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I notice that the old war literature thread went into the archives. I'm after some recommendations for new books to read so selfishly, this new thread has been created. I've can recommend the following books. You've probably read most of them. Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Fraser A recounting of his experiences in Burma during WW2. I got a real sense of the characters who served with him and it is telling that he held onto his hate for the Japanese long after the war ended. Fraser wrote the Flashman series and his ability as a storyteller shines through here. Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes A troubling semi-biographical novel about a Marine Lieutenant in Vietnam. This book hit e hard and is a must-read. The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam This is the only history of the Korean War that I have read but it is great. A really good balance between fact and drama. Blind Mans Bluff by Christopher Drew and Sherry Sontag This book was recommended to me by this forum. It made fantastic listening while I jogged in the Cornish countryside. Describes declassified sub-operations during the Cold War, very tense and I was hooked. The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer The {possibly) true-life memoirs of a Grossdeutchsland Division soldier from WW2. Even if it isn't true it is very affecting. and for balance, here is a book to avoid. Devil's Guard by George Robert Elford Ex-SS men turn up in Vietnam and fight in the Foreign Legion. Among other things they are super efficient, defeat Viet Cong political officers in debate and tie hostages to jeeps to prevent them being fired on. We could learn a lot from the Nazis when it comes to fighting insurgencies. Sickeningly pro SS and laughable with it.
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Feb 24, 2019 19:17
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That is the point the book tried to get across. "The French had no idea how to deal with insurgents until we showed them how it was done in Russia and the Ukraine." I certainly don't agree with it.
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Feb 24, 2019 19:33
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45 ACP CURES NAZIS posted:uh the nazis dealt with partizans by just killing villages so no I don't think we could learn anything from the loving nazis Look at what I put directly beneath that statement Sickeningly pro SS and laughable with it. I'm not agreeing with what the Nazis did, I totally disagree with it. That is the books stance. That is why I put it down as a book to avoid.
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Feb 24, 2019 21:18
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MA-Horus posted:Relentless Strike: The Secret History of JSOC by Sean Naylor I bought this due to the recommendation in the previous thread. It is a very good book.
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May 29, 2019 00:54
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I've now finished everything I have in my bookcase. So here are a few recommendations. The Long Day's Dying by Alan White A pretty rare book but is available fairly cheaply on eBay. The author was a commando in the Second World War and I think it is loosely based on his experiences. A very quick read but intense in a psychological way. I definitely found it interesting. A movie adaption was filmed in 1968 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Day%27s_Dying https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13261634-the-long-day-s-dying Relentless Strike by Sean Naylor I bought this book a few years back on the recommendation of this forum. A very good read and I might give it another go. It is about the various special operations groups that took part in operations in Iraq. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Relentless-Strike-History-Special-Operations/dp/1250014549 ...and some military Sci-Fi that I have read. Passage At Arms by Glenn Cook Submarine warfare in space, a very tense book which I think is a classic. A lot of people in the Book Barn Sci-Fi thread appreciate it, but I don't think it has the appreciation it deserves. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Passage-at-Arms-Glen-Cook/dp/1597801194 We All Died At Breakaway Station by Richard C Meredith It would be fair to say that this book has a few issues. its treatment of women definitely dates it, they are effectively sex objects or incompetent. However, the alien psychology of the protagonists is well thought out and the central idea of troops being patched up with any technology available and sent back out asap is quite horrifying. I do have my reservations about the material but it was still a good read. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/585516.We_All_Died_At_Breakaway_Station
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May 10, 2020 20:23
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Came across another recommendation that might appeal. For some reason, the chap who posted it refuses to post here. So I did it for him.quantumfoam posted:Just finished reading a amazingly stupid book.
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May 26, 2021 17:53
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Burning Beard posted:Coldest Winter is great because of the non stop dunking he does on MacAurthur Not to mention Ned Almond
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Jun 20, 2022 20:05
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my morning jackass posted:Coldest winter by halberstam is great. Best and brightest is also an absolute must read by him. I also second this. Bought the book for my dissertation.
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Jun 20, 2022 20:05
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