What are you reading right now?

[TLAM Strike]

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

They named a Submarine after Trafalgar.

:O:

[Radtgaeb]

Currently reading Les Miserables by Hugo as well as Machiavelli's Prince and Discourses on Livy simultaneously. (I'm in a rhetorical criticism class). :wah:

[Randomizer]

They named a Submarine after Trafalgar.

:O:
Heh, heh. But they never named a submarine after the book...

Also two First Rate wooden Ships of the Line, a Victorian era ironclad battleship and a WW2 Battle Class destroyer were not named for the book either.

[STEED]

From Leningrad to Berlin

Dutch Volunteers in the service of the German Waffen SS 1941-1945

By Perry Pierik

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

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.

Yeah, read that book years back & it was an eye-opener. My perception is that the American superiority is more in the system more than the individual boats. Leaving aside the vague issue of training, SOSUS turned the undersea fight into one b/w a side with "AWACS" and a side without.

Another factor is that the Americans started really deploying rafting in their Permits in 1960 or so, while the Soviets started in 1972. That ensured a large glut of noisy Soviet submarines, and that pulled up the "national average" (and thus the American perception) of Soviet submarine noise and vice versa.

A third factor is that the Soviets seem to know when they are losing more than the West gives them credit for. In Blind Man's Bluff, there is a section where the Soviet Admiral let slip he was near USS Dace in a Victor I. Sontag tries to make it an issue of who trailed whom, and of course the American, which had an acoustical superiority, and who presumably waited in an ambush position, had the edge in that fight.

IMO, Sontag misses the point, which is that the Soviets had managed a counterdetection, even if it was late, and the Americans don't seem to know about it. Winning is better than losing, but in ASW warfare, managing to know when you've lost is a massive step up from not knowing, and not realizing that your victory is not quite complete is in itself a fair loss.

[Onkel Neal]

Currently reading Les Miserables by Hugo as well as Machiavelli's Prince and Discourses on Livy simultaneously. (I'm in a rhetorical criticism class). :wah:


I really enjoyed Les Miserables, good book. Jean Valjean, great protaganist, great story.

Just finished Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and Girl Who Played with Fire.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I've just started reading Robert Mason's Chickenhawk. First read it about 22 years ago and thought it was possibly one of the best books I'd ever read - well 22 years later I'm still thinking that!

http://www.waterstones.com/wat/images/nbd/m/978055/212/9780552124195.jpg

[Buck_O]

Thunder Below by Eugene B. Fluckey
Wahoo by Richard H. O'KaneIndy,

If you had to choose between these two books, which would you go with?

[Gargamel]

IMO, Sontag misses the point, which is that the Soviets had managed a counterdetection, even if it was late, and the Americans don't seem to know about it. Winning is better than losing, but in ASW warfare, managing to know when you've lost is a massive step up from not knowing, and not realizing that your victory is not quite complete is in itself a fair loss.

Actually, without trying to go too far OT, I would think, in a non-shooting war, Losing and knowing it is a far greater victory than winning and not knowing they know too.

Winning without thinking they know about it leads to complacency in tech development, while knowing you just got goosed forces you to strive ahead in new technology.

[Penguin]

I'm one of these guys who read several books at one - depending on my mood. Currently I am reading:

- Terry Pratchett: Moving Pictures
- Karl Alman: Graue Wölfe in Blauer See (Grey Wolfes in the blue ocean) - about the u-boats in the Mediterranian Sea
- Jared Diamond: Collapse
- Generation Kill by Evan Wright

the first 3 in German, the last one in English

[Herr-Berbunch]

...the first 3 in German, the last one in English

I wish I'd paid much, much, more attention at school with regard to learning German. The only thing I can remember properly, and this goes for French also, is that the public transport infrastructure must be fantastic - as the question: Wo ist der Bahnhof/Bushaltestelle? (Where is the train station/bus stop?)

The answers were always: Der Bahnhof/Bushaltestelle ist die zweite/dritte Straße rechts/links. (The train station/bus stop is the second/third road on the right/left.)

A bus stop or train station always within three streets!!! :hmmm:

Anyway, back to books - still reading Chickenhawk :yep:

[TLAM Strike]

Yeah, read that book years back & it was an eye-opener. My perception is that the American superiority is more in the system more than the individual boats. Leaving aside the vague issue of training, SOSUS turned the undersea fight into one b/w a side with "AWACS" and a side without.

Another factor is that the Americans started really deploying rafting in their Permits in 1960 or so, while the Soviets started in 1972. That ensured a large glut of noisy Soviet submarines, and that pulled up the "national average" (and thus the American perception) of Soviet submarine noise and vice versa.

A third factor is that the Soviets seem to know when they are losing more than the West gives them credit for. In Blind Man's Bluff, there is a section where the Soviet Admiral let slip he was near USS Dace in a Victor I. Sontag tries to make it an issue of who trailed whom, and of course the American, which had an acoustical superiority, and who presumably waited in an ambush position, had the edge in that fight.

IMO, Sontag misses the point, which is that the Soviets had managed a counterdetection, even if it was late, and the Americans don't seem to know about it. Winning is better than losing, but in ASW warfare, managing to know when you've lost is a massive step up from not knowing, and not realizing that your victory is not quite complete is in itself a fair loss.

Didn't the Soviets has a SOSUS system it was called Caesar? I'm sort of confused on that since there was an American sonar program called Caesar too. I know they have ocean floor sensors I'm just not 100% sure what its called.

[Buck_O]

Didn't the Soviets has a SOSUS system it was called Caesar? I'm sort of confused on that since there was an American sonar program called Caesar too. I know they have ocean floor sensors I'm just not 100% sure what its called.

Perhaps this is what your looking for TLAM, I just googled it after reading your post, I think its a doc for the old "Harpoon" game. not sure if its what the Russian sosus was really called.

http://www.tacopshq.com/MBX/Globalthunder/Restricted/JCNORTH/Documents/Intel/DIA-SOSUS.html


Say, do you know the difference between these two books

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159114955X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1D3Q2WV4T68A6V1R3HAZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems Eric Wertheim
(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=Eric%20Wertheim)

and

http://www.amazon.com/Naval-Institute-Combat-Fleets-2002-2003/dp/1557502420/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1RJ9Q3ABZ1OWQ&colid=ZHFYMC7LIF3Z

The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 2002-2003: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems A. D., III Baker (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=A.%20D.%2C%20III%20Baker)


Im confused because they both seem to be one and the same book, but with different authors. The one by Eric Wertheim is also more current (2007). Perhaps it is the same project but maybe A.D. III Baker no longer is writing ?? So Wertheim took over the helm, so to speak. Just a guess..

[Randomizer]

I imagine that this title has appeared on these pages before but it is definately worth a reminder.

The Last Patrol by Harry Holmes details the loss of every American submarine in WW2 and should be a must for every sub simmer's library.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Patrol-Harry-Holmes/dp/1557504784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300115065&sr=8-1

Was reaquainted with The Last Patrol recently when SWMBO actually asked a submarine related questions pertaining to some romance novel she was reading and I had to go and look up an answer.

[TLAM Strike]

Perhaps this is what your looking for TLAM, I just googled it after reading your post, I think its a doc for the old "Harpoon" game. not sure if its what the Russian sosus was really called.

http://www.tacopshq.com/MBX/Globalthunder/Restricted/JCNORTH/Documents/Intel/DIA-SOSUS.html


Say, do you know the difference between these two books

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159114955X/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1D3Q2WV4T68A6V1R3HAZ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems Eric Wertheim
(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=Eric%20Wertheim)

and

http://www.amazon.com/Naval-Institute-Combat-Fleets-2002-2003/dp/1557502420/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1RJ9Q3ABZ1OWQ&colid=ZHFYMC7LIF3Z

The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 2002-2003: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems A. D., III Baker (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&sort=relevancerank&search-alias=books&field-author=A.%20D.%2C%20III%20Baker)


Im confused because they both seem to be one and the same book, but with different authors. The one by Eric Wertheim is also more current (2007). Perhaps it is the same project but maybe A.D. III Baker no longer is writing ?? So Wertheim took over the helm, so to speak. Just a guess.. I guess Eric Werheim is the new author they are using. The Red cover book is a newer edition. ;)

... but damn those are expensive... :doh:

Anyways I take some of the stuff written for Harpoon with a grain of salt, not that its inaccurate but that it could be altered for "mass distribution", however there are times that its the only stuff written on something.

[sharkbit]

"Wahoo" by Richard O'Kane. excellent so far. :yeah:

Next read-"Clear the Bridge" by same.

It has been 25+ years since I read "Clear the Bridge". I'm looking forward to reading it again.

:)

[AirborneTD]

Reading, "Neptune's Inferno", the US Navy at Guadalcanal by James Hornfischer. This book is outstanding. I've read Frank's book (awesome) and others, but this book really makes you feel like your on the receiving end of a 14 inch shell. Highly recommended!!

[Buck_O]

... but damn those are expensive... :doh:

True, if your buying new, but look at the price for the used 2002-2003 edition...I'd buy that...:yep:

[Randomizer]

Of some interest to the SubSim community, particularly those SH3 and SH5 players might be Black Flag: The Surrender of Germany's U-Boat Forces by Lawrence Paterson, ISBN 978-0-7603-3754-7.

The disposition of the boats and the men of the U-Boot waffe is generally a footnote in the final chapter of most books referencing the battle of the Atlantic but Black Flag takes the reader from the very last days of the Third Reich through to early 1946 by which time the vast majority of the captured boats had been sunk as targets, scuttled or otherwise disposed of.

The book is well illustrated and many of the photos will probably be new including KK Adelbert Schnee's U-2511 with its white conning tower nesting beside some other Type XXI's and a shot of a nameless U-Boat matlot sporting both his U-Boat badge and the Army's coveted tank killing badge, awarded for singlehandedly destroying an enemy tank. The relevance of the latter is that there are some all too brief descriptions of U-Boat crews in ground fighting in North Germany and those French ports (Lorient in particualr) that had remained in German hands until the Nazi surrender.

Black Flag is well annotated, an easy read and its appendicies basically detail the fate of every boat that surrendered as well as her last captain. Some of this material is out there elsewhere but this 2009 volume deserves a place in the library of anybody with more than a casual interest in U-Boats.

[sharkbit]

Finished O'Kane's "Wahoo" and "Clear the Bridge". Both excellent books. :yeah:

Just started "War in the Boats" by William Ruhe. So far so good. His description of life on the S-boats in 1942 is pretty incredible.

A over cautious captain, mechanical difficulties, the heat, sleeping in bunks near vents where the batteries vent their gases during the charge, not to mention the 1/2 inch puddle of sweat left over from the previous occupant, wondering if the boat will hold to together at the "deep submergence" of 135 feet, and cockroaches.

:)

[Herr Trigger]

Just coming to the end of the unabridged version of 'The Cruel Sea', it may be old now but is one of the finest written books I have ever read, the detail and the tension never fail, but dammit, he had to introduce a woman into it ! My exploits in SH3, 4 & 5 are an escape from a womans scorn, although I must confess, I have tinkered with the idea of buying wife a Wrens uniform !, I don't think it will be appreciated too well though !!
A well recommended book nevertheless.

Regards,
H.T.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Escape from Germany: True stories of POW escapes in WWII - From the National Archives, released as a confidential document in 1951, an edited commercial release in 1956, and the whole lot from 1985.

Really good so far :up:

[vienna]

I am currently reading "The Immortal Game, A History of Chess (or How 32 Carved Pieces on a Board Illuminated Our Understanding of War, Art, Science, and the Human Brain)" [2006] by David Shenk. I have not played chess in many, many years and saw this book in the local library. The title interested me and I checked it out. The book is a complete surprise. The author is a journalist who admits to not being a high-level chess player. His interest in the game stems from an ancestor who was a Grandmaster, world-class chess player and analyst. Shenk has done an amazing amount of research into the history and impact of chess on the world in general. Even if you don't know much about the game or maybe even dislike the game, the story of how chess came into existence and the people and personalities involved in its evolution is more than one would expect from a book about chess. The story is framed around a famous chess match known as the "Immortal Game", considered to be the greatest game ever played. By moving back and forth from the game to stories about chess history, it is far from dry or boring. Politics, religion, psychology, cognitive science and many other subjects are shown to be interlaced with the history of chess in ways I never imagined. If you like a good read with intelligence, wit, and humor, I would strongly recommend this book (you don't even need to know the game to enjoy it). I may even break out the chessboard again.

[Egan]

Just about to start reading 'The Big E - The Story of the USS Enterprise' by Edward Stafford. I was saving it for a holiday but I can't wait any longer. :)

Finally finished 'Quartered Safe Out Here' About George Macdonald Fraser's time with a Cumbrian regiment in Burma during the war. I've never read any of his Flashman novels but a colleague of mine is a huge fan and keeps trying to lend them to me so I might take him up on that now. It's very funny and seems very truthful. The Cumbrian dialect is superb and used throughout.

[TorpX]

I'm half way through Unrestricted Warfare by James F. DeRose.

I've already read Wahoo and Clear The Bridge!, but still find the material about Morton and O'Kane fascinating. They are definately my favorite submariners. All very good books. :up:

[Castout]

Japanese classic The Heike by Eiji Yoshikawa. No where the greatness of his other work, Taiko.


I have been told Heike was finished by Yoshikawa's descendant instead of the man himself. Still an interesting read.

I finished Furinkazan by Yasushi Inoue last week. I just love Japanese samurai historical fiction.

[aergistal]

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking. Go unified theory of everything...

[STEED]

Just started reading....

The German Fleet at War 1939-1945
By Vincent P. O`Hara

[TLAM Strike]

I'm listening to Patriot Games by Tom Clancy on an audio book. I just don't have time to actually read a book for fun because of school.

[sharkbit]

Because I'm a glutton for punishment :arrgh!:, I'm currently reading Clay Blair's "Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted", the second part ofhis two part series.

I finally found a used hardback copy for under $30 in so-so condition.

:)

[TorpX]

Finished:

Unrestricted Warfare

Hunt and Kill: U-505 and the U-boat war in the Atlantic



Started:

Silent Running by James F. Calvert Looks to be a great book.

The Groundwork of Practical Naval Gunnery: A Study of the Principles and Practice of Gunnery, and of the Computation and Use of Ballistic and Range Tables

by James Monroe Ingalls and Philip Rounseville Alger

I got these from Amazon. This is a public domain reprint by Nabu. I have a long standing interest in the subject matter, and I was very excited to get this, BUT, the print is hard to read and the subscripts in the equations are too small to make out. What is worse, is that many pages are missing. I am going to try and get a copy from another source. Otherwise, I guess I will have to make do.

Anyone ordering Nabu books be forwarned: this seems to be a common complaint. These books are printed from scans made from library copies and quality is uneven.

[sharkbit]

Silent Running by James F. Calvert Looks to be a great book.


It is. :yeah:
You won't be disappointed.

:)

[Randomizer]

Not about war but important to the story of the submarine is The Terrible Hours by Peter Maas (author of Serpico and The Valachi Papers).

On 23 May 1939, the new fleet boat USS Squalus (SS 192) sailed from Portsmouth, New Hampshire to conduct diving tests. During the first submergance, the main induction valve failed to close and both engine rooms flooded drowning 27 of her crew and the boat sank in 240 feet of water. 33 sailors survived in the forward compartments and this book is the story of their rescue.

Told with the flair of a novelist, The Terrible Hours is very readable but it lacks notes, an index and is about as non-technical as it is possible for a submarine book to be. However, the account of how an officer of vision (LCdr Charles "Swede" Momson) and his invention (the McCann Rescue Chamber) came together to perfom that rescue is worthy of fiction with the advantage of being true.

The book also tells of the recovery of the sunken submarine, itself a significant achievment with 1939 technology.

Squalus would be renamed USS Sailfish and go on to a successful career in the Pacific war.

[STEED]

Just in time for the 70th anniversary, reading Ospreys campaign 232 The Bismarck 1941 - Hunting Germany's greatest battleship.

Couple of days to read this one.

[kiwi_2005]

Tom Clancy - Submarine

[Thunder]

Just started Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. Nothing to do with the sea, but Vietnam.
So far i am finding it a pretty good read, although i need to brush up on my military hierarchies.

A review
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/29/AR2010032903635.html

Will let ya know how it goes.

Before that some good Sci Fi by a British guy called Peter F Hamilton.
His stuff is epic (i mean galaxy encompassing stuff) as well as long reads, with alot of his books going over 1000 pages... and trilogies at that:D

But i really do love getting into a great book and knowing there is a lot more good stuff to go.

[commandosolo2009]

Clear the bridge by RAdm Dick O'kane. About to finish it (at Formosa strait coming up)

[sharkbit]

Finished Clay Blair's "Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted". Whew...what a read.

Needed some lighter fare...
"Das Boot" for the umpteenth time. About half way through.

On deck is "The Ultra Secret" by F.W. Winterbotham.

:)

[STEED]

Finished reading..

The German Fleet at War 1939-1945
By Vincent P. O'Hara

Good account of all the surface operations. A little on the sterile side the style of the book but never less a good read.


With the 70th Anniversary of Barbarossa this month I've moved on to another book on this subject, you can never have enough books on this one.

Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East (Cambridge Military Histories)
By David Stahel

[Randomizer]

Not naval related but just finished Norman Stone's The Eastern Front 1914-17.

This well researched study on the Russian Army in WW1 shatters the conventional view of what went wrong in the war that doomed the Czar and gave the world its first communist regime.

While the popular image of Russsian soldiers fighting without rifles is accurate on the surface, that picture is woefully incomplete and distorted. The facts are that by all conventional yardsticks czarist Russia became a relative economic powerhouse as a direct result of the war. But this ocurred within a system that rewarded incompetence, where cities starved as excess grain rotted in the countryside, where gold was shipped overseas to pay for contracts that were never filled while war production at home, ammunition, weapons and rations sat unused in magazines and forts rather than going to the combat troops. Where over aged, incompetant generals were continually removed from one command for failure only to be placed elsewhere to repeat the process.

The Eastern Front 1914-17 does not cover the events of the Bolshevik revolution of November 1917 but does show how the fall of the Czar and rise of the Provisional Government really did not lead to any substantive improvements as the army melted away: "voting with their feet" in the famous phrase of Lenin.

A worthy read for anybody with an interest in World War 1, Russia or the Russian Army.

[Castout]

Military classics' The Korean War 1950-1953, Brian Catchpole.

[matti95]

Just now im reading escape from the deep.
It's the story of USS tangs last mission
And before i read the swedish book havets vargar (sea wolves) I dont know if it has come out on english but i really recommend it :DL

[TLAM Strike]

Just finished Executive Orders by Tom Clancy, now reading Red Rabbit by the same.

(Not reading, listening on an audio book, that way I can work and read at the same time.)

[Platapus]

I just started reading

Business in Great Waters: U-Boat Wars, 1916-45 by John Terraine.

I am only about 100 pages into it. But so far it is a very interesting history of WWI submarine warfare. It goes into nice, cited, detail on the difficulties that Germany had concerning the decision for unrestricted submarine warfare. I did not know there was that much dissent in Germany about this.

It also goes into detail not found in other books on how the decision for unrestricted warfare came about and what the British did to escalate it.

I am only about 1/5th through the book. But if it continues as it started, I am glad I added it to my library.

Good index and nice citations. I like that in a history book. :up:

[Subnuts]

I've just started on Norman Friedman's US Aircraft Carriers - An Illustrated Design History. So far, it's a lot more readable than his book on American submarines up to 1945, which I had to read twice because it was so dense and oddly edited.

[Randomizer]

From 2003 comes Jutland 1916 by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart. The author's have paired up writing books on other anglophile Great War subjects including the battles of the Somme and Passchendaele.

http://www.amazon.com/Jutland-1916-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/030436648X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311717294&sr=1-1

Melodramatically subtitled Death in the Grey Wastes, the book is well written and relies almost exclusively on first-hand narratives, many culled from Public Records Office primary sources. If you like your history purely anecdotal you should find Jutland 1916 riveting.

On the other hand if you are looking for fresh insights or new ideas relating to the Battle of Jutland itself you might do better elsewhere, Andrew Gordon's Rules of the Game or Keith Yates' Jutland, 1916 come to mind immediately as superior contextual one-volume histories.

That said, if your history is best told in first-person stories and have only room for one Jutland book, the offering from Prof's Hart and Steel is probably a suitable choice.

[Lionclaw]

At the moment I'm reading Jackie Stewart's autobiography "Winning Is Not Enough".

Jackie Stewart is a triple Formula 1 World Champion: 1969, 1971 and 1973. :salute:

[_dgn_]

Holidays ? The best moment for having freetime.

Freetime ? Playing with a good PC simulator (SH III) and some related readings.

Particulary, a little worn book from my library, but a "must have" ...

Herbert Werner - Dix-huit secondes pour survivre (Die Eisernen Särge / Eighteen seconds to survive) - 1969 - 494 pages


http://images.imagehotel.net/j429tlevvi.jpg

Cheers.

[sublynx]

Just started Field Marshall Erich von Manstein's memoirs Lost victories. The last book I've finished was Walter Schuck's Abschuss! Von der Me 109 zur Me 262 Erinnerungen an die Luftkämpfe beim Jagdgeschwader 5 und 7.

I read this book in Finnish, I don't know if it is published in English. This is by far the most interesting book about air war I've ever read and I've read quite a few. After reading this book I decided to buy an addon (Ostfront: Decisive Battles in the East) to Il-2 that lets me play in the same Petsamo - Murmansk area that Schuck tells about.

[sharkbit]

Finished "The Ultra Secret".

Curently reading "Codebreakers: The Inside Story of Bletchley Park"
It has stories by various people who were involved with decoding German and Japanese messages(not just Enigma, but some of the lesser codes as well-pretty unsafe to put an enigma machine on a harbor tug but even messages to the little boats had to be coded as well) at Bletchley and out in the field. A lot of personal rememberances. My eyes glassed over a couple of times when a couple of the people got a little too technical but overall a pretty good read.

Neither book goes into too much detail about the naval enigma though.

One thing I've gotten out of both books was how much a factor in breaking the codes influenced the outcome of the war and how so many strategic decisions were made based on the information the Allies were getting from Ultra.

:)

[Osmium Steele]

The U-Boat Wars
1916 - 1945
by John Terraine

:Kaleun_Periskop:

[Flaxpants]

Just started reading Iron Coffins by Herbert A. Werner.

I'm only up to the 5th chapter or so but I have to say I'm totally glued to this book. Riveting.

[STEED]

Finished reading..

Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East
(Cambridge Military Histories)
By David Stahel

This was a deep book, good account on the crucial Jun-Aug 1941, Barbarossa was lost at the Battle of Smolensk which derailed the operation, Barbarossa was far from a walk over for the Germans with a number of errors.


Now reading a less heavy one on the same subject.

War Without Garlands: Operation Barbarossa 1941-1942
By Robert Kershaw

[Randomizer]

Recently finished:

Antony Beevor - The War in Spain, a very readable account of the Spanish Civil War with a distinctly pro-Republican bias.

Edward Lengel - To Conquer Hell, about the 1918 Meuse-Argonne offensive, the mostly forgotten and yet bloodiest single offensive in U.S. military history. Excellent!

Reading now:

Neil Hanson - First Blitz about the efforts of the German air force to burn London to the ground; in 1917-18! Fascinating look at the early days of strategic bombing before the theories of Douhet, Trenchard and Mitchell existed.

[sharkbit]

Recently:
"Panzer Aces II" by Franz Kurowski. Numerous accounts about some well decorated panzer commanders. A little uneven at times, but a couple of the accounts are excellent. The Kindle edition is a pretty piss poor transfer though. A lot of mistakes. I would hope the print version is better.
Definitely made me want to get some of his other "Aces" titles, even if the Kindle versions may be a little iffy.

"Black Edelweiss" by Johannes Voss. A young SS soldiers experience in Finland late in the war. A theater I know very little about. The conditions they fought in were amazing.

Currently:
"Tigers in the Mud" by Otto Carius. About the career of panzer commander Otto Carius. So far, a little meh, but not too bad.

On Deck:
"At Leningrads Gates" by William Lubbeck
And a monster book (896 pages :o) "Armegeddon in Stalingrad-September to November 1942" Volume 2 of the Stalingrad trilogy by David M. Glantz.

The above two ought to keep me busy at least through the rest of the year(and probably until spring as well :03:0.

:)

[Subnuts]

I'm just about finished with Richard O'Kane's Wahoo, and while it's interesting in places, and I commend Mr. O'Kane for his mad Executive Officering skillz, writing was not his strong suit. Every torpedo launches with a "zing," every attack is described in virtually the same manner, and if my Kindle word search is to believed, he refers to the General Quarters alarm as the "Bells of St. Mary's" 29 times during the book!

Of my new Kindle books, I still have to read Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions, and Steel Boat, Iron Hearts. Also, I just downloaded Black Hawk Down for $2.99, so if you've never read it, and own a Kindle, I'd suggest now would be a good time to do so, before the publisher jacks up the price.

[frau kaleun]

Steel Boat, Iron Hearts.

Ooooh is that the "first person" memoir of the guy who served on U-505? I read that last year, really enjoyed it.

[Ace1973]

Currently half way through Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin. Worth the 6 or 7 year wait so far. After that I think I'll re-read Wahoo.

[Randomizer]

Finished choking down Adam Hochschild's King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa. This is a rather gruesome account of the Congo Free State; a private fiefdom of Belgium's King Leopold II where literally millions of people (minimum estimates are in the vicinity of 5-million) died to fill the King's personal coffers with money from ivory and rubber in the last decade of the 19th Century and the first years of the 20th. Included is the story of the first successful international human rights campaign that resulted in the formal annexation of the Congo by Belgium and the end of Leopold's direct rule. Disturbing reading, even in a world jaded by humanitarian disasters like Darfur, Rwanda, the Holocaust and the Gulag. Well written and worth a look by anyone interested in Africa, Imperialism or human rights advocacy.

Just started The Madman and the Butcher by Tim Cook; about the conflict between Canada's Great War military leaders' Sam Hughes and Arthur Currie.

[Subnuts]

Just about to finish up Alan Zimm's The Attack On Pearl Harbor. It's a little choppy, and repetitive in places, but it's still fascinating reading. The author is a former naval officer, and the bulk of the book is an extremely critical examination of every aspect of the Japanese attack, using modern-day Operations research methods and Naval War College rules of the time to analyze what went down on the morning of December 7, 1941. Based on his conclusions, the attack was badly planned, badly executed, and many of the "what-ifs" (a third wave could have wiped out the tank farms, Japanese pilots were superhuman, a midget submarine attacked the Arizona, sinking a ship in the channel would have prevented ships from entering and leaving, etc.) are pretty much BS.

Really, it's amazing how much the Japanese dropped the ball at Pearl Harbor. The author includes a "laundry list" of Japanese failures near the end, such as Fuchida's flare-gun fumble, the 60% dud rate attributed to the 800-kg AP bumbs, the utter lack of combined-arms tactics or operational flexibility built into the plan, the lack of SEAD tactics and poor use of the A6Ms, the mutually-interfering routes assigned to the torpedo bombers, ineffective communications, an inexcusably poor showing from the second-wave dive bombers, and the hair-brained use of General-Purpose bombs against battleships. Seriously, that's just scratching the surface of what this book covers. For all the hand-wringing, finger-pointing, and scapegoating you see in discussions of the American side, this is the first time I've ever seen a serious, in depth criticisms of the strategy, tactics, and planning used by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor.

[Schöneboom]

Just finished "One of Our Submarines" by Edward Young, a memoir of his days in the RN Submarine Branch, from his first dive as a junior officer to his war patrols as commander of HMS Storm, from the Arctic Circle to the Indian Ocean. My copy is almost 60 yrs. old, but the book is still available. Very well written.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Just about to finish up Alan Zimm's The Attack On Pearl Harbor.

I've just read it off Kindle PC. The author makes some good points but others are too ... theoretical.

Really, it's amazing how much the Japanese dropped the ball at Pearl Harbor. The author includes a "laundry list" of Japanese failures near the end, such as Fuchida's flare-gun fumble,

OK, he sold me on that one.

the 60% dud rate attributed to the 800-kg AP bumbs,

That's not a tactical failure.

the utter lack of combined-arms tactics or operational flexibility built into the plan, the lack of SEAD tactics and poor use of the A6Ms,

As far as I can see, he proposes that once intelligence is received, the planes committed to the carriers should be redirected to attack battleships. He has a point there, but a counterpoint is that if the carriers do turn out to be there after all (as he admits, the possibility does exist), similar confusion will ensue as they try to reorient against the carriers, if it can be done at all. It might be worth accepting some inefficiency in the other department.

His SEAD and escort plan basically draws on the fighters and dive bombers that were tasked in the real attack. In his "perfect attack", he attempts a TOT attack (good as a aim, not a precondition) and tasks the A6Ms with two missions (SEAD and OCA) separated by time. It reeks of the kind of "textbook solution" so loved by staff theoreticians and so hated by combat vets. One can easily see friction and fog of war turn his neat TOT strike into a prolonged affair (the real attack also became more prolonged), in which case without the suppressive effect of the fighters and VBs it is not hard to figure that many more fighters will get to take off and strike his bomber formations. Though they will be escorted in such a case, they will also likely be outnumbered and given that Zimms assesses a high effectiveness for American aircraft, the overall Japanese losses to fighters will be much higher. Zimm's doesn't even attempt to (as far as I can see) wargame this possibility - he just seems to assume his TOT attack will work.

[Randomizer]

Why is the Middle East so screwed up?

David Fromkin in A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East addresses this question in the historical context of the Great War. This is a very readable book, well researched and referenced, that goes a long way to providing an answer to the above question.

Cynical politicians and diplomats, Great Power rivalries, power-grabs and infighting, by allies, between tribal groups and the religious of various sects all are on display in this detailed narrative. Mr. Fromkin cuts through many of the myths and legends widely held by all concerned detailing the origins of many of the contemporary problems and why the prospects for real peace in the oxymoronically named Holy Land seems so remote even today.

An interesting sidebar is the deconstruction of the legendary Lawrence of Arabia; how T.E. Lawrence was really a relatively minor player with a great publicist (American journalist Lowell Thomas) and knack at self promotion. Anybody with a desire to see how the past can affect the present as it relates to the question that opened this post should give A Peace to End All Peace a serious look.

When read in conjunction with superbly objective One Palestine, Complete; Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate by Israeli historians Tom Segev and Haim Watzman these books provide a solid basis for understanding why the problems in Palestine seem so unsolvable.

Both books are available at Amazon through the SubSim link.

[STEED]

Reading one of the Osprey Campaign series that caught my eye.

Campaign 235

Walcheren 1944
Storming Hitler's island fortress
By Richard Brooks

About this book
Although the Alllies captured Antwerp in September 1944, the port itself could not be opened due to the continued German presence on the island of Walcheren, which guarded the port entrance. In November, the Allies launched an assault on the island, using a number of Commando units. Supported by warships and assault vehicles, the Allies fought their way ashore and engaged in deadly streets battles with the Germans.

[Dowly]

Finally started reading the first of the two books I got last christmas.

The book's called "Guerrilla Warfare on Long Range Patrols - Detachment Marttina's Patrol Reports 1941-1942"

As the title implies, the book contains the reports from all recorded sabotage
missions deep behind Soviet lines during the Continuation War conducted by
detachment Marttina. Also included are personal stories from the invidual soldiers
who took part in the missions, maps, equipment loadouts etc.

The second book is the same but for 1943-1944.

They're bricks, around 800 pages per book, but quite interesting read. :yep:

[STEED]

Started reading..

Sledgehammers: Strengths and Flaws of Tiger Tank Battalions in World War II
By Chris Wilbeck

[Gerald]

The portfolio!

[Red October1984]

I am reading The Sum of All Fears

[Schöneboom]

I just finished Lawrence Paterson's "U-Boats in the Mediterranean, 1941-1944". If there's no such thing as too much historical detail, he's your man. :up:

Now I'm starting on his other book, "Hitler's Grey Wolves: U-Boats in the Indian Ocean". Great photos!

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

http://www.foia.cia.gov/docs/DOC_0000261309/DOC_0000261309.pdf

Man, what a piece of spineless wishwash. We know there are conflicting views on this subject. At least side with one side and explain why you did so.

[Randomizer]

Man, what a piece of spineless wishwash. We know there are conflicting views on this subject. At least side with one side and explain why you did so.
With all the redaction's in the released document you cannot be certain that the original classified version did omit solid conclusions.

That said, the target audience for this briefing were apparently external agencies with their own intelligence requirements and agendas. Given the divisions within the US defence establishment and the general nature of the briefing, a lack of focus should not be a surprise. Intelligence is a commodity and without knowing who the briefing was intended for (NCA?, NSA?, DOD?, DOE?, NRO?, some defense committee?), drawing specific conclusions may well have been beyond the mandate of the report's authors.

Still, the uncensored text contains little that could not have been found in open sources like Breyer's Guide to the Soviet Navy, Brassey's or published works then available from the USNI bookstore of the day. One has to wonder what was cut out of the original top-secret version.

[HunterICX]

Sir Ian Kershaw's The End: Hitler's Germany 1944 - 45

HunterICX

[cactusmitch]

Blair's detail on so many operations has lead me to think of a strategy / tactics simulation game for smart but not historically informed smarties. Since Pearl Harbor day is just a few days away, starting a quasi real time re-enactment of the events of 70 years ago might be fun. Can today's brain-iacs do better at finding and fixing the problems? Are bureaucracies any more responsive nowadays?

[soopaman2]

I actually stumbled across something in the library.
(Yes, some of us still use them)

U-Boat Ace: The story of Wolfgang Luth.
by Jordan Vause. It seems well researched and am looking forward to finishing it.

I am only a few pages in thus far, but am riveted.

[frau kaleun]

I have both the books he did on u-boat commanders (as far as I know there are only two). Thought both of them were very well done and fascinating reads. The other is called "Wolf" and is a collection of about a dozen biographical sketches of different commanders. Definitely worth looking for if you enjoy the Luth bio. :yep:

[TorpX]

I've finished:

Dreadnought by Richard Hough

I found it cheap at a used bookstore. :DL

Am re-reading:
CLASH OF CHARIOTS by Tom Donnelly and Sean Naylor.

Best of all, almost finished with:
OPERATION DRUMBEAT by Michael Gannon.

I'm struck by how critical the author is of Adm. King. His view is that the early weeks of the U-boat war on the east coast was a worse defeat for the U.S. than Pearl Harbor, and largely the fault of Adm. King and the USN.

[GreyIron]

Just finished reading "All Hands Down" about the USS Scorpion,started on the 4th chapter of Iron Coffins..........Just Pulled out my DVD of Das Boot to watch>:up:

[Randomizer]

Gannon sees King as a hidebound bigot (he hated the British but then according to his own daughter, he hated virtually everybody), incapable of learning from the RN's wartime experience regarding weakly defended convoys. This is the common view and the one that has the greatest historical following and longest legs.

There's another side to the story and for that it is necessary to go back to 1917 when the Royal Navy continually refused to institute convoys to defend against the Kaiser's U-Boat threat.

It's often written that the RN in WW1 refused to adopt the convoy but that is demonstrably incorrect, the first escorted convoy was organized on 4 August 1914, the day Britain declared war, and the convoy used to bring the Canadian and Newfoundland contingents across the Atlantic in October 1914 were amongst the largest convoys of the entire war. Convoys ran continuously up and down the east coast of the British Isles in the North Sea as well as across the Channel, up to late 1915 when they were replaced by what would be called in the 1980's, a "protected sealane". Convoys were also organized an run in the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic when there were threats from surface raiders.

So the time honoured canard that the RN failed to recognize the effectiveness of the convoy as a defensive measure does not stand stand up to scrutiny.

The problem was that the submarine introduced a new dynamic that was so completely different from the threat of surface raiders in the defence of commerce. Senior RN officers were not technically educated, the submarine service was young and submarines had had great success attacking multiple targets in a single engagement. The worst was when U-9 sank three armoured cruisers in a single attack killing some 1400 British sailors, although the ships themselves had little combat value. The belief was that a submerged submarine was capable of conducting multiple attacks in a single engagement so a convoy merely simplified targeting for the U-Boat commander. This is why the senior officers in the RN resisted adapting convoys for so long, and they were supported in this by their own successful submarine commanders (including Nasmith and Max Horton) who maintained that a well handled boat could hit several targets in a single attack.

What the Admiralty failed to realize and what their own combat hardened captains failed to tell them was that the convoy made finding targets much harder and that a convoy, even a poorly escorted one, did not produce a visual signature much bigger than a single ship. The best defence a convoy offered was stealth in the vastness of the ocean. British subs, operating within the confines of the Baltic and Sea of Marmara were blessed with geographical choke points were shipping had to pass, their target acquisition problems were different than a U-Boat operating on the high seas.

Eventually, Lloyd George forced the Admiralty to adapt the convoy and in the words of one of the Kaiser's top commanders "The seas became suddenly empty of ships for days on end."

What's this got to do with Ernest King?

As a Great War submariner with an aggressive personality it should be no surprise that he adapted the multiple attack theory as dogma. He over estimated the ability of a submerged submarine to torpedo several ships in a single attack while under estimating the difficulty submarines have in locating targets in the first place. He wasn't stupid; all American troop ships sailed in well escorted convoys with no losses but he retained the belief that a poorly escorted convoy represented a gift to an aggressive submariner. He was certainly wrong in this but his training and the success of the British subs operating against German and Turkish coastal convoys in the Great War provided some justification for his erroneous point of view.

It should also be remembered that at the height of the "Happy Times" the Admiralty actually considered cancelling the convoy system and reintroducing independent sailings since now Hitler's U-Boats, operating at night on the surface, WERE able to make multiple attacks in a single engagement.

Blair in Hitler's U-Boat War Vol 1 The Hunters, offers a more reasonable assessment of King and the disaster off America's east coast in 1942.

A.J. Marder in From Dreadnought to Scapa Flow Vol 4 The Year of Crisis goes into the Admiralty dilemma regarding the U-Boats and notes that prior to the summer of 1917, convoys were formed and ran successfully whenever there was a perceived threat by surface ships. This gives the lie to the oft-repeated line that the RN abandoned the convoy after the Napoleonic wars.

Also see John Jellicoe; The Grand Fleet 1914-16: Its Creation Development and Work.

Michael Gannon is a good historian but his passionate vitriol against Ernest King really needs some balance.

Apologies for the wall of text...

[Gerald]

No problem with your text, go ahead with more, let it flow.

[STEED]

Reading one from Osprey Campaign series.

Verdun 1916

"They shall not pass"

[TorpX]

Randomizer (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/member.php?u=238325):

Thanks for filling in the blanks. I put Blair's book on my 'to read' list.
No appologies needed for the text. It was worth reading. :salute:

[Subnuts]

Haven't gotten it yet, but I just snagged a copy of the "Anatomy of the Ship" book for $45 on Amazon. Seller listed it as in "acceptable" condition, which means it either has a small rip on the cover, or was repeatedly run over by a dump truck. Either way, I got it for a steal - the next cheapest used copy is going for $130 right now!

I wonder if there are any deck plans of that ridiculous pagoda superstructure? It'd be $45 well spent just to see that! :rotfl2:

[Sepp von Ch.]

Now Zehn Jahre und zwanzig Tage: Erinnerungen 1935-1945 - http://www.amazon.de/Zehn-Jahre-zwanzig-Tage-Erinnerungen/dp/3763751866

and Paterson´s First U-Boat flotilla - http://www.amazon.com/First-U-Boat-Flotilla-Lawrence-Paterson/dp/1557502951/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323853327&sr=8-1

because I started a new career at the first flotilla with my IIA U-Boat:03:

[TarJak]

In the middle of Alexander Fullerton's "The Torch Bearers" Not bad, but a little far fetched. I was surprised by how many books Fullerton has released and will have to keep an eye out to see what else of his I can find. He writes well enough to be given another look.

[Randomizer]

In the middle of Alexander Fullerton's "The Torch Bearers" Not bad, but a little far fetched. I was surprised by how many books Fullerton has released and will have to keep an eye out to see what else of his I can find. He writes well enough to be given another look.
The Blooding of the Guns, SLt Everard at Jutland is by far his best book in my opinion. You came in part way through a series starting with The Torch Bearers.

For far fetched try Alan Evan's Cdr David Cochrane Smith series starting with Thunder at Dawn, set in the WW1 Royal Navy. However, the stories are told so well that their underlying improbability is rendered somewhat less obvious.

[STEED]

Just finished two from the Osprey Essential Histories Series.

The Anglo-Irish War
The Troubles of 1913–1922

The Irish Civil War 1922–23

[Hawk66]

Just finished reading "All Hands Down" about the USS Scorpion,started on the 4th chapter of Iron Coffins..........Just Pulled out my DVD of Das Boot to watch>:up:

Would be curious: Is this book well researched? I am a little cautious when a book claims 'True story' - to my knowledge the case of the scorpion is still classified? But would definitely like to read the book if it is good...

I can recommend the book "The Death of the USS Thresher: The Story Behind History's Deadliest Submarine Disaster" from Norman Polmar. A very good book, very well researched and the author clearly indicates what are facts and what his conclusions are (which seem to be logical IMO).

I was amazed how he had managed not only to tell the story but also the environment (serving on a SSN in the 60's) and the shortcomings concerning quality in the construction of the submarines in this time-frame.

[Commander Wolf]

The Hunt for Red October....for about the 30th time. Just love Tom Clancy books and this one in particular.

[TarJak]

The Blooding of the Guns, SLt Everard at Jutland is by far his best book in my opinion. You came in part way through a series starting with The Torch Bearers.

For far fetched try Alan Evan's Cdr David Cochrane Smith series starting with Thunder at Dawn, set in the WW1 Royal Navy. However, the stories are told so well that their underlying improbability is rendered somewhat less obvious.
I knew that when I bought it in a 2nd hand bookshop. As I was on holidays and in need of something new to read the cover caught my eye and the subject matter was right so I picked it up for AU$5.

I'm going to revisit some of the earlier books if I can get hold of any. Amazone looks like the best candidate for that at the moment.

Evans sounds interesting so might look his books up while I'm at it.

[sharkbit]

And a monster book (896 pages :o) "Armegeddon in Stalingrad-September to November 1942" Volume 2 of the Stalingrad trilogy by David M. Glantz.



ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ:zzz:

It is extremely rare that I give up on a book. I tried but just couldn't get into it.

Some amazing pictures though.

Currently reading "Mantle of Heroism: Tarawa and the Struggle for the Gilberts, November 1943" by Michael Graham. I've read it before a while ago. Good book.

:)

[STEED]

Now reading from the Osprey Essential Histories Series.

The Northern Ireland Troubles
Operation Banner 1969-2007

[Schöneboom]

"U-Boats At War," by Harald Busch. :up:

[STEED]

Getting back to reading books now.

Now reading

Hitler's Vikings - The History of the Scandinavian Waffen SS: The Legions, The SS Wiking and the SS Nordland

By Jonathan Trigg

[Kaye T. Bai]

'Bout to pick up After America (the sequel to Without Warning), by the Australian author John Birmingham.

First book was good, except for that distracting plotline about the CIA chick. Blech.

[Svonne]

Iron Coffins. Again. For about the millionth time. Find something new in it every time I pick it up. :up:


Me too! Memoirs are some of my favorite reads.

I'm about to purchase Teddy Suhren's book and a book titled U-Boote Crews, Daily Life 1939-1945.

[STEED]

Re-reading

The Villa, The Lake, The Meeting: Wannsee and the Final Solution

By Mark Roseman

[Egan]

Re-reading

The Villa, The Lake, The Meeting: Wannsee and the Final Solution

By Mark Roseman

Oh, I know that one. I read that a while ago. What do you think of it?

I visited the mansion a couple of years ago. It's a museum now.

[STEED]

Oh, I know that one. I read that a while ago. What do you think of it?

I visited the mansion a couple of years ago. It's a museum now.

As I recall there were some interesting points.

I'm about one third the way in it so I will update my comment in due course.

[Sailor Steve]

I just got my copy of Warship Volume VII. Not a reader but a reference. I have about 1/3 of the series now.

[Randomizer]

Have not posted here for a spell because just finished re-reading Herman Wouk's Winds of War and War and Remembrance.

Last read them over 15-years ago and they have aged very well. The naval bits are excellent and there's a lot of them.

[krashkart]

I'm on a Korean War kick right now, so I'm reading a collection of personal accounts from that war. The book is entitled Their War For Korea: American, Asian, and European Combatants and Civilians, 1945-53 (http://www.amazon.com/Their-War-Korea-Combatants-Civilians/dp/1574885340/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326811629&sr=1-1), by Allan R. Millet. He seems to have put a great deal of study into the subject, so I trust that the information I'm being given is sincere and accurate. Good read so far; I didn't know that Thailand had sent a battalion in support of the UN Command. :yep:

I have another of his books, the second volume of The War For Korea, but I'll have to wait to read it until I've ordered and read the first volume of the series.

[Sepp von Ch.]

Hello crashkart, my czech friend:salute:

Now reading Otto Kretschmer. Der erfolgreichste U-Boot-Kommandant des Zweiten Weltkrieges 1939-1945. Superb book about the best submariner ever (for me).

[Wigabee]

Hello!

I have read "Wahoo" by Richard O'Kane and am reading "Clear the Bridge!" also by him. I am here to put these books at the top of my list and recommend them to everyone! Tons of info that you can apply to the silent hunter series and a great boost to your submarine knowledge and curiosity!

Happy hunting and keep reading! :ping:

[Wxman]

The Book of Frank Herbert

Sort of off and on The Complete Works by O. Henry

And just before that I re-read I, Claudius, and Claudius, The God (both by Robert Graves).

I believe that there at least a few titles contained in this thread that I'll have to pursue at the used-book place and then thrash those books to within an inch of their lives with some vicious reading.

:o

:arrgh!:

:up:

[Captain_Rockwell_Torry]

The Ultramarines Omnibus by Graham McNeill
007: Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
The Battleship Era By Peter Padfield

currently reading them all as the mood hits.:)

Captain Rockwell Torry

[Oberfrankengamer]

Well, i've started reading "Die Wölfe und der Admiral" by Wolfgang Frank for the 3th time, a really awesome book :up:

[Sailor Steve]

WELCOME ABOARD! :sunny:

[Sailor Steve]

I just recieved my copy of Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships: 1922-1946. I now have a complete set, save for the modern ones, which I don't want. I may get the last one sometime in the future, but it can wait.

[Egan]

Last night I started reading Richard O'Kane's 'Clear the Bridge' which I finally acquired a copy of over the weekend - a lovely hardback edition at that. Have been enjoying a leisurely re-read of 'Wahoo' over the last week or two so have been looking forward to getting stuck into this one.

[Egan]

And just before that I re-read I, Claudius, and Claudius, The God (both by Robert Graves).


Quite possibly my favourite novel (I tend to think of them as volumes of the same book.) Anyone with even a passing interest in the ancient world should read them. The same goes for Count Belisaurius, also by Graves.

I heard an interesting rumour a while ago that the scriptwriters who wrote the TV series 'Rome' are working on a new show based on 'I Claudius'. that was a while ago, and it might be nonsense, but it would the perfect logical step from where Rome finished.

[Sailor Steve]

Quite possibly my favourite novel (I tend to think of them as volumes of the same book.)
Mine too. I intend to reread it if I ever get my storage cleaned out.

Anyone with even a passing interest in the ancient world should read them. The same goes for Count Belisaurius, also by Graves.
I haven't read that one.

I heard an interesting rumour a while ago that the scriptwriters who wrote the TV series 'Rome' are working on a new show based on 'I Claudius'. that was a while ago, and it might be nonsense, but it would the perfect logical step from where Rome finished.
That is interesting. The original is wonderful, as long as you don't mind it being shot on a sound stage. A new version would be most welcome.

[Egan]

Belisarius is set in Byzantium in the reign of Justinian, in the 6th century. It's quite a different story, being about a general rather than an emperor but it's well worth a read if you can find it. My interest in it was piqued by some amazing mosaics in a church in Ravenna a few years ago. They contained portraits of Justinian, his wife Theodora and members of the court including Belisarius. He reconquered North Africa and Rome for the empire and what he achieved is on a par with the great generals of the past at least, and, given the problems he faced, they probably exceed many of the Roman deeds of antiquity. In the end he fell out of favour with Justinian and, IIRC, was blinded by him.

If you like Graves I also recommend his memoir of the first world war, particularly as they tie in with those of Sigfried Sassoon in several places (the two of them being close friends.)

[Sailor Steve]

I know who Belisarius was. I just hadn't read Graves' book. :sunny:

[Egan]

I know who Belisarius was. I just hadn't read Graves' book. :sunny:

I think there was a recent biography of him as well. Can't remember the writer,though.

[STEED]

The Killing of Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich
By Callum Macdonald

The Terrible price paid to rid the world of this evil man was far to high. :nope:

[Sailor Steve]

Well, I'm still not reading anything, at least not like I did five years ago.

On the other hand I got another new reference in the mail today. Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting, by John Campbell (author of Naval Weapons of World War Two and a whole lot of great articles for Warship). It's a detailed look at the battle itself, showing all ship movements, ammunition expenditures and a precise study of where each shell landed and what damage was done. Many people prefer books that talk about Beatty and Jellicoe and Scheer. This one suits me fine.

I have a copy in paperback, but it fell apart about the third time I read it.

[Sailor Steve]

Today the mail brought an actual reading book. I got the first in Conway's History of the Ship series: The Earliest Ships. It covers the oldest discovered hulls and traces the development of the boat into the ship, ending with oared galleys and Viking ships. It looks like fun.

[STEED]

Now reading..


World War II: Behind Closed Doors - Stalin, the Nazis and the West
By Laurence Rees

[Egan]

The Killing of Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich
By Callum Macdonald

The Terrible price paid to rid the world of this evil man was far to high. :nope:

It's an interesting book. The movie Operation Daybreak was on TV a couple of months ago and I hadn't seen it in a long time. Not bad but not great either. As for the price paid by the Czechs, I was alway under impression that Price was part of the reason for the assassination was the brutality the Allies knew would come would shake the Czechs into greater resistance.

But I agree with what you said: The Nazi reprisals were horrific.

There is a photo taken before the war of a number of very senior SS staff taken at some gathering. The likes of Himmler and Theodore Eike are all there. Standing there in there stupid trousers and boots, with half-drunk leers on their faces - and almost without exception - they just look like a bunch of idiots. All except for Heydrich, that is, he just looks like the embodiment of evil. Just this awful, nasty look on his face that kind of shines out of the picture.

Have you ever seen 'Conspiracy' -the TV play about the Wansee Conference?

[Esanssi]

The Killing of Obergruppenfuhrer Reinhard Heydrich
By Callum Macdonald

The Terrible price paid to rid the world of this evil man was far to high. :nope:

Does the book mention at all the possible usage of a biological weapon during the assassination? :hmmm:

Right now I'm reading Imperium by Robert Harris and Das Boot by Lothar-Günther Buccheim. Both are insanely good reads. I was especially awestruck by how good Imperium is. Didn't think ancient Rome would've interested me this much, but it does.

Harris' writing style just appeals to me(longtime fan of Fatherland). :O:

[indy]

Indy,

If you had to choose between these two books, which would you go with?

Well Buck O I'm just a little late in returning to this answer, lol but just for the hell of it I'd say Thunder down below, by fluckly. He was a amazing man. Take for instance he could shoot 3 torps, keep track of them and compute setups for other contacts, all in his head before the on board computer could. I believe it took the computer 20 secs or so to compute the set ups needed. He would wait for the computer to give the answer (setup) before he would go ahead and shoot the setup, outstanding man. Now that not to say O'kane wasn't a great man also! Indy

[STEED]

Have you ever seen 'Conspiracy' -the TV play about the Wansee Conference?

Yes, got it on DVD.



Does the book mention at all the possible usage of a biological weapon during the assassination? :hmmm:



Not that I recall.

[Harald_Lange]

So far this year I've read 'The U-Boat War', 'Steel Boats Iron Hearts' and now I'm reading 'Operation Drumbeat'. Yes, I definitely have a U-Boat theme going on here :)

For the record, Operation Drumbeat is extremely well written and offers so much detail. I'm only on the second chapter yet I've learned so much from this book already! Really draws you in.

[indy]

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

With the list of books I have read. Should I buy this one?
Find 'Em, Chase 'Em, Sink 'Em: The Mysterious Loss of the WWII Submarine USS Gudgeon by Mike Ostlund

Has anyone read this or is it a rehash of the stories in the other books. Looking for something new in WW II submarine service. Thanks Indy:)
http://www.amazon.com/Find-Chase-Sink-Mysterious-Submarine/dp/0762772824/ref=pd_ys_qtk_general_recs_128
or
http://www.amazon.com/Find-Chase-Sink-Mysterious-Submarine/dp/1592288626/ref=dp_ob_title_bk

[STEED]

Finished reading E.R. Hooton's first book..

Phoenix Triumphant: The Rise and Rise of the Luftwaffe

Now reading E.R. Hooton's second book..

Eagle in Flames,Defeat of the Luftwaffe: The Fall of the Luftwaffe

Interesting to note he mentions the third book in the series written by Dr. Alfred Price.

The Last Year of the Luftwaffe: May 1944-May 1945

Bought this one years ago and was a damn good read.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Digging through a mess of DTIC PDFs to read some Krasnaya Zvezda articles. Quick comment is to say I liked the "Pre-Glasnost" articles, which are nuanced with clear positive and negative examples, more than the "post Glasnost" ones, which are more strident, generalized negative and overall depressive.

[Randomizer]

Just finished Sea of Thunder by journalist Evan Thomas. The book examines the lives of four naval officers: Vice Admiral Kurita Takeo, Rear Admiral Ugaki Matome, Imperial Japanese Navy; Lt. Commander Ernest Evans and Admiral William Halsey, USN.

The lives of all four intersected at The Battle of Leyte off Samar. Kurita commanded the Center Force tasked with the destruction of MacArthur's transports, Ugaki commanded 1st Battleship Division reduced to only Yamato after Musashi was sunk and Halsey of course commanded Third Fleet. Cmdr Evans was captain of USS Johnston (DD557) and was awarded a posthumous CMH for his actions that day.

Interesting concept that doesn't entirely work but worthy of a look by anybody interested in the Pacific war or the Battle of Leyte.

[kolumb_PL]

"English Basics for marine engineering students"

[indy]

"English Basics for marine engineering students"

What the Hell kinda book is that to be reading. That **** would bore me to death. What are you a Rookski, commie, spy?

[Jimbuna]

What the Hell kinda book is that to be reading. That **** would bore me to death. What are you a Rookski, commie, spy?

What's the problem?

I've spent many an hour watching my son reading similar for deck officers over the previous five years.

He's now just turned 23 years of age, working on Holland Americe cruise ships and been recommended for promotion to 2nd officer when his current leave (commencing today) is over.

[indy]

What's the problem?

I've spent many an hour watching my son reading similar for deck officers over the previous five years.

He's now just turned 23 years of age, working on Holland Americe cruise ships and been recommended for promotion to 2nd officer when his current leave (commencing today) is over.

Just Seems like an Odd Book to be reading!

[Jimbuna]

Just Seems like an Odd Book to be reading!

Certainly not if your a marine cadet looking for an officer qualification in engineering or as a deck officer.

My boy is already earning almost as much as I did at the peak of my working life.

All strength to them.

[indy]

Certainly not if your a marine cadet looking for an officer qualification in engineering or as a deck officer.

My boy is already earning almost as much as I did at the peak of my working life.:mad:

All strength to them.

OK... OK.... Jim Bob,(sorry) now could you please take the American Flag out of my arse! LOL:haha: had a cousin that Graduated from West Point, I'm picken up what your put'en down .:salute: If you would of explained what the book was about I would of understood, just sounded like he was trying to learn english.

[Jimbuna]

OK... OK.... Jim Bob,(sorry) now could you please take the American Flag out of my arse! LOL:haha: had a cousin that Graduated from West Point, I'm picken up what your put'en down .:salute: If you would of explained what the book was about I would of understood, just sounded like he was trying to learn english.


Consider said flag removed :DL

:sunny:

[Hinrich Schwab]

I cannot resist this...I have to say it...

"What am I reading now?"

I just got this stupid Funkspruch from BdU

"Aggressiver sein!":doh::D

[indy]

Oh for God sake! Jim Bob....Flag away ....

[sharkbit]

Just finishing "Jutland 1916: Death in the Grey Wastes" by Nigel Steel and Peter Hart. Excellent book with loads of eyewitness accounts. Quite an exciting account of the battle. Also, it is my first WWI history book.

On deck: "Black May" by Michael Gannon. Looking forward to this one, I read his "Operation Drumbeat" a couple of years ago. Really liked it.

:)

[STEED]

Re-reading

The Last Year of the Luftwaffe: May 1944-May 1945
by Dr. Alfred Price.

[Jimbuna]

Sitting in front of my monitor typing this post.

[nikimcbee]

Sitting in front of my monitor typing this post.

I was going to guess "Play Geordie":haha:.

[STEED]

I was going to guess "Play Geordie":haha:.

Naked ladies in flat caps eating black pudding! :o

[Bilge_Rat]

Got "Das Boot" the novel as a present and finally started reading it. After having seen the movie/mini-series countless times, I was not sure this would hold my interest, but now I can't put it down.

Next up: Montsarrat's "The Cruel Sea" which I received at the same time.

[Sailor Steve]

Just recieved my copy of Norman Friedman's U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, only three days after I ordered it. It's mostly for reference, but it does have a lot of good text on the development of the different classes, and a little operational history, so I'll be reading like a regular book. :sunny:

[BossMark]

At this moment in time I am reading this months edition of Viz :haha:

[Jimbuna]

Currently looking through my ebook collection and reading the title:

U-boat 977 by Heinz Schaeffer


http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1582175.U_Boat_977

[seaniam81]

Currently on A Storm of Swords, book three of the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. Loved the first two books, and enjoying the third very much.

[nikimcbee]

Not really deep reading, but pretty interesting subject.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XE2i6W52L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1849084068/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link)

[STEED]

Now reading this one..

Hitler's Final Fortress
BRESLAU 1945

By Richard Hargreaves


http://festungenthirdreich.devhub.com/img/upload/5171hweuogl_ss500_.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Now reading this one..

Hitler's Final Fortress
BRESLAU 1945

By Richard Hargreaves




He dies at the end :DL

[kranz]

He dies at the end :DL
In Hugh Thomas' Doppelgangers- The Truth about the Bodies in the Berlin Bunker he does not:DL
a great book btw.

[STEED]

He dies at the end :DL

Not about him. :rotfl2:

[STEED]

In Hugh Thomas' Doppelgangers- The Truth about the Bodies in the Berlin Bunker he does not:DL
a great book btw.

Got that on my bookshelf, read it years ago. Some interesting points and fair bit of what if's.

[nikimcbee]

My copy of "Japanese Destroyer Captain" arrived today.:woot:

[Jimbuna]

My copy of "Japanese Destroyer Captain" arrived today.:woot:

That title looks rather interesting Jason, be sure to let us know how good it is.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Destroyer-Captain-Guadalcanal-MidwayThe/dp/1591143845/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334923664&sr=1-1

[Red October1984]

I'm reading every Tom Clancy book in order. Now on The Bear and The Dragon.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Recently finished Test Pilot by Brian Johnston, based around the BBC filming for a documentary of the same name from the mid-'80s at the Empire Test Pilots' School at Boscombe Down. May have to have a peek on the Tube to see if there are any bits on there - I remember watching it.

Now I'm on to Colditz - The German Story by Reinhold Eggers. I'm about a third of the way in and amazed that still they don't know how some escaped. :o

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41aTUQQ%2BSuL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[nikimcbee]

That title looks rather interesting Jason, be sure to let us know how good it is.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Japanese-Destroyer-Captain-Guadalcanal-MidwayThe/dp/1591143845/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334923664&sr=1-1

Rgr that.

[sharkbit]

"Iron Coffins" by Herbert Werner.

:O:.....ducks and runs for cover.

:)

[GreyIron]

That explains all the mechanics,electrical,pneumatic and theory of all the systems to a WWII subs. Preferably but not necessary....VII,IX.. Any suggestions?

[Jimbuna]

That explains all the mechanics,electrical,pneumatic and theory of all the systems to a WWII subs. Preferably but not necessary....VII,IX.. Any suggestions?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-U-boat-evolution-technical-Submarines/dp/0304361208/ref=sr_1_52?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335867180&sr=1-52

[Herr-Berbunch]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-U-boat-evolution-technical-Submarines/dp/0304361208/ref=sr_1_52?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335867180&sr=1-52

That book goes for a ridiculous price, I almost doubled my money after a couple of months! :o

I've just started reading The Red Baron by Peter Kilduff - turns out it's about some guy during the first world war and not about Snoopy - who knew? :03:

[kranz]

That book goes for a ridiculous price
this.

There is a 4 volume series called Die Ubootwaffe which can be regarded as a "Polish Ubootwaffe bible", that is the only series/book in Polish concerning uboats.
Each volume was worth around 12-15 Euro, so the whole set was around, let's say, 60 Euro (240 Polish zloty). The series was re-edited and re-published as a single book- without any major changes- and the official price was around 75-80 Euros (around 340+ Polish zloty), which was still an acceptable price, taking into consideration that: the 4 volume series could be only found on second-hand sales over the Internet and in antiquarian bookstores as well as the fact that 80 compared to 60 is an acceptable increase in the pricing. BUT, soon after it was published, some sick nimrods began to sell it, after labeling it as a uber unique edition, for, get ready, 250+ Euro (1000 PLN).
so, yeah...tell me about ridiculous prices.:DL

[Jimbuna]

That book goes for a ridiculous price

Quality rarely comes at a cheap price :hmmm:

[kranz]

Quality rarely comes at a cheap price :hmmm:
I haven't seen Rossler's book so I can't really argue with that but I bought a lot of top-quality (in the sense of an academic research, number of sources used, time devoted to perform the research etc) books by writers such as Irving, Kershaw, Beevor, Blair and Fest, much cheaper than a few books, which actually are a collection of randomly selected pictures found over the interwebz, printed on slightly better paper and wrapped in a hardcover.

[Jimbuna]

I haven't seen Rossler's book so I can't really argue with that but I bought a lot of top-quality (in the sense of an academic research, number of sources used, time devoted to perform the research etc) books by writers such as Irving, Kershaw, Beevor, Blair and Fest, much cheaper than a few books, which actually are a collection of randomly selected pictures found over the interwebz, printed on slightly better paper and wrapped in a hardcover.

Oh quite true on occasion...I've another book on U-boat classes by a Polish (I think) author which majors on photographs (some not previously posted) but I'm at work right now and can;t remember the authors name or book title :doh:

[Jimbuna]

Ha, typical....tried a lucky guess and found it straight away :DL

http://www.amazon.com/Ubootwaffe-Marine-Kleinkampfverbande-Waldemar-Trojca/dp/8391921581

[nikimcbee]

I haven't seen Rossler's book so I can't really argue with that but I bought a lot of top-quality (in the sense of an academic research, number of sources used, time devoted to perform the research etc) books by writers such as Irving, Kershaw, Beevor, Blair and Fest, much cheaper than a few books, which actually are a collection of randomly selected pictures found over the interwebz, printed on slightly better paper and wrapped in a hardcover.

If you're ever able to buy Rossler's book, do it! If you've never seen it, do you have a library you could request it through?

[Subnuts]

Right now, there's a couple used copies of Rossler's book available on amazon.com for under $65 US, all from sellers with feedback of 95% or better. Not sure why it's fetching so much more on Amazon UK. :06:

[nikimcbee]

Right now, there's a couple used copies of Rossler's book available on amazon.com for under $65 US, all from sellers with feedback of 95% or better. Not sure why it's fetching so much more on Amazon UK. :06:

You'll never believe this, I got mine for $1 (new):rock: for joining the Military book club. I could not join fast enough. That was about 10-15 years ago. They don't offer the book anymore.

[Jimbuna]

Right now, there's a couple used copies of Rossler's book available on amazon.com for under $65 US, all from sellers with feedback of 95% or better. Not sure why it's fetching so much more on Amazon UK. :06:

Probably because they know I'm a Brit :DL

[kranz]

do you have a library you could request it through?
Polish libraries are so poor that they cannot even afford Polish books :DL

fortunately some libraries (mostly these which belong to or cooperate with universities) are given free books by foreign institutions like The British Embassy or The Library of Congress.

[Herr-Berbunch]

fortunately some libraries (mostly these which belong to or cooperate with universities) are given free books by foreign institutions like The British Embassy or The Library of Congress.

It's a cunning ploy to get the world speaking English (or a version of) and look, it's working :O:

[nikimcbee]

It's a cunning ploy to get the world speaking English (or a version of) and look, it's working :O:

If it's spelled colour, you've got the wrong version:haha:.

[kranz]

It's a cunning ploy to get the world speaking English (or a version of) and look, it's working :O:
hey...I'm still learning...:oops:

[0rpheus]

After devouring all the stuff I could find on the internet, I finally gave in and bought O Kane's 'Wahoo' - my first sub book, which arrived today!

I suspect it may not be the last:O:

[Jimbuna]

After devouring all the stuff I could find on the internet, I finally gave in and bought O Kane's 'Wahoo' - my first sub book, which arrived today!

I suspect it may not be the last:O:

Not a bad read actually.

[sharkbit]

After devouring all the stuff I could find on the internet, I finally gave in and bought O Kane's 'Wahoo' - my first sub book, which arrived today!

I suspect it may not be the last:O:

You'll want O'Kanes "Clear the Bridge" after that. :up:

:)

[Herr-Berbunch]

hey...I'm still learning...:oops:

Hey, the bit about 'a version of' wasn't aimed anywhere near you - I was referring to my American cousins (thrice removed) and then Niki demonstrated the point perfectly.

I've not noticed anything wrong with your English. :D

[STEED]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-U-boat-evolution-technical-Submarines/dp/0304361208/ref=sr_1_52?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335867180&sr=1-52

£197! GO TO HELL YOU ROBBING...Another word for for rough file with a added s at the end.

[Herr-Berbunch]

£197! GO TO HELL YOU ROBBING...Another word for for rough file with a added s at the end.

Mine was much cheaper than that, less than half. I wish it'd gone for that though! :o

[STEED]

Mine was much cheaper than that, less than half. I wish it'd gone for that though! :o

I got this one...

The German Fleet at War 1939-1945 (Hardcover)
by Vincent P. O'Hara

and take a look at the last one on the list...:o
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1591146518/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used

The book world has gone mad.

[0rpheus]

You'll want O'Kanes "Clear the Bridge" after that. :up:

:)

I've been looking out for that one but it seems harder to get hold of, at least at a reasonable price. Will keep checking though :up:

[Jimbuna]

I'm currently going through U-bootwaffe 1939 - 1945 Waldermar Trojca (four volumes).

Mine are in e-book format but I can thoroughly recommend the set/series to anyone lucky enough to come across them.....a mine of information and photographs/the dogs danglies.

[Sepp von Ch.]

Zlovestné oceány 2 - Ponorková válka 1914-1915 (czech book) :haha:

http://s16.postimage.org/6cmv4cysh/large.jpg (http://postimage.org/image/6cmv4cysh/)


Very good reading:yep:

[kranz]

I'm currently going through U-bootwaffe 1939 - 1945 Waldermar Trojca (four volumes).

Mine are in e-book format but I can thoroughly recommend the set/series to anyone lucky enough to come across them.....a mine of information and photographs/the dogs danglies.
a proud owner of the whole, paperback set :know:
(bought them as new, before they reached "ridiculous prices")

Niki demonstrated the point perfectly.

these Confederates cannot be trusted...<aims at Niki's gray back>:O:

I've not noticed anything wrong with your English. :D
:) Like 99% of Poles who speak English I have problems with 2 things: articles and the Present Perfect tense. No doubt, every time I ask any of my 'students' (I occasionally give 'private lessons'): tell me what you know about the Present Perfect, I get the same answer all the time: it's a past tense:DL

[Herr-Berbunch]

Now I don't understand a word you just said. I just speak it - the rest comes automatically. Probably why we Brits are so bad at other languages. :cry:

[kranz]

Now I don't understand a word you just said. I just speak it - the rest comes automatically.
in a nutshell:
a Polish speaker:
My hands are clean. I washed them.
My hands are clean. I washed them yesterday.

a native speaker:
My hands are clean. I have washed them.
My hands are clean. I washed them yesterday.

There are only 3 tenses in the Polish language: the present, the past and the future tense.
No matter if any past action has its consequences in the present, a Polish speaker will always use the past tense (following his native patterns) Unless he knows the difference between the Past Simple and the Present Perfect. But it takes time and practice. I know that for natives it's an automatic reaction but it doesn't work that way for non-natives.
Got it? :03:

[Jimbuna]

in a nutshell:
a Polish speaker:
My hands are clean. I washed them.
My hands are clean. I washed them yesterday.

a native speaker:
My hands are clean. I have washed them.
My hands are clean. I washed them yesterday.

There are only 3 tenses in the Polish language: the present, the past and the future tense.
No matter if any past action has its consequences in the present, a Polish speaker will always use the past tense (following his native patterns) Unless he knows the difference between the Past Simple and the Present Perfect. But it takes time and practice. I know that for natives it's an automatic reaction but it doesn't work that way for non-natives.
Got it? :03:

I know what you mean, an old female friend of mine once worked for a dentist, he was highly educated yet would often explain what he called the 'shortcomings' of the Polish language when spoken in the English context.

As a point of interest...he led the Poles at Cassino (a company strength unit IIRC).

[Subnuts]

Found a copy of this book at a local hobby shop and almost jumped for joy.

http://i46.tinypic.com/2nqxldz.jpg

I used to check it out from the local library all the time when I was a pre-teen. It's from 1987, so it's dated like a bitch, but 80s War Porn is the best War Porn!

http://i50.tinypic.com/i39pxc.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/sy6kr5.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/3344u94.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/5xo2di.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/15wz7fm.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Found a copy of this book at a local hobby shop and almost jumped for joy.



I used to check it out from the local library all the time when I was a pre-teen. It's from 1987, so it's dated like a bitch, but 80s War Porn is the best War Porn!


I thought that looked familiar....part of my book collection :DL

[Sailor Steve]

Just picked up Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind The Legend, by Ted P. Yeatman.

Anyone who has read my dozens of posts from my homeless years knows that I love a properly written biography more than just about anything else. This book is one of those. It was published in 2001, but I had never heard of it until today. Like another favorite, Casey Teffertiller's similarly titled Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind The Legend, Frank and Jesse James covers every known aspect of the legendary outlaws' lives, and comes with copious endnotes to back it all up. Each incident is annotated with newspaper accounts from several sources, diaries, court records and recorded eyewitness accounts. Nothing is taken for granted, and all the opinions from 'Brutal murderers' to 'Modern Robin Hoods' are examined carefully. I've only read the preface and the first chapter so far, so I can't give a full opinion until I've finished it. At the rate I'm going that should only be a few days. So far it's a good'un!

[Herr-Berbunch]

Rowland Whites brilliant Storm Front, about (mostly) RAF and SAS adventures in Dhofar (Oman) in the early '70s.

Rowland White is fast becoming my favourite author. This, Phoenix Squadron, and Vulcan 607 I give a hearty 10/10.

[Jimbuna]

Wings of the Malvinas by Santiago Rivas.

A fascinating and well detailed book with 400 pages packed with information/orders of battle of both sides and many previously unpublished pictures.

This book tells the story from the Argentinian side and even though I'm only a quarter the way through it I have changed one or two opinions I used to have.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wings-Malvinas-Argentine-Over-Falklands/dp/1902109228

http://www.crecy.co.uk/images/9781902109220_Wings_of_the_Malvinas.jpg

[Halgarre]

I just picked up a copy of Black May by Michael Gannon. My wife was beginning to wonder when I was going to start a library being I was slowly turning my desk into a "Mini U-Boat" as she likes to call it.

[Sailor Steve]

Western Philosophy, edited by David Papineau. It's a general primer on the subject. I got it on sale at Barnes & Noble, figuring that I'm never going to have the time to read everything I want to.

[Egan]

I've been looking out for that one but it seems harder to get hold of, at least at a reasonable price. Will keep checking though :up:

I got a first edition of it via Amazon Marketplace for about £15 not long after new year, so there are good copies out there! :yeah:

I can't seem to settle on any book for more than a few hours just now. I think all the long, sunny evenings are having a detrimental effect.....I have Melvin's biography of Manstein sitting here on the desk beside me. I might give that a bash. Also have a biography of Drusus the Elder that I just can't seem to get around to reading.

[Subnuts]

I finished reading Moby Dick all the way through. God knows how I managed that without any alcohol.

[Catalin]

I finished reading Moby Dick all the way through. God knows how I managed that without any alcohol.
dddddd

[Subnuts]

dddddd

Uhhh...welcome to Subsim? :k_confused:

[Halgarre]

I just finished The Sea Witch by Stephen Coonts.

[STEED]

I finished reading Moby Dick all the way through. God knows how I managed that without any alcohol.

I tried years ago to read that one and gave up.

Well done to you now get yourself a nice frosty beer.

[Sailor Steve]

My brand-new copy of Norman Friedman's British Destroyers: From The Earliest Days to the Second World War just arrived. A great companion to David Lyons' The First Destroyers, this book gives a detailed account of the development of the destroyers of all nations starting in 1885, and stops just before the onset of World War 2. It has production details and statistics for every British destroyer class, including the ones that were seized while being built for foreign nations, and the larger destroyer leaders and cruisers built to lead destroyers. Full details on armor and armament, every weight and speed detail imaginable.

I only have two complaints so far:
1. He doesn't give hull-plate thicknesses (Lyons had a couple of these).
2. He doesn't give tactical diameters, at least not in the charts. They may be included in the text and I just haven't found them yet. Many are available through other sources, but I was hoping for all of them in one place.

I tried years ago to read that one and gave up.
What a wuss. I read it when I was ten. :O:

[STEED]

My order arrived yesterday from the Osprey Campaign Series: Demyansk 1942-43 The Frozen Fortress. The Luftwaffe got it right here because they could supple the pocket unlike the bigger one at Stalingrad.

Don't buy many of these books but this one caught my eye.

[TLAM Strike]

Well I just opened the 1st book I've read for fun in a long while...

I'm reading Redshirts by John Scalzi. :yeah:

Possably the only book I know of with its own theme song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQIuapbeh0I)... :hmm2:

[Egan]

Reading The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway by John B. Lundstrom. Got it at Christmas but haven't mad much of a chance to delve into it before now. Very good it is too.

[Sailor Steve]

I just picked up a copy of Norman Friedman's Naval Weapons of World War One. It's a great companion piece to John Campbell's Naval Weapons of World War Two. Campbell was collecting data for the new volume when he died. His sister kindly handed over all his notes to Friedman, who then did a lot of his own research.

The book is laid out differently from Campbell's. The WW2 book is organized by Nation, then subdivided by type of weapon: Guns, Torpedoes, ASW. Friedman's book is divided by weapon type, then subdivided by nation: British Guns, American Guns, German Guns etc. That said, it is every bit as good as Campbell's work, if a bit smaller.

Friedman also has lengthy chapters on weapons development in general, plus individual articles for each country's work in the field. It's a gem, and I'm glad to have a new reference work for my naval game.

[Jimbuna]

I just picked up a copy of Norman Friedman's Naval Weapons of World War One. It's a great companion piece to John Campbell's Naval Weapons of World War Two. Campbell was collecting data for the new volume when he died. His sister kindly handed over all his notes to Friedman, who then did a lot of his own research.

The book is laid out differently from Campbell's. The WW2 book is organized by Nation, then subdivided by type of weapon: Guns, Torpedoes, ASW. Friedman's book is divided by weapon type, then subdivided by nation: British Guns, American Guns, German Guns etc. That said, it is every bit as good as Campbell's work, if a bit smaller.

Friedman also has lengthy chapters on weapons development in general, plus individual articles for each country's work in the field. It's a gem, and I'm glad to have a new reference work for my naval game.

One of the definitive pieces of facts :sunny:

[Sepp von Ch.]

U-Boats against Canada by M. Hadley. Very good book.

[kranz]

V.Suvorov -Defeat. A great analysis - as always.

[Red October1984]

I am farther along in my Clancy book adventure than last time i posted.

I believe that last time i posted, i was reading The Sum Of All Fears.

That was over a year ago. I am now reading The Teeth of The Tiger. In about 60 pages, I will be reading Dead Or Alive.

:yeah:

[Oberon]

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168570271l/34570.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

I'm still reading Frank and Jesse James. My problem is that I only sit and read when I'm riding on the bus. When I was homeless I had nothing else to do and would read one or two books every week. Now I spend most of my reading time online.

On the other hand my freshly-ordered copy of Peter Padfield's Maritime Power and the Struggle for Freedom: Naval Campaigns that Shaped the World, 1788-1851 came today. I won't be starting it for awhile since it is volume two of a trilogy. I also ordered the first of two prequels to the series, Tide of Empires: Decisive Naval Campaigns in the Rise of the West, Volume 1: 1481-1654. I'll start with it after it arrives.

[Crécy]

Herbert A. Werner's Iron Coffins. I'm about halfway through it (he's still the first officer on U-230) and I'm already completely amazed that he managed to survive the war.

[Harald_Lange]

Herbert A. Werner's Iron Coffins. I'm about halfway through it (he's still the first officer on U-230) and I'm already completely amazed that he managed to survive the war.

Same :) Halfway through this book

[Sailor Steve]

My second Padfield book arrived yesterday; Maritime Dominion: Naval Campaigns that Shaped the World, 1852 to the Present. I now have volumes 2 and 3 of that trilogy. I'm still waiting on the first books of that the other series.

[Herr-Berbunch]

SOE 1940 - 1946 by M.R.D. Foot who sadly passed earlier this year.

[Sailor Steve]

Volume 1 of the Padfield trilogy came today - Maritime Supremacy and the Opening of the Western Mind: 1588-1787 - came today. I now have all three volumes. I'm still waiting on part 1 of the two-volume prequel.

[Sailor Steve]

My copy of Tide of Empires: Decisive Naval Campaigns in the Rise of the West - 1481-1654 came yesterday. It was apparently meant to be the first of four volumes, but only two were published before Padfield started on his later series. I'm not sure if the two tie together or not.

One interesting note is the paper I found in the front of the book. I'm not sure, but it seems to imply that this is a first U.S. printing of the book, intended for submission to a reviewer. If so, I got a pretty good bargain for $13.99.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a325/SailorSteve/Frontispiece.jpg

[Sepp von Ch.]

U-108 at war (Pen and Swords, 2012)-photographic book, No ordinary War and U-79.

[STEED]

Kharkov 1942: Anatomy of a Military Disaster Through Soviet Eyes

David M. Glantz

[Jimbuna]

Allied Coastal Forces OF WWII - John Lambert and Al Ross (E-Book version).

[Herr-Berbunch]

I've put S.O.E on hold as I've got a few library books to plough through, the current one being 'Dunkirk to the Rhineland - Dairies and Sketches of Sergeant C. S. Murrell, Welsh Guards'.

Halfway through and it is a cracking read as it's all 'as was' diary entries. Who needs fiction when there are so many real stories out there to be read?

[Jimbuna]

I've put S.O.E on hold as I've got a few library books to plough through, the current one being 'Dunkirk to the Rhineland - Dairies and Sketches of Sergeant C. S. Murrell, Welsh Guards'.

Halfway through and it is a cracking read as it's all 'as was' diary entries. Who needs fiction when there are so many real stories out there to be read?

Must have milked a few cows on his travels then? :hmm2:

[castorp345]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fH3n0CiwL._SS500_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51UrB4xwCVL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61Gd7HSW3hL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OoH6Aej5L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

:arrgh!:

'guess what's been occupying my non-subsimming time lately...

[Herr-Berbunch]

Must have milked a few cows on his travels then? :hmm2:

It's a fair cop, guv! :haha:

[Jimbuna]

It's a fair cop, guv! :haha:

http://www.psionguild.org/forums/images/smilies/wolfsmilies/wolfcop.gif

:03:

[Sailor Steve]

'guess what's been occupying my non-subsimming time lately...
Pretty awesome pastime! :rock:

[Julhelm]

Almost finished with Deep Six, next up is To Kill The Potemkin.

[Sailor Steve]

I'm just finishing volume 1 of Padfield's Tide of Empires and it is quite good. Whole chapters are devoted to Vasco da Gama's campaign of terror in the Indian Ocean and the Portuguese attempts to set up a trading empire by brute force. Of course it wasn't all one-sided; the Muslim merchants had a monopoly and didn't want competition from the west. Padfield's contention is that religion had nothing to do with the naval campaigns of the era. Greed was the sole driving force, and everything else was a cover. He then goes on to show the same thing for the Spanish colonization of the New World, and ultimately the war between England and Spain, with the execution of Mary Stuart being yet another excuse for one nation to try to conquer the other. I'm about to start the finishing chapters on the Anglo-Dutch trade war of the 1600s, and it's obviously going to be more of the same.

That sounds boring, but Padfield gives detailed views of each campaign and the personalities of the major players. It's an easy read, and quite absorbing. It's more than thirty years old and out of print, but still available online for a very low price.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Stormbird: One of the Luftwaffe's Highest Scoring Me262 Aces by Hermann Buchner.

Just gone through his childhood, and he's just turned up for basic training. :yeah:

[Jimbuna]

The Battle Of The Atlantic (The Ryal Canadian Navy's Greatest Campaign 1939-1945) by Dr Roger Sarty

[Red October1984]

Stormbird: One of the Luftwaffe's Highest Scoring Me262 Aces by Hermann Buchner.

Just gone through his childhood, and he's just turned up for basic training. :yeah:

Wait. Whoa whoa whoa.


That sounds amazing. :hmmm:

I am looking it up on wikipedia as I type.

[mookiemookie]

When Genius Failed - The Rise & Fall of Long Term Capital Management by Roger Lowenstein.

Drawing on confidential internal memos and interviews with dozens of key players, Lowenstein explains not just how the fund made and lost its money but also how the personalities of Long-Term’s partners, the arrogance of their mathematical certainties, and the culture of Wall Street itself contributed to both their rise and their fall.

Great for financial nerds like me. A nice warning against hubris and the arrogance of Wall Street.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Wait. Whoa whoa whoa.


That sounds amazing. :hmmm:

I am looking it up on wikipedia as I type.


It is good so far, lots of pictures too, which is good. :yeah:

[A Hidden Soul]

I own this book and it's very good. I suggest this one to most of you to read.

Blind Man's Bluff (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Man%27s_Bluff:_The_Untold_Story_of_American_ Submarine_Espionage)

[Sepp von Ch.]

Now a new book U 997 - Geleitzugschlachten im Eismeer: Mit Ritterkreuzträger Hans Lehmann auf Feindfahrt vor Murmansk http://www.amazon.de/997-Geleitzugschlachten-Ritterkreuztr%C3%A4ger-Feindfahrt-Murmansk/dp/3803500265/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346530110&sr=8-1

and

Kapitänleutnant Max-Martin Teichert: Mit U456 im Nordmeer und Atlantik - http://www.amazon.de/Kapit%C3%A4nleutnant-Max-Martin-Teichert-Nordmeer-Atlantik/dp/3548282334/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346530119&sr=8-1


Really great reading matter about artic war in 1944/45 (U-997) and 1942/43 (U-456).

[Herr-Berbunch]

Not finished the other book yet, or the myriad on the bookshelves, but I bought a recent translation of All Quiet On The Western Front today. :woot:

[Red October1984]

My Clancy journey is coming to an end. Im in the middle of Locked On.

After that, I have Red Storm Rising and Against All Enemies to read and i'll be done with all of Clancy's books.


Wonderful author. :rock:

[seaniam81]

Just finished A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin, Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Currently on page 400 of Shadow Warriors by Tom Clancy, and just started Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey. Once Shadow Warriors is done I'll start on A Feast for Crows by Martin.

Yes I read a lot

[Jimbuna]

My Clancy journey is coming to an end. Im in the middle of Locked On.

After that, I have Red Storm Rising and Against All Enemies to read and i'll be done with all of Clancy's books.


Wonderful author. :rock:

Red Storm Rising in particular is an excellent read :cool:

[Red October1984]

Red Storm Rising in particular is an excellent read :cool:

So I've heard.

I'm saving it for last. I'm not counting SSN. Apparently it isnt very good.

[indy]

Ya good read although I find all Clancy's book interesting.

[Jimbuna]

So I've heard.

I'm saving it for last. I'm not counting SSN. Apparently it isnt very good.

I used to be a big fan of the author Douglas Reeman too :cool:

[Kaye T. Bai]

Angels of Vengeance (2012), by John Birmingham

The third book in a trilogy about what would've happened everybody in North America mysteriously disappeared on March 14th, 2003.

The third book follows a Mexican refugee, a duo of a British aristocrat/retired USCG CPO, the new U.S. President, and a secret agent. I like the refugee and U.S. President, but I for the life of me, can't stand the secret agent.

[Subnuts]

I'm about 200 pages into Norman Friedman's U.S. Small Combatants. So far it's a lot easier to read than his book on American submarines through 1945, which was so oddly edited I had to read it three times just to understand it.

[Sepp von Ch.]

Q-Ships versus U-Boats, K.M.Beyer:rock:

[Jimbuna]

Die Deutsche Kriegsmarine Vol 1, Heavy Warships by Ulrich Elfrath

[Gray Owl]

Recovering from total knee replacement has given me some time to dedicate a bit more time to reading than usual. So I'm taking advantage of it :)currently I'm into Clay Blair's "Hitler's U-Boat War the Hunters". I have only three chapters left in Craig L. Simonds "Lincoln and his Admirals" and I'm almost thru "Hornblower and the Hotspur". Blair's book is excellent detailed with out dragging I read "Silent Victory" many years ago and find this a good companion to that. Simonds book is a refreshing change for me I live in Gettysburg and like many of the Gettysburg transplants came there for the battlefield and Civil War studies. There is a massive amount of material on Lincoln and the Army but not nearly as much on his relationship with the Navy and its leaders. This book fills that gap. I'm opening my self to criticism on this but the Hornblower series are good reads but I'm spoiled after reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. I found that I became more involved in the lives of Lucky Jack and his temperamental Doctor friend they became realer and I found myself caring more about the world they lived in. Hornblower is more reserved and not so open. Still they are good sea stories and I recommend them to my land locked friends.

[Jimbuna]

The second book from Clay Blair 'The Hunted' is also a 'must read'.

[sharkbit]

The second book from Clay Blair 'The Hunted' is also a 'must read'.

Good luck trying to find a cheap copy though. Amazon shows a used copy now for $55. The book is good but I'm not sure if is that good.

I got lucky a couple of years ago and got a used copy on e-bay for $35.

:)