What are you reading right now?

[Camaero]

Originally Posted by Chock

Currently reading a technical book on the Curtiss P-40 'Warhawk' as part of my research for reviewing the Shockwave P-40 add-on for FSX.

Chock

Very nice. That just might be my favorite war bird. It wasn't the best fighter, but it was there when we needed it. Our most successful plane that was built without WWII in mind.

[Chock]

It's very much maligned from what I've been reading. It was always one of my favourites when I was a kid, and before I was clued up about the various performance differences between fighters, I could never understand why it wasn't more popular, as it's one of those aircraft that just 'looks right'. But even so, although it's not one of the glamourous A-Listers of WW2 like the Spitfire and the Mustang, and it always struggled a bit in terms of performance, in the right hands it could clearly do a lot of damage, and unlike a lot of other fighter planes conceived in the mid-thirties, it stayed in production almost until the very end of WW2.

It did feature some advanced stuff when it first appeared too; not many fighters had a retractable tail wheel in 1939, for example. And I don't think there is another aircraft that suits the big 'snarling mouth' paintjob as much as the P-40. Apparently it was the first Army aircraft ever to fly from a US Navy carrier too, so it does have a few claims to fame.

Chock

[blue3golf]

Just finished "First Clash" by Kenneth Macksey. It was written in the early '80's as a specific training scenario and published (B-GL-309-006/FT-001) for the Canadian Army fighting the Russians in West Germany had they attacked NATO. Quite interesting to read due to the fact of the now outdated weapons and also to get a mindset of what people were thinking back then as far as how an aggressor would act. One problem is the acute detail it goes into as far as units and their movements. Have to use the maps provided and then still sometimes you can get turned around. All in all good read though. In one word, insightful.

[Kazuaki Shimazaki II]

Originally Posted by blue3golf

Just finished "First Clash" by Kenneth Macksey. It was written in the early '80's as a specific training scenario and published (B-GL-309-006/FT-001) for the Canadian Army fighting the Russians in West Germany had they attacked NATO. Quite interesting to read due to the fact of the now outdated weapons and also to get a mindset of what people were thinking back then as far as how an aggressor would act. One problem is the acute detail it goes into as far as units and their movements. Have to use the maps provided and then still sometimes you can get turned around. All in all good read though. In one word, insightful.

Interesting. Did they write it up in such a way that the Russians died like they did in Red Storm Rising?

Anyway, currently I'm drilling through the British Naval Review, 1955-1996. It is interesting, but some things were apparent:

1. It seems like the Royal Navy can't really let go of their "glory days" up to the end of WWII. Every Naval Review seems to have at least a quarter of its pages dedicated to reminiscing pre-WWII people and events as far as 300 years back...
2. The gripes: Unlike, for example, the US Military Review (which tends to focus on tactics), there's a significantly higher percentage of articles dedicated to promotions, training and other personnel issues. Most gripes are inevitably followed up by at least one letter-writer telling Griper to suck it up.
3. Russophobia: OK, this is typical of Cold War pieces, but a disturbing percentage of articles show horribly little sympathy (and thus understanding) of the other side. Discussion of Russian proposals tend to be dismissed on security grounds, while unilateral reductions on the Russian side are brusquely dismissed as "Russians doing what we wanted them to do for eons" without a single attempt to realize that the Russians are compromising their security concept. That's the significance, you moron. Why don't you thinking how loudly you'd balk giving up one of the points you just rated Unconcedable!
4. Superiority complex: It seems to fade as you get to the later issues, but the ones closer to 1955 can be fairly ... ugh. Other navies (even NATO) are described as "inferior", without describing exactly where their inferiority is. Ostensible quotes from naval officers of other nations are constantly used to "prove" their own superiority (one wonders how many of them were just being polite). A discussion of Soviet Frunze Higher Naval School (in 1955) ends with dismissively evaluating that Soviet Junior Officers that he sees are equivalent to UK Petty Officers. I can buy that a Royal Navy officer averages out somewhat superior (they have prestige and tradition to help them), but this is quite a disgustingly condescending remark, especially without clear justification, no? One wonders how many Russian officers said article writer actually saw to take his measurement. One will again at least think the man can come up with specific inferiorities, but he only makes a vague comparison to the US Naval Academy. Apparently (according to the writer) if only you dress the cadets differently (like officers), they'd come out smarter in the end! The Russians will be well advised to take this idea - it costs next to nothing after all!

[Grayback]

I just picked up Red Storm Rising for the 1st time since 1987. The most stunning thing is how much better Clancy writes than most of the hacks who use his name on blurbs for their books.

[Iron Budokan]

Originally Posted by Grayback

I just picked up Red Storm Rising for the 1st time since 1987. The most stunning thing is how much better Clancy writes than most of the hacks who use his name on blurbs for their books.

Clancy didn't write that book by himself, Larry Bond wrote quite a bit of it, more than half, actually, so I wish people would stop saying Clancy wrote it by himself; he didn't, and he admits as much. Bond is also responsible for the in-depth characterization and the higher-than-average quality of the writing one usually gets from Clancy.

[Iron Budokan]

Since I last checked in I just finished these books by Nietzsche:

Thus Spake Zarathustra
The Birth of Tragedy
On the Genealogy of Morality
Beyond Good and Evil
Ecce Homo

and these by John Stewart Mill:

On Liberty
Utilitarianism
The Subjection of Women

When I finished that I read U-Boat Combat Missions by Lawrence Paterson. I highly recommend this book. Good info and superior photographs along with many interviews of real-life U-boat captains.
I'm now reading The Silencers by Donald Hamilton. Rereading it, actually. I'm a big Matt Helm freak. (The novels, not the idiotic movies.)

[Chock]

Currently reading a reprinted translation of the German Department for War Maps and Communications: German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, which is based on a series of documents first circulated in 1939/40 and discovered in 1945 during the Allies trek across Germany. It was originally presented in the form of two or three folders, and was circulated to various German commanders to assist them in planning for Operation Sealion and the (planned) takeover of the British Isles. It's a series of reports on social customs, population traits, demographics, tactical locations, targets, maps, transport, infrastructure, terrain, weather, reconnaissance photos, useful English phrases etc, etc.

It's been reprinted in hardback book format from one of the few original copies, held at the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford). Makes quite interesting reading to see such a study of your own country from another perspective, some of it is quite enlightening and there are some interesting/amusing (incorrect) assumptions in there too.

Just in case you're interested, it cost 6 quid in the UK and the ISBN number is: 1-85124-356-9

Chock

[STEED]

Originally Posted by Chock

Currently reading a reprinted translation of the German Department for War Maps and Communications: German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, which is based on a series of documents first circulated in 1939/40 and discovered in 1945 during the Allies trek across Germany. It was originally presented in the form of two or three folders, and was circulated to various German commanders to assist them in planning for Operation Sealion and the (planned) takeover of the British Isles. It's a series of reports on social customs, population traits, demographics, tactical locations, targets, maps, transport, infrastructure, terrain, weather, reconnaissance photos, useful English phrases etc, etc.

It's been reprinted in hardback book format from one of the few original copies, held at the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford). Makes quite interesting reading to see such a study of your own country from another perspective, some of it is quite enlightening and there are some interesting/amusing (incorrect) assumptions in there too.

Just in case you're interested, it cost 6 quid in the UK and the ISBN number is: 1-85124-356-9

Chock

Thanks Chock

Just placed my order for the book with P&P £4.95

[odjig292]

Getting back into SH4 has me reading submarine stuff all over again. My last five books have been:

• I found an almost mint copy of Roscoe and am wading through it again,
• The First Convoy To Die by Davis O'Brian (HX-72)
• Crisis Convoy by V-Adm. Peter Gretton (HX231)
• Tide Rising by Weir & Bourne
• Volume 1 of Clay Blair's Hitler's U-Boat War

This thread has some great leads for future reading. Happy reading over the next two weeks to everyone.

[Subnuts]

Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover, and General Dynamics by Patrick Tyler. It's about the controversy surrounding the design and building of the 688-class submarines. 60 pages in and really good so far. A little dated (written during the Mid 80s) but very interesting reading.

[FIREWALL]

U-BOAT ACE The Story of Wolfgang Luth by Jordan Vause

[ChrisG2100]

Iron Coffins. It's fantastic!

[Sockeye]

Currently reading "Winged Victory" by V.M. Yeates

[iambecomelife]

Originally Posted by Grayback

I just picked up Red Storm Rising for the 1st time since 1987. The most stunning thing is how much better Clancy writes than most of the hacks who use his name on blurbs for their books.

Who cares how well he writes? He murdered the "USS Wainwright" in that book, and I've never forgiven him!

Seriously, though, he truly is superior to most writers in the genre, although I can't say exactly why. After reading "Red Storm Rising" I bought several books by other authors, assuming they were his equal - and I was disappointed. RSR spoiled me big time.