Gray Wolf Blog

What a slog. Not talking about the book.

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 (Liberation Trilogy)

Brutally honest. If you read this book and don’t fly the flag on Veterans day, something is wrong.

Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage, Leadership, and Brotherhood

In depth and interesting. Quite a thick book, but never seems to drag.

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Volume One of the Liberation Trilogy

Quick read – section by Sobel’s son one of the more interesting pieces.

We Who Are Alive and Remain: Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers

Interesting book. Best parts are about his improvements to aerial photo reconnaissance.

Nazi Connection

Focuses on Air Marshal Dowding. Would have been better with more first person accounts

With Wings Like Eagles: A History of the Battle of Britain

Pretty brutal first person accounts of the war in the Pacific.

Into the Rising Sun: In Their Own Words, World War II’s Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat

Some interesting first person accounts of the fire raids on Tokyo.

Torch to the Enemy: The Fire Raid on Tokyo (The Bantam War Book Series)

First half is interesting, but bogs down after that.

The Broken Seal: The Story of Operation Magic and the Pearl Harbor Disaster.

Packed with detail. A bit dated, but not bad overall.

The Last 100 Days (Final Days of WWII in Europe)

A lot of details, but not much new. Good read overall.

Southern Storm: Sherman’s March to the Sea

A couple interesting chapters. Easy to skim.

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War (Vintage Civil War Library)

A lot of detail. Some interesting new info on the FROG cruise missiles.

One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War

Some interesting experiences, such as finding cannon shells in the wing gas tanks that failed to explode and contained a note inside saying “This is all we can do for you now.”

The Fall of Fortresses: A Personal Account of the Most Daring, and Deadly, American Air Battles of World War II

Underwhelming – not much info on the development of the interstate highway system. Not much new on the WWII years. Some interesting info on Panama and time with MacArthur.

Ike: An American Hero

Well written and researched. Sections on Drake are the most interesting. Would have preferred more detail on the re-design and armament of the English fleet during Elizabeth’s reign.

The Pirate Queen: Queen Elizabeth I, Her Pirate Adventurers, and the Dawn of Empire

A detailed history of Fort Duquesne (Pittsburgh) and the conflict between France, England and colonial USA.

Guns at the forks (American forts series)

Some interesting facts and history about the medal. The Mike Wallace commentary adds nothing.

Medal of Honor: Profiles of America’s Military Heroes from the Civil War to the Present

Very well researched. A lot of interesting facts and stories.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down

Plenty of detail. Post 1919 part a bit tedious. Sheds light on the differences between legend and fact.

The Golden Warrior: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia