The book also has a very good map of Outpost Keating that a GM may find useful.

[rcaf_777]

Canada and the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917

You can download a free copy here

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/pub/boo-bro/vimy/index-eng.asp

[Adm.Lee]

Way of the Reaper /Irving, Nicholas

I picked this up without knowing it was a sequel. Irving was a Ranger in both Iraq and Afghanistan, this is pretty much the "stuff we couldn't fit into the first book".

It reads nice and quickly, but suffers from jumping around a bit in time and space. Some chapters are about his time as a Stryker driver in Iraq, and some about snatch & grab foot patrols in Afghanistan.

Plenty of stuff about what a short-range sniper does while assault teams go in on a target. It made it sound like his team did most (nearly all) of the killing, while the rest of the team did only suppressive fire at best.

I give it 2, maybe 2.5 stars.

[Adm.Lee]

The Reaper: Autobiography of One of the Deadliest Special Ops Snipers by Nicholas I

Found the first book. It's a lot like the second one. Still sounds like he and his teammate did all of the killing, the assault guys and machinegunners just did suppression.

Still, a good collection of war stories.

[James Langham2]

I would recommend Chieftain Main Battle Tank published by Haynes and the Tank Museum. I got my copy bought for me by my wonderful girlfriend on a trip to the QRLNY Museum in Thoresby yesterday.

It has lots of lovely technical detail (any book that sows the petrol cooker issued to crews gets my vote!).

Now I just need to be really nice to her as there are others in the same series... :-)

[Adm.Lee]

Found the first book. It's a lot like the second one. Still sounds like he and his teammate did all of the killing, the assault guys and machinegunners just did suppression.

Still, a good collection of war stories.

Finished this. Still 2.5 stars.

I do have to add a long story. Nearly all of the Ranger missions appeared to be nighttime snatch missions against Taliban leaders or bombmakers. One night, his spotter disappeared on the march to the target. Irving backtracks, and finds that his partner has fallen down a hole. A really deep hole, where he's in a bit of shock and treading water. When the Air Force CSAR guys pull him out, they estimated it was 80 feet down to the water. A later diver, sent to recover his rifle and laser, couldn't find bottom at 40 feet!

Anyway, the funny part is that while the other guy was waiting to be sent home with (only!) a broken leg, the SEALs on the same base gave him an honorary trident and HALO wings for surviving "the free fall and swim of his life".

[Adm.Lee]

I looked back through this thread again. Gee, I still read a lot about snipers, don't I And here, I thought I was staying off of the bandwagon by avoiding most of the SEAL books that are constantly coming out.

I did recently grab 4 modern-war titles, one from this list, and there are no sniper memoirs among them.

Also, my summer fiction reading project is a short list of Robert Heinlein, once I finish the short stack of Star Trek on top of those.

[kato13]

Anyone have any good recommendations on books on the formation/early history of the OSS