What are you reading at the moment?

I've moved on to 44 Royal Marine Commando, Achnacarry to the Arakan, by Tony MacKenzie. This covers RM activities in Burma and beyond.

 

I just finished reading Cornelis Bauer's The Battle of Arnhem. I find it hard reading about such severe defeats (I get angry at the commanders). But what incredible heroism, and tragedy.

 

I felt the same way for years until I came to the realization that the military is simply another government bureaucracy. Almost by definition they are rife with politics, incompetence and bureaucrats. In peacetime they squander public funds. In times of war, they squander even more money and human lives as well. Bureaucratic inefficiency is the rule, not the exception. In general, I don't believe that our volunteer servicemen were well served by their leaders or the politicians.

 

Right....... From what I've gathered Martin Bowman is one of those 'authors' who churn plenty of books out by copy and pasting large sections from other publications. Condensing info into more specific books if you're being kind. This book is so slapdash however it's beyond a joke. The title is incorrect as it covers the whole war. The second chapter details a night raid. One chapter is from a fictionalized book. There's heavy repetition of sections that have not been picked up during editing. And i'm only on page 66.........

Avoid this one. I've already e-mailed Pen & Sword as it falls well below what I usually expect from their aviation titles.

 

Wow, that's BRUTAL.

 

Ha ha! If you don't believe me, try it yourself. Available in all good garden centres, and probably some ropey ones as well. £5......

 

You're not joking.

Have you seen how many titles he has under his name?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...n+W.+Bowman"&rh=n:266239,k:"Martin+W.+Bowman"

And most of those are in the past fifteen years--multiple per year!

 

Lads, does this apply to "Bombers Fly East: WWII RAF Operations in the Middle and Far East" too? Been after this one for a while, but now...

 

BTW, I just don't remember when was the next-to-last time I posted in this thread, as I just spent a tad too long playing PC wargames and reading about everything but military history...

However, I'm back on the right track, and accordingly, here goes my selection for the middle-period of the war in Burma, that is, between the 1942 retreat and Imphal and Kohima:

"Mohawks over Burma", by Gerry Beauchamp



From the Indian Official History series, "Reconquest of Burma", volume I

and

"Battle at Sangshak", by Harry Seaman



Does not look like much, but just wait to when my reading queue hits Imphal, Kohima and beyond...

 

I've not read Bombers Fly East, but i'd imagine it's the same type of thing. To be fair, I did read a couple of his titles years back and they were fine for a quick read. As Charley pointed out though, you can't have much quality control when you're firing books out at the rate he has over the last few years.

 

Funny enough, I have started to find bits from my website turning up in some newly published books, sometimes without any attempt to change the wording or grammar.

 

I've heard there's a word for that... something about plagues...?

 

Just console yourself with the thought of how many homework assignments and special projects you've vicariously submitted for the nation's youth.

I'm sure it will warm the heart.

 

Are you saying then, you need, to leave errors of wordng or gramar in your work to prove its your's and has just been coped & past'd

TD

 

I think what I'm saying is that knowing my writing skills, I'd be more careful when purloining from the Tinternet, if I were them!!

 

2017 was the 67th Anniversary of The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir. 41 Independent Commando Royal Marines was there and fought along side the 1st US Marine Division.

1). For those wanting to know more about the Chosin Reservoir:

http://www.chosinreservoir.com

2). For those wanting to know more about 41 Independent Commando:

Untitled Document

3). November 2001 Article in the Marine Corps Gazette:

https://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/...-november-2001

These are the only two publications I know of on 41 Independent Commando.

 

Right here goes, Mountbatten, by Phillip Ziegler. Just the 750 odd pages for this one. I may well be sometime:

 

Read more about it here:

Dutch SAS: The Untold Story.

 

There was no way I could walk out of the charity shop and leave this on the shelf.
With 700 pages and just a fiver, it was a must have. Looks like I might be a tad ignorant, and unsociable over the coming weeks.
Graham.

 

In my opinion, Allen's book is the most useful overview account of the Burma campaign. I use it almost as a reference tool.