Clancy didn't write that book by himself, Larry Bond wrote quite a bit of it, more than half, actually, so I wish people would stop saying Clancy wrote it by himself; he didn't, and he admits as much. Bond is also responsible for the in-depth characterization and the higher-than-average quality of the writing one usually gets from Clancy.

Since I last checked in I just finished these books by Nietzsche:

Thus Spake Zarathustra
The Birth of Tragedy
On the Genealogy of Morality
Beyond Good and Evil
Ecce Homo

and these by John Stewart Mill:

On Liberty
Utilitarianism
The Subjection of Women

When I finished that I read U-Boat Combat Missions by Lawrence Paterson. I highly recommend this book. Good info and superior photographs along with many interviews of real-life U-boat captains.
I'm now reading The Silencers by Donald Hamilton. Rereading it, actually. I'm a big Matt Helm freak. (The novels, not the idiotic movies.)

Currently reading a reprinted translation of the German Department for War Maps and Communications: German Invasion Plans for the British Isles, which is based on a series of documents first circulated in 1939/40 and discovered in 1945 during the Allies trek across Germany. It was originally presented in the form of two or three folders, and was circulated to various German commanders to assist them in planning for Operation Sealion and the (planned) takeover of the British Isles. It's a series of reports on social customs, population traits, demographics, tactical locations, targets, maps, transport, infrastructure, terrain, weather, reconnaissance photos, useful English phrases etc, etc.

It's been reprinted in hardback book format from one of the few original copies, held at the Bodleian Library (University of Oxford). Makes quite interesting reading to see such a study of your own country from another perspective, some of it is quite enlightening and there are some interesting/amusing (incorrect) assumptions in there too.

Just in case you're interested, it cost 6 quid in the UK and the ISBN number is: 1-85124-356-9

:D Chock

Thanks Chock :up:

Just placed my order for the book with P&P £4.95 :cool:

Getting back into SH4 has me reading submarine stuff all over again. My last five books have been:

• I found an almost mint copy of Roscoe and am wading through it again,
• The First Convoy To Die by Davis O'Brian (HX-72)
• Crisis Convoy by V-Adm. Peter Gretton (HX231)
• Tide Rising by Weir & Bourne
• Volume 1 of Clay Blair's Hitler's U-Boat War

This thread has some great leads for future reading. Happy reading over the next two weeks to everyone.

Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover, and General Dynamics by Patrick Tyler. It's about the controversy surrounding the design and building of the 688-class submarines. 60 pages in and really good so far. A little dated (written during the Mid 80s) but very interesting reading.

U-BOAT ACE The Story of Wolfgang Luth by Jordan Vause

Iron Coffins. It's fantastic!

Currently reading "Winged Victory" by V.M. Yeates :|\\

Who cares how well he writes? He murdered the "USS Wainwright" in that book, and I've never forgiven him! :damn: :damn:

Seriously, though, he truly is superior to most writers in the genre, although I can't say exactly why. After reading "Red Storm Rising" I bought several books by other authors, assuming they were his equal - and I was disappointed. RSR spoiled me big time.

That's a great read, although my copy was a bit crappily glued, so now the pages fall out of it. If you like that one, you should seek out King of Air Fighters by Ira Jones (a biography of Mick Mannock), and Saggitarrius Rising by Cecil Lewis - both good books on the same sort of subject. If you can find it, Combat Report by Bill Lambert is another good one on WW1 flying.

Currently reading Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World AD500 - AD1500. It's pretty good and fairly comprehensive too, with everything from development of cavarly horse breeding to weapons and sea battle evolution.

:D Chock

Just finished "Submarine" by Edward L. Beach.

Thanks for the recommendations, Chock! Actually picked up "Sagittarius Rising" at the same time but haven't started on it yet. When I picked up a few books, I was looking to expand the WWI library beyond "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "The Blue Max", and I'm happy with the purchases so far.

I'm glad I still have a copy of Red Baron 3D on the machine because I keep getting the itch after a bit of reading to take a Camel over the front!

Loved that one! Try out "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "Dust on the Sea" if you haven't already :up:

Just finished up Sink the Shigure! by R. Cameron Cooke. This is a follow-up to Cooke's Pride Runs Deep. Both novels are about fictional submarine skipper Jack Tremaine. In PRD, Tremaine is tasked with sinking the Japanese battleship Kurita. In StS!, Tremaine is chasing after the Japanese destroyer that sank his former submarine.

Both are pretty good novels. Before StS!, I finished Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends by 'Wild Bill' Guarnere and Babe Heffron of "Band of Brothers" fame. A highly entertaining memoir from these gentlemen. :up:

Currently, I am bouncing back and forth between Blair's Silent Victory, Roscoe's US Submarine Operations, and US submarine war patrol reports. :know:

Reading "poznat sebya v boiu" by Alexander Pokryshkin, translates to Discover Yourself in Battle. It's only in Russian and is really interesting in how he writes about life on the front and tactics in the air.

Currently reading SSN by Tom Clancy with Captain Bartholomew Mackey as the skipper of the USS Cheyenne. Just over half way through and a good read. My only criticisms would be lack of dialogue and personality that adds to the suspense and sometimes I feel the USS Cheyenne is indestructible, which takes some of the suspense away when you feel every encounter will be yet another victory before it’s begun. Otherwise great book.

Also read some good books by Patrick Robinson ( Nimitz Class, Kilo Class, HMS Unseen and Seawolf). These I really enjoyed and would recommend without hesitation.

I really wish Tom Clancy would devote equal attention to characters and dialogue as the descriptive and technical content.

It only took "some" of the suspense away to see that the first Han's performance against Cheyenne will be about as good as any enemy is allowed to perform? Even if the enemy detected first, Clancy will find a way for him not to take advantage (IIRC that was Battle Royale chapter). Any person who played DW, in that situation, will have taken the initiative with a Stallion, finished TMAing him as Mackey is forced to go defensive and take him out with more Stallions, whatever happens to himself.
And the way he portrays the Chinese is INSULTING, no less. Yes, we get the concept that Chinese Captains are not as good as American, but the difference is supposed to be far more subtle than what he actually did. It is a precursor to him revealing his racist colors officially in Bear and the Dragon.
But then, his "Republican" attitudes has always been there in his stories. Most people think it started around Executive Orders. Not really, it started in HFRO. Proof?
What is implied was that Borodin's career was destroyed "unfairly" by the chief zampolit, thus it is justified for him to steal billions of dollars worth from his nation. But really, it is Borodin's that is being the monster here (beyond the whole defect crap - far as I'm concerned, if you defect you defect by yourself). Homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment (in the not very nice Soviet prisons) and "therapy" (nothing nice here) in the Soviet Union. Thus, Borodin actually tried to put someone into prison for a matter of involuntary (genetic) sexual orientation. And he's the good guy? If I were the chief zampolit of Northern Fleet, Borodin will be dismissed to the reserves on grounds of political unreliability!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...tL._AA240_.jpg

Reading this one right now. Picked it up the other day, and although it is a fiction, it is not a bad read. Here is a brief description:

October 1943: Lt. Commander Jack Tremain is back on duty with a new sub and a new mission. But when he spots the Shigure-the Japanese destroyer that sank his beloved first command, the Seatrout-he declares his own personal war on the dreaded ship known as the "Submarine Killer."


RDP

Currently reading "Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan".
It's an older book I found at the library but very interesting. I didn't realize that that many skippers were relieved of command for stress, lack of performance, or failure to engage the enemy. I'm about 1/3 of the way through.

Don't witch hunt me...but i'm reading Das Boot...for the first time :oops: