I just finished "Killing Crazy Horse" by them and started "Killing the SS" yesterday. They seem to have a good foundation and make interesting reading.HillCountry15 said:
Just finished "Killing the Rising Sun" by Bill O'Riley and Martin Dugard. First book I've read by them and was pretty impressed.
Starting "Against all Odds" by Alex Kershaw tonight
What are you reading right now?
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I really enjoy reading WWII stuff, but it takes me awhile to "digest" the books. But I clipped thru "Killing the rising sun" pretty fast because it was an interesting read that was well written I thoughtlurker76 said:I just finished "Killing Crazy Horse" by them and started "Killing the SS" yesterday. They seem to have a good foundation and make interesting reading.HillCountry15 said:
Just finished "Killing the Rising Sun" by Bill O'Riley and Martin Dugard. First book I've read by them and was pretty impressed.
Starting "Against all Odds" by Alex Kershaw tonight
I was thinking about reading that one next, but I will probably need a break after this one. It is tough reading how cold, heartless and uncaring those monsters were. Some lighthearted entertainment would be a good distraction.
Finished Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving. It sets a record for the oldest copy of a book I have read (1868). It was originally published in 1832 from his 1828 visit. This details his time spent in Granada while visiting Spain. Mostly a collection of stories from people who lived there or that he ran across, plus his experiences exploring the complex. Reading this shot visiting Spain up on my list of places I would like to go. He has some fantastic stories about the various former rulers and various Moorish and Christian histories.
I taught high school world history and I used the castle there as an introduction to the expansion of Islam and I thought they should see how pretty it was. The kids loved making inferences based on the images I showed and it was a good day of teaching. Such a beautiful castle and the blue tiles are amazing.Aggie1205 said:
Finished Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving. It sets a record for the oldest copy of a book I have read (1868). It was originally published in 1832 from his 1828 visit. This details his time spent in Granada while visiting Spain. Mostly a collection of stories from people who lived there or that he ran across, plus his experiences exploring the complex. Reading this shot visiting Spain up on my list of places I would like to go. He has some fantastic stories about the various former rulers and various Moorish and Christian histories.
If you say you hate the state of politics in this nation and you don't get involved in it, you obviously don't hate the state of politics in this nation.
Read The Last Hill by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin. Its about the fight for Hill 400 in the Hurtgen forest but really gives the whole backstory of the 2nd Ranger Battalion. Of course Rudder gets a good bit of discussion in it. One of the Rangers that also gets talked about a good bit is Robert "Bob" Edlin. He earned a DSC for his role in capturing over 800 Germans. Reading about him online, it is claimed he could have received the MOH but turned it down so he wasn't removed from his unit. Not sure if that is true.
Adding to this post that I also recently read a couple of WW2 era focused but not historical books, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk and Bomber by Len Deighton. Both were very good reads. Bomber is interesting because it focuses on basically a 24 hour period leading up to and during a British bombing raid, with stories from both sides.
Adding to this post that I also recently read a couple of WW2 era focused but not historical books, The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk and Bomber by Len Deighton. Both were very good reads. Bomber is interesting because it focuses on basically a 24 hour period leading up to and during a British bombing raid, with stories from both sides.
I have an autogrpahed copy of Edlin's autobiography - he was a Texan.
It's been a while since I read it but that story does sound familiar
It's been a while since I read it but that story does sound familiar
Just finished "What It's Like To Go To War" by Karl Marlantes. Decorated Marine Vietnam vet. Excellent read about what they don't teach you about going to war.
Started "Fighting The Night" by Paul Hendrickson. He tells the story of his father's experiences as a P-61 Black Widow pilot.
Started "Fighting The Night" by Paul Hendrickson. He tells the story of his father's experiences as a P-61 Black Widow pilot.
The Lost War For Texas (by TexAgs poster aalan)
Hirohito's War, Francis Pike (still, on pause for now while I read the above)
On deck - The Battle of Midway, Thomas Hone
Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert
And I need to get to the third entry in Ian Toll's Pacific war trilogy
Hirohito's War, Francis Pike (still, on pause for now while I read the above)
On deck - The Battle of Midway, Thomas Hone
Dune Messiah, Frank Herbert
And I need to get to the third entry in Ian Toll's Pacific war trilogy
Just finished The Last Stand by Nathaniel Philbrick
Fantastic book about Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn....probably the best from top to bottom I've read on the topic.
Fantastic book about Custer and the Battle of Little Big Horn....probably the best from top to bottom I've read on the topic.
Picked up CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties.
Let's just say it's very very interesting. I dont know ow how true it is, but it doesn't appear anyone really truly knows what manson was really up to and who was controlling/helping him.
Let's just say it's very very interesting. I dont know ow how true it is, but it doesn't appear anyone really truly knows what manson was really up to and who was controlling/helping him.
I am currently reading a book by David Zucchino titled THUNDER RUN: The Armored Strike To Capture Baghdad. It was written in 2004. It is about 2nd BDE(Spartan BDE), 3ID's 2 Thunder Runs into Baghdad. It is a very good book, but a difficult read because of memories being triggered. This is one of the boks Casey would read parts of from time to time over the years when she would get upset with me, just so she could better understand what we went through on the initial invasion in '03.
Over the years, I had forgotten how difficult Spartan BDE had it. I remember, at the time, being pissed that we weren't a part of the first Thunder Run, Now, I am thankful we weren't MORE of a part of it. On the 5 Apr Thunder Run, my Platoon was designated as part of the QRF in case Spartan BDE needed us. Thankfully they didn't. The 7AAPR Thunder Run was a different story. TF 2-7INF WAS needed as a QRF, and all of B11EN took part. I lost a good friend (SSG Lincoln Hollinsaid) that day and that night I lost the Only Soldier of my Career (PFC Jason Meyer)
Over the years, I had forgotten how difficult Spartan BDE had it. I remember, at the time, being pissed that we weren't a part of the first Thunder Run, Now, I am thankful we weren't MORE of a part of it. On the 5 Apr Thunder Run, my Platoon was designated as part of the QRF in case Spartan BDE needed us. Thankfully they didn't. The 7AAPR Thunder Run was a different story. TF 2-7INF WAS needed as a QRF, and all of B11EN took part. I lost a good friend (SSG Lincoln Hollinsaid) that day and that night I lost the Only Soldier of my Career (PFC Jason Meyer)
This is what I am currently reading
I Saw Poland Betrayed by Arthur Bliss Lane. Lane was the US ambassador to Poland from 1944 to 1947. He wrote this book right after retiring from the Diplomatic service where he had made his career. He goes into a detail as to how much the Russians controlled the politics in Poland post WW2 and how badly they failed the live up to what they agreed to at Yalta. Its of course a real shame that the Poles fought so hard across the world in WW2 and still didn't get to have their country back for another almost 50 years.
Just finished, Black Dragon by Steve McCloud. Follows a Marine Rifle Company thru the Pacific, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division.
The details it goes into are pretty staggering.
Interesting enough it was printed by Texas A&M Press......worth a read for sure.
The details it goes into are pretty staggering.
Interesting enough it was printed by Texas A&M Press......worth a read for sure.
Currently reading Empire of the Summer Moon by SC Gwynne after seeing it recommended on Texags a few times over the years. What a book so far.
I paused American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham to read Empire.
I usually also have a fiction book going. I recently finished book 6 of the original Herbert Dune series, Chapterhouse Dune. Nearly 3100 total pages in trade paperback format for the entire series. Some were better than others. I rank them Dune, Heretics of Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune/Chapterhouse Dune in a tie and my least favorite by far was God Emperor of Dune, that was a slog that nearly put me off from finishing the series. I'm looking for a science fiction or historical fiction book or series to start now.
I paused American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham to read Empire.
I usually also have a fiction book going. I recently finished book 6 of the original Herbert Dune series, Chapterhouse Dune. Nearly 3100 total pages in trade paperback format for the entire series. Some were better than others. I rank them Dune, Heretics of Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune/Chapterhouse Dune in a tie and my least favorite by far was God Emperor of Dune, that was a slog that nearly put me off from finishing the series. I'm looking for a science fiction or historical fiction book or series to start now.
Just finished To The Ends of the Earth by James C. McManus.
Now reading Burma '44 by James Holland.
Now reading Burma '44 by James Holland.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Artic / Antarctic exploration has grown on me as an interest. I think this book was recommended either on this thread or one on the ET board. Solid read, lots of details. Incredible that they all managed to make it.
I also want to say that this thread is both amazing and frustrating because my book list grows much faster than my time available to read. I use Amazon to keep a list and based on this thread and others it is impossibly long.
I also want to say that this thread is both amazing and frustrating because my book list grows much faster than my time available to read. I use Amazon to keep a list and based on this thread and others it is impossibly long.
Burma '44 was a good read, but the title is misleading. The book should be titled The Battle of the Admin Box, because that's as far as it goes.Smeghead4761 said:
Just finished To The Ends of the Earth by James C. McManus.
Now reading Burma '44 by James Holland.
Admin Box took place in February 1944. The more famous Battle of Imphal-Kohima was March-July 1944, and is not even mentioned.
"The Path Between the Seas" by David McCulloch. About the building of the Panama Canal.
In the Garden of Beasts - Eric Larson
About the US ambassador and his family in pre-WW2 German as the Nazis are in power.
About the US ambassador and his family in pre-WW2 German as the Nazis are in power.
What do you boys want for breakfast BBQ ?.....OK Chili.
Reading Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose.....it's about Lewis & Clark's explorations - mainly focusing on Lewis - and leans a lot on his relationship with Jefferson.
Good book!
Good book!
reading "Hitler's American Gamble". Basically, goes thru the week of Dec 6th - Dec 11th 1941 on what each of the major players were thinking. Really great dive into how Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, and Tojo viewed the war and their thoughts on America joining.
Reading "The Death of Democracy: Hitler's Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic"
Would recommend.
Would recommend.
Thanks and gig'em
Read the Gulag Archipelago (Parts 1 and 2) by Solzhenitsyn. Long read and I'm a bit tired to trying to keep track of Russian names at this point. Important read though to understand the Russian mindset.
TexAgs
Anyone have a copy of I'll Die Before I'll Run: The Story of the Great Feuds of Texas by C. L. Sonnichsen?
Richard Overy, Russia's War. This was one of the first books on the Soviet-German war to come out after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
I've got John Erickson's The Road to Stalingrad and The Road to Berlin waiting on the shelf.
I've got John Erickson's The Road to Stalingrad and The Road to Berlin waiting on the shelf.
Nothing but Courage: The 82nd Airborne's Daring D-Day Missionand Their Heroic Charge Across the La Fire Bridge, by James Donovan
Tonight We Die As Men: The untold story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day, by Ian Gardner and Roger Day
Tonight We Die As Men: The untold story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day, by Ian Gardner and Roger Day
The Battle of Britain
The Greatest Air Battle of World War II
by Denis Richards (Author), Richard Alexander Hough (Author)
The Greatest Air Battle of World War II
by Denis Richards (Author), Richard Alexander Hough (Author)
The Myth of the Lost Cause
Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won
by Edward H. Bonekemper III
Good read... Very well referenced.
https://www.regnery.com/9781684513604/the-myth-of-the-lost-cause/
Why the South Fought the Civil War and Why the North Won
by Edward H. Bonekemper III
Good read... Very well referenced.
https://www.regnery.com/9781684513604/the-myth-of-the-lost-cause/
Recently read this. Had heard Sands speak on the We Have Ways of Making You Talk podcast. Agreed with you that he did a great job of researching and digging up information. I had always heard that the Vatican helped fugitives but hadn't heard any specifics until this book. Plus the involvement of Americans.Aquin said:
1. The Ratline-Sands***** story of a Nazis fugitive, but his ratline never gets him outside of Rome. Well researched.
Also finished "Into Thin Air" by Krakauer. I'm kind of interested in reading another survivors account now to see how they compare.
And finally "From D-Day to Tet" by Smith. Mostly stories from the Authors father and friends of his father related to their service in WW2. Funny story that got mentioned was a family friend who landed in Southern France as part of Operation Dragoon. He was the supply officer for his battalion. He ran into a classmate from A&M who had parachuted in (I assume with the 1st Airborne Task Force) and had completed whatever his assignment was. The classmate now was traveling on foot and asked for a jeep. The supply officer gave him a jeep and wrote it off later as having been destroyed in combat. They then went their separate ways. 20 years later the supply officer saw the classmate at a reunion and before saying anything else to him approached him and asked for his jeep back.
A book about the real Gladiator based off the movie pretty interesting.
Just purchased "A Chance in Hell" by Jim Michaels and "Boots on the Ground" by Karl Zinsmeister.
About the 82nd Airborne in the battle for Iraq.
About the 82nd Airborne in the battle for Iraq.
Read Lonely Vigil: Coas****chers of the Solomons by Walter Lord.
Before reading this I was aware that coas****chers were used but didn't really know specifics of their contribution. I also had seen the Mother Goose movie on TCM back in the day but nothing in the book involved an alcoholic beach bum getting paid by sighting by the revelation of where the next bottle was buried. Lots of great detail about their activity and how they played a really large role especially in providing warning of attempts to bomb Henderson Field.
They were also key in rescuing downed pilots. One ended up rescuing a good number and started a club called the Ancient Order of the Rubber Rafters of Choiseul. Each pilot got a handwritten membership card upon getting rescued that said the requirement of the club was that every year on the anniversary of rescue the recipient was required to get drunk and try to get others equally drunk.
Lots in the book about the contributions of natives and local missionaries that were there. In many cases the coas****chers wouldn't have made it without them.
Other notable contributions were rescuing many of the USS Helena crew and in helping rescue a young guy from a well known family called Kennedy. He went on to bigger things of course.
Before reading this I was aware that coas****chers were used but didn't really know specifics of their contribution. I also had seen the Mother Goose movie on TCM back in the day but nothing in the book involved an alcoholic beach bum getting paid by sighting by the revelation of where the next bottle was buried. Lots of great detail about their activity and how they played a really large role especially in providing warning of attempts to bomb Henderson Field.
They were also key in rescuing downed pilots. One ended up rescuing a good number and started a club called the Ancient Order of the Rubber Rafters of Choiseul. Each pilot got a handwritten membership card upon getting rescued that said the requirement of the club was that every year on the anniversary of rescue the recipient was required to get drunk and try to get others equally drunk.
Lots in the book about the contributions of natives and local missionaries that were there. In many cases the coas****chers wouldn't have made it without them.
Other notable contributions were rescuing many of the USS Helena crew and in helping rescue a young guy from a well known family called Kennedy. He went on to bigger things of course.