Read any good books lately?

I just started "Spearhead" by Adam Makos, the auhtor of Higher Call.  It's real history about men in the Third Armored at the end of WW 2.  Very well done.  Have not finished it.  It just was published.

GMorrison

That sounds like a good read. Reviews suggest it aligns with Shattered Sword.

One often overlooked fact is how Yorktown was turned around in 48 hours at Pearl Harbor.

 

For the most part, Midway Inquest does. But where it diverges, the author presents his case factually, with supporting reasons, documents or testimonial, and allows the reader to form their own conclusions. Just as in Shattered Sword, nothing truly earth shattering is revealed. 

Bill O’Reilly‘s killing Patton didnt know the details of his car Accident

GMorrison

...One often overlooked fact is how Yorktown was turned around in 48 hours at Pearl Harbor.

Would you explain what you mean, GM?  I can't think of a book on Midway that I've read, that doesn't describe how we repaired her and sent her out in 48 hours, and the significance of that for the battle.  I want to understand the point you're making.

I've got three books going now:

"Forgotten Ally:  China's WWII, 1937-1945", by Rana Mitter;

"Rediscovering Americanism", by Mark Levin;

"The Case for Trump", by Victor Davis Hanson.

I want to get Professor Hanson's book on WW II, too.  I've heard some of his interviews and read some of his essays, that came out when the book was released, and it interests me.

Simply that Shokaku and Zuikaku were laid up for months, which definitely changed the game at Midway, and Yorktown was assumed by the japanese to be out of commission for a while, but was turned around in miraculous time.

GMorrison

Simply that Shokaku and Zuikaku were laid up for months, which definitely changed the game at Midway, and Yorktown was assumed by the japanese to be out of commission for a while, but was turned around in miraculous time.

 

Shokaku took quite a bit more beating than Yorktown did. I want to say three or four direct hits, plus several near misses. While Yorktown took one direct hit and a few near misses. She was not fully repaired, but enough to get her back in the fight at “good enough” condition. If Yorktown had also sustained that many hits, it is likely that she too would have taken longer to repair. And Zuikaku? Well that was a question of air group replacement. Yorktown and Lexington Air groups also took some serious losses in the Coral Sea battle and previous months of raids across the Pacific. But fortunately, Saratoga’s Air Group was available in Hawaii to take their place on Yorktown for Midway. 

Midway Inquest delves much further into the aspect of carrier pilots available in the first year of the Pacific War, losses, along with replacement rates.

All, just finished reading Hampton Sides "On Desparate Ground, The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle".  This, of course, is one of the most famous battles of the entire war and has been covered in several other books, but this one focuses on the Marines, how they got there, and how they got back out.  Hampton follows several people, including a Korean national who had escaped from the North, only to find himself sent there as an interpreter and re-uniting with his family.  Good read, and the list of references used feels like a to do list for the future, if you haven't read some of them already.  Enjoy!

John

Hi;

       I am now reading a series by P.E Deuterman about the Navy and it's Ships and Men  in the Pacific in W.W.2. I recommend them highly to those who enjoy " Sea Stories " and War Stories " coupled together . The Builder of Tankers .

wolfhammer1

All, just finished reading Hampton Sides "On Desparate Ground, The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle".  This, of course, is one of the most famous battles of the entire war and has been covered in several other books, but this one focuses on the Marines, how they got there, and how they got back out.  Hampton follows several people, including a Korean national who had escaped from the North, only to find himself sent there as an interpreter and re-uniting with his family.  Good read, and the list of references used feels like a to do list for the future, if you haven't read some of them already.  Enjoy!

John

 

 

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."

Thank you for the reference. I'll look for it.

GMorrison

 

 

wolfhammer1

All, just finished reading Hampton Sides "On Desparate Ground, The Marines at the Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle".  This, of course, is one of the most famous battles of the entire war and has been covered in several other books, but this one focuses on the Marines, how they got there, and how they got back out.  Hampton follows several people, including a Korean national who had escaped from the North, only to find himself sent there as an interpreter and re-uniting with his family.  Good read, and the list of references used feels like a to do list for the future, if you haven't read some of them already.  Enjoy!

John

 

 

 

 

 

"We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."

Thank you for the reference. I'll look for it.

 

One forgotten fact is that the Army's understaffed 31st RCT and Lt. Col. Don Faith bought time for the Marines.

Spearhead... Read that book already. Finished it in under a week. Very well written. Highly recommended!!

Finished "Unfair to Goliath". It is a collection of short stories by Ephraim Kishon where he pokes fun at life in Israel and Jews in general. Goliath was supposed to win but David used unconventional weapons etc. Easy and fun read.

Started redaing "The tattooist of Auschwitz"

I went to a presentation by Dusty Kleiss' daughter Jill this evening. He of Scout 6 fame. The highlight of the show was a series of short video taped interviews with him. He had a remarkable memory about the battle of Midway, in every detail. The scariest part was finding the Enterprise after the carriers were attacked. 

I bought the book "Never Call Me a Hero" and she signed it. Looks to be a good read.

Just got a copy of "Carrier Air War" in original WWII color, US Navy air combat 1939-1946.  By Robert Lawson and Barrett Tillman.

Some nice photos of some rare types of planes from other services, some that ran to less than 10 used by the USN.  Plenty of pics of the normal carrier aircraft too.

Over the past week, I re-read, "Incredible Victory", "Shattered Sword", "The Longest Day", and "Shogun."  The first three, I read around the anniversaries of the battles, and "Shogun" I read once a year, in the summer.

I'm very impressed. That would take serious reading time.

Have you read Taipan or Noble House?

GreySnake

Finished “Red Army” by Ralph Peters. It’s become one of my favorite books. Very refreshing to read an alternate WWIII from the Russian viewpoint.

 

Thats an excellent book! Very well written and most plausible in the tale.

I just finished up reading John Stryker Meyer's "Across the Fence". It's about the Green Berets secret missions during the Viet Nam war in Laos and Cambodia. It's one I will definitely read again.

stikpusher

 Thats an excellent book! Very well written and most plausible in the tale.

 

The Drifter

I just finished up reading John Stryker Meyer's "Across the Fence". It's about the Green Berets secret missions during the Viet Nam war in Laos and Cambodia. It's one I will definitely read again.

 

I served with a few of those guys during my time, many years after those years.... their war stories of those operations were pretty hairy...

GreySnake

 

 

stikpusher

 Thats an excellent book! Very well written and most plausible in the tale.

 

 

 

 

I have to say I was impressed how the author worked around the use of nuclear weapons.  

I have the “The Third World War Augest 1985” by General Sir, John Hackett. From my understanding it’s a pretty hard book as the writing is very dry.

 

Yes, night and day difference for types of books. Most of the Hackett book is high level detached overview “history”. Very dry indeed. Only the first chapter is written in the “you are there” type narrative. He wrote a second book, with more combat narrative and some change to the Persian Gulf narrative to allow for the post Shah era in Iran. 

And if you have never read Tom Clancy's “Red Storm Rising”, I would highly recommend that book. 

stikpusher

 

 

The Drifter

I just finished up reading John Stryker Meyer's "Across the Fence". It's about the Green Berets secret missions during the Viet Nam war in Laos and Cambodia. It's one I will definitely read again.

 

 

 

 

I served with a few of those guys during my time, many years after those years.... their war stories of those operations were pretty hairy...

 

Hello everyone,

Ok I just finished reading "The Tattooist of Auschwitz" by Heather Morris. It was a oustanding book. It is the first hand account of Ludwig Eisenburg a survivor of Auschwist-Birkenau who's job was to tattoo the number's on each prisoners who entered Auschwist. During his time behind the walls he constructed a network of individuals to help those inside survive with food, medications or whatever was needed. Mr. Eisenburg sat down with Ms. Morris and over time formed a relationship with her before he would consider telling her of the conditions of Auschwist, and those who suffered from it.

It was a well written, and definitely a awesome read.

I started reading “The Big E” again... It has to have been at least 40 years since I last read it as a kid. Such a good book. Now I recognize many of the names in the tale and much better know their places in the history of that time.

I just finished, "We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers", by Marcus Brotherton.  Published in 2009, it tells the stories of other members of Easy Company, who weren't as prominently featured in Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" or in the miniseries-though we did see some of them at different times in the story.  It's a good companion to Ambrose's book and the miniseries.

One part of the story that Brotherton clarifies, or perhaps we could even say, corrects, is the way Sobel was depicted in the miniseries.  He wasn't the incompetent douche he was made out to be, though everyone agreed, he was not a combat leader.

Anyway, it's a good book.  I got mine as a rescue at our local recycling center.  Someone was throwing it out, along with a copy of "Unbroken", and David McCulloch's "1776"!  Brand new, no damage.  I was shocked but happy to find them.

Unbroken and 1776 were great books! You scored on that find. 

Yes, the Band of Brothers series took some liberties with how Cpt Sobel was portrayed. Especially on his contribution to the initial forging and training of the company. In the book, it is explicitly stated by the original Easy Co. survivors that it was his particular brand of training that contributed so much to prepare the company to perform as they did in combat.

Starting Erebus The story of  a ship by Michael Palin. "A wreck is discovered in the Canadian Arctic. Its whereabouts a mystery for 150 years. Its name was HMS Erebus". It was Michael Palin's name that caught my eye thought it would be one of his travel books, looks interesting.

Joe