What are you reading right now? [Archive] - Page 3

Sailor Steve

08-29-09, 02:44 PM

Just as I finished Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon--the last in a much-needed revisit started earlier in the year--a little parcel arrived today that I'm feeling pretty good about: Raymond Chandler: Collected Stories and Raymond Chandler: Stories and Early Novels ... featuring guess who :DL

Between these two volumes: The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely and The High Window along with about thirty or so short stories all neatly packed together in 2,400+ pages all-told. So they should keep me busy for a while!

:up:
:rock:
Many pages ago I commented on those very books. After reading Walter Mosely I decided I needed to meet the masters, so I went to the library and checked out the complete Hammett and Chandler. Awesome reading.

Sockeye

08-31-09, 08:16 PM

Oh, I definitely remembered the earlier posts, Steve, it just took me a little while to sortie :DL

I was going to go for a set of Dash's at the same time as the Chandler salvo, but for whatever reason I decided to save that for another time. No rush, right? And definitely awesome reading all-around, like you said.

There was something else on the tip of my tongue to say, but my mind's a little too jumbled at the moment to think up anything coherent, so I better slink back into a shadowy cigarette-smoke-filled corner :)

Checkmate King 2

08-31-09, 09:50 PM

I'm just rapping up War of The Rats

http://www.amazon.com/War-Rats-David-L-Robbins/dp/055358135X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251773042&sr=1-1

& I'm about to start Iwo Jima

http://www.amazon.com/Iwo-Jima-Bill-D-Ross/dp/0394742885/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251773079&sr=1-4

Thomen

09-04-09, 01:50 AM

Working my way through the KTB (war diary) of the Commerce Raider "KOMORAN". Very interesting read.

kranz

09-07-09, 09:28 AM

I've almost finished Operation Drumbeat by M.Gannon-I feel kinda disappointed....
not connected with uboats: Stalingrad by Antony Beevor- well, if u have read something else about that battle don't waste your money;
and Nazi Germany and Arabic countries, too lazy to check full title, interesting if u like foreign policy

claybirdd

09-12-09, 12:35 AM

Just got through reading Tom Clancy's "Red Storm Rising". I must say of the 7 books of his ive read this is by far the best.

Shearwater

09-12-09, 05:41 PM

'Typhoon' by Joseph Conrad. Always liked his stories.

OneToughHerring

09-13-09, 09:09 AM

Weapons of Desperation - German Frogmen and Midget Submarines of World War II by Lawrence Paterson.

wireman

09-24-09, 09:34 AM

Crewdog

http://www.amazon.com/Crewdog-Young-American-John-Matt/dp/1881429008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253802576&sr=1-1

Syxx_Killer

09-24-09, 07:00 PM

Right now I am reading Fire on the Waters by David Poyer. It is the first of his Civil War At Sea historical fiction series. I'm about halfway through. It is a great read so far! His characters really come alive and you just have to feel for them. I barely started Fire on the Waters when I knew I HAD to have the other books in this series. I ordered the other two off Amazon (A Country of Our Own and That Anvil of Our Souls). I hope he's got more in the series on the way! If anyone here is interested in the Civil War in the least, especially the naval aspect, I highly recommend this series. :yeah: Here's the Amazon links if anyone is interested.

http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Waters-Novel-Civil-War/dp/0671046810/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253835160&sr=1-2

http://www.amazon.com/Country-Our-Own-Confederate-Raiders/dp/0671047418/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

http://www.amazon.com/That-Anvil-Our-Souls-Merrimack/dp/0671046829/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

Henry Wood

09-28-09, 03:44 PM

"Simple Courage: A True Story of Peril on the Sea"
by Frank DeLaney

After reading this book, I remember as if it were yesterday the live story relayed every single day on our radio and in our daily newspaper, the story of the "Flying Enterprise", and her Master After God, Captain Kurt Carlsen, who tried so heroically to evade the savage hunger of the sea. Alongside him eventually stood Mr. Kenneth Dancy, Mate of the deep-sea salvage tug "Turmoil".

Listen to those names again: "Flying Enterprise", Carlsen, Dancy, "Turmoil"! They are names to write a book about!

No wonder we listened in each day, the whole family from grandparents down to youngest children, and found the real news much more exciting than "Dick Barton, Special Agent," or even "Journey Into Space"!

This book recreates it all in a most splendid fashion. I truly did relive those memories I thought were long gone, long lost, and yet, once revived I remembered this was one of the real live tales of my childhood which made me seek out a life at sea.

The author seems to tell it as it was at the time and not a lot of time is wasted at the end on the "conspiracies" which seem to abound over every single story these days, and I'm glad for that. We don't need conspiracies to create "excitement" or "thrills", not when there are photos of Captain Carlsen and Mate Dancy hanging on to the dying "Flying Enterprise" for grim life.

From what I have now read after discovering this book, this does seem the definitive account of the "Flying Enterprise"'s last voyage. A great read.

Henry Wood

09-28-09, 04:01 PM

FULL TITLE: "In Peril: A Daring Decision, a Captain's Resolve, and the Salvage That Made History"

A wonderful sea story about a maritime rescue I had not heard of before. Written by the tanker Captain who carried out the rescue, it tells how a huge vessel, at grave risk to itself, managed to save a distressed tug boat which just happened to be towing a barge carrying part of the next Space Shuttle. The tanker Captain did not know of that cargo until the rescue was over and he made his extremely risky decisions solely in the true spirit of the sea: to rescue others if at all possible.

That the outcome was succesful was down to the seamanship and expertise of the tanker's whole crew from the Captain down. The weather conditions were horrendous and other tugs in nearby ports would not put to sea because of the weather. No one at all would have blamed the tanker Captain had he chosen not to risk his ship.

The end of the tale which is about the legal wranglings and the court case between the tanker owners and the US government over salvage rewards is also told in a way easy to understand by the armchair sailor.
Highly recommended.

HunterICX

10-13-09, 05:23 AM

Currently reading:

Laurence Rees - Behind closed doors Stalin, The Nazis and The West

Drawing on material only available since the opening of archives in the East, Rees re-examines the key decisions made by Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt during the war. And as the truth about Stalin’s earlier friendly relationship with the Nazis is laid bare, a devastating and surprising picture of the Soviet leader emerges – one that is deeply embarrassing for many Russians.

HunterICX

KG_Jag

10-16-09, 02:16 PM

Now reading "Silent Victory--The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan" by Clay Blair, Jr., who was a U.S. WW 2 (Pacific) submarine vet, born in the same year as my dad (who is also a WW 2 era naval vet).

ceedub

10-17-09, 12:38 AM

'Send Down a Dove', by Charles MacHardy (1968).

I'm almost finished this book. A great atmospheric tale of daily life aboard a British sub, on a mission into the Norwegian fjords to disrupt U-boat traffic near the end of the war.

Lots of details of the everyday routine: meals, rum rations, hygiene (lack of), how the 'head' works, re-loading torpedoes,etc.

And of course, the attack runs, depth-charging, tension between crew members.

A British "Das Boot".

Don't know if its been mentioned here before but I highly recommend it.

Cheers
Ceedub

OneToughHerring

10-20-09, 02:20 PM

Stuka Pilot by Hans Ulrich Rudel. Interesting reading altough Rudel stayed a national socialist after the war.

Shearwater

11-11-09, 09:16 PM

'Typhoon' by Joseph Conrad. Always liked his stories.

'Typhoon' by Mark Joseph :DL

Know any other novels titled 'Typhoon' written by some kind of Joseph?

Lionclaw

11-12-09, 05:50 AM

"The Great Dune Trilogy" by Frank Herbert.

sharkbit

11-12-09, 10:14 AM

Randomizer

11-13-09, 09:58 AM

Just finished Inferno - The Fiery Destruction of Hamburg 1943 by Keith Lowe, ISBN 13; 978-0-7432-6900-1.

In spite of the melodramatic sub-title, this new telling of Operation Gomorrah and the resulting firestorms is worth a read by anybody interested in the strategic bombing campaigns of World War 2. Inferno is a very balanced and readable account of one of the more horrific man-made disasters of the 20th Century, taken from Allied and German viewpoints and full of a wealth of information without being trivial or superficial.

Sailor Steve

11-22-09, 08:24 PM

VonHesse

11-22-09, 09:21 PM

Recently finished: "Royals and the Reich - The Princes von Hessen in Nazi Germany" 2006 by Johnathan Petropoulos.

Basically tells the story of what happened to the European royalty after WW1 and the fall of the Kaiser, and how the way that they were all inter-related, and the effect of just the German royalty being stripped of their power set the stage for German royals to support Hitler in the hopes of a return to power, and how that support gave credibility to the Nazi party in its early years and led directly to WW2. (run-on sentence, I know, but thats how he writes:doh:)

Fascinating. Dry and tecnical, but fascinating.

Castout

11-23-09, 05:56 AM

I haven't posted here in awhile. The last time I did I was reading Jean Edward Smith's biography of John Marshall. I never did finish it. I got sidetracked when I decided to watch the Horatio Hornblower TV shows again, and then had to compare them to the books, which led me to reread the entire series.

After that I got distracted again by Reasonable Doubts, Alan Dershowitz's book explaining the O.J. Simpson verdict. Now I'm reading the other side of the story - Marcia Clark's Without A Doubt.

I love Horatio Hornblower series :yeah:

As for books I'm reading World of the dead according to the bible, a reflection. If anyone is curious about death PM me your email I'll send a doc which is my little [simple] study on death. I know what death is :DL

Kazuaki Shimazaki II

12-01-09, 07:03 AM

Just finished the new Charlie-class by David Meadows. The technical accuracy fell off somewhat from his earlier book Echo-class (yeah, what imaginative naming) - or at least he made more obvious mistakes like the crappy idea of re-equipping a Permit with bow/aft torpedo configuration (kiss the spherical sonar goodbye, not to mention the problems of adding a aft torpedo room to a design that never meant for it), not realizing the Charlie already HAD an aft torpedo room ... etc.

If anything, given that the book is all about ASW warfare, why isn't it Victor-class rather than Charlie. The Victor has a better sonar, if nothing else.

But no matter. The guy made the American team superior (and of course they won), which is probably historically correct. But he managed to insert the superiorities with a subtlety the likes of Tom Clancy can't begin to lick the heels of. The Americans subtly see more and farther, giving their ship the edge, without any TC type stupidities like the kamikazeing Chinese subs in SSN or a murderous overwhelming technical advantage so beloved by the likes of Dale Brown (and TC of course). The subtlety is beyond any technothriller I've read, and is perhaps the most realistic display of the kind of edges a superior team gets over a less experienced one in technothriller fiction.

Oberon

12-01-09, 02:35 PM

Sherman Firefly vs Tiger: Normandy 1944
Stephen A. Hart

A short read but with some good pictures (including one of the underside of a Tiger) although a bit bias towards the Firefly. Saw it on the shelf at the library and decided to have a read. :salute:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sherman-Firefly-Vs-Tiger-Normandy/dp/1846031508

Sailor Steve

12-07-09, 03:08 PM

Just finished Losing A Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA and the Mormon Church, by Simon G. Southerton. It's a good primer on all of those subjects, and how they interrelate.

I'm now about to start Learning To Philosophize, by E. R. Emmet.

frau kaleun

12-07-09, 03:40 PM

Just finished "The Road To Arnhem: A Screaming Eagle in Holland" by Don Burgett. Just getting into the next one, which I think is called "Seven Roads to Hell" about his time with the 101st Airborne in and around Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Entire series is a good read so far.

HMS Astute

12-14-09, 10:07 PM

U-Boats Under The Swastika, second edition, by Jak Showell.

Morts

12-25-09, 05:05 PM

Jæger -- i krig med eliten / Hunter -- at war with the elite (best translation of the books name i could find)

d@rk51d3

12-25-09, 06:51 PM

"Mud and Dust - Australian army vehicles and artillery in Vietnam"

:cool:

Schöneboom

12-25-09, 11:06 PM

"Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T.E. Lawrence (the unabridged edition).

Stealth Hunter

12-29-09, 08:41 PM

The German Army on the Somme: 1914-1916
Jack Sheldon

Randomizer

12-30-09, 03:12 PM

At the Sharp End - Canadians Fighting in the Great War
Volume 1 1914-16

By Tim Cook

Dowly

12-31-09, 12:43 AM

Just finished the Winter War (the book the movie is based on). If you've seen the movie, check the book aswell. Whole lot more stuff in it that didnt make into the movie.

Now starting the book my dad gave me on Christmas called Heroes of the Winter War: 105 days of glory - 105 legends.

Sailor Steve

12-31-09, 01:22 AM

Staying in line with the book I just read on philosophy, I'm just starting to read Plato's Dialogues. Big book, but interesting so far.

seaniam81

12-31-09, 05:21 AM

Currently reading The Commodore by C. S. Forester. I'm really looking forward to finishing up the whole Hornblower series. It's been a great read.

Sailor Steve

12-31-09, 02:38 PM

Yes it is. I recently finished rereading the entire series for the umpteenth time.

If you didn't know, here is a site with the three short stories that never made it into the books, plus a biography of Forester and some entertaining stuff about his personal relationship with Hornblower. Especially fun is Ballade To An Old Friend.
http://www.scaryfangirl.com/Once%20Again5thNetVer.pdf

darius359au

12-31-09, 06:59 PM

I'm working my way through my Christmas present from the wife "The masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1850" by James lees :) , There's a couple of other books I'm going to get that do the same thing for the fitting and arming and the construction of English warships from the same period.
It's not Light reading though - The thing weighs nearly 2 Kilo's :o:D

quick review http://modelshipworld.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1459&highlight=masting+rigging+english+ships+war+162518 60+james+lees

Stealth Hunter

01-01-10, 09:34 PM

Now working on Manfred von Richthofen's autobiography, Der Rote Kampfflieger.

Torvald Von Mansee

01-02-10, 03:47 AM

The Summer Tree, by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Fantasy novel. Do any of you read fantasy?

frau kaleun

01-02-10, 12:10 PM

Does Terry Pratchett count?

Torvald Von Mansee

01-02-10, 01:42 PM

You know, I've never actually read Pratchett? I understand he's fantasy, though.

frau kaleun

01-02-10, 04:31 PM

Apparently he started (the Discworld series at least) with the intention of doing a parody of all the really bad sword & sorcerer books that were being written after the Tolkien books got so popular lo these many years ago, when publishers were looking around trying to cash in on that with anything and everything they could find.

Personally I'd call him the greatest English-language satirest of our time, but I think that's something that developed over the years.

Most of his books could be considered fantasy just because of the setting. Create an imaginary world full of wizards and trolls and just about every other fantastical creature you can imagine - albeit with many a twist on the stereotypes so prevalent in the genre - and, voila, that's the category you get put in more often than not. But they are that and sooooo much more, I think.

And IMO they're also LOL funny. So much so for me that his dead-on commentaries on the human condition never drop on me like an anvil but tend to sneak up on me while I'm busy laughing. And like a lot of really great sci-fi/fantasy fiction, his books use the imaginary world and its "unreal" creatures to make some very sly observations about the real world of everyday human behavior. Chances are even his most "fantastical" characters and situations will start to ring very true the more you get to know them. You can read his books for the fantasy aspect, or just for a good laugh if they work for you that way, but there's a lot more there to be had as well.

My recommendation for anyone who wants to give him a try is to start somewhere at least a few books into the DW series. They are all pretty much stand-alone books, you don't have to read them in order to enjoy them, but most of the major characters appear throughout the series and there is a lot of character development which is fun to watch if you come in when it's just getting underway.

If you start with the first few books, well, to be honest I don't think he'd quite hit his stride yet as a writer and you can be a little more forgiving of that if you've already gotten hooked by reading some of the later books. Mind you, they're still worth reading and very entertaining, but IMO just not on the same level with what he starts to achieve a few volumes into the series.

Have you read any of Neil Gaiman's books? Not the graphic novels, but the "book" books, lol. He and Pratchett co-wrote a novel some years back which is quite good, called "Good Omens." Based on what I've read of Gaiman's, he's the closest comparison I could make although Gaiman seems to be a bit darker than Pratchett usually is. Pratchett gets into some pretty deep stuff but I find him far more lighthearted about it.

Sailor Steve

01-04-10, 11:20 AM

WELCOME ABOARD! :sunny:

frau kaleun

01-11-10, 05:42 PM

Just finished up the last in Donald Burgett's series of WWII memoirs, Beyond The Rhine (http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Rhine-Screaming-Eagle-Germany/dp/0440236363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263248707&sr=1-1); the books were a great read, particularly if you're a Band of Brothers fan. Burgett wasn't part of the famed "Easy Company" that featured so prominently in the book/miniseries, but another company in the same regiment - nice to read something that broadens the picture somewhat on the accomplishments and escapades of the 506th as a whole.

Also sped through Terry Pratchett's latest over the weekend - Unseen Academicals (http://www.amazon.com/Unseen-Academicals-Discworld-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0061161705/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263248936&sr=1-1), in which the wizards of Unseen University field the most unlikely "foot-the-ball" team in the history of teams, fields, feet, and general unlikeliness. Not quite as mesmerizing as the Discworld volumes I'd list as my all-time favorites, but great fun nonetheless.

Shearwater

01-11-10, 09:00 PM

Wayne Hughes, Fleet Tactics. Theory and Practice.
Finally got my copy :woot:

Randomizer

01-16-10, 01:24 PM

Finally getting around to reading The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant by one Ulysses S. Grant.

Sailor Steve

01-28-10, 06:28 PM

Just started the collected writings of Thomas Paine. Fascinating stuff, as he fights the American Revolution with words and ideas.

[edit] I've read Common Sense, all 13 chapters of The American Crisis, and am now about one quarter of the way through The Rights Of Man. Paine had some amazing insights into the nature of Liberty and how it can be achieved. Edmond Burke ("The only thing needed for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing") wrote a 350+page book trashing the French Revolution, and Paine, who was made an honorary French citizen and allowed to vote in their Parliement, really took Burke to task over it, claiming that Burke had no clue what he was talking about.

Fun reading so far.

frau kaleun

01-28-10, 09:25 PM

I'm about halfway through Michael Hadley's Count Not The Dead - interesting read and especially the early chapters about WWI and the years leading up to WWII. (For me, anyway, since that's something I know far less about.)

Andrew82

02-09-10, 02:51 PM

I'm currently reading "Battle of the Atlantic" by Andrew Williams. Good reading! :yeah:

Anyone got some non-fictional, submarine or WWII related recommendations?

AirborneTD

02-09-10, 04:55 PM

For an in depth study of the US sub campaign of WWII, my favorite is Blair's Silent Victory. I also like, the Terrible Hours, Red Scorpion, Thunder Below and Operation Drumbeat.

I'm currently reading the Last Gentleman of War (the Raider Exploits of the Cruiser Emden) by RK Lochner. I've recently gotten into WWI raider operations after playing the card game the Kaiser's Pirates.

sharkbit

02-09-10, 08:59 PM

Just finished "Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front" by Gunther K. Koschorrek.
Good book. Details the horror that was the Eastern Front.

If that wasn't enough for me, I just started:
"Through the Maelstrom: A Red Army Soldier's War on the Eastern Front 1942-1945" by Boris Gorbachevsky.

After those two books, I think I'm going to need a little lighter reading.
:)

I posted this back in November. I finished "Through the Maelstrom...". A pretty good read and a different perspective on the Eastern front.

I have moved on to my lighter reading.....
The Harry Potter series. :shucks:

:)

ReFaN

02-10-10, 05:40 AM

Bill Cosby - fatherhood.

heh, im running out of books.

tater

02-10-10, 12:26 PM

Right now I'm reading the Hornblower books. No computer games to speak of, no TV. I've read the first 6 in about as many days. :)

Sockeye

02-10-10, 07:43 PM

Amazing how fast we can tear through a stack of books sometimes!

For me, right now I'm in a bit of a lull period and need to pick up something new and unread-by-me, so I'm kind of reading bits and pieces of whatever I feel like bringing down from the shelf or out of the boxes.

Right now: SOE in the Low Countries by M.R.D Foot; sabotage and subversion against nazidom from HQ's point-of-view basically. I had been reading A Perfect Spy by le Carre; a Firm man used the historian cover to illicit info out of a few veterans' memories, so I was in the mood to revisit some of Foot's work.

It was either this or MacLean's Where Eagles Dare again, but finding Hidden and Dangerous: Deluxe took care of that :up:

Andrew82

02-11-10, 03:41 PM

Thanks for your recommendations, I'm gonna try some of them for sure! :yeah:

Sailor Steve

02-15-10, 12:10 PM

I'm currently reading In Search Of Butch Cassidy, by Larry Pointer, 1977. It's part investigation into the possibility that William T. Phillips, who died in Spokane, Washington in 1937, was actually Robert LeRoy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and part biograph and history, and very well annotated. His research is good, and he presents very good evidence supporting his claims.

heh, im running out of books.
From 1994 to 1998 I worked in a warehouse for a book distributor. One of the perks was the availability of damaged books for the employes to take home.

I still have 40 boxes of books I haven't read, because I'm always buying something new that catches my eye.

Kazuaki Shimazaki II

02-15-10, 09:02 PM

Recently, I've managed to obtain and read Zuyev's Fulcrum. Compared to Belenko's work, which sounds almost like a brat in comparison, it does show some real reasons why he has to leave. But I wonder whether he ever realized that failing to strafe the MiGs was probably the margin that allowed him to successfully defect - if he had managed to shoot them up the Soviet government will have an excellent and undeniable case to call him a saboteur and even the US government will hesitate to protect him...

Sailor Steve

02-17-10, 12:42 PM

Just started reading Tacitus The Annals. It's the source for most movies and books about the Roman Empire.

Schunken

02-26-10, 02:19 PM

I read Clay Blair "U-Boot Krieg" Part one "The Hunters"

Andreas

Egan

02-27-10, 02:15 PM

I've about two pages worth left of 'Wahoo' which I had never read before. I have no explanation for why I never tracked down this wonderful book before now. I love his focus on the actual mechanics of a sub patrol, how Morton set up his attacks and so forth. I also liked the way he portrayed Morton and his account of 'that' incident. Very interesting. I'll have to get 'Clear the Bridge' next.

Next up is 'The Shameful Peace' by Frederic Spotts. It's about the relationship between French artists and intellectuals, and the Germans during the occupation. I've had it for a while but haven't has the time for it so far. It looks like being an interesting companion of sorts to Palmier's 'Weimar in Exile.'

frau kaleun

02-27-10, 03:25 PM

I'm near the end of Jochen Brenneke's The Hunters And The Hunted: German U-Boats, 1939-1945. This edition of the book contains no information about the author, but Michael Hadley notes in Count Not The Dead that he was a propaganda writer during the war and calls his book "fiction as history, information as infotainment."

Given that and the fact that the book also contains no notes or reference to sources, it's hard to say exactly how big a grain of salt one should take it all with, lol. It's really a collection of anecdotes and vignettes about life in the u-bootwaffe and they're mostly told in the form of recreated conversations and supposedly firsthand accounts of the men involved in each incident as though Brennecke himself was there to witness or record them... which in the vast majority of instances would have been impossible. And it's clear that one of his intentions is to make a case for the u-bootwaffe as a service virtually untainted by the ugliness of the regime for which they fought and died.

Nevertheless, I will say that it's an entertaining read. My favorite bit so far is his telling of an incident that supposedly took place on U-325 somewhere in the North Atlantic, and which he used as a humorous followup to his discussion of how vital it was to have men aboard who excelled at acquiring and storing provisions and equipment for a long patrol.

U-325, he says, was running along the surface with a heavy following sea breaking over the boat; the watch was secured with belts to keep them from being swept overboard, but just as the commander was coming up for a quick looksee a huge wave broke over them and completely submerged the ship before he could get securely positioned on the bridge. When the water receded - no commander! Fortunately they were able to fish him safely out of the drink after a few minutes' effort.

According to Brennecke, the entire incident was noted in the KTB simply as "11:43 to 11:49, commander overboard." The report submitted by the bosun on return to base, however, was another matter.

"One of the entries read as follows," Brennecke continues. "'At 11:43 the commander was washed overboard. In order to facilitate keeping himself afloat, he had divested himself of the following articles: Trousers, leather, pairs, 2; Jackets, leather, 1; Boots, jack, submarine, pairs, 1; Pistols, automatic, 2; binoculars, 2; sextant, 1; gloves, leather, pairs, 4.'" Naturally the bosun then requested replacements for all the items "lost" during the commander's little adventure.

Supposedly the request was passed around HQ for the purposes of general amusement, and eventually came back approved; but there was a handwritten note scribbled at the bottom asking if there was a new type of u-boat in service that HQ was unaware of, one with a conning tower roomy enough for someone to get through with all that gear on. :O:

TarJak

02-28-10, 06:33 AM

Just picked up two Douglas Reeman books for AU$14.00. The Destroyers and The Iron Pirate. Looking forward to having the time to read them.

AVGWarhawk

03-01-10, 04:22 PM

Just finished 'Presumed Lost' Stephen Moore. Very good book. It is written by those that were there or accounts of diaries written and hidden from the Japanese. Some diabolic human suffering during the war. I recommend the book highly.

http://www.stephenlmoore.com/sm_lost.html

Heretic

03-01-10, 04:36 PM

Just finished Das Boot on audiobook - again. Next up is the newest in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series.

Raptor1

03-01-10, 08:02 PM

Just finished Das Boot on audiobook - again. Next up is the newest in Bernard Cornwell's Saxon series.

I need to read that too. Finished Sword Song a few months ago...

Kaye T. Bai

03-02-10, 05:49 AM

Just finished "The Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove and "One Second After." The former was a great read, the latter was good, but not as great.

Currently reading "Without Warning" by John Birmingham, and "WAR DAY" by Strieber & Kunetka. Both are pretty interesting reads so far.

Heretic

03-02-10, 03:48 PM

Jail

03-03-10, 02:32 PM

The liberty ships; The history of the"emergency" type cargo ships constructed in the United States during World War II, by L. A. Sawyer and W. H. Mitchell.
I remmebered I got the book as an gift from my dads work way back in 85. Found the book when I did a cleanup in the house.

Randomizer

03-04-10, 02:18 PM

Have finished Fire at Sea: The Tragedy of the Soviet Submarine Komsomolets (D.A. Romanov and others) and am in the process writing a review and then in the mail along comes Red Star Rogue: The Untold Story of a Soviet Submarine's Nuclear Strike Attempt at the U.S. (Kenneth Sewell et al)

Too many books, too little time.

OneToughHerring

03-11-10, 02:34 PM

Right now reading a book called U-Boat Ace - The Story of Wolfgang Lüth written by Jordan Vause and a big pictorial book about spys and saboteurs of the WW 2 written by Janusz Piekalkiewicz.

Sharkfin

03-12-10, 06:22 AM

Just finished reading Buchheims "Die Festung" (The Fortress) in german language which is the sequel to "Das Boot". If you want to know what happened to Lt. Werner and the "Old Man" you should not miss reading this almost 1500 Pages thick book. It tells quite a lot about the last days of the german U-Boat Bases in France, D-Day and the fall of the fortress Brest. Unfortunately there does not seem to be an english Version of this Book. Also the third book in the series "Der Abschied" (the Parting) does not seem to be available in english. Is this true, that only "The Boat" has been translated?

Sailor Steve

03-12-10, 12:48 PM

As far as I know it's true, which makes me sad, because I really do want to read them and don't read German.:cry:

frau kaleun

03-12-10, 08:33 PM

As far as I know it's true, which makes me sad, because I really do want to read them and don't read German.:cry:

Ditto.

Sharkfin

03-13-10, 07:49 AM

Very sad to hear this. Would be nice to know why no book company wants to do an english translation of this books.

Randomizer

03-20-10, 12:50 PM

Anybody interested in Anglo-German relations or the development of modern propaganda and spin might check out Best of Enemies. Britain and Germany: 100-Years of Truth and Lies by Richard Milton.

On principal I generally avoid any book using the word "Truth" in the title but Milton charts the course of German envy of things British and vice-versa from before WW1 through to the Nuremberg Tribunals.

The author develops a number of ideas where Britain and Germany affected each other ranging from the eugenics movement, propaganda in peace and war, war crimes and a variety of social trends and his conclusions are bound to anger some.

Camaero

03-20-10, 01:57 PM

I'm about halfway through with "Typee" by Herman Melville. Excellent stuff!

sharkbit

03-20-10, 04:59 PM

Just started "Operation Drumbeat" by Michael Gannon. Very good so far.
Just finished "U-boats in the Mediterranean" by Lawrence Paterson-meh.

:)

OneToughHerring

03-21-10, 10:12 PM

Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson. It's about Carlos Hathcock, a US marine sniper in the Vietnam war.

TarJak

03-29-10, 06:16 AM

Currently part way into Zeebrugge by Barrie Pitt. Covers the planning and implementation of the raid on Zeebrugge and Ostend to deny access to the German U-boats and destroyers based in Bruges in 1918.

Sailor Steve

03-29-10, 10:06 AM

Just finished Tacitus: The Annals and The Histories. Am now starting The Lives Of The Twelve Caesars, by Gaius Seutonius Tranquillus, or just Seutonius.

Randomizer

03-29-10, 11:49 AM

@SS. You should be commended for going to the original source, personally I have found completing translations of the classics tremendously difficult although finishing Homer's Iliad, Odyssey and more recently Xenophon's Anabasis was well worth the effort.

If the era is of interest and you have not yet checked out Tom Holland's very readable general history Rubicon you could do worse than place it on your reading list.

Best Regards.

Sailor Steve

03-29-10, 12:14 PM

Thanks! I'll check it out.

Randomizer

03-29-10, 02:52 PM

Moving away from naval topics for a change, am reading A World Undone: The Story of the Great War 1914 to 1918 by G.J. Meyer. So far, so good.

frau kaleun

03-29-10, 03:11 PM

If the era is of interest and you have not yet checked out Tom Holland's very readable general history Rubicon you could do worse than place it on your reading list.

If he's the same guy I'm thinking of, he also wrote Persian Fire about the Greco-Persian wars which I truly enjoyed. Provided ample background on all the cultures involved which gave a more thorough historical backdrop to the eventual showdown(s) between them than I'd encountered before in similar fare. I recommend it also for a good ancient history read.

Sailor Steve

03-29-10, 03:19 PM

Though I haven't read them in a couple of decades, I have in my collection Robert Graves's I, Claudius and Claudius The God. Much better than the miniseries made from them, and that's saying a lot.

frau kaleun

03-29-10, 03:25 PM

Though I haven't read them in a couple of decades, I have in my collection Robert Graves's I, Claudius and Claudius The God. Much better than the miniseries made from them, and that's saying a lot.

Read them in high school after PBS ran the miniseries - and again a few times after that. They ARE better and that IS saying a lot, because the miniseries ROCKS.

For better or worse whenever I think of Augustus all I see in my head is Brian Blessed running around yelling "Bring me back my eagles!!" or some such.

And Sian Phillips as Livia... *shudder*

Sailor Steve

03-29-10, 03:40 PM

For better or worse whenever I think of Augustus all I see in my head is Brian Blessed running around yelling "Bring me back my eagles!!" or some such.
"Quintillius Varus, WHERE ARE MY EAGLES?!":wah:

The last time I watched them, I watched Cleopatra first. Actually much better than it's remembered. It's a big jump from Roddy McDowell to Brian Blessed, when supposedly only seven years have passed.

frau kaleun

03-29-10, 03:55 PM

"Quintillius Varus, WHERE ARE MY EAGLES?!":wah:

The other thing that sticks in my mind is him standing in front of a large group of very embarrassed, terrified "guilty parties" and asking, "Is there anyone in Rome who has not slept with my daughter?"

The last time I watched them, I watched Cleopatra first. Actually much better than it's remembered. It's a big jump from Roddy McDowell to Brian Blessed, when supposedly only seven years have passed.

Agreed, I think Cleopatra may have suffered greatly at time of release from a lot of bad press due to the expense and hype involved plus the Taylor/Burton affair which evolved during the production. But I watch it just about every time it's on. Roddy McDowall I think was expected to get an Oscar nom but IIRC there was some snafu with submitting his name or some other technicality.

I also don't think Taylor gets as much credit as she deserves as an actress - too much was always made of her looks and her tumultuous private life. But I adore her.

Randomizer

03-29-10, 05:35 PM

If he's the same guy I'm thinking of, he also wrote Persian Fire about the Greco-Persian wars which I truly enjoyed. Provided ample background on all the cultures involved which gave a more thorough historical backdrop to the eventual showdown(s) between them than I'd encountered before in similar fare. I recommend it also for a good ancient history read.
Persian Fire is a truly superb book and Tom Holland stands, in my opinion, as the best of the new scholars of ancient Greco-Roman Europe.

At the risk of being stoned or crucified (either are suitable for the period) I also quite enjoyed the HBO series Rome, particularly after the Boss bought it for me at Christmas as I had been raving about how much I enjoyed Rubicon.

If you get a chance there was a recent teleplay with Christopher Plumer as Caeser about Cleopatra that is well worth a look but I have no idea if it ever aired in the States.

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=d9630873-ca63-44b8-be91-259fa2d22ca6

frau kaleun

03-29-10, 05:42 PM

Persian Fire is a truly superb book and Tom Holland stands, in my opinion, as the best of the new scholars of anciant Greco-Roman Europe.

I'll keep a lookout for Rubicon, then - I really need to make a list of books to look for when I go to a used bookstore. Especially since I could cross them off once I have them, and not buy the same ones twice like I did the last trip. :damn:

Randomizer

03-29-10, 05:51 PM

... and not buy the same ones twice like I did the last trip. :damn:

Done that before, nothing to do but say D'oh, hope you kept the reciept and that the book seller isn't an hour or more of a drive away. Burning $20.00 worth of gas to return an $18.00 book is economics that could make government proud.

frau kaleun

03-29-10, 06:01 PM

Done that before, nothing to do but say D'oh, hope you kept the reciept and that the book seller isn't an hour or more of a drive away. Burning $20.00 worth of gas to return an $18.00 book is economics that could make government proud.

Well I think I only paid about $8 total for the two duplicates, not really worth the drive back. They're on the "outgoing" shelf where I put the stuff I'm going to take there and sell on my next trip. I won't get all my money back but considering the savings in time/energy/gas from not making a special trip, I figure I'll break even.

Buddahaid

03-29-10, 07:32 PM

"Tirpitz and the Battle for the North Atlantic, The" by David Woodward 1953.

Good for a bedtime story.

sharkbit

03-30-10, 06:29 PM

Just started Clay Blair's "Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939-1942".
Tons of information to digest.

:)

Sailor Steve

03-31-10, 11:25 AM

"Is there anyone in Rome who has not slept with my daughter?"
:rotfl2:

"Not...slept, Caesar..."

@ Buddahaid: That sounds like a good one. I have a copy of C.S. Forrester's The Last Nine Days Of The Bismarck. Short, but sweet.

@ sharkbit: It's hard to go wrong with Blair. I have all of his histories, as well as some of his biographies. He was the author of McArthur, which the Gregory Peck movie was based on.

mr chris

03-31-10, 01:14 PM

Am currently reading.
It Never Snows in September: The German View of Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem September 1944. By Robert Kershaw

Am about half way through. Have found it it a very interesting read so far. Lots of detail of the set up of the German Forces and the moral of the average German solider on the ground.

I ordered Pearl Harbour: The Verdict of History by Gordon W. Prange. I really enjoyed "Miracle at Midway" and thought At dawn we slept of a very interesting read indeed. Just noticed that i bloody ordered two copies of the book. :damn:

joes_shop

03-31-10, 03:28 PM

'For the upteenth time - and still (LOL) frustrated by his writing style!

Regards,

J. P. Kelly

TarJak

03-31-10, 08:32 PM

'For the upteenth time - and still (LOL) frustrated by his writing style!

Regards,

J. P. KellyYeah he's not the easiest read in the world. sometimes gets very bogged down with facts and figures rather than narration, but in terms of reference material he's harder to fault than most. He's definately a excellent researcher and will highlight where conflicting reports make it hard to determine what was right or wrong.

STEED

04-03-10, 06:34 AM

Am currently reading.
It Never Snows in September: The German View of Market-Garden and the Battle of Arnhem September 1944. By Robert Kershaw

Good book, I read that one when it first came out, still got it some where in my pile of books. :up:

STEED

04-03-10, 06:57 AM

Heres a list of books I have read over the last year and bit.

Hitler's War On Russia..by Charles D. Winchester

The Wages of Destruction, The Making & Breaking of the Nazi Economy..
by Adam Tooze

Red Army Tank Commanders, The Armored Guards.. by Richard N. Armstrong

D-Day, The Battle for Normandy..by Antony Beevor

Luftwaffe fans of the Ost Front will like this series by Christer Bergstrom
Barbarossa - The Air Battle: July-December 1941
Stalingrad - The Air Battle: 1942 through January 1943
Kursk - The Air Battle: July 1943
Bagration to Berlin - The Final Air Battles in the East 1944-1945

First U-Boat Flotilla..by Lawrence Paterson

Second U-Boat Flotilla..by Lawrence Paterson

mr chris

04-03-10, 08:26 AM

Good book, I read that one when it first came out, still got it some where in my pile of books. :up:

Wow good to see you around again Steed.:up:
Nice list above, have added some to the ever increasing wish list.

sharkbit

04-03-10, 03:38 PM

First U-Boat Flotilla..by Lawrence Paterson

Second U-Boat Flotilla..by Lawrence Paterson

Are these any good?

I read his "U-Boats in the Mediterranean"-I was kinda "Meh" about the book. Now I'm a little gun shy about buying these two. I have them on my list at Amazon.

:)

STEED

04-04-10, 05:15 PM

Are these any good?

I read his "U-Boats in the Mediterranean"-I was kinda "Meh" about the book. Now I'm a little gun shy about buying these two. I have them on my list at Amazon.

:)

These books are not what I call a detailed history, the books charts the flotilla war diary a record of admin matters & combat results compiled by the flotilla commander.

Examples are short entrys not all are like this, half a page to three pages. -

Chapter 6
27th June 1941
The war diary of 1st U-Flotilla recorded the inaugural use of its facilities:
"The U-Support Station of the 1st U-Flotilla in Brest has received its first Front boat and hence fulfilled its actual purpose. The base, as it stands, is ready for 15 U-boats, the docks currently for two to three boats, thereafter six, and then more later,"

Chapter 7
16th May 1942
U116 departed for the North Atlantic and her first voyage as supply ship. Following the new directive from Bdu regarding optimal sailing times, she slipped from harbour at 2000hrs in the wake of her vorpostenboote escourt.

29th July 1942
U203 1600hrs; Mutzelberg arrives. Celebrations for the new Flotilla Oak Leaves holder.

11th August 1942
Kptlt. Werner Schult brought U582 into her concrete bunker at 1730hrs. As well as four victory pennants claiming 32,000 BRT of shipping sunk while part of the Hai pack.

Chapter 8
1st March 1943
Winter noted the following transfers to 1st U-Flotilla:
"New boats U305, U306, U415 from Dnzig's 8th U-Flotilla, veteran U209 from Bergen's 11st U-Flotilla."

sharkbit

04-05-10, 08:02 AM

Hmmmm....sounds a little dry. I think I'll pass on the books for now although they sound like they might be an excellent research source.

Thanks.

:)

STEED

04-05-10, 08:05 AM

Hmmmm....sounds a little dry. I think I'll pass on the books for now although they sound like they might be an excellent research source.

Thanks.

:)

I bought them both together for a rock bottom price. I didn't find that dry as they are a kind of books you can read put down and not loose your place, maybe you should put them on your bargain basement list. :03:

I'm waiting for a couple of books to hit bargain basement as the author is very deep and very very dry but well written.

STEED

04-10-10, 11:46 AM

Just finished re-reading...

Deadlock Before Moscow

Army Group Centre 1942/43

By Franz Kurowski

Good Read.

Gunnar

04-17-10, 08:34 AM

I'm currently reading "The Admiralty Regrets...." about the loss of HMS Thetis that sank in full view in Liverpool Bay.

A fascinating story of stupidity and at times almost wilful incompetence on the part of the Admiralty when it came to rescue operations.

The other book I'm close to finishing is "Death in the Doldurms - U Cruiser Actions Off West Africa".

The book is incredibly detailed and very revealing when it comes to the actual detail of the long patrols that took German sailors to far flung places in their search for Allied Vessels. The reaction of the Admiralty to the news that 'large U-Boats' were active in 'safe' waters is one of near panic and the effort that was expended in trying to deal with the U-Boat menace is quite remarkable given the very small force the German Navy actually deployed!

Sailor Steve

04-17-10, 04:45 PM

Waiting for my new books to arrive, I've started rereading Moral Minority: Our Skeptical Founding Fathers, by Brooke Allen. I originally picked it up in the library, but not too long ago I saw it on a sale table at Barnes & Noble. It was in my storage, and when I took Seutonius back there today, there it was sitting right where I couldn't miss it.

Sailor Steve

04-23-10, 12:21 PM

Completed Moral Minority again - great book. Anyone with the slightest curiosity about what the American founders thought about religion and the history of religious freedom in America should have this.

Am now starting The Sorrow Of War, by Bao Nihn, as recommended by OneToughHerring. So far it's pretty amazing.

More when I'm done.

Randomizer

04-24-10, 11:27 PM

STEED

04-30-10, 12:37 PM

Finished reading...

Ivan's War: The Red Army at War 1939-45: Inside The Red Army, 1939-45

By Catherine Merridale

I'm a third of the way in to my next book...

When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler

By David M. Glantz and Jonathan M. House

AirborneTD

04-30-10, 02:01 PM

Just recently finished:

Lone Survivor

The Only Thing Worth Dying For

Both about spec ops in Afghanistan. Both really good. I believe the first is going to be made into a movie.

Sailor Steve

04-30-10, 06:47 PM

Finished The Sorrow Of War. Outstanding book by a veteran of the North Vietnamese army. Shocking, enlightening, funny and tragic. I recommend it highly.

I'm now just starting Constructing a Life Philosophy, edited by Mark Ray Schmidt, Ph.D., Book Editor for The University of Arkansas at Monticello. It's part of the Opposing Viewpoints series, which looks at important issues and quotes full opinions by leading authorities on all sides. This particular one focuses on philosophy and religion.

It's one of four books I picked up very cheap at a library used-book sale.:sunny:

Subnuts

05-02-10, 11:21 AM

I just finished reading Stalking The Red Bear, and I'm shocked at how painfully average the whole thing was. It's mildly interesting, and is mercifully free of technical errors, but it doesn't deliver on it's promise of being a gripping thriller. There's little character development, a lot of historical exposition, but as Cold War submarine stories go, a lot of the material in Blind Man's Bluff is so much better. I never got the impression in Stalking The Red Bear that the Blackfin was in any danger, and most of the book consists of the boat going around the Barents Sea, spying on Russian exercises, and collecting intelligence.

I think the author's rather stale writing style hurts the book more than it's subject matter. I bought it for $10, but I'd only recommend it if you stumbled across a copy at Salvation Army.

Randomizer

05-02-10, 10:42 PM

Kazuaki Shimazaki II

05-05-10, 12:35 PM

Just read A. Terenov's Under Three Flags, The Saga of the Submarine Cruiser K-43/Chakra, English version.

(Don't bother looking it up in Amazon. It's just not there. www.books.ru has it, for around 1000 rubles - very roughly US$25, not counting shipping. The good news is that they ship overseas, the bad news is that the order screens are 100% Russian, with no English).

Most of the book is on the author's experiences as he prepares and trains for the job of teaching officers from another (India) and is very interesting. Frankly, I'll prefer more stories of Terenov's earlier career, but the book was originally intended for a Russian audience (written in Russian to boot!) and presumably talk of the standard Russian system would be a lot less interesting to them than to us. Nevertheless, it is one of a handful of views from Russian commanders that made it all the way to an English translation, and if you cut out those whose views have been irreversibly soured by having an accident happen on their boats, perhaps the only one.

The weak part is at the back, where the author tries to compare the Soviet and Indian naval systems. His points have some merit but are poorly argued in my opnion. For more details, see my fuller review here (http://groups.google.com/group/arkhangelsk-website/web/under-three-flags-the-saga-of-the-submarine-cruiser-k-43-chakra-a-review).

OneToughHerring

05-08-10, 06:18 AM

Finished The Sorrow Of War. Outstanding book by a veteran of the North Vietnamese army. Shocking, enlightening, funny and tragic. I recommend it highly.

Glad you liked it. :yep:

I guess the model or inspiration for it was the classic of all modern war novels, "All quiet in the western front", or so I thought when I read it. But, it's good anyway.

Presently I'm sort of glancing through Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Dowly

05-08-10, 06:34 AM

Art of War was a bit of an disappointment to me. :hmmm:

Started reading Generation Kill yesterday. :yeah:

Raptor1

05-08-10, 12:32 PM

Just started reading Antony Beevor's Stalingrad, been a while since I read a good book on the Eastern Front and this one looks promising.

ivank

05-08-10, 10:58 PM

Half way through Kingmaker, ADD kicked in, started my newly bought The Raider Kormoran by Captain Theodor Detmers.

red_scope

05-09-10, 02:14 AM

Hitler`s U-Boat War 1939-1942 The Hunters Clay Blair

If ever you wanted to know what happened to a specific u-boat and the circumstances around it, you got it. This is highly recommended.
I`m currently in the opening moves of WW2. As you all know, those u-boat sailors knew what the term "suffering" meant.

All the tonnage stats, technology, and even the philosophy behind the u-boat war is in delicate detail. And after you are done with this mammoth study, another one awaits you - Hitler`s U-boat War 1942-1945 The Hunted. Gonna take me a while to get there. :DL

STEED

05-09-10, 07:52 AM

Just started reading Antony Beevor's Stalingrad, been a while since I read a good book on the Eastern Front and this one looks promising.

Don't forget his...Berlin the Downfall 1945.

Books by David M. Glantz are well worth reading, he's recognized as the leading expert on the Eastern Front.

Subnuts

05-14-10, 11:21 PM

It's not naval or submarine related, but I'm halfway through Paul Crickmore's Lockheed Blackbird: Beyond The Secret Missions, which was just reprinted in paperback. It's a weighty, substantial book, with lots of technical detail, oral accounts, and behind the scenes information. My copy was only $17, which is a steal considering it's a 400 page book with 50 pages of color photographs. If the SR-71 is your thing, I highly recommend it.

sharkbit

05-15-10, 01:09 AM

sharkbit

05-21-10, 08:13 AM

Just finished "Submarine" by Edward L. Beach.
Some pretty good stories about U.S. subs in WWII mixed in with Beach's experiences on submarines during the war. I got a smile from his story about the ice cream maker being installed on the USS Trigger and what they went through to get it working right.

Just started "Bacalao" by J.T. McDaniel last night.

A work of fiction about a fictional U.S. fleetboat before and during WWII.
I'm still pretty early in the book and the story hasn't developed too far but some of the technical details are very good.

:)

OneToughHerring

05-28-10, 04:48 PM

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge. Recommended reading for all WW 2 in the Pacific - enthousiasts.

Randomizer

05-28-10, 10:16 PM

Just finished On the Causes of War and the Preservation of Peace by Donald Kagan, a detailed examination of why wars start using some familier and lesser known historical models.

Worth a look for anybody interested in the politics and dynamics of the decision to resort to violence in pursuit of national policy goals.

sharkbit

05-29-10, 02:10 AM

With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by Eugene Sledge. Recommended reading for all WW 2 in the Pacific - enthousiasts.

His descriptions of living among corpses and maggots on Okinawa are quite chilling. It will remove any illusions of "glory" in war.

Kpt. Weyprecht

05-30-10, 06:28 AM

The Boss just left for a three-week tropical cruise with her girlfriend and I got some new books to read between feeding Cat and taping her TV shows...

Crash Dive - In Action with HMS Safari 1942-43 by Arthur P. Dickison

and

Broken Arrow - America's First Lost Nuclear Weapon by Norman Leach

How is the Crash Dive compared to Ben Bryant's Submarine Commander? I read that one last year and really liked it.

By the way, any advice on Unknown Waters by Alfred Scott McLaren and William R. Anderson? I considered ordering it recently and I finally turned back to the WW2 with Clear the Bridge.

tommo8993

05-30-10, 08:52 PM

im reading two books currently:
sink the belgrano by mike rossiter
and
pheonix squadron by rowland white

Randomizer

05-31-10, 09:11 AM

How is the Crash Dive compared to Ben Bryant's Submarine Commander? I read that one last year and really liked it.
Am not familier with Ben Bryant's Submarine Commander, just Paul Schratz' book of the same name. Sorry.

The author of Crash Dive was a Leading WT Operator on board and the book, based on his diary, is generally well done and quite readable.

frau kaleun

06-16-10, 07:25 AM

Hi Jacob, welcome to Subsim!

Some of the books discussed here are new, some aren't. Mostly it's a thread about what people are reading at the moment.

Lots of good info in this thread about a lot of different books but if you have interest or questions about particular books or subject matter, ask away and if someone's got info they'll more than likely share it. :DL

mookiemookie

06-16-10, 12:52 PM

hi everybody

this is jacob .... I m new in this forum... Please tell me latest books releases

die spammer.

Raptor1

06-16-10, 02:23 PM

frau kaleun

06-16-10, 02:57 PM

Ha, somebody other than me now has the shame of answering to one of those! I'm free! Freeeeeeeeee! *runs into brick wall*

So is "tell me the newest book releases" the new "I find your ideas intriguing" or what?

Still trying to figure out the spamtacular purpose of a spam post that contains no advertisement, links, or otherwise spammy content. :hmmm:

Randomizer

06-18-10, 10:47 AM

Spam is the internet equivelant of egging somebody's house.

Back on to books...

If you have read Harald Busch's U-Boats at War you might recall the account of Johann Mohr's (U-124) spectacular long-shot sinking of HMS Dunedin in the South Atlantic in late 1941.

Blood on the Sea is the story of Dunedin, her sinking far from the shipping lanes and the ordeal of her hundreds of survivors as they awaited a rescue that never came. Only the chance passing-by of the American freighter SS Nishmaha caused the last 72-men to be saved.

Blood on the Sea (by Stuart Gill ISBN 0-297-84665-5) is a good read, showing how Enigma intelligence, the Raider Atlantis, inter-departmental secrecy and other factors combined to put the lone HMS Dunedin in Kplt Mohr's sights and botched any effective search and rescue operation to save her crew.

Dimitrius07

06-18-10, 05:30 PM

I finished the Eddings Devid books, i just love his style.:rock:

coreline

06-19-10, 03:54 AM

I am currently reading The Secret Language of Birthdays, as I'm preparing birthday gifts (http://paintedsouvenirs.com) for my twin brothers.

Sailor Steve

06-19-10, 12:05 PM

WELCOME ABOARD! :sunny:

aergistal

06-19-10, 02:23 PM

Still on Joshua Slocum. Now reading 'The Voyage of the Liberdade'. Good humour.
Oh yes and it's free as in no copyright:
http://ia311011.us.archive.org/3/items/voyageliberdade00slocgoog/voyageliberdade00slocgoog.pdf

STEED

06-20-10, 01:39 PM

I'm half way into...

Most Secret War

British Scientific Intelligence 1939-1945

R.V. Jones

And reading the latest from the Osprey Campaign series...

Operation Nordwind 1945
Hitler's last offensive in the West

Steven J Zaloga

Number 223

Cy-Fox

06-20-10, 05:01 PM

Reading the Red Book of Submarine Tactics & Strategy as well as Tom Clancy's Submarine.

zxc23

07-26-10, 04:13 AM

Almost finished Iron Coffins by Commander Herbert A. Werner. I'm up to August 1944. It's so depressing :cry:

It's amazing how he continually manages to survive though :)

Herr-Berbunch

07-26-10, 11:08 AM

I'm also on Iron Coffins at the minute, about 3/4 of the way through.

Recently finished: Secret Agent: The True Story of the Special Operations Executive

and before that: Malta Convoys 1940-1943.

Just reserved The Cruel Sea from my local library too. :D

Randomizer

08-14-10, 02:26 PM

Not a naval book but still an interesting topic from a generally respected military historian is Kenneth Macksey's Why the German's Lose at War - The Myth of German Military Superiority. (ISBN 10 1-85367-693-4)

I have read much of what Prof Macksey has written since I was a teenager too many decades ago and have always considered him a solid and reliable source in most things. However I was hugely disappointed by this book which is inferior, superficial and contains no real insights into the long-winded subject of the title.

Anybody actually looking here for why German arms achieved battlefield success only to meet defeat in the end should probably go elsewhere for answers. The book quickly chronicles the creation of the Great General Staff but its seminal functioning in the Great War is briefly dealt with in an off hand and dismissive manner. If Germany defeats were systemic you cannot tell from Why the German's Lose... because there is no real attempt at analysis. Rather it mostly consists of finger-pointing narratives and tired first-person apologias dealing almost entirely with WW2. For a subject this complex the bibliography is remarkably sparse and there are no notes or explanations outside the body of the text.

Compared to much of Macksey's other military works Why the German's Lose... is so inferior it is almost like it was ghost-written by a Germanophobic undergraduate minion or cranked out in a weekend to fill some sort of contractual obligation to the publisher.

This unworthy and sadly deficient book is available at Amazon, buy through Subsim's link and you can automatically throw Neal some coinage, perhaps the only good thing about purchasing it.

http://www.amazon.com/WHY-GERMANS-LOSE-WAR-Superiority/dp/1853673838/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1281811812&sr=8-1

If you are still interested in a definitive book on the subject you should probably keep looking.

Gerald

08-14-10, 02:46 PM

for help and find two dangerous fugitives for jailbreak in Arizona.this is need to be up to date all the time,and this is a well known story,in RL!

Randomizer

08-14-10, 03:06 PM

for help and find two dangerous fugitives for jailbreak in Arizona.this is need to be up to date all the time,and this is a well known story,in RL!
And this belongs in the "reading right now" thread because?

Gerald

08-14-10, 03:50 PM

And this belongs in the "reading right now" thread because? what did you expect :hmmm:

Note: Everything is included here, do not have to be related to WWI-WWII,but what it takes for the moment.

frau kaleun

08-14-10, 03:55 PM

Note: Everything is included here, do not have to be related to WWI-WWII,but what it takes for the moment.

Just a misunderstanding, I think.

@ Vendor: this thread is intended for discussion or comments about books that members are reading or interested in reading.

Discussion of current events and other news items that members read about, will get more viewings and a better response if you start a thread on them in the General Topic forum. :up: :DL

Randomizer

08-14-10, 03:57 PM

what did you expect :hmmm:
Note: Everything is included here, do not have to be related to WWI-WWII,but what it takes for the moment.
Ahh, I understand. It's all about upping your post count and has nothing whatever to do with reading, books, literacy or comprehension. Well, carry on then...

Gerald

08-14-10, 04:08 PM

Just a misunderstanding, I think.

@ Vendor: this thread is intended for discussion or comments about books that members are reading or interested in reading.

Discussion of current events and other news items that members read about, will get more viewings and a better response if you start a thread on them in the General Topic forum. :up: :DL Thanks for the tip! I can only say that interest over there, I mentioned from including what I read at this time,is not possible or no interest of creating a thread for that matter on grounds of public, policy in the subject,and there are good reasons for it! Good to have an interested third eye :DL

Gerald

08-14-10, 04:19 PM

Ahh, I understand. It's all about upping your post count and has nothing whatever to do with reading, books, literacy or comprehension. Well, carry on then... if you really believe in your imagination that is the case,then you have a lot to take care of,if so, I wish you all the luck you can get!

Andrew82

08-14-10, 04:20 PM

Finished "Iron Coffins", great book! :yeah:

Currently reading "Silent Victory", it's about the US submarine warfare in the Pacific and describes every major event during the 2nd WW.

Schöneboom

08-14-10, 10:07 PM

"Fatherland" by Robert Harris. Detective thriller set in an alternative Third Reich that won the war. The protagonist served on U-boats in WW2. Fancy that!

Schöneboom

08-31-10, 10:01 AM

And now, a masterpiece by John Biggins: "A Sailor of Austria: In which, without really intending to, Otto Prohaska becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire".

Phenomenal book! Witty, engaging, richly detailed -- it sets the standard for "old-school" submarine fiction. Highly recommended!

Herr-Berbunch

08-31-10, 03:17 PM

I'm on holiday and have got two on the go but not getting through very quick! U-Boat Bases and Bunkers 1941-45 - it seems quite informative but only a step or two up from a kid's information book. The other is McCarthy's Bar, quite humerous but I don't think it's as funny as any of Tony Hawkes' books (British comedian, not the skateboarder).

mr.goodbar

09-04-10, 08:47 PM

Well, i'm reading Iron Coffins, and U-Boat Ace, the story of wolfgang luth

Lane

09-04-10, 10:02 PM

Patrich Robinson Books. Bestselling Author of Nimitz Class.

Found them at Local Library. I think I have read the last one at our Local
Libary. Just almost done with U.S.S SeaWolf.

Rivals the best of Tom Clancy and Dale Brown.

Lane:)

Schöneboom

09-07-10, 08:30 PM

One of the all-time classics: "Tales of the South Pacific" by James Michener! :yeah:

Herr-Berbunch

09-10-10, 10:36 AM

Just started Donitz and the Wolf Packs by Bernard :o Edwards, last night.

http://bks6.books.google.co.uk/books?id=jyCEPwAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&sig=ACfU3U0IOihfNyhO0pCcKI_hdEXPKAfanA

And the library have just let me know that U-Boat War Patrol: The Hidden Photographic Diary of U564 by Lawrence Paterson is now availabe - can't wait for this one. U564 had a war correspondent on board - the photographs he took were 'liberated' by one man in the fall of Brest and this book is the result of them finally coming to light after many hidden years :yeah:

http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTTcCAPXrknrhPZc6w2p1ZTY89E9uEpg 9WNSVo8STjY3NLcPPw&t=1&usg=__oUKnQkrZjJpKvm7AucJ9poIux4U=

Tridente

09-11-10, 02:24 AM

Black Flag - Lawrence Paterson
Black May - Michael Gannon
Guiné (1963-1974) - Portuguese author an in portuguese
Hitler's Empire: Nazi rule in occupied Europe - Mark Mazower (a must read)
A phd tesis about the peninsular war - portuguese author
Nó cego - a novel about the portuguese colonial war (1961-1974)

As you can imagine I dont read at the same time but at various moments of the day.

Abd_von_Mumit

09-11-10, 06:45 PM

Just finished reading old paperback edition of "Animal Farm" in English I bought for 1 USD from a street seller - this book is excellent. I didn't expect to read it from start to end in one evening, but I did. Unfortunately I rarely finish reading any books as of lately, as they all became boring. This one was an exception.

STEED

09-16-10, 04:07 PM

"Fatherland" by Robert Harris. Detective thriller set in an alternative Third Reich that won the war. The protagonist served on U-boats in WW2. Fancy that!

And now see the film..

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109779/

Randomizer

09-16-10, 05:30 PM

From Fraser McKee and Robert Darlington, co-authors of The Canadian Naval Chronicle comes Three Prince's Armed. This is the story of the largest warships in the RCN for much of WW2, the armed merchant cruisers HMCS Prince Henry, HMCS Prince Robert and HMCS Prince David. Armed merchant cruisers do not feature in too many naval works except as targets or losses so Three Prince's provides some insights into how these ships operated and what it was like to serve on them.

An favorite uncle served as an 18-year old Oerlikon gunner on HMCS Prince Henry during some of her time in the Med so this book struck a chord.

STEED

09-18-10, 09:01 AM

Red Army Tank Commanders: The Armored Guards

The book looks at the six longest serving Soviet commanders who rose to lead six Guards Tank Armies.

Gerald

09-18-10, 12:30 PM

Konvoy HX72-wolf flock baptism of fire

fastfed

09-19-10, 09:25 PM

Just finished Iron Coffins.. And I thought it was AWESOME!.. It was my first WW2 submarine book I have read..

That being said, I was kinda rooting for the Axis.. I know bad..But in a sick way, maybe part of us all do the same when reading things like that?

I ordered Silent Victory to get my head back on straight and its not going to be here till next week.. so I ran to Barnes and Noble hoping to find ANY sub book.. I found "The bravest Man" by William Tuohy.. About to open the first page.. Hope its good!

frau kaleun

09-25-10, 06:36 PM

Finally reading Timothy Mulligan's Neither Sharks Nor Wolves all the way through - I've read portions of it and flipped through it as a reference but am about halfway done with getting through all of it at once.

Had to work today (ugh) and ran some errands afterwards - was hoping to keep it a short day out and get home quickly but decided to stop by a Half Price Books that I was passing near to on my way home from somewhere I actually had to go.

So, you know, so much for getting home quickly. :O:

But I got a brand new copy of Victory At Sea, the whole documentary, on DVD. Never seen it so I hope to start watching this weekend if I can find the time for it. Also got what looks like a compare/contrast dual bio of Patton and Rommel, and a book about America's part in the Battle of the Atlantic... also the BoA volume of the WWII series from Time-Life Books. Only $4, I would have bought more volumes but they didn't appear to have the whole set otherwise I might have gone for it. What they did have were all just $4 apiece.

Instead I sprung for a boxed set of the 3-volume West Point Military History of the Second World War. It has one volume each for the ETO and PTO, no idea how "readable" it will be but I expect it will be a pretty thorough overview. BUT BUT BUT OMG the third volume is a military campaign atlas, I mean page after page of wonderfully detailed maps! If you knew how much I love maps you would understand that this is what sold me on it, lol. Will no doubt come in very handy when I'm reading other things that don't provide as much visual accompaniment in that respect.

The Third Man

10-02-10, 10:36 AM

At Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor,
Gordon W. Prange.

'A powerfully written and dramatic account of both the Japanese and American sides of the events leading up to and including the attack on Pearl Harbor, with emphasis on the character and behavior of the naval officers'. - Gaddis Smith, Spring 1982

I picked it up for 99 cents at the Goodwill store last evening. I have always wanted to read this book and @ the price I figured now was the time.

STEED

10-02-10, 03:43 PM

Operation Barbarossa - Strategy and Tactics on the Eastern Front 1941

By Bryan I. Fugate

Kazuaki Shimazaki II

10-08-10, 08:27 AM

Red Army Tank Commanders: The Armored Guards

The book looks at the six longest serving Soviet commanders who rose to lead six Guards Tank Armies.

The most interesting part, for me, is in Leyushenko's (IIRC it was Leyushenko) section. We see the Soviet perspective on why they stuck with the very vulnerable looking "skirmish line" (in Russian: chain) formation in their infantry squads for so long.

Patrich Robinson Books. Bestselling Author of Nimitz Class.

Found them at Local Library. I think I have read the last one at our Local
Libary. Just almost done with U.S.S SeaWolf.

Rivals the best of Tom Clancy and Dale Brown.

Lane:)

I tried to think "To each his own" but failed. The racism in the book makes the Bear and the Dragon look even-handed, and the author consistency makes Americans such a****** that the reader's sympathy is entirely with the other side...

Enough on commenting on other people's reports.

Personally, I'm reading another Gordon (I've been a regular buyer of Yefim Gordon for the past year or two)'s Russia Strategic Aviation. I hadn't met an Ukrainian in my life, but the sheer pettiness of how the Ukrainians handled the long-range bombers that fell into their hands makes me start to feel hate. I never had much sympathy for the Ukies when the Russkies make them actually pay for gas, and this kills what's left.

ENEMY BELOW

10-18-10, 10:23 PM

I'm about a third into 'scorpion Down' by Ed Ofley.
was really hoping I'd get a truer picture of what took place-and still hope to- .But I accidentaly ran accross a review of the book I wasn't strong enuff to ignore. That pretty much said it was all Blarny and imaginative B.S. almost made me quit reading but i hope to find out differently.
Just finished Mark Joseph's 'To Kill the Potemkin' with it's graphic descriptions of the last seconds of an implosion. Makes me wonder how anyone actually knows that the atmosphere ignites under the water pressure iside the sinking imploding hull. but I suppose it's straightforward physics, eh?

Axeman3d

10-19-10, 03:57 AM

Finished reading 'Blind Mans Bluff' and now it's on to rereading 'The Hunt for Red October' on my new iPad. Sad, I know, but I got a load of EPUB books for the iPad from a friend and one of the first I came across was Clancy's classic. Still fun to read.

STEED

10-23-10, 06:25 AM

Third of way in to my new book...

Barbarossa - Hitler's Invasion of Russia 1941

By David M. Glantz

diesel97

10-31-10, 10:31 PM

Cruiser: The Life and Loss of HMAS Perth by Mike Carlton - Perth was lost off Java, in the same action as USS Houston, early in 1942. Well written story of a ship and it's crew.

STEED

11-13-10, 03:12 PM

Re-reading

Barbarossa: The Russian-German Conflict 1941-45

By Alan Clark

Randomizer

11-15-10, 05:07 PM

Two completed of late:

Sacrifice for Stalin by David Wragg about the convoys to Russia during WW2 and the difficulties thrown in the way of the Western Allies by the Soviet bureaucracy. Bit tiresome to read in parts but interesting nonetheless. The book really sheds light onto Stalin's ingratitude for the efforts made by the Allies, particularly the RN and merchant sailors in fighting the arctic convoys through the KM's back yard.

Arsenals of Folly: The Making of the Nuclear Arms Race by Richard Rhodes. This book challenges some of the dearly held myths regarding the end of the Cold War paricularly those relating to SDI and the collapse of the Soviet Union. During research Rhodes was given so far unprecedented access to former Soviet sources particularly as they relate to two seminal events, the Reagan/Gorbachev summit at Rekyavik and the impact of disaster at Chernobyl. A fine companion to his The Making of the Atomic Bomb and Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb and worth a look by anybody interested in the politics of nuclear weapons.

HunterICX

11-17-10, 06:26 AM

Hitler's Henchmen by Guido Knopp

HunterICX

Kaye T. Bai

11-18-10, 01:31 AM

Done with Clive Cussler's Black Wind.

Next on the list is either 1632, by Eric Flint or Red Storm Rising, by Tom Clancy. I read the latter half-way and stopped, but I intend on reading it all over again from the start.

Herr-Berbunch

11-18-10, 11:08 AM

They Arrived by Moonlight, Captain Jacques Doneux. SOE wireless operator in Belgium and escape back to Blighty the long way round. Only 25 pages to go, will he make it? :yep:

Just arrived at my local library for me to collect is Lawrence Paterson's U-Boat Combat Missions :DL

frau kaleun

12-08-10, 10:21 PM

Finally reading Wolfgang Ott's "Sharks And Little Fish" and loving it, really good.

Thinking about springing for the movie as well since it's available at a fairly reasonable price considering that it's not exactly a "hot" item.

Gargamel

12-09-10, 12:16 AM

3 things:

1) Blair's Uboat War. Many thanks to all for the recommendation. Really smooth read for, basically, a history book. Very enjoyable.

2) Brag's Kingmaker. Enjoyable read so far. Would be done with it, but Blair has my attention this hour :P

3) Laughing Swordfish's u-46 Saga in the SH3 thread. Another good read.

Axeman3d

12-09-10, 04:57 AM

Tessa

12-12-10, 10:33 AM

Just finished reading the new biography on Chesty Puller. It does a good job of laying out the facts and juxtaposes them with all the legends and tall tales that his heroic deeds spun into. He was the most badass Marine officer ever imo (Daniel Daly gets the nod for enlisted - earned 2 medals of honor along with being a mean fighting machine) and should've gotten at least 1 moh (though his 5 Navy Crosses looks pretty badass with all his other decorations) for Guadacanal or the Chosin Resevoir.

Am now re-reading the CB books. Is really neat as I pick up different information than I did when I first read them; am not trying to digest everything at once but sit back and enjoy the read.

STEED

12-18-10, 07:37 AM

Reading from the Osprey Fortress series over the weekend.

The Führer’s Headquarters, Hitler’s command bunkers 1939–45

Gargamel

12-19-10, 02:47 AM

Currently reading the first (I think) of Blair's U-baot books, The Hunters. Very enjoyable read so far! If i wasnt interested in UBoats via SH, I think I may find it kinda boring, but being able to imagine it from the perspective of both sides is really helping.

Are there any good books pertaining to life aboard a u-boat, rank structure, war stories, etc? I'd like to know more about the actual operations of the boat, and not the overall strategic view, as that's all I've really found in Blair so far.

Gargamel

12-19-10, 02:48 AM

Just discover that Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' is available for free as an e-book (his copyright ran out about 2500 years ago) so I have stuck it on the iPad and am re-reading that. I still find it hard to wrap my head around how old this book is, and how little warfare and mankind have changed in the intervening years. He was a smart cookie, even for the ancient Chinese, but ruthless with it.

I'm about 2/3 through that too, free kindle version FTW. My biggest issue is trying to get by all the commentators my version has. Each time it's been translated /edited, the 'editor' has added some comments of their own.

STEED

12-19-10, 10:52 AM

Moved on now and re-reading...

The Rocket and the Reich: Peenemunde and the coming of the ballistic missile era

By Michael J. Neufeld

Egan

12-19-10, 12:42 PM

How is the Crash Dive compared to Ben Bryant's Submarine Commander? I read that one last year and really liked it.

By the way, any advice on Unknown Waters by Alfred Scott McLaren and William R. Anderson? I considered ordering it recently and I finally turned back to the WW2 with Clear the Bridge.

Crash Dive is a great book. A very different feel to it's German or American peers imo.

Currently reading 'Carriers in Combat' by Chester G Hearn. Interesting enough but no great shakes.

Randomizer

12-31-10, 03:37 PM

Not relating to naval topics in any way but still a valuable read for anybody interested in World War One is Pyrrhic Victory: French Strategy and Operations in the Great War by Robert Doughty. In particular and by using French and American primary sources Col. Doughty's work shows Anglo-French relations in a considerably different light than the conventional wisdom as told by Terraine, Spears, Edmonds, Taylor and Neillands et al.

MaddogK

12-31-10, 05:19 PM

Am breaking in my new kindle correctly- Sun Tzu 'The art of war'

Sepp von Ch.

01-01-11, 06:24 AM

Currently reading great new MacLean´s book Dönitz's Crews - Germany's U-Boat Sailors in WWII, Schiffer.

STEED

01-01-11, 07:15 AM

Third the way in to....

Storming Eagles

German Airborne Forces in World War Two

By James Lucas

CCIP

01-02-11, 02:38 PM

Currently reading Massie's "Dreadnought", a sweeping historical overview of the lead-up to WWI, which I'm seeing as a prequel to his excellent WWI naval survey "Castles of Steel". I love his writing style and treatment of personalities in his books - really fleshes out the history and makes it more than just technology and politics, and more than just about the German and British navies.

Also picked up Gannon's "Operation Drumbeat" and "Black May". Subjects need little explanation - looking forward to these :)

sharkbit

01-03-11, 12:51 PM

Also picked up Gannon's "Operation Drumbeat" and "Black May". Subjects need little explanation - looking forward to these :)

"Operation Drumbeat"-You won't be disappointed. Very good book. I like Gannon's style alot. The detailing of Hardegen's patrol with U-123 makes it worth the read.

His "Black May" is on my to buy list on Amazon.

:)

Herr-Berbunch

01-04-11, 07:56 AM

J.C. Masterman's The Double Cross System 1939 - 1945.

About how German agents were turned to our advantage, providing misinformation (mostly) to the Abwehr.

Not much about underwater stuff apart from MINCEMEAT, which most people now know about.

Next I've got another book about S.O.E lined up then it will finally be Kingmaker - sorry it's been so long Brag! :D

Subnuts

01-05-11, 08:06 PM

I'm currently about halfway through Brian Lavery's and Geoff Hunt's The Frigate Surprise. Really interesting book so far - but all the pretty pictures and Hunt's paintings make it hard for me to follow the text! :haha:

Randomizer

01-06-11, 10:25 AM

V.E. Tarrant can be relied on to write something worth reading, particularly when he tackles naval subjects and The Last Year of the Kriegsmarine: May 1944 - May 1945 is no exception. Make no mistake, this is a book about disaster following disaster: the sinking of Tirpitz, the loss of the Atlantic ports, the inability to get the Type XXI into combat service, the desperate secret (and essentially suicidal) mini-submarine projects all feature in the last 12-months of the war.

Of interest to SH fans are the account of the final U-Boat offensives, the Inshore Campaign, starting in August 1944 against the UK with snorkel-equipped Type VII's and the new Type XXIII Electro-Boats. Also the surface actions of the S-Boat flotiillas along the Channel coast recieve treatment, perhaps for the first time in English. The Last Year of the Kriegsmarine is worth a look by anybody interested in how a modern navy dies.

seaniam81

01-06-11, 04:28 PM

Just got the first three books of the Aubrey–Maturin series for christmas. About half way threw the first book, and am loving it.

Sailor Steve

01-06-11, 07:18 PM

About half way threw the first book...
Out the window?

Sorry, couldn't resist. :oops:

Gerald

01-06-11, 07:22 PM

Out the window?

Sorry, couldn't resist. :oops: BTW Steve, in your signature from which album is this song comes?, I think I had it on vinyl, really cool..

seaniam81

01-07-11, 02:57 AM

Out the window?

Sorry, couldn't resist. :oops:

:DL oops... oh well it's the public education system at work :D

ReallyDedPoet

01-07-11, 08:14 AM

BTW Steve, in your signature from which album is this song comes?, I think I had it on vinyl, really cool..

Full Moon Fever

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41759W6TC6L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Sailor Steve

01-07-11, 10:31 AM

BTW Steve, in your signature from which album is this song comes?, I think I had it on vinyl, really cool..
Full Moon Fever
Which song are we talking about? Everything on our website is our own stuff.

Oh. After listening to clips from that album I got to "Won't Back Down" and realized you were talking about the quote. :oops: :damn: :rotfl2:

Gerald

01-07-11, 10:34 AM

Full Moon Fever

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41759W6TC6L._SL500_AA300_.jpg Thanks, :DL

ReallyDedPoet

01-07-11, 01:23 PM

Thanks, :DL

:up:

@ Sailor Steve...duh :doh:

j\k :D

Sailor Steve

01-07-11, 06:48 PM

:up:

@ Sailor Steve...duh :doh:

j\k :D
Why you tell me that? I are not drain-bamaged. :88)

Tripitaka

01-09-11, 11:03 PM

frau kaleun

01-09-11, 11:08 PM

Not necessarily reading at the mo, but available on the bookshelf in my toilet are, in no particular order:

Londons Lost Riverscape
Tintin vol 7 - Herge
Men of Dunwich - Rowland Parker
Spring Snow - Yukio Mishima
Classic Haiku
Japanese Homes - Edward S Morse
Men of Steel - Michael Reynolds
Dilbert: Still Pumped from using the Mouse
Mouseguard: Winter 1152
The Freak Brothers omnibus

And I do thoroughly recommend a toilet bookshelf . . . . :D

I'm jealous. My powder room is barely big enough to powder in... if a major transaction is going to take place I have to carry my book of choice in there and bring it out again when I'm done. :stare: :O:

Kongo Otto

01-10-11, 10:52 AM

First Book i am reading right now is:
"Fackeln über dem Atlantik: Lebensbericht eines U-Boot-Kommandanten" (English Release Title: The Odyssey of a U-boat Commander)
by Erich Topp

The next one, i will read is:
"Nach Kompaß: Die Erinnerungen des Kommandanten von U-68"
by Karl-Friedrich Merten
Translation: By compass: The autobiography from the CO of U-68

Herr-Berbunch

01-10-11, 11:06 AM

First Book i am reading right now is:
"Fackeln über dem Atlantik: Lebensbericht eines U-Boot-Kommandanten" (English Release Title: The Odyssey of a U-boat Commander)
by Erich Topp

If you'd care to translate this for us, it would be very much appreciated - I can't afford €80 - €100 :wah:

Kongo Otto

01-10-11, 11:21 AM

If you'd care to translate this for us, it would be very much appreciated - I can't afford €80 - €100 :wah:

Ok would be no Problem, but i can start with the Translation not before february because i have to go thru some seroius medical treatments for the rest of january.
So i would translate it and put it for download at my Rapidshare account.
Would that be ok for you?

Arael

01-16-11, 08:32 PM

Just started reading "United States Submarine Operations in World War II" by Theodore Roscoe. Got it from my local library. It's pretty good, but it has obviously seen a lot of use. As far as I can tell its an original edition from 1949, and unfortunately sometime between then and now someone ripped page 16 out of the book because it had a schematic of a Gato-class submarine on it. That's one page so far I didn't get to read :(

ReallyDedPoet

01-16-11, 10:25 PM

Walking Dead Series :yep:

Platapus

01-17-11, 09:11 PM

Rereading Ed Beach's Run Silent Run Deep.

A true sub classic. :yeah:

Randomizer

01-18-11, 12:53 AM

Two completed of late, one of them revisited.

One generally connects Richard Hough with naval history such as The Great War at Sea or The Fleet that had to Die but with Buller's Dreadnaught he has written a novel of the Edwardian Royal Navy, a period almost untapped in fiction, naval or otherwise. Very readable and technically sound Buller's Dreadnaught should provide anyone with an interest in that period with a quick and enjoyable read.

Those who might believe that Americans always need overwhelming technical or firepower superiority to win should sit down with The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer. Verbosely subtitled "The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy's Finest Hour" it is a gripping account of the escorts of Taffy 3 at the action off Samar during the Battle of Leyte in October 1944.

Sailor Steve

01-18-11, 01:08 AM

Buller's Dreadnaught
:rotfl2:

I completely forgot about that book. I read it years ago. It's a sequel, the first one being called Buller's Guns. Both are a lot of fun.

sharkbit

01-18-11, 08:27 AM

Rereading Ed Beach's Run Silent Run Deep.

A true sub classic. :yeah:

Make sure you read his followups in the "trilogy":
"Dust on the Sea"-starts out where "Run SIlent, Run Deep" leaves off.
"Cold is the Sea"-Cold War story with the same characters.

:)

Randomizer

01-21-11, 04:25 PM

Picked up a couple of old paperbacks lost in a cross-country move many years ago:

A Ship of the Line by C.S. Forrester, one of the better (and earlier) Hornblower novels.

and

Three Corvettes by The Cruel Sea author Nicholas Monserrat.

For non-fiction about one-third of the way through The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-18 by Mark Thompson.

Platapus

01-21-11, 07:54 PM

Make sure you read his followups in the "trilogy":
"Dust on the Sea"-starts out where "Run SIlent, Run Deep" leaves off.
"Cold is the Sea"-Cold War story with the same characters.

:)

I have been meaning to order the other two books. He is a good writer. :yep:

Dowly

02-02-11, 09:16 AM

Starting tonight Robert Harris' Fatherland. Heard many a good thing about this one. :up:

papa_smurf

02-02-11, 09:37 AM

Re-reading "The Real Cruel Sea" by Richard Woodman

AirborneTD

02-02-11, 01:08 PM

Just started reading "United States Submarine Operations in World War II" by Theodore Roscoe. :(

I have this and it is a great book. Reads like fiction more than historical sub ops. Sorry your copy was missing pages.

STEED

02-02-11, 01:39 PM

Starting tonight Robert Harris' Fatherland. Heard many a good thing about this one. :up:

Germany won...Damn I gave away the...No wait it's not the plot. :haha:

Never read it Dowly but I saw the film.

STEED

02-02-11, 01:45 PM

When Money Dies

The Nightmare of the Weimar Hyper-Inflation

By Adam Fergusson

Great read, now up to the point where the printing presses are going like the clappers and the first 100,000-mark note released in Jan 1923, it's purchasing power is little more than $2.

Sledgehammer427

02-11-11, 02:47 AM

Go Like Hell, Ford, Ferrari, and their battle for speed and glory at Le Mans.
By A.J. Baime.
I read it once before and I'm reading it again. Books about racing outside of NASCAR are few and far between.

Syxx_Killer

02-11-11, 09:08 AM

Right now I'm reading Evil Serial Killers by Charlotte Greig.

sharkbit

02-11-11, 04:49 PM

Clay Blair's "Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan"

:)

Platapus

02-11-11, 07:43 PM

Clay Blair's "Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan"

:)

Nothing like some light reading huh?

frau kaleun

02-11-11, 08:40 PM

Nothing like some light reading huh?

I finally got both volumes of his Hitler's U-Boat War or whatever it's called (too lazy to walk to the bookshelf :O:) - picked them up in hardback from third party sellers at Amazon for a cool $30 total (minus a $25 gift certie! :yeah:). Really happy about that.

Used, natch, but upon their arrival I was pleasantly surprised to find both volumes were in virtually new condition. AND THEY ARE FREAKIN' HUGE.

I mean, I knew it was a "big read" but crikey! I've had to officially expand the u-boat section to a second shelf just to make room for them!

sharkbit

02-12-11, 12:58 PM

I finally got both volumes of his Hitler's U-Boat War or whatever it's called (too lazy to walk to the bookshelf :O:) - picked them up in hardback from third party sellers at Amazon for a cool $30 total (minus a $25 gift certie! :yeah:). Really happy about that.

You lucky girl! I haven't checked lately but it seems they're pretty proud of the second volume.

I got a used copy of the first volume a while back that was in ok condition. I'm going to check again now after seeing your screaming deal on Amazon.

Light reading, they're not. The u-boat ones are full of statistics and he comes up with some interesting conclusions, especially about tanker production and losses. I came away from the first book with the impression that things weren't quite as touch and go in England as many books lead you to believe as far as the effectiveness of the u-boats were at starving England.

I'm still early into his "Silent Victory" (Pearl Harbor has just been attacked). The book doesn't seem to be as full of statistics. I'm curious about what conclusions he comes up with.

:)

frau kaleun

02-12-11, 01:17 PM

Vol 1: The Hunters was $9.81 from these guys:

http://www.amazon.com/shops/harvestbooks

Fulfilled by Amazon, plus I have Amazon Prime so 2-day shipping was free.

Vol 2: The Hunted I got for $16.97 + 3.99 shipping from here:

http://www.amazon.com/shops/travelingems

Not fulfilled by Amazon, thus the shipping charge for Standard Shipping; but I still had it in less than a week, and in truly excellent condition.

I always buy used books I can't physically examine with a little caution, expecting them to be a little less pristine than advertised, and consider the prices accordingly. But in this case both books could have been advertised as brand new and I would've been completely satisfied with what I got. :yeah:

I've gotten so many great deals on good quality books, used and new, from third party sellers there that I almost never buy anything now without looking at all the different formats available and I always check the "also available from these sellers" info to see if there's a really good deal available.

sharkbit

02-12-11, 01:32 PM

I always buy used books I can't physically examine with a little caution, expecting them to be a little less pristine than advertised, and consider the prices accordingly. But in this case both books could have been advertised as brand new and I would've been completely satisfied with what I got. :yeah:

I've gotten so many great deals on good quality books, used and new, from third party sellers there that I almost never buy anything now without looking at all the different formats available and I always check the "also available from these sellers" info to see if there's a really good deal available.

I've had great results buying used books from Amazon as well. I've gotten books marked "Used-Very Good Condition" for as little as a penny with $4 shipping that looked brand new. I've only gotten a couple of books that maybe stretched the limits of "very good condition".
I got a photography book listed as very good condition that looked like it had been dropped in the bath tub.:nope: It was readable and did its job, but I sometimes take the descriptions of the condition with a grain of salt.

:)

Gargamel

02-12-11, 04:49 PM

Still waiting for Vol II to come out in the kindle form. Still pondering why the would make Vol I in kindle, but not Vol II.......

Just finished The Diary of a U-boat commander (http://www.amazon.com/Commander-Introduction-Explanatory-Etienne-ebook/dp/B002RKQZ3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297547191&sr=8-1). Free as a Kindle book. You can get a kindle app for your PC free too, so there is no outlay at all for this one. It's set in WWI, and reads very much like "u-46 puts to sea again", for those familiar with Laughing Swordfish's work in the SH3 Forum.

Kazuaki Shimazaki II

02-12-11, 08:38 PM

Just finished The Diary of a U-boat commander (http://www.amazon.com/Commander-Introduction-Explanatory-Etienne-ebook/dp/B002RKQZ3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297547191&sr=8-1). Free as a Kindle book. You can get a kindle app for your PC free too, so there is no outlay at all for this one. It's set in WWI, and reads very much like "u-46 puts to sea again", for those familiar with Laughing Swordfish's work in the SH3 Forum.

Here's what I got when I accessed this link:
This title is not available (http://www.amazon.com/Commander-Introduction-Explanatory-Etienne-ebook/dp/B002RKQZ3W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297547191&sr=8-1#) for customers from your location in: Asia & Pacific

Shame

sharkbit

02-12-11, 09:11 PM

Still waiting for Vol II to come out in the kindle form. Still pondering why the would make Vol I in kindle, but not Vol II.......

Still pondering buying one them new fangled Kindle contraptions. :hmmm:

Call me an old geezer, but I just can't seem to pull the trigger though. Something about the tactile feel of a book that I think I'll miss too much.

I think I may be wearing down though. I came pretty close at the beginning of the year. I had some Amazon gift cards from Christmas and I really considered it but just couldn't. Got a Blu-ray player instead. :D

Gargamel

02-13-11, 09:53 PM

Still pondering buying one them new fangled Kindle contraptions. :hmmm:

Call me an old geezer, but I just can't seem to pull the trigger though. Something about the tactile feel of a book that I think I'll miss too much.

I think I may be wearing down though. I came pretty close at the beginning of the year. I had some Amazon gift cards from Christmas and I really considered it but just couldn't. Got a Blu-ray player instead. :D

No need to buy a kindle just yet (they have dropped in price though). Get the Kindle for the PC app, start a small library. If you have a smart phone, they have kindle apps for most of them. That's where I do most of my reading. We have a kindle itself, but we both just use our phones.

And the fact that I can share a book with somebody around the world is nice too. Most books have a 2 week loan option.

elanaiba

02-22-11, 05:26 AM

Just started this:

http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-Versus-Submarines-World-Wars/dp/1844150917/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1298370301&sr=8-4

Aircraft versus Submarines. Currently reading about airships in WW1 :)

Syxx_Killer

02-22-11, 10:16 AM

I just started a book I haven't read in many years. I've forgotten what most of it was about. It is Stephen Coonts' Flight of the Intruder.

Buck_O

02-27-11, 04:46 PM

Im reading "Cold War Submarines" by Norman Polmar and K.J. Moore. The author displaces a few assumptions I held, that I found very revelatory.

1. That the U.S. held a large technological advantage over the Soviets at the end of the Cold war. False.
2. Incredible data in regards to the development of the U.S and Soviet/Russian 4th generation nuclear submarines. I thought the Seawolf was conceived in unison. Quite the opposite. It was the most controversial submarine in U.S. history. A very interesting chapter in the book.
3. The author hints that Admiral Rickover was more of an obstacle than a help, in the latter days of U.S. submarine develpment & doctrine.

There are many other very informative & interesting facts & figures, plus great photos & diagrams. Its more of a reference type of book. I highly recommend it for any serious submarine enthusiast.

indy

03-01-11, 02:51 AM

Books about WW II US Submarines

War in the Boats by Capt. Williams J. Ruhe
In the course of Duty. Don Keith
Maru Killer by Dave Bouslog
Gunfish a fleet sub goes to war Claude M. Pearson
We were Pirates by Robert Schultz and James Shell
Silent Running My years in a World War II Attack Submarine
By James F. Calvert
Silent Victory The U.S. Submarine War against Japan by Clay Blair Jr.
Submarine! by Edward L. Beach
Spadefish by Stephen L. Moore
Clear the Bridge! Richard H. O'Kane
Steel Shark in the Pacific USS Pampanito by Capt. Walter E. Jaffee
Nothing Friendly in the Vicinity by Claude C. Conner
Wahoo by Richard H. O'Kane
The Galloping Ghost by Carl LaVo
The Rescue by Steven Trent Smith
The Depths of Courage by Flint Whitlock and Ron Smith
Cruisers for Breakfast by John G. Mansfield
US Submarines 1941-45 Jim Christley and Illustrated by Tony Bryan
Thunder Below by Eugene B. Fluckey
Run Silent Run Deep by Edward L. Beach
War beneath the waves by Don Keith
Pigboat 39 goes to war by Bobette Gugliotta
Red Scorpion by Peter T. Sasgen

Books about WWII German U-Boats

Neither Shark Nor Wolves by Timothy P. Mulligan
Uboat Ace by Jordan Vause, the story of Wolfgang Luth
Uboat Commander by Peter Cremer
Uboat War Patrol by Lawrence Paterson
The Hunters and the Hunted by Jochen Brennecke
Iron Coffins by Herbert A. Werner

Cold War
Blind Mans Bluff by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew with Annette Lawrence Drew
Red Star Rogue by Kenneth Sewell with Clint Richmond

If you guys can think of any more nonfiction books, please PM me and let me know Thanks Indy:salute:

Randomizer

03-01-11, 12:14 PM

Having nothing whatsoever to do with submarines is Adam Nicholson's Seize the Fire: Herosim, Duty and the Battle of Trafalgar.

On the surface Nicholson has taken a page out of such Victor Davis Hanson works as Carnage and Culture or Ripples of Battle but without much of the Western jingoistic metaphysical hyperbole. Still, this cultural history of Trafalgar is a superior piece of history and well worth a look by anybody with even a remote interest of the Royal Navy's greatest triumph.

This is a very well researched, highly readable book that goes far to explain how the RN in combat out killed its enemies by better than a 10:1 ratio throughout the wars of the period. By this measure Trafalgar was a very hard fought battle as the kill ratio was a meer 6:1 for the English fleet. By the end of the book you can well believe Nicholson's early contention that virtually every participant on both sides that October morning knew that the catastophic defeat of the Combined Fleet was a foregone conclusion even before the first broadside was fired.

Buy it through the Amazon link and support SubSim at the same time!