What Are You Reading?

I just finished “Iron Coffins” and loved it. Need to find some more U boat books. I switched gears and started “The SS: Alibi of a Nation”. So far it’s interesting, but kind of a lot of information crammed in about the history of the Freikorps, which is kind of hard to follow right now for my feeble brain, but hopefully I’ll get the hang of Gerald Reitlinger’s writing style.

 

Reading "The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy," by Rick Atkinson currently.

 

Bomber Mafia.

 

BTW, the first person I found who envisioned strategic bombing of cities and carpet bombing of armies was a Confederate who envisioned waves of his steam powered, iron framed, oak planked orinthopters operated by a sole "conductor" raining Greek Fire down upon Union cities, armies and navies.

That predates the Italian Guilo Douhet.

 

Which one? R. Finley Hunt, Richard Oglesby Davidson, or William C. Powers.

Don't forget, on the Union side, Edward Serrell, Chief Engineer of the Union Army of the James.

All were looking into building helicopter bombers. Problem was none could get the steam plant weight down to make steam power practicable.

 

Reading

Marshall, George C., Henry H. Arnold, and Ernest J. King. The War Reports. New York. Walter Millis, ed. New York, NY: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1947.
Hobbs, Joseph P. Dear General: Eisenhower's Wartime Letters to Marshall. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 [1971.]



Christian Belena
Archivist and WWII Subject Specialist with federal government
US Navy veteran, 1987-1993

 

Not to mention water for the boiler...Steam engines of the time consumed slightly more water than coal(by weight).

 

Yes weight and size was the biggest problem with an "external combustion engine" at least one that produced any sort of horse power. It was the "internal combustion engine" that made their ideas come to life...The first successful internal combustion engine was created in 1860 - Giving a chance for the helicopter...But it wasn't until 1876 that the engine became widely accepted. Of course an engine wasn't the only problem to solve when inventing a helicopter - Michelangelo also thought up the concept...



The Germans also saw the potential in such a craft...It is impressive that Civil war era people were also mulling the idea over.

.

 

Davidson the dentist (with no schooling). He envisioned a 1 HP steam powered wing flapping machine.

 

View attachment 35722 I have the book “Big Week” on order and should be arriving any day. About the biggest week of attack on the German factories, rails etc. that was ever planned, from the British air fields in World War II. It got very good reviews and I am anxious to read it. I have read a lot on the land battles and the war at sea, but have never read much at all on the history of World War II air war. (It’s about time) Edit 8/25/21:
Got it now and it’s really good,

 

From Port Hudsom to Cedar Creek (Civil War).

 

I just received Global Mission by General Arnold ($3.89 purchase from Thrift Books) only to find that it was signed by Hap!