This section contains fictional texts that cover the sorts of technology and themes simulated in Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations.

You may find some tactical or operational insights in them. You may also find some inspiration for you to create your own scenarios if you so choose to pursue that.

Some of these books have already had CMANO scenarios made based on them, so you may find them enjoyable because of that.

This deserves a special mentions since it ties directly to CMANO/CMO.

The 'Fury' campaigns of Command community scenarios are being adapted into novels, with the first having been released in May 2019. The whole overarching plot is an Alternate history which diverges from our own with the 1991 Soviet Coup de'tat actually succeeding, thus preventing a collapse of the USSR, eventually leading to war in early 1994.

1. Northern Fury: H-Hour (Released May 2019)
[E-Book]

This first book of the Northern Fury trilogy covers the events that take this timeline away from our own, as well as the first 24 hours of the War on the Northern front (Norway and the North Atlantic).

Contains intense air to air combat as well as some surface and subsurface encounters, plus land combat.

These are books that, as the title suggests, are standalone titles.


The War that Never Was by Michael A. Palmer

Several Command scenarios have been made based on this book. It is interesting in that it is a realistic narrative of a fictional wargame conducted a decade or so after the end of the Cold War, depicting a NATO-Warsaw Pact clash starting on July 14th 1989. This is a wargamer's novel, with heavy detail of Air and Naval Operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Mediterranian, and Arctic Oceans.

The Sixth Battle by Barrett Tillman

This novel depicts an interesting situation where, in 1992, a revitalized Soviet Union (Renamed the Union of Eurasian Republics or UER) starts a conflict in South Africa alongside several of it's Communist/Socialist allies from around the world. NATO joins the fight alongside South Africa. The main crux of the story is an Air/Sea Battle where the UER Navy, with several carriers, goes up against the fictional USS Langley (Forrestal Class) in what the novel appropriately refers to as the 6th Carrier vs Carrier battle in history, with the first five having been fought in the Pacific during World War II. Alot of detail on the tactics used by air, surface, and subsurface forces, a must read.

Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War by P.W. Singer and August Cole
[E-Book] [Chains of War]

This is a novel depicting a future conflict between the United States on one side, and Russia and China on the other, with heavy emphasis on future war-fighting technologies such as cyber warfare, railguns, drones, and stealth aircraft. Good reading to go along with the Chains of War expansion.

DEFCON One by Joe Weber
[E-Book]

A novel depicting a scenario where Soviet Hardliners decide to attack NATO, which includes the use of Nuclear weapons. Contains Air/Sea combat involving US Carriers.

Fire & Ice: Sixth Fleet versus Fifth Eskadra, October 1973 by Wade Dudley
(Part of Cold War Hot: Alternate Decisions of the Cold War edited by Peter G. Tsouras)
[E-Book]

This is one chapter in the Alternate History Anthology 'Cold War Hot'. It is set during the 1973 Yom Kippur War between Israel and it's neighbors. During the conflict, the US and Soviet navies in the Mediterranian closely observed each other, and the danger of a clash was very real. This story depicts a sudden outbreak of fighting between the two fleets following a fire control accident onboard one of the US Ships.

To the Brink, The Middle East 1967 by John D. Burtt
(Part of Cold War Hot: Alternate Decisions of the Cold War edited by Peter G. Tsouras)
[E-Book]

Another Chapter in the previously mentioned anthology. Includes another clash between US And Soviet navies in the Mediterranian, this time in June 1967, during an alternate Six Day War that starts several days late. The reason is that US President Johnson promises support to Israel, who reluctantly decides to allow Egypt to strike first.

The Third World War: August 1985 (1978) and The Third World War: The Untold Story (1982) By General Sir John Hackett (and others)

These two books published 5 years apart tell the story of a fictional WWIII taking place in August of 1985. Goes into alot of detail about the Geopolitics leading to the war. I would say that these texts mainly provide scenario material. Keep the publication dates (first book published in late 1978) in mind as some of the nations' roles in the conflict may seem out of place. Chiefly, Iran is a prominent US ally as the Iranian Revolution doesn't happen, and Jamaica is depicted as having become Communist and overshadowed Cuba in Latin America and Africa in influence.

Red Metal by Mark Greaney and Lt. Col. H. Ripley Rawlings IV, USMC
[E-Book]

This technothriller depicts a conventional clash between NATO and Russia in the near future (I believe it to be in 2022 despite a single reference to 2020, which I consider a misprint given other evidence early in the story.) This book focuses on a Russian effort to attain greater economic power and presitge, but in an unconventional way using unconventional forces. This all occurs in the backdrop of a massive buildup leading toward a Sino-Taiwanese conflict, which is all but certain to be the subject of a sequel novel. Contains alot of land combat, along with some Air and Sea operations.

2034: A Novel of the Next World War by Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis (ret.)
[E-Book]

This novel tells the story of an escalating conflict in the year 2034. Initially it starts from a South China Sea incident between the US And China, but events spiral out of control rather quickly, and it's a global military crisis that changes the world forever. Scenario material for sure, especially since there are passing references to future conflicts that pre-date the events of the book.

The late Tom Clancy wrote several highly successful techno-thriller novels during his career, and it is very likely that you have at least heard of some of them. Not all of them are as relatable to CMANO as others, and I have yet to read all of them myself, but several are definitely worth reading.

The Hunt For Red October
[E-Book]

Clancy's very first and arguably most famous novel. In late 1984, the Soviet navy launches a brand new Typhoon Class ballistic missile submarine, The Red October, with a new stealthy propulsion system. It embarks on it's first operational sortie under the command of a highly seasoned Captain, Marko Ramius. However, shortly after departure, it becomes clear that Ramius and his officers have gone rogue, and are headed toward the United States....

Contains alot of submarine scenes that convey submarine warfare technology and tactics, as well as a tense standoff between US ships and the Soviet Fleet sent to find the Red October.

Red Storm Rising
[E-Book]

One of Clancy's very few standalone books. This novel tells the story of a conventional NATO-Warsaw Pact clash. The war results from Soviet despiration for oil, after Islamic terrorists destroy one of the USSR's largest refineries. They want to capture the Persian Gulf, but determine that they must defeat NATO in Europe first.....

One of the Classics of WWIII Fiction, contains alot of Air, Surface and Subsurface combat, as well as land warfare. A certain must-read.

SSN
[E-Book]

A tie-in novel to the PC game of the same name. This novel centers on the US Navy submarine USS Cheyenne in the South China Sea fighting against the People's Republic of China, in a conflict over the disputed Spratly Islands.

Threat Vector
[E-Book]

Features conflict between China and Taiwan, with a heavy emphasis on Cyber Warfare, but also features air-to-air combat between US and Chinese fighters.

Debt of Honor
[E-Book]

As a result of a trade war between the United States and Japan in the mid 1990s, a conspiracy of Japanese Capitalists, who are also highly Nationalist, take control of the government in Tokyo. As a result they utilize the Japanese military to seize the Marianas Islands, eventually leading to an American fight back to retake the islands.

Executive Orders
[E-Book]

Immediately following the explosive finale of Debt of Honor, Jack Ryan now finds himself President of the United States. He must put the US Government back together and deal with several crisies, both foreign and domestic. This book provides some interesting scenario material.

The Sum of All Fears
[E-Book]

Following a successful peace plan for the Middle East, disgruntled Palistinian terrorists, along with a few allies, stumble upon a lost Israeli nuclear weapon from 1973, and plan to use it to spark a nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union. A side plot features submarine intrigue in the Pacific, and the crisis that erupts features some air combat.

Tom Clancy Commander In Chief by Mark Greaney
[E-Book]

One of the continuing novels of Clancy's characters after his death. This story focuses on a what should be considered a real possibility in the coming years: A Baltic War, with Russia attempting to conquer the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). This novel does feature naval combat in the Baltic sea, especially Anti-submarine warfare.

Tom Clancy Act of Defiance by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson
[E-Book]

This story could easily have the sub-title "The Legacy of Red October" as that seminal novel's plot directly ties into this story. This feels like a tribute to that classic novel in a good way. The events surrounding the Russian special purpose submarine Belgorod (a real sub), bear no small resemblance to those 40 years earlier with the Red October, though there are major differences, and several characters fully realize this. This time, it's President Ryan's younger daughter Katie who is the analyst on the frontline of this (2nd) Cold War Crisis.
(One note: This book retcons one part of Executive Orders, as in that book, the Red October story is made public, while it's still VERY secret in this book)

Another classic Techno Thriller author, Larry Bond worked with Tom Clancy to realistically write Red Storm Rising, and has subsequently written several engaging military Techno-thrillers himself.

Red Phoenix
[E-Book]

In the late 1980s, in the midst of political unrest in South Korea, North Korea conspires to launch another invasion of South Korea, with covert Soviet support. This novel depicts that war from the perspective of multiple characters, much like Red Storm Rising. Does feature Air and Naval Warfare.

Red Phoenix Burning
[E-Book]

The sequel to Red Phoenix. In 2015, elements within the North Korean government and Military decide to launch a coup against Kim Jong Un's regime. The attempt does not succeed, and as a result, a three-sided Civil War breaks out, between Kim Loyalists, The Korean Worker's Party, and The General Staff of the North Korean Military. Features surface combat and some air combat. A great read overall.

Vortex
[E-Book]

A standalone novel featuring the rise of Hard right wing Afrikaaners in South Africa, leading to conflict with neighboring Namibia as well as a hard resurgence of Aparthied. The US and UK eventually get involved both to counter the Afrikaaners in power as well as prevent a takeover by forces opposing the Afrikaaners: Cubans and other Soviet supported forces. Alot of Air, Land and Sea combat.

Cauldron
[E-Book]

Another standalone. In the late 1990s, The European Union as we know it does not form. Instead, as a result of a wave of immigrants to Europe from North Africa, right wing elements in France and Germany unite to form the European Confederation or EurCon. This new faction becomes quite militant. EurCon conspires with Russia, and launches and invasion of Eastern Europe. As a result the United States and United Kingdom join the Eastern European nations in the fight against EurCon. Contains interesting Air and Naval combat.

The Jerry Mitchell Series

This series centers on Jerry Mitchell, a former US Navy pilot who transferred to submarines after a flight accident prevents him from flying again. All of the novels have a heavy emphasis on submarine warfare.

Cold Choices
[E-Book]

The second in the JM Series. A tense game of cat and mouse between the Submarines USS Seawolf and Russian Severodvinsk results in the two submarines colliding under the Arctic Ocean. Seawolf is damaged, but Severodvinsk sinks. Amidst a tense atmosphere between the US and Russia following the incident, the officers and crew of the Seawolf work to try and save the survivors of Severodvinsk.

Shattered Trident
[E-Book]

The fourth in the JM series. Several nations near China discover a Chinese plot to capture the entire South China Sea. Believing that they cannot rely on the United States to help them, these nations, which initially include Japan, Vietnam, South Korea and India, form the Littoral Alliance, and use their submarine assets to thwart the Chinese plan and engage in submarine warfare against Chinese shipping, which also sparks a renewed fight between India and Pakistan. The US is in a position of a tenuous neutrality, and must work to prevent the war from exploding into a global catastrophe.

Fatal Thunder
[E-Book]

After the events of Shattered Trident, a nuclear weapon suddenly detonates in the disputed Kashmir region as fighting between India and Pakistan continues. It is soon determined that the incident is part of a larger conspiracy for India to strike China in hopes of stopping it's support for Pakistan. The US must stop the Indian plot before nuclear war breaks out.

Arctic Gambit
[E-Book]

The sixth in the JM series. After a US submarine is lost in the Arctic near Russia, it is determined that the Russians plan to attack Europe, but first intend to knock out the US ablilty to respond with a new underwater nuclear weapon. US Submarine forces must act to destroy this threat before war breaks out.

Rick Campbell is a former US Navy submarine officer who is writing a series of submarine thrillers. All of them so far have followed the same narrative with characters returning each time.

The Trident Deception
[E-Book]

Israel determines that Iran is close to having nuclear weapons. With Israel's capability to strike being quite limited, the Mossad launches an ultra secret operation that involves sending false attack orders to a US Navy Ballistic missile submarine, USS Kentucky. With no way of directly contacting the Kentucky, the US Navy, with the help of Australia, must stop the Kentucky from getting into position to launch it's nuclear missiles at Iran.

Empire Rising
[E-Book] [Chains of War]

As a result of despriate access to oil, China launches a full scale attack (minus nukes) against US and allied forces in the Pacific. The US suffers serious losses, and must figure out how to fight back and stop the Chinese. This is a good one to read alongside Chains of War.

Ice Station Nautilus
[E-Book]

A US and Russian submarine both collide and sink under the Arctic Ice. It is a secret race between US and Russian forces to get to the submarines, in hopes of preventing the other side from getting a look at sensitive hardware. The US sends Navy SEALs and Russia dispatches Arctic trained Spetsnaz.

Blackmail
[E-Book]

A Russian Submarine 'accidentally' fires on and damages a US carrier. Due to the damage from the war with China, the US accepts the Russian explaination. Shortly, the Russians embark on a plan to invade Eastern Europe, and plan to neutralize a US response with blackmail, threatening to blow up several of the world's critical oil and natural gas pipelines. The second half of the book features an epic air-sea battle in the Arabian Sea.

Treason
[E-Book]

(The short E-book Novella Power Play is an immiedate Prequel to this)

Following the events of the previous book, the Russian Military launches a Coup that overthrows the Russian President, leading to the invasion of Eastern Europe along with a surprise Cyber attack that neutralizes US nuclear weapons capabilities. Again the US must find a way to fight back and counter the coup.

Deep Strike
[E-Book]

A former US Navy SEAL, released from prison for War Crimes, partners with the surviving Al Qaeda leadership to launch a mass attack on the US. They convince a Russian Submarine captain to launch his Cruise Missiles at the US in exchange for the funds to treat his daughter's terminal cancer. However, what the Sub captain does not know is that the missile warheads have been secretly re-configured with Nuclear Warheads. US forces discover something up with this submarine when it departs from it's base on the Kola Peninsula, and must race to sink her.

This section has a wide range of book types. The subsections explain what they contain.

This section contains books that are histories of Modern Air/Naval Warfare, These are the real operations that occurred during the timeframe covered by CMANO (1946-present day)

-The Boats of Cherbourg: The Secret Israeli Operation that Revolutionized Naval Warfare by Abraham Rabinovich
[E-Book] [Shifting Sands]

This is a must read for CMANO players. This book covers the history of the Israeli navy's development and use of missile boats before and during the Yom Kippur War. Contains detailed explanations of the development of the Gabriel missile and it's tactics, as well as the sea battles in which it was used in the 1973 war. This is also a great companion for the Shifting Sands campaign.

-Every Man A Tiger by Tom Clancy with General Chuck Horner
[E-Book] [Desert Storm]

Tom Clancy worked with General Charles A. "Chuck" Horner on this book. Horner was the overall commander of Coalition air forces during the 1991 Gulf War, and this book is an account of Horner's career as well as the air operations before and during the Gulf War. A good companion to the Desert Storm campaign.

-One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander by Admiral Sandy Woodward.

Admiral John F. "Sandy" Woodward commanded the Royal Navy task force that was sent to liberate the Falkland Islands in 1982 in response to the Argentinian invasion. This is his account of one of the very few Air/Naval campaigns that occurred after World War II.

-Two Minutes Over Baghdad by Uri Bar-Joseph, Michael Handel and Amos Perlmutter
[E-Book] [Shifting Sands]

This book is a good account of the 1981 Operation Opera. This was a surprise one off airstrike launched by Israel against the Osirak outside of Baghdad, Iraq. It was an extraordinary operation that made effective use of F-15s and F-16s. Shifting Sands contains a scenario depicting this operation.

-On Yankee Station: The Naval Air War over Vietnam by John B. Nichols and Barrett Tillman
[E-Book]

This is a history of US Navy air operations over North Vietnam during the Second Indochina War (1965-1973). Goes very well with the community scenario "Yankee Team, 1966" by CCIP-subsim

-Aircraft Carriers at War: A Personal Retrospective of Korea, Vietnam, and the Soviet Confrontation by Admiral James L. Holloway III
[E-Book]

This account of Admiral Holloway's long career includes an account of Operation Lion's Den in 1972, which is one of the Standalone Scenarios in the CMANO Base game.

-Air Warfare in the Missile Age by Lon O. Nordeen
[E-Book] [Shifting Sands] [Desert Storm]

A good overall history of Air Combat since the Korean War.

-Blue Moon over Cuba: Aerial Reconnaissance during the Cuban Missile Crisis by Capt. William B. Ecker & Kenneth V. Jack
[E-Book]

A good account of the reconissance flights conducted by the US Navy and Air Force during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and explains quite a bit about how low level photo recon operations were conducted at the time.

-Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew
[E-Book] [The Silent Service]

A history of previously secret US Navy submarine operations during the Cold War, including the loss of the USS Scorpion and the underwater cable tapping missions of Soviet cables. A good companion to The Silent Service campaign.

-Incidents at Sea: American Confrontation and Cooperation with Russia and China, 1945-2016 by David F. Winkler
[E-Book]

This is an updated version of Winkler's 2000 book: Cold War at Sea: High-Seas Confrontation Between the United States and the Soviet Union. This book covers the many incidents throughout the Cold War between US and Soviet ships and aircraft as well as some more recent incidents between the US and China. Also tells the story behind the creation of the 1972 Incidents at Sea Agreement between the US and the USSR. Also contains a long list of various incidents, which can provide some inspiration for scenario builders.

-El Dorado Canyon: Reagan's Undeclared War with Qaddafi by Joseph T. Stanik
[E-Book]

This book is a history of the many clashes between US and Libyan forces during the 1980s. Of particular note is Operation El Dorado Canyon, a very long range airstrike launched by the US on Libya in retaliation for a terrorist bombing in West Berlin in 1986.

-America's First Clash With Iran: The Tanker War 1987-1988 by Lee Allen Zatarain
[E-Book]

A history of the little known Tanker War, where the US navy conducted operations to protect the flow of Oil in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq War. Included is the Air/Sea battle known as Operation Praying Mantis, as well as the attacks on the USS Stark and USS Samuel B Roberts.

-Holding the Line: The Naval Air Campaign In Korea by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
[E-Book]

This is a history of carrier based aviation in the Korean War (1950-53). Covers US and British Carrier operations as well as those of USMC aircraft. Alot of potential scenario material, both real and speculative.

NATO's Air War for Kosovo: A Strategic and Operational Assessment by Benjamin S. Lambeth
[E-Book]

This is a RAND Corporation study of Operation Allied Force, the 78 day air campaign in the Balkans against Serbia's ethic cleansing of the region of Kosovo. An interesting look at the successes and failures of this campaign. Pretty readable and not too long.

Desert Storm Air War: The Aerial Campaign against Saddam's Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War by Jim Corrigan
[E-Book] [Desert Storm]

This is a great and readable history of the air war over Iraq and Kuwait in 1991. Doesn't cover every single operation, but enough to give readers a full picture of the conflict.

Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War, Revised Edition by Edwin E. Moise
[E-Book]
This is the definitive text on the two Gulf of Tonkin Incidents of August 1964. The first, on August 2nd, was a skirmish between the destroyer USS Maddox and three North Vietnamese Torpedo boats. The second, on August 4th, occurred on a dark night and the Maddox, now joined by USS Turner Joy engaged what they believed in the moment to be more North Vietnamese Torpedo and patrol boats, At it would later turn out, there were no such attack boats in the area. This text fully analyses both incidents and details the reasons for the accidental surface battle against an enemy that was not there. Additionally, the text describes in detail Operation Pierce Arrow, the airstrikes launched in immediate retaliation for the alleged incident on August 4th, and the covert US/South Vietnamese naval raids that preceded the two incidents that provided the reason for the first incident occurring. An excellent naval text for the history as well as plenty of material to build scenarios from.

Osprey Air Campaign Series
[E-Book] for all

This series of books each cover an air campaign in good detail, and are worth reading.

-Rolling Thunder 1965–68: Johnson's air war over Vietnam (Osprey Air Campaign #3) by Richard P Hallion

-Operation Linebacker II 1972: The B-52s are sent to Hanoi (Osprey Air Campaign #6) by Marshall Michel III

-Operation Linebacker I 1972: The first high-tech air war (Osprey Air Campaign #8) by Marshall Michel III

-Six-Day War 1967: Operation Focus and the 12 hours that changed the Middle East (Osprey Air Campaign #10) by Shlomo Aloni

Maritime Strike: The Untold Story of the Royal Navy Task Group off Libya in 2011 by Rear Admiral John Kingwell CBE
[E-Book]

This relatively short text is a memoir of Royal Navy operations during NATO's intervention in the Libyan Civil War in 2011, written by the commander of the Task Force that conducted helicopter strikes against Qaddafi's forces. A nice and readable account of a recent air/naval operation that had to deal with rather limited resources and a restrictive ROE. Also offers some nice material for small (and recent) historical scenarios.

Battle for the Fiords: NATO's Forward Maritime Strategy in Action by Eric Grove and Graham Thompson

This book is an account of a late Cold War I NATO exercise called Teamwork '88, which involved ships, aircraft, submarines and amphibious forces in the GUIK Gap and Norwegian Sea areas. As the title suggests, it does a decent job of explaining NATO's Forward Strategy of the latter stages of the First Cold War.
Good scenario material as well as a nice explainer of strategies for NATO's northern flank

Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine by Mark Galeotti
[E-Book]
This is a great book that looks at the Military history of Russia since 1991, particularly the last two decades under the rule of Vladimir Putin. An essential text for the ongoing Cold War II.
The author states in the introduction that the manuscript for this text was largely done when the Feb 2022 Invasion of Ukraine started, which of course demanded major revisions.

The text is divided into five parts:

Part one examines Russian military forces and operations from the August Coup in 1991 through the Pristina Airport Standoff at the end of the Kosovo War in June 1999. Basically a military background of the Yeltsin years.

Part Two looks at the rise of Vladimir Putin starting in late 1999, his first three defense ministers, military reforms, as well as the 2nd Chechen War and the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.

Part Three looks at the 2010s, with an examination of Current Defense minister Sergi Shoigu, and the three major operations that arguably kicked off Cold War II: The rapid seizure and annexation of Crimea in 2014, The escalation and course of the Donbas War prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and Russian Operations in the Syrian Civil War starting in 2015.

Part four is an overview of the Russian Military as of the time of writing, with dedicated chapters on:
-The Russian Military-Industrial Complex
-The Russian Army
-The Russian Aerospace Forces
-The Russian Navy
-The VDV (Airborne Troops) and Morshkaya Pehkota (Naval Infantry)
-The various Spetsnaz formations
-Russia's Nuclear capabilities.

Part five looks to future challenges and other strategic concerns for the Russian military. This part also includes a preliminary examination of the 2022 Invasion of Ukraine, with the analysis covering the period from the start of the war (Feb 24, 2022) through June 2022 (the time of writing).

Things were just happening too fast to nail down how to properly end the book I think, so I would expect a future revised edition at some point, probably after the current war in Ukraine comes to an end. Nonetheless, this is an excellent read!

Shield and Sword: The United States Navy and the Persian Gulf War by Edward J. Marolda and Robert J. Scheller Jr.
[E-Book] [Desert Storm]

A great history of the US Navy and Marine Corps operations before and during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Covers all aspects of the forward deployment, command, and operations conducted in that conflict. A pretty good read.

These histories are more general than those in the previous section, but cover the larger conflicts that some CMANO scenarios contain.

-The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East by Abraham Rabinovich (be sure to get the updated 2017 edition)
[E-Book] [Shifting Sands]

This is an excellent history of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, covering all aspects of this conflict. A good companion to Shifting Sands, as that campaign has several scenarios in this war.

-The Battle for the Falklands by Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins.

A good history of the 1982 Falklands War. A good place to learn about the conflict as a whole if you want to learn more.

DEFCON-2: Standing on the Brink of Nuclear War During the Cuban Missile Crisis by Norman Polmar and John D. Gresham
[E-Book]

A very good history of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. It includes alot of detail on the Forces arrayed on both sides as well as the plans for Airstrikes and Invasion of Cuba.

-The Iran-Iraq War by Pierre Razoux
[E-book]

An excellent overall history of the eight year war. Plenty of scenario material, and alot of air and naval engagements.

-India's Wars: A Military History 1947-1971 by Arjun Subramaniam

As the title suggests, this is a military history of India post-independence. Some Command scenarios are based on engagements from the 1965 and 1971 Wars, and it's a good overall history of a series of conflicts within Command's timeframe.

-The Soviet-Israeli War, 1967-1973: The USSR's Military Intervention in the Egyptian-Israeli Conflict by Isabella Ginor and Gideon Remez
[E-Book]
This text offers a new look at Soviet involvement in the Arab-Israeli wars between 1967-1973, especially Soviet active combat involvement in the War of Attrition and preparation for more direct operations against Israel. Plenty of scenario material.

Flash Point North Korea: The Pueblo and EC-121 Crises by Richard A. Mobley
[E-book]

This book focuses on the US responses, including potential attack plans, to both incidents of aggression by North Korea in 1968 and 1969. An excellent companion to the Standalone scenario "Act of War, 1968"

Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace 1945-1962 By Michael T. Isenberg

This book is out of print, so you will need to find a used copy. This is a thick text on the US Navy in roughly the first half of the Cold War, from the Surrender Ceremony on the Missouri in 1945 through the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. This was intended to be the first in a two Volume history of the US Navy in the Cold War, but the author sadly passed away before the 2nd part could be written. It's also a little outdated as it was published in 1993, so some stuff learned or declassified after that won't be covered.

This text covers practically all aspects of the US Navy in the 17 year period it covers, from operations to training, R&D and politics, Postwar demobilization and Racial Relation. All is touched upon. Some scenario material can be found here, but I mainly recommend it for it's history.

The Royal Navy in the Cold War Years: 1966-1990 by Edward Hampshire
[E-Book] [Northern Inferno]
This book is comparable in type and scope to the above title on the US Navy, but instead covers the British Royal Navy from 1966, when the CVA-01 class aircraft carrier was cancelled, to 1990 at the effective end of the First Cold War. I added the [Northern Inferno] tag because that campaign has a strong partial emphasis on British capabilities in 1975, which this book goes into detail explaining and examining.

To Run the World: The Kremlin's Cold War Bid for Global Power by Sergey Radchenko
[E-Book]
This is a history of the First Cold War from the perspective of Soviet (and to a certain extent Red Chinese) leadership. In addition to being a great history in it's own right, I feel this could be an important resource for those writing Cold War I scenarios that want to develop plausible courses of action for the Soviet Union.

Updated 01/10/2021

This section contains books cover naval tactics/strategy, as well as other texts on things such as modern geopolitical situations.

Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations: Third Edition by Captain Wayne Hughes and Rear Admiral Robert Girrier.
[E-Book] for 2nd and 3rd Editions.

A must read. Probably the essential text on naval tactics that is readily available to the public. You should get the third edition, although the 2nd Edition would still be useful. The 3rd edition is a major enhancement with examinations of Cyber/Information and Unmanned Warfare, among some other updates.

General Naval Tactics: Theory and Practice Milan Vego

A great text that is a good both as a companion to the previous book and on it's own. Focuses on theory of Naval tactical operations and gives alot of definitions of terms and concepts, with several historical examples. A great reference to learning and framework to make good tactical decisions and plans.

Harpoon II: The Official Strategy Guide by Ed Dille and Tom Basham

This is out of print and will probably be difficult to find for a sensible price, but if you can get yourself a copy, you absolutely should. This guide for an old computer version of Harpoon, CMANO's predecessor, contains alot of valuable insights and explanations of modern (through early 1990s) naval warfare in a relatively easy to understand way. If you get yourself a copy, it's something to keep readily accessible alongside your CMANO manual.

Modern Naval Combat by David and Chris Miller

An out of print, large hardcover book. Contains a lot of nice art, as well as a good overall introduction to post-WWII naval tactics.

Anti-Access Warfare: Countering Anti-Access and Area-Denial Strategies by Sam J. Tangredi
[E-Book] [Chains of War]

More about strategy than tactics, this is a good text on the concept of A2/AD warfare, which is increasingly relevant going forward in air/naval warfare. Contains good historical examples to understand this important concept which you will encounter in CMANO scenarios and platforms.

The Sea Power of the State by Admiral Sergei G. Gorshkov

Some interesting insight on sea power from the Soviet perspective, written by the man who built up the Soviet Navy during the Cold War to the point where not only was the fleet the strongest in Russia's history, but was capable of putting up a serious fight against the US Navy.

How Carriers Fought: Carrier Operations in WWII by Lars Celander
[E-Book]

This seems like an odd choice to include, considering that WWII is outside the scope of CMANO (for now at least). However, the only actual carrier battles ever fought were in WWII, and there are some scenarios in CMANO that feature carrier vs carrier battles long after WWII. While this book is not completely perfect, I find it to be a useful resource to understand carrier operations against other navies.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich and Leo Janos
[E-Book] [Desert Storm]

A fascinating history of Lockheed's Skunk Works projects by the man who became it's second director. Includes histories of the U-2, SR-71 and F-117A aircraft, as well as good explanations on how stealth technology works.

Crashback: The Power Clash Between the U.S. and China in the Pacific by Michael Fabey
[E-Book] [Chains Of War]

Red Star over the Pacific: China's Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy by James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara (2nd edition available)
[E-Book] [Chains Of War]

Both of these are good explanations of the growing political and military tensions between the US and China, a common match up in CMANO.

Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier by Tom Clancy and John Gresham
[E-Book]

This is a good text to understand modern aircraft carriers (through the late 1990s at least).

Air Battle Central Europe by Alfred Price.
[E-book]

This is an interesting text that looks at NATO tactical and operational air capabilities against the Warsaw Pact in the mid-late 1980s. MIxes the author's words with excerpts with interviews of highly qualified British, American and West German air force personnel. Does not cover everything NATO would have had, as the F-117 Stealth fighter was still secret at the time of publication, despite being ready for service in the event of war at the time.

Strike Warfare in the 21st Century by Dale E. Knusten

Part 1 is really more useful than Part 2, a good overview of, well, Strike Warfare

The New Battle for the Atlantic: Emerging Naval Competition with Russia in the Far North by Magnus Nordenman

This is an interesting text that's really about naval conflict and competition in the North Atlantic in the 20th Century and emerging competition in the 21st Century. I think this text, from a Command point of view, primarily provides a great deal of potential scenario material, but I would also consider it a handy history for alot of the scenarios in Command.

Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy
by Norman Polmar, Thomas A. Brooks and George E Fedoroff
[E-Book]

This is part biography and part history of the Soviet Navy. A very valuable resource to understand the development of the Soviet Navy and the thinking of the man who built it during most of the Cold War, Admiral Sergei G. Gorshkov.

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century by P.W. Singer
[E=Book]

The title is kind of explains itself. This is a definitive text on the rise of robotics/unmanned systems in warfare. Discusses not only the technology, but the politics, science, history, laws and ethics surrounding such weapon systems.

Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power by Sheila A. Smith
[E-Book]

This text is about Japanese Armed Forces after World War II, specifically the politics surrounding the formation and use of the Japan Self Defense Forces, as well as interpretations of Article Nine of Japan's Constitution. I'd say this is a useful text for scenario building involving Japanese forces, if you want to create a realistic backdrop for them engaging in combat.

Lasers, Death Rays, and the Long, Strange Quest for the Ultimate Weapon by Jeff Hecht
[E-Book]

A great text covering the science and history of concept and realities of directed energy weapons, including looks at real military programs for deploying them on the battlefield in the last 50 years.

7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores the Changing Face of War in the 21st Century by Andrew Krepinevich
[E-book]

The title is pretty self explanatory. In terms of CMO, this offers some interesting potential scenario material, mainly in the larger strategic sense.

China as a Twenty First Century Naval Power: Theory, Practice, and Implications by Rear Admiral Michael A. McDevitt
[E-Book] [Chains Of War]

This is an excellent analysis of the development of China's Blue Water naval development and where it is going. A very valuable resource for future combat scenario builders.

Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines, 1945-2001 by Norman Polmar and K.J. Moore
[E-Book] [The Silent Service]

This is an excellent, and readable, text that covers pretty much every class of submarine built by the US and USSR/Russia through 2001/2 (the present day at time of publication). It even covers several concepts that were one off experiments and designs that were never built. While admittedly outdated (Several of the later boats described have since been built and put into service), this is an invaluable text for the Command player.

The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia by Ian Easton
[E-Book]

The subject of this book is the examination of the realities inherent in the PRC's longest strategic goal: conquering and absorbing Taiwan. Overflowing with scenario material. Anyone building a Cross-Strait war scenario should refer to this text.

Seapower and Space: From the Dawn of the Missile Age to Net-Centric Warfare by Norman Friedman

This text is about 20 years outdated as of this writing (published about a year before 9/11), but is still very useful. It goes over all the ways the rise of the Space Age has changed Naval Warfare. Has quite a bit of technical language, and even devotes the first two chapters to explaining how Satellites work and how stuff gets put into orbit, so it may take you some time to get through it. Nevertheless, this is a worthy read for Command players.

The British Carrier Strike Fleet After 1945 by David Hobbs.
[E-Book]
This is a design and operational history of Royal Navy aircraft carriers after World War II, through 2015 (the time of publication). While a little long, (it took me some time to get through), it's a very valuable resource on British Cold War flattops. The conversions of WWII vessels, the development of the Angled Flight Deck, and RN Carrier aircraft are all covered in detail. Of particular note is the short design life and death of the original Queen Elizabeth class fleet carriers in the mid 1960s. Additionally, several Real-World Operations are covered, such as: The Korean War, The Suez Crisis, The Brunei Revolt and Indonesian Confrontation, Kuwait Crisis of 1961, The Falklands War, as well as several smaller deployments through the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Due the publication date, the text is now a little outdated, as the recent first deployments of the Queen Elizabeth class are not covered, though their early development, and procurement of the F-35B, is covered in the second-to-last chapter.

Fighting the Fleet: Operational Art and Modern Fleet Combat By Jeffrey R. Cares and Anthony Cowden [E-Book]

This is a professional text that's also affordable for the average reader. It includes alot of equations on things like Salvo Models and whatnot, but if you can get the gist of what is being said, it is a valuable text for conceptual concepts in Command.

Seapower in the Nuclear Age: The United States Navy and NATO 1949-80 by Joel J Sokolsky

This older text (published right at the end of Cold War I). is basically an organizational history of the Naval side of NATO prior to the Reagan years. Also gives a chapter that covers the Soviet counterparts, as well as a chapter dedicated to the logistics for reinforcement sealift in the event of war. Good bigger picture stuff and a nice resource for Cold War Hot scenario builders.

Network-Centric Warfare: How Navies learned to fight smarter through Three World Wars by Norman Friedman

This book essentially examines and explains how, starting at the beginning of the 20th Century, Navies figured out how to command and control their fleets, find enemy forces, and fight battles, all far beyond visible range, and in close-to real time (eventually actual real time).

The book is divided into 3 parts: The Radio Era, the Radar Era, and the Computer Era, with the latter being the largest section. With these three fundamental technological advancements, the text explains both the development of these systems and their technology, as well as how they were employed.

This is an important text to read to understand how Navies became able to fight wars at sea, as well as complex large scale air campaigns, completely beyond the ability of human eyesight to observe.

Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific; Second Edition by Robert Haddick
[E-Book] [Chains of War]

I've not read the first edition, but this second edition is a great and more up-to-date text on what is effectively the Indo-Pacific Theatre of Cold War II. A great examination of the conventional military competition and matchup between the United States and the People's Republic of China

Soviet Naval Tactics by Milan Vego
This text is mentioned on the devs website as a book to have a look at. Unfortunately, it is long out of print, and it is hard to find a used copy for a price that isn't bananas (3 figures). I finally got lucky on Ebay and got a copy for a somewhat reasonable price. If you get extremely lucky though, pounce on that copy for yourself.
This book, published not long after the USSR itself actually dissolved at the end of 1991, is a description of how the Soviet (and Russian/CIS at the time) viewed and practiced naval combat, going into detail about terms. definitions, principles, tactics and procedures.

Detailed explanations are given to:
-The Struggle against Submarines (Anti-Submarine Warfare) with sub sections on different platforms
-The Struggle against Surface Ships (Anti-Surface Warfare) with sub sections on different platforms
-Tactical Reconnaissance.
-Struggle of Oceanic Communications (Anti-SLOC Operations)
-Supporting Ground Forces
-Amphibious Assaults
-Defense of Naval Assets
-Operational/Tactical control of forces
and more
There's also a conclusion chapter where the author gives short commentary on how capable/how sound the Soviet thinking is on these subjects.
Given how rare this book is to obtain, I feel that the best use for this text is for scenario builders wishing to set up realistic/plausible AI behaviors for Soviet Forces from the early 1960s, thru the early 1990s, particularly with setting up of patrols and strikes.
While it is conceivable that modern Russian naval forces have retained some of the thinking present in this book, I think we presently do not have enough unclassified information to say for sure.

Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare: From the First World War to the Present Day by Michael E Glynn

This book is both a history and technical overview of ASW conducted by Fixed Wing Aircraft. By the author's own admission, ASW Helo operations are not really covered, but several of the principles should still apply. The later chapters on Tactical Oceanography and Underwater Sound Analysis are a bit technical, and go into more detail than Command models, but still a valuable resource nonetheless.

This section contains some other reading materials that are not books, mainly free, internet accessible articles:

The Naval War College Review:

https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/

It seems that the entire archive of this professional journal is avaliable free in PDF format, and it can sometimes have some interesting and relevant articles.