What is everyone reading?

After several recommendations from the learned people here and the BBC documentary, I'm currently reading and oldie but goodie,

"Through Hell For Hitler - Henry Metelmann"

Very interesting take on a man growing up in the nazi regime, being in the hitler youth, then a Panzer Driver. Henry is very very honest in his writing, showing his family's (opposite) view of Hitler's regime and their predictions of doom, they being cowed by the party and their friends/role models being locked up and killed as opposed to the influential mind of a 17 year old boy and how Hitler will save Germany.

More later perhaps...

 

Got a book on "V-2 Hitler´s weapon" from the early 1960´s by certain Mr Irving.

I know his later works are quite "unbelievable" but after getting it for some 5€ from a second-hand-store I decided to buy it. As well I think it was quite good and according to the name list he gives he certainly interviewed a whole buch of people...

I guess the early books by Irving until "Rommel" are of good value??

 

I think the book was called 'The Mare's Nest' when it was published over here, Kai.

The Irving thing is a real problem from those like us who wish to read and research. It's easy to say : 'He's a Fascist nut-case who says the holocaust never happened' but it's deeper than that.

I too used to think his early books were OK and that he 'went off the rails' after writing 'Hitler's War' in 1975.

But this is what historian Richard Evans proved so brilliantly at the High Court : he dissected 'The Destruction Of Dresden' , which was Irving's very first book. And he proved beyond any doubt that the research involved was brilliant, but that Irving had ignored or left out awkward bits which did not sit well with the theory he was trying to 'push'.

So there's the quandary - which bits are the result of Irving's research, and which bits are his own views ?

And in case you think I'm going all 'Holier than thou', I have ALL Irving's books in my collection - some signed by him

And who's to say that other historians - especially some of the more 'poular' ones - don't do pretty much the same thing ; it's just that their political views aren't so controversial as Mr Irving's ?

By all means read - but with caution !

[ 04. January 2004, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: Martin Bull ]

 

Thanx Martin!

I´ll handle Irving´s information with caution!!

 

Before Christmas I sort of hinted to my father for a few WWII books that I had glanced at - one on Weapons of the SS, another on Finnish involvment during WWII, and a "what if" about Seelowee..........what I got was two Stephen Ambrose books - "The Wild Blue" and "To America"...I guess he could have done worse? I've started on "To America." It's about American history from Washington to the present. I don't know much about the guy but I would say that by the little I have read of his book, I would certainly argue a lot of things with him, such as his implying that American's, namely whites, should hang our heads in shame for what our ancestors did to the Indian's...what a crock of ****!

 

Here´s the KG 200 book. I wonder if Erich has any comments on it? I´ll start reading it in a couple of days..

KG 200

The Luftwaffe's Most Secret Unit
Geoffrey J. Thomas & Barry Ketley


http://www.hikokiwarplanes.com/kg200.htm

 

i have that one Kai, at least i think its the same one. Read it a few years ago, found it very interesting.

I'm reading The Campaigns of Alexander by Arrian.

 

"Wicked Wits Of Winston Churchill"
"Inside Camp X"

and My New favorite book (havn't got to reading it quite yet....)

"The Ciano Diaries"

DUCE

 

Martin, I received a little note from Peter Spoden and he requested that I look at your notation about his book. Seems he does visit us on occassion after all ! He has not even seen the English version yet........

~E

 

I believe that Herr Spoden's son looks in occasionally.....

 

currently i'm reading "The Greatest Generation Speaks" by tom brokaw and some other fellow. i want to get "A Boys Crusade" not sure who wrote it.

 

Hey 5-0, how is that book so far, the Greatest Generation Speaks. I've heard alot about it and am interested.

 

it's pretty good most of it is first hand accounts of vets, and accounts from their loved ones if they didn't return, it also has accounts of people that lived in occupied countries at the time of the war.

 

Yesterday begun reading Alan Moorhead's "African trilogy".

 

Nothing WW2 unfortunately-
The Ancient Celts, by Barry Cunliffe
The Celtic World, by Miranda Green.

Regards,
Gordon

 

Hey

Sorry for my absence. Recent death in my family. Got some WWII and older Memoralia...Grandpas RAF Mug, Tie, and Badge, and his fathers Certificates of Promotion. Plus his WWII Photo Album etc.

Anyways, i just finished readying The Burma Road. A very very good book, IMO, and it was a very enjoyabale read. Didnt really know much about the theatre, other then Merrils Marauders, so i learnt a lot.

Currently reading Flyboys (by the author who wrote Flags of Our Fathers). Also a very interesting read. Learnt a lot about the history of Japan and the training its soldiers got during WWII. Pretty gruesome stuff. The book is about the fate of 8 Flyboys and an Island hust north of Iwo Jima. (this island had 5,000 more Japanese troops and no flat beaches/areas). Bush (Sr.) was the only survivor of the attack on the Island and the fate of the other 8 pilots was kept a secret for 40+ Plus years, so their immediate family didnt know of their fates until recently.

 

Reading a few things at the moment, First World War themed mostly, swapping between them as and when I feel like. Probably not the most effective way of reading, but there you are.

Martin Middlebrook - The Battle of Hamburg
Hew Strachan - The First World War; Volume I - To Arms
Phillip Warner - Field Marshall Earl Haig.

 

I'm currently not reading any book about WWII...

However, I am now reading some of my Christmas presents and adquisitions.

Two biographies of Marie Antoiniette, one by Jean Chalon and the other by Stefan Zweig.

Along with a volume (the one about Louis XVI) of the collection called "Histoires d'Amour de l'Histoire Française" (Love stories of French History) by Guy Bréton.

And finally a 900 pages book by several authors called "The French Revolution".

That's a great book. I read it last year along with Manfredi's "Aléxandros". Nice and biased classic historical reading.

Green, please let us know how's that book. I am yearning for a good biography about marshal Haig.

 

Laterst on the pile is:

Tolkiens - the Lord of the rings

Ian Gooderson - Close air support at the battlefront

Bryan Perret - Last Stands

 

Just finished 'Pathfinder - Wartime Memoirs' by D C T Bennett and moved onto Gordon Musgrove's 'Pathfinder Force - A History Of 8 Group' .....