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There's lots of background info one needs to learn about modern warfare to play Command effectively.

So, what are people's recommendation for their top 5 books on Naval Warfare?
I'm sure there are a few more to mention, but here is my list for starters:

1. Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat 2nd ed. 1999 by Wayne P Hughes Jr. USN (Ret.)
2. Modern Naval Combat 1987 by D.M.O.and C Miller (Salamander book)
3. One Hundred Days New Ed 2012 by Admiral Sandy Woodward
4. Just started reading SeaPower rev. 2013 by Geoffrey Till
5. The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems 5th Edition 2005 Friedman (I only have the 1989 edition..should I update?)

Also, In a nutshell, but hard to find Harpoon II The Official Strategy guide 1993 Ed Dille and T Basham

Please comment on my selection and name your own top 5.
I would love to know what else I could get..

ciao, & Long Live CMNAO

- Red Storm Rising
- The Sixth Battle

1. Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat by Capt. Wayne P. Hughes
2. Network Center Warfare by Norman Friedman
3. Soviet Naval Tactics Milan Vego
4. Inside the Danger Zone US Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-1988 Harold Lee Wise
5. Combat Fleets- 16th Edition.

I'd certainly agree with Hughes' Fleet Tactics, and add that the 2 Harpoon strategy guides are still helpful - the Harpoon Battlebook (from the original harpoon days) and the Harpoon II: Official Strategy Guide. Got both from ebay a while back,

Chris

All of these sound interesting. I'm currently listening to the audiobook of Red Storm Rising and it's brilliant a great for getting in the mood for Command

The new Hughes book is pretty good, I have to admit. Aside from those mentioned here, some of my favorites begin to depart the realm of books...

1) The Naval Diplomat - http://thediplomat.com/the-naval-diplomat/
2) Flashpoints Blog - http://thediplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/
3) Brassey's Sea Power Series of books [mid-90s or so]
4) Jane's Navy International - pricey but my local college has a subscription http://www.janes.com/magazines/ihs-janes-navy-international
5) Principles of Naval Weapon Systems - http://cdn.preterhuman.net/texts/science_and_technology/physics/Principles%20of%20Naval%20Weapons%20Systems.pdf

I feel dumb not adding one more ... the Harpoon wargame rules set. Reading the core rules and data annexes (by Larry Bond and friends) are a seminal experience for the dedicated modern naval wargamer.

The Hunt for the Red October! [:D]

The Hughes book (Fleet Tactics) and the Brassey Sea Power series (Vol 7, Submarines is especially excellent) are great.

The Boats of Cherbourg is a great way to learn about the birth of the modern, naval missile age.

And if you don't mind going back in time to WW2, Neptune's Inferno is possibly the best military history narrative I've ever read.

The Tactics and Technology of Underwater Warfare SUB vs SUB
Richard Compton-Hall, Orion Books, 1988

Goes in some technical detail concerning construction, engines, weapons...
Tactics with diagrams and photos. Emphasis on Soviet era subs.

Tom Clancy died
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/tom-clanc ... AAslHQtDMD

i probably have to thank Tom Clancy with his Red Storm Rising to get me interested in the subject.
then i found out about Harpoon.

Command just being released a few days ago will draw me back in where Harpoon left me off years ago.

Started Reading Red Storm again. Talk about getting in the mood. The book sticks to your hand.

so which is better for playing CMANO ?

Combat Fleets of the World 16th edition, or
World Naval Weapon Systems 5th Edition ?

"Great Naval Battles of the 20th Century"
Tom Clancys 'SSN' and Submarine

I am curious about that Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat by Hughes is it any good and is it applicable to CMANO at all?

ORIGINAL: pandoraefretum

so which is better for playing CMANO ?

Combat Fleets of the World 16th edition, or
World Naval Weapon Systems 5th Edition ?

I own neither, but it appears that CFOTW covers ships, subs, and planes while WNWS covers weapons, sensors, and other systems.

ORIGINAL: pandoraefretum

so which is better for playing CMANO ?

Combat Fleets of the World 16th edition, or
World Naval Weapon Systems 5th Edition ?

Own both (not sure which editions)

Combat Fleets of the World contains small (usually a paragraph or 2) listings for every ship in use at that time. Things like name and # in service, length, tonnage, crew, max speed, weapon systems carried, a pic, etc. Command's database pretty much has all this info.

IMO World Naval Weapon Systems is much more useful. It covers weapon systems, electronic warfare items, fire control systems, radar, sonar, etc all in a incredible level of detail that Command's database and Wikipedia simply lack.

For me I cannot recommend enough the book "Operational Warfare at Sea" by Milan Vego.
I found it quite helpful in preparing operational plans for CMANO scenarios

I read the first third of Fleet Tactics & Coastal, and was quite bored... then by the middle of the book things picked up and were pretty interesting. In fact, I went from not liking it to liking it a lot! I find the Harpoon II Official Strategy Guide very relevant & good, so am reading that at the moment.

Hi,

I'm from Germany and it's quite difficult to get these english/american special interests books here. Many of the books seem to be out of stock and are only sold as used items. Sometimes the prices for the used books are ridiculously high and shipping takes ages from US to Germany.

That's why I would like to buy a good guide as ebook. Unfortunately most of the classic books were published before the introduction of the ebooks. So if anybody can recommend a contemporary book that's also offered as ebook, please let me hear.

Thanks,

gdir