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What Are You Reading?

Discussion in 'WWII Books & Publications' started by Mahross, Feb 1, 2004.

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  1. scott livesey

    scott livesey Member

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    There are always 3 dimensions, x,y,z or pitch, yaw, and roll. US ships had the best fire control systems. Japanese and German had better optical systems, but almost all target information was manually added to FC system. The AAA FC on early IJN carriers required a dozen operators, including phone talkers.
    What surprises me is that the WW2 era FCS were all analog. All calculations were done using gear trains, specially made variable resistors(the resistance could change at a linear or exponential or geometric or special rate), special tube amplifiers, and hundreds of little motors. if curious try here https://eugeneleeslover.com/USN-GUNS-AND-RANGE-TABLES/Analogs_Ford_Newell.pdf and here History and Technology - NavWeaps
    scott
     
  2. harolds

    harolds Member

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    Remember folks, pitch, and role are taken care of by the stabilization of the mounts and directors. What the FDC had to do was perform calculations that included target range. target bearing, target speed and also the target's change of altitude. Also, the following had to be thrown into the mix: your bearing, speed, and of course, fuse setting. Remember, all of these are constantly changing. That's why all the operators: because each operator had to feed the machine just one variable-constantly changing most of the time. Then the machine had to integrate all these things into a firing solution that predicted (hopefully) where the target was going to be when the shell got there and went off. One of the big problems they encountered was the dead time which was the time between when the solution went to the guns and when they actually fired.
     
  3. scott livesey

    scott livesey Member

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    The stabilization of gun mounts is part of the Fire Control System outputs. US systems have no separate stabilization system, it is all part of FCS. US system required fewer operators because more was done remotely. Bearing was updated automatically as the radar or range finder followed the target. Range was updated from radar display or range finder. When using radar, FCS sent info to radar mount to help track the target; a radar operator made corrections if necessary which in turn updated the 'solution'. All own ship inputs were automatic(speed from pitometer, course from gyrocompass, sea state related from stable element) , fuse setting was automatic based on fire control system predictions(for AA, proximity fuse took care to this), the 'solution' was continuously updated as long as the target was tracked by sight or radar.
    the old sailor
     
    Last edited: Jun 19, 2019
  4. Mussolini

    Mussolini Gaming Guru WW2|ORG Editor

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    I'm listening to "Spearhead: An American Tank Gunner, His Enemy, and a Collision of Lives in World War II" on my morning walks to work. It reminds me very much of "Tiger Tracks: The Classic Panzer Memoir" which was the very first book on Audible I listened too.

    The graphic descriptions of death and injuries suffered by Tankers seems to be pretty universal between both sides. Once your tank was hit, you were far from safe. If you survived the initial blast without being wounded, you'd abandon the tank. Of course, a battle was usually raging around you at the time with shells and small arms fire incoming. So the tankers would have to find somewhere to hide but weren't always able to. 'Spearhead' also offers some perspective from the Doughs - the Infantry who accompanied the tanks and what life was like for them. Even when the Allies were clearly winning in France and heading into Germany, Death was always just around the corner.
     
  5. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    I've seen it reported that most US tankers that became casualties were outside of their tanks when wounded or killed. I would expect that the British experience was similar. The German and Soviet experience in this regard is more of an open question as far as I know.
     
  6. Mussolini

    Mussolini Gaming Guru WW2|ORG Editor

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    So far, it seems to be a mix in regards to wounded/killed whether inside the tank or outside. They do seem to abandon the tank if it gets hit (and penetrated) though what sort of internal damage has been done is not explained. Quite a few of the abandoned tanks, the crew are not wounded but jump out. When you're in an open field and more shells are coming it at the tank, there often isn't a good place to hide. So far, nothing reported as small arms casualties to tank crews, always shells (most often from enemy tanks, especially Panthers, and also 88's being used in AT roles. They do try to find a good place to hide, like a shell hole or behind a pile of potatos, but that only goes so far. No casualties to small arms though - probably because they have their own infantry supporting them.

    It is interesting learning about the Shermans being outgunned by the Panthers. They've just introduced a Pershing (one of the first in combat) to the unit and are all amazed at its high-velocity trajectory. Point and shoot - no arc or anything. And the 6x scope on it is a lot better than what they had on the Shermans, plus double the armor rating and a bigger, more comfortable turret. Of course, no one told them about the explosive gasses from the breech so the first shot singed the eyebrows off the commander as the cloud of gas rose up through the turret. No tank-on-tank action for the Pershing yet.
     
  7. scott livesey

    scott livesey Member

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    Another free oldie but goodie, CMH 104-13 Airborne Operations written by the Germans who were involved as either part of the operation or as a defender against allied airborne.
     
  8. ColHessler

    ColHessler Member

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    My dentist has become a source for me. He's given me four books today. Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe, The X-Craft Raid, a novel called Night Flying Avenger, and Tanks and Other Fighting Vehicles by B.T. White. I'm busy with writing now, so they'll be four carrots for me to finish with my writing.
     
  9. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    On the road again and picked up a copy of "Check Six" by James Curran and Terrence Popravak Jr. We were at the Air Museum in Wendover Nevada. Imagine my surprise to see a book on fighters at a bomber training base AND the very book that I helped with (if just a little) sitting on the shelf!
     
  10. White Flight

    White Flight Member

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    Recently completed Inside the Third Reich, by Albert Speer. A good first person account of the formation, successes, failures and fall. Speer, Hitler’s Architect by Martin Kitchen is an excellent choice to follow with. Corrects the omissions and fabrications by Speer in the (re)shaping of his legacy as a good Nazi. Twist of fate that he died of health issues visiting the city he went to great lengths to destroy, London.
     
  11. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    I am almost finished with Midway, the Battle That Doomed Japan, Fuchida and Okumiya, US Naval Institute Press, 1955. I found it at a local flea market an bought it for $8.00.

    It has been a rather enjoyable read. The book has a foreword by Adm Raymond Spruance and is essentially told in the first person, by Mitsuo Fuchida, who led the first wave of the IJN at Pearl Harbor.

    It seems to have been well researched and has a good number of maps.

    The dialog is even and mad e me aware of several facts I was not aware of..

    I recommend it greatly.

    @R Leonard Have you read it and what is your opinion?
     
  12. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    In some circles Fuchida has a bit of a reputation for making up parts of the story.
     
  13. Mussolini

    Mussolini Gaming Guru WW2|ORG Editor

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    Started listening to 'Killing the SS' by Bill O'Reilly but switched over to a History of Europe instead. The content of 'Killing the SS' is interesting and all, but I just can't stand Bill O'Reilly's voice. I didn't realize he was the person reading it for Audible. The way he talks is just....aggravating. Its like he is on his talk show, his inflection and tone are all wrong.
     
  14. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    I read one of O'Reillys books "Killing of the Rising Sun" and promptly threw it away. For the most part I think his co-author wrote the series and O'Reilly just added his name recognition for sales. It seemed dry and almost as if they had read others research and but the story into their own words. Might make a primer for 5th graders since it seemed gear to a 10 or 12 year old level.

    I'm not doing so well in choosing books, actually more like picking decent authors. Just finished "Jimmy Steward a Biography" by Marc Eliot and although there was some interesting reading pertaining to his military service the bulk of the book digressed into explaining how this or that movie was to be interpreted, what the director(s) actually meant to achieve and entirely too much explanation of other Actors who had nothing to do with the book.
    Overall the more than 400 pages could have been shaved to about 250 and kept the emphasis on Stewart.

    Currently reading "The Mueller Report" and I'll keep my thoughts on that one to myself :D
     
  15. ColHessler

    ColHessler Member

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    I've just started on The X-Craft Raid, by Thomas Gallagher. I read this when I was in school years ago, and know I can refresh my memory on it.
     
  16. belasar

    belasar Court Jester

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    Waiting for the movie? :confused:
     
  17. Slipdigit

    Slipdigit Good Ol' Boy Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    I found a copy of Von Ryan's Express in a used book store. Not a very long book, but was quite enjoyable. As expected, it differed somewhat from the movie, but I liked them both quite well.
     
  18. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    I bought a copy of Indianapolis by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic. I plan to read it next. Has anybody read it? What did you think of it?
     
  19. Jack B

    Jack B Active Member

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    Hardback: To Hell and Back: Europe 1914 -1949 by Ian Kershaw. This is a whirlwind tour of the forces and events that changed the face of Europe. I got it to gain some perspective on the events leading up to WW II and to learn a bit about the recovery process. I haven't gotten to the recovery process, but I so far Kershaw seems to do a nice job laying out the causes and conditions leading to WW II. He provides a fantastic bibliography at the end of the book--a list that could keep one reading for years and years--but doesn't offer much in the way of footnotes or direct evidence for some statements. Still, I'm enjoying it very much and learning a good bit along the way.

    Kindle: The Storm of War A New History of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts. Just starting this, so far I like his writing.

    I'd love to hear constructive criticism of either of these books!
     
  20. ColHessler

    ColHessler Member

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    I'm reading Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden. However you feel about him, it's worth your time. He's telling us how metadata is captured for later searches.
     

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