Reading anything?

Play it LOUD!! Age : 51 Joined : 06 Jan 2007 Posts : 11824

Schweinfurt: Disaster In The Skies by John Sweetman.

This is a superb book that covers the entire U.S. Air Force heavy bomber (B-17 and B-24) campaign, and attempt, to destroy the German ball bearing production factories at Schweinfurt, between August to October 1943.

This was before the American P-51 Mustang fighter was able to provide *total 100% there and back* fighter coverage for the American heavies, as the American P-47s and British Spitfires had to turn back just inside German airspace/borders because of fuel considerations. The P-47 Thunderbolt and Spitfire fighters just did not have the *range* to give fighter protection to the American heavies for all the time they were inside German airspace/borders.

As a result, for the totality of this campaign against Schweinfurt, the P-47s and Spitfires turned back and left the American heavies at the mercies of the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) and fighter force. The American losses were immense as each airplane contained 10 highly trained airmen that were lost for each bomber shot down by the Germans. And they shot down a lot. They had hours over Germany to go at the bombers, without any Allied fighter interference.

From their inception on the planning boards.......the American B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators were extremely heavily armed and supposed to protect themselves against German, Italian, and Japanese fighter interceptors. Schweinfurt proved--once and for all--that they simply could not protect themselves and that, indeed, Allied fighters were needed to help and allow the bombers to complete their missions. That would finally become a reality as the American P-51s came online in the Spring of 1944.

Good schtuff.

KISS

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"The 'farce' is strong with Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

One of the twins: I'm the one who likes it all....

Mission Of One Age : 38 Joined : 03 Jan 2007 Posts : 5515

Just started Peace With God by Billy Graham
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"Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does."

Age : 22 Joined : 18 May 2007 Posts : 3045

At The Mountains Of Madness by HP Lovecraft
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"He had discovered Time and Death and God"-Aldous Huxley

Age : 34 Joined : 06 Mar 2007 Posts : 3813

Excellent Backfromthedawn! Have you ever read any Lovecraft?

For Me:

The Poisonwood Bible

Play it LOUD!! Age : 51 Joined : 06 Jan 2007 Posts : 11824

Hermann Goring: From Regiment Of Fallschirmjagers To Panzerkorps by James Bender and George Peterson.

Originally a small police battalion organized in 1933 by the then Secretary of Interior, Hermann Goring, this unit quickly grew in size to a regiment. The primary function of the regiment at the beginning of World War II in 1939 was a Flak unit (anti--aircraft unit). Later it developed into a battalion sized unit of Fallschirmjagers (paratroopers) and finally a full--blown divisional sized unit of armor/tanks (Panzer Division), by early 1944. Its designation became *Fallschirmjager PanzerKorps Hermann Goring*, which translates to a puzzling name of *Parachutist Armor Corps Hermann Goring*. Paratrooper tankers?? Question

The unit saw combat in Poland in 1939, and was then (basically) combat inactive until 1943 in Italy. From its commitment to fighting in the Italian Campaign until the end of the war (in Europe) in May 1945, the soldiers in the Hermann Goring Division saw continual action in Italy in 1943--1944 and 1944--1945 in Russia. They obtained the reputation of being hard and brutal fighters. Twisted Evil

In fact.....here is a little "BTW". Divisional statistics indicate that a few more than 60,000 Germans served in the HGPzDiv during World War II. When the remains of the HGPzDiv surrendered to the Russians at the end of the war, there were only 15,000 survivors. It is estimated that over 90% of the soldiers who fought in the Eastern (Russian) Front in 1944--1945 became casualties. Shocked

Good book. Lots of photos and maps.

KISS

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"The 'farce' is strong with Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

One of the twins: I'm the one who likes it all....

Age : 40 Joined : 27 Jan 2007 Posts : 5716

Play it LOUD!! Age : 51 Joined : 06 Jan 2007 Posts : 11824

Bomber Offensive: The Devastation Of Europe by Noble Frankland.

This is a strategic, as well as operational, overview/summary of the entire Allied heavy bomber offensive against the Germans in Europe during World War II. The entire course of operations are covered.

Beginning with the first British raid in September 1939, it continues through the increasing size and scope of the British effort until they got aid from the Americans in the Summer of 1942. When the actual Combined Bomber Offensive, with the British in the nightime and the Americans in the daytime, got into high gear in the Autumn of 1942, things really got hot in the skies over Europe 24/7.

The Combined Bomber Offensive is chronicled until it ended with the German surrender in early May 1945.

KISS

_________________
"The 'farce' is strong with Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

One of the twins: I'm the one who likes it all....

Play it LOUD!! Age : 51 Joined : 06 Jan 2007 Posts : 11824

Breakthrough: Drive To The Seine by David Mason.

The D-Day amphibious landings had taken place by the Americans and British--successfully--in Normandy on June 6, 1944. However, after initial territorial gains the Allied attack had stalled on the Cotentin Peninsula, and been unable to advance into France proper due to both the ferociousness of the German defences, and the difficulties inherent in attacking through the Normandy hedgerow terrain which was ubiquitous in the Cotentin Peninsula.

After almost 2 months of fighting, the Allies were only on positions that it was anticipated they would be on by day D+5. The Allied going had been very slow and very costly in terms of men and material. Due to logistical problems, and Allied air superiority, the Germans had been unable to drive the Allies back. They had only been able to prevent them from breaking out of the Cotentin and into France.

On July 24 Operation Cobra was launched. It was a concerted and determined attack--launched all across the base of the Peninsula--all along the American and British fronts, in an attempt to break out of the D-Day bridgehead the Allies had been stuck in for almost 2 months. After a week the Americans had broken through the German lines and were racing both into the German rear and into France itself. A month later on August 25th, the Allies were on the Seine River and on the outskirts of Paris.

KISS

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"The 'farce' is strong with Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

One of the twins: I'm the one who likes it all....

Age : 22 Joined : 18 May 2007 Posts : 3045

Joined : 07 Apr 2007 Posts : 177

God in the alley - Greg Paul
The Quiller Memorandum - Adam Hall

Age : 37 Joined : 14 Jan 2007 Posts : 3115

I've been reading 'The Message'....but I ain't telling anyone in the Prayer Realm that...

lol!

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ORACLE (1990-1993)
http://www.myspace.com/oracleusa

Age : 22 Joined : 18 May 2007 Posts : 3045

Age : 20 Joined : 21 Jul 2007 Posts : 2022

Male Matters by Calvin Thomas

^^ "....hilarious look at male identity and creativity and dislocation at the end of the twentieth century will not assuage male anxiety and may, in fact, produce more. But therein lies the way of the productive male, yielding to (rather than attempting to master) language as a bodily function. From Freud to Joyce, from Hegel to Bataille, from Heidegger to Derrida, from feminist theory to queer theory, Thomas leaves few areas of the dark continent of masculinity unexplored. In a breathtaking display of deliberately accessible erudition, Thomas makes pyschoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, philosophy, film, pornography, mass culture, and literature come together in a brilliant portrait of masculinity, the male body and the male writer 'on the line.'"

Dali and Postmodernism by Marc J. LaFountain

Essay: "Online" by Peter Halley
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Play it LOUD!! Age : 51 Joined : 06 Jan 2007 Posts : 11824

Anglo--Scots Wars 1513 To 1550 by Gervase Phillips.

A very detailed study of these wars, so foundational to the formation of the Tudor state and unification of Scotland with England. This is a detailed operational study of the two side's armies, as well as being a blow-by-blow battlefield study, and the campaigns that brought each side to the battlefield.

Included are all the conflicts of the Wars of James IV 1496-1513 including Flodden in 1513, the War on the Border, 1520-1547 including the battle of Solway Moss in 1542, the campaigns of 1547, Pinkie Cleugh and the Occupation of Annandale, and the War for Scotland 1547 - 1550.

KISS

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"The 'farce' is strong with Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

One of the twins: I'm the one who likes it all....

Subject: Re: Reading anything? Wed Oct 10, 2007 5:44 am

The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander - yeah its a children's book, but its been years since I read it and it beckoned me from the bookshelf. Truth be told, just wanting to get my brain in the writing mode of youth fantasy . . . time to get back to working on my stuff.
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"This is a happy occasion, let's not bicker and argue about ooo killed ooo!"

Age : 36 Joined : 08 Oct 2007 Posts : 47

"if I DID IT" by O.J. Simpson

I'm at the "Night in Question" chapter. So far it's been a bucket of dilusional lies about what a wonderful husband he was, how famous he was, how many trophies he's won, and how Nicole was just this raving lunatic, druggie/hoochie tyrant who would attack poor OJ ...funny. Now all of the sudden, he is whipped up into a frenzy by an imaginary guy named "Charlie" who begs him not to go and "scare" her. "Charlie" was there with him the whole time, and now ...of course this is all "IF" he had done it of course... he's in these enormous pools of blood. Um, yeah. Why I do this to myself I will never know.

I would have never gotten this book if I knew the money would go to the murdering creep, but the Goldman's have since take it over so he wouldn't get any profit for it. I especially liked the Intro by the Goldman family. Very informative, and very touching. I understand completely why they put this book out.

Play it LOUD!! Age : 51 Joined : 06 Jan 2007 Posts : 11824

Normandy Bridgehead by Major General H. Essame.

This is a short step back in time from that book a couple weeks ago about Operation Cobra, which started on July 24, where the Americans finally broke out of the Cotentin Peninsula and raced into France.

This book is a very *nuts and bolts* operational study of the period of time from the day after D--Day, from June 7 to the preparedness to launch Operation Cobra, up to July 23, 1944. The book examines the Allied advance through the Cotentin up to its southern boundary, and the ferocious German defense conducted over that terrain that held the Allies to such minimal territorial gains over the first 7 weeks after the D--Day landings. The battles for the towns of St. Lo, Carentan, Avranches, Coutances, and the multiple British attempts to take the city of Caen, are all examined. Multiple personal accounts add a nice touch to the book and make it very readable.

KISS

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"The 'farce' is strong with Obama-Wan." words of Scourge.

One of the twins: I'm the one who likes it all....

Mission Of One Age : 38 Joined : 03 Jan 2007 Posts : 5515

Started & finished Dinner With A Perfect Stranger by David Gregory.
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"Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does."

Age : 20 Joined : 12 Apr 2007 Posts : 206

Wild Swans - Jung Chang

A 20th Century history of China seen through the eyes of 3 generations of women; a grandmother, a mother and a daughter. This is a true story (autobiography) written by the daughter, and a great read. Couldn't put it down. So much happened politically and socially in China through this time that I knew nothing about and reading this has got to be one of the most interesting ways to find out. Recommended to anyone who likes "people stories" - I know not everyone is interested in these, but this is one of the best of that genre (if you can call it a genre) that I've read.

The Feynman Lectures on Physics Metal Banana

(I'm very very very excited about these - I've been meaning to get them for years! )
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The other twin: I'm the one with musical discrimination...