Reply With QuoteI don't read much, but being in the RAF I can recommend doing a google search for 'CAS reading list'. This is an annual list of books that focus on air power, strategy and leadership, endorsed by CAS.
Hello all
I'm looking to widen my knowledge of military history, strategy and leadership.
If any of you can recommend some books, that would be great.
From a strategic perspective, I'm just as interested in older campaigns that failed as those that were a success.
TIA
I don't read much, but being in the RAF I can recommend doing a google search for 'CAS reading list'. This is an annual list of books that focus on air power, strategy and leadership, endorsed by CAS.
"The Art Of War" by Sun Tzu is a timeless classic. Maybe a little broad but its a good start point.
Thanks Christian - will do.
Mike, that one's on my shelf already but I'll tackle it again - thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten I had it.
If you have interest in the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a very good analysis of the role of the SAS is by Newsnight's Mark Urban, called Big Boys' Rules
The series by journalist Peter Taylor are also very good, they tell of the conflict from all sides and go by the three titles Provos, Loyalists and Brits
HTH
I remember reading Churchill's "History of the English Speaking People" and while they arent exactly military history, the man obviously knew a thing or two and there's a lot of references. There's four books but I think its the first one "The Birth Of Britain" that is the most readable and interesting.
I've never read his history of WW2, I believe that can be pretty heavy going!
book of five rings by musashi
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Thanks GQ - they're now on the list.Originally Posted by GraniteQuarry
If you have interest in the Troubles in Northern Ireland, a very good analysis of the role of the SAS is by Newsnight's Mark Urban, called Big Boys' Rules
The series by journalist Peter Taylor are also very good, they tell of the conflict from all sides and go by the three titles Provos, Loyalists and Brits
HTH
I haven't read any of those Mike - sounds like I probably should.
^Not heard of Musashi, Dave - appreciate the note.
Last edited by AlphaOmega; 12th July 2014 at 23:56.
As Christian said there are plenty of decent air power books, and having recently spent some time at Shrivenham I would highly recommend something on the 6 Day War, very very interesting and enlightening if you previously hadn't much knowledge about it.
One recent read, although not so much doctrinal, however a very good read was Bury Us Upside Down, Chickenhawk again is a great read.
Thanks DV - from the reviews, the last two books you mention sound like they're very well-written.
I'd agree that Chickenhawk is a fantastic read.
For Churchill there is of course his history of the Second World War, which is available in an abridged form if you don't fancy tackling all six volumes.
A couple of off the wall suggestions but books I very much enjoyed:
Faith Hope and Malta GC by Tony Spooner - the story of the defence of Malta
Royal Navy versus Slave Traders by Bernard Edwards - the story of the Royal Navy's African Squadron in the years following The Abolition of Slave Trade Act.
Good to know - I'll tackle that first.
I've a particular interest and some connections in Malta so that would be right up my street.
The second sounds like quite a story, too. Thanks SK.
For modern war you could try 'Generation Kill' written by Rolling Stone journalist Evan Wright; an account of the 2nd Gulf War turned into a serial by HBO (which is also pretty good). 'War' by Sebastian Junger, who also wrote 'The Perfect Storm' which is a marvellous book. War is about a forward base in Afghanistan. Two well received documentaries have been based on material in the book. 'Black Hawk Down' by Mark Bowden is also worth reading and the basis of the film of course.
For the Vietnam war I'd recommend 'Dispatches' by Michael Herr which is probably one of the best books I've read about war. Herr was a war correspondent and his book is one of the few to capture the visceral excitement of war as well as the horror. Herr contributed to the screenplay of 'Apocalypse Now' and co-wrote "Full Metal Jacket'.
For WWII I'd recommend Anthony Beever's excellent books on 'Stalingrad' and 'Berlin-the Downfall'. Both books are harrowing accounts of the horror of the eastern front and the collapse of the Third Reich and a sobering reminder of who really won WWII and the cost of the unimaginable debt paid in blood to do so. Max Hasting's histories 'Armageddon - The Battle for Germany 1944–45' and 'All Hell Let Loose: The World At War, 1939–1945' are both good. His account of the breakout from the Normandy Beach heads and the Normandy Campaign is particularly interesting because the tensions between the Allies and the French and the French civilian cost (especially the levelling of Cæn) is often overlooked. Not strictly a war history but fascinating none-the-less is Trevor-Ropers account 'The last days of Adolf Hitler' initially written as the report of an investigation into Hitler's fate soon after the end of WWII and the book that the film 'Downfall' must have been based on. I'd also recommend 'Bomber' by Len Deighton, not strictly a history, but a very engaging minute by minute account of a bombing raid over Germany in 1944 written from the perspectives of combatants and civilians on both sides. It has a great deal of military information in it from Allied bombing strategies and practice, to German radar defences and night fighting tactics. Deighton claims that it is also the first novel ever written on a word processor but don't let that deter you. I've always thought that 'Das Boot' by Lothar-Günther Buchheim and 'The Cruel Sea' by Monserrat would also be interesting and moving back-to-back reads. Again not strictly history but compelling non-the-less.
I'd also recommend 'The Conquest of New Spain' by Bernal Diaz which is a first hand account of Cortes' conquest of Mexico. Although the modern interpretation of Cortes is largely one of a greedy, unscrupulous, parvenu, (which Diaz from his first sentence is at no pains to contradict) the actual story of Cortes is one of a miraculous survival of 200 or so men against a military superpower, an almost incredible feat of will and tactical skill. Not only did Cortes have to defeat the Aztecs he also had to outmanoeuvre a Spanish force that was sent after him to bring him in. The Aztecs tend to be portrayed as a wronged people defeated by superior technology. Diaz's book is written like modern journalism and shows how this over-simplistic view is quite wrong and misses the greater complexity of Cortes' story. There are precious few heroes on either side.
I'm a big fan of Robert the Bruce so I'd thoroughly recommend Caroline Bingham's history of him, and her companion piece about Edward II. Barrow is probably better but far more academic. Although people have tended to concentrate on Wallace because of the film Bruce's story is far more involving. A man who threw away two armies, was a hot blooded but repentant murderer and one of the best guerrilla leaders of his or any other time (in my view of course).
For ancient history I don't think that you can do much better than read Cæsar's Gallic and Civil Wars. Both written as dispatches from the front line for the people of Rome to make sure that Cæsar maintained his power base at a time that he was forced to stay out of the city on campaign they are fascinating and incredibly modern books. The siege of Alesia is a phenomenal military undertaking and must be one of the most incredible military operations ever. Apparently, Cæsar's Latin is impeccable and it is recommended that one read the original, unfortunately I'm an ignoramus and it's beyond me. Both good no matter which language you read them in.
Thucydides history of the war without end: 'The Peloponnesian Wars' is marvellous and also wonderfully modern. It's portrayal of the ultimate über-politician Alcibiades should be a warning to all of us of the dangerous glamour of celebrity and dogmatism. If you don't fancy the originals, Steven Pressfield's novelisations of the Peloponnesian War 'The Tides of War' and Thermopylae 'Gates of Fire' are strident and macho but convincing first hand impressions of ancient war. His description of the horror of the Syracusian Campaign and it's aftermath stick in my mind. He boasts that 'Gates of Fire' is required reading at West Point - but then he would wouldn't he?
If you're more interested in straight military theory Sun Tzu is all well and good, but if you really want to know how to do war properly then I'd read Clausewitz for the strategy and Machiavelli for the politics.
I agree that Thucydides is a good place to start. John Keegan is usually good value, e.g., The Nature of Warfare, but not the American Civil War book, unfortunately. Barbara Tuchman is informative, and writes well, e.g., The Guns of August (WWI) and Stillwell (WWII) are very good. Her The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam, while not solely concerned with the military, is very interesting. On the British, naval side of things, Rodger's The Command of the Ocean and Paul Kennedy's The Rise and Fall of British Naval Mastery are very good.
Best wishes,
Bob
Harry Tuttle has already mentioned 'Dispatches' by Michael Herr which is an incredible piece of war literature.
I recently read 'The Kindly Ones' by Jonathon Littel. Although fiction it is an astounding, mesmerising and frightening account of the war from the point of an SS war criminal. Deeply harrowing but definitely brilliant.
One final recommendation: Arkady Babchenko's 'One soldier's war in Chechnya'. Very well-written and taught me a little of the horrors of that particular conflict. No mercy was given or taken from either side. A portrayal of a nightmare.
I recently enjoyed George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, a great insight into a Brits perspective of the Spanish civil war, from such a great writer too, and for me, being factual rather than fiction like Hemmingways efforts is a huge advantage.
Not so much about stratagy and tactics, but it gives an encredible feeling of what it must have been like to actually be there on the ground in mainland Europe in the run-up to WW2.
Another recent favourite read is Andre Hue's The Next Moon, the story of a normal young French guy who was trained by the SOE and parachuted into northern France to help organise the French resistance and form them into an army in the days leading up to D-day.
For Indo-Chins, try to find a copy of 'The Devils Guard by George Robert Elford. Original copies are going for big bucks but i believe there is now a reprint. it says it is factual though there is some doubt. Bloody good read though.
If Rorkes Drift interests you, you could do a lot worse than finding 'Nothing remains But To Fight' by Ian Night. Very enlightening and gives some good info about the surrounding conflict.
Forgot Alexander the Great - unforgivable if you're interested in leadership. For a near contemporary account there's Arrian but Robin Lane-Fox has written a good modern history and I enjoyed Michael Wood's book: 'In search of Alexander the Great'. Good inspiration for travelling in Alexander's footsteps if you don't mind a bit of risk and hardship. Mary Renault's trilogy about him is also interesting for dealing with the stuff that Hollywood wouldn't touch.
Thanks for some superb ideas that span the centuries.
I might head back to antiquity first to see how it was done in Ancient Greece before moving on to Rome - that way I can follow a timeline of sorts. I too would love to be literate enough to tackle Cæsar's output in its original form but that would take me some time to master and I'll have to be content with a translation. I'm having another crack at The Iliad and could do with a break to be honest. There's only so much rambling hexameter I can take.
Having read the reviews, I'm quite keen to get stuck into a bit of (ahem) Beever and will definitely tackle the two you recommend. It's a surprise for me to hear a novelist such as Deighton mentioned in this context but as I've read quite a bit of his, I'll certainly find a copy of 'Bomber' as well.
Thanks for such a thorough review, HT - much appreciated.
I was hoping someone might recommend a text that touched on China-India-Burma and I've no doubt the book about Vinegar Joe will do that - thanks.
Good to hear about those I should avoid, too re: Keegan. I like the idea of a book that tries to draw comparisons between Troy and Vietnam. In a way, that would be ideal as it's the common threads that interest me.
Do you have any recommendations that touch on ethical or psychological perspectives, Bob?
Thank you, I shall ensure I read both.
That's an interesting one. My knowledge of Orwell is based on the thorough research that Christopher Hitchens has done. Aside from the standard texts I read as a schoolboy, I haven't revisited him yet - sounds like a good time to do so now though, so thank you.
Great stuff - some of my family were in the South Wales Borderers. A very good excuse to pick up a copy of the Night book. Thanks.
Ah, thanks. I mean to mention him in my OP so that's serendipitous in the extreme. I'm not averse to risk and hardship and I like connection between Alexander and Socrates via Plato and Aristotle in any case. Another definite for the list.
Sounds like I have my reading list sorted until Christmas!
Thanks all.
PS - thanks DV for your additional recommendation below.
Last edited by AlphaOmega; 14th July 2014 at 00:25. Reason: Additional comment
Spandau by Albert Speer is a very good read too.
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