What Are You Currently Reading? 2011

[jcustis]

I think the book you are talking about is The First Team by Lundstrom. It is about the Navy fighter pilot community and how they evaluated the Wildcat vs. the Zero and came up with tactics and training to vitiate the Zero's performance superiority before the war started. It was one of the most insightful books on the subject I ever read. The sequel is called the The First Team & Guadalcanal Campaign.

You also might like The Jolly Rogers by Blackburn and Zemke's Wolfpack by Zemke. They are by a Navy squadron commander and USAAF group commander respectively. Both are extremely good works about leadership combined with the problems of flying and using groups of warplanes effectively.

A book that I thought was great about the Pacific war was The Japanese Merchant Marine in WW II by Parillo. It was a completely fascinating work about a seemingly dull subject and its' importance.

I am only two chapters into the book, but yes, this is precisely what I was looking for. It has reignited my interest in WWII naval history that I sort of drifted out of in my early college years. Despite having the detail of a doctorate thesis, it reads like a good novel.

[Spud]

Found Secret War Against Hanoi by Schultz in the 2nd Hand book store down the road. Got a bit repetitive in the middle but overall not a bad read. Highlights that frustrations we have today with POL-MIL and MIL-CIV interface are nothing new (in some respects they may even be as bade or worse).

Also cracked out My War by Brian Walpole. WW2 Aussie Commando and Z Special member behind the lines in PNG and Borneo. If only 10 per cent of this book is true it is still brilliant (although I know from the community it is well regarded). Really entertaining read with a strong message about the issues between mil and civ agencies conducting clandestine ops.

[jcustis]

Found Secret War Against Hanoi by Schultz in the 2nd Hand book store down the road. Got a bit repetitive in the middle but overall not a bad read. Highlights that frustrations we have today with POL-MIL and MIL-CIV interface are nothing new (in some respects they may even be as bade or worse).

Also cracked out My War by Brian Walpole. WW2 Aussie Commando and Z Special member behind the lines in PNG and Borneo. If only 10 per cent of this book is true it is still brilliant (although I know from the community it is well regarded). Really entertaining read with a strong message about the issues between mil and civ agencies conducting clandestine ops.

You might enjoy Frank Snepp's Decent Interval, which highlights some of the back channel drama surrounding the final years in Vietnam.

[davidbfpo]

I would second Jon's recommendation, even though it was read many years ago and is still on the bookshelves. At times one had to stop reading, not because it was too grim - as in Alistair Horne's book on Verdun. No, you wondered what happened to those left behind and did not become 'Boat People'.

[outletclock]

This is a nicely-done collection of oral histories from a wide-ranging number of people:

http://www.amazon.com/Tears-Before-R...0647320&sr=8-1

Harrowing, heartrending and bitter by turns, these recollections by 75 eyewitnesses form a tragic epic of a country in the throes of violent death. Soldiers and civilians, both American and South Vietnamese, tell what it was like in the spring of 1975 as Hanoi carried out its final, successful offensive against the Republic of Vietnam. Generals, ambassadors, CIA officials, pilots, Marines, politicians, doctors, seamen, flight attendants, journalists and ordinary citizens describe the growing chaos, demoralization and panic as the collapse gained momentum. Survivors recall the chilling helicopter airlift from the U.S. embassy roof in Saigon with raw emotions, the Americans still brooding painfully over the abandonment of their South Vietnamese allies. In an Aftermath section, several former boat people relate in hair-raising detail their encounters with Thai pirates. A moving collection of painful memories

[5th_Req]

I'm reading Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." I understand that this book does not at first glance seem in sync with the other books mentioned on this thread. It is.

Interacting with my in-laws, who are all Tennessee southeners, I think that there is much to learn about Afghan tribalism through the tribal culture of the US South. Some in-laws of mine trace their lineage back to Sam Houston, and everyone knows what's going on with their cousins, even the ones four or five times removed.

I've noticed eders are prevalent in many southern families, in a way they never were in my New Jersey family. They connect with other elders, they get elected to school boards, they know not only their cousins, but Joachim's cousins, and everyone listens to (and frequently follows) their "sage" advice, and metaphors, even if they don't agree.

Anyway, I figured Southern Gothic literature would not only provide insight into everyman, but would deliver some specific insight into the Afghan psyche. Not only theirs, but southern gothic literature frequently being about more violent, and relatively primitive times or scenarios, it might provide insight even into the average Joe of your average third world-likely-to-see-a-future-war-in country.

Naturally, I picked up Cormac McCarthy.

[LawVol]

I'm reading Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian." I understand that this book does not at first glance seem in sync with the other books mentioned on this thread. It is.

Interacting with my in-laws, who are all Tennessee southeners, I think that there is much to learn about Afghan tribalism through the tribal culture of the US South. Some in-laws of mine trace their lineage back to Sam Houston, and everyone knows what's going on with their cousins, even the ones four or five times removed.

I've noticed eders are prevalent in many southern families, in a way they never were in my New Jersey family. They connect with other elders, they get elected to school boards, they know not only their cousins, but Joachim's cousins, and everyone listens to (and frequently follows) their "sage" advice, and metaphors, even if they don't agree.

Anyway, I figured Southern Gothic literature would not only provide insight into everyman, but would deliver some specific insight into the Afghan psyche. Not only theirs, but southern gothic literature frequently being about more violent, and relatively primitive times or scenarios, it might provide insight even into the average Joe of your average third world-likely-to-see-a-future-war-in country.

Naturally, I picked up Cormac McCarthy.

I'm not sure about the book you're reading, but I think you're on target with your observation on the similarities between Afghan culture and the culture of the American South. You've noted a similarity, but it goes deeper. Both have an inherent distrust of central government, a martial background, complex ideals of patriotism, respect for elders, politeness toward guests, and a deep sense of religiosity. All of these things determine who a people are. Understanding this can help us achieve our objectives. I look up the book you recommended.

[carl]

I am only two chapters into the book, but yes, this is precisely what I was looking for. It has reignited my interest in WWII naval history that I sort of drifted out of in my early college years. Despite having the detail of a doctorate thesis, it reads like a good novel.

I think you would very much like then Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Parshall and Tully, and Sunburst: The Rise of Japanese Naval Airpower, 1909-1941 by Peattie. They are just as good but view things a little more from the Japanese point of view.