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The 'What Have You Bought Recently?' Thread - Because Summer Is a Show Off

felix said:
Me too! And I agree with your last point, obviously. I bet you've read all the Beevors, right? :D

I've read so many WW2 books over the past 5 years that I've lost count. After exhausting the local libraries of "traditional" histories of the war, I also became very interested in the post-war period. What happened in Europe after hostilities ceased was, especially in Germany itself, often more horrifying than the previous 6-7 years were. It's a period of time that is often forgotten about or glossed over, and I don't think any countries on either side came out of it looking good.

I can thoroughly recommend this one, if you haven't read it:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Savage-Continent-Europe-Aftermath-World/dp/0141034513

%7B34343659-B7E3-4BD8-A022-0C8DA1B6AA86%7DImg100.jpg


I think my fascination with WW2 began with me trying to understand why an entire country apparently went insane, and seemed to go along with Hitler's plans willingly. Having a deeper understanding of those early years gives you quite a good perspective when we see flashes of history repeating itself in the present.

So here's another good one:

http://www.amazon.com/The-12-year-Reich-History-1933-1945/dp/0306806606

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If you can recommend anything I might have missed, please tell me! :D
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Alright mate?

Great to talk to another WW2 history buff!

Funny you should mention Beevor but I missed the library today so just picked a book at random off my bookshelf and it was D-Day by Antony Beevor! I also have the hardbacks of Stalingrad and Berlin. Beevor is probably among my favorite authors. He doesn't have the sycophantic flag waving nationalism of someone like Stephen Ambrose exhibited (I think he was in love with Maj. Dick Winters of the 101st - haha!).

Have you read much Max Hastings? His book "Armageddon - The Battle For Germany 1944-45" is a very interesting take on the final stage of the war. Due to the nature of the battle in those terminal stages most if it talks about the final Soviet battles since obviously the western allies stopped at the Elbe. The main focal point of the book is the difference in what could be expected of soldiers of democracy vs' solders of brutal dictatorships and how this reflected the way the various armies fought. He alludes to the fact that we needed the Soviets to take the sort of casualties that they did in order to wear down the Germans through attrition. Something the western allies could never do. He then argues that this very fact gives s the western the moral high-ground so to speak. IF you haven't already read it. give it a try mate. It"s a really good book.

You are right about the post war period being overlooked/ Germany suffered terribly in the post war period. Then again so did some of the victors as well. Britain and the Soviets were in a mess and the only country to really come out on top was the states. I could chat to you for hours about ths stuff but don't want to take over the thread too much so I better not

Josh - fair one mate. It was meant to say "I think you've taken the word "favorite" out of context". As in you've TAKEN my USE of the word out of context. It's a good job we won the war though......cos the Nazis would have had someone lined up against a wall and shot for an offense like that!!"

I think we've all made a typo at one time and another while typing on a mobile but thank you for bringing that one to my attention mate. I shall fix forthwith ;)

lurching said:
You insensitive clod =D
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I shouldn't really dignify this with a response but in what way are my affection for the German people and my historical interest in the most significant events in 20th century history mutually exclusive?..
 
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englandgz74 said:
just picked a book at random off my bookshelf and it was D-Day by Antony Beevor!

Have you read much Max Hastings? His book "Armageddon - The Battle For Germany 1944-45" is a very interesting take on the final stage of the war. Due to the nature of the battle in those terminal stages most if it talks about the final Soviet battles since obviously the western allies stopped at the Elbe. The main focal point of the book is the difference in what could be expected of soldiers of democracy vs' solders of brutal dictatorships and how this reflected the way the various armies fought. He alludes to the fact that we needed the Soviets to take the sort of casualties that they did in order to wear down the Germans through attrition. Something the western allies could never do. He then argues that this very fact gives the western the moral high-ground so to speak. IF you haven't already read it. give it a try mate. It"s a really good book.

You are right about the post war period being overlooked/ Germany suffered terribly in the post war period. Then again so did some of the victors as well. Britain and the Soviets were in a mess and the only country to really come out on top was the states. I could chat to you for hours about ths stuff but don't want to take over the thread too much so I better not.
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We're talking about books we bought/acquired recently, so fuck it, that's on topic. ;) But maybe the book thread would be better, if mods want to tidy up... *shrug*

Beevor's D-Day book is a sprawling epic that goes into more detail than you'd think possible. Which is a good thing. :D Just a "minor" detail about the layout of the French countryside (i.e. "bocage") explains so much about why the Allies found it so difficult, murderous and time-consuming to break out and get the Jerries on the run. That's just a tiny part of a great book. Enjoy.

That Armageddon book looks familiar, and so does the subject matter. I'm gonna take another look and remind myself if I've read it. If not, I'll order it - cheers! Looks right up my street. The way the Germans mobilised towards Total War is fucking insane and makes our efforts here look like we were just playing at it (in comparison, of course).

I do find it horrifically interesting that Churchill lobbied the Americans & Russians hard to delay D-Day, so the Russians would have no choice but to pour millions of lives into the eastern front meat grinder, making the war shorter and less destructive to the Allies when we did eventually invade. We were on the right side, no doubt, but Churchill had to make some pretty dodgy calls that were morally questionable. (And I'm glad he did...)

And yeah... the Americans didn't too badly out of the whole deal (apart from the lives lost, of course) - I mean the country as a whole in the postwar period. Lots of money was made out of the whole deal. Pity FDR went and died.

Ah well. :D
 
felix said:
We're talking about books we bought/acquired recently, so fuck it, that's on topic. ;) But maybe the book thread would be better, if mods want to tidy up... *shrug*

Beevor's D-Day book is a sprawling epic that goes into more detail than you'd think possible. Which is a good thing. :D Just a "minor" detail about the layout of the French countryside (i.e. "bocage") explains so much about why the Allies found it so difficult, murderous and time-consuming to break out and get the Jerries on the run. That's just a tiny part of a great book. Enjoy.

That Armageddon book looks familiar, and so does the subject matter. I'm gonna take another look and remind myself if I've read it. If not, I'll order it - cheers! Looks right up my street. The way the Germans mobilised towards Total War is fucking insane and makes our efforts here look like we were just playing at it (in comparison, of course).

I do find it horrifically interesting that Churchill lobbied the Americans & Russians hard to delay D-Day, so the Russians would have no choice but to pour millions of lives into the eastern front meat grinder, making the war shorter and less destructive to the Allies when we did eventually invade. We were on the right side, no doubt, but Churchill had to make some pretty dodgy calls that were morally questionable. (And I'm glad he did...)

And yeah... the Americans didn't too badly out of the whole deal (apart from the lives lost, of course) - I mean the country as a whole in the postwar period. Lots of money was made out of the whole deal. Pity FDR went and died.

Ah well. :D
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You sound one of the most informed people I've ever had the pleasure of conversing with on the subject. Beevors D-Day does go into a tremendous amount of details, you're right and that's what I like about it. Same with his books Stalingrad and Berlin. Berlin in particular gives a harrowing account of how German civilians were treated by the advancing Red Army juganought. Specifically the terrifying number of rapes and the unimaginable fate of the poor German women. In some ways though, given how the Germans had behaved in the East during the early stages of Barbarossa in '42 and '42 this was probably to be expected but by no means excusable.

Hastings book as I mentioned tried to compare the actions and philosophies of the western allies of democracy versus the German and Russian armies who were raised by dictators. While the western nations would not have been able to sanction the sheer volume of casualties taken by the Red Army or Wehrmacht nor emulate the shear brutality of these two forces. We needed the Russians to be like this in order to win the war and defeat the Germans through attrition but this is the nature of an army of citizen soldiers from a democracy and while it was necessary (for the Russians to be like that) for us in order to win we should be rightly please that the western allies didn't fight as "well" as the Soviets or Germans in that sense.

I also find it fascinating (as I think you do) how a sane, intelligent people like the Germans fell so thoroughly for Goebbels propaganda machine that implicitly allowed the wholesale slaughter of millions and their faith in their Fuhrer when it was obvious that he was insane. I think the German culture of that era to follow orders no matter how stupid has something to do with it. It's also interesting that by 1943 Churchill was dead against any plot to kill Hitler since hr felt we were much more likely to win the was with him in charge than someone else due to his massive incompetence (I know he had onset early Parkinsons by this point but I wonder how much his daily methamphetamine injections administered by Dr Morell contributed to his mental collapse).

Well I could debate this all day with you mate. Perhaps you would like to continue by PM sometime?
 
I got myself these for Xmas to replace my Sennheiser ones that the jack went with: (AKG K451)

akg451.gif


I also picked up this, which technically I had to pay for part of whilst making up the extra on an exchange of a present I already had:

 
Sony Smartwatch 3

sony-smartwatch-3.jpg


Got impatient waiting for the green to become available so have bought the black one for now, looks like they're going to be selling the straps separately eventually, so will be replacing it when I can.

Lime green <3
 
Purchased a new black metal bin for my bedroom. Very nice it is too, something to impress the ladies with, well it would if I ever invited any ladies to my room.
 
Josh said:
Sony Smartwatch 3

sony-smartwatch-3.jpg



Got impatient waiting for the green to become available so have bought the black one for now, looks like they're going to be selling the straps separately eventually, so will be replacing it when I can.

Lime green <3
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So what does it do?

maxalfie said:
Purchased a new black metal bin for my bedroom. Very nice it is too, something to impress the ladies with, well it would if I ever invited any ladies to my room.
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So what does it do?



Do they make toast and tea the morning after?

I bought chillis, ginger and garlic.
 
Don Luigi said:
And if you put something in said bin.
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So far I must have placed around 8 items of various sizes and materials into said bin and it has coped fantastically so far.
Don't know why I never thought of buying one before. All my debris is now consolidated into one sleek black metal bin as opposed to lying in random spots around my room.
I think that as far as life goes this bin is a real game changer.
 
kate said:
So what does it do?

So what does it do?
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Tells the time, and generally informs me of what is going on on my phone (emails, texts, other notifications, alarms etc) without me having to get it out of my pocket. It also has GPS and there is an Endomondo app for it, so it'll replace my Garmin watch when I start running / cycling again. Garmin was good but I've fucked it by leaving the battery flat on it for too long, doesn't hold enough charge for more than about 2km now!
 
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