For any of you whiling your time away at an ops desk on the drag-stag, I have found an excellent book to keep you company (and to make you realise things aren't as bad as they could be).

In Deadly Combat, by Gottlob H Bidermann.

Basically it's a book about the Eastern Front, but unlike The Forgotten Soldier, this one appears to be a true account.
It follows Biddermann's progress through the 132 Inf Div as he walked into Russia as a private, then out of ir as a company commander. ?It is a fairly personal account which was written for the members of his Regiment / Div, so is written in stark military speak, ie no civi explanations (he merely expects you to understand the terminology, which is handy since we all do). ?It doesn't attempt to glorify what he did but is written entirely matter of fact like, probably because this is an English translation of a German account. ?It should be compulsory reading for all infantrymen to be perfectly honest. ?There are probably lessons in it that we have all forgotten, which we ought remember, could come in handy in the near future. ?Give it a go (Amazon do it, it could be on your desk in a couple of days).

Anybody else found anything worth reading, if so post it on this thread.

thoroughly recommended -

17 Platoon, by Alfred Jary. *I think it's still in print, and the man himself is still around too. *A PC who joined his Bn in Normandy just after D Day, and fought through to VE Day in N Germany. *Very factual, warts and all study of the British Army in action, reccommended for all Inf.

Almost from the time the guns fell silent in Europe on 8 May 1945, the world in general and the western world in particular has studied the German army of World War II, and its impressive warmaking potential, with a special fascination. Although more than a half century has passed and the developed nations have moved from mass armies to smaller and more lethal forces, the interest in both National Socialist Germany and the World War II German army continues unabated. We still see a steady stream of books on the topic. Some are original studies on various aspects of the war, while others are either reprints or translations of works being made available for the first time in the English language.
One recent release which adds to our understanding of Germany in war and will intrigue American audiences is Gottlob H. Bidermann's In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front. The book was originally published privately in 1964 but was available only in German. An excellent translation, with the author providing additional materials, is now provided by Derek Zumbro, giving American readers much greater access to this classic. The importance of Bidermann's memoir to German historians is evidenced by the fact that Dr. Dennis Showalter, a renowned scholar on the subject, consented to write the preface to the English edition.

The allure of this book is in Bidermann's descriptions of the magnitude of the conflict that occurred on the Eastern Front, supported by the individual dramas that played out daily. Bidermann is eminently qualified to provide these descriptions. With the war in the east only a week old, Bidermann was one of the three million soldiers who disembarked on a seemingly endless journey eastward. He began as an enlisted man in an anti-tank gun crew with the German 132d Infantry Division as it moved across southern Russia. His unit fought in this area during the sieges of the Crimea and Sevastopol. With the Crimea in German hands--after a bloodbath for both armies--the 132d was shifted north to the Leningrad front. There it remained engaged until the end of the war, when it surrendered in the Kurland pocket. Bidermann and thousands of his comrades became prisoners of war in Russia, a fate as fearsome as death itself. Bidermann was released from captivity in the summer of 1948, terribly ill but still a survivor.

What distinguishes Bidermann's book are his soldier's insights on the German army and the Eastern Front. Bidermann started the war as a common soldier, a Landser, and finished it as a gun captain. He was wounded seven times and repeatedly decorated for valor. Though he finished the war as an officer, however, he came home devoted not to the National Socialist regime but to the men with whom he fought. He wrote the book for the survivors of the 132d. Many, like the author, were still trying to come to grips with the war, the savagery of the Eastern Front, and the misery of captivity under the Soviets. Rather than glorifying the war as Germany's eastern crusade, Bidermann looks at the lives and the feelings of the soldiers as they relate to their adversaries and the battles they fought. As he notes for the reader, some say "one may become accustomed to the threat or constant presence of death," but for Bidermann and his comrades, the cries of the dead and dying, both friendly and foe, "are often heard long after the guns are silent."

Old Snowy. Ref.your last. WRONG!

http://www.sommilmuseum.org.uk/article7.php

It's actually "18 platoon, by Sydney Jary"

However, I'm trying to find any book references for Irish Guards in NW Europe, as a gift for my father.

He says very very little about it, and only mentions the Arnhem Bridge drive and fighting in Belgium in winter 44-45 when he's had something to drink.

He tends to refer to most historical depicitions as "crap" but was utterly captivated by "Band of Brothers" which he describes as being the most accurate portrayal he's ever seen *:o

PTP - sorry, not read it for a while! *

I am near both the MoD Library and 'Motor Books' (Best mil boookshop around). *Want me to check out the IG thing for you? *No problem?

PTP
Pretty sure that there is a shed-load of stuff on Cassino which would do the trick?

Snowy, no sh*t about motorbooks. *Have finally managed to find a book I'd been trying to get for 2 yrs. *Cheers.

Company K by William March, a fictional account of an American Inf Coy in WW1 as if by the troops themselves. Its only a thin book, it doesn't take long to read because you can't put it down. I have read it many times and it is shocking every time. Some accounts are very harrowing, fraggings and shooting prisoners etc.

The only copy I can find for sale is £51 for a bright copy in publishers cloth(whatever the hell that means but apparently it's worth £51).

Don't ask me for it as refusal may offend, I would probably give away any other book in my collection rather that this one!!

Old Snowy....

Yes Please, anything at all on Irish Guards, from Normandy Breakout to Belgium, when my father left for commissioning at Bangalore. There must be a unit history somewhere, or personal diary or something. I know he was at Caen (alleged rough treatment of SS prisoners by famous barristers and Conservative peers best not discussed) and the breakout.
The hardest thing is getting him to tell me anything about the comabt bits. But, as all those who have been in harms way know,you only want to discuss it with your oppos I guess....

If anyone else on the board can help, that'd be pretty good too. I spoke with the IG RSM last year, who just about ordered me to wheel Dad up, but he's reluctant...

For potential revolutionaries:

Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein. *

(Not the book of the film, don't be fooled by the cover). *Written in the 1950's and almost banned for being too right wing. *Set following the decline and eventual failure of 20th century society due to liberalism and people failing to accept responsibility for their actions (anyone see anything familiar). *This man had a fully functioning crystal ball. *Oh, and ATRA may want to look at the training regime described therein.

For those who want some justification for a sunny Christmas:

Germs - The Ultimate Weapon: Miller, Engleberg & Broad.

Title speaks for itself, the book giving a bit of an insight into the history of what we could face in the not too distant future. *Some scary stuff. *Luckily we are well prepared.........

Bloody hell Dogmonkey, I fancied something a little lighter *

Can I reccomend anything by Geroge McDonald Fraser?

The Flashman books, whilst not very PC, are an absolute belly laugh, as well as an historically accurate portrayal of BritFor ops. in the Victorian era. Also recommended "Quarterd safe out here" which is GMF's recollections of being in Burma. In fact, anything by him is brilliant

"Sheik and the dustbin"
"McAuslan in the Rough"
"The General danced at dawn"

Go and get them :0)