Military History
Discussion
I didn’t know whether to put this in here or in the thread on graphic novels. So I’ve put it in both!
The Great War - Joe Sacco
This is simply an awesome piece of work.
There are no words.
There are no pages.
You could flick through it in 2 minutes or you can gaze at it for hours and still see things you hadn’t noticed before.
Using the Bayeaux tapestry as inspiration for design, Sacco has created a single (very long) image depicting the first day of the battle of the Somme. The image is folded so you can fan through it like a book and each fold tells its’ own story whilst being linked to the vignettes either side.
I’ve never seen anything like it!
Review from the Grauniad here: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/09/great...
The Great War - Joe Sacco
This is simply an awesome piece of work.
There are no words.
There are no pages.
You could flick through it in 2 minutes or you can gaze at it for hours and still see things you hadn’t noticed before.
Using the Bayeaux tapestry as inspiration for design, Sacco has created a single (very long) image depicting the first day of the battle of the Somme. The image is folded so you can fan through it like a book and each fold tells its’ own story whilst being linked to the vignettes either side.
I’ve never seen anything like it!
Review from the Grauniad here: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/09/great...
I've no idea if the book is any good (and I have no relationship to the author), but this seems like a great deal for a kindle book on D-Day and beyond...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-II-Last-Heroes-e...
Down to 99p!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-War-II-Last-Heroes-e...
Down to 99p!
Finally got round to starting Stephen Ambrose's D-Day that's been sitting on my shelf for ages waiting for me to finish other stuff. An understandably slightly American slant to it but very readable, and I love the way he includes loads of quotes from interviews with the soldiers. I'm a day behind though as I haven't got as far as them hitting the beaches yet.
The Forgotten Highlander is a very interesting read. It is written by Alistair Urquhart who was one of the many British Soldiers taken prisoner by the Imperial Army and forced to build the famous 'death railway'. It's not for the faint hearted, what the prisoners went through is truly shocking, but none the less it is a very interesting account of some of the lesser known events of WW2.
Anyone read Julian Thomspson's "No Picnic", on 3 Cdo Bde in the Falklands? Amazon's showing an edition that was updated in 2007, but having met him last week I'm sure there was mention of a third revision. Anyone know if the Amazon one is the latest version?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Commando-Brigade-Falklands...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Commando-Brigade-Falklands...
RizzoTheRat said:
Anyone read Julian Thomspson's "No Picnic", on 3 Cdo Bde in the Falklands? Amazon's showing an edition that was updated in 2007, but having met him last week I'm sure there was mention of a third revision. Anyone know if the Amazon one is the latest version?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Commando-Brigade-Falklands...
There are other good ones from that war; 100 days by Sandy Woodward, Through Fire and Water by Mark Higgitt and Reasons in Writing by Ewen Southby Tailour are 3 that spring to mind.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Commando-Brigade-Falklands...
This looks interesting for 99p in the daily deal
http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Hour-Victory-Royal-Nels...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Hour-Victory-Royal-Nels...
Just finished reading this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Warburtons-War-Maverick-Ad...
Damn you Amazon and your daily kindle deals, you're going to cost me a fortune
http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-that-Ended-Peace-aband...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/War-that-Ended-Peace-aband...
The M Room: Secret Listeners who Bugged the Nazis in WW2.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Room-Secret-Listeners-...
Read it in two long evening sittings ( TV was rubbish ) and a great insight into another MI6 jape which preceded Bletchley Park and the information gained from reading the Enigma.
There were two lots of Nazi's, the arrogant, belief in forever and rightous sort, and those that knew Herr H. was a fruitcake and taking the whole of Germany down the pan and the book sees both camps in tension while we listened in. Naturally evidence was collected which was used selectively at the later Nuremburg trials but raises some interesting points about the Final Solution and what was known then.
A useful addition to any military history library.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Room-Secret-Listeners-...
Read it in two long evening sittings ( TV was rubbish ) and a great insight into another MI6 jape which preceded Bletchley Park and the information gained from reading the Enigma.
There were two lots of Nazi's, the arrogant, belief in forever and rightous sort, and those that knew Herr H. was a fruitcake and taking the whole of Germany down the pan and the book sees both camps in tension while we listened in. Naturally evidence was collected which was used selectively at the later Nuremburg trials but raises some interesting points about the Final Solution and what was known then.
A useful addition to any military history library.
Thanks to all who have suggested books on this thread, my wish list is huge and I am rarely stuck for my next download!
I have recently read "Churchill's Secret Warriors" by Damien Lewis which covers the exploits of Anders Lassen VC during WW2 and knits into the development of the SBS. Great story! Towards the end of the book the author touches on the SAS hibernation during the late forties / early fifties, can anyone recommend a book covering this period?
I have recently read "Churchill's Secret Warriors" by Damien Lewis which covers the exploits of Anders Lassen VC during WW2 and knits into the development of the SBS. Great story! Towards the end of the book the author touches on the SAS hibernation during the late forties / early fifties, can anyone recommend a book covering this period?
Waterloo - Bernard Cromwell
Him of the Sharpe books has written a factual account of Waterloo. Good writer + great story = highly recommended book.
Napoleonic wars are not a subject I'm familiar with and Cromwell doesn't speculate, just gives you the facts as he found them (with numerous quotes from source material and a comprehensive list of sources): I was left with the impression that this wasn't so much a battle that Wellington won, but one Napoleon lost.
Him of the Sharpe books has written a factual account of Waterloo. Good writer + great story = highly recommended book.
Napoleonic wars are not a subject I'm familiar with and Cromwell doesn't speculate, just gives you the facts as he found them (with numerous quotes from source material and a comprehensive list of sources): I was left with the impression that this wasn't so much a battle that Wellington won, but one Napoleon lost.
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes - Vietnam era novel
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matterhorn-Karl-Marlantes/...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matterhorn-Karl-Marlantes/...
Holiday reading :
Secret War by RV Jones
A top account on the counter war against the German radar and v weapons
Bomber by Len Deighton
Faction at its best, and so thoroughly researched that you are right there in the Lancaster, dropping incendiaries and then flying the night fighter homing in. You assume the role of every character, and the technical detail almost qualifies it as work of reference.
Returned to the bookshelf for keeps.
Secret War by RV Jones
A top account on the counter war against the German radar and v weapons
Bomber by Len Deighton
Faction at its best, and so thoroughly researched that you are right there in the Lancaster, dropping incendiaries and then flying the night fighter homing in. You assume the role of every character, and the technical detail almost qualifies it as work of reference.
Returned to the bookshelf for keeps.
I'm reading Spitfire Women at the moment. It's the story of female ferry pilots during WW2. It's fascinating, not least the resistance to women flying fast (then current) fighters at the start of the war due to them basically being seen as not as capable.
There's some incredible back stories, like Woolf Barnato (Brooklands racer, owner of Bentley Motors at one point and grandson of the recipient of the largest ever cheque written in the 19thC!)'s daughter Diane who was one of the pilots.
I've just got to the bit where they're 'allowed' to fly Spits
There's some incredible back stories, like Woolf Barnato (Brooklands racer, owner of Bentley Motors at one point and grandson of the recipient of the largest ever cheque written in the 19thC!)'s daughter Diane who was one of the pilots.
I've just got to the bit where they're 'allowed' to fly Spits
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