What is everyone reading?

Currently, I'm reading D-Day: The Normandy Invasion In Retrospect, 1971 The Eisenhower Foundation.

It's a collection of essays from primarily US military historical officers, with much of the focus from a very broad scope of planning. While my favorite military history works are instead those on equipment and personal accounts it's still a great read especially for the $0.50 I spent for it in a local thrift store.

Nothing like the smell of an old book. Or a new one, for that matter.

 

At the moment I am reading following books:
R.V. Jones "most secret war"
Len Deighton "Blitzkrieg"

 

I have just started "The Blitzkrieg Myth" but written by John Mosier

Is one a knock-off of the other?

 

I just finished Dave Guterson's novel "Snow Falling on Cedars" and I intend to spend some time on the winter issue of Military History Quarterly next.

 

Finished reading "Armor battles of Waffen-SS" and begun reading "Hitler's generals" and "Liberation day" by Andy McNab

 

Of course, "Hitler's generals" is NOT written by Andy

 

Currently I am about 3/4 through Enemy at the Gates . After I finnish that I am going to start The Maverick War: Chennault and the Flying Tigers .

 

I am about to start the third reich by Micael Burleigh. It's a big read but I'm definetly looking forward to it. Anybody have any comments about that one?

 

It's a very highly-regarded book and almost without doubt the best available one-volume history of the Reich. When it appeared two or three years ago the reviews were very good.

The good thing about Burleigh is that his style is interesting and readable. He also uses all the latest research and there's a very good bibliography at the back as well.

Some criticisms have been raised by the latest historian to tackle the subject. Richard J Evans in ' The Coming Of The Third Reich' ( Allen Lane 2003 ) complains that Burleigh skims over foreign policy and military strategy and lacks a lot of explanation and analysis. But then Evans' own work will eventually run to three volumes......

It's a good read, Onthefield, and you'll learn a lot !

 

I think that book, along with Kershaw's volumes of "HItler" can make a Third Reich expert from you, On! (By the way, I bumped Kershaw's thread in this forum for you and you didn't see it...)

 

I just finished reading "The Last Nazis" 'SS Werewolf Guerrilla Resistance in Europe 1944-1947' by Perry Biddiscombe. I thought it was an above average read, and recomend it.
I just started "The Perfect Soldier" Special Operations, Commandos, and future of U.S. Warfare" by James Dunnigan

 

Most recently, I finished reading Pallud's Battle of the Bulge--Then and Now; right now, I've begun Liddell-Hart's The German Generals Talk and Robert Waite's The Psychopathic God--Adolf Hitler.

Yours,
Paul

 

Reading the British Burma battles as Field Marshal Slim´s memoirs and

Started "The Devil's Disciples: The Lives and Times of Hitler's Inner Circle"
by Anthony Read (2003)

Some 996 pages but I could not resist buying it once I saw it...( unfortunately the critics claim this book gives nothing new...) Well, we´ll see....

 

Just finishing off Martin Middlebrooks 'The Falklands war 1982'

About to start Davif Glantz and Harold Orenstein's 'The Battle for Kursk: The Soviet General Staff Study' and Wilhelm Tieke's 'In the Firestorm of the Last Years of the War: II. SS-Panzerkorps...'

Also just doing some brushing up reading on british armoured ops in NW Europe for a book proposal i'm writing.

 

Have you read Hastings The Battle for the Falklands? How does it compare?

I suppose you have read The Black Bull and Tank Tracks. Are there any other 'readable' books on the subject that you would recommend?

 

No i haven't read Hastings. It is up on the list for next year.

depends on what you mean by readable but here are a couple that are quite interesting:

Jorgensen C and Mann C (2001) Strategy and Tactics: Tank Warfare: The Illustrated History of the Tank at War 1914-2000

Jarymowycz R J (2001) Tank Tactics: From Normandy to Lorraine

Tout K (2002) Roads to Falaise: ‘Cobra’ and ‘Goodwood’ Reassessed

I also know that next year there is to be published a book on british armour in normandy, this is because my head of department is writing it, so watch this space. I'll let you know more about it.

 

I've just read "Black Sheep One" about Pappy Boyington -- definitely makes one believe Pappy's statement, "Show me a hero and I'll prove he's a bum."

For Christmas I believe I am getting " Chesty- the Story of General Lewis Burwell Puller, USMC"

 

Charles Messenger's Chronological Atlas of World War Two. It's a good read and has great maps.

 

Hi everyone, hope you all had a good xmas

I have just read 'The devils own luck' by Denis Edwards......Denis is one of the survivors of the Coup De Main force that attacked Pegasus Bridge. He was in Glider number one along with Major Howard...

The book tells a little about Denis's background and the training the Ox&Bucks took part in prior to D-day. Thereafter the book is a kind of diary of events from D-day up to D+90. The 'battle of the Bulge and Rhine crossing are also covered.

A very good read....ISBN 0 85052 869 0 £12.95

Regards graham

 

Needless to say, my first book-read of 2004 is Peter Spoden's 'Enemy In The Dark' .

He is very modest about his writing efforts, but the book so far 'flows' very well and one gets a real sense of his character and humanity...not always the case with 'we did this and then we did that' memoirs. I like the (many) illustrations, too. Full marks for the translation by Peter Hinchliffe who has done so much to help Nachtjagd survivors tell their side of the story.