What Are You Currently Reading? 2014 [Archive]

Bill Moore

01-02-2014, 04:46 AM

Just finished reading, "Edward Lansdale: The Unquiet American Paperback"
by Cecil Currey

A good read that provides insights on his influence in the Philippines, most significantly helping getting Magsaysay elected, and then his subsequent operations in Cuba and Vietnam. It is also talked about his time in OSD where he lead the Special Operations Office, and called for the military to develop what we call today an irregular warfare capability. It does reinforce the adage that if you want to get a new idea read an old book. 99% of what we discuss in SWJ, often as though they're new ideas are covered thoroughly in this book, and he dealt with the same bureaucrats we are dealing with today. Very interesting comments on McNamara and others based on first hand accounts. I was principally interested in his work in SE Asia, but learned a lot about our failed efforts in Cuba during the Kennedy administration. According to Lansdale and others our secret efforts to oust Castro were only secret to us, the Cubans and Soviets were obviously well aware of them, and when the U.S. escalated those activities after the failed Bay of Pigs fiasco that is what generated the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Firn

01-02-2014, 10:08 AM

One final thought about the strategic implications of the relative political, economic and military situations. It is rather difficult to find the right words and paint the right picture while keeping it short. Possibly the simpliest way is to visualize it as a game of cards, taking a page out of good old CvC book.

We see therefore how from the commencement, the absolute, the mathematical as it is called, no where finds any sure basis in the calculations in the art of war; and that from the outset there is a play of possibilities, probabilities, good and bad luck, which spreads about with all the coarse and fine threads of its web, and makes war of all branches of human activity the most like a game of cards.

After getting the set, partly open, partly hidden you can have, by luck and effort a clearly stronger one then your adversary and rightly guess so but there still is this 'play of possibilities, probabilities, good and bad luck, which spreads about with all the coarse and fine threads of its web'. Even if you have a clear advantage (which you may not know) winning is all but trivial. To win, in the surest and 'best' way you still need to play with as much skill and effort as you can and hope for as much luck as possible.

Personally I think this mind picture is quite fitting. The leader of the weaker side, once he stepped into the wrong 'war framework' , played 'va banque' in many occasions like the Manstein plan for the invasion of France as the more conventional options of playing the game were very likely dealt with by superior strenght and much longer economic legs. The increasing craze for gadgets or 'Wunderwaffen', miracles indeed, later in the war matches the disperation and the hope to get somehow a good enough lucky punch.

On the other side the other side tended to play it out quite conservatively apart from some higher risk, higher reward plans like Market Garden. Why risk a temporary but embarrasing and painful setback if you could play it slow but safe. With far more ressources to spare the (Western) allies/USA could also cover the risk from the gadget front to a great degree and for example invest massively into a scientific adventure like the Manhattan project. I wanted to wade into prospect and game theory and its partly fitting implications but topic, time and shortness force me to leave it there.

Biggus

01-02-2014, 04:36 PM

In part:

Are you aware of Eeben Barlow's blogsite:http://eebenbarlowsmilitaryandsecurityblog.blogspot.com/

He is a SWC member too, so may notice your post.

I've recently found Mr Barlow's blog, and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading from the first post up until the most recent. I'll cross my fingers that he might one day publish his book on Kindle or Kobo, but as I know first hand, it's not always as easy as simply formatting, uploading and publishing.

Tukhachevskii

01-02-2014, 04:37 PM

For Christmas I received the following books (I recommend reading No. 1 before No. 2, No. 3 is optional, depends what you're into you kinky buggers)

1. Not Mentioned In Despatches (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Mentioned-Despatches-History-Mythology/dp/0718830164) (I had to ignore most of his befehlstaktik vs auftragstaktik nonsesne- he has a habit of making the same points over and over again- and his manoeuvre warfare agenda but it is still a very worthwhile read.)

2. Nine Battles to Stanley (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nine-Battles-Stanley-Nick-Bijl/dp/0850526191) (The perfect accpaniment to "Not Mentioned..." and contains an analysis of boths sides)#

3. The Steampunk Illustrated Bible (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Steampunk-Bible-Illustrated-Scientists/dp/0810989581) (Yeah? And?)

jcustis

01-02-2014, 05:21 PM

"Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939-1942" by Clay Blair. I picked it up for $5 in new condition at a Tampa Bay used bookstore and have been grinding through its 864 pages at a steady clip. http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-U-Boat-War-Hunters-1939-1942/dp/0679640320

This is the first volume of a massive two-book effort. The second volume details the period of 1942-1945 when fortunes were reversed and the German vessels became the hunted.

Like John Lundstrom's "The First Team: Pacific Air Combat from Perl Harbor to Midway", Blair's work is very detailed and draws from a wide range of sources to paint a picture that contrasts those put forth by many historians.

Blair asserts that the German WWII U-boat effort was not as effective as many historians otherwise believe, and he does so with a really good narrative style which has made the book much easier to read than Lundstrom's resource.

I always found submarine warfare an interesting, if only peripheral topic to read on, but I have really enjoyed the various movies like Das Boot. Blair's work is a good book that covers a lot of ground while still providing details where they matter--at least for my taste.

Granite_State

01-03-2014, 06:53 AM

1. Patton and Rommel, Dennis Showalter. Good read, and a good introduction to both. Read D'Este's Patton biography, to which this doesn't compare, but didn't know much about Rommel. Showalter does a good job of showing Rommel's genius for knowing where to be on a battlefield, and how he was Johnny on the spot over and over again. He shows the limitations of that too, but not as fully. Showalter's writing style annoyed me though, he threw in all kinds of contemporary analogies (Monica Lewinsky IIRC!) which now read as very dated and forced.

2. Men Against Fire, SLA Marshall. I know (thanks to the old thread on here actually) that his combat participation stuff is widely debunked, and he played fast and loose with the facts. But I figured if General Van Riper is convinced of its value, it's gotta be worth reading. Enjoying the book, but taking it with a big grain of salt.

Firn

01-03-2014, 09:15 PM

I finished now the paper (http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/academic/harrison/archive/noticeboard/bergson/allen.pdf) summing up the book Farm to Factory (http://www.amazon.com/Farm-Factory-Reinterpretation-Industrial-Revolution/dp/0691144311) by Robert C. Allen to understand more about the pre-war Soviet economy. It is interesting to compare the early Soviet experience with the later (early) Chinese one of which I got a decent understanding thanks to The Chinese Economy (http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Economy-Transitions-Growth/dp/0262640643/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388778031&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Chinese+economy) by Barry J.Naughton.

Soviet economic performance is usually dismissed as a failure. In contrast, I argue,the Soviet economy performed well. Japan was certainly the most successful developing economy of the twentieth century, but the USSR ranked just behind it. This success would not have occurred without the 1917 revolution or the planned development of state owned industry. Planning led to high rates of capital accumulation, rapid GDP growth, and rising per capita consumption even in the 1930s. The collectivization of agriculture was not necessary for rapid growth--I argue that industrial development would have been almost as fast had the five year plans been carried out within the frame work of the NEP–but it none-the-less nudged up the growth rate.

Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson, authors of Why Nations Fail (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Nations-Fail-Origins-Prosperity/dp/0307719227/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388778195&sr=1-1&keywords=why+nations+fail) have a blog entry (http://whynationsfail.com/blog/2012/8/9/was-central-planning-really-inefficient.html) based partly on his graphs.

The important leap in Allen’s conclusion, and the reason why his thesis is ultimately unconvincing is that as Gerschenkron noted long ago in Economic Backwardness in Historical Perspective, partly in the Russian context also, backward economies can grow rapidly and may do so using a variety of arrangements. This is made feasible because they are benefiting from catch-up and technological convergence. The fact that Soviet Russia took advantage of catch-up opportunities and transferred resources from its massively inefficient agriculture to industry implies neither that central planning was efficient in the short run nor that it could be a steppingstone for more growth-enhancing institutional structure in the long run.

Without entering into the debate itself, in which many questions are still open it is certainly interesting to note the effect of big shift from the surplus labour in agriculture into the producing sector and mostly heavy industry. Female labour was also moblized to a far greater degree. This was enabled by the steady increase in capital investment coupled with ruthless policies and more (technical) education for a far greater part of the population.

The many modern factories built in that period were heavily influenced by the American way of mass-production and given the policies of the regime and the many basic needs of the population and economy aimed at producing decent-enough quantiy then quality. Military production received very considerable attention quite early and the factories seem to have been easy to switch to war production. Basic ressources were rather readily accessible with capital being the bottleneck, although food production suffered initially very severly under a bundle of radical Soviet policies, resulting in widespread famines, especially in the Ukrainian SSR.

A very nasty surprise in industrial production was in store for the invader (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClR9tcpKZec), which could only deploy part of his industrial power. (Obviously there is a great deal of propaganda and illusions in it, but the surprise was certainly there. Notice the very lenghty discussion of the oil problem and it's strategic implications for Mr. Hitler. Fits perfectly with what Tooze worked out).

Steve Blair

01-03-2014, 10:45 PM

Read D'Este's Patton biography

+1. D'Este's book is fantastic.

Backwards Observer

01-04-2014, 11:39 PM

Van Halen: Exuberant California Zen Rock 'N' Roll (http://www.amazon.com/Van-Halen-Exuberant-California-Rocknroll/dp/1861899165) by John Scanlan

review (http://www.examiner.com/review/van-halen-exuberant-california-zen-rock-n-roll-takes-an-unconventional-loo) - examiner.com

…

The Apocalypse Now Book (http://www.amazon.com/The-Apocalypse-Book-Peter-Cowie/dp/0306810468) by Peter Cowie

review (http://variety.com/2001/more/reviews/the-apocalypse-now-book-1200468131/) - variety

…

Dictator's Homes (http://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Homes-Lifestyles-Colourful-Despots/dp/184354430X) by Peter York

review (http://www.theage.com.au/news/book-reviews/dictators-homes/2005/11/18/1132016935462.html?oneclick=true) - the age

Firn

01-15-2014, 07:07 PM

A Soldier's Tale: The Bloody Road to Jerusalem (http://www.amazon.com/1948-Soldiers-Tale-Bloody-Jerusalem/dp/1851686290/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389799994&sr=8-1&keywords=the+bloody+road+to+jerusalem) by Uri Avnery.

This book unites two classic works on the War of 1948, first published in 1949 and 1950 and adds an introduction and some commentary.

The first book, 'In the Fields of the Philistines' was a huge success. Still today it feels fresh and captive, pulling you sometimes right into the actions and giving you the impression of looking out of the eyes of somebody else. The style is powerful and able to paint memorable and fitting pictures for the mind. The author later explained how the book was crafted.

I wrote before the action, during the action, and after the action. When an exhausting battle was over, my comrades would lie down and snore. I picked up my pencil and paper and wrote. I wrote on the ground, in the trenches, and on the hood of a jeep. I wrote in the canteen surrounded by hundreds of noisy comrades and I wrote in bed at night.

I wasn’t writing a diary. A diary is a dialogue with yourself, a record of your most intimate thoughts. But my articles were meant to be published. I knew they would appear the next day in black and white in the newspaper. All these reports appeared in the paper Yom Yom (Day by Day), the evening edition of the great Israeli daily paper Haaretz (The Land).

He was involved in many important battles during the war, first around the road to Jeruslam and later in the South and becomes a member of the famous Samson's foxes. Mounted on Jeeps, perhaps influenced by the SAS experience in North Africa, the small unit is highly influential because it is a rare combination of mobility and firepower. Some themes become a bit repetitive, like the conflict between front line troops and the 'shirkers' back home and his view about politicians. He sounds indeed like the radical voice of the 'youth'.

'The other side of the coin' was written in one go after the war and offers sometimes a stark contrast to the first book. It combines the story of his recovery at a hospital with intermitting memories, handling themes which didn't make it into the field reports. To avoid the military censorship it was tagged as literature, and it does certainly contain actions and orders which show dark sides. For example civilians get shot following orders from higher up with the intention to get others to flee and to stay away.*

All in all it offers a multifaceted view of the conflict from a soldiers eyes and ears, with acts heroic, good, curious, strange, bad or ugly.

*As Ariel Sharon died I took a look at his life and his controversial role as leader of unit 101. Having read the book the Qibya massacre does no longer stand out that much as it is put into a bloody and murky context of other war crimes inflicted by people on both sides.

omarali50

01-15-2014, 09:16 PM

Just finished Lawrence in Arabia. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262206-lawrence-in-arabia

My review:
The author has collected a lot of information (some of it new, a lot of it not well known) and it would have been a 5 star book if he had stuck to telling great stories; but he also wants to right historical wrongs and sell the book as some sort of "explanation" of how and why the modern Middle East became what it did. In this respect, he rarely rises above the "Guardian" level of fashionable BS; it would have been so much better if he had tried to just calmly tell us the stories without attempting to justify the sub-title (War, deceit, imperial folly and the making of the modern middle east) since this is actually NOT a book written at that level and shouldn't pretend to be one.
And dont expect this to be a good description of the long and confused war fought in that region from 1914 to 1918. Several major events are mentioned and some British defeats are described in greater detail, but almost always without any systematic description of the fronts, the opposing armies, or the bigger economic or military picture in the region (touched upon, but not systematically described, analyzed, etc.).
Still, worth reading if you want to know more about some very interesting characters (first and foremost Lawrence, but also Kurt Prufer, William Wales, Aaron Aaronson, etc) and their adventures in the region. But unless you are willing to blindly trust the author's ability to pick and choose what to highlight and what to ignore (and I would not), you cannot take this anecdote-heavy account as a balanced and accurate account of the forces at play, much less a good analysis of why things turned out the way they did.

omarali50

01-16-2014, 06:34 PM

Updated a bit to clarify a couple of things: The author has collected a lot of information (some of it new, a lot of it not well known) and it would have been a 5 star book if he had stuck to telling great stories; but he also wants to right historical wrongs and sell the book as some sort of “explanation” of how and why the modern Middle East became what it did. In this respect, he rarely rises above the “Guardian” level of fashionable BS; it would have been so much better if he had tried to just tell us the stories without attempting to justify the sub-title (War, deceit, imperial folly and the making of the modern Middle East) since this is actually NOT a book written at that level and shouldn’t pretend to be one.
And don’t expect this to be a good description of the long and confused war fought in that region from 1914 to 1918. Several major events are mentioned and some British defeats are described in greater detail, but almost always without any systematic description of the fronts, the opposing armies, or the bigger economic or military picture in the region (touched upon, but not systematically described, analyzed, etc.).
Still, worth reading if you want to know more about some very interesting characters (first and foremost Lawrence, but also Kurt Prufer, William Yale, Aaron Aaronson, etc) and their adventures in the region. But unless you are willing to blindly trust the author’s judgement in picking and choosing what to highlight and what to ignore (and I would not), you cannot take this anecdote-heavy account as a balanced and accurate account of the forces at play, much less a good analysis of why things turned out the way they did.
Some old-fashioned readers may also find his “postmodern” mean-spiritedness a bit jarring. A lot of “heroes” need to be taken down a peg, but there is an air of smug moral superiority about this author that some may find a bit off-putting.
Still, worth reading for the detailed stories alone.http://www.brownpundits.com/2014/01/16/and-on-lawrence-in-arabia/

and my comments about Empires of the Silk Road http://www.brownpundits.com/2014/01/16/my-goodreads-page-on-empires-of-the-silk-road/

omarali50

01-16-2014, 08:15 PM

Correction request above - done by Moderator.

AmericanPride

01-21-2014, 05:37 PM

I have a book on my reading list (for class) titled Hanoi's War by Lien-Hang T. Nguyen that I will get to in a couple of weeks. I'm excited about reading this one.

carl

01-22-2014, 04:33 AM

Hanoi's War is a superb book.

Backwards Observer

01-27-2014, 05:05 AM

The Whole Heart of Tao (http://www.amazon.com/The-Whole-Heart-Tao/dp/1575872471) by John Bright Fey

…

Victory in Vietnam: The Official History of the People's Army of Vietnam, 1954-1975 (http://www.amazon.com/Victory-Vietnam-Official-History-1954-1975/dp/0700611754) translated by Merle Pribbenow

review (http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/bookrev/pribbenow.html) - air and space power journal

…

Crazy From The Heat (http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-From-Heat-David-Roth/dp/0786889470) by David Lee Roth

review (www.publishersweekly.com:8080/978-0-7868-6339-6#path/978-0-7868-6339-6) - publisher's weekly

interview (http://www.vhlinks.com/pages/interviews/dlr/pm1997.php) - vhlinks

video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeXjBWN8LO8)

Johannes U

01-29-2014, 08:54 PM

and so little time to read :(.
Wrong turn by Col Gian Gentile
The end of history and the last men by Francis Fukuyama
The soldier and the state by Samuel P Huntington
The Routledge Handbook of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency by Paul B Rich and Isabelle Duyvesteyn (eds)
The latest edition of The Journal of Military Operations (a big praise for that one)
The latest Edition of The Military Review
...

carl

01-29-2014, 10:29 PM

I just finished War on the Waters by McPherson. It is a short history of two navies in the Civil War. It is a good overall narrative of the war on the salt and fresh water and does a good job of showing how important those operations were to the overall war effort, especially the huge and critically important contribution the Union Navy made to the defeat of the CSA.

One thing of interest from the small war point of view is the problem the Federal forces had in protecting their river supply lines from Confederate irregular forces. The rivers could be considered the MSRs of their day-MSR Tennessee and MSR Cumberland so to speak-and the steamers plying them were subject to attack via field artillery and small arms from the shore. What the Union Navy did was to arm and armor (lightly armored , hence 'tinclads') other river steamers and use them for convoy escort and patrol. An example tactic cited was a column of cargo steamers on its way with a number of tinclads interspersed. That sounds familiar.

http://www.amazon.com/War-Waters-Confederate-1861-1865-Littlefield-ebook/dp/B0093A42XY

jballard07

01-30-2014, 12:14 AM

Transforming Command by Eitan Shimar-

Focuses on Mission Command in theory and practice within the historical lens...held by American, British, and Israeli frames.

Backwards Observer

02-06-2014, 11:33 AM

Telling It Straight (http://www.amazon.com/Telling-Straight-Marina-Mahathir/dp/9814385298/ref=la_B001JOE0OI_1_1_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1391681837&sr=1-1) by Marina Mahathir

interview (http://1christians.blogspot.com/2012/11/marina-mahathirs-cacophony-of-truths.html)

...

One Man's View of the World (http://www.stpressbooks.com.sg/One-Man-s-View-of-the-World.html) by Lee Kuan Yew

review (http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2013/12/13/review-of-one-mans-view-of-the-world-tlc-nmrev-lxv/)

Bob's World

02-10-2014, 04:58 PM

Backwards Observer

02-11-2014, 12:26 AM

"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." Albert Einstein

(For those who feel guilty about not being able to keep up with their reading - as I often do. If one must prioritize, keep up with your thinking instead, and read as you can on products focused on the questions that thinking generates in your mind.)

Hi Robert!

Regrettably, I didn't have time to read your entire comment, but I completely agree with everything you said; more people should learn to think for themselves! Especially the quote from Alfred Einstein. Focus is also important also as well, so true! I think

BushrangerCZ

02-11-2014, 04:58 PM

"Siberian Education", Nicolai Lilin... probably strongly exaggerated, but relaxing read

JMA

02-12-2014, 02:17 PM

Not sure anyone around here has reached that 'certain age' yet. So keep reading like there is no tomorrow.

Then there are those who plow through reading lists so as to tick off books read... while having missed the point or lessons of the book are the best reason to scrap these long course reading lists... unless the readers are required to present what they learned from each and ever one of the books.

"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking." Albert Einstein

(For those who feel guilty about not being able to keep up with their reading - as I often do. If one must prioritize, keep up with your thinking instead, and read as you can on products focused on the questions that thinking generates in your mind.)

Firn

02-12-2014, 09:16 PM

Avoiding the Fall: China's Economic Restructuring (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOAT5A8?tag=chinfinamark-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B00EOAT5A8&adid=1M2YPAT168R9BYDMWQWQ&)

Pettis combines mostly basic macro insights and some original ideas with concise logic to connect many of the sometimes puzzling aspects of Chinas economy in a way which makes a great deal of sense. It is difficult to give much higher praise.

My personal views did conflict in some areas with some of his arguments. After reading his book it would be foolish to uphold most of them in the face of such evidence*. Unless the Chinese government does a brilliant job against considerable internal political pressure the GDP growth story can not continue as it did.

I truly hope that the China is able to transform as softly as possible and that the creditor citizien is no longer basically robbed by the debitor elite. In economic terms it would be also of considerable importance for the Western World, with countries like Germany being quite exposed and Australia basically relying on it. Who knows?

A nice interview (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39oTIG1wCPA) of the author, but it lacks of course the compelling written case.

*The rural population is still very high relative to other countries with less massive malinvestment, but it should be quite a bit older.

P.S: The implications of Pittins analysis do not change the factor that China is and will very reliant on maritime trade. However the vast reform task ahead of the Chinese leadership might make some 'patriotic' actions more likely to divert some of the inner attention and energy.

ganulv

02-13-2014, 05:46 AM

Earlier today I read Andrew Cockburn’s article “Tunnel Vision,” about the Air Forces’s effort to put the A-10 out to pasture, in the latest number of Harper’s. It is behind a paywall—Harper’s does not give away content—but worth either the purchase or a trip to the library. I enjoyed it, but not being an expert would also enjoy feedback on the article from those who are (experts). http://harpers.org/archive/2014/02/tunnel-vision-2/

Backwards Observer

02-28-2014, 05:42 AM

Zen at War (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-at-War-2nd-Edition/dp/0742539261) by Brian Daizen Victoria.

review (http://www.thezensite.com/ZenBookReviews/ZenAtWar_Loy.htm) - the zensite

...

Transforming Command by Eitan Shimar-

Focuses on Mission Command in theory and practice within the historical lens...held by American, British, and Israeli frames.

About halfway through this; good read. Thanks for the suggestion.

Backwards Observer

03-01-2014, 09:36 AM

Article loosely related to Zen at War review above.

Was Japan An Aggressor Nation? (http://www.apa.co.jp/book_report/images/2008jyusyou_saiyuusyu_english.pdf) by Tamogami Toshio

After the Greater East Asia War, many countries in Asia and Africa were released from the control of white nations. A world of racial equality arrived and problems between nations were to be decided through discussion. That was a result of Japan’s strength in fighting the Russo- Japanese War and Greater East Asia War. If Japan had not fought the Greater East War at that time, it may have taken another one hundred or two hundred years before we could have experienced the world of racial equality that we have today. In that sense, we must be grateful to our ancestors who fought for Japan and to the spirits of those who gave their precious lives for their country. It is thanks to them that we are able to enjoy the peaceful and plentiful lifestyle we have today.

...

Even now, there are many people who think that our country’s aggression caused unbearable suffering to the countries of Asia during the Greater East Asia War. But we need to realize that many Asian countries take a positive view of the Greater East Asia War. In Thailand, Burma, India, Singapore, and Indonesia, the Japan that fought the Greater East Asia War is held in high esteem. We also have to realize that while many of the people who had direct contact with the Japanese army viewed them positively, it is often those who never directly saw the Japanese military who are spreading rumors about the army’s acts of brutality. Many foreigners have testified to the strict military discipline of the Japanese troops as compared to those of other countries. It is certainly a false accusation to say that our country was an aggressor nation.
Japan is a wonderful country that has a long history and exceptional traditions. We, as Japanese people, must take pride in our country’s history. Unless they are influenced by some particular ideology, people will naturally love the hometown and the country where they were born. But in Japan’s case, if you look assiduously at the historical facts, you will understand that what this country has done is wonderful. There is absolutely no need for lies and fabrications. If you look at individual events, there were probably some that would be called misdeeds. That is the same as saying that there is violence and murder occurring today even in advanced nations.
We must take back the glorious history of Japan. A nation that denies its own history is destined to pursue a path of decline.

I didn't have time to read the entire article, but I completely agree with everything it said; more nations should not deny their own history! or deny! or something! Especially when not pursuing a path of decline! or pursuing! or whatever :)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/82/Styx_-_Kilroy_Was_Here.jpg

JMA

03-01-2014, 02:31 PM

Article loosely related to Zen at War review above.

Was Japan An Aggressor Nation? (http://www.apa.co.jp/book_report/images/2008jyusyou_saiyuusyu_english.pdf) by Tamogami Toshio

I didn't have time to read the entire article, but I completely agree with everything it said; more nations should not deny their own history! or deny! or something! Especially when not pursuing a path of decline! or pursuing! or whatever :)

I think you misread the article.

Backwards Observer

03-01-2014, 03:44 PM

I think you misread the article.

Please explain it to me.

carl

03-01-2014, 03:49 PM

Before a Saturday morning spat ensues, I'm figuring Backwards Observer was being sarcastic about that article.

Backwards Observer

03-01-2014, 04:13 PM

Before a Saturday morning spat ensues, I'm figuring Backwards Observer was being sarcastic about that article.

I completely agree with everything you said. What's a spat?

Backwards Observer

03-01-2014, 05:30 PM

Never mind, Carl, 'ol buddy; I looked it up.

http://s2.thisnext.com/media/largest_dimension/70716FC0.jpg

In conclusion, here's a lovely song:

Kojo No Tsuki (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YqOvijHge4&feature=kp) - Scorps, Live '79

Backwards Observer

03-10-2014, 04:14 AM

Yellow Peril: An Archive of Anti-Asian Fear (http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Peril-Archive-Anti-Asian-Fear/dp/1781681236) by John Kuo Wei Tchen, Dylan Yeats.

review (http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/02/the-artistic-history-of-american-anti-asian-racism/283962/) - the atlantic

Firn

03-21-2014, 02:05 PM

Se muore il Sud (http://www.amazon.it/Se-muore-Sud-Antonio-Stella/dp/8807070324/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395406584&sr=8-1&keywords=se+muore+il+sud). No translation available for now, but I would be eager to see how certain phrases and specific wordplays get expressed in English.

The authors, two journalists form the Corriere della Sera really hammer home the decline of the South with many stark examples over the last decades. Some of were known to me, as well as the basic economic numbers, but it is very impressive to see those in-depth looks at some projects and how the puzzle fits. Some of the them are incredible, unless you know something about how certain things work or get 'worked'.

An hour-long presentation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Io6o8Whao) by the authors, in Italian obviously.

P.S: In the European economy thread I wrote something which would cause a wild reaction, even hatred in Italy itself: the increasing internal emigration from the Sud to the Centro Nord is IMHO in the long run actually a lot better for our state and our economy. This book as strenghtened my view, even if the authors don't come to that conclusion. We tried to move the work for so long desperatly to the South, with huge projects which are mostly white elephants to be milked endlessy by the various criminals and after the baseless boom thirty years ago many citziens of the Meridione are now worse off. Those who left the South forty, fifty years ago and their children have on the other hand become overall strong threads in the economic fabric of the rest of Italy. Of course it is now more difficult with lower vacancies but always better then to throw away precious human capital and labour in the disaster down there.

BushrangerCZ

03-31-2014, 07:40 PM

http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9781909384293_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG

Johannes U

04-04-2014, 07:11 PM

I just finished Fukuyamas "The end of history ...".
Amazing book ... and especially amazing, how times can change.:wry:

Firn

04-04-2014, 08:56 PM

Collapse of an Empire: Lessons for Modern Russia (http://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Empire-Lessons-Modern-Russia/dp/0815731140/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396640760&sr=8-1&keywords=gaidar) by Yegor Gaidar, a very prominent insider which died in 2009 at 53. His obituary (http://www.economist.com/node/15125467) in The Economist.

Still, Mr Gaidar knew his country, its history and its perils better than most Russian politicians. After leaving office, he continued to advise the government. In his book “Collapse of an Empire”, he warned against the dangers of post-imperial nostalgia and attempts to exploit it. He drew powerful and disturbing parallels between the Nazis in Germany and similar voices in Russia. Many of his fears were borne out by Russia's war in Georgia in August 2008. “The situation is extremely dangerous. The post-imperial syndrome is in full blossom. We have to get through the next five to ten years and not start doing something stupid,” he said.

He was honest, both intellectually and personally. Unlike many of the current Kremlin-dwellers, he did not enrich himself in the 1990s. His office was spartan and stacked with papers; good food (and drink) were his main indulgence. And as an academic, he never compromised his analysis for the sake of political expediency.

One of Russia's biggest problems, as he saw it, was the growing accumulation of wealth and power by bureaucrats and their friends in the name of a “strong state”. People who argued for such a state, he wrote, “have only one purpose—to preserve the status quo…A self-serving state destroys society, oppresses it and in the end destroys itself. Will we be able to break away from this vicious circle?”

Mr Gaidar argued that modernisation was impossible without political liberalisation. Yet just before he died, he agreed to apply his economics institute to the Kremlin's proclaimed task of modernising the Russian economy without touching its political system. Perhaps he sensed it was a vicious circle he could not square.

I really enjoyed his book, one feels his drive to understand and to explain. A far-sighted man indeed.

P.S: The Kindle version on my Android tablet has very small tables, a bit of bummer if you are actually interested in the raw data.

ganulv

04-05-2014, 01:33 PM

NPR ran a story yesterday (http://www.npr.org/2014/04/04/298988705/-desert-sun-team-probes-marine-deaths-on-highway-near-calif-base) about the Palm Springs Desert Sun’s investigation into the off-duty vehicular deaths on the roads surrounding Twentynine Palms (Marine Corps) Base.

I was interested in the story because I have been passed more than once on the Interstate by a Marine weaving in and out of traffic at a high rate of speed. (Each instance was a demonstration of skilled as well as reckless driving at the same time.) So I did an Internet search for the online version of the original story, which may be found at the link here (http://www.desertsun.com/longform/news/2014/03/22/twentynine-palms-marines-dead-highway-62-crashes/6697817/). It is a fairly long read, but it is structured nicely for reading on a tablet.

I have copied and pasted the “Investigation findings” section of the report below.

-------

The Desert Sun has spent the last year investigating the lives, and untimely deaths, of Marines at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. Here are some of our key findings:

Since 2007, the base in Twentynine Palms has suffered more non-hostile deaths, like car crashes and suicides, than war fatalities. Sixty service members from the base have died in war zones in the Middle East, but at least 64 have died on American soil, mostly in the High Desert, while stationed or training at the base.
Marines at the Twentynine Palms base have been significantly more likely to be killed in an off-duty vehicle accident than their counterparts at other Marine bases. As of 2002, Marines at Twentynine Palms were three times more likely to die in a traffic crash than the average Marine. Safety measures have made crashes less frequent in recent years, but the base maintains one of the highest fatal crash rates in the Marine Corps.
Marines who commit suicide while at the Twentynine Palms base are nearly twice as likely to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of their death. Of the 15 Marines who committed suicide at the base between 2007 and 2012, seven had alcohol in their system at the time of death. This is nearly double the percentage reported by the Marine Corps as a whole. The base suffers an annual suicide rate of about two deaths per year, matching the Marine Corps average of 19 deaths per 100,000 troops. The civilian rate is 12 deaths per 100,000.
In one particularly troubling case, a Marine at Twentynine Palms died after military doctors prescribed him six separate medications for post traumatic stress disorder. The Marine died of “multiple drug toxicity,” and his death was ruled an accident.

Backwards Observer

04-29-2014, 05:23 AM

The Imperial Security State: British Colonial Knowledge and Empire-Building in Asia (Critical Perspectives on Empire) (http://www.amazon.com/The-Imperial-Security-State-Empire-Building/dp/0521896088) by James Hevia.

review (http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/logbrowse.pl?trx=vx&list=H-Empire&month=1211&week=c&msg=A5kPsAY5cC1CGe5s7TZ4Jg) - h-net discussion networks

google books link (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=RpRiuKbexCIC&pg=PR1&lpg=PR1&dq=the+imperial+security+state+hevia&source=bl&ots=K3CQj1GRom&sig=CoxWK0Hpd11cbvgSZxAaHuYtpFo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=6yNfU-vHGIOpkAXZ9IGoCQ&ved=0CFgQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=the%20imperial%20security%20state%20hevia&f=false)

Firn

05-09-2014, 08:23 PM

Training for the New Alpinism (http://www.amazon.com/Training-New-Alpinism-Climber-Athlete/dp/193834023X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399661480&sr=8-1&keywords=training+climber) by Steve House (http://www.stevehouse.net/) and Scott Johnston.

From high school onwards I did a fair bit of minor mountaineering and climbing which grew a bit more ambitious during university. A bit of low-skill guiding (no official mountain guide!) helped to support my personal finances. Swimming remind my main sport. Work and social life cut deeply into my free time and I did work out. As a lazy slug with little discipline I need a well-structured, scientific system I can rationally agree with before I invest precious free time.

Your are you own gym (http://www.amazon.com/You-Are-Your-Own-Gym/dp/0345528581/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399662035&sr=8-1&keywords=you+are+you+own+gym) helped me greatly to get back into that training mental state, bulking up and increasing some aspects of my fitness. I'm now quite close to do flat one-armed push-ups and have greatly increased my pull-up count, so I very thankfull to YAYOG. However it's goal is obviously different from a proper training for mountain sports which is more holistic in some aspects and tailored in others.

The highly-voted reviews in Amazon spell out my thoughts better then I could about the quality as a book. In couple of months I will try to update it, as it is still early times to assess properly the success of my program. I plan some minor alpine climbs this season and perhaps some more interesting stuff next year.

P.S: The short pieces of many highly experiences and successfull members of the international climbing community are great, as well as the respect given to the giants of past and present. Still everybody has to find his own goals and way to climb while respecting the basic ethos of mountaineering.

Backwards Observer

05-19-2014, 03:44 AM

Imperialism: A Study (http://www.amazon.com/Imperialism-Study-J-A-Hobson/dp/1596052503) (1902) by John A. Hobson.

Imperialism: A Study (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperialism_(Hobson)) - Wikipedia

jcustis

05-19-2014, 01:08 PM

"A Prince of Our Disorder" by Harvard psychiatry professor John Mack.

I'm only a quarter through it and I really should put it down to finish the U-Boat book I was reading during travels, but it is hard.

The Pulitzer prize-winning book explores T.E. Lawrence's mental makeup and motivations behind his participation in the Arab Revolt, and awkward life afterwards. I half-expected it to go into a of detail about his efforts, but the book is 180 degrees out from that, and I think this is why I find the writing and material fascination.

Plus, it is refreshing to absorb a ot of the "Kings good English" from the multitude of letters cited within.

What happend in the past 80 years that we do not write or speak that well anymore? :wry:

snafu

05-29-2014, 02:27 AM

Must read on Pakistan Military Politics: Based on rare archival sources, and internal military documents to explain the army's traditions of tutelage and its consequences for Pakistan, and the wider world.

Aqil Shah, The Army and Democracy: Military Politics in Pakistan (Harvard University Press, 2014).

The author is a Pakistani? (I think!) political scientist based at Princeton University. Although after reading this book, I am pretty sure he will be persona non grata in that country.

snafu

05-29-2014, 02:33 AM

Great book on Nixon-Kissinger's complicity in the Pakistani Army's genocide of Bengalis in East Pakistan. Based on Arhcer Blood's dispatches from the U.S. consulate in Dhaka.

Garry Bass, Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger and a Forgotten Genocide

Bass is a historian who teaches at Princeton University.

BushrangerCZ

05-31-2014, 05:58 PM

PAMWE CHETE, LtCol R.F. Reid-Daly (Pub. 1999)

Link:http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Pamwe_chete.html?id=h_MvAQAAIAAJ

davidbfpo

06-02-2014, 02:04 PM

On a recent holiday I settled won to read five books, three e-books and one hardback - the later is David Kilcullen's 'Out of the Mountains', which is reviewed elsewhere:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=12934&page=19

In 2011 'Dead Men Risen:The Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan' by Toby Harnden was published, winning plaudits and prizes. The author is an accomplished journalist and writer. His book 'Bandit Country': The IRA and South Armagh (Hodder, 1999), was excellent and so I sat down expecting a similar read.

'Dead Men Risen' was far better, harsh at times in portraying the campaigning, including the loss to an IED of the Welsh Guards CO. It combines interviews of a large number who served, with a good, balanced measure of criticism tactically and beyond.

Link:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Men-Risen-Britains-Afghanistan/dp/1849164215/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1401712629&sr=1-3

In 2012 Margaret Evison, the mother of Lt. Mark Evison, of the Welsh Guards, wrote 'Death of a Soldier: A Mother's Story', after his death, in 2009 in Afghanistan, in what became for many evidence that something was very badly wrong - in Helmand Province and at home, with the coroner's inquest. It is I think unique as a mother's account and in places is very hard to read. Well worth reading and hopefully officialdom will have learnt some lessons by now.

Link:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Death-Soldier-Margaret-Evison/dp/1849544492/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401712127&sr=1-1&keywords=margaret+evison

The third e-book was 'The Last Great Cavalryman: The Life of General Sir Richard McCreery' by Richard Mead, had been well reviewed in The Spectator, but frankly was a disappointment. Yes this general is virtually unknown and played a key part in the Italian campaign. The chapters on his inter-war service was simply a too jolly account of riding, it gave little insight into his education, rather that he was lucky to be spotted by sponsors.

Link:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Great-Cavalryman-McCreery-Commander/dp/1848844654/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1401713255&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Last+Great+Cavalryman

The fifth book deserves a longer review as it is rather different and has an Indian author.

jcustis

06-02-2014, 02:41 PM

Red Rat

06-04-2014, 01:18 PM

Just finished Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland (http://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-Reserve-Battalion-Solution/dp/0060995068)

A profoundly disturbing book, nuanced and very educational as to the sociology of killing and genocide.

For those working in conflict prevention and stabilisation I would highly recommend this book as it gives very good pointers as to the ingredients required for mass murder in terms of sociology (dehumanisation, legitimisation are key) as well as the impact on individuals and the mechanics of sustainable genocide.

For commanders and especially junior commanders it would be a good book to challenge their self-belief that they and their men would never knowingly do wrong. It is very easy to say that we are the good guys and would never do such things, but history is littered with examples of ordinary men doing unspeakable things. The mechanics of how Reserve Police Battalion 101 was co-opted into genocide, the break down of the unit into Active, Participatory and Inactive members, their increasing brutalisation and the impact of the leadership element is both sobering and informative.

Firn

06-04-2014, 05:51 PM

Granite_State

06-07-2014, 05:47 PM

Supreme Command, Cohen: Highly recommended. Best thing I've read in a while, and the case studies were well chosen. Undermines a lot of the facile "leave us alone to do our job" talk.

Grey Eminence: Fox Conner and the Art of Mentorship, Cox: Don't bother. A thin monograph, and Conner's papers were burned so it relies almost solely on the views of the mentees.

The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the United States Marines, West and Smith: Good read, in the "journalism as the first draft of history" style. I've heard a few guys that were there take issue with some of his details though.

Are We Rome?, Murphy: Pretty good, quick read that digs a little deeper into that easy comparison between the US and imperial Rome.

Bill Moore

06-08-2014, 04:57 AM

Posted by Granite State

Supreme Command, Cohen: Highly recommended. Best thing I've read in a while, and the case studies were well chosen. Undermines a lot of the facile "leave us alone to do our job" talk.

GS, I have seen mixed reviews on Cohen's book. Most agree his points are well argued, but some critics believe he has shifted the argument too far to the political end and attempts to silence the voice of the military. Interested in your thoughts on that view?

Haven't read it yet, but would be interested in his views if expressed on LBJ's inept control of the war (not an apology for Westmoreland), or JFK's handling of the Bay of Pigs (paramilitary operation). I would add our recent adventure in OIF where military advice was ignored on troop levels required to stabilize Iraq. I'm a believer of the military instrument being subordinate to policy and civilian leadership, but there is a balance that must achieved. I can't imagine a policy maker telling a brain surgeon how he will remove a tumor. I can imagine him telling him what the objective is, what risk he is willing to incur, what the left and right limits are, and basically have a discussion between policy makers and military professionals. The discussion can't end, because we'll be fighting a thinking and adaptive adversary, so the relationship must be persistent and both must remain flexible in policy ends and the military approach.

Granite_State

06-08-2014, 08:08 PM

Posted by Granite State

GS, I have seen mixed reviews on Cohen's book. Most agree his points are well argued, but some critics believe he has shifted the argument too far to the political end and attempts to silence the voice of the military. Interested in your thoughts on that view?

Haven't read it yet, but would be interested in his views if expressed on LBJ's inept control of the war (not an apology for Westmoreland), or JFK's handling of the Bay of Pigs (paramilitary operation). I would add our recent adventure in OIF where military advice was ignored on troop levels required to stabilize Iraq. I'm a believer of the military instrument being subordinate to policy and civilian leadership, but there is a balance that must achieved. I can't imagine a policy maker telling a brain surgeon how he will remove a tumor. I can imagine him telling him what the objective is, what risk he is willing to incur, what the left and right limits are, and basically have a discussion between policy makers and military professionals. The discussion can't end, because we'll be fighting a thinking and adaptive adversary, so the relationship must be persistent and both must remain flexible in policy ends and the military approach.

It definitely changed my perspective. He argues that Huntington's "normal" theory of civil-military relations (basically what you're describing) is not the best way to do business. LBJ gets mentioned, but the case studies are Lincoln, Clemenceau, Churchill, and Ben-Gurion. Cohen's issue with LBJ is not really that he meddled, but that he meddled badly. And the old line about military professionals being like surgeons who rarely if ever perform surgery has some truth to it.

Cohen's brief Rumsfeld chapter does not hold up well. But I think some of our recent problems stem from excessive deference to the military, not the other way around. Will get to my copy of "British Generals in Blair's Wars" one of these days to get another angle. All in all, "Supreme Command" is worth your time, even if only to provide a contrary perspective and an introduction to some of the national leaders mentioned above. Made me want to dig into some of the Churchill revisionism (Corrigan) and learn a lot more about US Civil War generalship.

Bill Moore

06-09-2014, 05:08 AM

I'll definitely give it a look. Whether we use the normal theory or politicians decide to intervene, I think you captured the issue.

Cohen's issue with LBJ is not really that he meddled, but that he meddled badly.

That pertains to both military and civilian leadership, competence matters. I also think depending on the nature of the conflict or perhaps what phase we're in, one can shift between a normal theory heavy approach or a politician meddling approach.

And the old line about military professionals being like surgeons who rarely if ever perform surgery has some truth to it.

It has a lot of truth to it, and the implications go further than meets the eye. We rely heavily on history (Sun Tzu, Clausewitz, Jomini, Mao, etc.), which of course has merit, but the world moves on politically, culturally, and perhaps most importantly technologically, all of which provide a new context that a savvy political leader is probably more aware of than an officer who views the world through a doctrine that could be outdated. Just a thought.

Backwards Observer

06-10-2014, 06:21 PM

A book about the Ahnenerbe.

The Master Plan: Himmler's Scholars and the Holocaust (http://www.amazon.com/The-Master-Plan-Himmlers-Holocaust/dp/B000RG1E2U/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) by Heather Pringle.

Ahnenerbe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahnenerbe) - wikipedia
...

DER HERR:
Hast du mir weiter nichts zu sagen?
Kommst du nur immer anzuklagen?
Ist auf der Erde ewig dir nichts recht?

MEPHISTOPHELES:
Nein Herr! ich find es dort, wie immer, herzlich schlecht.
Die Menschen dauern mich in ihren Jammertagen,
Ich mag sogar die armen selbst nicht plagen.
Faust, The Prologue

Backwards Observer

06-14-2014, 06:02 AM

Four books that seemed to be common fixtures on expat shelves in mid-seventies Singapore.

War of the Running Dogs (http://www.amazon.com/War-Running-Dogs-Malaya-1948-1960/dp/0304366714) by Noel Barber

Syonan, My Story (http://www.amazon.com/Syonan-My-Story-Occupation-Singapore/dp/9812043608) by Mamoru Shinozaki

The Scourge of the Swastika (http://www.amazon.com/The-Scourge-Swastika-History-Crimes/dp/1602392811) by Lord Russell of Liverpool

The Knights of Bushido (http://www.amazon.com/The-Knights-Bushido-History-Japanese/dp/1853674990) by Lord Russell of Liverpool

...at the annual Speech Day of Liverpool College on 23 November (1961), Lord Russell of Liverpool lectured the boys on the three things he most disliked in young men: Teddy boys, pop singers and beatniks, but especially pop singers 'because they can cash in to the tune of about 200 pounds a week for strumming a guitar and looking as though they had Saint Vitus' dance.' The Beatles - All These Years (http://books.google.com.au/books?id=6bk1AAAAQBAJ&pg=PT100&lpg=PT100&dq=lord+russell+of+liverpool+the+beatles&source=bl&ots=hoNNsIkUEn&sig=O4F3FLCXEyr-HHfq55p0T2oZrJA&hl=en&sa=X&ei=E8-bU-nuBMOIkAXh_oC4BA&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=lord%20russell%20of%20liverpool%20the%20beatles&f=false)

Currahee23

06-22-2014, 06:39 PM

right now I'm reading Tequila Junction by John Poole concerning 4th Gen Counterinsurgency and The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen.

Backwards Observer

06-25-2014, 04:24 PM

Dangerous Allies (http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Allies-Malcolm-Fraser-ebook/dp/B00K105OPU) by Malcolm Fraser

Exit Wounds: One Australian's War On Terror (http://www.amazon.com/Exit-Wounds-One-Australians-Terror-ebook/dp/B009S10GO2) by Major General John Cantwell

Backwards Observer

07-03-2014, 09:19 AM

The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology (http://www.amazon.com/The-Occult-Roots-Nazism-Influence/dp/0814730604) by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke

Occult America: White House Seances, Ouija Circles, Masons, and the Secret Mystic History of Our Nation (http://www.amazon.com/Occult-America-Seances-Circles-History/dp/0553385151) by Mitch Horowitz

"I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half vital motion. Frightful must it be; for supremely frightful would be the effect of any human endeavour to mock the stupendous mechanism of the Creator of the world." Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

BushrangerCZ

07-13-2014, 04:59 PM

"Who will teach the wisdom" by Tim Bax. Outstanding... current COIN decision makers obviously have never read this book. They should have.

(Added)http://www.amazon.com/Who-Will-Teach-Wisdom-Timothy/dp/0615842755

Firn

07-13-2014, 06:13 PM

Un anno sull'altipiano (http://www.amazon.it/Un-anno-sullaltipiano-Emilio-Lussu/dp/8806219170/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405270073&sr=1-1&keywords=lussu+un+anno+sull%27altipiano) ( A year on the high plateau) by Emilio Lussu. As a sardu he served in the Great War with the Sassari Brigade. If you know the area you can sometimes walk mentally along to the same slopes and ridges. Some scenes seem grotesque but the Italian officer corps and military leadership was perhaps the most arrogant and inept in Western Europe. In some instances you truly feel like laughing out and crying at the same time.

Don't know how good the English translation (http://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Southern-Front-Classic-Italian/dp/0847842789/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405270226&sr=8-1&keywords=Emilio+Lussu) is. His Italian is both a child of those era and is own, as descriptive as sarcastic. The title reveals how little that front is know in the English speaking world.

*This 'High plateau' (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altopiano_dei_sette_comuni) is of course the one fought over. Ironically it was for a long defended by it's German speaking population in alliance with Venice against the Holy Roman Empire, while in the book Italian speaking soldiers of the Empire hold a ridge against the attacking Sardinians.

Backwards Observer

07-13-2014, 06:38 PM

Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis (http://www.amazon.com/Games-People-Play-Transactional-Analysis/dp/0345410033) by Eric Berne, M.D.

Psychological Warfare (http://www.amazon.com/Psychological-Warfare-WWII-Era-Reprint/dp/1616460555) by Paul M.A. Linebarger

"And will you," asked Dr. Sen, quite unable to resist the opportunity, "get rid of your empire when the time arises?"
"Without the slightest hesitation." replied the Inspector.
Arthur C. Clarke, Childhood's End

TheCurmudgeon

07-14-2014, 03:14 AM

Darwin and International Relations: On the Evolutionary Origins of War and Ethnic Conflict (http://www.amazon.com/Darwin-International-Relations-Evolutionary-Conflict/dp/0813192528/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405303056&sr=8-1&keywords=darwin+and+international+relations)

Just started. I will let you know if it is worth the effort.

Backwards Observer

07-19-2014, 09:12 AM

A Dangerous Friend (http://www.amazon.com/A-Dangerous-Friend-Ward-Just/dp/061805670X) by Ward Just

Without Honor: Defeat in Vietnam and Cambodia (http://www.amazon.com/Without-Honor-Defeat-Vietnam-Cambodia/dp/0801861071) by Arnold R. Isaacs

"In each dream the locality was totally new to me, and I had an entirely fresh detachment." E.D. Swinton, The Defence of Duffer's Drift

ganulv

07-19-2014, 01:14 PM

Granite_State

07-30-2014, 02:37 AM

Audiobooks while PCSing cross-country:

- War, Junger: Pretty good, got something out of it on psychology and combat stress. I wish I'd had maps for a couple of the tactical vignettes, curious to check the hardback for them when I can dig it out of storage. Might be the rare case where seeing the movie first was better.

- Quartered Safe Out Here, Fraser: Fantastic. Neck-in-neck with With the Old Breed for my favorite combat memoir. The audiobook is the way to go, because the actor who reads it does an excellent job with all the Cumbrian/Cockney/posh accents, and you quickly get a handle on Fraser's section mates. I've gotta find time for the last six Flashman books.

- Blink, Gladwell. I'm a little skeptical of Gladwell because I think some of his stuff is facile, but this was solid. It's good sociology lite on decision-making and intuition. Especially liked the part on LtGen Van Riper in Vietnam.

davidbfpo

08-06-2014, 01:04 PM

Innes Bowen after seven years research and writing has written a short, exceptional book 'Medina in Birmingham Najaf in Brent Inside British Islam':http://www.amazon.co.uk/Medina-Birmingham-Najaf-Brent-British/dp/1849043019/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407325510&sr=1-1&keywords=innes+bowen

Perhaps there is an American equivalent? Here is my review.

This 230 page book is simply an exceptionally useful guide to who British Muslims are and what they think (about their religion). They are a minority, which is growing, spreading out of the inner cities, are increasingly found in the professions and can often have differences with the rest of us – they need to be understood better. So read this book!

Loyalty to the nation, not a cricket team, regularly features in public discussions. In a 2011 survey by Demos they showed that Muslims were more patriotic than other Britons (83 per cent said they were proud to be British as opposed to 79 per cent of the general population).

The vast majority of urban English British Muslims have been here for at least fifty years, traditionally supporting the Labour Party. Alongside smaller groups like the (now growing rapidly) Somali and Yemeni for far longer - often in port cities. Not all British Muslims have an overseas origin, there are growing numbers of converts, black youths in London and white English academics – all of them have a place in the book.

Rightly the book concentrates on Muslims of South Asian origin (60% of all British Muslims). The book helps to explain that often their faith is expressed via mosques and community organisations that are sectarian, with strong South Asian / Saudi Arabian links. One consequence is that these groups produce very conservative clerics – not the externally desired British “moderate” ones.

In the media British Muslims appear to come in from small vocal minorities. What better example than the columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown; she is an Ismaili, one of fifty thousand. Or the Muslim Brotherhood whose main influence is in London's Arab community and control just seven mosques out of over sixteen hundred. Then there are the angry, shouting “radicals”.

One hopes that those in national and local government, the politicians and bureaucrats, read this book too. It should be on the desk of those responding to British Muslims as individuals and communities, such as community workers and the police.

Contrary to Amazon.com the book has been published.

davidbfpo

08-06-2014, 01:12 PM

Now available in paperback I read the hardback edition of Russell Miller's 'Uncle Bill: The Authorised Biography of Field Marshal Viscount Slim', thankfully I'd not purchased the tome.

It is a long time since I read another biography and his own book. Being 'The Authorised Biography' I hoped it would cast new light on Britain's best modern general.

Sadly there is not a single campaign map, not even of the Burma-Indian front. Nor a table of organisation for the Fourteenth Army, I suppose the author and editor forgot.

Yes the use of Bill Slim's letters to his children added value and the author has collected new material. Then one reads that the Japanese used Stuka divebombers! Some characters appear before their entry to the narrative, Wingate in particular, which would be confusing to a reader not aware of them.

UK Link:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncle-Bill-Authorised-Biography-Viscount/dp/1780220820/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407325757&sr=1-1&keywords=uncle+bill+the+authorised+biography+of+fi eld+marshal+viscount+slim

US link:http://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Bill-Authorised-Biography-Viscount-ebook/dp/B00CIVLZX0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407326062&sr=1-1&keywords=uncle+bill+the+authorised+biography+of+fi eld+marshal+viscount+slim

Firn

08-06-2014, 04:51 PM

Do you know if there is a decent history of the Great War and the vie ferrate, Firn?

Missed that post. Never read an English book about the Italian front and specificially the ferrate, so I can not recommend one. While I don't go mountaineering to explore military history you can easily combine it in some cases. Certain military roads and routes have become actually rather famous.

I plan to get 'Storia della Grande Guerra sul fronte italiano' (http://www.amazon.it/Storia-Grande-Guerra-italiano-1915-1918/dp/8842544086/ref=pd_cp_b_3), but only as a reference as I just don't have the time to read as much as I would like.

carl

08-06-2014, 06:11 PM

- Quartered Safe Out Here, Fraser: Fantastic. Neck-in-neck with With the Old Breed for my favorite combat memoir. The audiobook is the way to go, because the actor who reads it does an excellent job with all the Cumbrian/Cockney/posh accents, and you quickly get a handle on Fraser's section mates. I've gotta find time for the last six Flashman books.

Read the McAuslan books and stories too. They are as good as Quartered Safe Out Here.

carl

08-06-2014, 06:16 PM

Do you know if there is a decent history of the Great War and the vie ferrate, Firn?

I don't know if this counts but in Helprin's A Soldier of the Great War a lrge part of the story deals with Alpine fighting. And it was a superb book too.

Backwards Observer

08-08-2014, 12:51 AM

The Travels (http://www.amazon.com/The-Travels-Marco-Polo-Publisher/dp/B004OT3EC4) by Marco Polo (Penguin Edition)

English Lessons: The Pedagogy of Imperialism in Nineteenth Century China (http://www.amazon.co.uk/English-Lessons-Pedagogy-Imperialism-Nineteenth-Century/dp/0822331888) by James Hevia

'No one knows who they were. Or...what they were doing. But their legacy remains..." Spinal Tap, Stonehenge (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ec1WaFrK8E)

mirhond

08-08-2014, 01:36 PM

Friedrich Engels. Origin of the Family, Private Property, and the State

AmericanPride

08-08-2014, 04:28 PM

The Threat Matrix: The FBI at War in the Age of Global Terror

The Soviet Biological Weapons Program: A History

Intelligence Elsewhere: Spies and Espionage Outside the Anglosphere

Tukhachevskii

08-09-2014, 03:17 PM

columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.

Oh yes, the wonderful Yasmin Alibhai-"Brown" who once said there weren't enough "brown faces" (whatever that means) in her doctors surgery and was lauded by the liberal maggot heads as a luminary. If Nick Griffin (leader of the BNP) had said there weren't enough "white" faces he would have been called a racist. So much for Common sense.

tequila

08-09-2014, 09:52 PM

Missed that post. Never read an English book about the Italian front and specificially the ferrate, so I can not recommend one. While I don't go mountaineering to explore military history you can easily combine it in some cases. Certain military roads and routes have become actually rather famous.

I plan to get 'Storia della Grande Guerra sul fronte italiano' (http://www.amazon.it/Storia-Grande-Guerra-italiano-1915-1918/dp/8842544086/ref=pd_cp_b_3), but only as a reference as I just don't have the time to read as much as I would like.

Been meaning to get to this one, but haven't yet. The reviews look promising:

http://www.amazon.com/The-White-War-Italian-1915-1919/dp/0465020372

ganulv

08-09-2014, 10:07 PM

Been meaning to get to this one, but haven't yet. The reviews look promising:

http://www.amazon.com/The-White-War-Italian-1915-1919/dp/0465020372

Thanks, Tequila. Just checked that one out from the local library.

Firn

08-10-2014, 10:09 AM

Been meaning to get to this one, but haven't yet. The reviews look promising:

http://www.amazon.com/The-White-War-Italian-1915-1919/dp/0465020372

There is actually very little in it about the 'White War' or the high-alpine front. For good reasons, one should add, as that area wasn't the Schwerpunkt of the war apart form the Austrian offensive (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battaglia_degli_Altipiani) also often called 'Strafexpedition' in Italian even if this wasn't the official Austrian name. Sounds suitably Germanic and can still be roughly correctly pronounced. I did download it for my tablet after the question and glanced over the book so far.

One of the most impressive aspects of the Dolimite front was the military engineering, especially from the Italians. The Strada delle 52 gallerie (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strada_delle_52_gallerie) is worth a (bike) trip. Perhaps not so much know is the clever use of the cooling water for the rock drills, which were so incredibly important to 'drill in', to provide in some locations the troops with warm water in the barracks right against (or in) the walls.

http://www.recuperanti.it/bild/palpiccolo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ol32s.jpg

Firn

08-10-2014, 11:20 AM

I just wanted to add that the road itself is officially closed for bikes, but you still can get a great ride&walk trip. As so often there have been some guys which didn't respect the guys on foot and others which didn't pay enough attention. It is a bit of a shame for the mtb community, at least there are still great trails out there. Sadly the weather has been terrible so far this year.

ganulv

08-10-2014, 11:34 AM

There is actually very little in it about the 'White War' or the high-alpine front. For good reasons, one should add, as that area wasn't the Schwerpunkt of the war apart form the Austrian offensive (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battaglia_degli_Altipiani) also often called 'Strafexpedition' in Italian even if this wasn't the official Austrian name.

In looking over Thompson’s book yesterday afternoon the thing that most jumped out at me was that 3x as many Italians died during WWI as during WWII. I had no idea.

davidbfpo

08-10-2014, 11:58 AM

I have been to the region twice, once based in Italy and then years later based in Slovenia - a good part of the study tour was spent in the mountains.

I became aware that after the Italian collapse at Caporetto, corps sized British and French formations were sent as reinforcements. My local infantry regiment, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were on the Asiago Plateau when attacked later. There is a UK historian who writes on this period, but being a Sunday my memory cannot recall him.

Rommel was there too, with his Alpine infantry unit and IIRC his WW1 memoirs are largely about his time on the Italian Front.

Italian losses were horrendous, partly as their leaders just kept on attacking and appear oblivious to learning any lessons.

The study tours enabled me to follow one of my interests, the study of military architecture since the advent of artillery via the Fortress Study Group:http://www.fsgfort.com/

BushrangerCZ

08-10-2014, 08:38 PM

Just finished "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson. First third was pure fun and educative too, second part dissapointment by author and his companion giving up, and third part even bigger dissapointment as they gave up again. But Mr. Bryson definately has a very readable style of writing. Now I got "Blackwater" from Eric Prince under way.

Firn

08-11-2014, 11:53 AM

I became aware that after the Italian collapse at Caporetto, corps sized British and French formations were sent as reinforcements. My local infantry regiment, the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were on the Asiago Plateau when attacked later. There is a UK historian who writes on this period, but being a Sunday my memory cannot recall him.

The contribution of allied troops in Italy is perhaps one of most neglected elements of the Great War from an 'Italian' perspective. The rise of fascism did more then it's share there through the instrumentalisation of the Great War and in addtion the allies of those years became the competitors and afterwards enemies in the next big thing. The most visible traces of fascist glorification can be seen on prominent hills or mountain tops (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrario_militare_del_monte_Grappa) along the front. In some cases a few 'ossari' were also built far away from it, close to the new border. The Italian Wikipedia (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrari_militari_della_prima_guerra_mondiale_in_It alia) offers a rather long article on those sites and their story.

In looking over Thompson’s book yesterday afternoon the thing that most jumped out at me was that 3x as many Italians died during WWI as during WWII. I had no idea.

It is more 2.5 IIRC, but higher then that percentage-wise.

Firn

09-28-2014, 06:56 PM

@timrayner7

10-03-2014, 09:38 AM

I just finished reading David Kilcullen's Out of the Mountains: the Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla.

It was a great read as he has not rested on his laurels with his current theories on how to conduct counterinsurgency, but has built upon it.

Chapter 3 on his "Theory of Competitive Control" and the Appendix on how to conduct amphibious assaults on heavily populated cities was worth the price of the book alone.

An example of "Competitive Control" in a peaceful society such as Australia is the use of traffic lights, road rules, and law enforcement all combining together to create normalcy, security, and predictability for Australian citizens. However, in conflicts zones these systems can be manipulated by criminal organisations, or even terrorist elements. But "Competitive Control" is a two-way street, i.e., criminal/terrorist organisations need a population to provide services to, and the population needs criminal/terrorist organisation to receive services from.

He also identifies four "megatrends" that will shape future conflicts.
1. Population growth. The global population will increase to 9.5 billion by the year 2050.
2. Accelerated urbanisation. 75% of these 9.5 billion people will be urbanised.
3. Littoralism. This urbanised population will be concentrated on coastlines in the developing world.
4. Increasing connectedness. Communication and networking opportunities in these coastal cities will increase because of easy access to the Internet, mobile telephones, and social media.

Sorry if this sounds like an advertisement for the book - I've just copied and pasted different parts of a book review I did on it.

Firn

10-10-2014, 08:23 PM

Il sergente nella neve, or The Sergent in the Snow (http://www.amazon.com/Sergeant-Snow-Mario-Rigoni-Stern/dp/0810160552/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8). It is one of the most famous Italian novels about the second world war, but surprisingly I never read it before.

Redirected from their way to the Caucasus find themselves thinly spread in the vast open steppe in the freezing temperatures of the winter 42-43, holding the western bank of the Don with few mobile units in depth. Apart from local infiltrations to capture 'tongues' and sporadic sniper activity it is quite Then down the chain of command come reports that Soviet tanks have broken through and the part one 'The strongpoint' gives way among confusion to 'The pocket'...

A brilliant little book of a desperate chapter in a miserable war, I will read more of Stern. In military terms it meshes in some areas remarkably with 'The Human Face of War' and some German 'lessons learned'. For example in a terrbile situation the morale gathered from strong human ties dating often back to areas, schools and villages back home helps to fight towards it.

davidbfpo

10-10-2014, 08:24 PM

Firn,

Thanks for that discovery. One to add to my list.

I was aware of the Italian Army in Russia, although not in detail. Then a few years ago I read in Jamaica Anthony Beevor's book on Stalingrad, which refers to the Italians in the steppes and a detachment who were surrounded in the city whilst trying to get timber for their field positions.

The Italians were in the Crimea campaign and the siege of Sevastapol before the campaign towards the Caucasus and Stalingrad.

Backwards Observer

10-13-2014, 01:41 AM

Warfare and the Third World (http://www.amazon.com/Warfare-Third-World-Robert-Harkavy/dp/0312240120) by Robert E. Harkavy and Stephanie G. Neuman.

The Cross and the Lynching Tree (http://www.amazon.com/Cross-Lynching-Tree-James-Cone/dp/1626980055) by James Cone.

"Confusion will be my epitaph
As I crawl a cracked and broken path
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh,"

King Crimson, Epitaph (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiB273m4bck)

BushrangerCZ

10-13-2014, 07:05 AM

SHADOWS OF A FORGOTTEN PAST: To the Edge with the Rhodesian SAS and Selous Scouts
by Paul French

Firn

10-13-2014, 07:14 PM

Firn,

Thanks for that discovery. One to add to my list.

...

The Italians were in the Crimea campaign and the siege of Sevastapol before the campaign towards the Caucasus and Stalingrad.

Glad to help. I don't know how the translation is. In the orginal dialects play a considerable role, just as the Italian army slang of that time.

I'm not sure about the Crimea one but as Alpini or mountain troops they were earmarked as far as I know for the Caucasus before getting used to hold those extended lines along the Don. Which also meant that they were not only relatively badly equipped as was usual for Italian forces, but also very lightly. If the anti-tank situation was dire for the standard German infantry divisions it was even more so for the Italian mountain ones. Leadership, up from the junior level and morale were problems for Italian troops, less so arguably for the Alpini. I think the rather competent Balck asked why an Italian should fight at the river Don - a question arising also in that book not only once...

Still it seems that the company of Stern wasn't doing badly and did more then it's share in breaking blocking positions, sometimes with German armored and combined fire support.

Writing from a German camp after refusing to join in 1943 he doesn't shy away from describing the nasty and criminal stuff comitted by others or unknowns which is usually omitted if done by one's side. No surprises there, especially if at best the discipline broke down in some of the troops of the various nations or it was seen as 'military necessity'...

davidbfpo

10-13-2014, 08:53 PM

Firn replied:
I'm not sure about the Crimea one...

When I visited Sevastapol our guides pointed out an Italian war memorial, built recently after the USSR fell - that is what I relied upon.

Incidentally the official German war cemetery organisation pulled out when they realised their negoitations were not with the local government, but the local mafia.:wry: There was only a wooden marker on a German mass grave.

I shall see if my memory can be confirmed by some research.;)

Firn

10-14-2014, 03:51 PM

Maybe your guide intended to say Romanian, which speak a Romance languages and fought with the Germans in considerable numbers against Soviet troops from 1941-1944. I can not recall anything about Italians, nor did I find any in the order of the Sevastopol battles in Crimea:Where the Iron Crosses grow (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Iron-Crosses-General-Military/dp/1782006257/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413301778&sr=8-1&keywords=iron+crosses+grow). Another book which I intend to read in the future but time is harder to find then the money for good books. :rolleyes:

ganulv

10-17-2014, 05:34 PM

I can typically see the seams when writers whose subject matter expertise is the profession of writing tackle a topic, but Michael Greenberg’s essay “‘Broken Windows’ and the New York Police” in the latest New York Review of Books doesn’t have a shreds and patches feel to it. The prose is fluid and informative, and the essay comes off to me as fair to all involved. Those involved may feel differently, obviously. :D

From the essay:

Currently, in New York, possession of less than twenty-five grams is not a crime unless you are caught lighting up in public or, in the language of the law, the drug is “open to public view.” A beat cop on foot patrol, instructed to enact the policy, may approach a person he deems to be suspicious. He orders the suspect to empty the contents of his pockets, which may contain a couple of grams of pot. The suspect has now publicly displayed the drug and is arrested according to the letter of the law. Black and Hispanic men make up 86 percent of these busts.

[…]

I saw for myself some of the effects of these low-level arrests during an unplanned visit I made, in July 2013, to the “Tombs”—the windowless holding pens in the basement of the 100 Centre Street courthouse in Manhattan. I counted four white men out of hundreds of prisoners who were waiting to be arraigned. One was there for allegedly slugging his girlfriend, another for buying cocaine in an upscale night club. The other two were accused of driving while intoxicated. (I was one of the latter; the charges against me were eventually dismissed.)

This was a large summer weekend crowd, men tightly crammed in the cells, agitating for a few inches of bench space. A neatly dressed seventeen-year-old boy had staked out a spot on the floor, where he sat with his head between his knees in what appeared to be a state of silent despair. The single overflowing toilet that served the thirty or forty men in the cell seemed to bring him close to tears.

The boy had made the mistake of asking a rider who was exiting a subway station to swipe him through with her MetroCard. “I was thirty-three cents short for a single fare,” he told me. He neither jumped the turnstile nor harassed the woman, who obligingly swiped him through. A policeman witnessed the exchange, arrested the boy, and let the woman off with a stern warning, though what law she had broken is unclear. The policeman now had cause to search the kid and found the remnants of a joint in his pocket—crumbs of pot. Though he had no prior arrests, he was now facing two charges: marijuana possession and theft of services, a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. He wouldn’t do time, most likely, beyond his current incarceration, but he feared, with good reason, that the financial aid a college in Pennsylvania had granted him for his freshman year would be rescinded.And:

Sometimes, police will use the pretext of minor infractions, such as truancy or riding a bicycle on the sidewalk, to lock up crew members on the day of a planned shoot-out—a selective employment of the broken windows tactic that may actually save kids’ lives. Many of these cops are trained in community relations. “I need help, and if the cops are the ones giving it, that’s fine by me,” a mother in the Albany Houses in Brooklyn told me.

It isn’t rare for parents to plead with police to take their children into custody, in order to protect them. In households with domestic abuse, a crime that has not decreased in recent years, police repeatedly check in, paying follow-up visits after an arrest or a complaint, to see how the family is getting on.

Ray Kelly, who started the Crew Cut initiative toward the end of his tenure as commissioner, said, “If I had to point to one reason why the murders and shootings are down, it is this program. And I can tell you that there is a lot of positive feedback from cops.” The remark is as close as he has come, to my knowledge, to questioning the relative effectiveness of stop and frisk, whose main purpose was to confiscate guns; it’s also an indirect acknowledgment of the widespread dissatisfaction among the NYPD’s rank and file during the Bloomberg and Kelly years. Beat cops particularly disliked stop and frisk, and sometimes would write up “ghost 250s”—fake stop-and-frisk reports with no names—in order to meet quotas.The digital version is free for all at http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/nov/06/broken-windows-and-new-york-police/.

mirhond

10-18-2014, 01:52 PM

Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson. The hardest SF I've ever read.

Backwards Observer

10-24-2014, 08:27 AM

Pure War (http://www.amazon.com/Pure-War-Semiotext-Foreign-Agents/dp/1584350598) by Paul Virilio

War Is Not Over When It's Over: Women Speak Out from the Ruins of War (http://www.amazon.com/War-Not-Over-When-Its/dp/0312573065) by Ann Jones

Firn

10-27-2014, 05:45 PM

The Viaz'ma Catastrophe, 1941: The Red Army's Disastrous Stand against Operation Typhoon (http://www.amazon.com/The-Viazma-Catastrophe-1941-Disastrous/dp/1908916508/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414430970&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Viazima+catastrophe), even if 'reading' is a bit much. After the introduction, some chapters and maps I decided to go to 'The Dimensions of the Defeat' as in this month and the next one I won't have time to go through the operations. Still already lots of food for thought.

He, like other Russian authors, seems rather upset that a vast quantity of very important is still practially hidden away and that the official positions are seemingly rather often in conflict with researched facts from other soures. In his words the supporters of 'Mama and borsch' patriotism 'are in agreement that a patriot can only be someone who refuses in principle to to see any flaws in his or her country'. In short the author makes a detailed and very convincing argument, partly based on not offically published work of the TsAMO and other sources that the total irrevocable losses (of the Soviet forces) were 'to the most conservative calculations no less then 14,500,000 people, which is a approximately half of the total number of 29,500,000 who were mobilized throughout the war.' A deeply shocking loss of life, indeed, and impossible to truly comprehend.

I could not resist to look at what the other side lost. The irrevocable losses by the German forces, which obviously had by far the highest share of men and material of the Axis forces are coverd by here (http://www.dokst.de/main/sites/default/files/dateien/texte/Overmans.pdf) by Ruediger Overmans, who published key research in this area. According to his work 'Overall probably 3,5 to 4 million German members of the Wehrmacht* lost their live on the Ostfront or died as Soviet prisoners of war. To this one has to add the casualities of the other Axis forces and those of non-German Soviet origin. According to the Italian Wikipedia (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reparti_italiani_al_fronte_orientale), citing quite old research roughly 75,000 Italians lost their lives in the East, the great majority presumably in captivity, a large number which of course pales after the others. Others, like 'Greater Hungary', Finland and the Romania had high absolute losses, roughly 500,000 in all, if Wikipedia is to be believed.

My post took a turn I didn't anticipate and I have to stop. Maybe I will follow it up later.

*of course including Waffen SS, Luftwaffe and Marine

Backwards Observer

10-28-2014, 06:19 AM

Stories of Your Life and Others (http://www.amazon.com/Stories-Your-Life-Others-Chiang/dp/1931520720/ref=la_B001HCZ6OA_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1414475443&sr=1-1) by Ted Chiang

The Apocalypse Door (http://www.amazon.com/The-Apocalypse-Door-Peter-Crossman/dp/0765306085/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) by James D. MacDonald

"The invention of the ship was also the invention of the shipwreck." - Paul Virilio

...

David St. Hubbins: "It's such a fine line between stupid, and uh..."

Derek Smalls: "...and clever." - Spinal Tap (http://www.metacafe.com/watch/mv-qKQY2/this_is_spinal_tap_a_fine_line_between_stupid_clev er/)

ganulv

10-28-2014, 05:04 PM

In short the author makes a detailed and very convincing argument, partly based on not offically published work of the TsAMO and other sources that the total irrevocable losses (of the Soviet forces) were 'to the most conservative calculations no less then 14,500,000 people, which is a approximately half of the total number of 29,500,000 who were mobilized throughout the war.' A deeply shocking loss of life, indeed, and impossible to truly comprehend.

Am I right to assume that some of the (indeed, deeply shocking) loss of life was of a piece with pre-War Stalinist political purging, economic reorganization, and social engineering?

Which is to say, being a Soviet citizen meant you had been dealt a bad hand, a situation that Operation Typhoon only exacerbated?

OTOH, it seems difficult to imagine a counterfactual Tsarist Russian economy turning back the Third Reich as did the centralized Leninist/Stalinist USSR’s.

davidbfpo

10-28-2014, 05:24 PM

In part:
Am I right to assume that some of the (indeed, deeply shocking) loss of life was of a piece with pre-War Stalinist political purging, economic reorganization, and social engineering?

The scale of the purges is incredible:
The purge of the .... removed three of five marshals (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshal_of_the_Soviet_Union) (then equivalent to five-star generals), 13 of 15 army commanders (then equivalent to three- and four-star generals), eight of nine admirals (the purge fell heavily on the Navy, who were suspected of exploiting their opportunities for foreign contacts), (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge#cite_note-FOOTNOTEConquest2008211-29)50 of 57 army corps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corps) commanders, 154 out of 186 division commanders, 16 of 16 army commissars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commissar), and 25 of 28 army corps commissars.[/URL]

[URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge#cite_note-FOOTNOTECourtois1999198-30"] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge#cite_note-FOOTNOTECourtois1999198-30)
At first it was thought 25-50% of Red Army officers were purged, it is now known to be 3.7-7.7%. Previously, the size of the Red Army officer corps was underestimated, and it was overlooked that most of those purged were merely expelled from the Party. Thirty percent of officers purged in 1937-9 were allowed to return to service
From:http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Purge

My recollection is that the German military closely followed the Stalin era purges of the Red Army, which reduced its effectiveness, but as the Japanese learnt @ Khalkhin Gol they could still fight. See:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battles_of_Khalkhin_Gol

After a disasterous start in the 1939 war with Finland, the Red Army gathered up its might and defeated the Finns. I assume the Germans altered their assessments.

Firn

10-28-2014, 08:06 PM

What the book makes perhaps clearer is the impact of the purges and the executions of high ranking officers during Barbarossa. The flow of informations up ranks to Stavka seemed to work worse the worse the massage was. It seems that a relative strict hierachic system was put in place which meant that an urgent alarm had often to be checked and re-checked practically at every level with many along the command ladder understandably clearly not being happy to report bad news. Given a false one could result in being at best accused for spreading panic if not something worse.

If one takes into account the 'blitz'* speed of some German armored thrusts in the more then usual chaos and friction of war this slow and erratic process with little mutal trust resulted in one particular instance described in the book, in which the Stavka was unaware of a German advance to the depth of a 100-120 km...

In simplistic terms in some cases thousends of lives were thrown away because it was far safer to not achieve success by following strict (and outdated) orders from far away instead of risking success and one's life by fitting them to the specific (often completely changed) circumstances. Auftragstaktik it wasn't.

P.S: It should have been 600,000 dead among the Finns, Romanians and Hungarians fighting against the Soviets during WWII. What surprised me was the quite strong reversed relationship of the Italians, Romanians and Hungarians compared to German when it came to KIA and MIA and deaths in Soviet hands. Of course MIA is a 'grey field' between KIA and deaths as POW and in the Italian case most were captured early in the war during that Winter offensive in an often sorry state by exhausted, often badly supplied troops sometimes unwilling to 'burden themselves'. Both sides are known to have shot, more often then not, prisoners unable to walk. All that greatly reduced the chances of many an Italian Alpini mentioned in 'Il sergente nella neve' to come home alive.

P.P.S: It is of course important to keep in mind that a far larger part of the German (and German occupied) war ressources, especially capital and 'high-tech', was directed towards the Western allies then the manpower employed in the East might suggest. Wages of Destruction is an essential read.

*I know, I know...

AmericanPride

10-29-2014, 03:24 PM

ganulv,

Am I right to assume that some of the (indeed, deeply shocking) loss of life was of a piece with pre-War Stalinist political purging, economic reorganization, and social engineering?

Which is to say, being a Soviet citizen meant you had been dealt a bad hand, a situation that Operation Typhoon only exacerbated?

Why qualify it as 'pre-war'? Even with the start of the war, the purges and repression did not slow down. The targets only shifted from kulaks and class enemies to 'traitors' and 'cowards'. Unfortunately from a historiography point of view, the periodization of the 20th century with the start of WWII disguises the continuation of Soviet democide (and genocide) among the exigencies of invasion.

OTOH, it seems difficult to imagine a counterfactual Tsarist Russian economy turning back the Third Reich as did the centralized Leninist/Stalinist USSR’s.

I suppose that depends on what we attribute to eventual Soviet victory or German defeat.

mirhond

11-04-2014, 09:17 PM

OTOH, it seems difficult to imagine a counterfactual Tsarist Russian economy turning back the Third Reich as did the centralized Leninist/Stalinist USSR’s.

From The Cambridge Economic History of Europe, v.2, p. 147 (I'am currently reading it)

More than a decade earlier, Stalin and his associates had drawn the appropriate lesson
from Russia’s defeat in the First World War: small-scale peasant farming was
Russia’s Achilles heel in wartime (Simonov 1996). Stalin had launched a drive
to secure state control over the peasant farmers and their food surpluses by
collectivizing the farms.The campaign was carried through at huge cost in lives,and the farming system that resulted was hated and inefﬁcient (Davies and Wheatcroft 2004). But it achieved its goal in the sense that,when war broken out again, the peasant farmers no longer had the freedom to withdraw from the market.When food was critically short, when there was absolutely not enough food in the country to keep everyone alive and millions starved, the soldiers and war workers had enough to eat (Barber and Harrison 1991; Harrison 1996).

BushrangerCZ

11-05-2014, 06:49 PM

"Journals of ROBERT ROGERS of the Rangers"

ganulv

11-05-2014, 07:00 PM

"Journals of ROBERT ROGERS of the Rangers"

I wrote a short online piece (http://wp.me/p1Uaot-jrS) about RR last winter. If you’re interested, I started a thread around it after it went up: http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=19656

I’m neither a military professional nor a trained military historian, but my understanding is that there were better than Rogers, but few better self-promoters.

Backwards Observer

11-06-2014, 12:37 AM

The Men in the Jungle (http://www.amazon.com/The-Men-Jungle-Norman-Spinrad/dp/0586204202) by Norman Spinrad

Songs from the Stars (http://www.amazon.com/SONGS-FROM-STARS-Norman-Spinrad/dp/1617200522) by Norman Spinrad

BushrangerCZ

11-06-2014, 06:42 PM

I wrote a short online piece (http://wp.me/p1Uaot-jrS) about RR last winter. If you’re interested, I started a thread around it after it went up: http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=19656

I’m neither a military professional nor a trained military historian, but my understanding is that there were better than Rogers, but few better self-promoters.

Thanks mate... will check it out

Firn

11-07-2014, 09:16 PM

To understand the latter books about WWII better from the tactical side I'm slowly making my way through Taktik im Russlandfeldzug (http://www.amazon.de/Taktik-im-Russlandfeldzug-Eike-Middeldorf/dp/B0000BLM22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415394560&sr=8-1&keywords=taktik+im+russlandfeldzug) and 'Handbuch der Taktik (http://defense-and-freedom.blogspot.it/2010/09/my-book-recommendations-about-military.html)' by the same author. A hat tip to Sven or Fuchs for both, it clarifies a lot (and creates a lot of new questions). Cross reading is sometimes quite fertile, helping you to see different angles.

Interesting comment on the German Amazon page, about a Danish officer scoring best in class after it's study. The German (officer?) acquaintance bought it afterwards for his serving son.

Taktik im Russlandfeldzug: Eike Middeldorf
Von Klaus Veltz am 16. April 2014
Format: Gebundene Ausgabe Verifizierter Kauf
Ein daenischer Offizier, Bekannter von mir war, nach dem Studium dieses Buches, der Beste seines Lehrganges.
Deshalb habe ich das Buch fur meinen Sohn, OLt, beschafft.

P.S: In the 'Human Face of War' Jim Storr cites and incorporates some German experiences. When you start to recognize passages you have probably read to much...

P.P.S: An Italian movie classic contains a famous scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9wgluQ_bcw) with perhaps a nod to Stern's book. Many Russian dead were also ploughed over, with grain growing it.

Firn

11-07-2014, 10:29 PM

An Italian movie classic contains a famous scence (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9wgluQ_bcw) with perhaps a nod to Stern's book. The communista asks feebly why the Soviets, having so much land couldn't leave this little piece in peace. Don Camillo answers, quite harshly, that who suffered twenty million deaths can not preoccupy itself with some 50,000 or 100,000 which the enemy left in his home. Keep in mind that many Soviet dead were also ploughed over to grow grain.

IIRC in the Viaz'ma Catastrophe ([URL="http://www.amazon.com/The-Viazma-Catastrophe-1941-Disastrous/dp/1908916508/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414430970&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=Viazima+catastrophe) a local farmer tells the author that while ploughing they tried hard to fix their eyes on the birch trees in the distances to see as little of the Soviets remains they moved.

davidbfpo

11-19-2014, 01:58 PM

In June 2014 I posted a short review of 'Dead Men Risen', as below in Part B and a new review by a British Army veteran, with two tours in Helmand, appeared today on WoTR hence Part A:http://warontherocks.com/2014/11/the-lessons-of-the-dead-in-helmand/

The book has now been released in the USA, minus any reviews:http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Men-Risen-Heroism-Afghanistan/dp/1621572714/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416405327&sr=1-1&keywords=Dead+Men+Risen

Here is one poignant passage:
And yet it is only now – four years later and reading a publically available book — that I am now fully aware of things like: the intent of previous commanders in that area of operation; why troops and patrol bases were laid out as they were; how the battle for Babaji had been fought and the casualty figures associated with it. Similarly, I do not remember ever being briefed that “this is spot where Lt Col Thornloe died” during the several instances when I drove straight over it. I do feel genuinely upset by this “new” revelation and I can’t help but think that we desperately need to get better at passing down the stories of previous deployments as they are quite obviously relevant to the people that follow them on the same spot of land.

He ends with:
Overall, I would strongly recommend (this book); it is as accurate and as full and frank a description of a UK Battle-Group deployment as you will find....

Amazon link (UK) with 127 reviews:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Men-Risen-Britains-Afghanistan/dp/1849164215/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1401712629&sr=1-3

Part B

In 2011 'Dead Men Risen:The Welsh Guards and the Defining Story of Britain's War in Afghanistan' by Toby Harnden was published, winning plaudits and prizes. The author is an accomplished journalist and writer. His book 'Bandit Country': The IRA and South Armagh (Hodder, 1999), was excellent and so I sat down expecting a similar read.

'Dead Men Risen' was far better, harsh at times in portraying the campaigning, including the loss to an IED of the Welsh Guards CO. It combines interviews of a large number who served, with a good, balanced measure of criticism tactically and beyond.

Backwards Observer

11-21-2014, 06:45 PM

The Sociopath Next Door (http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Martha-Stout-Ph-D-ebook/dp/B000FCJXTC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=) by Martha Stout Ph.D

The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision (http://www.amazon.com/Systems-View-Life-Unifying-Vision-ebook/dp/B00I0UNCES/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1416573415) by Fritjof Capra, Pier Luigi Luisi

"Now only an expert can deal with the problem
'Cause half the problem is seeing the problem." Laurie Anderson, Only An Expert (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM8t29gD8J8)

mirhond

11-25-2014, 10:23 PM

Ed Macy. Apache

The book of AH64D pilot on his mission in Afghanistan.

I like to cite one good quotation which shows how the real power works:

Back at the squadron’s place in the line, Geordie and Darwin had opened a book on who could get the longest handshake with the PM. It would mean holding on for as long as you could, even if he tried to tear himself away. They were also challenging the rest of the team to see who could ask him the oddest question and still get an answer.
‘Just make sure it’s all respectful, please. I still want a career in the army.’ The Boss hated every second of this.
‘I’ve got a belter,’ said Darwin. ‘Who’s got a camera?’
A few of the boys had brought one down.
‘Right, here’s what Geordie and I are going to do. We’ll ask Mr Blair if he doesn’t mind a picture. When he says, “Yeah, sure, chaps, where do you want me?” we’ll say, “Just there’s fine thanks, sir,” and hand him the camera. I bet he’ll be so embarrassed he’ll take the picture anyway.’
<...>
Someone did ask for a photograph, but instead of pulling Darwin’s cheeky prank we all [people with the mindset of a professional assassin, by author's words] gathered sheepishly round Blair instead – Darwin included. The most rebellious we got was slipping the odd thumbs up to the camera behind Blair’s back as we posed up for the group snaps.

Firn

11-28-2014, 08:41 PM

I think looking at history moral courage, standing up against more powerful ones at one's risk, even if it is just for a prank, doesn't necessarily come easy (even) for people with a record of bravery on the battlefield. It's just not a very common human behaviour compared to toeing the line.

Backwards Observer

12-07-2014, 04:46 AM

World Order: Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History (http://www.amazon.com/World-Order-Reflections-Character-Nations-ebook/dp/B00MQA5OO4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=) by Henry Kissinger

"Exterminate All The Brutes": One Man's Odyssey into the Heart of Darkness and the Origins of European Genocide (http://www.amazon.com/Exterminate-All-Brutes-Darkness-European/dp/1565843592) by Sven Lindqvist

"When I woke up this morning
I was...really bored" Destroy All Monsters, Bored (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MZIQWhSdOo)

omarali50

12-07-2014, 06:11 PM

Fukuyama's book http://www.amazon.com/The-Origins-Political-Order-Revolution/dp/0374533229/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_y

I am only at chapter 5, so cannot say what the final impression will be, but it is a very ambitious work and until now, every chapter has added to my knowledge or made me think a little more. Looks good...

davidbfpo

12-08-2014, 01:37 PM

Firn and I exchanged posts awhile back here on the WW2 campaigning in the Crimea and WoTR has a eeview of a new Osprey book:http://warontherocks.com/2014/12/a-look-back-at-the-wwii-crimean-campaign/?singlepage=1

Strangely the review hardly tells you about the book itself:(

Amazon reviewers rate it highly:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1782006257/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1782006257&linkCode=as2&tag=httpwaronthec-20&linkId=MNEJY7TFI3PEYODC

Backwards Observer

12-14-2014, 03:04 AM

To the Far Right Christian Hater...You Can Be a Good Speller or a Hater, But You Can't Be Both (http://www.amazon.com/Right-Christian-Hater-Good-Speller/dp/1940207835) by Bonnie Weinstein

Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction (http://www.amazon.com/Colonialism-Emergence-Science-Fiction-Classics/dp/0819568740) by John Rieder

"There's a demon in my belly
And a gremlin in my brain
There's someone up the chimney hole
And Satan is his name" - Spinal Tap, Christmas with the Devil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KneOdEDwDEc)

Red Rat

12-14-2014, 02:24 PM

The Human Face of War (Birmingham War Studies) (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Human-Face-War-Birmingham-Studies-ebook/dp/B007CWOYMO/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=) by Jim Storr. For me so far a very insightful 'dense' read which takes more time then usual, which is a good sign. Got the kindle edition, which seems cheap for the value you get.

Jim Storr is heavily involved with the Journal of Military Operations (https://www.tjomo.com/). The British Army senior leadership seems to regards him as part of the 'awkward squad', somewhat of an accolade I think.

If you enjoyed The Human Face of War another book that is worth reading is:

Brains and Bullets (http://www.amazon.com/Brains-Bullets-Leo-Murray/dp/1849545162/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418567005&sr=8-1&keywords=brains+and+bullets)

davidbfpo

12-20-2014, 04:49 PM

Simply a book to read and discover what Helmandis thought of the ISAF visit to their land. A second read is probably needed. Short of time? Read the introduction and the conclusion.

Mike Martin's book 'An Intimate War: An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict' attracted publicity just before publication this year, when officialdom (UK MoD) sought to stop it; the author being a reserve Army officer, commissioned to conduct the research for a doctorate @ Kings War Studies.

This is not a book about combat in Helmand Province, though fighting does appear, before 9/11 and after US / UK / ISAF appeared. Using numerous face-to-face interviews with Helmandis the author creates a narrative to explain what is both a simple tribal society and a complex operating environment. Minus the conflict, notably since the UK's arrival in 2006, some powerful Helmandis have made a fortune and the main US$ earner, opium poppy production has increased.

The official legend that ISAF was fighting an insurgency for Afghanistans as represented by their government was not the reality Helmandis experienced.

It is fascinating to read and learn that to Helmandis the terms 'government' and 'police' for two notable examples do not mean what we think they mean. Those two are privately-run enterprises to make US$ from enabling commerce - by 'protecting' road traffic and the drugs trade.

That the Helmandis thought the British were allied with the Taliban (a factional, local coalition; with limited external ties and ISI support) took me by surprise. It seemed so illogical and was based on their long held hostility to the British, who in the First and Second Afghan Wars had invaded their homeland (not then called Helmand Province). The British were there for revenge and sadly repeated the Soviet approach to COIN. The Helmandis noticed that the small Estonian contingent included Soviet-era veterans.

Within this confused, barely understood situation - one Helmandi told the author, even with his studying, he only knew 1% of what was happening on the ground - ISAF had various approaches. The use of SOF is criticised, partly as their targeting was based on rivals accussing them of being 'Taliban'.

This book is similar to Carter Malkasian's book and if read together would give anyone a guide to what intervention in Afghanistan really faced. (My review of Carter Malkasian's book see Post 68 on:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/showthread.php?t=3192 ).

No wonder the UK's former senior Army commander, General Sir David Richards writes this is THE book on Helmand.

UK Amazon has many reviews:http://www.amazon.co.uk/An-Intimate-War-History-Conflict/dp/1849043361/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Amazon.com has only one:http://www.amazon.com/Intimate-War-History-Conflict-1978-2012/dp/0199387982/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419092019&sr=1-1&keywords=an+intimate+war

Backwards Observer

12-22-2014, 04:41 AM

The Administration of Fear (http://www.amazon.com/Administration-Fear-Semiotext-Intervention-Series/dp/1584351055) by Paul Virilio

Looking Backward (http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Backward-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486290387) by Edward Bellamy

"We build a tower of stone
With our flesh and bone
To see him fly
But we don't know why" Rainbow, Stargazer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVXy1OhaERY)

flagg

12-23-2014, 02:56 AM

See you in November: The Story of an SAS Assassin by Peter Stiff

http://www.amazon.com/See-You-November-Story-Assassin/dp/1919854053

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Levitt and Dubner

http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Freak-Authors-Freakonomics-ebook/dp/B00BATINVS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419302901&sr=1-1&keywords=think+like+a+freak

davidbfpo

12-23-2014, 01:02 PM

Flagg,

Thanks for the reminder that Peter Stiff (Ex-BSAP) is still publishing via Galago; over many years he has published key works on the wars in Southern Africa. Have a peek:http://www.galago.co.za/index.htm

Another publisher, UK-based, that specialises in those wars is on:http://www.30degreessouth.co.uk/catalog/index.php/cPath/29

flagg

12-24-2014, 03:51 AM

No worries David!

I know there has been a longstanding forum thread about Fireforce(and a heated discussion about it's applicability or lack of it in recent conflicts), but in some of Stiff's books(See you in November and Selous Scouts: Top Secret War) I reckon if you update them for the Bladerunner world we seem to be living, and focus on Title 50 over Title 10, it doesn't take a stretch of the imagination to see potential applicability to today and the near future with the right approach.

It's probably already been happening, but I think the history of external operations in the Rhodesian/Zimbabwean Bush War provide the best available window into possibilities regarding recent/current/near future operations.

Just my 0.02c

There's also www.dandy.co.za

Although Jonathan Pittaway's SAS and Selous Scouts books can now only be found on the secondary market at sometimes exceptionally high prices.

I managed to secure copies and they are VERY good.