Books on war

[hrpearce]

Greg gave me two books and Mum one.

[Howard]

That should fill in fifteen minutes or so!
Cheers and all the best for Christmas.
H

[motto]

The brutal behaviour of the Japanese forces during WW2 has once again come under scrutiny as a result of the recently released film 'The Railway Man' Starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman. The film deals with the emotional damage suffered by the lead character (Firth) as a result of his maltreatment as a POW working on the Thai-Burma railway.
For anyone wishing to know what it was really like to labour under Japanese control as a POW in WW2 with first hand accounts of japanese brutality and total indifference to the suffering of others including their own wounded this book cannot be surpassed.
One Fourteenth of an Elephant by Ian Denys Peek is arguably the definitive work on the day to day treatment of Japanese held prisoners and I had trouble putting it down as the author's descriptive ability is a rare gift to encounter.
If you read one book on the topic make it this one, it is not a dirge, it is a story of triumph over adversity.

One Fourteenth of an Elephant by Ian Denys Peek, ISBN 0 330 36463 4

David

[hrpearce]

Howard
Two of the books are full of words with hardly any pictures so a fiew weeks reading at my pace.
David
Thank you for the recommendation I had some money in my paypal so I bought a copy.
I am starting to gather quite a library.

[Marc Montgomery]

If you want to know the horrors of Japanese atrocity, and have a strong stomach...google - --- Unit 731 ---

hard to imagine, but worse than anything Mengele could dream up.
And the Japanese govt and court systems have continually stymied attempts to bring more evidence of these atrocities to light.. requiring in fact, discovered evidence be destroyed

I vaguely recall an incident a few years ago where researchers had discovered bones etc from a 731 site but were refused permission to continue and instead allow development over the site to hide/destroy it permanently

The Japanese PM raised ire again for visiting the Yakusuni war dead shrine where hundreds of war criminals are buried including several A class war criminals.

He said it was a visit to denounce war, but everyone knows the real political implications of visiting the shrine, and he broke an agreement with China that no sitting PM should visit.

This is also the PM who denies that Japan forced women into sexual slavery

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/wo...?ref=shinzoabe
He has also ordered a rewriting of school history books to reflect a more nationalistic view of Japan wartime record.


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/wo...?ref=shinzoabe

[motto]

One Fourteenth of an Elephant doesn't attempt to document Japan's overtly criminal behaviour and doesn't mention such activity. Japanese attitudes and actions permeate the story, they are not particularly focused on but woven in and through the narrative. The most unsettling aspect was the total indifference to suffering that was so casually demonstrated and universal. The lack of humanity is so alien to (modern) western culture it's difficult to get your head around.
The activities of the infamous Unit 731 are an entirely separate issue and the horrors carried out by them difficult to approach without stirring up deep emotions crowned by an overwhelming repugnance.
The full story of the unit will probably never be known as I understand that members were made immune from prosecution in return for handing over all their experimental data to the allies.
I find it a bitter pill to swallow that when he was Prime Minister Bob Hawke made funds available for the prosecution of Nazi war criminals who did not carry out crimes against Australians and nary a word is said about our buddies to the north who did so 'Bigtime'.

Sandakan, Tol Plantation, Banka Beach.

We Will Remember Them

David

[Marc Montgomery]

I too find it unimaginable that the head of this horror ended up, not only safe from prosecution, but free comfortable, and running a lab in the US

[Ryan]

For any fans of german ww2 tanks, this auction should be on your list. It's not a book but a series of VHS tapes. DIE DEUTSCHEN PANZER. Complete series of eight tapes for $49.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Die-Deuts...item338a46e263
Great footage and info to go along with it. These are not your normal run of the mil docos on tanks made for stupid people that think everything with a gun on it is a tank.
I have the series too, bought many years ago when they were $35 a tape.

[Marc Montgomery]

Ya gotta love the Hollywood film "The Great Escape"... never let the facts get in the way of a good story sez the Hollywood crowd.
For the true story
The Great Escape- A Canadian Story by Ted Barris

[Ryan]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BRITISH-A...item1e888e8a14

An older excellent book on allied tanks.
Has a good coverage to the rear of the book on Australian Sentinels and carriers as well as Canadian tanks.

No connection.

[hrpearce]

Just finished Gallipoli Air War, I found it a very interesting insight into early aviation.

[hrpearce]

Vicki gave me a book for my birthday,

Michael Veitch
The epic battle in the skies
above Port Moresby
44
days
75 squadron
and the fight for Australia.

Another chapter we were not taught in history, what an awful ordeal they endured.

[Mike Cecil]

Just finished reading the above, a detailed account of the attacks on the Norsk Hydro factory at Vemork, Norway, producing heavy water for atomic developments in Germany. You may remember the 1965 Heroes of Telemark movie about the same subject, and there was a more recent TV series about the subject, too.

Highly recommended: Neal Bascombe has done a fantastic job of drawing all the threads together, and writing a gripping account of all the operations against the plant and its product. I'd read an earlier work of his (Hunting Eichmann) so had a good idea that this new book would be well researched and written, and I was not disappointed.

ISBN 9780544368057.

Mike

[motto]

This book deals with the little known story of British aircraft carrier operations against the Japanese in the later part of the war in the Pacific.
Based in Sydney, the British Pacific Fleet comprised of up to five carriers and over 100 support vessels with around 250 aircraft carrying out combat operations.
One interesting fact touched upon is that within a couple of weeks of the Japanese surrender the US cancelled Lend/Lease agreements which resulted in around 1000 aircraft being dumped at sea, mainly Corsairs and Avengers. Some, maybe even many of these were off the Australian east coast.

The Kamikaze Hunters
Will Iredale
Macmillan
ISBN 978-0-230-76819-2 HB
ISBN 978=1-4472-8471-0 TBP

David

[Phil Waterman]

Originally Posted by motto

This book deals with the little known story of British aircraft carrier operations against the Japanese in the later part of the war in the ....

The Kamikaze Hunters
Will Iredale
Macmillan
ISBN 978-0-230-76819-2 HB
ISBN 978=1-4472-8471-0 TBP

David

Hi David

Good read, read it a couple of months ago, actually found it at my local library here in the States. Unusual in that it actually tells the story of other than the US Navy having a role in the War in the Pacific, very pleased that our library for adding it to their collection.

Lots of interesting little tidbits, like the training of Commonwealth pilots in the US and the advantage they got from better weather meaning more flying hours.

Cheers Phil

[Russ Gregg]

Purely fiction, but I have read 3 of W.E.B. Griffin's series and really enjoyed them. 'The Corps' and 'Brotherhood of War' were set across WWII, and 'The Presidential Agent' series was good as well, but set in more recent times.
http://www.webgriffin.com/books.html

[hrpearce]

Once again Rick has been a bad influence to my wallet. 75 issues arrived in the mail today.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Just finished reading the above, a detailed account of the attacks on the Norsk Hydro factory at Vemork, Norway, producing heavy water for atomic developments in Germany. You may remember the 1965 Heroes of Telemark movie about the same subject, and there was a more recent TV series about the subject, too.

Highly recommended: Neal Bascombe has done a fantastic job of drawing all the threads together, and writing a gripping account of all the operations against the plant and its product. I'd read an earlier work of his (Hunting Eichmann) so had a good idea that this new book would be well researched and written, and I was not disappointed.

ISBN 9780544368057.

Mike

Following the same theme. ''Skis against the Atom' a paperback EDITION I HAD YEARS AGO.

https://www.bookdepository.com/Skis-.../9780942323078

[hrpearce]

Found these on buy swap and sell in Canberra, Greg picked them up for me. Can't wait to be able to visit and pick them up.

[hrpearce]

We met Greg and Sharni in Yass for a picnic lunch today and picked up the books, A wonderful collection of pictures and for the princely sum of $20.

[hrpearce]

Now have Official history for WWI & WWII.
Just re read this thread there are still a lot of suggestions I don't have yet but I should read more of what I have before looking for more.