Posted on 01/30/2014 7:15:22 AM PST by US Navy Vet
The Guns of August & The Proud Tower by Barbara W. Tuchman
http://www.amazon.com/Barbara-W-Tuchman-Library-America/dp/159853145X/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I read “The Guns of August” many years ago. Excellent read.
Another good one is “The Price of Glory” by Alistair Horne, about the slaughter fest called Verdun. Masterful work. I’m finishing up my second read-through of it.
Thanks for posting.
BTW, we are using Brose's "The Great War" as our text---solid, not spectacular.
Ping for later. Have a lot of recommendations here. Particularly love books on the war in the air on the flying aces and their incredible planes, e.g
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24572
WW1 has WW2 beat hands down in my book for interesting reading material. You just have to search for it.
I don’t have much time to read, but I commute for two hours per day. I want to listen to The Arms of Krupp, in addition to the above. Anybody know if there are audio version of The Arms of Krupp, The Guns of August, and The Proud Tower?
Tuchman’s “The Guns of August” is still among our books, it was probably a Book of The Month Club choice....excellent history of part of WWI. I have started reading Erick Prince’s “Civilian Warriors: The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror”....beautifully written, exciting and fascinating. A page turner Freepers.
Having had a Doughboy grandfather in “The Great War” and an Airborne father in WWII, they’re both an ongoing source of fascination for me.
To my mind, WWI just tops the scale of senseless slaughter. When you look at men like Joffre, Haig, and Falkenhayne, and how they just squandered the lives of their men in horrific assaults against dug-in, defense-in-depth trench systems, I’m surprised MORE mutinies didn’t happen (the French did in 1917).
Places like the Somme, Verdun, Passchaendale, Ypres, Flanders... witnessed the destruction of entire generations of young men... a family feud (Kaiser Wilhelm II was the eldest grandson of Queen Victoria of England, King George V was his first cousin, and Czar Nicholas was his second cousin) between monarchies.
Thanks! I’ll check that one out too.
the Prince book is excellent.
He and I grew up in the same town...I did not know him personally, but only one degree of separation.
his is a compelling story...much different than the twisted liberal gibberish about Blackwater that was spoon fed to the masses via CNN.
His take on the Fallujah murders of four of his employees in 2004 is indicative of the man that he is.
He came from very conservative parents...entrepreneurs..the largest employer in my home town...sold to Johnson Controls in 1996, after the untimely death of his father in 1995.
Excellent read.
I just picked up a copy of “The Downfall of Money”. it is a study of economic conditions in Weimar Germany.
Plan to read that over the weekend.
Can’t disagree with you on any point.
My grandfather was in the All American Division and was wounded and captured in the Argonne Forest. Spent part of the war in a German POW Camp, which was not at all like what the NAZIs ran.
I would love to find out more information about his unit. I know Sgt. York was in his Division but not in his Regiment.
He used an M1917 and I have a real live one in my collection. Doesn’t shoot too well, but I think it needs some barrel work - may be leaded up or shot out.
The All-American Division became the 82nd Airborne in WWII.
M1917 Enfield: It’s a good old battle rifle. The M1903 Springfield edged it out, though, and come WWII ‘03’s were still issued, while the Enfields were relegated to back burner.
RE M1917:
I had a chance to pick one up for 50 bucks many years back, and didn’t. It was in decent condition. I should have gotten it then and there. I walked away, figuring I’d come back it get on the weekend, and it was gone.
Would have been a nice addition to the collection. Now, they’re way more expensive.
Are you planning on showing any WWI related films in your class?
Yes, there is a series called WW I and the episode called “The Trench Scene” is pretty good.
“Enemies Foreign and Domestic” by Matt Bracken.
Our very own Travis McGee.
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