What Are You Reading?

Currently reading Heinz Schaeffer's "U-Boat 977". I'm not too big on the Navy side of WW2 (for some odd reason, I especially don't care much for submarine stuff! LOL), but this is a good book. Its always nice to get perspectives from the other side. What I don't care for is the trend that most German authors I've read are following: "we were never involved in the politics, we were just serving our country, we weren't Nazi's". Okay. So I guess there were no Nazis in the German armed forces. Otto Skorzeny's memoir is the only one I can think of where he doesn't go to great lengths to deny who/what he was. It was never flaunted, but he never denied it. I can respect that. But back on the book at hand: a good, fast read, I'm glad I picked it up!

 

Next: The First Pathfinders: Operational History of Kampfgruppe 100, 1939-
41 , Kenneth Wakefield, Oct 1992

Chris Goss: Luftwaffe Fighters' Battle of Britain

The SS Cavalry Brigade in Poland and Russia 1939-1942 by Mark Yerger
Schiffer 1996

 

B-24: Combat Missions by Martin W. Bowman

 

Did you get Jeff and the others to autograph it? That would be neat.

 

Well, can he e-sign it then?

 

Just finished Battle of the Ruhr Pocket by Leo Kessler. I said plenty in the Book forum about this turkey.

 

Currently reading "Secret Weapons of World War II" by William Yenne. I'm divided on this one. The editing is horrific (at one point, he mentions the launch date of a submarine by saying "it was launched on August."), and aside from the cover, there are absolutely no photos included anywhere. None. Nada. Not even a photo of an Me262. The only thing that's kept me reading is the fact that he's mentioned several weapons/submarines/rockets that I hadn't heard of before...and I'm looking forward to getting to Hitler's flying saucer. Would I recommend this book to anyone? Probably not. Will I keep it in my library? Probably not.

 

I just finished Atkinson's An Army at Dawn. What a read! It should be a "must-have" and "must read" on every student of US WW2 military history book list. As soon as I go through two issues of Military History, one Civil War Times Illustrated, the February issue of SKI Magazine and the latest issue of Playboy's Special Edition Voluptuous Vixens (all pictures, no words) that were put on the back burner while reading AAaD, I will be heading to Barns & Noble for the 2nd of the Liberation Trilogy by Atkinson.

 

Agreed, Rick Atkinson is one of my new favorite authors. Very easy to read, not too dry/academic in his writing, he gives you a perspective of the entire battle that feels like you're about 10 feet above the action, instead of sitting and looking at everything on an impersonal map in a headquarters somewhere.

Update on "Secret Weapons". I put it down this morning. Just couldn't find the drive to finish the book. Now started "Iron Coffins" by Herbert A. Werner. "SW" book is one of only two WW2 books in my "sell" pile. I will not be keeping it.

 

Jonathan Bastable's Voices of Stalingrad

 

Next:

The defence of the Reich-Hitler´s nightfighter planes and pilots
Werner Held and Holger Nauroth
Arms and Armour Press 1982

 

I just finished reading "Russia's Heroes" by Albert Axell
I am now currently reading "Pegasus bridge" which was written by the guy who wrote "Band of Brothers"

 

^Of all the books Ambrose wrote, Pegasus Bridge is my favorite. Enjoy.

Right now I'm reading Eric Hammel's Pictorial Tribute to the battles on Tarawa as well as the Marshalls. So far I'm enjoying it immensely.

 

'Operation Werwolf' by Tom Kane, an eKindle book. Set at the end of the war, it's an based on a true story, but with a high tech twist.

 

The past month I've read:
Band of Brothers-Stephen E. Ambrose
We Who are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers-Marcus Brotherton
Call of Duty: My Life Before, During, and After the Band of Brothers-Lynn "Buck" Compton

Next I plan to read Beyond Band of Brothers The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters.

 

You're gonna love "Beyond Band of Brothers".

I'm about half-way through "Iron Coffins" right now, by Herbert Werner, a German submariner in WW2. I have this really really strong desire to go out and get "Das Boot" on DVD.