What are you currently reading ?

[kipt]

Went on a cruise from Jacksonville, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina over Christmas and New Years and finished 3 books.
Volume 88, No. 4 of "The Journal of Military History". Seven main articles which include Destroyer Demobilization Plan 5: Fighter-Director Destroyers at Okinawa and the Limits of Strategic Capacity, as well as 86 pages of book reviews.

Also "Supply of Sherman's Army During the Atlanta Campaign". Logistics runs the army.  100,000 men and 60,000 animals to keep supplied and the rail lines open.  15,000 men (workers, not soldiers, to keep the rails up and bridges rebuilt after Confederate raiders did their work). This is a reprint of a 1911 Fort Leavenworth publication.

And last, "The Cassville Affairs: Johnson, Hood, And The Failed Confederate strategy In The Atlanta Campaign, 19 May 1864" by Robert D. Jenkins, Sr.  Extremely well researched, debunking General Johnson's claims the Hood messed up Johnson's desire to strike a portion of Sherman's Army.  Great maps (although scale is missing which is disappointing), good pictures and a well written narrative.

The affair happened after the battle at Resaca, between McPherson's troops and those of Polk.  I bought the book because our group is getting ready to refight Resaca on January 25th.

Here is the layout.


Northern works.


Southern works with Resaca at the crossroads.

[paulr]

    

Looking forward to seeing how this plays out

[kipt]

Finished "the Warrior Generals: Combat Leadership in the Civil war" by Thomas B. Buell.  As a quote on the cover says "A Provocative evaluation of six Civil War Commanders..."

Buell discusses 6 pairs of commanders; Grant and Lee, Thomas and Hood, and Barlow and Gordon. Grant, Lee and Hood are severely taken to task for actions and non actions during the war.  Thomas can do no wrong.  Barlow and Gordon, non West Pointers, amateurs, come off the best.  Their characteristics take them through the war and leadership positions, seemingly getting better at each rank.

As the initial quote says, "Provocative..."

[kipt]

Finished "On Many A Bloody Field: Four Years In The Iron Brigade" by Alan D. Gaff.  While the book follows all the regiments of the Iron brigade, it focuses particularly on Company B, 19th Indiana, called the Richmond City Greys (from Richmond, Indiana).

Out of 115 men who served in the company, 1 officer, 3 sergeants, 2 corporals (all who started as privates in the original muster) and 4 privates came home in 1865.  Others had died in battle or of disease or desertion.  The book tells the story, by name, of most of the company.

Good book.

[kustenjaeger]

- (Re-reading) Zerstorer (Messerschmitt 110 and its units in 1940), Vancouver and Cornwall
- Battle for the Channel (The first month of the Battle of Britain 10 July-10 August 1940), Brian Cull
- The First Kingdom (Britain in the Age of Arthur), Max Adams

Edward

[kipt]

Finished 3 Osprey's: "Japanese Special Navel Landing Forces" by Gary Nila & Robert A Rolfe, illustrated by T Chong, "The US Army in Wo0rld War II (1); The Pacific" by Mark R Henry, illustrated by Mike Chappell, and "The New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War II" by Wayne stack and Barry O'Sullivan, illustrated by Mike Chappell.

[kipt]

Finished a great book, "The Battle Of The Komandorski Islands" by John A. Lorelli.  This is about a naval battle 26 March 1943 near the Aleutian Islands.

The Japanese, the Nachi (CA), Maya (CA), Tama (CL), Abukuma (CL), Inazuma, Ikazuchi, Hatsushimo, Wakaba (all DD's) with 2 transports (Asaka Maru and Sakito Maru) were attempting to resupply Attu.

The Americans, the Salt Lake City (CA), Richmond (CL), Dale, Monaghan, Baily, and Coghlan (both DD's) thought they were attempting to intercept a Japanese supply run with minimal escorts.

Turned out to be a running battle that would make a great GQ1, 2 or 3 wargame.  Statistics, pictures, battle damage, maps all in a short book that flows like a novel.

[paulr]

It does indeed make for an interesting game. We played it using GQ I/II. It is surprisingly close despite the extra Japanese heavy & light cruisers.

[paulr]

Finished The Secret Life of Bletchley Park by Sinclair McKay. A fairly light read but with lots of interesting details.

Hopefully now I'm regularly taking the train into the office again I'll get some more reading done.

[kipt]

Finished "Victory in Papua" a part of the United States Army In world War II, The War In The Pacific series.  This was authored by Samuel Milner. This is printed by the U.S. Government Printing Office.

Australians and Americans vs the Japanese on New Guinea.  The Japanese wanted Port Moresby on the south coast in order to threaten Australia.  General MacArthur's orders were to stop them and start pushing them back.

Jungle and mountain fighting with limited supplies and forces for both sides.  Battalions got down to less than a company, again for both sides.  Casualties from fighting, sickness and starvation along with the Japanese "no surrender" mentality made this a long hard slough for the entire campaign.

Great detail and maps (other than the maps usually found in an envelop in the back of the book - missing from this used bookstore purchase).  I have 4 others in this series and will probably get more.  Not sure how many there are but expect dozens.

[paulr]

Finished Letters From Iwo Jima by Kumiko Kakehashi. An interesting look from the other side of the hill. The conditions on the island were horrific, even before the Americans arrived.

The authors shock that the final message of such a famous General would be altered by the newspapers at the time perhaps says a lot about Japanese education about the realities of war. Later in the book she admits that her generation know little about the war.

[streetgang]

Scimitar Into Stanley: One Soldier's Falklands War by Roger Field. Pretty good account about a member of the Blues and Royals and his experience during the Falklands War. It's a pretty easy read written in a casual style but it's taking me longer to read just because I have been busy with other things.

I look forward to getting my Scimitar onto the tabletop to recreate some of the actions described in the book.

[pierre the shy]

What ruleset are you intending to use to cover your Falklands adventures Streetgang?

[Ithoriel]

Just finished "Rubicon" by Tom Holland, a hefty but very readable tome covering the events that lead up to the rise of Julius Caesar through to the accession of Augustus.

Already has me wondering about a Gangs of Rome scenario where a gang of senators lead by the Pontifex Maximus (armed with chair legs and the like) hunt Tiberius Gracchus and his unarmed followers.

All in all, well worth a read if you have an interest in the Later Roman Republic.

Now on to "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic" by Mike Duncan. It's covering a similar period and theme. I'll see how it compares.

[T13A]

Hi

'The Great Gamble, Nelson at Copenhagen' by Dudley Pope. Just finished re-reading after at least a 40 year gap! Very detailed (and quite long) account of the events (both political and military) leading up to the battle, the battle itself and the aftermath.

Cheers Paul