In this classic oral history, Stephen Ambrose follows Easy Company of the 506th Airborne from their training to the end of World War II. It’s an easy-to-read, compelling account of men at war. I came away from this book greatly admiring the men of Easy Company. This book was the basis of the hit HBO Television series “Band of Brothers.” In many ways, this book reminded me of the classic Cornelius Ryan works like A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day. Ambrose has taken criticism for some factual errors in his work, but the reader must remember that this is an ORAL history, and the memories of the men involved may have dimmed with time.
Angel In The Whirlwind is a good, one volume account of the American Revolution. Beginning with the war’s proximate causes in the French and Indian War, and continuing on to 1782 and Washington’s retirement, this book is full of the colorful personalities that make this period so interesting. This was the first book I read when beginning my research into the Ameican Revolution. It’s a good place to start — or, if you are a Revolution aficionado, a good read to remind you why the Revolution caught your imagination in the first place.
In Battles of the Revolutionary War, author W.J. Wood contends that — contrary to popular belief — the war was won by American skill on the battlefield. To prove this contention, he examines in ten chapters, ten major battles of the war: Bunker Hill, Quebec, Trenton and Princeton, Brandywine, Oriskany, Saratoga, King’s Mountain, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and the Chesapeake Capes. Each chapter features a detailed narrative of the battle, some useful maps and battle plans, and an analysis of the action. There also are some good organizational charts, and intellience reports. It was well worth the price.
As the title suggests, Painting Wargaming Figures: WWII In The Desert is a guide to painting the armies of British and Commonwealth, Italian, United States and German Armies of the North Africa Campaigns in World War II. Author Andy Singleton is a full time, professional figure painter.
Painting Wargaming Figures: WWII In the Desert is published in a perfect bound 17cm x 24.5 cm format with 158 glossy pages. the book has some 200 color illustrations. Nearly all of these are of figures in various stages of their “paint jobs.”
Singleton begins his volume with a brief discussion of the various “tools of the trade”: hobby knives, side cutters, files, glue, brushes and the like. A discussion on painting techniques, such as drybrushing, washes and glazing follows. I suspect that most experienced miniature wargamers will just skim past this.
The meat of the book is in the step-by-step painting guides. For each nationality, Singleton offers step-by-step instructions for producing figures at “conscript”, “regular” and “elite” levels. The ratings refer not the quality of the troops, but to the level of painting detail and skill required. Novice painters can start at the “conscript” level to quickly start fielding an army. As confidence and skill grows, a painter can step up to the higher levels.
In each step, Singleton includes a chart of suggested colors, describes which parts of the figure to paint and which colors to use on which areas of the figure. He also suggests brush sizes and painting techniques (dry brushing, for example).
If I were a beginning painter, I think this volume would serve very nicely to help me get started. As it stands, though, I’ve been at it for nearly fifty years and have probably painted some ten thousand figures. Still, I still gleaned some good information from the “Elite” instructions, particularly some aspects of using washes that I had not considered.
Tank Craft: Tiger I and Tiger II Tanks is part of a series from publisher Pen and Sword that cover fighting vehicles from WWII to the present. Each of the books is offers full color visual references, as well as modeling guides and historical background.
Like others in the series, Tank Craft: Tiger I and Tiger II Tanks is published in a 21cm x 30cm perfect bound format with 64 glossy pages. There are 32 pages of color illustrations.
Ten of the color pages are illustrations depicting twenty different variations of the Tiger I and Tiger II tanks. The remaining color pages show photographs of scale model kits from a variety of manufacturers.
Gamers and historical enthusiasts will enjoy a timeline of actions in which Tigers were involved in 1945, as well as short operational histories of Tiger units engaged in the last months of the war. The book also includes unit organizations.
Color Interior of Tank Craft: Tiger 1 and Tiger II
Color Interior of Tank Craft: Tiger 1 and Tiger II
This is a slim volume, but packed full of information for modelers and gamers interested in the Tiger I and Tiger II tanks in the last months of the war.
