REQ: Australian/NZ Military History

[Navor]

Moin Moin,
I have a little request. Over the years I have been very interested in ANZAC military history. Now that I have more time at my hands , I wanted extent my library on this topic.
Currently I only have 4 books about this topic.
1) "The Anzacs" by Peter Pedersen. (Basically a comprehensive history of ANZACs during WW1)
2) 2 Osprey Volumes on Operation Merkur and ISAF Special Forces
3) "The Amazing SAS" (Basically SASR during the period of 1999-2003)

Do you guys have any suggestions? I browsed the German amazon site but I dont want to waste my money, so thats why I put the question here.

Greetings
Navor

[angra]

Regimental Books - http://regimental-books.com.au/ - is a good resource, have a look there if you like

[Sandgroper]

Phantoms of the Jungle (later editions called Phantoms of War) by David Horner is a pretty comprehensive history of the Australian Special Air Service. I have Phantoms of the Jungle which was published in 1989, the later edition was published in 2002 so has extra chapters about operations in the 1990s.

In Good Company by Gary McKay is a good first-hand account of an Australian platoon commander in Vietnam.

More that I can't think of right now but I'll check my bookshelf later

[Zorro C9]

Where are you based? I have an old copy of the NZ Army's history I can send out provided it's not going to the back end of Kazhazstan or something.

Also, The New Zealand Wars if you can find a copy to ship to you. But I suppose you're only really interested in overseas and stuff yeah?

[Toddy1]

P

In Good Company by Gary McKay is a good first-hand account of an Australian platoon commander in Vietnam.



Delta Four ​by Gary McKay is also a fantastic read.

[Sandgroper]

Zorro (or another Kiwi) may be able to answer a question of mine, I've been browsing the interwebs looking for a good book on New Zealand in WWII (particularly the 2nd NZ Division). Can you recommend any?

[Zorro C9]

Sandy, it's not strictly the 2nd Div but I've heard it's really good. I've the guy through my old work, good fella. He's done a few books but you'd have to good to find them.
http://www.lrdg.org/LRDG_Kiwi_Scorpions_book.htm

[Toddy1]

^ A lot of Kiwis in the LRDG - fantastic organisation

[Toddy1]

The Barce Raid: The Long Range Desert Group's Greatest Escapade, by Brendan O'Carroll

[Zorro C9]

Yeah, he's done millions of books. Really knows his stuff. Found an LRDG convoy that got shot up and left behind too.

Not sure how he got all the time off work either! :D

[Toddy1]

I'd love to do an expedition tracing one of the LRDG patrols, what an adventure

[Sandgroper]

Sandy, it's not strictly the 2nd Div but I've heard it's really good. I've the guy through my old work, good fella. He's done a few books but you'd have to good to find them.
http://www.lrdg.org/LRDG_Kiwi_Scorpions_book.htm

Cheers, I might give it a look

[grendel]

Another good book by Gary McKay:
http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Your-Ears-Open-Australian/dp/186508297X/

Vietnam ANZACs
http://www.amazon.com/Vietnam-ANZACs-Elite-Kevin-Lyles/dp/1841767026/

If you want something more modern:
http://regimental-books.com.au/sas-sniper-inside-the-world-of-an-elite-marksman-p-2161.html

[CourageAboveAllValues]

PM Me..i have over 90 books on Aust/NZ Military history. After all..gotta study the tactics of the past :-P

[Navor]

Thanks for the replies.
ANZAC history is no really a common think here in Germany, so I have to rely on amazon for any purchases.
I will have a look around.

[T3ngu]

If you want world war 2:
1. Bastard of a Place - Brune
2. Behind Bamboo - Revitt
3. Kokoda Wallaby - James
4. Tobruk - Fitzimmons
5. Fear guide my feet - Ryan
6. Hellfire - Forbes

[Flagg]

You can read up on the following:

Nancy Wake/White Mouse
Z Special Unit/Op Jaywick
Coastwatchers
No 617 Squadron: Dambusters
NZSAS: First 50 years by Ron Crosby
AATTV
Malaya Confrontation
Borneo

To name just a few

[T3ngu]

Books on coastwatcher are an excellent read. One in my local library has names and dates changed by hand. Someone who had BTDT had fixed it for them in blue pen!

[steyr_88]

Buy the latest infantry magazine. It cam with a little A4 book/magazine titled "The Australian Army: A brief history". Its basic but it has some good stuff.

http://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/bookview.php?iid=882&vt=B

[T John]

New Zealand has alot of war History More or less my lovley country was built upon war in my view , from the earley musket wars/ land wars upto NZSAS been deployed overseas.

[Berwickk]

The Men Who Came Out Of The Ground: Timor 1942 - Australia's First CommandoesSuperb book

[T3ngu]

The Men Who Came Out Of The Ground: Timor 1942 - Australia's First Commandoes

Superb book

Yep, got it. Great read. Think I lent it to my parents, no wonder I can't find it.

Also try

Blood and Iron - McAulay - Not great, but not bad storya bout the Kokoda campaign.
Gallipoli Sniper - Hamilton - Story of Billy Sing a sniper with over 200 kills at Gallipoli.
Payne VC (Vietnam Era) - Colman - Good book, good insight into the man. I have a signed copy thanks to my brother in law who gets authors to sign their books for me.

[digrar]

Pretty much any book you get will be better than the Amazing SAS, which was only worth reading for the direct quotes.

Duty First - David Horner.
Blood on Borneo - Jack Wong Sue
Somme Mud - E.P.F lynch
Signaller Johnstons Secret War - Peter Pinney
Hard Jaka - Michael Lawriwisky
Fear Drive My Feet - Peter ryan
The Last call of the Bugal - Jack Gallaway
SAS Phantoms of War/Phantoms of the Jungle - David Horner
Gallipoli - Les Carlyon
The Great War - Les Carlyon
Silent Voices - Robert Kearney
A Bastard of a Place - Peter Brune
Ralph Honner Kokoda Hero - Peter Brune
Sleeping with your Ears Open - Gary McKay
Delta Four - Gary McKay
In Good Company - Gary McKay
Bullets Beans and Bandages - Gary mcKay
Captain Bullen's War - John Bullen
Gallipoli Sniper - John Hamilton
All Day Long The Noise of Battle - Gerard Windsor
The Battle of Long Tan - Lex McAulay
The Battle of Coral - Lex McAulay
Behind Enemy Lines - Terry O'Farrell.
All Guts, No Glory - Bob Buick
Warrior Brothers - Keith Fennell
View From a Low Bough - Barrie Crawley
Trackers - Peter Haran
Crossfire - Peter Haran & Robert Kearney
Flashback - Peter Haran & Robert Kearney
Shockwave - Peter Haran
Combat Battalion - Robert A Hall
The Grey Eight in Vietnam: The History of the Eighth Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment, November 1969 to November 1970 (ed Maj Adrian Clunies-Ross)

[T3ngu]

I don't rate Carolyn and his Gallipoli book. Good topic, but he is not the best writer i have read. Hard going, and Im an Australian reader!

[Royal]

Nancy Wake/White Mouse

Met Nacy Wake a few times when she lived in London. Amazing woman. RIP.

[digrar]

I don't rate Carolyn and his Gallipoli book. Good topic, but he is not the best writer i have read. Hard going, and Im an Australian reader!

Can't argue with that, I found Peter Brune's A Bastard of a Place the same, I don't think I have finished either of them.

[taiaha]

"Tiger Men-A young Australian among the Rhade Montagnard of Vietnam." http://www.orchidbooks.com/book_reviews/tiger_men.html

[steyr_88]

Pretty much any book you get will be better than the Amazing SAS, which was only worth reading for the direct quotes.

I never finished that one.

If your open to tv series check out Australians at war. Covers everything from the Boer War to 2001. Haven't seen it myself though.

[T3ngu]

Can't argue with that, I found Peter Brune's A Bastard of a Place the same, I don't think I have finished either of them.

Really?

I would rate Brune at the top of my must read list. Carolyn was writes like an academic, and perhaps stagnant in his style. Brune IMO, was quite fluid. I read Bastard of a Place probably yearly.

[Ngati Tumatauenga]

The great ANZAC tank battle: How I got pwned by Ngati - T3ngu.

[Reichswehr]

I have noticed most of the excellent books on ANZAC history have already been listed. But also check out the following.

Those ragged bloody Heros: From the Kokoda Trail to Gona Beach by Peter Brune, (which is excellent) and,

Maverick Soldier: An Infantryman's Story by John Essex Clark.

[digrar]

John Essex Clark had a fair career, that would be a good read.

[T3ngu]

The great ANZAC tank battle: How I got pwned by Ngati - T3ngu.

Haha only just saw this. Cmon tier 8 gold tank vs whatever i was in.

I do hear its a good ready though!

[Wally1967]

Gallipoli Diary is good to read esp about tunnel warfare towards the end.