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ORIGINAL: Canoerebel

John, if you can detour from non-fiction for a couple of days, try Alistair MacLean's HMS Ulysses, a spectacular work of historical-fiction about an early convoy to Murmansk.  It's been on my list of top ten books I've read since highschool and I've re-read it about eight times, including last week.

I read it many, many years ago, so long ago I have forgotten. Have no excuse for why I haven't read it since. Love MacLean. I will read it again.

Thank you Reb, for putting my head straight. Sometimes I get too tangled up in my shorts and forget that a good author can show show the real dimension, the human one. I will definitely detour. Thanks pal.

Ciao. John

I know you said you were interested in the Pacific, but if you are looking for an excellent book (IMO):

We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway

Much better then the movie.

Charbroiled, I agree with you wholeheartedly and actually recommended We were Soldiers to John quite some time ago.  We were Soldiers is the best non-fiction history I've ever read (followed by This Terrible Sound, a history of the Battle of Chickamauga).

Two must-read memoirs of US marines are "Goodbye Darkness" by William Manchester and "With The Old Bread" by E.B. Sledge.

I read a good memoir by a British soldier that served in Burma, though I can't remember the name of it now and I loaned it to my dad months ago. The guy was a journalist later in life.

EDIT: It was "Quartered Safe Out Here: A Recollection of the War in Burma" by George MacDonald Fraser

so John 3rd, what did you end up getting?  I'm sure the posters would like to know..

Thanks Guys.  I hadn't noticed the amount of posting over the last two days!  My mistake...

Let me touch on a couple of the postings:
1.  SuluSea I have read every book but one on your list.
2.  Dan--I forgot to tell you that I bought and read We Were Soldiers--magnificent!
3.  I love Alistar MacLean's work.  I used to have a bunch of his books in paperback.  They were fantastic.
4.  I had forgotten about This Terrible Sound!  I want to read that and will order it next time Dan.
5.  The 3 Volume Amphib history sounds highly interesting...

For the record I ordered five books total but only 3 were appropriate for here.  I got War Plan Orange--this is an area that I don't know a lot about and both of the Bergerud books.

Thanks for all the input you guys.  I love posting onto the Forum for this sort of thing.  It is so friendly and--dare I say--scholarly that I really appreciate it and feel enriched by the experiences!