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

[logau]

You may all profit from having a look at this source of thought on things military. To paraphrase the Theory of Risk Management - Risk Avoidance is not Risk management..... if that‘s true - then the Canadian Government must be a barrel of laughs when it talks about what we can and can‘t do....

http://www.army.mil/prof_writing/index.html

 

[Infanteer]

I had one member PM me about where to start reading about the military profession, a subject which I've brought up quite frequently in the last little while.   I gave him a list of six books that would probably be a good place to start, as well as further links to good books for the professional to read.   I thought I'd put that message up here for anyone else who was interested in reading for professional development and was kind of confused on where to start.

Here are 6 books to get you started.   I've included the amazon link if you can't find them at a library.   A warning, some of the books may seem a bit "heavy" if you are not too familiar with military history or theory.   Don't hesitate to explore other books on the subject if you find the subject matter a little to in depth.

John Keegan, A History of Warfare and Victor Davis Hanson, Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power -   Although these two books do not deal directly with the profession of arms - they are general military history books - I think these are two good starting points to begin to understand the differing effects culture has played in the development of how (and why) different societies decide to fight.   Going from there, one can begin to figure out where some of the general aspects of the profession of arms are derived from (as I was describing in the thread about warriors vs. professionals) and how the aspects of this profession give it advantages over other forms of fighting.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0679730826/qid=1094797889/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-5837602-8634416

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0385720386/qid=1094797956/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-5837602-8634416


Samuel Huntington (The guy of Clash of Civilizations fame...), The Soldier and the State: The Theory and Politics of Civil-Military Relations -   Written in the 1950's, this is a classic and comprehensive look at the development of the profession of arms.   The second half of the book dealing with the American Military can be a bit tedious, but the first half is brilliant.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0674817362/qid=1094795992/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-5837602-8634416

Col. T.N. Dupuy, A Genius for War: The German Army and General Staff, 1807-1945 -   This book looks at the organization that was the birthplace for the idea of the professional Officer Corps.   Covering the beginning of professionalism under the reforms of Scharnhorst, this book details the system that was copied to some extent by all other military forces to some extent.   Dupuy's thesis; the professionalization of leadership in an Army is the institutionalization of military excellence.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0963869213/qid=1094796461/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-5837602-8634416?v=glance&s=books

Maj. Donald Vandergriff, The Path to Victory: America's Army and the Revolution in Human Affairs -  I found this book interesting because Maj. Vandergriff has struck to the core of the issue that tends to put blinders on military forces; that is, technologically advanced weapons systems will fail in the hands of armed forces that do not recognize that it is human beings that fight wars, not guns and planes.   Vandergriff goes on to argue that an Army is best served by professional soldiers that are properly intergrated into cohesive units and given the proper education and career structure to utilize their talents.   Although his book is geared to US Army reform, the core elements of his ideas are applicable to any modern, professional fighting force.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0891417664/qid=1094797081/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-5837602-8634416?v=glance&s=books

William Lind, The Maneuver Warfare Handbook -  How does the professional soldier fight?   This slim little guidebook does an excellent job in explaining the fundamental concepts of the German way of war (they did invent the professional Officer after all...).   Although this book is a primer on concepts of maneuver warfare, it contains a good overview of the training required to develop a thinking officer, a true professional, as opposed to a drone who simply falls back on formulas and textbook solutions.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/086531862X/qid=1094797805/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5837602-8634416?v=glance&s=books

If you want to find more books related to professional development, check out some of the reading lists that various militaries have out.   The Commandant of the US Marine Corps is a fairly comprehensive one; the Canadian Army has also released one that you can find here.

http://armyapp.dnd.ca/ael/Reading_list.asp

As well, I've found William Lind's articles on the evolution of modern conflict quite interesting; I'm in the process of reading his "Canon" of books that describe this evolution; here are links to his three-part series of articles on it:

http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Lind_061004,00.html
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Lind_061504,00.html
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Lind_062504,00.html


Well, I hope I didn't overwhelm you with information.   Start with a general history book like Keegan's and maybe pick out some specific aspects or topics you liked and go from there.   Keep a notebook and take notes from what you read; don't try and remember dates and locations, look to the underlying concepts of battles and wars like "why did this commander do this" or "what effects to society have on the way these people fought".   Questions like these can help you to further understand the true nature of how we have developed professional fighting forces.

Hope this helps. If anyone feels they want to add a book or a comment, go on right ahead.

Cheers,
Infanteer.

 

[Fusaki]

A big part of the military profession is the philosophy and morality of the lowest ranking NCMs. Starship Troopers may be set in the future, but that doesn't stop Robert Heinlein from pointing out the universal truths that come along with serving in the military. Please, PLEASE don't associate the movie with the book. There are only SMALL similarities between the two. In my opinion, Starship Troopers by Robert Henlein is a must read for anyone who wants to know about the combat arms mentality.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0441783589/qid=1095001457/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/103-9352959-8915821

 

[Michael OLeary]

For futher suggestions, I have the following reading lists posted here:

Canadian Army Reading List --   http://regimentalrogue.com/library/CARL_intro.htm

Infantry School Reading List   --   http://regimentalrogue.com/library/library-infsch-byrank.htm

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Some of it might be fluff but I think there are some good books out there. For instance:

1) Harold Coyle-Team Yankee and several others.Near future WW3
2) James H Cobb- Choosers of the Slain and several others. Near future naval warfare.
3) Douglas Niles & Michael Dobson-Fox on the Rhine. Alternate World War Two history.

 

[PPCLI Guy]

Company Commander - Charles B MacDonald
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
Forever War - Joe Haldeman (?)
Platoon Leader - Can't remember
Rumour of War - Phillip J Caputo
Fields of Fire - James Webb

 

[devil39]

To add to the above off the top of my head:

The 13th Valley - John M Del Vecchio

For the Sake of All Living Things - John M. Del Vecchio.   This is one of the most powerful and most depressing books I have ever read.   A (large) novel that is a chronicle of the rise and effect of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.

Man of War - John Masters

 

[DJL]

The Bridges at Toko-Ri - James Michener (really good movie also)

The Guns of Navarone - Alistair Maclean (another decent movie)

The Cruel Sea - Nicholas Monsarrat (also a decent flick)

Though, IMHO all the movies are good, the books are much better.

 

[QORvanweert]

I don't know if any of you have read him, however I picked up "Rogue Warrior" -Richard Marchinko from salvation army and it reads like a bunkc of claptrap.. is this guy for real?

 

[Freight_Train]

Another thread here on the same subject - http://army.ca/forums/threads/17207/post-83037.html#msg83037  ;D

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Not really FT..this deals with fiction while the thread you provided a link for is both fiction and non fiction.

 

[Danjanou]

Devil39 Thanks for the suggestion. I loved 13th Valley and will take a look for The Sake of All Living Things.

Just reread Larry Bond's Red Phoenix and Cauldron while on vacation in Mexico. Good technical thrillers although the first is a bit dated now as is Vortex, but still worth the price. Remember he was the coauthor with Clancy for Red Storm Rising so if you like Tom, you'll enjoy these.

Several good choices/suggestions here and not much to add, although two Brit Authors worth looking at are Terrance Strong's SAS/SBS  novels (Who Dares Wins, The 5th Hostage, Dragon Plague, Conflict of Lions etc) and Gerald Seymour's mainly Cold War era and retreat from empire Stuff. (The Glory Boys, Harry's Game, The Contract) Kind of intelligence novels moresoo than staight military but great reads as they usually have flawed realistic characters  and cynical unhappy endings.

There is also a surprising number of novels that came out of the various bush wars in Africa in the 1980's although hard to find. The Wild Geese by Danial Carney (?) and A Game for Vultures are two that come to mind.

For those who may be interested, two military humour series worth a look are Donald Jack's Bandy Papers and George MacDonald Frasers ( FLashman) three volume set of short stories base on his post WW2 experiences in thr Gordon Highlanders The General Danced art DAwn, MacAuslan in the Rough and the Sheik and the Dustbin. I started rereading them this week and the wife keeps giving me funny looks when I break out in hysterics.

Also can't fail to mention WEB Griffon's series The Brotherhood of War and The Corps although thewy are more on the lines of novels on the society of the US Military as opposed to straight action/battle novels.

 

[jmacleod]

For those interested in Canadian military history, I suggest "The Battle For A Continent" by
Gordon Donaldson, a fomer journalist amd news commentator, originally from Scotland. His
detailed perspective of the conquest of French North America, culminating with the Battle
on the Plains of Abraham is an outstanding description of not only the tactics and the battle
but also the personalities and backgrounds of Lord Amherst, Commander British Forces in North
America amd Brevet Brigadier General James Wolfe, the battefield commander. The excellent
well researched book also defines the roles of General's Townshend, Murray, and Monckton, plus
of course the French, led by Montcalm. Francis Parkinson's famous book, "Montcalm and Wolfe"
which took decades to write and research is a classic, featuring great detail. Many of the original
documents which were researched about the French Colony, Acadia, remain to this day in the
Nova Scotia Archives. For those interested in the Canadian Army in World War II, screen writer
and author Tony Foster's book, "A Meeting of Generals" is a carefully researched and well written
history of the trial of SS Major-General Kurt Meyer, whose young SS soldiers from the 12th SS
Adolf Hitler Youth SS Panzer Division murdered Canadian army prisoners in Normandy in 1944 is one
the best books published. Foster's father was the late Major-General Harry Foster whom commanded
the 3rd Canadian Division in World War II, and was President of the Meyer General Court Martial.
My daughters were taught that Canadian history is dull - it in fact is not.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Bercuson goes down the history of militaries in general and the development of the Canadian Army in particular in Significant Incident.  It focusses on the Somalia affair, but he puts it into a larger overall context and explains, I think, why Somalia was an aberration.

 

[jmacleod]

Dr. David Bercuson of the University of Calgary has published several notable books, including
"The Secret Army" - the historical view of the formation of the Israeli Air Force, from the point
of view of the many Canadians, (Jews and non Jews) who served in the then newly created
State of Israel. A significant part of the book is focused on the RAF/RCAF career of the late
S/L George Buerling,DSO,DFC*, DFM, our outstanding ace fighter pilot of World War II, who
was killed in the crash of a Noordyn "Norseman" aircraft in Rome on his way to Israel. An
important role in the supply of arms to Israel was played at the then RCN Naval Air Station
"Shearwater" where B-17's loaded with arms were "interned" long enough for RCAF and RCN
navigators to assist the Israeli air crews to fly successfully to the Azores, then on to Spain or
France. Many of the fighter pilots who flew the Czech built version of the famous BF ME 109G
"Avia" were RCAF veteran fighter pilots, many of whom on return to Canada served again in
the RCAF as pilot instructors. Dr. Bercuson and his associates are real friends of the Canadian Forces
-MacLeod, 4 October 2004

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Bercuson's volumes on the Calgary Highlanders and the Korean War were not as good as Significant Incident; they were riddled with minor errors of fact and some more serious errors; FWIW Blood on the Hills is discussed on my website at www.canadiansoldiers.com under BACKGROUND ON BOOKS.  I've mostly cribbed from Canadian Army Journal, though Art Johnson (Korean War vet) adds some good comments as well.  Bercuson is a labour historian IIRC with no military experience, but his research does put him in a league with the best military historians in this country, Granatstein, Copp etc. many of whom never served either.  But I do suggest caution when reading him. 

If anyone has reason to find material in Significant Incident objectionable, I'd like to know.

 

[Brad Sallows]

If you read Hanson's "Carnage and Culture", you should read John Lynn's "Battle: A History of Combat and Culture" as well.  There was an interesting discussion panel on the H-War mailing list earlier this year which centred on the arguments in the two books.

 

[Infanteer]

Yes, you're right Brad.  Hanson's Carnage and Culture presents a certain theory of war against the backdrop of monolithic cultural .  Keegan draws upon alot of Hanson's earlier work for his History of Warfare.  Although some of their arguments relating to culture and war are very compelling, the idea of the "monolith" tends to fall short when applied in detail (which Lynn does).

In a class titled War and Society the primary textbook was Keegan.  The Professor said that he would have included Lynn's Battle as an opposing view but the book was still hardcover and he didn't want to make students pay big time bucks for the book (odd...it was a university that delights in constantly revising $120 textbooks).

 

[armyrules]

I've been lookin for info about that too thankx for the link Mike

 

[HollywoodHitman]

PLEASE just concentrate on mastering Canadian tactics!!! Never a better way to drive your Sect. Comdr and your buddies nuts than to say 'Yeah but they do it this way!'.........An interest in tactics is good initiative and you can incorporate ideas and methods eventually when you get some experience and time in the field...........

Good luck.