'Aussie Rick'’s Comments (group member since Jun 12, 2009)

'Aussie Rick'’s comments from the THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP group.

"The Other Side Of The Wire Volume 1: With the German XIV Reserve Corps on the Somme, September 1914 June 1916 " - The Germans are expecting a British attack soon on the Somme and have been preparing their machine-gun positions accordingly:

"The role played by the regimental machine guns had always been important in the past and would be a critical factor in the approaching attack. The troops manning the machine guns had been carefully trained and could be relied upon in any situation.

Each gun crew was responsible for keeping the machine gun in working order as well as maintaining the spare stores that included three extra barrels, water and oil. Each gun crew maintained an individual target ad range card that would prove invaluable in the coming battle. The use of range cards, the 2&1/2 power Goerz prismatic sight and the constant training made the machine gun crews formidable foes.

Each gun had a standard complement of six men, each one being capable of assuming the duties of any member in case someone was placed out of action. Part of the training machine gunners went through included firing at targets at various ranges and one of the requirements was that each man was able to hit the target with the first rounds fired and not 'walk' the bullets to the target. Most of the machine gunners in the 26th and 28th Reserve Divisions had the advantage of being stationed in the same area for months at a time and therefore every target, every location within range of the gun was noted and registered accordingly."

Maschinengewehr 08:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_08

I'm going to go with Max Hastings book; Chastise". I quite enjoyed James Holland's book on the subject so it will be interesting to see how this book compares.

Chastise: The Dambusters Story 1943 by Max Hastings

The August theme read - Allied air ops during 1943, is now open for discussion:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

The August 2023 theme read is any book or books of your choice that covers Allied Air operations during 1943.

Martin wrote: "I am pleased to report that my latest book Sailor's Heart, an account based on true events about the psychiatric treatment of navy men who were no longer able to go into battle, is now attracting e..."

That's good news! I hope your book does well.

Mike wrote: "Short term sales ($1.99 - $2.99) on ebooks:

Setting France Ablaze: The SOE in France During WWII by [author..."

Thanks for the notification on these specials Mike, much appreciated.

Three very interesting books there MR9, Marc & Komet! I need to start Ian Toll's trilogy at some stage!

I'm the same as Marc and sometimes I buy my daughter a copy of the same book and giver her that rather than lend :)

Jerome wrote: "A February 2024 release:

by Douglas Porch
Description:
In Resistance and Liberation, Douglas Porch continue..."

I have a copy of the first volume so I will have to order a copy of this one as well :)

Yikes! More good books, thanks again Mike :)

"The War for the Seas" is a book that I am yet to read. There are some good titles there, Mike. Thanks for the notification.

Manray9 wrote: "Today I bought a copy of --

Mac-Pap: Memoir of a Canadian in the Spanish Civil War by Ronald Liversedge...."

Nice one MR9!

Rowan wrote: "Some of you may have seen the film "Paradise Road" years ago, about women held captive by the Japanese during WWII.

Betty Jeffrey was one of those. [book..."

Great review Rowan, thanks for sharing with the rest of the group.

Thiago wrote: "This one seems a bit rare. Not much available stuff about Slovenia (my grandparents country) since it´s, well, a small country. No kindle edition for this one., which make harder to find. A bit exp..."

Nice find Thiago! I hope you find it an interesting account.

Sounds like an interesting book, thanks for posting the details, Jerome.

Manray9 wrote: "Today I picked up a very good used hardcover of Telford Taylor's --

[book:The Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials: A Personal..."

Excellent find MR9!

Manray9 wrote: "Today from Hamilton Books I received a copy of --

[book:Night of the Bayonets: The Texel Uprisin..."

Nice purchase MR9, another book that I am yet to read! :(

Alex wrote: "I have just finished Anthony Beevor's "Russian Civil War" . It was somewhat different to what i expected in that unlike say books by Service etc on the Revolution it really focussed on the various ..."

Excellent summary, thanks for sharing Alex!

Mike wrote: "Another one just popped up at $2.99:

[book:StuG II..."

Nice one Mike! I still haven't read my HB copy yet :)

Joe wrote: "Hi all,

Sorry to delay introducing myself. I’m new to Goodreads and just getting the hang of things. I read and listen to a lot of audiobooks as I travel quite a lot for work (plus the wife doesn’..."

Hi Joe and welcome to the group, glad you have joined us.