Book Shelf

This book is a guide to the aircraft that have served with or for the Australian military forces since 1914. From Bristol Boxkite to Boeing AH-64E Apache, this volume covers an amazing array of over 275 different aircraft types that have operated with the Army, Navy and Air Force. Added to this are types that have been contracted from civilian agencies, trained cadets and a number of aircraft that were considered for use, but for some reason (usually price) were never taken on charge.

• Pages: 400
• Cost: $80 plus $18 postage within Australia
• To buy: http://australianmilitaryaircraft.com.au

As the Soviet-Mujahadeen war ended, Major Graeme Membrey was sent as the first, and only, Australian Army Officer to enter Afghanistan in early 1991. Afghan mine clearance training had continued in neighbouring Pakistan, when it was decided that ‘someone needed to go and see these trainees in action’. For Major Membrey, this was not as simple, or safe, as many had thought. Through humour and humility, he tells the tales that befell him inside Afghanistan, with many a close call.

• Pages: 290
• Cost: from $20
• Publisher: Brolga Publishing
• To buy: Amazon, Booktopia or contact Graeme Membrey via psamembrey@icloud.com

In April 1975, as an element of the Ho Chi Minh Offensive, Vietnamese communist forces attacked towards Saigon but were blocked by the defences of the 18th ARVN Regiment at Xuan Loc. After several weeks of fierce fighting, the communist forces advanced down Route 2 past the Nui Dat base and took the town of Baria. Despite ARVN defences on Route 15 south of Baria – including the destruction of bridges – the communist forces seized Vung Tau. This work on the ‘Fall’ describes the battles and the opposing forces, and includes eight maps and 21 photos.

• Pages: 78
• Cost: free
• To access: email ernestchris@tpg.com and he will send through a PDF attachment.

In 2005, eight veterans of war, along with their partners, embarked on a life-altering emotional journey. Participating in the Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Group Treatment Program, they boldly and bravely confronted years of trauma and emotional distress. Here they formed an incredible bond. In Shadows and Light, they gather to share their stories and pass on all they have learnt throughout their years of treatment. Through war, heartbreak, joy, pain, love and loss, the veterans and their partners prove that help is never far away, healing is always possible and hope is a powerful force.

• Pages: 284
• Cost: $29.95
• To buy: Book Depository, Booktopia, Amazon and all good bookstores.

Veteran and mental health and empowerment mentor, Craig Ball reveals his simple and easy to use techniques that can have a dramatic impact on your mental health and happiness. Having served two tours of Afghanistan and dealing not only with his own psychological injuries but with the scourge of suicide, having lost six mates in eight years post service, he decided to do something about it. This book is part of that.

• Pages: 150
• Cost: $20 plus $7 shipping throughout Australia
• To buy: https://reclaimyourbook.com/

The book is about Brenda’s father Lt Arthur Edmund Tranter 52843 and his experience as a POW during the Second World War. It also includes a little about his family life – the small town he left; his time spent in Johore, Malaya, when he was training young soldiers; his time in Singapore and the Battle of Muar; his escape to, and capture in, Sumatra; and the end of the war when he returned to farming. During his imprisonment, Arthur was among 500 British, Australian and Dutch POWs forced to build a road in Atjeh (The Atjeh Party), then sent to Pakenbaroe to construct the infamous railway to Moerara.

• Pages: 188
• Cost: from $11.99
• To buy: Amazon, Booktopia, Barnes and Noble, Xlibris

Viking Boys follows the true story of Beaufighter pilot James Hakewill and his navigator Fred Sides who died in December 1944, when their aircraft slammed into the German gunboat Geuse sweeping that vessel’s anti-aircraft guns from the deck of the ship, before plunging to the depths of the Orsta fjord in Norway. Uncovering James Hakewill’s story, Viking Boys reveals the amazing history of No. 455 (RAAF) Squadron and the young Australians who fought and flew against German shipping in the fjords of Norway – and called themselves the Viking Boys. The book is unusual as it also reveals what happened in December 1944 through the eyes of German, Australian and Norwegian witnesses to the raid.

• Pages: 240
• Cost: $32.99
• To buy: All good book stores, including Booktopia, Dymocks, QBD Books

Greg Currie, former sailor and Vietnam veteran tries to outrun his depression and his problems by sailing a 22-foot yacht solo from Australia to South Africa across the notorious Indian Ocean. When he isn’t making repairs to his boat, battling storms, getting lost at sea, and narrowly avoiding colliding with ships, Greg recalls the many challenges in his life and tells his tale of survival. 

• Pages: 388
• Cost: $35 plus $5 postage throughout Australia ($5 from sale of each book will be donated to MATES4MATES)
• To buy: email gregpsyc@hotmail.com

It is rare that a military history book is written from the perspective of the soldier by the soldier. This book is one of those. It is written by the men and officers of Victor 4 Coy, New Zealanders who served in the Vietnam War from 1969–1970, who tell about their experiences of combat in a faraway land. The book was written not to celebrate war but to tell the next generation about what was experienced. It is also a testament to those seven comrades who gave their lives for their country.

• Pages: 368
• Cost: from $11.99 (audio), $50.27 (paperback)
• To buy: Amazon

This biography tells the story of General Sir Alexander Godley, the much-misunderstood and under-rated British general who commanded New Zealand and Australian troops at Gallipoli and on the Western Front during the First World War. Its contents and conclusions will challenge readers who have bought into the prevailing myth that Godley was an incompetent and callous 'chateau general' who cared more for his personal reputation and enrichment than for the soldiers he commanded. The author contends that Godley was a capable general who serves as a convenient 'Imperial scapegoat' for the failings of others and for the impossible circumstances of the war.  

• Pages: 318
• Cost: $41.99 hard copy; $13.99 ebook
• To buy: Amazon, exislepublishing.com

After being evacuated from the Gallipoli peninsula in December 1915, the New Zealand Mounted Rifles (NZMR) Brigade, along with the Australian Light Horse (ALH), spent the rest of the First World War fighting the Ottoman Turks and their German allies in the Middle East (modern Egypt, Gaza, West Bank, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan). The 2,000-strong brigade fought in every major operation against this enemy, enhancing their enviable reputation gained on Gallipoli. This book tells the story of the NZMR Brigade, covering the period between its Gallipoli evacuation to its return home in 1919. The book was a finalist in the New Zealand Book Awards in 2008.

• Pages: 406
• Cost: $20.99 hard copy; $10.49 ebook
• To buy: Amazon, exislepublishing.com

The New Zealand Mounted Rifles (NZMR) Brigade served throughout the First World War alongside Australian Light Horse (ALH) and other Australian Imperial Force units. Originally intended for service on the Western Front, the brigade was landed in Egypt in late 1914. In March 1915, it was earmarked for war service on the Gallipoli Peninsula, without its horses (like the ALH). Between May and December 1915, the 2,000-strong NZMR Brigade fought in every major operation against the Ottoman Turks, earning an enviable reputation but suffering grievous casualties – the original brigade was effectively destroyed at Gallipoli. This book tells the story of the NZMR Brigade from its formation in New Zealand until its evacuation from Gallipoli in December 1915.  

• Pages: 320
• Cost: $27.99 hard copy; $10.49 ebook
• To buy: Amazon, exislepublishing.com

This is the history of 108 Fd Bty RAA from its blending of Australian Regular Army and National Servicemen into a very fast and very accurate gun battery, through its training, its service in SVN and the continuing bond that links them. It is written in a light and slightly humorous vein, but it is a detailed and thorough record, with more than 200 photographs.

Pages: 194 (A4), 242 illustrations

Cost: $35, P&P $10

To buy: john.wells8@bigpond.com for the 108 Fd Bty (SVN) Association