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If I wanted to read a book that gave accurate accounts of battle, what would you recommend? I'm not interested in politics or grand stratagy - just small scale tactics. Like Black Hawk Down.

well, dont know how dry you want but theres always the older Field Manuals produced by the US Army.


sitting at my parents house is a copy of the US Army Rangers' handbook, published in October 1980.

otherwise, theres

The Conquest of Gaul, by (Gaius) Julius Caesar
The War with Hannibal, by Livy

those are 2 that i particularly enjoyed reading.

Try Ed Macy's Apache. He devotes alot of chapters of the book to the battle of fort Jugroom in which he won his military cross. And of all the other minor battles when he was out in Afganistan. Quite a good read actually.

John Keegan's "The Face of Battle" is a classic study of the battles of Agincourt, Waterloo and The Somme, focussing on the experience of battle of the soldiers involved.

'Battle in the Civil War: Generalship and Tactics in America 1861-65' by Paddy Griffith, illustrated by Peter Dennis, 1986: ISBN 1 86 9871 00 6 is a good examination of ACW tactics. The follow-up: Battle Tactics of the Civil War' (ISBN 0 300 04247 7) is highly controversial among ACW buffs.

'Forward Into Battle'. The first edition (Antony Bird, Chichester 1981: ISBN 0 907319 01 7) was considered a good enough piece on infantry tactics to help inspire the US Army's 1993 operational doctrine, Field Manual (FM) 100-5.

Richard Holme's "Firing Line", (1985) ISBN 9780224020435, looks at the motivation of men in combat.

The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides of course.

namegoeshere wrote:If I wanted to read a book that gave accurate accounts of battle, what would you recommend? I'm not interested in politics or grand stratagy - just small scale tactics. Like Black Hawk Down.

If you don't want to be bored by a documentary style guide book and your not worried about the period, particularly the napoleonic era stuff, Rifles by Mark Urban is your book. It's a novel about the 95th rifles regiment who are reputed to be the inventors of modern warfare, from the books synopsis..."the 95th are in fact the first soldiers to take aim at their targets, take cover when being shot at, move tactically by fire and manoeuvre." Urban writes the action clearer than anything I have ever read and is reputed to be very accurate (so much so they even republished the book with illustrated diagrams of weaponry, fighting posture diagrams etc.).

I nearly forgot about "Attacks!" by Irwin Rommel.

and also the Rommel Papers are a good first hand account of tactics and experiences.

Attacks revolves around Rommel's experiences in WW1 as an infantry platoon leader in europe. and "papers" is a collection of his letters, diaries and such of his time in ww2. both are awesome reads for tactical insights

Cool thanks for responses. I was thinking more of a fun novel than a field manual, but you gave me lots of options so I'll pick from them. Also the more modern the better. Anyway - off to give Amazon my money

If your looking for a novel as opposed to a history book I recommend anything by Bernard Cornwell.

Its not modern, his periods vary from Post Roman Britain through to the American Civil War. But Ive never read anyone who describes a skirmish like he does.

"War of the Rats" by David L Robbins. The movie made from it was horrible, but the book reads like a sniper training manual cunningly hidden inside an awesome story.

Stephen Ambrose's D-Day & Citizen Soldiers. Both in my mind are very good and for me, actually stop me from doing the usual Brit mocking of the US involvement at D-Day. Mind you that aside, you were still bloody late comers to WWII

Stephen Ambrose is quite good i've only read Pegasus Bridge and Band of Brothers though, anything by Micheal Howard is always a good start, Bernard Cornwell is good for a story and Anthony Beever both books I have read Stalingrad and Berlin are very heavy reads, but rather good when you get into them

I enjoyed "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" by Lt. General [Ret.] Hal Moore.

Well, the book Blackhawk Down by Bowden is a great read. Also try:

House To House by David Bellavia (infantry in Iraq)

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell (SEALS in A-Stan)

Roberts Ridge by Malcolm MacPherson, Rangers and SEALs in A-stan

All are very interesting, and though true, read like novels.

Jake

I'm going to second the nomination of Stephen Ambrose, especially 'Pegasus Bridge'

Any book by John Ringo or Robert Heinlin. sp

Many memoirs were published after the Great War and WW2. I can't remember any specific titles but some library research would pay dividends.

There are also a number of good books published after the Vietnam War.

Chickenhawk
If I Die In A Combat Zone
The Only War We Had

And others -- the library catalogue is your friend again.

Though it's sci-fi, Forlorn Hope by David Drake is awesome.

World War Z-for an accurate historical account.

(often misplaced and found in the fiction section)

"Bill the Galactic Hero" by Harry Harrison.

"Stainless Steel Rat gets Drafted" by Harry Harrison

Horus Rising by Dan Abnett...

Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall