OT - Book (Non Fiction) Review/Recommendations Thread

[TiggerCCW UK]

'Once a Warrior King' is a great read, highly recommend it!

[Raellus]

I heard an interview this morning on NPR with Sebastian Junger, author of A Perfect Storm, about his new book, War. It's about an American platoon manning a remote outpost in Afghanistan that endured near constant combat for several months. It sounds really interesting and I really enjoyed his earlier work. I usually wait for books to come out in paperback but I may end up springing for this one.

Anyone here read it already

I just read War in a couple of sittings and it is very good. Aside from some riveting descriptions of combat, it goes into a lot of depth on the psychology of men in combat and, for someone who's never seen the elephant, it's chock full of useful information. It also deals a lot with what soldiers in a small FOB/outpost do in their down time.

Unlike Blackhawk Down, it doesn't have a coherent narrative thread- it's more a collection of related events over a two-year period- but it's just about as good. I highly recommend it.

The author was also making an award-winning, feature length documentary while he was researching/reporting the events in the book. It's called Restrepo and it's not yet been released. I can't wait to see it.

[pmulcahy11b]

I heard an interview this morning on NPR with Sebastian Junger, author of A Perfect Storm, about his new book, War. It's about an American platoon manning a remote outpost in Afghanistan that endured near constant combat for several months. It sounds really interesting and I really enjoyed his earlier work. I usually wait for books to come out in paperback but I may end up springing for this one.

Anyone here read it already

I just watched a DVRed episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, who had an interview with Sebastian Junger the Friday before last -- the man talks and acts like a veteran even though he's a journalist, and he's deeply impressed and has considerable respect for the soldiers he spent time with. He plainly said he doesn't ever want to go back to Afghanistan, because he doesn't think he has the courage to do it again, and he admires the guts of those who go back again and again. I was impressed with him -- I'll have to go find his book.

[Raellus]

I just finished The Last Stand of Fox Company about a besieged U.S. Marine unit cut off on a hill guarding a pass during the Chosin Resevoir battles of the Korean War. It's really good and I highly recommend it. Right now, it's available on Amazon for only $6. It's well worth it.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Stand-Fox-Company-Marines/dp/B004H8GM5S/ref=sr_1_1ie=UTF8&qid=1298243720&sr=8-1

[HorseSoldier]

East of Chosin is another good read from that place and time, about the US Army regimental combat team on the other side of the resevoir across from the USMC. For the most part they didn't make it out -- I think something like 70-80 survivors stumbled into the relative safety of the Marines' lines after they were surrounded and plowed under by taking their chances walking out across the ice on the resevoir itself.

Apparently their situation was stable and they were holding their own as long as the ammunition held for the quad-50s and 40mm AA guns, but once those went black they weren't able to keep the Chinese at bay effectively.

[Targan]

Tobruk by Peter Fitzsimons, published by Harper Collins. A very in-depth and illustrated chronicle of the part of the North African campaign in the title. I bought 3 copies, one for myself, one for my father and one for my future father in law. It means alot to my father and myself because my grandfather was a New Zealand infantry captain when he fought in the battles for Tobruk.

[Rapparee]

The Boys From Baghdad- Simon Lowe

My dad read this and slung it my direction when he was finished. A man who was in the British Army for seven years, went on to serve with the French Foreign Legion for a decade then decides to become a PMC with ArmorGroup in Iraq, guarding convoys. Ambushes and friendly fire incidents all seem to be in a days work for this guy.

McAleese's Fighting Manual-Peter McAleese

An ex British para, with experience in Aden and the like, he went on to do mercenary work in Angola for the FNLA (Taking over from the infamous Colonel Callan). After that he served in Rhodesia with their SAS during the Bush War, continuing onto South Africa after it ended. Even after a parachute accident, this man went on to do some mercenary work in Colombia before training Russian bodyguards.

His manual is a book describing the basics of small-scale infantry combat. Its clearly orientated around the platoon and is chock full of anecdotes of his experiences, particularly those in Africa. He's a big fan of low-tech solutions and has an endless array of dirty tricks to divulge. A veyr interesting read.

Also, good to see Sniper One getting some love here. Absolutely fantastic book!

[Legbreaker]

McAleese's Fighting Manual-Peter McAleese

His manual is a book describing the basics of small-scale infantry combat. Its clearly orientated around the platoon and is chock full of anecdotes of his experiences, particularly those in Africa. He's a big fan of low-tech solutions and has an endless array of dirty tricks to divulge. A very interesting read.

Sounds like it should be required reading for any player with a combat type character. Too many times basic mistakes are made in RPGs by players with characters who should know better.

[Adm.Lee]

Not quite a recommendation today, but an update. Daniel P. Bolger wrote several really good books that I am sure I mentioned upthread ("Battle for Hunger Hill," "Dragons in the desert" to name just two). I was downloading an article he wrote in 1991, and thought to look for him on Wikipedia. He's been promoted to Lieutenant General after commanding the 1st Cavalry Division.

And, another operational-level WW2 book that I love now: "The battle for western Europe: fall 1944," by John A. Adams.

[HorseSoldier]

Meh -- Bolger wrote cheerleading pieces reflecting whatever unit he was assigned to. When his mech infantry book started talking about how M113s with 50 cals were BMP killing machines I pretty much realized he'd given me permission to ignore anything else he had to say (though I suffered through a couple more of his books along the way).

I'm not surprised to hear he made general and is moving up the chain at that level. He struck me (from his books) as the kind of guy who'd do well on the political side of the career track.

[Targan]

I recently ordered online a copy of A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam by Neil Sheehan (I read it years ago but lost my original copy). Vann was a really unusual guy, very outspoken, was basically forced out of the US Army as Lt Col during the Vietnam War because what he was trying to tell the top brass about the war in Vietnam was very unpopular. He went back to Vietnam with USAID and ended up commanding troops as a civilian with similar authority to a general. Was also a close personal friend of Dan Ellsberg's.

Vann had many personal failings and no doubt pissed off a lot of people but he was a very interesting character. I recommend this book.

[HorseSoldier]

I saw the (not so great) made for HBO movie version and have been wanting to read the book for some time -- Vann does seem like one of those "in case of war break glass" sort of guys, but even then made the fatal faux pas of committing the truth, which is rarely popular and probably about as big a mistake as anyone could make among the Vietnam era senior military and political leadership . . .

[dragoon500ly]

Here's a few from the stacks:

Carlson's Raid, The Daring Marine Assault on Makin by George Smith. Best account of the August, 1942 raid that I've found. Well researched.

Omaha Beach, A Flawed Vistory by Adrian Lewis, Traces the development of the Omaha assault plan including how the tactical leadership were opposed to the entire plan. A good read that blows a few holes in some popular misconceptions of the battle.

Unheralded Victory, The Defeat of the Viet Kong and the North Vietnamese Army 1961-1973 by Mark Woodruff. An intresting read concerning the tactical defeat of the VC/NVA and their final political victory.

[Matt Wiser]

I'll add Beevor's D-Day to the list. Along with Paul Carrell's two books on the Eastern Front: Hitler Moves East and Scorched Earth.

[Adm.Lee]

Along with Paul Carrell's two books on the Eastern Front: Hitler Moves East and Scorched Earth.

As long as you are aware of Carell's rah-rah for the German side of the Eastern Front. I agree, he's a good writer, it's more readable than a lot of East Front stuff I've read.