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Tanker Books/Novels


glcanon

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Anyone read any good tanker novels, other than the two old standards, "Team Yankee" and "The Ten Thousand" by Harold Coyle which I've read already. ?

I've heard good things about Pete Callahan's trilogy Armored Corps... but haven't read any of them.

A former business associate of mine who is a former M1A2 Plt Ldr and West Point grad said the classic text is Armored Warfare by James Frederick Charles Fuller. Amazon has it new for $83.95 (which is crazy).

Guess I'm looking for something lighter, more entertaining, and Cheaper.

BTW, watched some nice SB videos on YouTube this evening... most excellent vids by Daskal and wolfbiscuits...

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"Tigers in the mud", buy Otto Caracus, the famous German tank ace. Great read.

Also, I know it is not a Tank novel, but one of the best novels I have read recently: "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors" by James D. Hornfischer. It is about the Destroyers that engaged an entire Japanese armada, and managed to fight them off. Great book. I could not but it down.

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"Kursk", I thought was a really good book about tankers. It takes place in WWII and goes back and forth between a crew of a T-34 and German Armor Officer who commands a tank company. He is the tank commander of a Tiger I and it has an excellent tank battle that takes place where hundreds of tanks were fighting on boths sides. The area was so small that there seemed to be no front. It depicts the events at the battle of Kursk. Good read. I give it *****! Oh and I believe the auther is David Robbins.

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Hi There

try "A Troop Leaders War" By Bill Bellamy it could be hard to get hold of but is worth the look. Also any of the books written by Ken Tout. "Tanks", "Tanks Advance" or "To Hell With Tanks" all based on true accounts during WW2.

Irish

Mente et Manu

Not at all, here it is for 34USD

http://www.amazon.com/Troop-Leader-Tank-Commanders-Story/dp/0750939796

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Thanks, Hokie. I actually bought Thunder Run last week, but my father took it away from me when I visited this past Saturday, so will have to start it after he's finished.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, I picked up about $100 worth of used books on Amazon from your recommendations... should keep me busy all summer.

Cheers!

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cobrabase, I picked up all 3 of Pete Callahan's books based on your recommendation... one seller on Ebay was offering all three with combined shipping, so it was even cheaper than Amazon...

Picked up The Beast on DVD for $3.

Gotta grab those bargins whenever possible.

Oh, I watched your Valley of the Jackal, and your other vids too. Just one thing, you give credits, but no music cred? I enjoyed the music in a couple of the vids, your viewers might like to know what they're listening to. Also, what software are you using to create those videos?

One last thing, there was a great program on The Military Channel tonight, about Marines at Tank School (Fort Knox). Lots of excellent footage inside and outside the turret while 7 Abrams are at the tank range. Lots of good sound clips, if someone wanted to clip n use.

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"Kursk", I thought was a really good book about tankers. It takes place in WWII and goes back and forth between a crew of a T-34 and German Armor Officer who commands a tank company. He is the tank commander of a Tiger I and it has an excellent tank battle that takes place where hundreds of tanks were fighting on boths sides. The area was so small that there seemed to be no front. It depicts the events at the battle of Kursk. Good read. I give it *****! Oh and I believe the auther is David Robbins.

The title is "Last Citadel". Great book, loved it. Here´s an excerpt: http://www.davidlrobbins.com/novels/Last_Citadel/excerpt.html

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Michael Farmer should get a mention here. He brought out three books dealing with tanks, "Tin Soldiers", "Iron Tigers" and "War Dogs".

"Brazen Chariots" by Robert Crisp is said to be very good as well.

Also Steven Zaloga had a bit of fictional tank battle as an opener in "Tank War Central Front - NATO vs Warsaw Pact" .

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Thanks D'Man, I actually purchased the first 2 Michael Farmers books in paperback, will see how they go before buying the third (it didn't get as good reviews as the first two).

And thanks Cobrabase, the cadence calling music brought back memories of many battalion runs at 0' dark hundred hours.

Was the cadence stuff from this "Unit" show you mentioned?

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Here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet: "Alamein" by Stephen Bungay, here's an excerpt:

"In 1942 the British government presciently bought up the world's annual stock of tea. This was a wise move, for tea kept the army going and was crucial for morale. Brewing it was a ritual performed three or four times a day, and nothing was allowed to interfere with it. Tankmen learned to brew tea on the move and crews of disabled tanks were observed to get out and brew up behind their vehicle in the middle of a battle."

I suppose if your tank's out of commission, might as well have a nice beverage, ay?

About 6 mos ago I acquired an addiction to Twinings Earl Grey tea. The stuff is addictive, more so than than tobacco.

Only here in the States (especially in the South) we don't drink it hot. Sacrilege, I'm sure. Pour it over ice, add a couple packets of Splenda, and voila, the perfect cure to our summer heat index of 104 Deg F.

I don't envy the Brits their perverse style of military dress, but I do appreciate their contribution to caffeine addiction.

Jolly good show, Brits! So long, and thanks for all the fish, er,

tea. Cheers!

drinking_tea.jpg

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Thanks D'Man, I actually purchased the first 2 Michael Farmers books in paperback, will see how they go before buying the third (it didn't get as good reviews as the first two).

And thanks Cobrabase, the cadence calling music brought back memories of many battalion runs at 0' dark hundred hours.

Was the cadence stuff from this "Unit" show you mentioned?

Speaking for Cobrabase, yes the cadence music is the title music of "The Unit". The show is based on Eric L. Haney´s "Inside Delta Force" btw...a quite interesting book.

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My personal favourite is Panzer Battles

http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Battles-Study-Employment-Second/dp/1568525788/ref=sr_1_1/103-0414320-9065401?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184479848&sr=8-1

Its from the divisional/corps level, but there is some fascinating stuff in there, basically the biography/campaign diary of a Wehrmacht Major General, von Mellenthin.

My copy is from the late 50's, so it is falling apart very rapidly. I can remember reading it when I was like 8 or so. Most other kids I know wanted a puppy or a sega to play with - I wanted an armoured corps.

Thats actually a little disturbing, now I think about it

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My personal favourite is Panzer Battles

http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Battles-Study-Employment-Second/dp/1568525788/ref=sr_1_1/103-0414320-9065401?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1184479848&sr=8-1

Its from the divisional/corps level, but there is some fascinating stuff in there, basically the biography/campaign diary of a Wehrmacht Major General, von Mellenthin.

My copy is from the late 50's, so it is falling apart very rapidly. I can remember reading it when I was like 8 or so. Most other kids I know wanted a puppy or a sega to play with - I wanted an armoured corps.

Thats actually a little disturbing, now I think about it

Good book. I read it myself about 15-20 years ago.

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I picked up Panzer Battles last week at Half Price Bookstore for round about $6

If anyone's shopping for this book, be sure to purchase the K&K (Konecky & Konecky) version as only this one has all the maps and diagrams.

Brig Gen. von Mellenthin said the problem generals had with Hitler was that he was so often right early in the war that it was almost impossible to convince him he was wrong about something later in the war. Good luck trying.

Rommel was quite outspoken against NAZI leadership, so ended up growing foul of Hitler's paranoia and petty dislike of Prussian officers. Look where it got him, the choice between suicide or a sham trial and all his family being shot.

During his stay in the hospital Rommel's said to have told his son in private, ""Stauffenberg botched his plans, but a front line officer would have finished Hitler off".

Interestingly, Rommel is the only member of the Third Reich establishment to have a museum dedicated to his person and career (its in Herrlingen, west of Ulm).

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