What Are You Reading?

Hello gentlemen,

I'm reading 'Bodenplatte, The Luftwaffe's Last Hope', by John Manhro and Ron Putz (2004). It's a good book.

Regards,
I-16 Rata

 

a new book from Lela Presse on the Messerschmitt Me 323

http://www.avions-bateaux.com/en/catalogue-livre-catalogue_1459.html

168-page hardback features over 340 photos - some previously unpublished and in colour - artwork profiles by Thierry Dekker and technical and aircraft handbook drawings.
The text is largely based around the unpublished memoir of KGzbV 323/TG 5 Me 323 pilot Walter Honig

 

No idea what I have posted here as I've been away so here is a list of books I finished reading.

Operation Barbarossa - Strategy & Tactics on the Eastern Front, 1941
By Bryan I. Fugate

Barbarossa 1941
By David M. Glantz

When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler
By Glantz & House

Barbarossa: The Russian German Conflict 1941-45
By Alan Clark

Storming Eagles
German Airborne Forces in World War Two
By James Lucas

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

The Bismark 1941
Hunting Germany's greatest battleship
Osprey Campaign series No.232


I'm a good third of the way in to reading this one at the moment...

Operation Barbarossa and German's Defeat in the East
By David Stahel

 

I'm reading Auschwitz by Laurence Rees. So far learned a lot not only about Auschwitz but about other camps. Going to have to take another trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC again after reading this book.

 

I would recommend if you have not read it this one..

Commandant of Auschwitz
Rodolf Hoess

 

Tigers in the Mud Stackpole Series on Otto Carius. Opinions on this one?

The Fall of Berlin - Antony Beevor

 

Richard, thanks for the information, will read that book next. Thanks again.

 

Wekusta, Luftwaffe Meteorological Recon Units and Operations 1938-1945

by John Kington and Franz Selinger

256 pages, photos, technical sections, weather maps. Brief unit histories, fascinating reading and in many regards comparisons of what our own Air- weather surveys are done thanks to the German Luftwaffe - many of the techniques and modes have been carried over to today's weather forecasting.
Will give it an A due to the reality that nothing has ever been truly written in as much detail(s) as these scarce units really deserve.

 

Amazon.com: Nichivo: Tales from the Russian Front 1941-43 (9780304359264): Giorgio Geddes: Books

Amazon.com: Rakka ryusui: Colonel Akashi's report on his secret cooperation with the Russian revolutionary parties during the Russo-Japanese War (Studia historica) (9789518915167): Motojiro Akashi: Books

Amazon.com: Secret War Against Hitler (9780425116159): William Casey: Books

 

I'm reading a classic at the moment: John Keegan's The First World War. Keegan really drags you into the story. Reads like a novel

 

i have been looking on ebay at the book (Item number: 270790434468) a view from the turret by major bill close mc, its signed and has pictures he took during ww2 with it. it is on auction with a start price of £35.00 when i looked for the book on amazon sellers are asking for around £90.00 for the book, is this correct for the book as it seems a little pricey. i hope i am posting in the right place and hopefully one of you guys will be able to advise me ( first time user of forums ) thank you

 

Just finished Amazon.com: Onward We Charge: The Heroic Story of Darby's Rangers in World War II: H. Paul Jeffers: Books, about Col. Darby and the formation and (mis)use of the Rangers during WW2. Not a bad book, and at 281 pages of actual book, it was a pretty good general overview of the Rangers' beginnings. I wish the book had gone into more detail regarding either a) William Orlando Darby himself, or 2) the Rangers. Guess I'm sorta spoiled by Carlo D'Este's "Patton: A Genius For War" as far as biographies go. Still, this wasn't a bad book if someone's not too familiar with either I. Col Darby or b) the Rangers themselves. Still, I'm left wanting more information to fill in gaps. I haven't decided yet if I'm gonna keep this one or drop it at a used book store.

 

Bradley has got to be by far my favorite WWII author. The book 'Flags of our Fathers' has to be the best book I've ever read .

 

Maybe not the greatest book about Darby, but a good start, I'd guess. As always happens here another timely post has come my way. I finished Operation Mincemeat, which mentioned Darby. He became friendly with the commander of a British submarine, the Seraph, whose name was Bill Jewell. The Seraph played important roles in the Operation Mincemeat and Operation Husky. Jewell admired Darby greatly and he was mentioned several times and I decided I needed to find out more about him. The book mentioned he turned down many promotions to stay with his men, but couldn't turn down his last promotion to Brigadier General because it was posthumous. (Happy to see this post)

Not a book about WWII, but I am currently reading, My Thoughts Be Bloody, about the Booth brothers, Edwin and John Wilkes.

 

Clementine, there are a couple of other good books about Darby, but nothing that goes into the level of detail that d'Este puts into his research. At least, none that I've found. A couple of books that touch on the Rangers are "An Army At Dawn" (briefly goes over their stand at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia) and "The Day of Battle" (their exploits in Sicily and Italy) by Rick Atkinson. "Darby's Rangers: We Led The Way" (William O. Darby and William H. Baumer) is written almost completely from notes taken from a series of interviews with Col. Darby himself while he was assigned to Washington DC after Anzio. I also want to say I remember reading about them (or the FSSF, which is another fascinating study...check out "A Perfect Hell" by John Nadler and "The Devil's Brigade" by Robert H. Adleman and George Walton) in "The Rock of Anzio" (by Whitlock). While not directly related to Col. Darby himself, "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides tells of the Rangers in the Pacific, specifically the raid to free POW's from the labor camp at Cabanatuan in the Philippines (the basis...and almost the script for...the movie "The Great Raid". They changed the airplane at the end, which pissed me off).

Just started "Ship of Ghosts" by James Hornfischer about the USS Houston. Really looking forward to reading this one...after which I'm taking a break and diving into Larry Correia's newest, "Monster Hunter Alpha" (Amazon.com: Monster Hunter Alpha (9781439134580): Larry Correia: Books). Corriea has a way of taking traditional monster lore....and throwing it out the window. You'll never look at a garden gnome and laugh after reading book 2! LOL

Haven't read "Unbroken" yet, but I did find Mr. Zamperini's biography at a used book store. http://www.amazon.com/Devil-My-Heel...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312336031&sr=1-1

 

Churchill...Roy Jenkins...Well I never....fascinating.

 

RabidAlien, I will check into the books you mentioned, and I am particularly interested in the book written from Darby's interviews. Thanks for the info.

I recently finished Ship of Ghosts, and I really liked it (like isn't the proper word, but you know what I mean). It was just better than I even thought it would be. And I also recently finished Unbroken, which was excellent. Recommend them both. (Of interest to me, as well, the book about Zamperini has a small tie to one of the men mentioned in Ship of Ghosts.)

 

Yeah, I think he spent time in a camp with some of the Houston guys, and I want to say he was in with Boyington for a period, as well. But its been awhile since I read the Zamperini book, so my noggin might be a bit off. Har. "Might". That's funny.