A very good military read

[West Coast]

Red star rogue

By Kenneth Sewell & Clint Richmond

Just finished. Suggests that a Soviet sub went rogue and tried to launch a missile at Honolulu in 1968. Makes you think. Also suggests that project Jennifer (project to salvage the sub) went better than the disinformation out there suggests.

[brickhistory]

Concur, it's an interesting book.

[Mightycrewseven]

Whatever! :E

[West Coast]

No....................................

[airborne_artist]

I'll make another suggestion - Bomber Boys, by Kevin Wilson, Cassell £8.99 paperback.

Incredibly well researched story of Bomber Command in 1943, from the point of view of the aircrew and their missions. Massive amount of personal recollection, diary entries etc. Should be required reading for all RAF OASC candidates.

[BEagle]

From a review on the (well-known big river) website, by William F Twist:

First, I want to say that I really, really wanted to like this book. I really did. But there were so many factual problems with it, that I can't take it seriously.

First and foremost, the author mentions on several pages that the explosion aboard K-129 was monitored by a US early warning satellite. The problem with this is that according to "Guardians, Strategic Reconnaissance Satellites" by Curtis Peebles (Presidio Press, 1987. ISBN 0-89141-284-0), a comprehensive work on intelligence satellites from the beginning until 1985, there were no early warning satellites in operation in March 1968, when K-129 went down. The low orbit MIDAS follow-up program was cancelled in 1966 (due to problems with coverage and false alarms), and Project 949, its geosynchronous replacement, wasn't launched until August of 1968. So, it couldn't have been been monitored, because we didn't have the capability at the time K-129 sank.

Also, Sewell claims that the sailing was timed to prevent it from being detected by photoreconaissance satellites, but again we run into an issue: At the time, *ALL* US photorecon satellites were 'film return' types. In other words, they imaged what they saw directly on to film, and when they were done they returned that film back to Earth to be developed and interpreted. After they ejected the film, they were essentially useless. Referring back to "Guardians" again, we find that the Russians didn't have to try very hard to evade them: Launch 1968-5 was on January 18th, and had a lifetime of 17 days. That put the return back on February 5th. K-129 sailed on February 24th. The next US launch wasn't until March 13th, almost a week after K-129 sank.

Also, the author claims that K-129 was followed by a Permit class submarine, and that this sub recorded the acoustical signature for later processing on land-based Cray supercomputers. Remember, this is 1968. Seymour Cray didn't found Cray Research until 1972, and the first Cray-1 wasn't completed until 1976. Now, I have no doubt that the boat could have been followed, and its signature recorded for processing back on land, but if the author makes a mistake like this (and the aforementioned ones), how can you trust the other claims?

Shame - it sounded such a good read. Anyway, I'll probably buy a copy.

[West Coast]

Beagle

Have you read the book or simply done a quick Google? Don't let your source author make your mind up for you if not.
As what little expertise I possess lies in the air and not underwater, I have no definitive position. I was never clear why the sub sank, the main bit of interest being in the raising of it (Jennifer) and what was aboard. The information available says that only a small portion of the boat was recovered by the US. However at conferences decades later covering a range of POW and MIA issues the US gave the ships bell to the Russian delegation. The ships bell wasn't on the portion of the boat that the CIA admits it recovered.
The recovery claw was designed to lift large portions of the sub, not for plucking small items such as the bell. When the bell and other items discussed are viewed in the totality the author presents, it does make it sound as if the majority of the sub was raised.
While I have no hard opinions one way or another, it does beat watching those mindless reality shows on the tube.

[Clear Right,Px Good!]

You seem to know your books, you may be able to help me in a quest. A few years ago I spotted a book, can't remember the name though and now wish I had bought it there and then.
The book told the story of the Doolittle raid post Pearl Harbour. I want to get hold of this book, so if anyone knows the name I can order it from Amazon. Help much appreciated.

CRPxGood:confused:

[brickhistory]

30 Seconds Over Tokyo?

[Phil_R]

"The Doolittle Raid" by Carroll V. Glines

ISBN 0-515-10172-9

The copy I have is marked "Commemorating 50 years since the outbreak of World War 2", though, so I wouldn't fancy your chances.

Phil

[airborne_artist]

Available from the .com of the usual outlet.

[BEagle]

From Wikipedia:

Many books were written about the Doolittle Raid after the war. "Doolittle's Tokyo Raiders", by C.V. Glines, tells the complete story of the raid, including the unique experiences of each B-25 crew. "Guests of the Kremlin", written by copilot Bob Emmens, describes his crew's adventures as internees in Russia after their landing in that country following the raid. "Four Came Home", also by C.V.Glines, tells the story of Nielsen, Hite, Barr, and DeShazer—the Raiders who were held in POW camps for over three years. "The First Heroes" by Craig Nelson, goes into great detail of the events leading up to the raid and the aftermath for all the pilots and their families

Regarding 'Red Star Rogue', no Westy, I haven't yet bought the book. That review (and I've only quoted part of it) does rather cast doubt on some of the alleged facts stated in the book though. Which is a great pity.

The Jennifer operation sounds very interesting; as you say, if the Glomar Explorer's claw was only designed to raise large items, whence cameth the ship's bell......??

Perhaps The Truth is Out There........??

If the airport bookshop have a copy, I'm going to buy it on Monday.

[brickhistory]

The story of finding the Russki sub on the sea floor. Fairly good read, you can tell when he had to be vague to get it by DoD.

“SPY SUB” A Top-Secret Mission to the Bottom of the Pacific. - By Roger C. Dunham. The true story of an American nuclear submarine’s desperate search for a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine (K-219) lost in the depths of the north Pacific. Author Roger Dunham was a crewman aboard the U.S. spy sub (USS Halibut SSGN-587) and tells his story of the still-classified mission to locate the Russian sub which carried deadly cargo of armed missiles. With slight technical modifications and name changes (calling Halibut the Viperfish), Dunham’s story was cleared for publication by the Department of Defense. This is the true story of the ultimate in naval technology, human skill, and undaunted courage in the darkest depths known to man. 1996 Hardback with dust jacket. 222 pages, 14 B/W photos, no maps or index.

[West Coast]

Beagle

Bear in mind there's not a lot of information out there about the project. What the book says is the claw (nicknamed clementine) itself weighed in at about 6 million pounds.

About the only pictures and drawing I can find along with authors from now two books on the subject describe the claw as quite large and designed for grasping the body of the sub. K129 was visited by US spy and research subs in the years leading up to the lift so who knows how and when the bell was plucked from the sea. The interesting part being that the CIA acknowledged portion of the sub would not have included the bell. The book has essentially 3 parts, the sailing and sinking of the sub. The international politics (along with the internal politics of the USSR and the US with regard to the sub) and then project Jennifer. Perhaps the author hasn't it right about spy satellite technology of the day, but the political aspects and the changes occurring from about the time project Jennifer's cover was blown may be the catalyst for many of the unexplained changes of the old guard in the Kremlin and within the Soviet military. Finally, Jennifer itself makes the book worthwhile.

http://hometown.aol.com/Reallycoolpix/USSHalibut.html

[ORAC]

Extended review part I. (http://www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com/Archives/2006/20060119.html)
Extended review part II. (http://www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com/Archives/2006/20060124.html)
Letters to the editor. (http://www.whiskeyandgunpowder.com/Archives/2006/20060130.html)

[polecat2]

The most recent book on the Doolittle raid that I know of is "The First Heroes" by Craig Nelson, published in the UK by Corgi in 2003. Excellent account of the raid and it's aftermath.

Polecat2

[Clear Right,Px Good!]

Beagle,Polecat,

The First Heroes, it all comes back now. Will hunt it down today as it was only published in 2003!.

CRPxGOOD

[GPMG]

Well it's the holiday season approaching and I'm looking for advice on good literature regarding the Vietnam era.

I've read Chickenhawk (god knows how many times), Snake Pilot, Low Level hell, 13th Valley, Dear Mom: A Snipers Tale, Once a warrior king, Fields of Fire, and Dispatches. (No it's not a list to prove that I can read, it's just to stop any recommendations of what I have ready read).

Can anyone recommend a book that is a must read from that war or even Korea or French Vietnam era? There must be some good books regarding the fixed wing war out there.

Thank you.

[goudie]

Porkchop hill, Korean war epic by S.L.A Marshall

[EyesFront]

Not at home to peruse my bookshelves, but Thud Ridge comes to mind
(Curious how so many books came from the F105 world...)

[cornish-stormrider]

Any of the Gerry Carroll trilogy:

North SAR
Ghostrider One
No Place To Hide.

Tom Clancy recommends highly. On the subject of Mr Clancy, his somewhat dated "Red Storm Rising" was the first book I could not put down.......37 hours straight reading one weekend. God I must be sad!!

[meat bomb]

The Last Valley, French in Dien Bien Phu - nasty stuff

[Roland Pulfrew]

"The Bridges at Toko Ri".

Never read it myself but the film was quite good.

Slightly later era than you mentioned but have you read "Flight of the Intruder"? IIRC apparently based on a true story (or am I confusing it with another Intruder book) I enjoyed it in one of those un-put-down-able ways.

[Gainesy]

100 Missions North by Brig Gen Ken Bell (Thuds again).

Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson, about Gunny Carlos Hathaway who made 93 confirmed kills.

Warthog by William Smallwood, A-10s in GW1.

BAT-21, can't lay hands on at the moment. All at big river bookshop.

[angels]

The Quiet American by Graham Greene is a classic piece of fiction about Vietnam before the direct US involvement.

Available at all good bookstores for a few quid and the streets of HCMC for 20,000 VND.

[Dan D'air]

The Battle of Coral, Lex McAulay ISBN 00996 59301

It's about an Aussie Firebase NE of saigon in May '68 and it makes We Were Soldiers look like a Disney film. Also worth a read are The Deer Hunter (Much, much better than the film IMHO) and The Walking Dead by a US Marine in Da Nang.Have copies here if you would care to PM to borrow them.

Cheers, DD.

[StopStart]

Stolen Valor (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stolen-Valor-Vietnam-Generation-History/dp/096670360X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208517862&sr=8-1) by Burkett and Whitley.

A touche right wing and a little repetitive in places but otherwise a very interesting read. Quite amazed at the number of Vietnam frauds and "walts" that there are out there....

[AR1]

One day in a long war. Ethel/Price covers the air action on 10th May 1972. And there was a lot of it! Bombing raids on bridges . Air combat with Cunningham /Driscoll etc.

Sits on my shelf and I read it every year or so. Might be my specialist subject on mastermind at this rate.

[Airborne Aircrew]

A Rumour of War - Philip Caputo - Vietnam War Infantry Officer

The Devils Guard - George Robert Elford - Ex-German SS Foreign Legion in Vietnam

The Big Show - Pierre Closterman DFC & bar - WWII Free-French fighter pilot in the RAF

[polyglory]

To Hanoi and Back Wayne Thompson

The Elephant and the Tiger Wilbur H Morrison

Both good reads

[Mr C Hinecap]

The Long Gray Line: The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966 by Rick Atkinson

An exceptional book showing the awakening of the US Army, from idealistic post-WWII into something they didn't grasp. Following the different characters through their development and experiences is a damned good read.

[Eagle402]

Sympathy for the Devil by Kent Anderson is one of the best (along with Chickenhawk of course) Vietnam books I've ever read.

Let a soldier Die (Gary Holland) also very good.

Eagle402

[GPMG]

Crikey, thanks guys, stacks of possibilities.

Have just ordered.

Thud Ridge
Naked in DA Nang: A Forward Controller

I'll have to make a note of all of these for future reading. Thanks again.

[chksix]

Don't forget -Fox Two- by Duke Cunningham

[timex]

365 Days, by Dr Robert Glasser. Read it a long time ago, ISTR it tells the story of a medics 365 days on Casevac in Vietnam.

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

''Journal of a plague year'', John Parish, Vietnam Dr's account. pretty grimy, one of the books like Mike Herr's Dispatches that I felt gave a real personal feeling to it

''War year'', Joe Haldeman, combat engineer's account, who survived to become a succesful Science fiction author

[Evalu8ter]

If it's a memoir then you've had some good picks suggested; to them I would add Marretts "Cheating Death" (CSAR Escort Spad driver), "On Yankee Station" (F8s) and, if you're interested in RW try "The Last Battle", an excellent "Black Hawk Down" style account of the Mayguez (sp?) incident at the end of the Vietnam war. Also, IMHO, Hackworth's "Steel my Soldiers Hearts" is better than "We were Soldiers".

For a more scholarly approach, track down "Air Power in 3 Wars" by Momyer, "Strategy for Defeat" by U S Grant Sharp or The limits of Intervention by Clodfelter.

Happy reading!

PS-I bet the "Duke" is watching his "six" a lot in the shower at the moment...

[goudie]

Steven Coonts, former USN pilot, has written some good flying books based on his experience in V'nam.

[sycamore]

`My Secret War`, by Richard Drury..Skyraiders in Vietnam,Laos, Cambodia
`80 knots to Mach 2,` by Richard Linnekin...Stearmans to Crusaders,and all in between..
Wild Blue,,by Chick Childerhose, RCAF Sabres in Canada/Europe in the heyday times ;`quote` .`I need help.I got 40 `Americans cornered over Bitburg`!!`The wrong stuff`,by John Moore USN; Banshees,Cougars, Cutlass ,Furies,etc
`They gave me a Seafire` by Mike Crossley RN
`Journeys Hazardous` by Col Chris Bullock, 2nd KEO Goorkhas. Clandestine ops in Borneo `Op Claret`.Personal signed copy from `when we were young `.

[cornish-stormrider]

That'll be flight of the intruder then........ and many more that follow the adventures of Grafton. (for Goudie)

Avoid like VD the works of Dale Brown, unless you like a real laugh at the impossibility of it all......

Non 'nam try Patrick Robinson (early novels) and for pure breathtaking pace Matthew Reilly (but check brain at start of book).


For real old school action try the Conn Iguledon (sp) about the rise of Ghengis Khan.

[GPMG]

Still trying to track down a copy of Devils Guard, I've heard so much about it. Trouble is that £95.00 makes it a bit painful for a paperback and definately not something I want to get pool water splashed over.

[angels]

GPMG - Great! I've got a copy! Didn't realise they went for that much.

That said, I see that it mainly gets rave reviews on Amazon but there is one dissenter who I side with. I'm convinced it is a novel rather than an authentic memoir. There are too many discrepancies in times/locales etc.

That said, a good read.

[GPMG]

Yep, my brother had a copy in NI and left it in the Coy library. He's a bit disappointed now about that decision.

I guess that it's along the lines of The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. An excellent book that has a fair bit of discussion surrounding it regarding it's authenticity, still a terrific book though.

[angels]

Got that one as well.

I agree. Of the two it's definitely more authentic. I'm sure a bit of research could reveal whether times/dates etc match.

[Diver_Dave]

Fiction:-

Mark Berent's 5 books. Rolling Thunder etc....

Another set of novels written by a pilot.

and

The first few by Richard Herman Jr.
Kind of went downhill after Iron Gate.

Also not aviation but...
Stephen Hunter's Bob Lee Swagger books
and 'The day before Midnight'



Non Fiction:-

The Ravens by Christopher Robbins.

About the Raven FAC's in Laos.

Regards

DaveA

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

Bastard.

Gave my copy away.:eek:





''Ravens'' is deffo v. good as well

[Dan D'air]

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=320594

GPMG, Maybe this is the kind of thing that you have been looking for too.

[Pontius Navigator]

A dirty distant war By E. M. Nathanson

He wrote the Dirty Dozen. The Major is now reassigned to French Indo China. The book really is an eye opener.

The Japanese are in military control. The French are in nominal control. The Americans arm the Vietnamese under a guy called Giap.

Having read a bit on the Dutch East Indies and the troubles there this story has a striking resonnance. A good read.

[alwayslookingup]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PH8VWRPRL._SL500_AA240_.jpg (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/0974361852/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books)

Recommendation 1 - The Dying Place, David A. Maurer, account of special ops in Laos by Long Range Recon Patrols (LURRPs) during the Vietnam War. A perfect holiday read, short and punchy, you will not want to put it down once you start.

Recommendation 2 - TROTTI, JOHN: Phantom over Vietnam - Autobiographical account of USMC pilot. Factual, detailed and a brilliant read

HOWEVER:-

Recommendation A1 - For the best read I've had in recent years try "My War Gone By, I Miss It So Much." Searing and heartrending account of Times journalist Anthony Lloyd's experiences in Bosnia, Chechenya, and heroin addiction. Enjoy!

Edited to add:

Ref Post 12, AA mentioned the most excellent A Rumour of War, autobiographical account of Phillip Caputo's time as a USMC 2nd Lt in 63/64, for which he quite rightly won a Pulitzer Prize. His follow up to that was the fictional "Indian Country", Vietnam vet returns from war, difficulty adjusting to life back home etc. Further on in his career is "Delcorso's Gallery," successful but very jaded commercial photographer takes on the establishment. All rollicking good reads.

[Dak Mechanic]

Not Vietnam/Korea but as I'm stuck in Korea for 3 weeks I've just read Tail End Charlies by Nicholl/Rennell and found it a cracking read and very moving as well. Have got Patrick Bishop's Fighter Boys to re-read as well..

Most of the standards have been covered here - racking my brains for any others I may have read in the past. As I'm here I wish I'd got a good history of the Korean War to read!

[exscribbler]

Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club by Rene Francillon. Huge grey war canoes and real naval aircraft - a heady mix as they say.

The Last Valley is also excellent - but just how many of the Foreign Legion had previously been in the Waffen SS?:suspect:

The Korean War by Max Hastings is a good starter for 10. Am reading The Fighter Boys (for the second time) at the moment. It still makes my eyes water. I can't think why.

Wings on my Sleeve by Capt. Eric "Winkle" Brown CBE DFC AFC RN. IMHO one of the best flying books.

[GPMG]

My books have just turned up from Amazon, a quick glance looks positive.

Great service from Amazon.

[exscribbler]

I can recommend Maritime Books for their service; IMHO they're as good as Amazon. I've finished Fighter Boys now and started "Life at Full Throttle" by Admiral Sir John Treacher. Looks OK so far.

[Ali Qadoo]

A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan. Absolutely superb

[rjtjrt]

I just re read a book of anecdotes of RAAF fast jet pilots seconded to US forces in Vietnam as FAC pilots. Good read.

Hit My Smoke: Targeting the Enemy in Vietnam
(ISBN: 1864484802)
Coulthard-Clark, Chris

[SPIT]

Hi
If you enjoyed Chickenhawk and other book about the H/C war you will enjoy RATTLER ONE - SEVEN. by Chuck Gross, isbn1-57441-178-0 :ok::ok:

[fideaux]

Rasimus 'When Thunder Rolled'
Cook ' Once a Fighter Pilot'

[air pig]

Try Rescue Under Fire, tells the story of how Dust Off was created, the son of Korean medivac helicopter operations.

Brilliant book, ISBN 0-7643-0461-5

[Ogre]

If you like a bit of black humour from the Vietnam era try "Gunship: Spectre of Death" by Henry Zeybel. The story revolves around a fictional hero who just happens to have the same initials as the author, who is a sensor operator on an AC130 gunship. The technical bits are very detailed, the flying sequences gripping and the funny bits absolutely hysterical.

Ogre

[Airborne Aircrew]

Dammit... I've turned my house upside down looking for my copy of Devils Guard... Nowhere to be found... :{

[brickhistory]

Rasimus 'When Thunder Rolled'

Agree, most excellent. That one deals with him being a new guy F-105 driver. His recent "Palace Cobra" relates his subsequent Vietnam tour flying F-4s.

From WWII: "Pursuit Through Darkened Skies," by Michael Allen DFC**. R/O in a night fighter crew, very good.

"Queen of the Midnight Skies," by G. Pape and Ronald Harrison. Probably the best overview of the US night fighter program including, obviously, the development and deployment of the P-61 'Black Widow.' But it also goes heavily into the US' use of the Beaufighter (4 squadrons) and the Mosquito (1 squadron) as night fighters.

"The Two o'clock War" by Walter Boyne. It's about the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

[Stratofreighter]

GPMG - Great! I've got a copy! Didn't realise they went for that much.

That said, I see that it mainly gets rave reviews on Amazon but there is one dissenter who I side with. I'm convinced it is a novel rather than an authentic memoir. There are too many discrepancies in times/locales etc.

That said, a good read.


Wikipedia describes "Devil's Guard" at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil's_Guard .

[johnfairr]

Brick, as a point of interest, the son of Michael Allen is a Pprune member. And the son of the pilot in that book is a very good chum of mine and has been for the last 30 years . . .

jf

[Riskman]

The Tunnels of Cu Chi by Tom Mangold & John Pennycate ISBN 030436715

200 miles of tunnels around Saigon that not only enabled the Viet Cong to move about undetected but also contained hospitals, training facilities and living quarters. This is the story of the Tunnel Rats, the GIs who fought the VC underground, usually in the pitch dark, and their adversaries, the Vietnamese who saw the US as an invader propping up a corrupt regime.


A fascinating read that doesn't need any dramatic licence to convey both the tactical problem it posed and the claustrophobic terror in overcoming it.

[brickhistory]

as a point of interest, the son of Michael Allen is a Pprune member. And the son of the pilot in that book is a very good chum of mine and has been for the last 30 years . . .

And it is quite a point.

Allen's book, along with C.F. Rawnsley and Bob Wright's "Night Fighter" about the evolution of night fighting in WWII - Rawnsley was the R/O to John Cunnigham - is one of the best of the many I've read on the subject and one I cited in my bibliography for a US night fighter squadron work.

[Diver_Dave]

Hi all,

I'm wondering of anyone can point me at the title of a nice trashy
piece of fiction I read many years ago.

Set in Germany (just outside Berlin IIRC) NATO mission
with a couple of fast drivers who's job it was to fast pick
up any pilots shot down / tech downed over East Germany.

I can remember bits of the story but not too much more.

Oh and in addition to my above recommendations

Golgotha by John Gardner (Alternative history)

Any help appreciated

Thanks

DaveA

[fideaux]

'Feet Wet' Gillchrist

[TEEEJ]

Concur. I thoroughly recommend.

When Thunder Rolled: An F-105 Pilot Over North Vietnam by Ed Rasimus.

Cheers

TJ

[Safeware]

Not Vietnam, and not of the air, but excellent reading is Knife Edge: Life as a Special Forces Surgeon by Richard N. Villar. Served with the SAS, now a GP

sw

[Cpt_Pugwash]

Diver Dave,

I think the book you are referring to is "Recovery" by Stephen Thompson.

A team from the US equivalent of BRIXMIS has to recover the "Jesus Box" from a downed A-10 forced over the Border by Migs. Not a bad read, I always thought it would have made a cracking film. Sadly my copy was loaned out and never returned.

There was at least one sequel featuring the same characters.

Also a good read is " Dragon Jet" by David Axton, about an armed and EW-equiped DH-125.

Edited to add ISBN: STEVEN L. THOMPSON Recovery
Harlequin Books. (ISBN: 9780373970797)

[27mm]

Have to second the recommendation for Mark Berent - Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Eagle Station - all cracking reads - unusually, Berent writes well about Ground Ops as well as flying.

[Something witty]

'Feet Wet' by Rear Adm Paul T Gillchrist USN

(whats with their initials - USN so big there's another Adm P Gillchrist?!)

He had his first carrier landing in 1953 and last in 1980, flew F8, F4, F14 and others. Not strictly Vietnam although some chapters are definatly... a very enjoyable read (ever aborted LL whilst battling with a reptile in the cockpit? :eek:) ...but also poinient as 25+ years of aviation will sadly always be.

ISBN 1 85310 191 5


EDIT: appologies, its given above! (although -ve ISBN)

[Something witty]

Diver_Dave,

Have you read the non-fiction story of that time?

BRIXMIS by Tony Geraty (cant remember spelling of surname but well known)

er..... and another book on the same subject with similar name!

Tony's book is a collection of stories from accross BRIXMIS (he was never there although it is an excellent book) and the 'other book' was written IIRC by an ex-BRIXMIS member. (the other book was in RMCS library several years ago, black hardback, gold writting... there that helps!)

Sneaking into Soviet tank sheds during May day celebrations; measuring the caliber of a BMP with a half eaten apple; getting chased by the Stasi down a wooded track flat out - in reverse - to escape accross the fields in a G-wagon.... Amazing read, backed up with phots... and I bumped into an ex member at an MT section a while ago - photo of a rally car on the wall..? no its got Mission plates! You were in BRIXMIS then? a gleaming bloke. :ok:

[exscribbler]

I've just finished "Flights into History" by Ian McLachlan. It gives an insight into the work of aviation archaeologists but by far the best bits are the descriptions of how young men behaved in conditions of extreme peril both in the air and on the ground.

Particularly good is a long section written by a 49 Squadron navigator who was captured after his Lancaster was shot down over Dusseldorf. He described his story as a line-shoot. Not so.

[teeteringhead]

Having seen this obituary (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/news/2008/04/23/db2301.xml) in today's Torygraph, I've found a secondhand copy of Paddy Barthropp's autobiog (with the help of a South American river .....;)) which ought to be good.

Loved the bit in the obit about his repatriation as a Kriege after VE day - nicked a Mercedes fire engine and drove from Lubeck to Brussels - including an overnight :E stop in Hamburg where he and his companion enjoyed the favours of two frauleins ..... in exchange for a tin of corned beef .....

....... wonder what he's have thought of today's RAF ........:(

[Airborne Aircrew]

[/quote]The Tunnels of Cu Chi[/quote]

I forgot this one... Brilliant... An awful way to make a living...

[teeteringhead]

A bit off thread but ...

... speaking of BRIXMIS, the Cosford Museum has got one of their cars in their Cold war exhibition. It's the Opel equivalent of a Vectra (I think), but 4WD, hot engine, IR headlights and all sorts of Gucci stuff. They've put it next to a Trabby to make it feel at home!

Well worth a visit ..... and so is the rest of the Museum of course...

[Diver_Dave]

Thanks

Capt Pugwash,

That's the one!

Tried Googling various combinations of the bits I could
remember but never had any luck before.

Something Witty.

I had NO idea. (I'm only an ex blanket stacker so why should I know! Cue
various jokes, assorted insults etc...)

That's gone on my reading list as soon as I can find a copy.

IIRC from the early-mid 80's I remember a serious diplomatic
incident with an American Major (I think), from some mission in
East Germany getting shot whilst inside an airbase (recollection
shaky here, please flame gently). 'm guessing it's kind of the same thing but
gone very wrong.

Thanks very very much.

In regards to the Mark Berent books I can't read the bit at the 'O' club with 'Hostletters Holocaust' (Eagle Station I think) without crying with laughter
every time.

That said, they're a very good mixture of sweet and sour.

Regards to all.

DaveA

[ursa_major]

Diver_Dave

Re: " IIRC from the early-mid 80's I remember a serious diplomatic
incident with an American Major (I think), from some mission in
East Germany getting shot whilst inside an airbase (recollection
shaky here, please flame gently). 'm guessing it's kind of the same thing but
gone very wrong."

Maj. Arthur Nicholson, 24th March 1985, Ludwigslust TZ - tank firing range. Nicholson had been out of the vehicle photographing posters inside one of the buildings. His NCO spotted a figure in the nearby woodland aiming a weapon at Nicholson & warned him to come back to the car. Nicholson was shot from the treeline as he returned to the vehicle.

[Dan D'air]

... speaking of BRIXMIS

Ah, those were the days, when we had a decent enemy to fight..........

[parabellum]

Was told to read: "A Bright Shining Lie" by Neil Sheehan. Haven't found it yet, anyone know if it is any good or just another political rant?

[27mm]

Hi Parabellum - it's a long read, but "A Bright Shining Lie" was for me, at any rate, the finest book on Vietnam I ever read.

[parabellum]

Thanks 27mm - now located a copy so will read with interest!

[FougaMagister]

I'd second AR1 re. One Day in a Long War - excellent read. Also sitting on my shelves: Scream of Eagles by Robert K. Wilcox, on the creation of Top Gun.

Air America by Christopher Robbins. And one of my favorite: Flying Tigers Over Cambodia by Larry Partridge. BRIXMIS by Tony Geraghty is an exceptional read. Better than fiction.

All available on the net through Amazon or Midland Counties.

Cheers :cool:

[dakkg651]

Just finished reading 'Voyager' by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan.

Far more involved in this amazing record flight than I realised.

If you don't think this is a book about combat then you'd be wrong. The enemy in this case being the weather, fatigue and system failures.

And if you want to know how a fecal bag works you will have to obtain a copy of the book.

[goudie]

Currently reading 'Return to Berlin, The Eye of a Navigator' by Robert Grilley, who tells of his time, on B17's, operating out of Deenesthorpe. Very readable

[dagenham]

For you chickenhawk fans - a new edition has just been released fully updated with some corrections, photographs and views from Robert Mason's friends who flew with him. It breaths new life into an old book and I really enjoyed reading it for the umteenth time.

If you ever wondered what happened to him when he got back, try reading chickenhawk- the return home. Great book and very moving takes him up to the point of writing the first book and the response from fellow vets and first team colleagues. I never saw this in the UK, but recently moved to the US and saw it in a second hand book sale. Some copies can be had on amazon for a good price

Another great book is Boyd - fighter general - great insight into the genius behind the f16 and manouevre warfar. Great story of maverick style fighter jock becoming the einstein of dynamic thinking and fighting

[mlc]

Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail- Rick Newan.

Fast Facs flying F100s in Vietnam. 500 pages that can't be put down.

[Wiley]

I concur with 27mm's assessment of "A Bright Shining Lie". Teeth-grindingly frustrating when you read the early chapters. A reader could be forgiven for thinking that the the mid-60's US hierarchy and the military/industrial establishment actually wanted the war to expand/continue rather than be wound up and won in the insurgency phase, as it quite possibly could have been, with 1% of the eventual effort and expenditure, in the early days. (Silly, silly me.. did I actually employ a disbelieving tone when saying: "A reader could be forgiven for thinking that the ... US ... military/industrial establishment actually wanted the war to expand/continue"? Of course they did. Back then, it never occurred to them for one minute that those sandal-wearing, Commie 'slope' peasants would actually beat them - and transpose, with not a single lesson learned, 'mid 60's US leadership' and 'slopes' for 'Donald Rumsfeldt/Dick Cheney et al' and 'Al Queda ragheads' and you've got a second US-manufactured war that could very well go the same way as Vietnam. [However, I can't see the 'ragheads' holding fire as the CH53s lift the Marines and last of the US diplomats off the Baghdad embassy roof.)

Just finished "3 PARA", by Patrick Bishop, the story of 3 Para's 2006 deployment to Afghanistan. Excellent read, which, (if from the Grunt's perspective), paints a very clear picture of the incrediblly important role air power is playing in keeping our troops in some very unwelcoming situations - and how the Brits lack the right aircraft, particularly transport/casevac helicopters, for the job.

Just started 'Fiasco -The American Military Adventure in Iraq', by Thomas e. Ricks. Not very far into it yet, but it looks very promising and extremely damning of the US political and senior military leadership.

[Airborne Aircrew]

FiascoI'd suggest that anything with that word in the title isn't going to give a particularly glowing indictment of it's subject... Just a thought... :}

[exscribbler]

Dusty Warriors by Richard Holmes - 1PWRR in Iraq. I thought it was a cracking book.

Reviews here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dusty-Warriors-Modern-Soldiers-War/dp/customer-reviews/0007212844/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&customer-reviews.start=1#customerReviews (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dusty-Warriors-Modern-Soldiers-War/dp/customer-reviews/0007212844/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&customer-reviews.start=1#customerReviews)

His other books in the same genre are also excellent reading:

Redcoat: the British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket
Sahib: the British Soldier in India
Tommy:the British Soldier on the Western Front

[effortless]

Just finished "Agent Zigzag" a remarkable true story about a Brit spy who gets the Iron Cross.Amazon listing (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Agent-Zigzag-Wartime-Chapman-Traitor/dp/0747592837/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209581242&sr=8-1)

[Something witty]

Thread drift alert!! Books on Vietnam?! ;) I am as guilty as the next man and it is, after all, informative...

I'll second RH's 'Dusty Warriors,' an excellent read.:ok:

Dave, very glad to have put you onto BRIXMIS, you will not be disapointed!

Anyone recall the 'other Brixmis book' (not Tony Geraghty's excellent version) that I mentioned earlier. I'd love to lay my hands on it again (and Tony's, lent to a friend a while ago...!)

EDIT: Teeteringhead - thanks for the mission car info at Cosford:ok: ..just a shame I left that part of the world recently without going there :(

[Megaton]

"Most Secret War" by RV Jones. An excellent book for anyone with an interest in modern technical intelligence, signals intelligence, electronic countermeasures etc.

"Vulcan 607" by Rowland White. Cracking read :ok:

[Wiley]

Thread drift alert!! Books on Vietnam?!Those who don't learn form history are doomed to repeat it. Read the book mentioned and you'll think you're reading about Iraq with a thick coating of leaves added. In Iraq, the American leadership have made virtually every mistake they made in Vietnam, as if it never happened. I can only imagine how incredibly frustrating it must be for the people in theatre with dust on their boots who have studied the mistakes that were made back then, to see them being repeated all over again by leaders who obviously haven't.

Movie suggestion: 'Lions for Lambs'. Bombed in the box office in the US for obvious reasons - the American public didn't want to believe what was being oh so clearly and uncomfortably spelled out in the movie. I am NOT a Tom Cruise fan, but the part he plays in that movie is chillingly accurate and all too familiar.

[brickhistory]

This should be good:

In Iraq, the American leadership have made virtually every mistake they made in Vietnam,

Like?

I'm definitely not arguing that the top brass has covered themselves in glory, but I am very interested in what you consider 'the same mistakes.'

Movie suggestion: 'Lions for Lambs'. Bombed in the box office in the US for obvious reasons - the American public didn't want to believe what was being oh so clearly and uncomfortably spelled out in the movie.

While I appreciate the humor in your use of the word 'bombed' in the context above, may I offer a counter that it simply was a terrible movie?

Nah, that couldn't be it...................................

[Legalapproach]

Effortless

I agree - just read Agent Zig Zag whilst on a skiing trip over Easter - very good read

Recently read Thud Ridge and would recommend

Completely off flying, last year at work we had a conversation at work about good books to read and a colleague recomended Pickwick Papers. I have never really read any Dickens - bit highbrow so I thought when at school. I bought a copy and could not put it down when on holiday last year - really entertaining, funny book. Similarly, having seen the film a couple of times I got hold of a copy of Barry Lyndon - very funny and much better than the film.

Happy Landings by Grp Cpt Edward Mole and Airymouse by Donald (?) Penrose are nice whimsical flying books

[DICKYMINT]

Nothing to do with flying but "Tiger Force" - incredible account of a troop of GIs out of control - committing atrocities by Michael Sallah and Mitch Weiss.

[brickhistory]

"First In, Last Out: Stories by the Wild Weasels," edited by Edward T. Rock, ISBN 1-4208-1620-9

Mostly Vietnam-era stories of the combat, the development, etc. Big book, all the episodes are in short story format.




I have one on F-4Gs tentatively titled "MAGNUM! The Wild Weasels in Desert Storm" supposedly being published next spring. I hope one day it will make one of these lists...........

[exscribbler]

A brilliant book!

Last year I was allowed into the cockpit of XL360 at Coventry - I certainly wouldn't have fancied flying from Ascension to Port Stanley and back. Those men in the Vulcans and the Victors have my utmost respect.

In September last I had an excellent morning at Bawtry Hall when it was open for the Heritage Days. I really only went for the visit to the 1 Group part and we were treated to a smashing talk by Stewart Cresswell, a former Vulcan jock (617, etc) and who did 2 tours at Bawtry Hall as W/Cdr Ops and as a Gp Capt.

It was fascinating, especially when he described the fun they had in 1982 trying to find some IFR probes for the Black Buck flights. It seems the whole thing was planned at Bawtry, including how the Victors would refuel each other. He even mentioned the Canberra and asked if there were any former Canberra aircrew in the audience; sadly there were none.

Interestingly a lady said she'd seen the Vulcan in a museum but couldn't remember where. Hmm.

Thread drift? I hope not.:ok:

[EyesFront]

Since the scope of the thread has now extended far beyond flying stories from 'nam, let me contribute 'Between Silk and Cyanide' by Leo Marks - a fascinating and well-written account of SOE in WW2 from the point of view of the code-master. Full of truly exceptional people...

[exscribbler]

Not thread drift, I hope, but the book (and the film) "Carve Her Name with Pride" always makes me leak around the eyes. Violette Szabo GC was one of those exceptional people.

Details here: http://www.violette-szabo-museum.co.uk/foyer.htm

[Gyro Pilot]

"Marine sniper"
Gunnery Sgt Carlos Hathcock - Vietnam war 93 confirmed kills - one shot one kill.:D

[wileydog3]

Captive Warrior about Sam Johnson, an early Thunderbird who was shot down and spent long years in NV as a POW. Johnson, now a member of the US House, is no showboat like Kerry and no loose cannon like McCain. Just a guy who did his job, came home to his wife and family and continues to support for and work for his country. Admirable...

Not a big fan of Faith of Our Fathers by McCain but still probably something that anyone studying the period should read.

Phil Caputo's A Rumor of War is an excellent read. Caputo writes true and direct. He notes, as I remember, correctly that one of the most brutal, meanest, most violent things on the face of the earth is a young Kansas teen-ager who has had enough and has decided that regardless of what happens, he is going home. That person is nothing to mess with...

Ground book but We Were Soldiers Once is another look from the ground perspective.

Thud Ridge is almost mandatory.

100 Missions North, another good read.

Over the Beach and On Yankee Station.. a Navy perspective.

Chained Eagle.. story of Alverez, the first pilot shot down over N Vietnam

Flight of the Intruder.. book better than the movie

I've not read it yet but it has gotten very good reviews. American Patriot The Life and Wars of Bud Day. Coram, the writer previously wrote the book BOYD, another good read but not focused on Vietnam.
That should keep you reading for a while...

[Wiley]

For brickhistory (and others): I couldn't convince you to read a book detailing the bad news, ('Fiasco' - see my post # 73 on this thread), so here are two at the other end of the scale, and both very good reads.
'Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground' (ISBN: 1400061326) by Robert D. Kaplan, and, by the same author, 'Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground' (ISBN: 0739323423)

'Hog Pilots' is a follow on from the first book. However, I read it first and found it a marginally more enjoyable read than 'Imperial Grunts', (perhaps because it was partially about aeroplanes!!).

'brick', these two I think you'll enjoy - and for any Brit (or even Ozmate) military readers out there, I believe reading them will be something of a revelation, explaining quite a few things we all thought we knew (edited to add) about the US military.

Highly recommended.

(This is the same author who wrote 'The Coming Anarchy', which I think should be required reading for anyone entering into politics or the military in the West, particularly the U.S.)

[themightyimp]

You have to read "Hell in a very small place: Siege of Dien Bien Phu" by Bernard B Fall, ISBN-13: 978-0306811579

Quite simply the best war book ever written. Why did the US not learn from this and fall into a similar engagement at the same place I'll never know.

Also try "Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochina" by the same author

[Argonautical]

A really good read is David Morrell's "First Blood" which I read at one sitting years ago. The "Rambo" films have nothing in common with the book.

[27mm]

Sorry if posted before, but any of Mark Berent's books are worth a read - Steel Tiger, Rolling Thunder, Eagle Station to name but a few. Berent came up through the ranks to become a highly decorated and respected Vietnam fighter pilot. His books are fiction, but with absolute plausibility and realism, especially in the flying sequences; he also has the gift of weaving ground ops, soldiers and the whole Vietnam experience into each novel. Enjoy!

[Arclite01]

There is also these 2:

Life On the Line
Once a Warrior King

both great reads..................

Arc :ok:

[CirrusF]

Anybody know of any books from Vietnam war written by the victims of the war - ie the vietnamese? I'd like to get a different viewpoint than hollywood history.

[SARRIA2000]

Warburton's War by Tony Spooner - excellent review of a slight social misfit who really found his feet flying photo-rece spits out of Malta in WWII.

Sniper One by Dan Mills - one chapter especially shows the effect on morale of having a Spectre flying above the battle zone for the guys on the ground

RAF Harrier Ground Attack Falklands by Jerry Pook - I think the title was designed to get as many hits as possible on google! Either way - a good counter balance to the fighter books - acts as a good main course with David Morgan's Hostile Skies as starter.

Ghost Wars by Steve Coll - A very well written background the current situation in Afghanistan reference US, UK, Saudi, Russian, and principally Pakistani involvement.

Already mentioned but Wings on my Sleeve and Freefall are both excellent reads.

[Gainesy]

Charlie Don't Write.:E

[brickhistory]

Charlie Don't Write.


Now that was funny! :ok:

[Modern Elmo]

Fields of Fire

Everybody knows that that book's author is currently a U.S. Senator?

And that that the boxing match described in one of his earlier novels, A Sense of Honor, is based on an actual bout between the author and Oliver North at Annapolis?

The books are better than their titles.

Also, one might add to the list, "A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam." Not a happy fun read.

[Modern Elmo]

Why did the US not learn from this and fall into a similar engagement at the same place I'll never know.

Because, unlike the French, AUSA and the USMC won the war militarily, only to be betrayed by politicians back home.

[Modern Elmo]

Anybody know of any books from Vietnam war written by the victims of the war - ie the vietnamese? I'd like to get a different viewpoint than hollywood history.

That is an insult, an insult I take seriously to good men who got killed and maimed. Most of the books mentioned herein are not at all Hollywood.

[mattbar]

Back on good books. Three that I highly recommend for a holiday read and which cross the ages of conflict:

1. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield - The Battle at Thermopylae between the Spartan s and invading Persians. A fantastic read.

2. First Light by Geoffrey Wellum - Story of Geoffrey Wellum, the youngest spitfire pilot in 92 Sqn and the Battle of Britain. A brilliant story, very moving. Loved it.

3. Low Level Hell by Hugh L. Mills Jr and Robert A Anderson. The story of Mills and his exploits as a scout pilot on Loach's in the Vietnam war. I suspect that the majority of scout/recce pilots have read this one. Another great read and probably better than Chicken Hawk.

Cheers

MattBar

[Tyres O'Flaherty]

Just read ''The first heroes'', by Craig Nelson, excellent account of the Doolittle raid

[Safeware]

My top one for this year, "Eight Lives Down" by Chris Hunter. The story of an ATO's 4 month tour in Iraq. Awesome, started at 1100 one day, didn't stop tilI finished it that evening.

Utmost respect to him, his team and his family.

sw

[Maxibon]

Two books that I've really enjoyed, apart from Pirate, Private and the usual A5 glossies, are:

The Shepherd - Frederick Forsyth - only a short story about a vampire pilot on Christmas Eve but extremely well written and illustrated.

Piece of Cake - Derek Robinson - ficticious tale of WW2 Hurricane pilots in N France and back in Blighty. Caused a fair amount of controversy amongst the old 'n' bold but some of the tales must have been based on fact.

[Gainesy]

Just finished "Rupert Red Two" by Jack Broughton, covers his career from flying P-47s in Germany in 1946 through numerous types F-80, F-84, F-100, F-102, F-104, F-106 and lastly F-105s (he also wrote Thud Ridge).

Includes a combat tour in Korea ("George and I were left with 16 MiGs all to ourselves" :uhoh:), a tour as Thunderbirds Lead on F-84s and F-100s and numerous JO scrapes nicking jeeps, trains etc and later fights with beancounters. Very readable, love to meet the bloke.

[Wiley]

If the mods think this is more suited for Jetblast, with apologies, I'll leave it to them to move it there.

Occasionally, people post here asking if anyone can recommend a 'good read'. I've just finished one such book, 'A Storm in Flanders - The Ypres Salient, 1914-1918', by Winston Groom.

The author may be familiar to some as the man who wrote 'Forrest Gump'. He's an American, and writing to an American audience, but don't let that put you off. The Americans don't arrive until page 243, and he does not in any way exaggerate their role.

I'd rate the book as top shelf. I'd like to think I'm pretty well read on WW1, but he trouches on aspects of Ypres that I was unaware of, and the personal accounts he draws on are extraordinary in the detail they give of what must have been among the more horrible battlefield conditions any troops have fought in in modern - perhaps any - times.

One aspect he touches on surprised me. He explodes the myth of the British 'Chateau generals', giving details of the rather large number of British general officers killed in action in WW1. Also, if you're a Canadian, you'd come away after reading this book feeling very, very proud of the part your soldiers played at Ypres.

On a similar subject, the Canucks have just made a movie based (rather loosely, I suspect) on the life of one of their more highly decorated soldiers at Ypres. It's called 'Passchendaele', and is also well worth looking out for.

[sitigeltfel]

Agincourt, by Juliet Barker.

The book is not just about the battle itself but the politics leading to the invasion and siege of Harfleur, the trek to Calais and the aftermath for England and France. I couldn't put it down.

Summarised by Bernard Cornwell.......If you buy just one book of history this year, choose this one. A triumph.

[BarbiesBoyfriend]

Quite a useful thread, this.

I'll try to get hold of a copy of 'Storm in Flanders'. Sounds good.

I'd recommend 'The last valley', for a great account of the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu.

Not at all what I expected.

[GeeRam]

Wings On My Sleeve - Eric 'Winkle' Brown
Hardest Day - Dr Alfred Price
Blond Knight - Raymond Tolliver
Night Fighter - Jimmy Rawnsley

[Wensleydale]

Of many good books around - an interesting one is the biography of Adrian Warburton DSO and Bar, DFC and 2 bars, DFC (USA). The book is called "Warburton's War" and written by Tony Spooner. Not only does this book give the story of one of the RAFs most decorated (and probably least known) pilots of WWII, but it also shows what can be achieved when a Flt Cdr provides the leadership and encouragement to allow one of the military's misfits to reach his true magnificent potential. It is also a useful background for the history of the air war in Malta - particularly recce.

Warburton went to the same school as Bader and Gibson and quite probably achieved more than both of them in a military sense during his wartime career. He was a "failed" pilot who became a navigator, then learned to fly again very quickly as the supply of pilots in Malta dried up. A one off and something of a maverick (despite being married and having a wife in England - he lived openly with Christine, the "it girl" of Malta) he got results which is what the leadership wanted despite his almost total lack of service discipline. He probably contributed more than any other person to the success of the war in the mediterranean theatre and was recommended for the VC on several occasions - his detractors outside his circle saw to it that he did not get the medal he deserved - he still managed 2 x DSOs, 3 x DFCs and an American DFC for this exploits.

Buy it cheap on Amazon.

W

[Double Zero]

W',

Thanks for the tip, I'll seek out the book.

I've always felt A.W. deserved a decent book, and a better film than the Alec Guiness version ( ' Malta Story ' ? ) which alludes to his exploits.

He has a place in history, and it's doubtful if there would have been a Taranto Raid without his input.

I did see a programme about him ( and Christine's fate, possibly even crueler than his ) which I'm not ashamed to admit I found rather moving.

As other books I'd recommend, try ' Lost Voices of the Royal Navy '(1914 - 45 ) by Max Arthur, and for a hint at what really went on, ' The Secret War For The Falklands ' by Nigel West.

As for Adrian Warburton, it always seemed to me he was our version of Antoine De St' Exupery ( there's another classic book, ' Wind, Sand and Stars ' ) - though A.W. seems to have been more occupied in tactical flying, rather than spend admittedly enforced time on writing & poetry !

[1.3VStall]

"Wing Leader" - Johnnie Johnson
"First Light" - Geoffrey "Boy" Wellum

(The latter had fought in the Battle of Britain and been posted to a Spitfire OTU for a rest from Ops by the age of 19. Makes you think, doesn't it?)

[jungle drums]

Storm of Steel
Forgotten Soldier

[dead_pan]

"First Light" - Geoffrey "Boy" Wellum


I'll second that - an excellent read :ok:

Once again I'll plug Sandy Woodwards account of the Falklands conflict - 100 Days. That first chapter...

I know the whole Vietnam thing has probably been overdone, but I'd recommend John Del Vecchio's book "The 13th Valley". The accounts of the tension of fighting in the jungle are peerless IMO.

I've just finished Anthiny Beevor's book Stalingrad, which also was excellent. The suffering endured by the troops on both sides was unimaginable.

[November4]

Just finished In Foreign Fields: Heroes of Iraq and Afganistan, In Their Own Words (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Foreign-Fields-Heroes-Afganistan-Their/dp/0955285488) Found the book amazing and very moving.

The sort of stories that I used to read when much younger about the heroes of the Second War.

[andibnotts]

i totally agree about the G Wellum book and that led onto Brian Kingcombes book 'A Willingness To Die' which is written more about life between sorties during the BofB.
Off topic i know but can any of you remember a ITV programme about the last flight of a 617Sqn Vulcan ( had a mate who featured in it as he was the flem prepping the jet)


regards to all

andy

[Tankertrashnav]

This is a bit of a cheat for this thread as this book is primarily about the pioneering years of civil aviation, but Fate is the Hunter by Ernest K Gann is a fantastic read. To qualify for inclusion in this thread, though, the author flew right through WW2 as a civilian pilot attached to US Military Airlift Command, mainly on C47s and C87s (the transport version of the Liberator). Some great tales, I especially like the bit when he narrowly avoids redesigning the Taj Mahal with a severely overloaded C87 by dropping full flap at the last second and scraping over the top.

[India69]

"The Big Show" Pierre Closterman

[C130 Techie]

Some excellent recommendations above, particularly First Light by Geoffrey Wellum.

I would also like to recommend my current read, a little more modern but excellent all the same, Forgotten Voices Of The Falklands War by Hugh McManners, a real eye opener.

[NDW]

'Tornado Down' - It's one of my favourite book's I have ever read :ok:.

'Vulcan 607' - Rowland White is also another spectacular read.

[Melchett01]

Don't get time to read half as many of these books as I would like, but 3 which I have managed to read and found particularly interesting are

Winged Victory: The Recollections of Two Royal Air Force Leaders by AVM 'Johnnie' Johnson and Wg Cdr 'Laddie' Lucas - a very good read about 2 wartime fighter pilots, their experiences from attempting to join up as aircrew through to combat ops and then as senior officers. A very enjoyable and easy read, yet one that is also very thoughtful and does leave you wondering how some of today's leaders would have coped in their shoes.

Secret Empire: Eisenhower, The CIA and the Hidden Story of America's Space Espionage - tells the story of the development of not only satellite-based espionage, but also of interest was the story of how the U2 was developed.

Most Dangerous Enemy - so you think you know the story of the Battle of Britain? Whilst Susannah York in all her glory provides a great deal of emjoyment, there's an awful lot more to this prolonged action than is usually brought up. For example, it tells the story of one side being a bunch of gifted amateurs, chivalrous, romantic and daring, whilst the other side was a bunch of hard nosed, professional, calculating fighters. But which was the RAF and which was the Luftwaffe???

[Wiley]

dead pan, re your comment on "The 13th Valley": the bloke who put me on to it knew the author well and was there with him, in the same unit. He told me that although the story was 'novelised', it was very close to what he and his comrades went through in the Au Shau valley in their first tour. I have to agree; a damn fine read, as is another Vietnam classic, "We Were Soldiers Once, and Young".

[alwayslookingup]

Best book on the Vietnam War, in my view undoubtedly 'A Rumour of War', by Phillip Caputo. A classic novel of Vietnam and its aftermath, this Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir is widely considered among the best ever written about the experience of war.

If that whets your appetite, follow it up with Caputo's 'DelCorso's Gallery'.

"At thirty-three, Nick DelCorso is an award-winning war photographer who has seen action and dodged bullets all over the world-most notably in Vietnam, where he served as an Army photographer and recorded combat scenes whose horrors have not yet faded in his memory. When he is called back to Vietnam on assignment during a North Vietnamese attempt to take Saigon, he is faced with a defining choice: should he honour the commitment he has made to his wife not to place himself in any more danger for the sake of his career, or follow his ambition back to the war-torn land that still haunts his dreams? What follows is a riveting story of war on two fronts, Saigon and Beirut, that will test DelCorso's faith not only in himself, but in the nobler instincts of men."

Finally, to complete a fantastic trilogy, Caputo's 'Indian Country' charts the vet's return to home, attempt to reesume a normal life and the inevitable tensions and stresses this endures.

All in all, just about the perfect set of holiday reading. Enjoy.

ALU.

[NYF]

For anyone who enjoyed Geoff Wellum's First Light or Pierre Clostermann's The Big Show I can also strongly recommend James Goodson's Tumult in the Clouds, a gripping, brilliantly written account of his war flying Spitfires in an Eagle Squadron then P-47s and P-51s.

For something a bit more recent I'm still a big fan of Robert Prest's F-4 Phantom: A Pilot's Story, about flying Phantoms with the RAF in the seventies.

And in case it didn't get mentioned because it was just too obvious, Chickenhawk, Robert Mason's book about flying Hueys in Vietnam is just about unbeatable.

On the fiction front, it's worth looking out for Mike Lunnon-Wood's Long Reach and King's Shilling, military thrillers about a Guatemalan invasion of Belize and a British intervention in West Africa respectively.

[N Joe]

A great read, first published in 1939 and subtitled 'Being helpful hints and advice to those newly commissioned'. Useful advice includes:

Try to avoid travelling in the same compartment as other ranks. It probably embarrasses both of you. If not travelling on a first-class warrant, and funds are low, try to find a 3rd class compartment not occupied by any other ranks.

Remember these are social calls. A lounge suit shall be worn. The correct time for calling is 3pm to 5pm Monday to Friday. Laxity is creeping in and nowadays junior officers do not object to your calling between 5:30pm and 6:30pm or on Saturdays and Sundays.

Choose your drink with at least the same care that you would your food. Unless you wish to appear uneducated in these matters, never drink more than one sherry or short drink before a meal; you will spoil your palate.

A classic if you can find a copy.

N Joe

[Warmtoast]

A very good military read

Adam Zamoyski’s “1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow” gets my vote as an “unputtable down” book of military history.

Some 600,000 troops crossed the Niemen River into Russia in the summer and autumn of 1812, among them Frenchmen, Germans, Poles, Italians and Swiss. About 400,000 of them died: on the march, in battle and during the horrific winter retreat. Similar numbers are thought to have perished on the Russian side. Composers — Tchaikovsky, most famously with his 1812 overture — were inspired to write stirring music about the event and Leo Tolstoy put the 1812 campaign at the heart of his novel War and Peace.

As so often happens in war, it was incompetence, not careful planning, that was crucial, bringing Napoleon practically to the gates of Moscow without a fight, only to find that Czar Alexander had razed the city to the ground to deny Napoleon the food, supplies and shelter that he expected.

The confusion and horror of the French retreat through the Russian winter are well described in the letters and memoirs of ordinary combatants that Zamoyski has pulled together from a huge range of sources. The retreat, through an interminable blizzard, is a pitiful procession westwards by a ravaged, starving, frost-bitten French army ‘not dressed for cold weather’. By the end of November, the temperature was minus 30 C, by the time they'd reached the ‘icy death’ at Vilna, it had reached minus 37.5 C.

“1812: Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow” is a masterful piece of military history writing; an epic story describing a dramatic series of memorable events, the humiliation of a great Emperor, the merciless destruction of a massive army and the almost unimaginable suffering of its soldiers.

Highly recommended.

PS Anthony Beevor's "Stalingrad" describes almost similar events about an army defeated partly by the extremes of the Russian winter, this too is highly readable.

[Polikarpov]

In a similar vein, namely the horrors of the Eastern Front, I'd second jungle drum's nomination of The Forgotten Soldier. An unforgettable book.

Something you may not have seen, as it was initially published in a limited paperback run but has deservedly just picked up a major publisher, is this book from Wellington pilot Bill Bailey who sadly passed away in 2007: Alone I Fly (http://www.aloneifly.com/).

[Dak Mechanic]

A couple of the worst books I've read recently have been about Afghanistan -very formulaic and a bit of an insult to the people doing the job out there.

Favourites of recent times are Vulcan 607 and An Ordinary Soldier.

I would also recommend any Derek Robinson novels.

Of previous mentions, I don't there's a bad one there (of the ones I've read which sadly seems to be most of them!), my faves being First Light, the Laddie Lucas compilations and Tumult in the Clouds (aside from Chickenhawk which everyone should have read at least twice!).

Another nice little book is Behind the Cockpit Door by Arthur Whitlock - well worth a read if you can dig out a copy. Not military aviation but is an autobiographical account of being a civil aviation pilot after WW2, from bush flying DC3's in India to being Captain of a 747. Good stuff.

JC

[NUFC1892]

I have also probably read most of the books already mentioned. However, for a work of fiction Len Deighton's "Bomber" is by far the best I have come across.

[GPMG]

Devils Guard - George Robert Elford, is available as a reprint (even if it is not all true, it is still a ripping yarn).

Low level Hell - Hugh L Mills. Scout pilot in vietnam. Almost rivals Chickenhawk for best 'egg beater' book out of that era.

Snake Pilot - Randy R Zahn. Cobra missions.

Dear Mom , a Snipers tale - Joseph T Ward.

Naked in DaNang - Mike Jackson. FAC pilot flying down amongst the insects in a Cessna O-2. Trying to draw fire before unleashing payloads from Phantoms onto the target. Brilliant book.

When Thunder Rolled - Ed Rasimus. Thud pilot in the early stages of the war, on Op Rolling Thunder.

Palace Cobra - Ed Rasimus. On his second tour flying Phantoms, during the Op Linebacker I & II period.

[dead_pan]

I know they're a bit naff but I also enjoyed Dan Mills' 'Sniper One' and Damien Lewis' 'Operation Certain Death'. Airport trash lit, but worth a read none the less.

[NURSE]

Crossfire: Peter Haran & Robert Kearney Australian infantry in Veitnam

Trackers: Peter Haran Australian Tracker Dog teams in Veitnam

Tears on My Pillow: Narelle Biederman Australian Army Nurses in Veitnam

Fireforce: Chris Cocks and infantrymans View of the Bush war in Rhodesia

An Ordinary Soldier: Doug Beatie a Royal Irish Regiment officer in Afghanistan

Sniper One: The Battle of CIMIC house in Alamarah

Love My rifle More than you: Kayala Williams Iraq war from a US female soldier

A lonley Kind of War: Marshall Harrison FAC in Veitnam

Hit My Smoke: Chris Coulthard-Clark Australian FAC's in Veitnam

Battle of Long Tan: Lex McCaulay Australians and New Zealanders fighting for their lives in Veitnam

Firebase Coral: Lex McCauley the Battle for an Australian fire base in Veitnam

[racedo]

Another Beevor book "Berlin" which really showed how quickly the Russkis moved in pushing the Nazis back.

Highlighted the barbarity on both sides and also detailed how Germans really had no idea of how quickly the war was collapsing as many caught behind the lines.

Some were lucky including the hospital that was over run but a surprising fight back ensured the staff and patients who could be moved were transported west quickly. Apparently Hans Dieter Genchser later German Foreign Minister was in the group that liberated the hospital.

[Wiley]

If a good Vietnam (and Indonesian 'Confrontation') read is up your street, try "Sleeping With Your Ears Open: On Patrol With the Australian SAS" (ISBN: 186508297X / 1-86508-297-X) by Gary McKay. A no bullsh1t, told mostly in the first person by people who actually did it, account of SAS ops in SE Asia in the 1960s and early 70s .

Some current (and ex) Australian Army readers, fed a constant diet of how hopeless the RAAF was in SVN by some of their peers, might be somewhat surprised to read of the very high regard the SAS had for the crews of 9 Squadron RAAF.

[40years]

Another Vietnam chopper book in the same vein as Chickenhawk, but a little more contained, is "To the Limit' by Tom A. Johmson.
It's a first-person tale of a Huey driver in 1st Cav during 1967 - 68.
As good as C-H, but different; worth a look.

[cash47]

How about Flying Start by Hugh Dundas. Out of print currently but worth looking for. He made Sqn Ldr and Wg Cdr at about 21/22 and Gp Capt at 24 I think. All between 1939 and 1945.

[ArthurR]

"Where soldiers fear to tread" by Ranulf Fiennes, an account of the Dofhar war....

[Lightning5]

Earnest K. Gann.

"Fate is the Hunter" . Superb book on early aviation and his life story. A must for all total aviation people.:ok:

[TimC]

Have read a lot of those mentioned thus far, all good reads. I particularly enjoyed The Big Show by Pierre Clostermann.

For something a little different, have a look at:

The Sky My Kingdom - Hannah Reitsch

or

On Being A Bird - Phillip Wills

:ok:

[minigundiplomat]

Company of Heroes by Michael Durant is worth a read for the real story of Black Hawk Down. Bit pulp fiction, read the whole thing between Aviano and Odiham.

[Melchett01]

Has anyone read Gen Rupert Smith's Utility of Force?

I keep meaning to read it, but have a huge pile of books by the bed already which I should probably work my way through before buying any more. Or is Smith's book a good enough read to jump the queue?

[Wiley]

I particularly enjoyed The Big Show by Pierre Clostermann.A few people have read this book and recommended it. I knew a (now long departed) bloke who flew on Clostermann's squadron as a Sgt pilot after the D-day landings (when they were based on 'bare bones' strips in France) and he became quite passionate when Clostermann's name was brought up - in about as negative a way as you can get. Didn't have a good word to say about the man, particularly his habit of taking the Flight back for a second sweep over German airfields. (The Number 3 and 4 on such sweeps - i.e., the hapless Sergeants - faced the German AAA gunners when they were now fully alert and ready for action.) Col said Clostermann lost more wingmen than he had breakfasts, (a point I seem to recall that Clostermann admitted to in the book). Col didn't like the man as a leader on the ground either.

When I read 'The Big Show', I thought Clostermann made a few comments that hinted that my old friend Col might not have been far off the mark in his assessment of the man. (I seem to recall his mentioning reaming out his groundcrew at the bare bones bases for leaving smudges on his canopy.)

When I came upon the bit early in the book about his sitting around the French messes in Indonchina so bored that he would spend hours on end "...fascinated, watching the small lizards on the bar room walls as they caught insects", I knew Col had been right - the man was a bloody Gecko Watcher! (Anyone of a certain age who spent any time in the tropics with the RAAF [and possibly the RAF?] will understand what that entails immediately.)

Having said that, his escape from Saigon to Malaya in the Auster, refuelling from 4 gallon drums through the torn out roof in flight, was a mean feat, as were his explots after getting to Europe. I don't suppose you survive what he went through without ruffling a few feathers along the way.

[dakkg651]

One of the best flying books I've read is 'Think Like A Bird' by Alex Kimbell.

It is the story of an Army pilot's training in Chippies and Austers at Wallop and then intensive Beaver flying out of Khormaksar into the Radfan. Riveting stuff believe me.

[Arkady]

Winged Victory by VM Yeates - A virtually autobiographical account of life on a Camel Squadron in 1918

The Price of Glory by Alistair Horne - The Battle of Verdun, giving in insight to the First World War from the French and German perspective

Mud, Blood and Poppycock by Gordon Corrigan - Another look at the First World War that may change the way you think about that conflict

A lot of good WWII books mentioned above (The Forgotten Soldier particularly) to which I would add The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat. Although it is a novel, it follows the factual events of the siege very closely, overlaying it with a narrative that paints a vivid picture of life on the island at the time.

[Molemot]

I'm now 50 pages into "Lost Voices of the Royal Air Force" collected by Max Arthur; I can unhesitatingly recommend it. A fascinating compilation of inputs from real people, covering the RAF throughout it's history, from the first time in Afghanistan to the Gulf War and after. The most evocative tome I've come across in a long while. If you've been following the thread featuring Cliff Nemo and Regle, this book will be right up your street.

[JamesT73J]

If you want a book that encapsulates the epic tragedy of America and Vietnam, read A Bright Shining Lie (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bright-Shining-Lie-America-Vietnam/dp/0712666567/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241175406&sr=8-3) by Neil Sheehan. Moving, accessible, and so well written, it's a joy to read.

[racedo]

Nmesis by Max Hastings on late stages of War with Japan.

Justed started reading it and seems pretty good.

[Clockwork Mouse]

Particularly appropriate at this time when the fate of the Gurkha ex-soldiers is being debated, is the first part of John Masters' excellent autobiography: "Bugles and a Tiger".

He was commissioned from Sandhurst into the Gurkhas before the war and served with them in India, on the NW Frontier and, later, Mesopotamia and Burma. Well written, amusing, informative and touching, it paints a wonderful picture of those splendid fighting men and of service in India before the war.

[denachtenmai]

Never in Anger
The life of Anthony "Bugs" Bendell who joined the RAF in 1953, just as the service was converting to jets,his career spanned 34 years.
He flew the Tiger Moth, Harvard, T33, Vampire, Hunter, Lightning, Republic F105 and the Phantom F4, then he was diagnosed with M.S. A superb read (the above pinched from the cover of the book which I am just reading for the second time:ok:)
Call Sign Revlon
The Life and Death of Navy Fighter Pilot Kara Hultgreen, the US Navy's first fully qualified female fleet fighter pilot. She died in 1994 when her F 14 Tomcat crashed into the Pacific whilst on approach to a carrier.
Again, a superb read, written by her mother and deals with how much Kara had to go through to reach her dream:sad:

[twinboom]

Surprised nobody has mentioned THUD RIDGE by (Col, USAF) Jack Broughton, originally published 1969 it was re-published in 2006 by Crecy, <www.crecy.co.uk>
Definitive, first hand, account of the F105 operations over North Vietnam and the impact on the pilots of the political shenanigans surrounding them.

As far as WWII fighter pilots are concerned Bob Spurdle's book 'The Blue Arena' (published by William Kimber in 1986) was, IMHO, the best (i.e most authentic) read 'til the aforementioned G.Wellum's First light came along. He was a New Zealander by birth and served under 'Sailor' Malan on 74 Sqn. during BofB. I won't spoil your read by telling you what else he did from then until 1945.

Incidentally: Does anybody know of a definitive biography of Malan - I know a bit about his post-war return to his native South Africa (there is a small display devoted to him in the Hugenot museum in Franschoek, Cape Wnelands). Amongst the generation of fighter pilots who were my mentors (i.e. 35+ years ago) his was the reputation they most admired on the grounds that he, allegedly, "never lost a wingman" - unlike Closterman it seems!

[Jimmy Macintosh]

I agree on a lot of those mentioned already, one I would add is Samurai, by Saburo Sakai.

Fascinating look into the Japanese during WWII. Flight school was brutal to say the least.

[mr fish]

INFERNO by KEITH LOWE,
probably the best book available about the "battle of hamburg".
detailed by highly readable account from both sides with of course a special emphasis on the resulting "firestorm".

i digested this weighty tome over many late nights last year and lost quite a few hours sacktime.

even ventured downstairs a couple of times to check the
cooker was properly switched off:eek:

[27mm]

Have a look at the books by Mark Berent - Steel Tiger, Rolling Thunder, Eagle Station to name but a few. Berent was a Vietnam fighter pilot and used his experiences to write some of the best war novels I've ever read.

[The Real Slim Shady]

Apache by Ed Macy.

The role of the AAC in Afghanistan.

[GPMG]

I am currently reading Flying through Midnight by John. T. Halliday.
I am finding this book difficult to read, because after every few pages I keep having to check the front and back cover to see if there is any mention that this is a work of fiction.

But no, it is apparently a first person account of what a young man experienced during his time flying C-123's over Laos at night, acting as an FAC. To say that it is very well written and exciting book is doing it an injustice.
I am amazed that this person survived the war, yet alone retained his sanity to go on and become an airline pilot. It is also very honest, he admits several serious mistakes, criticism from more experienced aircrew, and also the worrying state of where his 'mind was at' as well as the blinding fear that he felt at times.

One of the many escapades involves an edge of your seat, in the nick of time and skin of his teeth landing that all the odds shout that he should not have managed. This book really is a ripping yarn. It makes the film Apocolypse Now seem like a normal documentry.

Even more so after I have done a bit of searching online and it does seem to be a true story.

[brickhistory]

It makes the film Apocolypse Now seem like a normal documentry.



Bingo. It's writiien in a god-awful stream of consciousness style that makes for a painful read.

I wish I hadn't and I don't say that very often.

[Setpoint99]

Ditto on Mark Berent. His five F-4 novels are superb. The secondary characters are quite interesting, too. One, for example, is a Green Beret major who--among other things--leads the resistance to a VC attack on a residential compound. It's an incredibly dramatic and intensely written scene--you can smell the cordite.

The author did it all in Nam--see:

<http://www.markberent.com/about.htm>

[TheSmiter]

The Last Enemy - Richard Hillary

Battle of Britain pilot's story. First published 1942, still in print.

As poignant today as when I first read it in 1966. The sort of story that made you want to join the RAF.

Times change. Governments change. The aircrew ethos will never change.

The last enemy is not death, but fear.

[wiggy]

Keegan "Six Armies in Normandy" (Self explanatory?)

Ethell & Price "One Day in a Long War" ( One day in the Vietnam air War)

Windrow "The Last Valley" ( The French Defeat at Dien Bien Phu......)

[umba]

I'm currently reading 'Thud Ridge' which is mentioned a few posts ago. Undoubtedly written by a very courageous, gutsy individual but for me the writing style is incoherent and is very little pleasure to read.

[mlc]

I found Thud Ridge a bit difficult to stick with.

However, Jack Broughton also wrote 'Rupert Red Two' about his career up to Vietnam. It's an excellent book.

[larssnowpharter]

May I recommend Roy and Lesley Adkins' 'The War for all the Oceans' subtitled 'From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo'. Well written and researched.

ISBN 978-0-349-11916-8

Clearly not aviation related but one of the most important periods of modern history well explained.

[time expired]

Jack Broughton`s other book,and IMHO his best, was Going down Town
a much more detailed account of the Vietnam experience.
If one is interested in the Vietnam air war I would recommend Clashes by
Marshall L. Michel a detailed but readable study of what went wrong
with the US Air Forces efforts there.
In defence of P.Closterman,I have read the book many times I enjoyed
it so much and I think reading between the lines,the man`s bottle was
almost empty by late 44 early 45.This may account for his taking
unnecessary risks with his life and the lives of his wingmen.The last
flight in his Tempest,Grand Charles,where he sat in the cockpit and
wept, I found very moving.
Regards

PS, Going Down Town,ISBN 0-671-67862-0
Clashes,ISBN 1-55750-585-3

[The Oberon]

On a more light hearted note try any of the 3 McAuslan books by George Macdonald Fraser, hilarious.

[Cherskiy]

Books I have particularly enjoyed reading recently:

"Arctic Airmen - the RAF in Spitzbergen & North Russia 1942" - Ernest Schofield & Roy Conyers Nesbit

"Shadows - Airlift & Airwar in Biafra and Nigeria, 1967-1970" - Michael I Draper

"Rocket Fighter - The Story of the Messerschmitt Me163" - Mano Ziegler

"Ace of Aces - M T St J Pattle" - E C R Baker

Cherskiy

[jungle drums]

Sagittarius Rising - incredible WW1 flying tale just read again for the 6th time and better than ever.
Recollections of Rifleman Bowlby - a great observer of Tommy life during the Italian campaign.

[sunnybunny]

I thoroughly enjoyed Once a Warrior King by David Donovan. He was an advisor in Vietnam, a fascinating glimpse into a little known side of the war. He was part of a MACV team leading local militia defending their own village. He became the title of the book.

My other favourite is Destroyer Captain by Roger Hill. He commanded a destroyer almost continously from 1942 to 1945, famously for being one of the ships strapped to the Ohio to bring it in to Malta. What struck me was the honesty with which he detailed how the strain of wartime command affected him.

[Yeoman_dai]

'Phoenix Squadron' by Rowland White - The Marathon journey of two of Ark Royals Buccaneer bombers to prevent a Guatemalan invasion of what was then British Honduras in 1972 -

'One bullet Away' by Nathaniel Fick - His account as a US Marines Officer in Afghan then Iraq - well written

Sea Harrier over the Falklands - 'Sharkey' Ward - I enjoyed it, although I suspect some here may disagree with the fairly biased stance

Generals: The British Commanders who shaped the World - Mark Urban - Excellent read, very interesting

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda - Lt Gen Romeo Dallaire - best book here, monumentally sad and moving, of the UN commander in Rwanda during the genocide. Makes a case for humanitarian intervention all by itself.

[GPMG]

Have just come back off holiday and was lucky enough to choose '100 Missions North' by Brig. Gen. Ken Bell.
It's a cracking read, one of the best books regarding Rolling Thunder that I have read. I would even go so far to say that is the fixed wing version of Chickenhawk. The story telling and factual details are excellent, well put together and it makes for an easy page turner. He also mentions Col Jack Broughton who wrote Thud Ridge, who Ken Bell flew wingman for on a few very hairy missions, including having to get the air refuelling plane to toboggan after Ken Bells F105 flamed out due to lack of fuel. It is disappointing to read how Col Broughton was treated by the political USAF for crime of supporting his team.

I'm now looking for my next read, pref Vietnam pilot. But also does anyone know of any books written by the defenders of Hanoi? It would be interesting to read what it was like to be on the recieving end of Rolling Thunder or Line Backer. Much like Len Deightons Bomber was regarding the two sides of a bomber mission in WWII

[escapee]

I am an avid reader of military history and have shelves of books.

Lyn Macdonald's series on WW1 is a good collecton.
I also enjoyed [B]Martin Middlebrook's books on bomber command raids.

Many books have already been mentioned, I am currently reading Anthony Beevor's book on D-Day. So far so good.

One book on WW1 that I was particularly impressed by was Somme. I cannot remember who the author was as I have lent the book out. He worked I think at the Imperial War Museam, it came out a couple of years ago. What was different for me was that rather than referring to memoirs written months and years after the event he used contemporary accounts from diaries etc. This gives you a less sanitised version and makes you realise just how vicious it all was, not much room for mercy or sentimentality. The same is also apparent in Beevor's D-Day book.

[GPMG]

Would it be this one by any chance?

Somme: Lyn MacDonald: Amazon.co.uk: Books (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Somme-Lyn-MacDonald/dp/0140178678/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246036610&sr=8-5)

[green granite]

Sea Harrier over the Falklands - 'Sharkey' Ward - I enjoyed it, although I suspect some here may disagree with the fairly biased stance


Try reading RAF Harrier Ground Attack, Falklands by Jerry Pook to get a different slant on the Naval organization. :E

[timex]

Just re-read Bomber Boys, then followed that up with..

No Moon tonight. DE Charlwood

Luck and a Lancaster. Harry Yates

Lancaster Target. Jack Currie


Sadly the PC world (then and now) will still not acknowledge the sacrifices of Bomber Command

[frodo_monkey]

Some recommendations from me...

Afghanistan:

An Ordinary Soldier, by Doug Beattie MC. Just finished this, cracking read from cover to cover.

Descent Into Chaos, by Ahmed Rashid. I found this a good introduction to present-day Afghanistan, causes etc (although I haven't been there so stand by to be corrected!). I also read Koran Kalashnikov and Laptop by Antonio Giustozzi but didn't find it quite as interesting; it is a hard read.

Bosnia (Srebrenica):

Postcards from the Grave, by Emir Suljagic. Both this and Endgame by David Rohde deal with the Srebrenica massacre and though admittedly Suljagic is writing from one side of the conflict only, it brings the full scale of the atrocity home.

I'd also like to cast another vote for Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis - a classic, un-put-down-able! And if you're into fiction and like military satire, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is a cracker if you are prepared for a hard read... :ok:

[hoodie]

Try reading RAF Harrier Ground Attack, Falklands by Jerry Pook to get a different slant on the Naval organization. http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/evil.gif

The third, and most recent, Falklands Harrier memoir is Dave Morgan's "Hostile Skies".

For my money, it's the best - and most humanly honest - of them all.

[henry crun]

timex: You might also be interested in Night After Night, by Max Lambert.

[Grimweasel]

Essential reading for every military operative IMO

'The Black Swan' by Nicolas Nassem Taleb

Understanding risk and randomness - a speciality for officers and airmen alike using financial trading as the vehicle to explain random events and our (humans) inability to accept random events happen. Gives many examples.

13th Valley as prev mentioned is an absolute classic - 'Don't mean nothing man, not a thing!'

[Dan Winterland]

"I found Thud Ridge a bit difficult to stick with." Me too. I started to read it because I fly past Thud Ridge every time I fly into Hanoi.

I'm currently reading 'Happy Odyssey', 'The autobiography of Adrian Carton de Wiart. He was wounded twice in the Boer War, six times in WW1 and three times in WW2. He fought with the White Russians against the Bolsheviks in the 1920s, with Tito's partisans in the late stages of WW2 and was a military advisor to the Nationalsits fighting against Mao Tse Tung in China after WW2. He was in three air crashes, one of which he had to swim two miles to shore (no mean feat considering he only had one arm and one eye) where he was captured but then escaped from a POW camp at the age of 60. After falling down some stairs, he ended up in hospital where the doctors removed 'enough shrapnel to make a new bomb'.

He didn't want to write Happy Odyssey, he was persuaded by his mate Winston Churchill. It's not a great read as he doesn't embellish or elaborate. For example, he forgets to mention he was awarded the VC and also married a German Princesss!

But an amazing man. He improbably died of old age at 89.

[GPMG]

Was his nickname Lucky by any chance? Or Jinx?

[Dan Winterland]

Actually, he was known as "Nelson" due to having the same body bits missing as the Admiral. He lost an arm, but prior to that he lost the hand on that arm in a previous wound. He knew his hand was gangrenous but the surgeon refused to remove it. So he chewed two of his own fingers off!

Despite his injuries, he says that he had a rather enjoyable war!



Evelyn Waugh used him as the model for his character Brigadier Ritchie-Hook in the Sword of Honour trilogy.

[gareth herts]

I picked up Robert Prest's book last night to check something and, seeing the note inside the back cover realised that it was published 30 years ago this year, blimey!

Mr Prest himself will be 60 this year, if he isn't already.

Doesn't seem that long ago that I was schoolboy borrowing it from the local library! :ooh:

[Azee]

Nothing beats the series of books about Biggles. :) :D ;)

[Gainesy]

Try reading RAF Harrier Ground Attack, Falklands by Jerry Pook to get a different slant on the Naval organization.

Hear,hear. Best of the lot.

I thought Morgan's was good but felt a bit uncomfortable with his paranormal take on some things


But also does anyone know of any books written by the defenders of Hanoi?

Charlie Don't Write.

[Sloppy Link]

A good book is one that you read and re-read. Using this formula, my votes are...

Goodbye Micky Mouse - Robert Ludlum. Good tale with realistic characters and a few surprises/twists.

Chickenhawk - Robert Mason. A short flying career from the start of flight scool to Vietnam to demob and beyond.

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller. War and satire/irony at its finest. Absolutely brilliant.

[timex]

timex: You might also be interested in Night After Night, by Max Lambert.

Thanks Henry I'll look it up.

[Clockwork Mouse]

Have just read "RAF Harrier Ground Attack, Falklands" by Jerry Pook. Fascinating but deeply depressing. Puts the "Brussel Sprouts" RN Captain into focus.

The professionalism that our armed forces display on operations, particularly at unit level, seems to evaporate higher up the chain. Rivalry, snobbery and suspicion seem to breed and degrade our decision making and our ability to analyse and solve problems; not only inter-service but beween cap badges and even between units with the same cap badge. I've seen it throughout my own varied career and from what my son lets slip, it's still there in todays RAF.

[WE Branch Fanatic]

Is that the one where he accuses the Navy of worrying too much about air defence, despite the fact all the ship losses were due to air attack (as were most of the deaths during Corporate, downplays non ground attack aspects of the war, and complains that not everyone is fully up to speed with ground attack operations...

If Woodward/the Sea Harrier force/the RN did so badly then how come they won?

[Clockwork Mouse]

Yep, that's the one.
If Woodward/the Sea Harrier force/the RN did so badly then how come they won?They din't. They nearly lost it, but the grunts actually won it once they had been put ashore, despite the less than outstanding air support. There was also a great deal of luck involved.

[WE Branch Fanatic]

So the victory had nothing to do with sailing 8000 miles, dealing with Argentine surface and submarine threats, facing a significant air threat, getting the troops ashore with their equipment (how many landing ships were hit at San Carlos? None, but the escorts and Sea Harriers fought an intense battle during that period), providing naval gunfire support and air support?

If 3 Cdo Bde is considered part of the RN, including the attached units such as 2 PARA and 3 PARA, then....

At least Sharkey Ward acknowledged that there were other important aspects to the operation, and doesn't dismiss the role of the rest of the task force. He even had the decency to acknowledge the contribution of the Harrier GR3 team.

Try Martin Middlebrook's The Falklands War, 1982 (previously published as Operation Corporate and Task Force) for an impartial account.

[Obi Wan Russell]

Also when considering the outcome of Operation Corporate, especially the air war, it should be remembered that had the RN been allowed to retain AEW capability the results would have been a lot better (for the British). The Sea King AEW was proposed to the MOD for the Invincible class in the late 70s but was vetoed by the crabs because they insisted their land based Nimrod AEW3s (remember them?) would provide all the AEW cover the RN (restricted to North Atlantic ops) could possibly require. RAF interference in the SHAR/Invincible class gestation during the 70s handicapped the RN greatly in 1982. The FAA was forced to accept Sea Harrier sqns with only five aircraft each prior to 82 (as this number was percieved as too small to be threatening to the crabs), though to their credit they had always planned to increase the size of the sqns in wartime, to between 8 and 12 aircraft each in order to maintain a round the clock CAP. Post 82 the sqns began to enlarge to 8 aircraft each, though form the mid 90s onwards they dropped back to 7 in order to make room for a crab sqn aboard ship (7 F/A2 + 7 GR7, alongside 3 SK AEW2 and 5 SK HAS 6).

But back to the point. Once you get above the level of flying officers (from any of the services, who get along fine generally and work well together), the problems begin with the Brass. The further from the 'frontline/coalface/trenches (add your own euphemism) the worse the inter service rivalry. I found Sharkey's book to be very fair and even handed in it's treatment of RAF pilots and crew, many of whom served in the same sqns as he did. His own Brass (eg ADM Woodward) came in for as much criticism as the RAF brass as I recall.

[escapee]

GPMG,

No that 'Somme' is part of the series by Lyn Macdonald that I can thoroughly recommend. There are probably many books that are entitled Somme. Just googled and still cannot fond it.

[Wiley]

If there's anyone out there, (as it appears from previous posts there is), who had trouble getting into Catch 22, scroll through to about mid book to the chapter titled 'Nurse Duckett' and start reading from there. I guarantee it'll have you back to the start of the book to ensure you haven't missed something similar earlier in the book.

For those not familiar with the scene, Yossarian is in hospital, (pulling yet another dodgy subterfuge to get out of flying on ops), when Nurse Duckett in her toght while uniform dress leans over to attend to the patient in the bed beside Yossarian's.

Yossarain makes an abrupt and rather forceful upward movement of his fingers-extended hand. With the exception of the memorable phrase 'balancing on her divine fulcrum' I'll leave the rest of Nurse Duckett's reaction to Yossarian's assault to the imagination of the reader. However, it is quite possibly one of the funniest, laugh aloud word pictures I have ever read.

The book contains so many mind-twisting segments. For example:
- Heller's description of how Milo Mindebinder could buy eggs and 10 cents a dozen and sell tham at 5 cents a dozen and make a profit - and sort of make that understandable and believable to the reader.

- Milo's privatising of the war, to the point where Yossarian's USAAF B25 squadron gets airborne and bombs its own base because it's cheaper for the Germans to sub-contract the Americans to do it than to do it themselves. (Shades of Iraq 2003 and onwards!)

- Yossarian getting arrested for being AWL, 'a very serious offence', immediately after Natley throws his girlfriend to her death from his hotel room window - which the MP's totally ignore.

- and of course, 'Catch 22' itself, where the flight surgeon, (just after removing another flyer from ops because he's clearly demonstrated he's not mentally fit to fly on ops because he wants to), tells Yossarian he can't take him off ops because Yossarian has proven himslelf to be sane by not wanting to fly operational missions.

A great read.

Another good 'war-ie' which hasn't been mentioned yet is Tolstoy's 'War and Peace'. A door stopper that needs a lectern to be read comfortably, it none the less explores the war of 1812 and the wildly differing effects war has on different characters in some depth. I liked Prince Andre, who executed every Frenchman he came across, his intention being to make war so terrible the invader would think twice before doing anything like it again. How very different to the attitude of the majority on our side today, (but not perhaps, of Terry Taliban).

[brickhistory]

"Lone Survivor" by Marcus Littrell.



Jeezus...

[Chalkstripe]

Have just finished Apache (Ed Macy) and Sniper One (Dan Mills).

Not too taxing, but good reads, and topical

[Babaleka]

If Chickenhawk is the best book written about hellicopter flying in Vietnam then A Lonely Kind of War - Forward Air Controller by Marshall Harrison has to be by far the best book written about fixed wing flying .

I read Robert Prest Phatom Pilot when it came out in 1979 and often wonder why someone who writes with such passion has not written anything else (that I am aware of ) since.

Non fiction : I would go for Cadillac Flight by Marshall Harrison . Its a bit "Boys Own" but certainly held my attention.

The 633 Squadron books by Frederick E Smith might not be the best in terms of aviation writing but I have yet to read a book that brings the characters lives and emotion to life in the way that he does.

I bought Stanley Stewarts Flying the Big Jets on the reccomendation of someone on this forum . It is an excellent read full of absolute gems that had me highlighting one section after another.

[Madbob]

This book I found facinating. Not only did it have the action of flying on ops in the 1960's in Aden but it also clearly brought out the relationship between QFI/QHI and "stude".

Having had first-hand experience of being the latter 30 years ago I can vouch for its accuracy. I still think of Mr. Summers and his character could have been one of many QFIs I knew....

I do wonder though if "Mr. Summers" was his real name or if not, who the real person actually was. He deserves a book of his own.:ok:

MB

[JEM60]

One I thoroughly enjoyed is the recent 'Fall out Roman Catholics and Jews' by Tony Haigh-Thomas, who these days is very high up in the Shuttleworth Collection organization. Post war flying in Vampires, Venoms, Hunters etc. Very readable, and nice not to read 'War Stories' for a change.
F4 Phantom by Robert Prest [superb, puts you in the cockpit]
Chickenhawk, of course.
First Light, by Geoff Wellum. sooooooo different and unputdownable.
Best Aviation novel, The Wild Blue. Can't remember the author, without going into my loft. Excellent knowledgable novel about post war military flying, with civilian business as well.

[Flash2001]

Any cartoon collection by Bill Mauldin. IIRC some were called Up Front, Back Home and Back Up Front. I am sure there were more.

After an excellent landing etc...

[3winged]

A little birdy told me there is a book coming out on 6 Aug, by Maj Mark Hammond DFC (A bootneck on exchange at Odiham) about his escapades flying Chinooks in Afghanistan, in late 2006. The book is called 'IMMEDIATE RESPONSE' published by Penguin.

Don't worry, apparently it is not just about Hammond, it is all about the UK Chinooks flying in theatre and focuses on the IRT and all the lives they have helped to save. I heard a rumour that it might even be funny in places!

A percentage of the proceeds is going to Help For Heroes, which is nice and as an ex Chinny mate, I have already pre-ordered it on Amazon.

If it is any good (which I hope it is) it will hopefully allow the great unwashed to experience what the lads got up to in 2006 and still get up to in spades in 2009.

:ok:

[sisemen]

Have just finished reading Phoenix Squadron. Whilst a good military read, can I be the only person who wonders what all the fuss was about and why it merited a book?

OK, so the Bucc crews flew a long mission and they were operating in parameters that they weren't using on a day to day basis and it possibly stopped any hostilities breaking out. But we're talking about a 10 minute fly-by over Belize City ffs.

I suspect that the crews themselves wondered why they had suddenly come to attention nearly 40 years later about what was, to them, part of the day-to-day job.

Bit like eating a meringue - looks great and substantial but is just sugar and air and leaves you feel somewhat dissatisfied.

[aerobrat]

I have just re-read 101 Nights by Australian Ray Ollis, a novel based on his experiences flying with 101 Squadron on special ops in Lancasters. Out of print, but SH copies available on Amazon. Written in the early fifties it still had the immediacy of recent memory, warts and all.

By the bye, Goodbye Mickey Mouse was written by Len Deighton.

I can still re-read Sagittarius Rising by CD Lewis & Winged Victory by VM Yeates and, as previously mentioned, Fate Is the Hunter by Ernest K Gann is the best book there is about the early days of civil aviation.
Nobody, I think, has mentioned The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman about the events that led up to WW1. Lyn McDonald is the master of WWI narrative history, mostly gleaned from interviews of old soldiers during the 60's & 70's.

JG Masters follow up to Bugles & a Tiger - already mentioned and unmissable as an education into fighting the Pushtuns in Waziristan - is The Road to Mandalay. This is his story about fighting with the Chindits in Burma. Also, sadly out of print but, again, available over the internet.

[T-21]

"Wild Blue" was written by Walter Boyne and Steven Thompson 1986,published in paperback in the UK 1987 by Arrow Books. Good short novel stories on flying from Korea to Vietnam . Particularly enjoyed the B-47 and C-124 . Well worth getting hold of .
Parallel to "Chickenhawk" for fixed wing flying "The Ravens" by Christopher Robbins 1987 about Air America ops in Laos is a good unknown history.

[stilton]

Wiley, I think Catch 22 was and is one of the best books of all time. Pure genius.

[Gainesy]

Sisemen,
Couldn't agree more. I was left feeling: "And? So effin what? Suddenly, nothing happened."

I think his publishers were rather surprised that his immaculate "Vulcan 607" hit the top ten and pressured him to do a follow up.

[aloneifly]

Something you may not have seen, as it was initially published in a limited paperback run but has deservedly just picked up a major publisher, is this book from Wellington pilot Bill Bailey who sadly passed away in 2007: Alone I Fly (http://www.aloneifly.com/).

Excuse me for gatecrashing this forum - I am the son in law of the author. I thought you might like to know that the title referred to above is indeed now published by Pen & Sword (http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=2077)and available from the likes of Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alone-Fly-Wellington-Pilots-Desert/dp/1848841655/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259863796&sr=8-5)and should be able to be purchased from your local bookshop.

The ISBN is 978-1848841659 - Please ensure you dont get confused by reference anywhere to the paperback edition published as a Print on Demand by London press. This is no longer available though still seems to come up in the online bookshops. The book is now published in hardback with photographs and the retail price is £19.99 - though its being sold at a discount at the moment. It is indeed a cracking read from a very remarkable man.

Thank you.

[Samuel]

You all should beg, borrow, or steal a copy of this new book.

Under a Bombers Moon (http://www.underabombersmoon.com/)

[tarantonight]

I concur with some earlier posts re First Light by Geoffrey Wellum - one of the best, if not THE best account of The Battle of Britain I have read.

Closer to the ground, Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose is outstanding in every way. He delves into the personality of all the major players and it is replicated in an awsome manner in the BBC series. A classic. I defy anybody not to shed a tear in the final programme, particularly when Dick Winters relays the 'Grandpa, were you a hero in the war.....................?' story.

Dick Winters is thought of like a god by his men.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Thanks, Samuel, I'll look that up.

A few pages ago Oberon mentioned the eye-wateringly excellent Pte McAuslan books by George MacDonald Fraser. Even better - especially if you wish to read about war from the perspective of an intelligent, articulate Private soldier, is MacDonald Fraser's "Quartered Safe Out Here" (the title is itself a quote from a previous-generation's spokesman for real people in the military - Rudyard Kipling). One bit I remember is his comparison between the soldiers of his time and the post-war army; as he put it: "[we weren't] professional soldiers, but we were expert soldiers". If you read it, I think you'll agree.

[Samuel]

Stephen Ambrose? That would be the late Stephen Ambrose, and while I'm inclined to agree with Band of Brothers, both the book and the TV series, I have found all of his 'research' to be a bit one-sided and very narrowly focused on how America, and Easy Company in particular, won the war, virtually alone. It is very entertaining, and clearly factual from a US viewpoint, but largely ignores the fact that they weren't alone!

His book on D-Day is some 36 chapters, from memory; only the last three or four of which mention any British involvement, and that centres on their bit part role and "inability to get around Caan". The new book on D-Day by Antony Beevor is far better researched, and therefore more historically accurate than anything Ambrose ever wrote!

[gileraguy]

by Richard Bach of Jonathon Livingston Seagull fame.

A(n) (autobiographical) "novel" about a USAF Reserve Pilot recalled to active duty, flying an F-84F from England to France through a thunderstorm.

Bach uses flash back to take us into the experience and psyche of a cold war jet pilot, during the eventful flight.

Crafted by a master aviator and writer.

also

Phantom over Vietnam, by John Trotti.

Trotti tells the story of a Marine Phantom Pilot flying ground attack missions in Vietnam with a great deal of technical realism.
Trotti writesan almost technical manual on how to fly and fight the F4, but in an entertaining and easy to understand manner.

[November4]

Afraid I gave up with Stephen Ambrose after the plagiarism row (http://www.slate.com/?id=2060618)

[27mm]

Try Mark Berent - his books include Rolling Thunder, Steel Tiger, Eagle Station, to name a few. Berent was a Vietnam war fighter-jock and writes gripping flying sequences, woven together with history and politics in a fascinating way.

[Scotteo]

Nothing beats the series of books about Biggles.

Glad someone's metioned Biggles! Timeless classics.

I also back Chickenhawk and Catch 22, well worth a read.

Have Appache - Ed Macy on my xmas wish ist and it seems now I'll need to add a few more. Cheers guys :ok:

[wokkamate]

I recently read 'Low Level Hell' about OH-6A 'Little Bird' Scout pilots in Vietnam. The author (Hugh Mills) was the recipient of 3 Silver Stars, 4 DFCs, 3 Bronze Stars, 3 Purple Hearts and 72 Air Medals - he was also shot down 16 times! Kind of puts things in perspective for me every time I get shot at in AFG. Amazing read.

I also read 'The Junior Officers Reading Club' by Patrick Hennessey, an educated but still 'right in the action' read.

Finally, 'Immediate Response' by Mark Hammond - the only book about the RAF Chinook Force in AFG (Ironic that it was written by a Royal Marine - love him or hate him!) and another excellent read that put me firmly back in the cockpit in theatre.

Buy em all and have a well read Crimbo! :ok:

Is anyone else wondering where the h*ll this year went? :confused:

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

Books I can just pick up and read a few pages of again and again any time:
"Gallipolli" and "The Great War", both by Les Carlyon. I could not put either down the first time I read them. Even now I cannot fathom how men endured what they did.
"Kokoda" by Peter Fitzsimons. Like Gallipolli, it has almost mythical status here in Australia, but until I read this I had no idea how tough (what an understatement) it really was. Heroes all.

[airborne_artist]

I'm currently reading Junior Officers Reading Club, but I haven't go to the bit where the author is (allegedly) rude about the Light Blue. So far (200 pages) it's a fascinating account of a young Guards officer from RMAS to Afg via Iraq.

[Mechta]

'War in a Stringbag' by Charles Lamb, is a gripping read. From having his ship sunk under him, through the raid on Taranto, finding in flight a stowaway in his Swordfish, and getting shot down & taken prisoner by the Vichy French in North Africa, I thoroughly recommend it.

'Diving Eagle' by PW Stahl, is an autobiographical account of the war from a Ju88 pilot flying from Northern France. His description of being ordered to fly missions in which they never saw the ground, let alone Coventry, their target, shows that mad orders were given on both sides. Its still available on Amazon.

Mustang Pilot' by Richard E Turner, who flew escort missions over Germany was an unputdownable read too, although it is a while ago since I read it.

For a non-aviation read, 'A Fortunate Life' by Albert Facey, gives a good description of Gallipoli from the view of a soldier who fought and was seriously injured there, and lost two brothers in the same battle. If you ever think you have had a hard life, read this and it will put things into perspective!

[anotherthing]

'With Naval Wings' by John Wellham - a great insight into waging war in a Swordfish, written by a fascinating man whom I had the honour to host at a Taranto Night dinner many moons ago

[Melchett01]

Not entirely sure about the 'Junior Officers' Reading Club'. I was looking forward to getting a copy, and skimmed a friend's copy before I picked my own up. From the bits I saw, I have to admit that it is very well written, and the author really does manage to get across many of the issues associated with being in the today's 21st century military. But it does seem to become a bit of an anti-RAF rant towards the end, and that really put me off pursuing it any further, the author losing a lot of credibility that he had built up in the first half of the book.

If you're looking for a couple of useful rather than enjoyable reads pre-OOA, then the following might be worth a look:

'Afghanistan The Bear Trap' - written by Brigadier Mohammad Yousaf who worked in the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate - effectively becoming C-in-C Mujahadeen. What's more it is actually very readable unlike many doctrine / theoretical texts.

'The Bear Went Over the Mountain' is a collection of 'vignettes' originally written by Soviet officers who had fought in Afghanistan. It looks at Mujahideen TTPs and gives the reader an idea of good and bad ways of trying to fight COIN ops in a mountainous / desert landscape.

Both of these were written by practitioners who had been involved in combat ops over many years; as many of today's 'fighters' are direct descendents of the Mujahideen - often using similar if not idential TTPs - both books could be worth a read.

For a slightly more academic perspective on the Taliban, 'Decoding the Taliban' is quite an informative read, and has individual chapters on many of the individual provinces, meaning if you can't face reading the whole book, you should still be able to take some relevant ideas away from individual chapters.

[henry crun]

Traffic_Is_Er_Was: You might enjoy "A Bastard Of A Place" by Peter Brune.

IMO it is a better book than Kokoda because it covers the most of the Papua New Guinea campaign, and exposes the way in which very senior officers tried to protect their positions.

[Wiley]

I would agree with henry crun - 'A Bastard of a Place' is a far superior book to Peter Fitzsimon's 'Kokoda'.

Another book about the Kokoda campaign by the same author (Peter Brune) that I'd highly recommend is 'We Band of Brothers, the biography of Ralph Honner'.

Honner was the Australian commander at the Battle of Isurava, the single battle which, although the Australian militamen lost, in that they retreated from the field after the battle, probably did more the blunt the Japanese advance along the Kokoda Track than any other.

Damian Parer's iconic photograph of Honner addressing his troops immediately after the battle would probably be familiar to most Australians, and the speech he gave to them was more or less a 20th century St Crispian Day's Speech from 'Henry the Fifth'.

Both books deal with the fighting around Buna and Gona immediately after the Kokoda battles, involving (and killing off the majority of) the same Australian troops who fought on the Kokoda Track. The fighting at Buna and Gona was probably among the most savage one-on-one fighting that went on in WW2, right up there with Stalingrad. (Read about those battles and see if you'd agree with Max Hastings' assessment that the Australians bludged their way through WW2.)

You might not enjoy reading about those battles if you're an American. Neither MacArthur nor the American troops who were involved come out of it looking very good, and neither do most of the Australian senior officers, who, trying to please MacArthur (who repeatedly announced victory in the New Guinea campaign prematurely) tried to dictate the terms of the battle with little or no idea of the appalling conditions the troops were fighting in.

The battalion officers on site eventually won the day by ignoring the attack plans issued from afar and using the novel ploy of walking their troops into their own artillery barrage so as to have their men inside the Japanese trenches before the defenders emerged from their bunkers after the arty barrage stopped.

[AR1]

Just looking at my collection and i have the urge to re-read 'Sagittarius rising' by Cecil Lewis. Flying with the RFC over the Somme when he was barely 18, before joining Albert Ball in 56 Sqn. Humbling stuff.
Another of my favourites would be fighter pilot by Paul Richey - his writing of the 'Beautiful women of Metz' caused me to overnight there when working in Europe. I ended up in a bar full of gay men - artists, who gathered regularly to show their works and enjoy each others company. A time I wouldn't have experienced without Richeys narrative.

[Traffic_Is_Er_Was]

Thanks guys. Will look for them both.

[Gnadenburg]

Loud and Clear: The Memoir of an Israeli Fighter Pilot
Author(s): Spector, Iftach
Edition: 1st
ISBN10: 076033630X

Amazing read from a retired Israeli general with a dozen kills and who lead the attack on the USS Liberty as well as being the only pilot whose bombs missed the reactor at Osirak. He was also a major figure in the pilot's revolt against the use of airpower in the occupied territories.

Some people may struggle with the style of writing but the amount of historical information will make a great read for anyone interested in that period of history. It is certainly a myth buster on the organizational capabilities of the IAF- the author's aborted strike deep into Syria lead to a chance strike on armored columns in the Golan which possibly changed the course of the Yom Kippur war. Frontal assaults on SAM 6 batteries etc...

[Willoz269]

My favourite from Vietnam:

"One day in a Long War" - Jeffrey Ethell and Alfred Price...it is based on the first day of the Linebaker bombing campaign...the whole book covers ALL missions flown that day, including Randy Cunningham's stoush with 3 Migs in which he became an ace..fantastic book.

"Flying Through Midnight" - John T Halliday....a man who wanted to fly jets in the USAF gets sent to a top secret unit in Thailand, for operations in Laos, flying an old, delapidated C-123 in top secret missions. The book takes a while to get into, until you get to the main mission on the book, and then you just can't put it down and you can't believe what he writes. I managed to google the places he talks about and even some of the people he mentions...all amazing stuff.

"Well done, those Men" - if you want an insight into what the Australian conscript went through in Vietnam, this is your book.

[West Coast]

Magnum!

By one of our own, Brickhistory, formally of the US politics thread. About the Wild Weasils of the USAF during Desert Shield/storm.

Excellent read!

Still looking for a good (and accurate) read about the CSAR boys in Vietnam.
Any suggestions?

[Willoz269]

WestCoast,

Try:

Leave No Man Behind: The Saga of Combat Search and Rescue

or

Rescue of Streetcar 304: A Navy Pilot's Forty Hours on the Run in Laos

[andyy]

By Hoodie: "The third, and most recent, Falklands Harrier memoir is Dave Morgan's "Hostile Skies".

For my money, it's the best - and most humanly honest - of them all."

Another vote for this book. A good read which describes the action and the context well but also describes the angst and insecurities that can also occur. Very honest, & Dave Morgan is not the only SHAR pilot who sufered PTSD after the conflict - I wonder how many Servicemen will be found to be suffering from this long after current (and recent) conflicts are over.

[SARowl]

Trafalgar - Mark Adkin The Nelson touch.
Zulu - Saul David Rorke's Drift etc.
The Charge - Mark Adkin The real reason the Light Brigade was lost.
A Day of Battle - David Ascoli Why the French should have won the Franco Prussian war.
Dreadnought - Robert K Massie The causes of WW1.
Castles of Steel - Robert K Massie Jutland etc.
Sagittarius Rising - Cecil Lewis RFC in Flanders
The First Day on the Somme - Martin Middlebrook.
The Battle for Spain - Anthony Beevor Spanish Civil war.
Spitfire - Leo McKinstry.
Barbarossa - Alan Clarke Germany in Russia.
We Were Soldiers Once, and Young - Harold Moore & Joseph Galloway Yanks in 'Nam.

[flown-it]

I've just started reading Fighter by Len Deighton.
I like Deighton's spy novels and I'm hoping this true story will have the same "zing"!
If nothing else there are some cool photographs!

[polecat2]

Try to find "North SAR" by Gerry Carrol.

A novel about USN SAR crews in Vietnam and a really terrific read. I put the author on a par with Mark Berent.

Carrol also wrote another excellent book about USN fliers in Vietnam but its name now escapes me.

Polecat

[SASless]

Among my favorites....

"Terror in the Starboard Seat"....WWII Mozzie crew account written by the Canadian Navigator....excellent book...full of laughs as well as a great account of operations.

Robert's Ridge by Malcolm McPherson....excellent recounting of a very bad day in Afghanistan. Should be required reading for all military folks.

Hamburger Hill...the fight for Nui Ap Ba by US Para's in Vietnam

Last Stand of Fox Company...Tells the story of a USMC unit holding off vastly superior Chinese forces during the Chosin Resevoir campaign in Korea.

Five Years to Freedom....By Nick Rowe, an American SF Officer captured during the early days of the Vietnam War and who escaped five years later as he was being taken to a place where he was to be executed. He was murdered by the New People's Army (NPA) in the Philippines years later.

When Hell Was In Session.....Life as a POW held in North Vietnam

[tarantonight]

Note your comments re Stephen Ambrose, was not aware of that issue. Read Wild Blue too.

Chickenhawk by Mr Mason is worth a look. Tried many times to get hold of his sequel with no luck. Anybody read it?.

[brickhistory]

I second "Terror in the Starboard Seat." Very funny, very frank look at WWII Mossie ops.


My favorite and the start of my fascination with night fighters - "Night Fighter" by C.F. Rawnsley and Robert Wright.

Rawnsley was John Cunningham's radar operator (RO) during their faltering experiments in Blenheims, the business-like transition to the Beaufighter and the professionalism of the Mosquito. Quite funny as well.

"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes. Very interesting technical/political/human interest weaving of the project.


For fiction, try "Once An Eagle" by Anton Myrer.