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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment?

 
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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 2/2/2017 11:57:30 AM   
TulliusDetritus


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quote:

ORIGINAL: loki100
So I would fully agree, whatever Blitzkrieg was it was not that new.


Sure it wasn't new. It's how war was conducted since the beginning of civilisation. King A gathers his forces, marches towards King B's forces, big battle ensues ant it's game over (simplified scenario). In fact a combination of skirmishes + engagements + the proper big battle (or two or three).

Clausewitz would summarise all this in the 1800s. But a new industrial society would radically change the war business in 1914 (some even say the American Civil War). No one expected what was coming: the astonishing resistance of these societies meant they could field and lose many armies and yet more huge armies were formed in the rear. The old "skirmishes + engagements + the proper big battle" was suddenly obsolete. But NEVER forget they did not know this in august 1914... Revolutionary changes that is.

Said this, the dilemma in 1940 was clear. Could they replicate the now obsolete "King A vs King B" or would they face the mighty power and resistance seen in WWI?

In France 1940 Hitler managed to fight a pre-1914 war: a gamble that worked (it didn't vs a much tougher enemy: the Soviet society and Red Army). He simply could not afford the other scenario as the East would soon show. But this kind of war was certainly a really old business.

EDIT: the only way Hitler could have won is now obvious. Somehow (in a total war environment, industrial production and the population politically organised) manage to start a war like the wars of the old kings, bishops, dukes and consuls. And of course, hope your enemy does the same (ie they drop dead after a few blows). A pipe dream

If only...

< Message edited by TulliusDetritus -- 2/2/2017 12:20:12 PM >


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 2/8/2017 8:05:36 PM   
warspite1


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Finished Blitzkrieg. A very enjoyable read I must say. Nothing really new in what he says, but a good refresher of the whole French campaign, including the oft overlooked Fall Rot.

Recommended.


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 2/9/2017 4:59:35 AM   
warspite1


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Has anyone read Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin? It looks interesting and has good write-ups on Amazon. Anyone read it? Thoughts?

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 2/13/2017 6:04:58 PM   
warspite1


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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone read Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin? It looks interesting and has good write-ups on Amazon. Anyone read it? Thoughts?
warspite1

I'll take that as a no

Anyways, I purchased this and looking forward to this (maybe bedtime reading?). However, at the moment I am still very much in Western Front mode. I read Sebag-Montefiore's Dunkirk when I was on holiday about 6 years ago.

As such, with other distractions, I am not sure I gave it the attention it deserved. So, as much as I hate re-reading books, I thought I would give this another go.

Wow! I am really glad I did - particularly as its hot on the heels of other books on the subject - and so gives another opinion on what happened in the fateful weeks in May 1940.

It's absolutely riveting stuff. Recommended and back again.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/6/2017 5:34:57 PM   
warspite1


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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone read Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin? It looks interesting and has good write-ups on Amazon. Anyone read it? Thoughts?
warspite1

I'll take that as a no

Anyways, I purchased this and looking forward to this (maybe bedtime reading?). However, at the moment I am still very much in Western Front mode. I read Sebag-Montefiore's Dunkirk when I was on holiday about 6 years ago.

As such, with other distractions, I am not sure I gave it the attention it deserved. So, as much as I hate re-reading books, I thought I would give this another go.

Wow! I am really glad I did - particularly as its hot on the heels of other books on the subject - and so gives another opinion on what happened in the fateful weeks in May 1940.

It's absolutely riveting stuff. Recommended and back again.
warspite1

I must say I'm finding Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin a little heavy going at the moment. Not exactly riveting reading, but then the first chapter or so has been an introduction to people I've never even heard of combined with the fact that the author does not have the most interesting of writing styles.

Let's hope it improves......


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/6/2017 6:30:19 PM   
Chickenboy


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I'm starting book three of The Expanse: Abbadon's Gate. Good Sci/Fi.

Orm-I think it was you that was following The Expanse on SyFy and asking about the pacing re: the books. I think you can safely read book one (Leviathan Wakes) now in its entirety. And if you don't finish it soon-and start on book 2 (Calliban's War), you'll start to miss some plot devices in the television series.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/6/2017 6:31:22 PM   
Chickenboy


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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone read Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin? It looks interesting and has good write-ups on Amazon. Anyone read it? Thoughts?
warspite1

I'll take that as a no



Way to kill a thread, man.






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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/6/2017 7:03:04 PM   
Red2112

 

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Warbirds Game System rules for the Blitzkrieg module

http://www.warbirdsgs.com/WWII/World_War_II.html



< Message edited by Red2112 -- 3/6/2017 7:05:20 PM >


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/7/2017 9:38:55 AM   
warspite1


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Chickenboy


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone read Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin? It looks interesting and has good write-ups on Amazon. Anyone read it? Thoughts?
warspite1

I'll take that as a no



Way to kill a thread, man.





warspite1

What is? Reading about Sweden, The Swastika and Stalin??

Well it appears so


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/8/2017 2:14:58 AM   
Aurelian

 

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http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR331.html

< Message edited by Aurelian -- 3/8/2017 2:15:14 AM >


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/9/2017 5:45:58 PM   
reg113


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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/9/2017 11:26:07 PM   
nelmsm1


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Finally finished The Battle of the Wilderness by Rhea and now moving on to his book "The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864"

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/20/2017 6:13:18 PM   
warspite1


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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Has anyone read Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin? It looks interesting and has good write-ups on Amazon. Anyone read it? Thoughts?
warspite1

I'll take that as a no

Anyways, I purchased this and looking forward to this (maybe bedtime reading?). However, at the moment I am still very much in Western Front mode. I read Sebag-Montefiore's Dunkirk when I was on holiday about 6 years ago.

As such, with other distractions, I am not sure I gave it the attention it deserved. So, as much as I hate re-reading books, I thought I would give this another go.

Wow! I am really glad I did - particularly as its hot on the heels of other books on the subject - and so gives another opinion on what happened in the fateful weeks in May 1940.

It's absolutely riveting stuff. Recommended and back again.
warspite1

I must say I'm finding Sweden, the Swastika and Stalin a little heavy going at the moment. Not exactly riveting reading, but then the first chapter or so has been an introduction to people I've never even heard of combined with the fact that the author does not have the most interesting of writing styles.

Let's hope it improves......

warspite1

......well it has

Interesting stuff now that he has left the personalities and got to the actual war

Meanwhile for my main reading I am on the last chapter of Dunkirk. Got AJ Barker's Dunkirk to read next, having last read it about 30 years ago, but after that?

Anyone got any good recommendations for War in the West 1940 stylee?

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/21/2017 7:29:05 PM   
Kuokkanen

 

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I just read through How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 1 Kindle Edition. That's a mouthful for a Japanese light novel. Should I say something about it? Young Japanese man finds himself facing a king in medieval style castle. Where have I seen that before? In Ultima IV I believe, and something along that line is mentioned in the light novel itself. So demon king is conquering the continent and small kingdom is having serious problems with incoming refugees, shortage of food, and declining economy. What is a hero to do? Someone says:
quote:

“It is said that a hero is ‘one who leads the change of an era,’”

Japanese hero thinks he can work with that, and light novel takes a sharp turn from RPG cliches to strategy game with heavy emphasis on economy. Light novel has some 256 pages with a number of pictures. Main character is very capable with handling the crumbling economy, thanks to his modern education on the matter. Good number of side characters are also likable. Though there are number of cliches & tropes we may have seen in a good number of other Japanese light novels, manga, and anime, there isn't anything that made me think: "Not this frak again!" I quote you part of the book:
quote:

After calling her over and practically forcing her to sit next to me, I pushed two stacks of paper in her direction. “Please compare these two sets of documents and look for places where the values, or the number of items, don’t agree and mark them.”
“Huh? What? What kind of work is this?”
“What, you ask? Digging for buried treasure. That’s what.” I explained to the perplexed girl in uniform. “For ‘unaccounted-for expenditures,’ to be precise. One pile is requests for budgetary appropriations, the other is income and expenditures reports. Even if the amount requested and the amount spent match, if the number of items differs, that can be indicative of either wasteful investment undertaken to fully use up their budget, or embezzlement disguised as investment. We’ll check those, and if any laws have been broken, we’ll make each of the responsible parties pay to make up the loss. If we uncover personal embezzlement, we will mandate repayment, and in the event they cannot pay, we will arrest the offender and seize their assets.”
“U-Understood.”
Perhaps she had been intimidated by the threatening air of a man who had gone without sleep, because the girl nodded along as I talked.
Good.

Does that make any sense to you?

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/22/2017 8:41:57 PM   
warspite1


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Just seen this - could be worth a read? Comes out at the end of April.




Attachment (1)

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/22/2017 9:12:50 PM   
wings7


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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Just seen this - could be worth a read? Comes out at the end of April.





Here is some info on the author...translate to English or your language of choice.
http://www.cultours.dk/rejseledere/poul-grooss

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/22/2017 9:15:07 PM   
Zorch

 

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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Just seen this - could be worth a read? Comes out at the end of April.




Yes, the Baltic is a good topic.
Also due out next month is 'Clash of Fleets: Naval Battles of the Great War, 1914–18' by Vincent P. O'Hara, Leonard R. Heinz.
I like O'Hara, but it's hard to say anything new about WWI.




Attachment (1)

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 7:28:35 AM   
warspite1


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quote:

ORIGINAL: wings7


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Just seen this - could be worth a read? Comes out at the end of April.





Here is some info on the author...translate to English or your language of choice.
http://www.cultours.dk/rejseledere/poul-grooss
warspite1

Thanks Patrick - although I couldn't see anyway to translate the Danish


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 7:32:55 AM   
warspite1


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Zorch


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Just seen this - could be worth a read? Comes out at the end of April.


Yes, the Baltic is a good topic.
Also due out next month is 'Clash of Fleets: Naval Battles of the Great War, 1914–18' by Vincent P. O'Hara, Leonard R. Heinz.
I like O'Hara, but it's hard to say anything new about WWI.



warspite1

Indeed. Given his speciality is the Mediterranean he might have something a bit different to say about this theatre (inc the Adriatic), but I suspect there will be nothing new to say about the other key naval battles. I think I will wait for the reviews for this one.


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 7:37:48 AM   
Orm


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quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1


quote:

ORIGINAL: wings7


quote:

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Just seen this - could be worth a read? Comes out at the end of April.



Here is some info on the author...translate to English or your language of choice.
http://www.cultours.dk/rejseledere/poul-grooss
warspite1

Thanks Patrick - although I couldn't see anyway to translate the Danish


You could use internet to translate the Danish if you are interested.

- Mark and copy the text you want to read.
- Go to a translating site. For example: Google translate
- Change the languages to: From Danish to English
- Cut in the Danish text in the box to the left that you translate from.
- The English text will appear to the right.

Here is the result of the text translated from the page linked above.

If you have trouble with translating I could email, or post, you more detailed instructions.

Edit: Beware that the automatic translation do not get all the nuances right. So one should always be vigilant when reading auto-translated texts.

xxxx

Poul Grooss

Commander

Poul Grooss is retired from the Navy and then until 2013 worked as a military historian for the Defence Academy. He has been a teacher for modern military operations at the Navy Officer School and the Defence Academy, and during the recent Gulf War, he was Jyllandspostens military experts. He has declared some 150 books on security and military issues to the "Military Journal". As the chairman of the Marine Historical Society / Royal Danish Naval friends, he helped to coordinate the selection of the Navy's 500-year anniversary in 2010. He publishes in 2014 a book about the war in and around the Baltic Sea from 1939 to 1945 through the State Defence History Museum. He has been employed as a lecturer on military topics, including by the People's University of Copenhagen, Odense and Aarhus.

He has among others spoke on the issue:

- The Russian navy's history,

- Vitus Bering, Russian history,

- The Russo-Japanese War 1904 - 1905,

- Out of Stalingrad and Moscow,

- Leningrad siege,

- War in the Pacific 1941 - 1945,

- The Allied landings at Anzio in 1944,

- The invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord) and

- The maritime part of the invasion (Operation Neptune)

- Peenemunde

- And various lectures about the Second World War, especially Maritime Warfare, Air War, electronic warfare, intelligence, deception operations and war around the Baltic Sea from 1939 to 1945.[/I]

< Message edited by Orm -- 3/23/2017 7:39:20 AM >


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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 7:42:54 AM   
warspite1


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Thanks. May wait for reviews of this too to see exactly what he is covering, although the guy seems to have the bone fides.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 11:54:11 AM   
Greybriar


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The She-Wolf of France by Maurice Druon. It is book 5 of The Accursed Kings series.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 6:03:25 PM   
reg113


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Just started "The Fleet at Flood Tide".

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 7:57:16 PM   
ncc1701e


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This one I recommend if you are interested by urban warfare:

L'ultime champ de bataille
by Frédéric Chamaud and Pierre Santoni

Here is the link:
http://www.editionspierredetaillac.com/nos-ouvrages/catalogue/memoires-essais-biographies/l-ultime-champ-de-bataille

< Message edited by ncc1701e -- 3/23/2017 7:58:59 PM >

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 11:05:43 PM   
Skeleton


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https://www.amazon.com/Peloponnesian-War-Donald-Kagan/dp/0142004375

Great, concise, well written history.

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/23/2017 11:32:08 PM   
wings7


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quote:

ORIGINAL: Marcus the leper

https://www.amazon.com/Peloponnesian-War-Donald-Kagan/dp/0142004375

Great, concise, well written history.


Excellent!

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/24/2017 4:06:24 AM   
cpdeyoung


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It is an excellent book, holding an honored place on my bookshelf.

For more Kagan I recommend : http://oyc.yale.edu/classics/clcv-205

A review of Greek civilization and a great course to watch.

Chuck

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/24/2017 11:32:44 AM   
wings7


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quote:

ORIGINAL: cpdeyoung

It is an excellent book, holding an honored place on my bookshelf.

For more Kagan I recommend : http://oyc.yale.edu/classics/clcv-205

A review of Greek civilization and a great course to watch.

Chuck


Thanks for the link!

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/25/2017 4:08:47 AM   
RFalvo69


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"Bitter Victory" by Carlo d'Este.

I'm reading it while playing OCS Sicily II on the gaming table. Quite the experience

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RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? - 3/25/2017 5:04:36 AM   
Ranger33

 

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The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I'm actually listening to the audio book, which is 57 hours long!

I'm just now getting to the invasion of Poland, but I've learned so much history that I did not know before. Particularly just how insane Nazi Germany was even before the war started, and how badly Chamberlain screwed things up. I never knew that Czechoslovakia had such a strong military force available to fight the Germans (according to the book, 35 well trained and equipped divisions defending a heavily fortified border), but were forced to surrender when France and Britain turned their backs at the last moment.

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