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18 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

I believe there is a third volume of this coming out in April for those interested. Covers the final phases of the fighting in Hungary and retreat into Austria. Ideal accompaniment to Fire & Bubble ...

It's already out.

https://www.amazon.com/Realm-Dying-Sun-III-SS-Panzerkorps/dp/1612009565/ref=sr_1_1?crid=21EFWAAS07L2B&dchild=1&keywords=from+the+realm+of+a+dying+sun.+volume+3&qid=1616527769&sprefix=in+the+realm+of+the+dying+sun%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1

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5 hours ago, Commanderski said:

I think we get it a bit later this side of the pond, it is available to pre-order as our Aragorn noted. Itโ€™ll be making itโ€™s way into my shopping ๐Ÿ›’ sometime soon fo sure.

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  • 2 weeks later...
6 hours ago, Aragorn2002 said:

Vol.III is out and in!

The physical book or eBook?

My Amazon still shows it as preorder. Still, no rush, Iโ€™ve got plenty to read in the meantimeย ๐Ÿ“š. This one will come down in price for sure later on and his titles donโ€™t seem to go out of print so quickly. I think Iโ€™ll give my money toย someone else other than Amazon this time round.

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On 3/22/2021 at 12:27 PM, RepsolCBR said:

lately i have been watching/listening to this...

It's been very intresting but its a rather long audiobook...50-ish hours just about.

ย 

It is more than 60 years old, so I suspect that it may be lacking most of the research on The Third Reich that has come since.

I am currently reading professor Richard J. Evans' very thorough trilogy:

  • The Coming of the Third Reich
  • The Third Reich in Power
  • The Third Reich at War


This is regarded as one of the most comprehensive works on The Third Reich yet written (if not the most). And I highly recommend it.

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I agree Umlaut, Evans' trilogy was amazing.ย 
ย 

Btw Umlaut, you are from Denmark?ย  I am now an expert on all things Danish because I have watched Borgen and The Investigation (about the crazy submarine murder in 2017).ย  :)

What is it they say in the shows for 'thanks'?ย  Tak?ย  Dak?ย 

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7 minutes ago, danfrodo said:

Btw Umlaut, you are from Denmark?ย  I am now an expert on all things Danish because I have watched Borgen and The Investigation (about the crazy submarine murder in 2017).ย  :)

What is it they say in the shows for 'thanks'?ย  Tak?ย  Dak?ย 

We say Tak ๐Ÿ™‚

Alas, I havent seen any of those show yet (but they are on my list). That submarine murder was indeed crazy - and absolutely horrible. The murderer actually managed to escape from prison last year by using a fake pistol he made in the prison workshop. Luckily, he only got a few hundred meters before he was has caught.ย 

I am myself an expert on all things american, as I have watched The Simpsons ๐Ÿ˜‰

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7 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

The physical book or eBook?

My Amazon still shows it as preorder. Still, no rush, Iโ€™ve got plenty to read in the meantimeย ๐Ÿ“š. This one will come down in price for sure later on and his titles donโ€™t seem to go out of print so quickly. I think Iโ€™ll give my money toย someone else other than Amazon this time round.

Physical book. To my surprise it arrived a week ago via Amazon NL.

ย 

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17 hours ago, Aragorn2002 said:

Physical book. To my surprise it arrived a week ago via Amazon NL.

ย 

Got a feeling that Amazon UK are just being a bit recalcitrant with this one, they tried to force eBooks on everyone a year, or so,ย ago to bolster sales of Kindles. I like to try toย give my money to other sellers these days so we still haveย a bit of competition for Jeffreyโ€™s shack.

ย 

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  • 1 month later...

Here's a couple books that have very Black Sea - style combat.ย  Set in hypothetical russian attack to take Baltic states and then Poland.ย  The books are set in Poland.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XN5J6LM?notRedirectToSDP=1&ref_=dbs_mng_calw_0&storeType=ebooks

Note, this aint literature, not by a longshot.ย  Everything is a set up for the fighting.ย  There's very silly cartoonish officer that needs to be overcome by our hero, but who cares? -- it's got some nasty fighting w modern weapons.ย  Book one is a stryker-based unit (plus some Poles) trying to take a heavily defended bridge position.ย  Book two is an abrams company + Irish infantry trying to defend a town.ย 

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https://www.boekenbestellen.nl/boek/gustav-knittel/9789492475541

Reading Career, crimes and trial of Gustav Knittelย by Timo Worst.ย 

Not sure where to begin...packed with 533 pages ofย detail, maps and pics many of which I'dย not seen before, itsย detective work of the highest order...top quality purchase!

Description of the Schnelle Group during the Ardennes is my area of interest and I was not disappointed one bit.

The only downside is that I've now got to make some adjustments toย my Stavelot and Trois Ponts maps!

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On 1/6/2021 at 2:52 PM, Glubokii Boy said:

I have also veen reading quite alot this last year...and the more you read...the more intresting it gets ๐Ÿ˜...

I'm currently reading a series of books by...

Valeriy Zamulin

Covering the battle of Kursk.

All I can say is WOW !!!ย 

I'm totaly blow away by the quality of these books...they are amazing...theย best books i have read so far...the research, his level of knowlede and his ability to 'share' it is outstanding.

I have currently read:

- Battle of Kursk, controversial and neglected aspects

- The forgotten battles of the Kursk sailent, 7th guards armys stand against army detachment Kent

I have also ordered:

- Demolishing the myth, the tankbattle at Prokhorovka

It shall recieve it the next week...and will dive straight in ๐Ÿ˜Š

I belive that he is currently working on two more books covering the planning and preparations for the campaign...

Those will also end up in my 'library' ones released.

ย 

Glubokii Boy,

Demolishing the Myth is nothing short of phenomenal. It provides perspectives I've seen nowhere else, and has what I deem to be the most amazing missing unit story ever, for during the battle the Russians lost track of an entire division. Not a battalion, a division. The deputy commander of the owning army was sent out to find it forthwith and did so some four hours later or thereabouts. Not only is Zamulin an expert on Prokhorovka, but the runs the museum of the battle there and lives nearby. One of the more interesting tidbits is the frank assessment of a Russian general that the Germans had a qualitative edge over the Russian tanks and antitank guns, in that the Russian weapons generally missed the first shot, while the Germans, with their far better fire control systems, didn't when they fired back. If firing on an antitank gun, this usually wiped out the entire crew. Plan to buy all of his other Kursk books, too.

Regards,

John Kettler

ย 

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On 1/6/2021 at 1:44 AM, Bubba883XL said:

Hi all,

it was on hear I heard of panzer wrecks site. And fell in love with all the good rare and expensive books one can never get hold of lop, but I have a growing catalogue and would ask to post your recommendations.

ย 

Apart from work, and being with my boys the main thing I seem to do during this whole pandemic is reading. Can't get enough of it.ย 

ย 

Currently read.

Endkampf. Excellent title.ย 

War photography 1.0. nice little book.

Still to read.

12th SS panzer regiment Normandy.

Brandenburg's panther battalion.

Uboat suppliers (milkcows)

ย 

Cheers.ย 

ย 

Bubba

ย 

ย 

ย 

ย 

ย 

Bubba883XL,

HIghly recommend Panzers and the Battle of Normandy, by Bernage.


Everyone who hasn't read it should read Frontsoldaten, by American history prof Fritz. This is the Landser's war told from interviews, letters and even Landser veterans who went on to write about their experiences in novels. Deem it not just one of the most important books about WW II ever written, but one of the most important military books ever written, for this is the distilled essence of men at war, mostly in the titanicย struggle on the Eastern Front. ย If you would understand how the Gerrmans were able to understand how the German soldier was able to fight on and on and on, the answers lie here, and some are pretty shocking.ย 

Regards,

John Kettler

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Don't own it (budget), but Normandy Then And Now has recently been updated and reissued. This is focused on the various German regiments which fought there and is replete with visuals. Would also note Hamilton books has the complementary books for Normandy in the Visual Battle Guideย series for huge discounts. There's an equivalent set for Kursk as well: Das Reich vs 5th Guards Tank Army. Money permitting, buy them all. the price is fantastic, and these are hardbacks done on enameled paper and with scads of illos, unit wiring diagrams and more.

https://www.hamiltonbook.com/7th-armoured-division-at-villers-bocage-13-june-1944-visual-battle-guide-hardbound

https://www.hamiltonbook.com/i-ss-panzer-corps-at-villers-bocage-13-june-1944-visual-battle-guide-hardbound



Regards,

John Kettler

Edited by John Kettler
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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Another recommendation with very refreshing insights:

The Phoney War by Peter Hitchens.

"Was World War II really the 'Good War'? In the years since the declaration of peace in 1945, many myths have sprung up around the conflict in the victorious nations. In this book, Peter Hitchens deconstructs the many fables which have become associated with the narrative of the 'Good War'.ย 

Whilst not criticising or doubting the need for war against Nazi Germany at some stage, Hitchens does query whether September 1939 was the right moment or the independence of Poland the right issue. He points out that in the summer of 1939 Britain and France were wholly unprepared for a major European war and that this quickly became apparent in the conflict that ensued. He also rejects the retroactive claim that Britain went to war in 1939 to save the Jewish population of Europe. On the contrary, the beginning and intensification of war made it easier for Germany to begin the policy of mass murder in secret as well as closing most escape routes.ย 

In a provocative but deeply researched book, Hitchens questions the most common assumptions surrounding World War II, turning on its head the myth of Britain's role in a 'Good War'."

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Thank you for the book recommendation.ย  BTW:ย  It's called "The Phoney Victory".ย ย  Looking for it on Amazon now.ย  IIRC Peter is the brotherย of Christopher Hitchens who was a fabulous journalist.ย  So, one can have high expectations.ย 

Edited by Erwin
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1 hour ago, Erwin said:

Thank you for the book recommendation.ย  BTW:ย  It's called "The Phoney Victory".ย ย  Looking for it on Amazon now.ย  IIRC Peter is the brotherย of Christopher Hitchens who was a fabulous journalist.ย  So, one can have high expectations.ย 

My bad. Forgive me. And thank you for correcting that.

Edited by Aragorn2002
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I've read "Phony Victory", it's quite entertaining and well written, as always the case with Peter Hitchens. It's not a historical research per se, but more like a long essay on the decline and fall of British empire. For me the most valuable part is Hitchens's reflection on the the image of WW2 in British collective memory. While it's generally perceived as yet another English triumph, he argues, in fact it was a colossal disaster for the Empire that resulted in Britain becoming a second rate power. Hitchens notes, that neither Britain playedย  a major role in WW2, norย it came out victorious from the conflict, despite what popular sentiment says. The text is full of resentment towards US that basically substituted bankrupt Britain as the world hegemon. It also have some kind words for Chamberlain,ย  I recall, and some critics of overinflated - in Hitchens's view -ย  image of Churchill.ย The large portion of the book is the condemnation of British areal bombardments of German cities with harsh rebuke addressed toย Arthur Harris.ย 

You may, or may not, agree withย "Phony Victory" - onceย  again, it's more like an opinion and essay - but between two brothersย I always preferred Peter to Christopher.ย ย 

ย 

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1 hour ago, dbsapp said:

I've read "Phony Victory", it's quite entertaining and well written, as always the case with Peter Hitchens. It's not a historical research per se, but more like a long essay on the decline and fall of British empire. For me the most valuable part is Hitchens's reflection on the the image of WW2 in British collective memory. While it's generally perceived as yet another English triumph, he argues, in fact it was a colossal disaster for the Empire that resulted in Britain becoming a second rate power. Hitchens notes, that neither Britain playedย  a major role in WW2, norย it came out victorious from the conflict, despite what popular sentiment says. The text is full of resentment towards US that basically substituted bankrupt Britain as the world hegemon. It also have some kind words for Chamberlain,ย  I recall, and some critics of overinflated - in Hitchens's view -ย  image of Churchill.ย The large portion of the book is the condemnation of British areal bombardments of German cities with harsh rebuke addressed toย Arthur Harris.ย 

You may, or may not, agree withย "Phony Victory" - onceย  again, it's more like an opinion and essay - but between two brothersย I always preferred Peter to Christopher.ย ย 

ย 

In my experience lots of books on ww2 are for the most part opinions and to a lesser degree based on new historical research, but I know what you mean. What I do like about Hitchen is his fresh, revisionist approach. While still reading his book I'm fascinated by his conclusions and hardly can put it down, which doesn't happen often to me. One example is his analysis of the British promise in 1939 to the Poles to defend Poland (itself territorially aggressive, despotic and very anti-semitic, even during the war the Poles in exile in London triedย  to get rid of the jews after the war) in case of an enemy attack. That promise was strictly aimed at Germany as was described in a secret protocol. When the Poles asked the British for help againstย  the invading Russians in 1939, they were pointed to that secret protocol. Another known, but unpopular fact is that Chamberlain did much more to save Britiain, by building up the neglected British armed forces between 1937 and 1939, than all the Britisch pacifists, communists and socialists combined. Hitchen doesn't claim to bring new facts, but he sure gives us a lot to think about. Highly recommended.

ย 

ย 

ย 

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51 minutes ago, Aragorn2002 said:

In my experience lots of books on ww2 are for the most part opinions and to a lesser degree based on new historical research, but I know what you mean. What I do like about Hitchen is his fresh, revisionist approach. While still reading his book I'm fascinated by his conclusions and hardly can put it down, which doesn't happen often to me. One example is his analysis of the British promise in 1939 to the Poles to defend Poland (itself territorially aggressive, despotic and very anti-semitic, even during the war the Poles in exile in London triedย  to get rid of the jews after the war) in case of an enemy attack. That promise was strictly aimed at Germany as was described in a secret protocol. When the Poles asked the British for help againstย  the invading Russians in 1939, they were pointed to that secret protocol. Another known, but unpopular fact is that Chamberlain did much more to save Britiain, by building up the neglected British armed forces between 1937 and 1939, than all the Britisch pacifists, communists and socialists combined. Hitchen doesn't claim to bring new facts, but he sure gives us a lot to think about. Highly recommended.

ย 

ย 

ย 

The main target of Hitchen's critique is the so called guarantees to Poland, that Britain de facto couldn't fullfil. He writes that British policy in this reagard "was a great folly. It prevented us from getting Soviet cooperation at a far lower price than the one we eventually paid for it".

When exiled Polish government asked for help against USSR, it was a plain absurd, as everything that this government had done before it. Even failed British realized it could be stupidiest move ever (just imagine consequences of Britain declaring war on Russia in 1939).

Besides, the so called Russian "occupation" of Poland began only on 17 of September, when Poland as a state ceased to exist. There were basically 2 options: either leave the territory to Hitler, or take it yourself (as Molotov rightly pointed out in 1970s interview).ย 

As for the Chamberlain, I don't really remember what Hitchens says about his relations with the armed forces. But what I do recall from other sources is that it was Chamberlain who was Chancellor of the Exchequer since the beginning of 1930s and it was him who for all this time denied the proper funding of British military, including RAF.ย 

ย 

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27 minutes ago, dbsapp said:

ย 

Besides, the so called Russian "occupation" of Poland began only on 17 of September, when Poland as a state ceased to exist. There were basically 2 options: either leave the territory to Hitler, or take it yourself (as Molotov rightly pointed out in 1970s interview).ย 

ย 

Not sure what you mean by so-called occupation. Are you by any chance Russian? The Russian attack on Poland was part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. Stalin was smart enough to wait until the Germans had done most of the fighting.ย 

ย 

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43 minutes ago, dbsapp said:

ย 

As for the Chamberlain, I don't really remember what Hitchens says about his relations with the armed forces. But what I do recall from other sources is that it was Chamberlain who was Chancellor of the Exchequer since the beginning of 1930s and it was him who for all this time denied the proper funding of British military, including RAF.ย 

ย 

Until 1937ย few people saw the necessity of rearming, since Germany wasn't a threat in any way. After 1937ย Chamberlain made sure the British military at least partly recovered from years of neglect in a time that most left wing politicians were against his policy of appeasement, but also against spending more money on arms. No Spitfires without Chamberlain.

Edited by Aragorn2002
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1 hour ago, Aragorn2002 said:

Until 1937ย few people saw the necessity of rearming, since Germany wasn't a threat in any way.ย 

Obviously, it's not true. British cabinet, as the rest of the European governments, perceived Hitler's Germany as a threat since 1933.

In 1933 Germany announced its withdrawalย  from the League of Nations and the World Disarmament Conference.ย 

As early as Nov 1933 - Feb 1934 British Defense Requirements Subcommittee identified Nazi Germany as the principal threat to British national security.ย 

In 1935ย Anglo-German Naval Agreement was signed that premised Nazis to substantially increase their sea power.ย 

In 1936ย theย remilitarization of the Rhineland occurred that de facto cancelled Versailles agreements.ย 

In 1936 the Spanish civil war began and Hitler quickly sent his troops their.ย 

The British Cabinet was very concerned by Hitlerโ€™s rise to power, which they understood as a threat to European security and likely to lead to war in the foreseeable future. In late February 1933, reflecting on the possibility that Hitler would be able to consolidate Nazi rule in Germany, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Sir John Simon expressed the fear that โ€œ[Hitlerโ€™s] militant, very dangerous and incompetent administration will remain in charge of the centre of Europe in strict training for mischief.โ€ In particular, he feared thatย  the consequences would be โ€œโ€ฆan atmosphere of hostility, if not hostilities, which will militate with full force against the financial and economic recovery which is essential not only to peace but to the very existence of civilization".

So it's quite clear that Germany was a threat in any possible way long before 1937.

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