Looking for Military/Strategy Books

[HateDread]

Hey all,

I'm searching for books as per the above (including books about the hardware rather than the tactics - i.e. tanks, and with a modern focus (i.e. cold-war to now and into the future)). I love a good diagram/image here and there, so no novels, please!

Any ideas?
- HateDread.

 

[Tiger King]

I picked up a book on the supermarine spitfire a little while back as I needed some info and references. it contained the history and development up to its service in wartime and beyond.
very interesting if your into that sort of thing.
I imagine if you look on amazon you will find something, just type in "tanks" or whatever your after.

I use wiki and the Internet in general for my war toys info.
I guess it depends on what your after but I wouldn't discredit 'novels' completely. If its a true life noveI I feel it's nice to listen to a pilots or soldiers opinion on a particular machine or device.

 

[Jedoro]

I'd just look up military field manuals. They've generally got basic tactics, but it takes a bit of searching to find the exact one you want.

 

[LetalisK]

For the strategic part of it, I'd strongly suggest Battles 100: The Stories Behind History's Most Influential Battles. Lots of pictures too.

 

[bobthekillerclown]

How to eat soup with a knife, and tactics of the crescent moon, are both very good studies on counter insurgency from the soviet era to modern times. Studied both before going to Afghanistan.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Any of the books by Janes... they have the best most in depth knowledge of all military hardware in the world, that is availiable on the open market.

Things like this...!

 

[SckizoBoy]

Any of the books by Janes... they have the best most in depth knowledge of all military hardware in the world, that is availiable on the open market.

So much this! Janes' is the fucking bomb for military hardware. They've done technical manuals on virtually every vehicle, ship and aircraft since the late nineteenth century.

Snag... so very expensive.

Still, it's difficult to pin down particular sources, since they're so many and they are their own niches...

*watch this space... work beckons... again*

 

[MammothBlade]

I'll just go ahead and recommend one of the oldest and time-tested in the world... Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

 

[SckizoBoy]

snip

Haaaa... OK, if you're after 'classics' of the philosophy and the principles of war, then:

Clausewitz - Vom Krieg, obvious choice and can be applied to any conflict, and generally holds true, even in fictional wars, weirdly...
Guderian - Achtung Panzer & Panzer Leader, for a good read on early tank warfare and a controversially original revolution of land warfare (though the latter is more a memoire than a critique)
Galland - Die Ersten und die Letzten, which is one of the few memoires about a senior aviator which is less biased than most your apt to find
von Moltke the Elder - Geschichte des Deutsch-Französischen Krieges von 1870?71, a pretty much day by day recollection of the Franco-Prussian war and is purely objective, not what you're after, maybe, but I'll recommend it anyway, since it demonstrates manoeuvre warfare (Bewegungskrieg) at its best and is still applicable in modern (conventional) warfare

Unfortunately, you're not really apt to find books from the 1950's onwards that represents the full capacity of a modern armed forces' strength in theatre, primarily because of the lack of conventional war in the west and the much greater influence of central government in the decisions of soldiers which dictates strategic thinking. So you're best off looking at WWII and 'upgrading the tech' as it were, because the Indo-Pakistani war(s) weren't that much better.

Apologies, post-1945 warfare doesn't interest me as much as you'd think... >_>

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I have a friend who was so into tanks and armored infantry in highschool that went he went into the military he seriously opted down among the available positions, based on his test scores, to be a tanker. He was slightly disappointed about the job he wound up with. He sat on his bum at a base taking tanks apart, making sure everything was clean and in working order, and putting them back together again so they can be hauled off and decommed. he really wanted to drive them much more. Anyway, I'll try to get a hold of him and direct him to the forum so he might be able to help you out.

 

[Gentleman Adventurer]

My favorite has to be "The Strategikon of Maurice Tiberius" Its a good handbook on strategy that is still useful to this day.


For stuff that is about tanks and modern war

The "The World Encyclopedia of Tanks & Armoured Fighting Vehicles" I have a friend that has this and it looks cool but I cannot attest to it.

For cold war stuff Navies were just as important as Armies so you cannot go wrong with "Jane's Fighting Ships"

 

[TheMann]

Well, if you want basic knowledge of modern tactics and weapons, most military field manuals are available for viewing online. Even those specific to certain weapons platforms. I know how to use most small arms with the exception of belt-fed machine guns. So, out of curiosity, I downloaded the PDF manual for the M-249 SAW. It's unlikely that I'll ever use one, but it was still good to know.