Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Suggestions for Military History Reading-Vanity for Care Packages
12/8/2003 | Armymarinemom

Posted on 12/08/2003 9:53:29 AM PST by armymarinemom

I need suggestions for Military History Books. Paperback editions would be nice due to shipping weight to go to Afghanistan.


TOPICS: Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: militaryhistory; readinglist
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

1 posted on 12/08/2003 9:53:30 AM PST by armymarinemom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
The military history of Playboy and Penthouse

Seriously:

The Bear went over the Mountain
Afghan Guerrilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters
2 posted on 12/08/2003 9:58:44 AM PST by 2banana
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Anything John Keegan writes.
3 posted on 12/08/2003 10:00:34 AM PST by nonliberal (Graduate: Curtis E. LeMay School of International Relations)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Angels at Dawn about the liberation of the Los Banos prison camp in WWII.
4 posted on 12/08/2003 10:04:31 AM PST by Andyman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
No military history but recommended by COS and Commandant reading list Starship Troopers.

History Victor Davis Hanson's Culture and Carnage.

5 posted on 12/08/2003 10:07:44 AM PST by dts32041 (Democrats party of slave holders. More Demo rat presidents owned slaves than any other party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Also by Victor Davis Hanson: "Soul of Battle" seems appropriate.
6 posted on 12/08/2003 10:12:48 AM PST by ClearCase_guy (France delenda est)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dts32041; armymarinemom
a Hearty second for Starship Troopers. Vey good reading.
7 posted on 12/08/2003 10:13:46 AM PST by Prof Engineer (I knew Ward Smythe. Ward Smythe was a friend of mine. You senator, are no Ward Smythe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Prof Engineer
You know we have come a long way from Viet Nam and WWII comic books, which tells me these men and women are the best and brightest, no matter what the eastern elite nabobs think.
8 posted on 12/08/2003 10:18:45 AM PST by dts32041 (Democrats party of slave holders. More Demo rat presidents owned slaves than any other party.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Some of my favorites; all combine the tough tasks of being entertaining, authentic, and educational:

This Kind of War - Fehrenbach

Blackhawk Down - Bowden

Carnage and Culture - Hanson

The Killer Angels - Sharra

The Last Full Measure - Sharra

The Face of Battle - Keegan

Men Against Fire - Marshall

9 posted on 12/08/2003 10:24:38 AM PST by xsrdx (Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
I assume you are looking for a serious study. The best book of its kind that I know of is "From Moscow to Stalingrad: Decision in the East" by Earl F. Ziemke and Magna Bauer (1988 Military Heritage Press). Part of the Army Historical Series, it is one of a trilogy but far better than the other two in the series. Hardcover is well worth it.
10 posted on 12/08/2003 10:24:49 AM PST by KellyAdmirer
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Oh, and one more:

Gates of Fire - Pressfield

11 posted on 12/08/2003 10:26:31 AM PST by xsrdx (Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Prof Engineer
If you liked "Starship Troopers", try John Ringo's "A Hymn Before Battle", "Gust Front", "When the Devil Dances", and "Hell's Faire". And as a bonus, when you buy either of the latter two (which as still hard-cover-only at the moment), you get a CD-ROM with ALL of Ringo's stuff on it, plus a big chunk of the Baen Free Library, including a big chunk of David Weber's "Honor Harrington" Space naval series.

Oh, and you have rights to copy and give out as many copies of the CDs as you want: you can read the books from a computer with a browser, a PDF reader, various Palm and Windows CE formats. I've sent 10 or so of all 4 volumes of CDs from Baen to various USOs and ships. . .
12 posted on 12/08/2003 10:31:32 AM PST by Salgak (don't mind me: the orbital mind control lasers are making me write this. . .)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Some older books: Xenophon's The Persian Expedition (also called The Anabasis); Herodotus' The Persian Wars; Caesar's Gallic War; Bernal Diaz, The Conquest of New Spain. All available as Penguin paperbacks (although the Oxford World's Classics editions are better when they are available).

Xenophon's book is about a Greek army which gets involved in an invasion of Iraq about 400 B.C. and also does a lot of fighting in Kurdistan.

13 posted on 12/08/2003 10:35:20 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
"Yours to Reason Why" by William Seymour (takes the reader through various historical battle scenarios and, at critical points of battle or deployment, allows the reader to decide the next course of action. The reader's decision is then analyzed and compared to the other options as well as the commander's decision)

"Peter the Great" by Robert Massie (one of the best books of any kind ever written)

14 posted on 12/08/2003 10:38:48 AM PST by Skooz (We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well, and live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Verginius Rufus; All
I plan to print these out. Yes he is interested in serious study. He plans to either apply for CWO or green to gold. His intended major is Military History. His ASVABS were in the 98th percentile so he stand a pretty good chance.

He also requested some good tutorial books for learning German as a second language

15 posted on 12/08/2003 10:43:57 AM PST by armymarinemom (My Son Liberated the Honor Roll Students in Iraq)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: 2banana
"Hell in The Hurtgen Forest" - Robert Sterling Rush PhD, CSM, USA(ret)

"Citizen Soldiers" and "Band of Brothers" - Stephen Ambrose

"Night Drop" - S.L.A. Marshall

Almost anything by Charles Whiting and John Keegan
16 posted on 12/08/2003 10:44:38 AM PST by SAMWolf (We are the people our parents warned us about.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
I suggest, The Iliad, by Homer, and The Gathering Storm, by Sir Winston Churchill. The latter gives a very detailed, behind the scene view of the appeasemet of Germany by the major powers of europe in the view of Sir Winston, and the warnings he gave that were ignored as Germany became stronger and stronger and was more emboldened by the failure to act on part of the powers of the time. It is Apropos to undersatnding the current conflict, in terms of how Al Queda became emboldened by our lack of leadership to confront them until after 9-11. It is actually almost haunting.
17 posted on 12/08/2003 10:46:37 AM PST by 4mer Liberal
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Also:

"Cassino: The Hollow Victory" by John Ellis
"Panzer Battles" by Vaughn Mellenthin

18 posted on 12/08/2003 11:00:47 AM PST by Skooz (We keep you alive to serve this ship. Row well, and live.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: armymarinemom
Anything written by Victor Davis Hanson. He's a professor at the U CA, SAnta Cruz, I think, and he writes about the history of war. He believes in just war and thinks we are doing just the right thing in Iraq and Afghanistan. He writes beautifully. He just published a book called "Ripples of Battle" which takes a few battles throughout history and show how they changed our civilization. Any of his books would encourage any soldier.
19 posted on 12/08/2003 11:10:50 AM PST by twigs
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: twigs
Victor Davis Hanson teaches at Fresno State (or California State University, Fresno) when not a visiting professor somewhere else...his family farm is not far from Fresno.
20 posted on 12/08/2003 11:24:31 AM PST by Verginius Rufus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-27 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson