My library just grew again 2016

[Mr.Creak]

Just found a reasonably-good nick copy of Friedman's Postwar Naval Revolution in a charity shop for 2 quid.
Well chuffed.

[Steel Penguin]

back from the Hammerhead wargames show, and 2 books
Living on the front line  a winter of 79 game, a set of rules for the UK civil war in the end of the 70s start of the 80s
Osprey adventures, war of the worlds, the Anglo Martian war.

[reddfoxx]

Finally sprung for the last Eric Brown books I don't already have- Miles M.52, and Helicopter In Civil Service.  Such a good writer, and great man.

[McColm]

For those of you who like your flying boats to be jet powered,  then get a copy of 'Re Star Volume 29'.
This covers Beriev's jet flying boats. There's 127 pages with 16 pages of colour photos. Black and white photos with sketches, cutaways and what ifs.
From the early days of the R-1 to the Be-10, A-40 through to the A-42Be-200 and concepts in between. The A-150 multi-purpose amphibian is an idea I had and I will be referring to the sketches and drawings  for my build.
Looks like an interesting read.

[jcf]

The Grand Prix Car by Lawrence Pomeroy, 2 vol. expanded edition, Motor Racing Publications 1954.
No dust-jackets, but both are in very good condition and I got the pair for much less than many are asking
for a single volume.

[zenrat]

I just finished Monash:  The Outsider who won the War by Roland Perry (2007).
Not the latest biography of Monash and contains at least one inaccuracy (the old fallacy that the Anzacs landed on "the wrong beach" when in fact the plan was changed at the last minute following a seaplane reconnaissance flown from the Ark Royal).  
Tim Fischer's Maestro John Monash (published 2014) was the one I wanted to read but I was lent this so it would have been rude to turn it down.
Perry's book was however fascinating and taught me a lot about the great man.  It's a well written easy read although I did sometimes get confused regarding how the various battalions and divisions and brigades fitted together and who was in charge of who - some charts would have been useful.
As we approach the 100th anniversaries of the decisive battles on the Western Front in which the AIF played such a pivotal role this book shows that there is much more to the Australian experience in WW1 than what occurred at Gallipoli.

For a change of pace i've just started a book on the Opium War.

[NARSES2]

For a change of pace i've just started a book on the Opium War.

First, second or both ?

Monash is not someone I've read much about. Obviously he's been heavily involved in the histories I've read but I've not read up on him in particular. Something I need to do, given the time 

Talking of the events of 1916. One of our local schools (Whitgift) has an exhibition on about it. You can tell it's a private school by the fact that it has full scale mock ups of trenches ! One of the exhibits is a white feather presented to an old boy when he was home on leave from the Front and in civvies.

Me and a mate are going next week - good pub over the road 

[Green Dragon]

Got Battle Flight cheap from Amazon a couple of weeks ago.

Paul Harrison

[zenrat]

For a change of pace i've just started a book on the Opium War.

First, second or both ?

Monash is not someone I've read much about. Obviously he's been heavily involved in the histories I've read but I've not read up on him in particular. Something I need to do, given the time  

Talking of the events of 1916. One of our local schools (Whitgift) has an exhibition on about it. You can tell it's a private school by the fact that it has full scale mock ups of trenches ! One of the exhibits is a white feather presented to an old boy when he was home on leave from the Front and in civvies.

Me and a mate are going next week - good pub over the road  

First Opium War in detail, but with some stuff about the second I think.  I'm still on the introductory chapters as I've been sidetracked by the arrival of the latest AMW which obviously takes precedence.

Perry's Monash book is written mainly using his archived papers as source material.
To sum it up - Monash won the war.  Without his planning and detailed briefing as commander of the AIF (i.e. if Murdoch and Hughes had got their way) they would have been thrown away piecemeal as Haig continued to slaughter fighting men willy nilly and the Hindenberg line would never have been breached.  The arrival of US troops in the war didn't make much difference as they were inexperienced and badly led (except when under Monash's command).  The only troops worth a damn were Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians who the Germans were afraid of to such an extent they avoided attacking areas of the front where they would be opposed by these nationalities.
Now, Perry being an Australian there might just be an element of national pride in the book.
The newer Fischer (also an Australian who has stated Monash is a life long hero of his) book apparently contains more detail on post war events including invitations to Monash to lead a military coup.

So have Whitgift dug trenches in their playing fields?  Could be an interesting form of detention.
Or even an alternative to PE lessons.  "No rugby today boys.  You're going to line up and then go over the top while the staff shell you..."

[NARSES2]

I've read a few "Monash won the War" articles myself. Very, very much an over simplification but apparently he was slated to replace Haig if the war had continued into 1919. Personally I'm quite a fan of Haig in the 100 days of 1918 and have my own views on 16 and 17 which I will debate in person not on-line. All of this comes from probably 45 years of reading about WWI, and I'm still going and hopefully learning.

As for Whitgift ? They've created the exhibits in their museum which I never knew they had. But then I'm a Secondary Modern "oik" and we weren't allowed any where but the changing rooms when we played (and lost) to them at cricket or ran (and thrashed them) in cross country.

[jcf]

Just arrived in the post and it looks very good. 

[rickshaw]

Getting in on the Monash discussion.  Monash was a very good commander, better than most in WWI.  His civil engineering background proved a great help to him.  He always liked a battle to an engineering problem, assembling the men, materials, programming the action and bob was your uncle usually.  There was talk at one stage of him succeeding Haig but as a Jew and descended from a German, I doubt it would have happened unless things went really bad.  The British establishment was sturdily anti-Semitic and anti-German by the end of WWI.  Haig proved an adequate supreme commander IMHO, although, a bit of a slow learner and single-minded.  Once the bit and hold operations of the 100 days started, he won the war, forcing the Germans into full retreat.   Most biographies of Monash suffer from being hagiographies.  I've met Fischer and while he's a nice man, I haven't read his book but suspect it's of similar material.  Monash's greatest strength was his ability to learn and to learn quickly.  What didn't work was discarded, what did was developed.  Everything was rehearsed, everything practiced.  Every man knew his role and what to do.  No one was blind and no one in the dark.  It worked and it worked well.

[Spey_Phantom]

picked up some Luft'46 research after work today (ordered them online) 

-The Ultimate Flying Wings of the Luftwaffe (Justo Miranda)
-The Ultimate Piston Fighters of the Luftwaffe (also Justo Miranda)

[Thorvic]

Finally got round to getting a copy of Eric Groves - Vangaurd to Tident on Post War Royal Navy Policy 

Also picked up Les Porte-Avions Francais de origins 1911 a nos jours (aka French Aircraft Carriers 1911-1975)

Not bad although its the 1975 edition and i thought i had snagged the 1996 reprint which would hopefully cover the Charles De Gaulle programme, but still pretty good and it covers the projected carriers and carrier types 

[chrisonord]

Arrived in the post today, "Russian Air Power" 21st century aircraft weapons and strategy. Call me old fashioned but I still much prefer to look something up in a book and have it to hand as and when whilst investigating back stories and weapons for a build. For some reason I can remember stuff better from a book also. This new acquisition will be very helpful to me with my Cartel stuff and any Russian builds I will be doing. I think it goes from the Perestroika years  up to about the early 2000's which is good enough for me.
Cheers
Chris.