|
Hotschi -> RE: What Book Are You Reading at the moment? (7/5/2015 6:43:02 PM)
|
Finished Churchill's Anchor, Robin Bradhurst's biography of Sir Dudley Pound. Bradhurst, being in contact with Pound's family, of course draws a more positive picture and, in my humble opinion as a reader, one which I'd give more credibility than to the writings of someone who once was serving under Pound (Roskill) and possibly has some unsettled issues... Very good reading.
Next one was yet another book about Singapore, namely, Did Singapore Have to Fall? by Blackburn and Hack. Unlike as the title probably suggests, this is not one of those books written with hindsight where a couple authors know it all better and issue a verdict, no. This book rather lists all (and busts some of) the myths surrounding this grand disaster of the British Empire. Both author repeatedly point out that even if reinforcements and/or more modern equipment would have been sent before outbreak of the war, the Japanese would have reacted the same way. the book doesn't stop with the Fall of Singapore, also included is the time of occupation - although briefly - and, more important, the events after the British retook control of Malaya, how apparently small steps taken further alienated the local population. Most valuable is the Appendix - all War Diaries (except for Johore Battery) of the fixed guns! When did they fire, which targets they chose, it's all there. And finally - a map showing all gun locations. Perfect! To date, this is the best of any of the 4 or so books I have read about this event.
Then I read John Edward's Curtin's Gift, a short book about John Curtin and his Premiership of Australia during WW II. I take this book as introduction to a much larger volume, which I got some time ago, about this interesting politician.
Now started Roskill's The War at Sea series of 4 volumes. Am right into the first one, just finished the story about the sinking of the Bismarck. I got the Kindle e-book version, not the paperbacks. But the e-book version.... is issued without any map and without any of the appendices :((( OTOH, now I know why the e-book is for about Euro 2,50 each, and the printed paperbacks Euro 52 each.... Back to the books, when reading, one should bear in mind WHEN these volumes were written - at a time when many things were still classified. But it good reading so far.
|
|
|
|
