Good military/aviation books

[Steve Davies]

Good to know. Will check it out!

 

[Hacker]

On 2/2/2021 at 4:31 PM, uhhello said:

@Steve Davies Red Eagles got a mention today on Joe Rogan Podcast with Thunderbirds driver/MMA Ref

Here's hoping some of that huge Rogan audience decides to buy copies.

[Clark Griswold]

2034 - Next WW

Just finished the audiobook

Do not recommend- 2/5 and that’s generous.

Predictable story, weak technical details and essentially a modestly woke wanna be Clancy novel. Scenarios are implausible even for a mil techno thriller and shoddy / jump around, there’s hardly a single time in this book where America doesn’t step on its dick while everyone else for the most part is uncharacteristically awesome at everything.

Summary - Americans are complacent and proud to a fault, Chinese are cunning and almost invulnerable, Indians are wiser than everyone and the Iranians not that bad. Russians have a small part in book and are essentially just modestly dangerous rogues.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bfargin]

This was the only book thread I could find. It isn't military, but is a best book award winner. Classic satire that rings entirely too true right now (in and out of the military).

Edited November 4, 2021 by bfargin

[pawnman]

Not flying related, but Air Force related...

Command and Control will scare the shit out of you regarding nuclear weapons.  He traces the USAF relationship with nukes from Hiroshima to modern times, interspersed with a minute-by-minute account of a Titan missile explosion just outside Damascus, Arkansas.

Apparently our leadership valued reliability over safety so much that, at one point, they told the president it would be better to lose an American city to an accidental detonation than a weapon malfunction if we dropped them on Russia. 

[Guardian]

If you liked that then read The Dead Hand. I think 2006 or 08prize winner. Crazy book

[skibum]

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, 2012

Written pre-COVID and even more interesting post COVID. The story is post-apocalyptic with a main character who lives at a small airport and flies a private aircraft around. This is not one of the many self-published and poorly edited post-apocalyptic books. Nearly everyone who has read it with my recommendation says it's one of the best books they've ever read.

[ClearedHot]

A great read and I now view Grant in a new light.  I would now argue his efforts to keep the union together and prevent a second Civil War are on par with Lincolns efforts leading up to and during the Civil War.

To Rescue the Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876

[JackWhite]

Heinz Guderian. Tanks forward! - is one of the most interesting books about WW2. Lots of personal and real battles discussions from the Nazi's points of view. If you are interesting in a millitary books you'll enjoy this one.

[wikz]

I just finished reading Hasard Lees "the art of clear thinking" about a few months ago. good read; tells about his deployed stories and how beneficial mental toughness can be in the cockpit.

I was wondering if anyone had some good books recommendations that correlate to the topic? to give more context, maybe something along the lines of their journey to being an airforce fighter pilot - experiences/ stories - how to be a leader - tips on how to succeed - etc. 

anything Is greatly appreciated!

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by wikz

[Danger41]

On 10/7/2023 at 5:40 PM, wikz said:

I just finished reading Hasard Lees "the art of clear thinking" about a few months ago. good read; tells about his deployed stories and how beneficial mental toughness can be in the cockpit.

I was wondering if anyone had some good books recommendations that correlate to the topic? to give more context, maybe something along the lines of their journey to being an airforce fighter pilot - experiences/ stories - how to be a leader - tips on how to succeed - etc. 

anything Is greatly appreciated!

 

There’s quite a few out there on the fighter pilot topic. Mike Manazir’s book is good. Anything by Ed Rasimus is really good. Dan Pedersen’s book about the creation of Top Gun is good. Dan Hampton has several good books. Give those a look.

[Danger41]

“By Water Beneath the Walls” by Ben Milligan is really an interesting read. It’s a very in depth story on the history of the Navy SEALs from their WW2 beginnings to modern day. Much more academic than dramatic.

[HeyEng]

I’m in the process of reading John Nichol’s book “Eject! Eject!”. It is the history of the seat ejection system with heavy emphasis on Martin Baker.

I purchased the book after watching an episode of Ward Carrol’s podcast after he interviewed this author.

[wikz]

On 10/8/2023 at 5:26 PM, Danger41 said:

There’s quite a few out there on the fighter pilot topic. Mike Manazir’s book is good. Anything by Ed Rasimus is really good. Dan Pedersen’s book about the creation of Top Gun is good. Dan Hampton has several good books. Give those a look.

I recently finished David Goggin's book can't hurt me and I gotta say it was pretty amazing hearing his story. 

I just purchased Mike Manazir's book and can't wait to start reading.

[uhhello]

Tribe by Unger is fantastic.  Quick campfire read.  All of his books are great.

[pbar]

Sorry if this the wrong thread to post this at but seeing Steve Davies post at the top reminds me that if you haven't seen his Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRC6h8Vk4d2a9hHDrS1hMA) 10% True, you are missing out.  Tons of great aviation interviews on there. 

Edited November 29, 2023 by pbar
clarification

[uhhello]

17 hours ago, pbar said:

Sorry if this the wrong thread to post this at but seeing Steve Davies post at the top reminds me that if you haven't seen his Youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKRC6h8Vk4d2a9hHDrS1hMA) 10% True, you are missing out.  Tons of great aviation interviews on there. 

Bingo.  Great episodes over and over.

[GreenArc]

On 10/7/2023 at 6:40 PM, wikz said:

I just finished reading Hasard Lees "the art of clear thinking" about a few months ago. good read; tells about his deployed stories and how beneficial mental toughness can be in the cockpit.

I was wondering if anyone had some good books recommendations that correlate to the topic? to give more context, maybe something along the lines of their journey to being an airforce fighter pilot - experiences/ stories - how to be a leader - tips on how to succeed - etc. 

anything Is greatly appreciated!

 

I enjoyed that as well!

Not sure if this one has been mentioned, but "The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe" is a fantastic read. It takes you all the way from the early 1900's and our essentially lack of a real, remotely modern Air Force to the philosophy behind the design of long-range bombers like the B-17, iterations of the P-47 to support bomber escorts, introduction of P-51, fighting the ME-262, etc. to finally absolutely grinding down and killing the Luftwaffe.

I loved the insight into the different strategies/philosophies between the US and Brits (day-time raids vs. Britains strictly nighttime (and inaccurate) bombing), and it did an excellent job of highlight the specifics of many big missions like the raid on Ploesti, the Luftwaffe's Bodenplatte, etc. Also, the American logistical might as well as training apparatus at the time was fascinating to learn about throughout the book.

Finally, it highlights what absolute warriors all of those aviators were. If I didn't misread (well, mishear, I did the audio book), we lost over 34,000 airman over the skies of Europe, fighting several miles above the earth at often times -40 degree temperatures, flack all around them and German fighters who continued to fight tooth and nail even after it was beyond clear that the Nazi cause was lost.

You won't regret reading this one!

[SocialD]

3 hours ago, GreenArc said:

I enjoyed that as well!

Not sure if this one has been mentioned, but "The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe" is a fantastic read. It takes you all the way from the early 1900's and our essentially lack of a real, remotely modern Air Force to the philosophy behind the design of long-range bombers like the B-17, iterations of the P-47 to support bomber escorts, introduction of P-51, fighting the ME-262, etc. to finally absolutely grinding down and killing the Luftwaffe.

I loved the insight into the different strategies/philosophies between the US and Brits (day-time raids vs. Britains strictly nighttime (and inaccurate) bombing), and it did an excellent job of highlight the specifics of many big missions like the raid on Ploesti, the Luftwaffe's Bodenplatte, etc. Also, the American logistical might as well as training apparatus at the time was fascinating to learn about throughout the book.

Finally, it highlights what absolute warriors all of those aviators were. If I didn't misread (well, mishear, I did the audio book), we lost over 34,000 airman over the skies of Europe, fighting several miles above the earth at often times -40 degree temperatures, flack all around them and German fighters who continued to fight tooth and nail even after it was beyond clear that the Nazi cause was lost.

You won't regret reading this one!

 

 

Sounds great!  I'd also recommend To Kingdom Come, another good book on the bomber air war over Europe.  Amazing what those young men went through.  The Wrong Stuff, is another good/funny read about that time.  

 

 

Those numbers are probably close.  I think the 8th AF alone lost ~26,000 men.  To put that into perspective, we lost ~24,500 Marines in WW2.  

 

[GreenArc]

15 hours ago, SocialD said:

 

 

Sounds great!  I'd also recommend To Kingdom Come, another good book on the bomber air war over Europe.  Amazing what those young men went through.  The Wrong Stuff, is another good/funny read about that time.  

 

 

Those numbers are probably close.  I think the 8th AF alone lost ~26,000 men.  To put that into perspective, we lost ~24,500 Marines in WW2.  

 

 

Thanks so much the rec's! I've got a lot of time on the road for drill this weekend so I'll get started on those audio books if they have 'em! (BTW: Fun fact: If you've never heard of Libby, download the app! If you have a DoD number you can access the DoD library for free, and there's a TON of digital and audio books. I really only use my Audible app now for books I had downloaded but not listened to yet, or to buy audio books on sale if they're not on Libby)

And those are truly sobering numbers. Rightfully so, the losses our Marines suffered in the Pacific (and the conditions and enemy they fought against) get a lot of focus, study, and unquestioned respect, but it's amazing how many folks don't realize how many Airman we lost in the air, and in such awful ways. Bullets, shrapnel, flack, freezing, burning, parachutes on fire on the way down (or not pulling at all), even German pilots shooting at them in the air while in their parachutes...it's hard to comprehend how those guys--all volunteers to be in the air--again, and again, and again got into those airframes and got to work against the Luftwaffe.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by GreenArc

[SocialD]

41 minutes ago, GreenArc said:

Thanks so much the rec's! I've got a lot of time on the road for drill this weekend so I'll get started on those audio books if they have 'em! (BTW: Fun fact: If you've never heard of Libby, download the app! If you have a DoD number you can access the DoD library for free, and there's a TON of digital and audio books. I really only use my Audible app now for books I had downloaded but not listened to yet, or to buy audio books on sale if they're not on Libby)

 

 

Nice thanks for the point out.  I have the Libby app, but was unaware of the DOD ID thing.  Just logged in with my retiree ID, glad we still have access!