HomeBoy 1 Posted June 20, 2009 Sorry if this subject is buried somewhere here in the forum. Haven't bothered to look much. I've been to a couple of bookstores, on Amazon and the library looking for a good book on WW1 that I could read while enjoying OFF. It doesn't have to be about aviation, in fact, I'm looking for a book that covers the entire war in somewhat of a light read. Lots of pictures, etc. would be great! :) Sometime ago, I read "A World Undone" by G.J. Meyer which is a great read but a little long. I'm looking for something that will really put me in the spirit as I fly these missions. I figure with all the bright energetic chaps we have lurking around here someone can guide a poor ignorant soul. Suggestions are most welcome. <S>! -mark Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duce Lewis 3 Posted June 20, 2009 Good Coffee table book, short on story, long on pictures. Pictures that take your breath away. The kind of book where you're pissed-off, there's only three pages left. http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Great-War-Avi...8683&sr=1-1 Funny you should suggest "Ghosts" Yesterday a Co-Worker walked into the break room and gave me a copy It is a great coffee table book, mostly pictures (RL and replicas) But there's lot of anedotal facts & short RL stories Roger is a great guy He was a corpsman in Vietnam ...seriously wounded too He found out that a daughter of another co-worker was failing reading comprehension He started buying her booksa and she's getting A's now I tell him that he's my hero all the time He's an avid WWII aviation buff Tried many times to get him interested in OFF But his dad flew P51's and Black Widow's so he's hooked He likes WWII T-Shirts Anyone know a good site where I can pick some up for him? Cheers, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Check Six 2 Posted June 20, 2009 Duce, I'd love to help out, but I don't know of any WW2 t-shirt sites. The reason I replied is to talk about your co-worker, Roger. This guy IS a real hero. A decorated veteran, a corpsman no less, who undoubtedly saved many lives during his service, and eased the passing of those he couldn't save. Son of another veteran from another war. I salute him too. Buying books for a colleague's daughter who was failing reading comprehension??? What can I say? I'd like to meet this guy and thank him. For his service. For his HUMANITY. We desperately need many many more like him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Lucky 0 Posted June 20, 2009 Funny you should suggest "Ghosts"Yesterday a Co-Worker walked into the break room and gave me a copy It is a great coffee table book, mostly pictures (RL and replicas) But there's lot of anedotal facts & short RL stories Roger is a great guy He was a corpsman in Vietnam ...seriously wounded too He found out that a daughter of another co-worker was failing reading comprehension He started buying her booksa and she's getting A's now I tell him that he's my hero all the time He's an avid WWII aviation buff Tried many times to get him interested in OFF But his dad flew P51's and Black Widow's so he's hooked He likes WWII T-Shirts Anyone know a good site where I can pick some up for him? Cheers, Historical aviation. They got all kinds. Here's the link. May have to cut and paste http://www.historicaviation.com/index.po Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Lucky 0 Posted June 20, 2009 Also, I'd recommend any of the Osprey series. Lots of pictures, you can read them just in sections. Not a lot of text but a lot of details. They make good light reading and good reference books as well. Just a bit pricey imho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OvS 8 Posted June 20, 2009 Sorry if this subject is buried somewhere here in the forum. Haven't bothered to look much. I've been to a couple of bookstores, on Amazon and the library looking for a good book on WW1 that I could read while enjoying OFF. It doesn't have to be about aviation, in fact, I'm looking for a book that covers the entire war in somewhat of a light read. Lots of pictures, etc. would be great! :) Sometime ago, I read "A World Undone" by G.J. Meyer which is a great read but a little long. I'm looking for something that will really put me in the spirit as I fly these missions. I figure with all the bright energetic chaps we have lurking around here someone can guide a poor ignorant soul. Suggestions are most welcome. <S>! -mark Two things... 1. Some of the the boys on the forum have been asking for you. ;) Good to see you back with us. We hope you're OK. 2. Read 'Diary of an Aviator' or it might be titled : Wings: Diary of an Aviator... something close to that. It's an actual diary of an American pilot in WWI. It's his true experiences until the end of the book, and illustrated by none other than Elliot White Springs. All the best, good to see you around the hangar again. OvS Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duce Lewis 3 Posted June 20, 2009 Historical aviation. They got all kinds. Here's the link. May have to cut and paste http://www.historicaviation.com/index.po Thanks Mr. Lucky Historic Aviation is Roger's favorite website Probably bought the book there He probably has all the T's but I saw a nice P-51 diecast that would look good on his desk Steve, you pretty much pegged him right Rog is about as nice a person as you can meet It's a treat when he sits at the break table with you You leave with your sides hurting as he's hysterically funny too Homeboy, If you're looking for Osprey books, here's a link: http://books.google.com/books?q=%22world+w...nG=Search+Books Google Book Search is an excellent source for old & out of print books Some are free downloads if the copyright has expired If not, they usually allow you to read a chapter or 2 online and provide links to sellers GBS is on the lower left of the Advanced Search Screen Cheers all, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HomeBoy 1 Posted June 20, 2009 Two things... 1. Some of the the boys on the forum have been asking for you. ;) Good to see you back with us. We hope you're OK. Thanks OvS, I've been around, just haven't posted much. Course, we were gone for a couple of weeks on my first ever European vacation (Greece, Rome, Switzerland, Paris, London). Loved that! If you are REALLY bored, here are pictures: http://snomhf.exofire.net/europe.html 2. Read 'Diary of an Aviator' or it might be titled : Wings: Diary of an Aviator... something close to that. It's an actual diary of an American pilot in WWI. It's his true experiences until the end of the book, and illustrated by none other than Elliot White Springs. All the best, good to see you around the hangar again. OvS Yes, I've heard of that book. I'll have to check it out. Love Elliot White Springs too. Good ole South Carolina boy! Thanks so much! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OvS 8 Posted June 20, 2009 Thanks OvS,I've been around, just haven't posted much. Course, we were gone for a couple of weeks on my first ever European vacation (Greece, Rome, Switzerland, Paris, London). Loved that! If you are REALLY bored, here are pictures: http://snomhf.exofire.net/europe.html Yes, I've heard of that book. I'll have to check it out. Love Elliot White Springs too. Good ole South Carolina boy! Thanks so much! Great stuff! I loved the Greece pics. When I went to Sicily in April, I found out that it was once occupied by the Greeks. There are the same Temples all over like you saw in Greece. Pretty cool to see that! BTW... My girl's only 8 but I already have I have a Winchester 12g riot gun (standard Police issue shotgun type) ready in the rack.. what's in yours to show 'them' when they come to pick her up. LOL! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NS13Jarhead 6 Posted June 21, 2009 While it is not a history of the Great War, "To the Last Man" by Jeff Shaara is a pretty good book. It is historical fiction, where the story is set against real events, with real historical figures, but with hypothetical dialog. This type of story telling was perfected by Jeff's dad, Michael Shaara, in his book "The Killer Angels" about the Battle of Gettysburg. Anyway, about Jeff's book, it follows four main characters, three of them real, one of them purely imaginary: Raoul Lufberry, Manfred von Richtofen, Gen "Black Jack" Pershing and a fictional US Marine, Roscoe Temple. It's a great read and you get a sense of what these folks went through. I'd highly recommend it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest British_eh Posted June 21, 2009 Surely you didn't see ALL of that from May 26, to June 4th????? We left on April 27th, and returned on May31, and went to Itlay, Munich,Interlaken, and England, and that was rushed! Cheers, British_eh PS - Great weather eh, nice pics too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Launchbury 1 Posted June 21, 2009 The book "Winged Victory" is about as good as you're going to get. It has no pictures, is somewhat lengthy, but if you don't read it you're just cheating yourself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rabu 9 Posted June 22, 2009 My wife brought me Ghosts of the Great War several years ago and I still enjoy getting it out for a look/read. I also enjoy these other "coffee table" books (lots of good photos, illustrations, maps and facts) You can find most of these heavily discounted at book sales and on line: WWI by HP Willmott [2003 One of my favorites for over all coverage with lots of historical photos, maps, explanations, broken down into different phases of the war Epic of Flight Knights of the Air Ezra Bowen and Editors of Time-Life books 2004. Excellent! The West Point Atlas of War - World War I 1959 and republished in 1995 Detailed maps with accompanying text for almost every battle from 1914 to the 1918 Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Any of the Osprey series of planes of WWI and any of the Windsock Data File books on plane types. Expensive, but well worth it: The Imperial Russian Air Service (The 1995 first edition is a collectors item) a heavy, 550 page 9.5"x12" book loaded with information, photos, fold out scale plane drawings, and great art work by James Dietz and others To read: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis.. a flier who survived the war and wrote about it in one of the most moving and poetic manners imaginable. This book deserves to be bought in the beautiful boxed edition. The Blue Max by Jack Hunter: Much better and very different then the movie The Red Baron, by Manfred von Richthofen 1969, translated then edited by Stanley M. Ulanoff Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HomeBoy 1 Posted June 22, 2009 Surely you didn't see ALL of that from May 26, to June 4th????? We left on April 27th, and returned on May31, and went to Itlay, Munich,Interlaken, and England, and that was rushed! Cheers, British_eh PS - Great weather eh, nice pics too. We surely did! I have the sore legs to prove it! It was too much really to do in that short of time. I would love to have spent that entire time in Greece or Rome but since that was my first time on European soil, it was good to get in all those places. Next time, if there ever is a next time, we'll probably just do one place for two weeks. Yes, the weather was fantastic. It rained one time for about 30 minutes, right as we were getting off the train in London. I looked at my wife at that point and said "Well, that's what everybody warned us about!" But then the rain stopped, the sun came out and that was the end of it. Totally beautiful the entire time. I can't believe you guys are actually looking at those pictures. Ha ha! I was almost embarrased to post them. I figured who would want to look at someone else's vacation pictures. ??? There are a hundred or so hits on that page (mostly friends and family). Pretty amazing! Thanks much. And thanks all for the good reading references. I'm going to keep my eye out for these. The online book (http://richthofen.com/rickenbacker/) "Fighting the Flying Circus" by Eddie Rickenbacker is a wonderful read. I found that ten or so years ago when I was playing RB3D. I've read it a couple of times. Even printed the whole thing out once so I could bind it and have it while traveling, etc. I would consider that book mandatory reading for everyone who loves this stuff as we all do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JimAttrill 24 Posted June 22, 2009 To read: Sagittarius Rising by Cecil Lewis.. a flier who survived the war and wrote about it in one of the most moving and poetic manners imaginable. This book deserves to be bought in the beautiful boxed edition. The Blue Max by Jack Hunter: Much better and very different then the movie The Red Baron, by Manfred von Richthofen 1969, translated then edited by Stanley M. Ulanoff Another one to read is 'Combat Report' by Bill Lambert DFC (from Ohio), writes of his training in Canada and experiences with 24sqn RFC in 1918. And 'Winged Victory' of course as mentioned already. Is there any other good fiction or non-fiction stuff about flying in WWI? 'Goodbye to all that' is a terrific description of the war on the ground but I don't remember a mention of an aeroplane in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vasco 3 Posted June 22, 2009 I prefer the accounts of the men who actually flew in the conflict. I have a couple in my collection that are definately worth reading: Saggitarius Rising by Cecil Lewis Flying Fury by James McCudden VC The research and theorising of any published historian pales beside the recolections of the men who flew in the conflict. If you want to experience the war in the air during The Great War, read these books. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rabu 9 Posted June 22, 2009 Another one to read is 'Combat Report' by Bill Lambert DFC (from Ohio), writes of his training in Canada and experiences with 24sqn RFC in 1918. And 'Winged Victory' of course as mentioned already. Is there any other good fiction or non-fiction stuff about flying in WWI? 'Goodbye to all that' is a terrific description of the war on the ground but I don't remember a mention of an aeroplane in it. Thanks, will see if I can find that one, I wasn't familiar with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rabu 9 Posted June 22, 2009 I prefer the accounts of the men who actually flew in the conflict. I have a couple in my collection that are definately worth reading: Saggitarius Rising by Cecil Lewis Flying Fury by James McCudden VC The research and theorising of any published historian pales beside the recolections of the men who flew in the conflict. If you want to experience the war in the air during The Great War, read these books. McCudden's, I would like to read. Lewis still just amazes me with his writing skills. I think the research and historical "theorizing" is just as important as isolated accounts of men in the war who can't see the big picture.. each has it's advantages and a good over all picture is gained by reading both and both convey different information, the fliers accounts being more emotional, the historians being more objective. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vasco 3 Posted June 22, 2009 I think the research and historical "theorizing" is just as important as isolated accounts of men in the war who can't see the big picture.. each has it's advantages and a good over all picture is gained by reading both and both convey different information, the fliers accounts being more emotional, the historians being more objective. Rabu, I agree to some extent but then question asked was what to read whilst flying OFF. I have an extensive library of historical references regarding The Great Air War. The first book I was ever given on the subject was from my grandfather who salvaged it from the paper recycling plant where he worked back in 1968; it was called the The Great Air War by Aaron Norman. I was 11 years old and I'd never read a book that thick before. I couldn't put it down and it filled me with a passion for this period of aviation history I have pursued from that point forward. I went on to join the British Army and fly in the Army Air Corps and wore an observers and air gunners half wing on my flight suit that was of the same design of those worn by the RFC. To my mind the memoirs and remembered experiences of the aircrew who survived to write such works sticks in my mind when I'm out of altitude and energy, but never out of ideas in a flight sim as glorious as the one the OFF team put together. When my palms are slick with sweat on the controllers and my aircraft's riding the stall, it's the writings of McCudden and Lewis that spring to mind, not those of the historians who attempted to rationalise the strategies of Trenchard and Haig long after the event. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnGresham 0 Posted June 22, 2009 Rabu, I agree to some extent but then question asked was what to read whilst flying OFF. I have an extensive library of historical references regarding The Great Air War. The first book I was ever given on the subject was from my grandfather who salvaged it from the paper recycling plant where he worked back in 1968; it was called the The Great Air War by Aaron Norman. I was 11 years old and I'd never read a book that thick before. I couldn't put it down and it filled me with a passion for this period of aviation history I have pursued from that point forward. I went on to join the British Army and fly in the Army Air Corps and wore an observers and air gunners half wing on my flight suit that was of the same design of those worn by the RFC. To my mind the memoirs and remembered experiences of the aircrew who survived to write such works sticks in my mind when I'm out of altitude and energy, but never out of ideas in a flight sim as glorious as the one the OFF team put together. When my palms are slick with sweat on the controllers and my aircraft's riding the stall, it's the writings of McCudden and Lewis that spring to mind, not those of the historians who attempted to rationalise the strategies of Trenchard and Haig long after the event. I'm with Rabu on this one, both are of value, both help us to understand the nature of the conflict from different pespectives and whatever promotes greater understanding is no bad thing. One offers the personal reflections and the immediacy of the impact of the conlict on the individual, the other offers a broader view that seeks to explain how and why events happened in the way they did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
themightysrc 5 Posted June 22, 2009 Well, in reply to the original post (partly) and because it is simply one of the best and most evocative and honest books ever written about flying in WWI, you can do very much worse than to track down copy of "No Parachute" by Arthur Gould Lee, who served in the RFC flying Pups and Camels and had a fairly distinguished career. It's a great book because it's a collection of jottings and letters, rather than setting out to be a book in its own right, or some self-serving panegyric to a particular pilot. Because it's letters from the front, you get to hear of the true thoughts and feelings, stripped of patriotism or jingoism, of a man watching the world go mad around him, and realising the effect it's having on him. His account of the fellow pilot who had a recurring nightmare about a face that appeared distant and ended in a screaming fit when his own dream face was (literally) face to face with the approaching dream face is one of the most spine-chilling evocations of the stresses pilots of the time endured. No wonder he chose the title for the book that he did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rabu 9 Posted June 23, 2009 Thanks for all the great references, guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Madmatt 0 Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) Funny you should suggest "Ghosts"Yesterday a Co-Worker walked into the break room and gave me a copy It is a great coffee table book, mostly pictures (RL and replicas) But there's lot of anedotal facts & short RL stories Roger is a great guy He was a corpsman in Vietnam ...seriously wounded too He found out that a daughter of another co-worker was failing reading comprehension He started buying her booksa and she's getting A's now I tell him that he's my hero all the time He's an avid WWII aviation buff Tried many times to get him interested in OFF But his dad flew P51's and Black Widow's so he's hooked He likes WWII T-Shirts Anyone know a good site where I can pick some up for him? Cheers, Duce, send your friend to Belle and Blade's website. They have some cool WWII T-shirts and an awesome collection of military videos. http://www.warshows.com/StoreFront.bok I get their printed full catalog in the mail every few months and it's packed full of cool merchandise and videos, never really browsed their online store before now but it looks like it has all the same stuff. Madmatt Edited June 23, 2009 by Madmatt Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest British_eh Posted June 23, 2009 McCudden's, I would like to read. Lewis still just amazes me with his writing skills. I think the research and historical "theorizing" is just as important as isolated accounts of men in the war who can't see the big picture.. each has it's advantages and a good over all picture is gained by reading both and both convey different information, the fliers accounts being more emotional, the historians being more objective. Hi there RABU. Just bought McCudden's book on eBay or Amazon, from England. Not an origianl copy , but a second printing done in about 1968 I believe. Cheers, British_eh Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
