The ASL Book Club

Gordon

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I'm reading 'BY TANK D to VE Days" by Ken Tout. It basically starts with Operation Totalize in Normandy. I'm only a little over halfway through it. From June 16th to August 21st, he goes from commanding a Stuart, to gunner on a Sherman, to gunner on a Firefly, to commanding a Sherman. Most of the changes taking place over the course of a few days due to the heavy losses during Totalize. It seems like an authentic, look at the reality of WWII combat.
 

jtsjc1

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I received Bloody Streets yesterday and all I can say is incredible. I've just been able to page through it but already I see much more content than the original. There are also some color photos in this edition. Best of all is the beautiful separate map book with color maps. I didn't think this book could be improved upon but I was dead wrong. Also when I bought the original it cost $60, I paid about $50 for the revised edition and its thicker and has the map book. In case anyone is interested, Between The Oder And The Elbe by Wilhelm Tieke is another fantastic book on the battle. I bought it on pre-order about 6 or 7 years ago. This one came with a beautiful street by street map of Berlin in 1945. Try ordering direct from J.J. Fedorowicz and make sure the map is included.
 

Gordon

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Almost done reading "Troop Leader - A Tank Commander's Story" by Bill Bellamy. And three stories stand out. One was that in Holland their Cromwell was ambushed by a 2cm FlaK truck and the were puzzled afterwards by the shells embedded in their Cromwell's armor. After some digging they discovered that they had been fighting since Normandy in an unarmored "training tank" but refused to swap it out because it was their lucky tank. @Paul M. Weir So what's the armor reduction needed to simulate that? The second story, also in Holland, was they crossed a canal and stumbled into a large group of Germans included multiple 88mm guns. In their haste to get away, they realized they were too far from the bridge they'ed originally used so they ended up jumping the 20 foot wide canal in their Cromwells. Apparently all 3 made it. Now we need rules for "Tank Steeplechase." Third, towards the end of the war he is transferred to the Recce squadron and is given a Chaffee approximately April 18th, 1945 and specifically mentions an "infra-red gun sight"?!?
 

Paul M. Weir

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I've no idea of what an unarmoured steel Cromwell's ASL armour rating would be. At least the softer steel should produce less fragments when penetrated. Halve the armour values but add 1 to the CS#? :p

When the Martel visited the USSR in 1936 he was treated to a show which included BT-2 doing their own steeple chasing routine.
 

Michael R

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Almost done reading "Troop Leader - A Tank Commander's Story" by Bill Bellamy. And three stories stand out. One was that in Holland their Cromwell was ambushed by a 2cm FlaK truck and the were puzzled afterwards by the shells embedded in their Cromwell's armor. After some digging they discovered that they had been fighting since Normandy in an unarmored "training tank" but refused to swap it out because it was their lucky tank. @Paul M. Weir So what's the armor reduction needed to simulate that?
Yea, that training tank anecdote floored me when I read it.
 

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Currently reading 'Spearhead' by Adam Makos.

Part of the book covers the famous Pershing vs. Panther engagement at Cologne. Interesting to read the story behind this engagement. You can find several videos of the battle on YouTube.

And the author does a great job to show you what life as a tanker was about in NWE 1944-45.
I just finished reading this too. Initially I wasn't a fan of the of the 'novelized' writing style, very different to anything by Antony Beevor for example :) but you realize the wealth of detail included, and it really got me in. Very touching personal story too. Great read.
 

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I'm currently reading Beevor's "Arnhem: 1944", which like all of his is an easy, fast read. Nijmegen has just been taken, the paras at Arnhem bridge have been defeated, but I'm hopeful that maybe this time they'll do it...

Seriously, the only way to fix that plan was to cancel it. Or maybe just make the Nijmegen bridge a priority over the Groesbeek heights. Interesting to note that going straight up the road that became known as "Hell's Highway" was an option that got you failed on pre-war Dutch staff officer courses.
Reading this now. There was another passage that amazed me, where a British Firefly has just knocked out a self-propelled assault gun, the German commander climbs out and surrenders, climbs on the back of the Firefly and proceeds to point out other German vehicles which the Firefly commander had not spotted. "The German spoke reasonable English and was delighted with the Firefly's straight shooting. His explanation for this bizarre behaviour was that he was a professional soldier, and he could not bear to see anyone adopting the wrong tactics...".
Now that is real respect for the profession of arms, regardless of what side you are on!
 

Yuri0352

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I recently finished 'Between Giants' by Prit Buttar, which describes the fighting in the Baltic states during WWII. Definitely one of the most detailed and 'readable' accounts of the fighting on the Eastern front which I have ever read. Includes a wealth of background information about the pre war political and ethnic composition of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The book contains not only coverage of the higher level strategic situation, it also includes numerous excerpts of oral histories of veterans, civilians, and holocaust survivors as well. The chapters describing the fighting in Courland and the implementation of the Holocaust are particularly compelling. I'm looking forward to reading 'Battleground Prussia' by Mr. Buttar next.

I'm nearly finished with reading 'The Outpost' by Jake Tapper (before I watch the newly released film on the subject). This is a truly inspiring and heartbreaking account of the years of fighting near OP Keating in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan. Portions of this book have nearly moved me to tears. I would consider it to be the 'Band of Brothers' book for the new generation of U.S. Army soldiers.
 

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I just finished reading this too. Initially I wasn't a fan of the of the 'novelized' writing style, very different to anything by Antony Beevor for example :) but you realize the wealth of detail included, and it really got me in. Very touching personal story too. Great read.
Read this a while ago. Very enjoyable account.
 

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I'm reading (actually, listening to) Max Hastings' All Hell Broke Loose, his history of 1939-1945. When I've finished that, I'll be listening to Anthony Beevor's treatment of WW2, which he feels effectively started in 1937, if I remember correctly from starting the print version a year or two ago. I wasn't keen on his writing style in this one, I found, but hopefully the audiobook will sound better.
 

Eagle4ty

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I recently finished 'Between Giants' by Prit Buttar, which describes the fighting in the Baltic states during WWII. Definitely one of the most detailed and 'readable' accounts of the fighting on the Eastern front which I have ever read. Includes a wealth of background information about the pre war political and ethnic composition of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The book contains not only coverage of the higher level strategic situation, it also includes numerous excerpts of oral histories of veterans, civilians, and holocaust survivors as well. The chapters describing the fighting in Courland and the implementation of the Holocaust are particularly compelling. I'm looking forward to reading 'Battleground Prussia' by Mr. Buttar next.

I'm nearly finished with reading 'The Outpost' by Jake Tapper (before I watch the newly released film on the subject). This is a truly inspiring and heartbreaking account of the years of fighting near OP Keating in the Nuristan province of Afghanistan. Portions of this book have nearly moved me to tears. I would consider it to be the 'Band of Brothers' book for the new generation of U.S. Army soldiers.
You'll enjoy Battleground Prussia. I'll certainly have to look into Between Giants, sound like a good read.
 

R Hooks

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I've no idea of what an unarmoured steel Cromwell's ASL armour rating would be. At least the softer steel should produce less fragments when penetrated. Halve the armour values but add 1 to the CS#? :p

When the Martel visited the USSR in 1936 he was treated to a show which included BT-2 doing their own steeple chasing routine.
I'm sure someone mentioned BT-2 tanks doing some crazy jumps here before, and linked to a Russian movie that showed this in action, also lowering a chain of tanks down what looks like a 30 foot cliff, too many years have gone by for me to remember the name of the movie..
 

Actionjick

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" Vicksburg, Grant's campaign that broke the Confederacy ".Library just reopened and picked this up after watching the History Channel show on Grant. Didn't know much about the campaign and decided it was time to learn.

Also " 82 Days on Okinawa " by Col. Art Shaw. Haven't started it yet but another campaign that I haven't read anything in depth about.
 

Yuri0352

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Today I finished 'Battleground Prussia' by Prit Buttar. This book is a fascinating yet somber account of the Soviet assault on Germany's eastern frontier during 1944-45, and also details the immediate post-war years within this region. I highly recommend reading this book after finishing Mr. Buttar's 'Between Giants' which describes the fighting in the Baltic states just prior to this campaign. As with his previous book on the Baltics, Battleground Prussia covers events from the grand strategic level, down to the actions and experiences of individual soldiers and civilians. I was especially intrigued by the descriptions of the significant involvement of the Kriegsmarine during this campaign, both in the realms of naval gunfire support and the evacuation of military personnel and civilian refugees. The terrible ordeal of the civilian population described in nearly all of the chapters is especially tragic, and appears to be comparable to that of the citizens of Manila during the liberation of that city. I was shocked to read about the sinking of the liner Goya by a Soviet submarine, the resulting loss of over 6000 military and civilian evacuee lives was the greatest loss of life at sea in history.
Overall, Battleground Prussia is a compelling, epic account of the absolute destruction of the German military on the Eastern Front, and an illustration of the factors which laid the groundwork for the inevitable Cold War which was to follow. I have been thoroughly fascinated and enlightened by both of the books which I have read by this author, and I am looking forward to reading many of his other books on Eastern Europe, especially his volumes regarding the Eastern Front during the First World War.

A specific ASL side note... Battleground Prussia also includes a detailed account of the battle involving an outnumbered and elite Jagdpanther crew as depicted in the scenario YASL #11, 'Ja, Bix'. Just one example of the many exciting small unit actions described within this book.
 
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Eagle4ty

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Today I finished 'Battleground Prussia' by Prit Buttar. This book is a fascinating yet somber account of the Soviet assault on Germany's eastern frontier during 1944-45, and also details the immediate post-war years within this region. I highly recommend reading this book after finishing Mr. Buttar's 'Between Giants' which describes the fighting in the Baltic states just prior to this campaign. As with his previous book on the Baltics, Battleground Prussia covers events from the grand strategic level, down to the actions and experiences of individual soldiers and civilians. I was especially intrigued by the descriptions of the significant involvement of the Kriegsmarine during this campaign, both in the realms of naval gunfire support and the evacuation of military personnel and civilian refugees. The terrible ordeal of the civilian population described in nearly all of the chapters is especially tragic, and appears to be comparable to that of the citizens of Manila during the liberation of that city. I was shocked to read about the sinking of the liner Goya by a Soviet submarine, the resulting loss of over 6000 military and civilian evacuee lives was the greatest loss of life at sea in history.
Overall, Battleground Prussia is a compelling, epic account of the absolute destruction of the German military on the Eastern Front, and an illustration of the factors which laid the groundwork for the inevitable Cold War which was to follow. I have been thoroughly fascinated and enlightened by both of the books which I have read by this author, and I am looking forward to reading many of his other books on Eastern Europe, especially his volumes regarding the Eastern Front during the First World War.

A specific ASL side note... Battleground Prussia also includes a detailed account of the battle involving an outnumbered and elite Jagdpanther crew as depicted in the scenario YASL #11, 'Ja, Bix'. Just one example of the many exciting small unit actions described within this book.
FrF 66 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea is another scenario taken from this book (and a fine one at that). I second your recommendation on the book BTW, will have to hunt down the other.
 

Yuri0352

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FrF 66 Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea is another scenario taken from this book (and a fine one at that). I second your recommendation on the book BTW, will have to hunt down the other.
I'll have to search my collection, I'm not sure if I have any Friendly Fire scenarios.
 

Yuri0352

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I have just finished 'On A Knife's Edge' by Prit Buttar, which is yet another of his fascinating volumes covering the fighting on the Eastern Front. This book describes the fighting in the Ukraine, beginning with the operations Uranus, Saturn and Little Saturn and the subsequent encirclement of the 6th army at Stalingrad, and ending in early 1943 with the German recapture of Kharkov just prior to the spring thaw. Knife's Edge does not describe the fighting within the Stalingrad city proper (a subject which has been thoroughly described by so many other authors already) and instead describes the actions of the Axis' Rumanian, Hungarian and Italian allies during the Soviet counteroffensives. The description of the ordeals faced by the Italian 8th army are especially heartbreaking.

The effect of the Stalingrad catastrophe upon morale at all levels in the German army is very revealing, and the book also describes several coup attempts which were being planned against Hitler during this relatively early stage of the war. Some of these plots had progressed well past the theoretical stage, including a bomb which malfunctioned on board an aircraft in which Hitler was traveling during a visit to the Eastern Front.

As with the other books from Dr. Buttar, this volume contains many detailed and graphic descriptions of the fighting from ordinary soldiers of both sides, although there were not nearly as many personal accounts from the civilian population. I wonder if this could be due to the lower population density within the 1940's Ukraine as compared to the Baltic states and East Prussia? I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the post-Stalingrad / pre-Kursk period of fighting on the Eastern Front. I am now reading Dr. Buttar's follow-up volume 'Retribution', which describes the Soviet re-conquest of the Ukraine during 1943.
 

Yuri0352

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I've just started 'Tower of Skulls' by Richard B. Frank. This is the first volume of a planned 3 book series on the history of the Asia-Pacific War. Tower of Skulls covers the period from the July 1937 conflict in China through the fall of the Philippines in May of 1942. I thoroughly enjoyed Frank's previous book on the Guadalcanal campaign, and I expect that this new book could possibly re-kindle my interest in the early war Chinese-Japanese ASL scenarios (of which up until now I have had virtually no interest in playing). I have as yet only progressed in to the chapter dealing with the aftermath of the battle for Nanjing, however I have greatly appreciated the author's ability to describe the various relevant pre-war political factors in both China and Japan. The prologue presents a very compelling case for the long term effects of the 'Marco Polo Bridge Incident'.
Very enlightening.
 

Michael Dorosh

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I have just finished 'On A Knife's Edge' by Prit Buttar, which is yet another of his fascinating volumes covering the fighting on the Eastern Front.
I have a copy of his book on Pomerania and East Prussia (Battleground Prussia) - my biggest objection to that work is that the maps are terrible. Have they gotten any better in other volumes? Probably an issue with the publisher more than the author, but could have used more useful appendices also. It was difficult to keep stuff straight using just the text.
 
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Yuri0352

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I have a copy of his book on Pomerania and East Prussia (Battleground Prussia) - my biggest objection to that work is that the maps are terrible. Have they gotten any better in other volumes? Probably an issue with the publisher more than the author, but could have used more useful appendices also. It was difficult to keep stuff straight using just the text.
I've found the maps in this book to be serviceable enough, though not as highly detailed as those in some other publications. IMO, these maps have been far more useful than those within 'Demolishing The Myth', which essentially gave me enough of a headache to where I began shopping for a 'military atlas' for the eastern front.
 
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