What are you currently reading?

[Leander048]

Battle of the Reichswald by Peter Elstob. And a very interesting read it is, too.

[R. Evans]

On Deck

[Airchallenged]

I don't think I would bother about Paddy Griffiths book if you think it rated only a skim through!

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. By skimming I don't really mean just flipping through the pages I more mean that I only read about 120 of the 175 pages. I skipped parts on choice and because I wasn't too interested in them. The chapters that I skipped, on cavalry and artillery, I'll most likely read at a later time once I get through with my larger books I started and put down or just haven't read yet.

It wasn't that it wasn't good - it is. It was just mostly stuff I had known from other sources and wanted a slim volume ( dimension wise the pages are smaller too) to cover it all in. The only thing I disliked about it was that he kept referring to units as "when 16th Wisconsin was attacked" without the word "the" in there which seems really weird. Like saying "when boy went to store." Other than that the parts I read were very well written and I learned a lot. Such as battle formations in the Western Theater (along Mississippi River) were generally more Napoleonic for longer periods of time and Eastern Battles dissolved into skirmish formations many times, due to the varying terrain.

[Airchallenged]

Is that good? I loved Company Commander.

[Airchallenged]

Does anyone know of any good books about the Paratroopers at DDay?

Paul you want to take this one or should I

Where to start?!

Tonight We Die As Men: The untold story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day by Roger Day and Ian Gardner. Brand new and I really want to get my hands on a copy. More Info
101st Airborne: The Screaming Eagles at Normandy by Mark A. Bando
The 101st Airborne at Normandy by Mark A. Bando
The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to Hitler's Eagle's Nest :The True Story of the101st Airborne's Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers by Richard Killblane and Jake McNiece
Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers" by Don Malarkey and Bob Welch
Currahee!: A Screaming Eagle at Normandy by Donald R. Burgett
Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-day, June 6, 1944 by Joseph Balkoski very good section on the Airborne Ops.
Call of Duty: My Life Before, During and After the Band of Brothers by Lt. Lynn "Buck" Compton and Marcus Brotherton
Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends by William "Wild Bill" Guarnere, Edward "Babe" Heffron, and Robyn Post
D-Day with the Screaming Eagles by George Koskimaki
Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters by Dick Winters and Cole C. Kingseed
Biggest Brother: The Life Of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led The Band of Brothers by Larry Alexander. Personally I think I preferred the first more.

That is as many as I can remember that I have read or at least read parts of. There are definitely many more out there you just have to find them. I included a list of sites I visit that have a sources section or book list that will help and save me effort.

Read Ambrose's book with a grain of salt. He is know for selectively choosing facts and not correcting errors because they sound better the way he wrote it...Band of Brothers for instance.

Paul can take it from here to cover the 82nd AB side of Operation Neptune.

http://www.6juin1944.com/biblio/index.php (many of Pat's books are in French but there are a lot in english too. Don't hesitate to email him either)
http://www.ww2-airborne.us/18corps/1..._overview.html (bottom of each page has a source list with Amazon links)
http://www.506infantry.org/ (this one you have to navigate because they insist on having the same url no matter what page you go to... click on "Photographs and History on the selection bar and then "Books, Movies, and Music Written by or about Currahees". Wala)
http://www.pararesearchteam.com/Research-Booklist2.html (Don Bogez has an epic book list... You will have to sort out those that aren't paras or aren't D-Day though.)

[General Staff]

Does anyone know of any good books about the Paratroopers at DDay?

Also cf Donald R. Burgett.

[R. Evans]

Is that good? I loved Company Commander.

I'm only about 120 pages in, but so far, real good. I hadn't realized the Americans fought well enough in the opening stages to throw the German timetable off. Of course this is actually the first book I have read on the Bulge, so I have nothing to compare it to.

[Redwolf]

Is that good? I loved Company Commander.

Company Commander is much better I'm afraid.

It is a pretty generic Bulge book collecting random facts but offering no insight in what it was like to be there like Company Commander and no deeper analysis either.

[lcm1]

Thanks Matt, see what you mean. I myself would put the book down and not pick it up again if there were gaps in it like that. In other words just read the part that was of interest to me, reading is for pleasure. Cheers, Lcm1.

[Janos]

Earlier on, I said I was reading Tennozan (about the Battle for Okinawa). My first impression was that it was a very thick book and the author had not impressed me in the beginning. However, as I read on, the book was EXCELLENT. I recommend it very highly if you are interested in days of the Japanese Empire in WW2 and the Battle of Okinawa.

[Hufflepuff44]

"Visions From a Foxhole" by William A. Foley jr. great read!

Also, its not that common that you read a book and the guy gets involved in Combat by page 20. This book is intense stuff!

[Mackie]

An excellent book. Really worth purchasing.

[Surrey]

Dreadnought

[17thAirborneSon]

NEW BOOK TITLE
Doing God's Business:
Meaning and Motivation for the Marketplace

Christians have likely been struggling with the place of business in the life of faith ever since Paul’s days as a tentmaker. Just how do the spheres of private devotion and public business intersect in a meaningful way?

Paul Stevens has been exploring this question since his earliest working days in his father’s steel business. His Doing God’s Business tells how readers can find lasting and satisfying meaning for marketplace involvement in the light of the Christian faith and tradition. Stevens explores the potential of business as a location for practicing everyday spiritual disciplines and as a source of creativity and deeper relationship with God. Among other books.

[irontoad]

Dreadnought

A fascinating read.