The History Book Club discussion

This is a generic thread on the Weapons of War requested by Assisting Moderator - Aussie Rick.

Thank you Bentley for setting this thread up and allowing readers to offer books on the weapon of war that most interests them from any period of history.

The one weapon of war that has always fascinated me has been the German Tiger Tank of WW2.


(looks mean doesn't it?)


One of my favourite books on the subject has been:

by Jean Restayn
Description:
The Tiger tank endures today as the greatest legend of the German armored forces of World War II. Jean Restayn's text is backed up by 250 photographs, most of them never published before, and 50 color plates showing markings, insignia and camouflage schemes. Also included is a complete operational history and order of battle for all Eastern Front units, both Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS, who were equipped with the Tiger.


This was followed by:

by Jean Restayn
Description:
The heavily armored Tiger I became the most famous German tank of World War II. The Tigers were originally intended to counter the heavy tanks of the Russian Front, and were assigned to specially created tank battalions. In 1944 Tiger units were rushed to Normandy and fought in all the major battles of the Western Front. Although they were superior to all the tanks of the Western allies, Tigers in the West faced the added danger of attack from the greatly superior British and American air forces.

Each Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS unit equipped with the Tiger I is covered in detail. Each unit's insignia and a representative vehicle with camouflage and markings is shown in color. The operational history of each unit, and in some cases individual vehicles, is described with the aid of 250 black and white photos, most of them never before published.

Other books on the German Tiger I that I have read and enjoyed are:


by Thomas L. Jentz

by Egon Kleine

by Waldemar and Munch, Karlheinz Trojca

What weapons of war have fascinated you in your accounts of battles and campaigns throughout history? This is the place to share.....

Well, both [image error] Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend by Leo McKinstry and Lancaster: The Second World War's Greatest Bomber by Leo McKinstry are just absolute classics, I see that Hurricane: Victor of the Battle of Britain by Leo McKinstry is out so that has to be purchased and read. They were all brilliant and successful designs that led to allied victory and Leo McKinstry is very, very readable.

Thank you for your adds Harvey although there seems to be something strange going on with the first entry.

by Leo McKinstry

And now I can see that it was a problem with the edition you were trying to add. Maybe one of our librarians can go in and fix that on goodreads.

I was able to find another edition of the same book to add.

Bentley wrote: "Thank you for your adds Harvey although there seems to be something strange going on with the first entry.

by Leo McKinstry

And ..."

Yes something very funny was happening - technology is wonderful when it works!

Just to add to my earlier comments,

Leo McKinstry to my mind has a talent for mixing the technical with history and anecdote that makes the works I have read of his such a pleasure and despite the midnight oil, almost impossible to put down. He has certainly ferreted out many government papers that have been declassified and has woven the words of contemporaries together very well.
On the face of it a book containing so many facts, while fascinating in themselves, would appear a daunting read. To compare him with
George Bernard Shaw ; "I will write music criticism for the deaf", might be pushing the envelope but for a non-engineer like myself, I was very far from bored!

Thanks for the additional comments Harvey; terrific.

Sometimes we never think of this as a weapon......but indeed it was and a deadly one as well. Although it was too little, too late, the Kamikaze (Divine Wind) was a horrifying tactic which was foreign to Western sensibilities but for a short time was effective.

by David Sears(no photo)

Good selection Jill and a very interesting subject, the Kamikaze's of WW2. Plus it's on my 'to be read' list. If your interested in further reading and have not already read this book could I recommend:


by M.G. Sheftall

The whole Kamikaze phenomenon is so interesting and almost unbelievable, although maybe not so much so in this day and age of suicide bombers in the Middle East. It rather fascinates me.........and I have read the book you recommended.

by M.G. Sheftall

Hi Jill, it's a hard mindset to get around for a Westerner but I found "Blossoms in the Wind" to be very helpful in understand why these men did what they did.

by M.G. Sheftall

by F.W.Von Mellenthin(no photo)

A book of tank strategy in North Africa by one who commanded there and in the Balkans. Even though it is an autobiography, it provides an in-depth review of strategies utilized by the Germans as they moved their tanks into some of the most famous battles of WWII.

An excellent book Jill, well posted. May I recommend the following as another book to read on the same subject:

by Erhard Raus

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "The one weapon of war that has always fascinated me has been the German Tiger Tank of WW2. "

I agree AR, although for me its tanks in WWII in general, and particularly the differences & superiority in German design & development of the weapon against the mainly poorer British versions (except the Comet) and the mass manufactured variants such as the M4 Sherman.

When I was involved with Chieftains in the 1980s, we used to envy the German Leopard, and often dicussed their ability to continue to make great AFVs (although the envy subsided once Challenger came along).

I would recommend this

by Robert J. Kershaw (no photo)

and this is on my TBR

by Lloyd Clark (no photo)

Hi Geevee, I must confess to a weakness for the Centurion tank, we Australians used it in the Vietnam War before switching to the Leopard and now we have the Abrams. I have "Tank Men" in my library but am yet to read it and I am waiting for my copy of "Kursk" to arrive soon. Two good recommendations.

by Robert J. Kershaw

by Lloyd Clark

The sinking of the German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship afloat at the time, was one of the most dramatic events of WWII. This book details accounts from survivors of its titanic naval battles and the historical discoveries including evidence from the wreck of this great ship. I wonder what "would have been" if she had not been sunk so early after her launching.

by Michael Tamelander(no photo)

Oooh, I love the 'Bismarck' too! I also have this book plus his book on the 'Tirpitz'. If anyone else enjoys accounts of this massive German Battleship one of the ebst books that I have read was:

by Burkard Baron Von Mullenheim-Rechberg
Description:
Originally published to much acclaim in 1980, this is the story of the legendary German battleship that sunk the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood, on May 24, 1941, and three days later was hunted down and sunk by the British during one of the most dramatic pursuits in naval history. Told by a German naval officer who witnessed both sinkings, the book chronicles the brief but sensational career of what was thought to be the grandest weapon of the Third Reich. Burkard Baron von Müllenheim-Rechberg, the Bismarck's top-ranking survivor, tells the battleship's story from commissioning to the moment when the captain gave a final salute and went down with his ship.
The epic battle between the two great enemy ships captured the imagination of an entire generation and became a popular subject for movies and songs. With the discovery a few years ago of the Bismarck's sunken hull off the coast of France, worldwide attention has focused again on the famous ship. Reprinted now in paperback for the first time, the work presents the human dimensions of the event without neglecting the technical side and includes information on rudder damage and repair, overall ship damage, and code breaking. The book also provides insights into the author's life as a prisoner of war in England and Canada and the friction that existed between the Nazis and non-Nazis Germans in the camps. Such a personal look at one of the most famous sea encounters in the history of World War II makes absorbing reading.

by Michael Tamelander

Jill good one. This looks good too, although the price is a little high

by Bruce Taylor (no photo)

And Aussie Rick the Centurion was certainly a great tank - the last one used by the UK on ops was an AVRE in the Gulf in 1991.

Thanks, Geevee and AR. I saw an documentary about the Hood and they interviewed one of the survivors of the sinking who was still living in the 1990s. (I think there were only two or three survivors...... correct me if I am wrong). It was extremely moving as he relived the final moments of his beloved ship and his mates.

Another one of my favourite weapons of war was the German Ju-87 Stuka of WW2 fame. Again, an ugly brute of a weapon, but in the hands of an expert an awesome weapon of war:

by Hans-Ulrich Rudel

by Gunther Just

by Gebhard Aders

by Manfred Griehl

by Fritz X. Zoebel

by Miroslav Bily

by A.J. Barker

I am starting to thinking your a bit of a fan boy on this subject Rick

Love the Tiger tank and the Stuka, can start on my favourite rifles and machine guns next :-)

For me it has to be the trusty AK-47

Michael wrote: "For me it has to be the trusty AK-47"

MG-42 & PPSH41 - both good weapons that were durable and used with great effect in WWII and adopted by others after.

Yes, the MG-42 is a great weapon, most allied soldiers who had to deal with it during WW2 never forgot the sound it made when it fired. Also the Vickers machine-gun rates up there, two World Wars plus Korea and other conflicts.

by Roger Ford

by John Ellis

by Chris McNab

by F.V. Longstaff

by Maxim Popenker

by Anthony Smith

by Graham Seton Hutchinson

OK you tank guys....I found this book which provides a history of the US 66th Armored Regiment from 1918 until the triumphal procession into Berlin in 1945. It was the only American heavy tank unit to see combat in WWI and between the two wars it served as a laboratory for new ideas and equipment.

by Gordon A. Blaker (no photo)

Jill wrote: "OK you tank guys....I found this book which provides a history of the US 66th Armored Regiment from 1918 until the triumphal procession into Berlin in 1945. It was the only American heavy tank unit..."

Jill thanks this looks very interesting - another one for my TBR Doh!

In return I'd suggest this one

by Donald Houston (no photo)

When will we ever have time to read all these wonderful books.
BTW, I just bought one that you have read. Go look at the WWII, General Discussion thread for my comment which was put up a few minutes ago.

Going back to tanks, here are a few books covering the first operational land machines:



by John Glanfield

by Christy Campbell

by David Fletcher

Are we considering the siege as a weapon of war or more of a strategy?

I would think it was more of a strategy but there are heaps of siege weapons as such you could mention :)

That's true but it is the strategy of the siege that interests me rather than the weapons. It probably should go on another thread anyway.

I don't know if anyone has read this book and I know that, technically, it isn't a history book. But I highly recommend that history buffs interested in this topic pick up one of my all-time favorites, by Peter Warren Singer. This was written a couple of years ago, but with the debate about the legality and ethics of robotic drones, specifically Predator drones, in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and war in general, the issues this book brings up are all the more pertinent to current history.

Hi Jill, I don't think people will mind too much if you wanted to mention some specific books on siege warfare in this thread. One book that I really enjoyed on the subject was:

by Paul Bentley Kern

Christopher wrote: "I don't know if anyone has read this book ..."

It's not a subject I've consciously thought about reading - I think because it is a little too close, but you have sparked my interest with this title Christopher, so I will add it to my TBR...thank you.

Jill wrote: "Are we considering the siege as a weapon of war or more of a strategy?"

I think it is strategy but tactically delivered through the weapons that are used to achieve the aims (I hadn't meant this to come out sounding really high-minded so sorry if it sounds that way !)

I find the siege aspect interesting - first crusade's siege of Antioch being a good example, and I really must get around to reading some of the books on Leningrad that people have recommended.

I was all ready to recommend a book on some of the famous sieges in history and........now I can't find it or remember the title!!!! So we will just move on. :(

But if you want a good book on the Leningrad experience this is the one:

by Harrison E. Salisbury

Excellent selection Jill, a classic indeed! Also here are a few newer titles:


by Michael Jones

by David M. Glantz

by Anna Reid

Here is one siege book that I am yet to read; "Siege of Jerusalem: Crusade and Conquest in 1099" by Conor Kostick.

by Conor Kostick

Jill wrote: "But if you want a good book on the..."

Thank you Jill - and Aussie Rick you must stop recommending books, when will I ever manage to read them all :)

Another weapon of war that has always fascinated me is the Submarine. From its early operational use during the American Civil War till today, although I tend to read more about the German U-boats of WW2.

by Eberhard Rossler

I like the story of the U-Boats............did you see "Das Boot"?.......very claustrophobic. A terrific film which made me feel like I was gasping for breath!!!!

I also enjoyed that movie Jill and have a copy on DVD. I think it was pretty well done, did you also read the book:

by Lothar-Günther Buchheim

No, I haven't but probably should.
There was a documentary on television tonight which I was watching before the World Series game began. It was about the famous U-boat captains, especially Gunter Prien. He sank the HMS Royal Oak in the Scapa Flow and later went down with all his crew on his boat. Very interesting.

I'd highly recommend this too

by Martin Middlebrook

This one I haven't read but also looks good

by Tim Clayton

This is one on my TBR and concentrates on the Pacific theatre. Morison was the US offical historian for the Navy in WWII. His volumes are very readable.

by Samuel Eliot Morison

by Bernard Edwards(no photo)

Here is a study of how Grossadmiral Donitz developed the wolf pack strategy which terrorized British commercial and military vessels.......until advancing technology and Hitler's dislike of the Kriegsmarine finally caught up with him.

All very good books there Geevee and Jill and I'd highly recommend "Sea Wolves" as its one of few books offering a look at the British Submarine service during WW2.

by Tim Clayton

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "All very good books there Geevee and Jill and I'd highly recommend "Sea Wolves" as its one of few books offering a look at the British Submarine service during WW2.

[bookcover:Sea Wolves: The Ex..."

And with your recommendation and it being in stock with the library I have just reserved a copy :)