I stole Bison's idea on this topic. So what do you plan to read after Christmas?
I have the "Devil's Brigade." I know it's old, but I read it as a youth and want to revisit it.

I'll probably be reading a large credit card bill. And 'll probably read myself the riot act, so I will build more and buy less kits.

Hmmmmmmm... sorta depends on what Santa brings!

But, I haven't read "Band of Brothers", its' on the list (hoping to find the DVDs under the tree). Also I'm reading "Into the Storm", and have a couple of other Gulf War related books on the list ("Storm Over Iraq" & "Every Man a Tiger"...I'd like to finish my Gulf War reading before the end of January, don't know why, just a feeling!

I think I may go back and re-read some of Dan Bolger's stuff, especially "Death Ground" or "Battle for Huger Hill". I'm re-reading a far bit of stuff lately, tight budget ya know!

ALSO...anyone have any recommendations, especially books relating to Modern conflicts??

Jim

I am largely a WW II reader, modern stuff ends with Vietnam.

Santa brought me a set of books on the Army of Tennessee, "Army of the Heartland" and "Autumn of Glory". Living in Middle Tennessee, on the edge of the battlefield at Murfreesboro, the campaigns of the Army of Tennesse interest me.

Jeff

Hey Jeff did you ever see that book about WWII pilots living in Middle Tennessee?It has different accounts of individuals living in Middle Tennessee during the war.Theres alot of funny stuff in there.I know Hastings and Books-A-Million has it in M'boro.

The wife got me "Ghost Soldiers" and Stephan Ambrose's last book. I started "Ghost Soldiers" and it is very, very good.

The 40(+) odd new laws that are coming out Jan 1 here in California. And with that rediculouly high red ink that the Gov has put us in, some of the newer proposed tax increases by congress.

Dave
(stuck here in very liberal CA)

Well I got 'To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian' Stephen E. Ambrose's last book.

I got the "GUNS OF NORMANDY" by Blackburn. Its an artilleryman's view (2nd Can Inf division) of the Normandy campaign. So far it seems really good, not really tied up in grand strategy but the problems of manually unloading tons of shells, getting shelled, digging gun pits and dealing with crazy FO and transport drivers.

I got one for X-MAS and already started reading it. It's called Rommel's Greatest Victory by Samuel W. Mitcham Jr. It is a very well-written and especially readable book about the actions taken by Rommel in the events that led to the fall of Tobruk in June 1942.

Cheers,

CDT Reimund Manneck
U.S. Army ROTC

Reimund--good to hear from you again. That is a great book that you should it follow by reading "An Army At Dawn." Great analysis of the Battle of Kasserine Pass....encourage you to read it.

Well i got a book about Brumbars wnich deals with the first varient used ast Kursk.Is very good for reference material.Also i got "7000 Klms in a Sturgeschulz".Not as good as hoped for but still a good read with some excellent pictures.The final book i got was the history of the 12th SS Division,looks very good and has a seperate map book with it.

Later
Hawkeye

I got TIME Goes to War, it's a fantastic photographic journal of American combat from WWII through the War on Terror. Many great reference pictures. A lot of the pictures could make for good diorama subjects. My other books aren't as military as all of yours' are, Through Gates of Splendor, and Peace Child. Happy Holidays everyone.

A whole lot of books are on my reading list in preparation for staff college. John Keegan "A History of Warfare" as well as Carl von Clausewitz "On War" to name a couple. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Just yesterday I started reading "Pathfinder - First In, Last Out" by Richard R. Burns. This is a book about a paratrooper from 101st Airborne who server in Vietnam as a Pathfinder. According to the author this is the only Vietnam account from a soldier in this elite military unit. I am about 100 pages into it and so far it is quite good.

Paul--add to your list Jomini's The Art of War. A must read tactical primer.

i got "The fall of berlin" By Antony Beevor, and have just finished it, it was a great book and i recommend it to anyone who has an interest in WWII.

Cheers,
Paul B.

Col Judge
Thanks for the advice. Just ordered it today. It is hard to find a good local bookstore with his sort of material in stock.

Paul--let me know what you think about it. People will try to tell you that he and Clausewitz's "On War" contradict each other. I never felt that way. Rather, I feel they compliment each other. Jomini at the tactical level and Clausewitz at the operational and strategic level. When you read Clausewitz, you are in for some mental gymnastics. He is a dialectic writer and always writes the thesis, anti thesis and then synthesis. Tough to read, but loaded with gems.

I used the Christmas break to read "An Army at Dawn", and am disappointed at how long I will have to wait for the second installment. What a great book. Authors of history that can write with such flair and clarity are rare, but Rick Atkinson is certainly amongst them.

Coming up in my stack, in chronological order are:
"Promise of Glory" by C.X. Moreau - this is a novel of the battle of Antietam during the American Civil War. I usually don't like historical novels (I find the actual history fascinating enough) but this was recommended to me by a friend, so I am giving it a try.

Second; "The Myth of the Great War: how the Germans won the battles and how the Americans saved the allies." by John Mosier. This is a controversial reassessment of WW I, claiming the British and French forces were much closer to defeat or negotiated peace than previously thought, and that the arrival of fresh U.S. forces in 1918 was the guarantor of victory in that war.

Finally, a book I hadn't gotten around to when it came out a few years ago. It is "Patton's Ghost Corps", by Nathan Prefer. This basically tells the story of the Corp that Patton left to hold the line when he reeled north with his other two Corps to hit the Bulge in 1944. It is basically a study of the battles to break the Seigfried Line by XX Corp, an organization and a campaign that sometimes gets forgotten or overlooked in most histories.

Between the reading, the building, and Armorama - I just have to figure a way to get myself retired. I'm too busy to work.

Mike

Col Judge,
I received my copy in the mail on Friday. A quick scan suggests it will be interesting reading. I will let you know what I think in a couple of weeks.

"We Were Soldiers Once... and Young"

Have seen the movie, just started in on the book. So far (two chapters), the book is much more in detail.

Thanks,
Kevin Keefe
Mortars in Miniature

Kevin,
I`ve just visited the History Club for the first time and read your reply.
Since I saw the movie, WE WERE SOLDERS ONCE.............., I went back and reread "Pleiku"
by J.D.Coleman.A must read on this operation and shows how the movie is really just a small part of it.
Another excellent book centering on Vietnam is "The 13th Valley" by John M. Vecchio.
Although it`s a noval with fictitious units it still combines firsthand accounts concerning the operations of Khe Ta Laou and the A Shau Valley....a very good read.
pB