Canadian Army Reading List- 11+ Years Of Suggestions and Ideas

[Argyll_2347]

McAleese‘s Fighting Manual by Peter McAleese is a great book that provides information on section to platoon level tactics.

It gives information on patrolling, ambushing, marksmanship, and more.

It could be really hard to get, I found it in a Chapters store and have not seen it anywhere else. You might be able to find it on a British Books site.

Bravo 2-0 is good. I have read a lot of SAS books like Cameron Spence‘s Sabre Squadron and All Necessary Measures, Immediate Action by Andy McNab, Close Quarter Battle by Mike Curtis (great book! My grandma even liked it!).

Black Hawk Down is an alright book to read about American screw ups and how much they rely on technology!

 

[herbie]

"Peacekeeper" by General Mckenzie is a good read on one man‘s experence in the CF. Eat your weakest man is named after a rumor the author heard about how the airborne operated. Its another good book about modern Canadian military. Blackhawk down is a good read mostly for its lessons learned ( ie comms ) Bravo 20 and immediate action are good reads on soldiering.
enjoy

 

[Donjk]

There‘s always Farley Mowat‘s classic The Regiment (McClelland & Stewart Inc)

 

[Brock]

Another excellent book by the well respected Canadian historian/military analyst, David Bercuson, is Significant Incident. It is about the Canadian Army and the problems that led up to the Canadian Ariborne Regiment problems--not failure--in Somalia. It is an excellent read and provides the reader with an accurate and interesting account of Canada‘s Armies over the years.

Another famous Canadian military historian and military analyst is Desmond Morton. If you want a good comprehensive account of the Canadian military, read Morton‘s A Military History of Canada, from Champlain to Kosovo. Morton also wrote the foreward for an excellent book on the Royal Canadian Amoured Corps. The book is called, The Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, An Illustrated History. It is an indepth look at the Corps‘ history from its beginning to Kosovo. An excellent and informative read. It also deals with major battles of World War II. The authors are John Matienson and Michael McNorgan.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Don‘t read Zuehlke, he is NOT a military historian. If all you want is a loose collection of interesting quote by veterans, he is ok, but for a serious discussion of the Italian Campaign, read Daniel Dancocks. Check out Amazon.com and my review of Zuehlke‘s book LIRI VALLEY, and see what he had to say. The guy is a bonehead.

Bercuson has written some good books, too - read SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT - also reviewed at amazon by me - it is a good social history of the Army, not just about Somalia.

 

[Infanteer]

Damn, and I just spent 50 bucks on the hardcover edition. If anything, I gotta cool picture of a Westie knocking out kraut tanks on the front....

 

[Michael OLeary]

I have added an on-line copy of the  Canadian Army Reading List  to my website:  The Regimental Rogue .

Mike O'Leary


(Edited 14 Jan 06 to update links.)

edited to update title

 

[Michael OLeary]

I have added an on-line copy of the Infantry School Reading List to my website: The Regimental Rogue .

Mike O‘Leary

 

[Brad Sallows]

That‘s a good list. Are there any particular translations, with or without commentary, recommended in the case of Sun Tzu or Clausewitz?

 

[Michael OLeary]

The Infantry School Reading List doesn‘t specify recommended editions, but the  Canadian Army Reading List , published by Land Force Doctrine and Training Systems does:

Clausewitz, Carl von.  On War.Edited and translated by Michael Howard and Peter Paret. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1984. ISBN 0-691-05657-9

Sun Tzu.  The Art of War Translated with an introduction by Samuel B. Griggith. Foreword by B.H. Liddell Hart. London: Oxford University press, 1963.

Mike O‘Leary
The Regimental Rogue


(Edited 14 Jan 06 to update links.)

 

[Fusaki]

Can anyone suggest some good books about the army? I‘m looking for something about the infantry, hopefully something Canadian.

There isnt much at the local bookstore, mostly run if the mill "Inside the Delta Force" and "Black Hawk Down" type books. I need something with a bit more substance. I really liked Starship Troopers - Heinlein is one smart guy (I did a report on him for OAC English) and I‘m almost done a book called Parachute Infantry (by David Webster) about the 101st in WW2. It‘s also pretty good. The next on my list is The Sharp End: A Soldier‘s Story. This one was referred to me by a few different people and it‘s also on the Infantry School reading list.

This said, can anyone suggest similar books? Please, no Tom Clancy and no Mark Bowden. That stuff‘s like porno for military buffs - all the detail and no plot.

 

[Michael OLeary]

That‘s a tough order, any particular wars or campaigns for which you‘re looking for recommendations?

To start with you may want to consider the Canadian Military heritage suggestions on the Canadian Army Reading List. My website has a page on that section of the reading list (as well as others) at this location:
  http://regimentalrogue.com/library/CARL3_military_heritage.htm 

Mike


(Edited 14 Jan 06 to update link.)

 

[Michael OLeary]

Other suggestions, for the Second World War, include the works of Farley Mowat (The Regiment and And No Birds Sang) and Strome Galloway (Some Died at ortona, etc). For the First War try Will R Bird‘s Ghosts Have Warm Hands.

Mike

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I would recommend

SIGNIFICANT INCIDENT by David Bercuson - it is about Somalia, but more importantly is a social history of the Canadian Army tracing its roots back throughout the last couple of centuries.

THE GENERALS by Jack Granatstein looks at Canadian commanders in WW II and the dichotomy between regular force and reserves (sound familiar?) in WW II.

For useless uniform trivia, I‘ve published a couple of noteworthy titles....

 

[Guzman]

maybe try out "canadas secret commandos".not very long but intresting.this is pretty much all there is to read about the JTF2,from the formation all the way to afghanistan,decent read.

if u like airborne as much as i do get "band of brothers"...or just watch the movies
for canadian content,try "in search of pegasus" (i think thats the title)

ive also been looking for more canadian books.specialy "the sharp end" there are no copys in toronto!!!
also,ive heard of a book about the canadian para-troopers that were in bastonge.i forget the name.

 

[BestOfTheBest]

I live in Ottawa and i wanted to buy the book The Sharp End and they had none her in Ottawa so i was forced to but it online which wasn‘t that bad

just go to amazon.ca and type the title of the book

 

[Fusaki]

maybe try out "canadas secret commandos".not very long but intresting.this is pretty much all there is to read about the JTF2,from the formation all the way to afghanistan,decent read.

hehe... I have that one, but it was bashed pretty hard in another thread so I was a little hesitant to admit it!!! But you know what? For a civillian, there isn‘t much else published with info about the JTF-2. I also have ******* Sons, by Lieutenant-Colonel Bernd Horn. It‘s all about Airborne history, but its soooooooo boring!!! It‘s like reading a textbook!!! I flipped through In Search Of Pegasus at the bookstore, but it looked to me like a Coffee Table book. Lots of pictures, but the size of the damn thing makes it pretty impractical as a book I‘d read sitting in the car or waiting for the bus.

As for the Sharp End, it seems to be pretty hard to get a hold of. There were none at any of the bookstores in my area (Brampton, Ont.). I had to go to Indigo Books and have it ordered for me, so I should have it in 3-4 weeks.

Significant Incident looks alright. Thanks for the suggestion Michael Dorosh!! I might also be Interested in the Farley Mowat ones. I‘ve read a couple of his books a LONG time ago. Thanks Michael OLeary!!

That‘s a tough order, any particular wars or campaigns for which you‘re looking for recommendations?

When it comes to Canadian literature, I‘m interested in Bosnia, Rwanda, Afghanistan - fairly recent stuff. Books about Paratroopers from other countries are also cool. I wouldnt mind reading about the FFL, UK Paras and RMs, US Rangers, or the Aussie Commandos (can‘t remember the regt. name).

 

[Guzman]

for a good but short read on somalia,check out http://www.commando.org/ follow the somalia link for a diary by a former member of CAR.very intresting.theres also a "books" link listing a few books that might intrest you.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Here‘s a site with numerous resource links for Canadian military books:

CanadaAndWar.com : A Books List

Mike

 

[brackett]

Try getting some copies of the Legion magazine at the library