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

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

Some good books being highlighted here, thanks Jerome, Darya and Komet!

Jonny wrote: ""Business in Great Waters"; I'm into the home stretch now, but who wouldn't raise a smile at RN "wit", Walker chastising one of his group four not tidying up after themselves:On 31 January, 1944, t..."

Great story Jonny! :)

happy wrote: "I recently finished Peter Caddick-Adams's latest



Excellent, superb, fantastic and any other superlatives..."

Excellent news Happy, I am going to try and read the book before the year is finished and I am really looking forward to it!

happy wrote: "I haven't been around as much as I should, but I finished this new release



This is th..."

Thanks for the update and details on the book Happy, much appreciated!

"Pendulum of War: The Three Battles of El Alamein" - The 51st (Highland) Division was a new unit to the Desert War and was allowed a few months to acclimatise and training before being thrown into battle. It began its acclimatisation at Qassassin and Mena camps:

"The necessity of dispersing the troops in the desert as a precaution led to one distinctive problem for the division. The divisional headquarters piper had to mount the tailboard of a lorry and be driven round the dispersed bivouacs to pipe the morning reveille. Once the troops had become acclimatised, the division was moved up to El Hammam where the work and training became more intense. During September, each battalion of the division served in the front line with the 9th Australian Division. This enabled each unit to receive some front line experience and learn from the Australian veterans.

Wimberley was impressed with the Australian's ability as soldiers but when he first visited them he found that the soldiers were 'all half naked and burnt brown as berries. They took a bit of getting used to. I was dressed as a General and they treated me in the most "matey" way.' Wimberley sent a stiff memo around his division emphasising the fact that although his division should 'copy the Australians and do our level best to absorb all they can teach us' for the officers and men he would not tolerate similar standards of discipline in his division. There is no doubt that the Scottish soldiers were initially:

startled by their apparent lack of discipline. The Aussie soldiers - uniform [of] boots and shorts - referred to their officers by their first or even nick-names, an unheard of liberty to Seaforth ears. But there was little doubt about their military efficiency.

At the same time, the Australians were astonished to learn that Scottish soldiers had to salute their officers even when in action! However, when the Scottish battalions went into the line with the Australians they learned the craft of desert warfare and patrolling from masters. 51st (Highland) Division certainly never adopted the habits of the Australians but a string bond of mutual respect grew up between the two divisions and the inexperienced Scottish units were given the best possible training."

The 51st Highland Division at El Alamein:
https://51hd.co.uk/history/battle_of_...

Very informative post Jonny, thanks for taking the time to share those details with the group.

This new release may interest a few group members; "Mosquito Men: The Elite Pathfinders of 627 Squadron" by David Price.

Mosquito Men: The Elite Pathfinders of 627 Squadron by David Price
Description:
In November 1940, a remarkable prototype aircraft made its maiden flight from an airstrip north of London. Novel in construction and exceptionally fast, the new plane was soon outpacing the Spitfire, and went on to contribute to the RAF's offensive against Nazi Germany as bomber, pathfinder and night fighter. The men who flew it nicknamed this most flexible of aircraft 'the wooden wonder' for its composite wooden frame and superb performance. Its more familiar name was the de Havilland Mosquito, and it used lightning speed and agility to inflict mayhem on the German war machine.

From the summer of 1943, as Bomber Command intensified its saturation bombing of German cities, Mosquitos were used by the Pathfinder Force, which marked targets for night-time bombing, to devastating effect. Mosquito Men traces the contrasting careers of the young men of 627 Squadron, including that of Ken Oatley – last living member of an illustrious group – who flew twenty-two operations in Mosquitos as a navigator. David Price's atmospheric narrative interweaves the human stories of the crews of 627 Squadron with events in the wider war as the Allies closed in on Germany from the summer of 1944.

Mosquito Men is rich in evocative and technically authoritative accounts of individual missions flown by an aircraft that ranks alongside the Spitfire, the Hurricane and the Lancaster as one of the RAF's greatest ever flying machines – and perhaps the most versatile warplane ever built.

Dipanjan wrote: "Last night i watched the movie The Bombardment. It is an awesome movie"

It is a pretty good movie. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

I'm not aware of any books on the subject but hopefully someone else might come up with a few recommendations Dipanjan. I found these web sites on the subject:

https://www.peoplesmosquito.org.uk/20...

https://defense.info/williams-foundat...

Plus the movie: "The Bombardment":

https://rogersmovienation.com/2022/03...

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9170516/...

Well done Dimitri and Simon :)

Fingers crossed it pops up soon at a good price!

Two excellent posts Mike. That is one hell of a way to fire an anti-tank gun! I'm not too sure if I'd be keen to try it. A well-deserved Distinguished Service Cross for Lieutenant Dushane.

My copy of this new release arrived this morning; "On the Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War" by Holger Afflerbach.

On the Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War by Holger Afflerbach

Good to hear Marc, I think your recommendation put me over the line to buy a copy :)

Just back from the Post Office with this new release:

Meat Grinder: The Battles for the Rzhev Salient, 1942–43 by Prit Buttar

This new release arrived in the afternoon mail; "The Cactus Air Force: Air War over Guadalcanal" by Eric Hammel & Thomas McKelvey Cleaver.

The Cactus Air Force: Air War over Guadalcanal by Eric Hammel

Excellent post MR9!

Mike, I've heard people refer to you as the book whisperer 😂😂😂

Good to hear MR9, helps justify my purchase :)

Two very interesting posts about the artillery used in the Confrontation!

Mike just made me order a copy of this book; "The Last Cavalryman: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr." by Harvey Ferguson. You all heard him entice me into purchasing a book on General Truscott!

The Last Cavalryman: The Life of General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr. by Harvey Ferguson

Another great post Mike, Truscott sounds like a pretty decent general!