Slartibartfast Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Recently read "A Higher Call." WELL worth the read. From myself it went to my dad, and then to my MOM who also devoured it--not her usual read at all, that's how amazing a story it is. It's the account of the Me-109 that found a B-17 on its last legs, and just couldn't bring himself to shoot it down. So he did the unthinkable--ESCORTED it to safety, right across the German AA lines and over the channel. The two pilots reunited in the late 80's and were inseparable friends to the ends of their lives. I read that last year. Very moving. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Horrido Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 It's down. I put it up only because I thought others interested in the book might want to know what to buy, but yes I agree it's offensive. To the other poster about balloons: actually the Su-15 had shot down other planes before 007, but none of them were engaged in military missions (AFAIK). One of them was a commercial 707 that crash-landed on a frozen lake around 1979. At least one passenger was killed. Osipovitch was a soldier following orders. He is responsible, along with many others, for the 007 deaths but he is no more of a psychopath than the fire crew on the deck of the Vincennes. Let me be clear, I loath the USSR, but for whatever reason I'm fascinated with the Su-15. If any Bf109 modelers want to take a shot at that, be my guest. Actually, I was just mocking the easily offended using a really bad pun related to US current events. I'm fine with it being posted. Didn't know about the 707, I need to look that up. No, I do not believe Osipovich is a psychopath, but rather a product of his Soviet upbringing. The Vincennes incident is a very different set of circumstances and responses, though equally tragic. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exhausted Posted September 3, 2015 Author Share Posted September 3, 2015 I got that you were mocking the easily offended crowd, but sarcasm doesn't always translate well. I don't blame Punder for taking the picture down under the circumstances. It's actually nice to see someone who doesn't mind taking measures to ensure the comfort of more users.... +1 internets for punder! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Didn't know about the 707, I need to look that up. Interesting story. Yet another Korean airline drastically off course, flying over the USSR. Was hit by an AAM, blowing off part of the wing and I believe a couple of engines were knocked out. Pilots were able to safely crash land the jet on a frozen lake near the Finnish border. The Soviets were highly embarrassed by this since the aircraft was well inside their borders when it was intercepted. It is believed that this contributed towards their decision to immediately shoot down KAL007. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
punder Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I got that you were mocking the easily offended crowd, but sarcasm doesn't always translate well. I don't blame Punder for taking the picture down under the circumstances. It's actually nice to see someone who doesn't mind taking measures to ensure the comfort of more users.... +1 internets for punder! :nanner:/>/> :jaw-dropping:/> Holy Mother of... Is this the Internet? Have I suddenly been shunted into an alternate universe??? This puzzled ex-Austinite thanks you, Sir! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Horrido Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Interesting story. Yet another Korean airline drastically off course, flying over the USSR. Was hit by an AAM, blowing off part of the wing and I believe a couple of engines were knocked out. Pilots were able to safely crash land the jet on a frozen lake near the Finnish border. The Soviets were highly embarrassed by this since the aircraft was well inside their borders when it was intercepted. It is believed that this contributed towards their decision to immediately shoot down KAL007. Fool me once, shame on you... In regards to the book cover, I pretty much view the presentation for the viewer wondering,"Hey, was that the aircraft that?... Yup, there's the 747!" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
punder Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Actually, I was just mocking the easily offended using a really bad pun related to US current events. I'm fine with it being posted. Didn't know about the 707, I need to look that up. No, I do not believe Osipovich is a psychopath, but rather a product of his Soviet upbringing. The Vincennes incident is a very different set of circumstances and responses, though equally tragic. Sorry... I couldn't tell if you were being sarcastic or not!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Horrido Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 No worries. Imagine the pour souls compelled to interact with me in person! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hogdriver Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Reading just now, D-Day and the battle of Normandy by Anthony Beevor Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Greenghost Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Starting reading Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami this is the third of fourth book that I read from him, highly recommended!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Amazon just sold me The Aircraft Designers: A Grumman Historical Perspective by Michael V. Ciminera. Reading the acknowledgements, I see mention of quite a few people I worked with and for in the structural mechanics department. This will be good! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rightwinger26 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 I'm reading A Call to Arms, it's about the mobilization of American industry during the Second World War, pretty interesting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exhausted Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 Wow, there's so much in there... big government demanding a lot from a failing lot, very tough race relations and getting Rosie the Riveter out of the house. I think an even more fascinating tale is how the war industry transformed into the largest consumer economy after the war, and why it and Gen X created the pop culture everyone grew up with. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rightwinger26 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 it is very fascinating. I'm only half way through 1940, and the amount of red tape, arguing, bickering over civilian and defense needs is mind boggling. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Exhausted Posted September 9, 2015 Author Share Posted September 9, 2015 Wasn't 1940 the year the draft started? I'm would like to know if there are any polls that measure how much of the public expected to be involved in the European war. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rightwinger26 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 oh there are. There are numbers in the book from the polls, based on percent that wanted to get involved, percent that thought we would be involved and such, pretty interesting. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RKic Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Have any of you read "Matterhorn" by Karl Merlantes? Its a fictionalized account of Merlantes' own experiences as a Marine fighting in Vietnam. An absolutely gripping story. The tension in some of the jungle stalking scenes is palpable. The characters are very well developed and sympathetic. Even the antagonist is fleshed out enough that you can see why he makes the poor decisions that he makes. An absolutely fantastic, exciting, at times heart-breaking, hilarious, and terrifying novel. Thoroughly recommended. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 (edited) Half way through "Command and Control" by Eric Schlosser. It's a history of the US nuclear weapons program, with a focus on the safety and control issues associated with the earlier nukes. Intertwined with that is the minute by minute story of the "Damascus Incident", the explosion of an armed Titan II missile in Damascus, Arkansas back in 1980. I thought it was going to be a "dry", technical read but it's anything but. Great book and really makes you think about these issues. US came pretty close on more than one occasion to having one of their own nuclear weapons accidentally detonate. Despite the military's PR campaign, there were many issues associated with security and safety of these weapons. A lot of the book focuses on SAC, which knowingly compromised safety because they felt that it would limit their ability to procure even more weapons. That Titan II had the largest nuclear warhead in the US inventory. If it had gone off, it would have taken out most of the state of Arkansas, at minimum, if only the warhead's conventional explosives had detonated, a huge area would have been covered with plutonium. Crazy that by 1980, the USAF was still using dangerous liquid fueled ICBM's. Those things were an accident waiting to happen but they resisted calls to retire them due to the fact that the missile could carry a massive nuclear payload (much larger than anything fitted to the much safer solid rocket powered Minutemans. Well worth reading, especially since we still have issues with the security of these weapons today, given the ongoing problems the AF is having with ICBM launch crews and nuclear weapons management. Edited May 8, 2016 by 11bee Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaiidanTomcat Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Half way through "Command and Control" by Eric Schlosser. It's a history of the US nuclear weapons program, with a focus on the safety and control issues associated with the earlier nukes. Intertwined with that is the minute by minute story of the "Damascus Incident", the explosion of an armed Titan II missile in Damascus, Arkansas back in 1980. I thought it was going to be a "dry", technical read but it's anything but. Great book and really makes you think about these issues. US came pretty close on more than one occasion to having one of their own nuclear weapons accidentally detonate. Despite the military's PR campaign, there were many issues associated with security and safety of these weapons. A lot of the book focuses on SAC, which knowingly compromised safety because they felt that it would limit their ability to procure even more weapons. That Titan II had the largest nuclear warhead in the US inventory. If it had gone off, it would have taken out most of the state of Arkansas, at minimum, if only the warhead's conventional explosives had detonated, a huge area would have been covered with plutonium. Crazy that by 1980, the USAF was still using dangerous liquid fueled ICBM's. Those things were an accident waiting to happen but they resisted calls to retire them due to the fact that the missile could carry a massive nuclear payload (much larger than anything fitted to the much safer solid rocket powered Minutemans. Well worth reading, especially since we still have issues with the security of these weapons today, given the ongoing problems the AF is having with ICBM launch crews and nuclear weapons management. I listened to that one, book on tape. The constant push-pull between safety devices vs operational desires is interesting. I too was amazed we still had liquid fueled rockets that late Quote Link to post Share on other sites
11bee Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Speaking of the cold war and nukes, here is a pretty cool blog I just stumbled upon: http://atomic-annhilation.blogspot.com/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 (edited) Since my previous post on 02-Sept-15, I finished the 48 books I bought last year and have acquired and read: Air Force Colors -- Volume 1: 1926-42 by Dana Bell Guppy Pilot by Robert G. Smith Naval Fighters Number Twelve: McDonnell F3H Demon by Steve Ginter North American Aviation P-51 Mustang -- MDF 21 Part 1 Allison Powered by Malcolm V. Lowe. Really nice kitography and aftermarket parts and decals list North American Aviation P-51 Mustang -- MDF 24 Part 2 Merlin Powered by Malcolm V. Lowe. Really nice kitography and aftermarket parts and decals list Zoukei-mura Concept Note SWS No. IV -- North American P-51D Mustang, Other than a nice list of extra accessories for their four SWS kits, not of much value. I'm reading Ups & Downs With No Regrets: The Story of George Lichter by Vic Shayne And these two are in the queue: Chassis Design - Principles and Analysis -- Based on previously unpublished technical notes by Maurice Olley by William F. Milliken Naval Fighters Number 101 Grumman S2F/S-2 Tracker -- Part One Development, Testing, Variants, and Foreign Users by Robert J. Kowalski and Tommy Thomason Also read an old Asimov sci-fi magazine while awaiting the new book shipment. Edited May 8, 2016 by Slartibartfast Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ishthe47guy Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Just last night, I started "Before Topgun Days: The Making of a Jet Fighter Instructor", by Dave Baranek, former Topgun RIO Instructor. This is his second book, and it covers his time in the student naval aviator pipeline. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Just finished Low Level Hell by Hugh Mills. It's about scout helicopter pilots in Vietnam and was it ever a great read. Top notch in the cockpit type stuff down in the weeds scouting for signs of the VC and NVA. Highly recommended! Just started To The Limit by Tom Johnson. It's a book about Huey 'Slick' drivers in Vietnam and so far its really good in the early stages of the read. on Deck: Apache by Ed Macy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sarathi S. Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Been going through Dalton Fury's Delta Force novels. Just finished Black Site, and started Tier One Wild the day before yesterday. Also I can vouch for 11 Days of Christmas. Used it as a source for a term paper, along with another of Michel's books, Clashes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TaiidanTomcat Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 I read Revolt of The Majors by Michel III and utterly loved it. It's available FREE online and is superb. Did I mention it was FREE? All you have to do is Google the title and you can read it on PDF. Don't even have to download it if you don't want. And BTW it's FREE Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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