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Other Stuff => General Wargames and Hobby Discussion => Topic started by: Rob_bresnen on March 11, 2015, 09:10:40 AM
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It's my dads birthday soon, and I was wondering if anyone can recorded a good book. He likes military history in general, but isn't a very academic person, so prefers books that are have pace and interest over the more dry academic factual accounts. He also enjoys fictional accounts of military campaigns, battles etc. His tastes are wide ranging and include Napoleonic, ww2, contemporary/modern, cold war, counter terrorism.
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Moon Over Malaya (Book Depository have it).
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Bernard Cornwell's recent book about the battle of Waterloo, called uh, well, Waterloo.
Really enjoyed that, reads like a Sharpe without Sharpe.
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Bernard Cornwell's recent book about the battle of Waterloo, called uh, well, Waterloo.
Really enjoyed that, reads like a Sharpe without Sharpe.
Yes definitely a good read, I would also recommend the Fort by him. They are told in the first person as a story but also have the historical narrative.
Others would be Redcoats by ..err cant remember the old chap in the anorak who used to do BBC military history shows a few years ago
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Best book I have read* on the North African campaign of WWII is Alamein:War without Hate by Colin Smith and John Bierman, ISBN 9780141004679. (£10 free post at Books Etc, £9.60 inc. postage from Book Depository selling through Amazon Marketplace.)
*Currently have over 120 books on WWII on my shelves, so yes I think the book is that good.
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'England's Last War Against France - Fighting Vichy, 1940 - 1942' by Colin Smith.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Englands-Last-War-Against-France/dp/0753827050/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426082594&sr=8-1&keywords=britains+last+war+with+france
Best book on military history I've ever read.
Written with great panache and style - a truly enjoyable read. And telling a fascinating story about a very little known aspect of WW2 history.
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I second the choice of 'The Fort' by Bernard Cornwell. A very good read.
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All great recommendations thank you. He has already read Waterloo, the Fort and England's Last War with France. All very good books. I have ordered him the Malaya book- It looks just his cup of tea.
Thanks for you help
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Then how about 'from Alamein to Zem Zem' It is a personal view of the WW2 North Africa campaign by a British tank commander and (again) a very good read. It has been a while since I last read it, but two excerpts leap to mind:-
Having taken out a German tank & having first 'dibs' on loot, he chose a very nice pair of binoculars, then while the rest of the crew were choosing he looked himself up & down & was shocked to realise that he was equipped 'head to toe' by the D.A.K.
Ordered to find & escort a column of British trucks (lots of dust being kicked up by his column of tanks) he ended up parallel with the trucks, only to realise that (despite being British lorries) they were crewed by Germans. Too much noise & dust to do much. too close to turn & fire the main gun & he thought it unfair to fire his pistol. While he was deciding what to do the German driver looked over, panicked, leapt out of the lorry & ran away.
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I found much of interest in 'To The Victor The Spoils' by Sean Longden which is a kind of social history:
Sean Longden re-tells the unexpected true story of life among the ranks of Field Marshall Montgomery's 21st Army group and reveals a tale of sex, burglary, rape, pillage and alcohol. Uncovering new material from interviews, documents and personal accounts, Sean Longden recounts what really happened on the road to Berlin.
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I'm currently reading "The Victorians at War" by Ian Beckett (2003), a nice series of light short essays on, well, the Victorians at war (mainly leaning towards the officers).
'England's Last War Against France - Fighting Vichy, 1940 - 1942' by Colin Smith.
I can also endorse this.
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This is a great read...
http://m.bookdepository.com/Killing-Rommel-Steven-Pressfield/9780553819526
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The Flashman series of novels by George Macdonald Fraser and his hilarious Pyrates, McCauslan in the Rough, The General danced at Dawn etc.
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Grenadiers: The Story of Waffen SS General Kurt "Panzer" Meyer by Kurt Meyer.
IMHO one of the best WW2 books ever is an autobiography of Kurt Panzer Meyer, known for his bold and aggressive leadership, he was one of the most highly decorated German soldiers of World War II. Successively commanding a motorcycle company, a reconnaissance battalion, a grenadier regiment, and the Hitler Youth Panzer Division, Meyer saw intense combat across Europe: the invasion of Poland, the fall of France in 1940, the sweep through the Balkans and Greece, the bitter fighting on the Eastern Front, and the 1944 campaign for Normandy. A first-hand account that conveys the grim reality of war as well as the bravery of the young men he commanded.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grenadiers-General-22Panzer-22-Stackpole-Military/dp/0811731979
Paddy
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How about something different:
The Unknown Soldier - by Väinö Linna. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unknown_Soldier_(novel)
Should be published in English by now by Penguin Books. Tells a story of Finnish mg company in the Continuation War. A classic on its own.
The Battle That Shook Europe. Poltava and the Birth of the Russian Empire - by Peter Englund. He is an excellent writer and his battle narrative is accurate yet very entertaining read.
The Beauty and the Sorrow. An Intimate History of the First World War - by Peter Englund and Peter Graves. Another book everybody should read.
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I've read "Popski's Private Army" by Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Peniakoff D.S.O., M.C. about five times now and can thoroughly recommend it.
It's a factual account about one of the forerunners of the L.R.D.G. and is a stonking good read (if you can find a copy).
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I must make a case for "To face the daring Maori" by Michael Barthorp. Not only does it take you to another age but to a vanished and exotic world. It is laced with diary excerpts that really give a feel for the people who become like friends. A stunning piece of writing that will entrance and transport your dad far from his armchair.
yep cracking read, harder to pick up tho as oop