Must Read Books of WW2

[Lee]

Thanks for the info,it seems theres a real debate about the veracity of his claims,I know some veterans of the unit dismissed his story whereas an officer said it could be legitimate.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

In regards to the controversy surrounding the book; The Forgotten Soldier you may be interested in this web article:

http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschla...

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

I read it before the suggestions it wasn't wholly accurate. I would suggest reading it as it helps to understand the experiences of troops and the conditions they fought under.

Interestingly for me I wonder how many of his contemporaries thought along the lines that it helped tell the story of their war and how they coped and fought.

As Carl says it was in the vanguard of German books as memoirs and so has its place with the latter caveats.

[carl]

Note that in the debate AR linked to, that Douglas E Nash has written a couple of detailed WW2 books, (which I found to be
good reads)/

[Lee]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "In regards to the controversy surrounding the book; The Forgotten Soldier you may be interested in this web article:

http://members.shaw.ca/grossdeutschla..."

Thanks Rick that was very interesting

[Lee]

Here is another fairly lengthy debate on the book
http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtop...

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Thanks for another interesting link Lee.

[zed]

I enjoyed the Sajer book. Thanks for the links all. Bit of reading to do later.

If I recall there was conjecture in some quarters that he may have been a French volunteer in the SS?

[KOMET]

Here are some Second World War books (non-fiction) that I strongly urge all Group members to check out ~

1) Scramble: The Dramatic Story of a Young Fighter Pilot's Experiences during the Battle of Britain & Siege of Malta by Tom Neil



2) The Battle for Hell's Island: How a Small Band of Carrier Dive-Bombers Helped Save Guadalcanal by Stephen L. Moore



3) Six Weeks of Blenheim Summer: An RAF Officer's Memoir of the Battle of France 1940 by Alastair Dyson Panton



4) Hans-Joachim Marseille by James H. Kitchens



A photo laden book about the combat career of one of the Luftwaffe's most skilled and intrepid fighter aces who made a name for himself in the skies over North Africa.

5) Cobra Combat by Robert E. Case



The author describes his experiences of flying the P-39 Airacobra in combat against the Japanese.

6) B-17s Over Berlin: Personal Stories from the 95th Bomb Group by Ian Hawkins



7) The Luftwaffe fighters' Battle of Britain : the inside story, July-October 1940 by Chris Goss



8) I Fought You from the Skies by Willi Heilmann



The author relates his experiences as a Luftwaffe fighter pilot in the West during 1944 and 1945.

9) Winged Victory: The Army Air Forces in World War II by Geoffrey Perret



10) Stormbird: Flying Through Fire as a Luftwaffe Ground-Attack Pilot and Me 262 Ace by Hermann Buchner



11) The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway by John B. Lundstrom



12) The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 by John B. Lundstrom



13) Lancaster Target by Jack Currie



The author flew Lancaster bombers with RAF Bomber Command.

14) The Best of Luck, in the Royal Air Force 1935-1946 by Dennis Conroy



The author served in both the prewar and wartime Royal Air Force, performing a variety of roles.

15) Target: Italy: The Secret War Against Mussolini 1940–1943 by Roderick Bailey

[Colin]

The French volunteers created three Waffen SS Regiments, with Charlemagne becoming a full Division. Referencing No. 4 you may like my book on Marseille, The Star of Africa; The Rogue Ace who Dominated the WW II Skies. Referencing No. 10, I knew Buchner and you may enjoy his and 20 other jet pilots' accounts from my interviews in my book The Me-262 Stormbird.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

KOMET wrote: "Here are some Second World War books (non-fiction) that I strongly urge all Group members to check out ~

1) [book:Scramble: The Dramatic Story of a Young Fighter Pilot's Experiences during the Bat..."

Good listing of titles thanks Komet.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Thanks for that interesting list of books Komet, much appreciated.

[Doreen]

So many great suggestions here. It's going to be so much fun going through them all.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Take your time Doreen and enjoy, I hope you find a few good recommendations :)

[Adam]

The following is a little know autobiography. I picked up my copy many years ago in a bargain bin. It is a great read & I recommend if you can get your hands on it you do so. The blurb is contained within the link:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kiriakos-Bri...

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Interesting book there Adam, thanks for bringing it to the groups attention. I am sure quite a few members will be keen to check it out.

[Adam]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "Interesting book there Adam, thanks for bringing it to the groups attention. I am sure quite a few members will be keen to check it out."

It's a great read - unfortunately it appears it never got the attention it deserves. I recommend it to everyone. One of the most poignant parts is when Kiriakos returns to Greece many years after the war but I'll not spoil anything for those who wish to read it.

[Hope]

Can't recommend this book highly enough as someone with a keen and academic interest in WW2 - The Regimental Piano By Tim Parker
see link - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...


Just left this review for the author : I absolutely loved this inspiring book - It's incredibly engaging and fast paced. A must read and well written piece which gives us a fascinating insight in to the lesser known aspects of WW2.
Also a great read for anyone who is inspired by bravery, love and hard work. I really recommend everyone to read this , it has a lesson for us all. The Regimental Piano: A Story of War, Love and Peace: The Memoirs of Major Bob Orrell, RE: a Story of War, Love and Peace: The Memoirs of Major Bob Orrell, Re

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Sounds like a great book, thanks for posting the details Hope, I am sure other group members will be keen to check this book out.

by Tim Parker

[Sweetwilliam]

Betty wrote: "I would be interested in that story too. I have hisD-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches and frankly, I wasn't impressed by his style of writing. It seemed dry to me..."

I learned of Ambrose around the 50th anniversary of D-Day. He hosted several Vets at the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans that was covered by C-Span. From there I read D-Day the Climactic Battle of WWII and Citizen Soldier. They were both very good. I heard that he was accused of plagiarism for the Wild Blue which was just OK. I never thought he recaptured the magic of the first two. I think the chapters of D-Day about Omaha Beach were worth several re-reads. I never really understood Omaha Beach until I made a visit in 2011.

Was he a prick? Maybe but he helped to document and deliver history to millions of fans in a readable format. I think the problem was he was a victim of his own success. I remember reading a Wall Street Journal piece about the Wild Blue and the charge of plagiarism. They pointed out that he was pumping out books too fast and he became sloppy. I liked the Lewis and Clark book (after the first 100 pages) but the others were just OK.

This should serve as a lesson to you authors out there. Do not become too successful...LOL. It reminds me of what I overheard in the gym the other day. An employee of the gym was showing a member how to use a piece of weight lifting equipment. The member turned to the trainer and said "I don't want to get too big." I looked at him and I had to laugh to myself on that one.

[Colin]

I knew Ambrose, and was with him as a VIP and many celebs and vets, MOH recipients during the WW II Museum's opening of the Pacific Wing of the facility. He was an ass, plagiarist, unashamed carnival barker, and saboteur. Yes, he wrote a few good books, but he did most on the backs of others.

[Gregg]

For those interested in the Eastern Front/Great patriotic War:

To be preserved forever by Lev Kopelev The link for the book takes you to the German language page for some reason...

Black on Red: My 44 Years Inside the Soviet Union: An Autobiography by Robert Robinson

My Just War: The Memoir of a Jewish Red Army Soldier in World War II by Gabriel Temkin

Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks: The World War II Memoirs of Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza by D. Loza

Scorched Earth: The Russian-German War, 1943-1944 by Paul Carell

Tank Rider: Into the Reich with the Red Army by Evgeni Bessonov

Other WWII theaters:

We Die Alone: A WWII Epic of Escape and Endurance by David Howarth

War Beneath The Sea by Peter Padfield

Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General by Bill O'Reilly

Submarine! by Edward L. Beach

WWII fiction:

War of the Rats by David L. Robbins

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

A nice range of titles there Gregg, thanks for sharing the details with the group.

[Geevee, Assisting Moderator British & Commonwealth Forces]

Gregg wrote: "For those interested in the Eastern Front/Great patriotic War:

To be preserved forever by Lev Kopelev The link for the book takes you to the German language page for..."

Thanks for taking the time to list these Gregg.

[Gregg]

I hope others will find those titles interesting and good reads.

[KOMET]

Here are some books on the Second World War that come highly recommended.

1) Hitler's African Victims: The German Army Massacres of Black French Soldiers in 1940 by Raffael Scheck



2) The Kamikaze Hunters: Fighting for the Pacific: 1945 by Will Iredale



Touches on the role of Britain's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) fighter pilots in the Pacific during the final year of the war.

3) American Warlords: How Roosevelt's High Command Led America to Victory in World War II by Jonathan W. Jordan



4) War Dog: The No-Man's Land Puppy Who Took to the Skies by Damien Lewis



5) Diary of the Dark Years, 1940-1944: Collaboration, Resistance, and Daily Life in Occupied Paris by Jean Guéhenno



6) Rising Sun, Falling Skies: The disastrous Java Sea Campaign of World War II by Jeffrey Cox



7) Fighter Command's Air War 1941: RAF Circus Operations and Fighter Sweeps Against the Luftwaffe by Norman Franks



8) RAF 100 Group - Kindred Spirits by Janine Harrington

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Some excellent books there Komet! I have copies of numbers 2 and 6 that I am yet to read :)

[Edgar]

I have read Cox's Rising Sun, Falling Skies. I think it is a first-rate account that provides some needed revision to the account of the loss of the Dutch East Indies in 1942.

[Positive Kate]

Beyond the Call: The True Story of One World War II Pilot's Covert Mission to Rescue POWs on the Eastern Front

I rated this book with four stars, but as many times as I thought about this book over the last few weeks, it might as well be five stars. The Americans helped supply food to the Russian military and civilians who were starving throughout the war. There is no explanation to why the Russians were incorporative to the Americas in their quest to bring home their POWs. Many pilots landed in Russia when they couldn't make it back to the UK, and their story is also mentioned in this book.

I recently watched an old propaganda movie "Mission to Moscow" 1943, which showed Russia, UK and US as an important allies. I wonder after reading this book if Russia was ever interested in helping the UK or US.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Excellent recommendation April, sounds like a marvellous book telling a fascinating story, thanks for posting the details.

[Kelly]

Salt to the Sea is a MUST READ. This is my favorite WWII book in a long time. Excellent story and information about one of WWII's tragedies that many do not know about - the Wilhem Gustloff sinking.

[Colin]

Most do not know that the Gustloff had the highest number of lives ever lost at sea, over 9,000.

[Colin]

April 'Stacy' wrote: " [book:Beyond the Call: The True Story of One World War II Pilot's..."

Two of my interviews with Doolittle Raiders are important to this topic, they landed in Russia after bombing Tokyo, and were interned, until they escaped through Iran. I also interviewed some USAAF pilots, especially Col. Donald Blakeslee, whose reception by the Soviets during the first escort shuttle mission to the USSR in June 1944 was met with a less than warm reception, guns drawn and all. Upon his return he marched right in to Gen. Doolittle's office and made a fire storm about it.

[Haaze]

I was looking over the threads but couldn't quite pinpoint one that answered my question. My apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere. I have a very general question. I was discussing this matter with some of my friends last week. Which book/s do you think is/are the best gateways to and surveys of the war? I was pushing for books such as John Keegan's The Second World War as well as Antony Beevor's The Second World War. Then I started to think that it perhaps would be better to recommend a more detailed book focusing on an event/battle (e.g. Antony Beevor's Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943), and then follow that up with a more general survey. Would Atkinsons trilogy be too specialized, or, Ian Toll's books about the war in the Pacific?

However, I would like to pick your collective "group mind". What do you think? A general survey approach or a detailed look followed by a survey/s? Which books would you put forward?

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Hi Haaze,

I think a general survey followed by a detailed book on a particular battle is an excellent idea, at least it would place that battle in a global context. I would also consider Max Hastings as an author to consider:

Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 by Max Hastings

Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945 by Max Hastings

Retribution: The Battle for Japan, 1944-45 by Max Hastings

[Haaze]

Thanks, Rick! True, Max Hastings's Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 would be a great survey. I completely forgot about his numerous books. I also just remembered Gerhard L. Weinberg's A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II. I haven't read it yet - do the books by Hastings & Beevor surpass Weinberg in terms of surveys?

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Haaze wrote: "Thanks, Rick! True, Max Hastings's Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 would be a great survey. I completely forgot about his numerous books. I also just remembered ..."

That's a good question Haaze but one I can't answer as I haven't gotten around to reading my copy of "A World at Arms". :)

[Dj]

Haaze wrote: "Thanks, Rick! True, Max Hastings's Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 would be a great survey. I completely forgot about his numerous books. I also just remembered ..."

A World at Arms is simply the best single volume on the war that I can think of. I traded all my others in and kept this one.

[KOMET]

For anyone with an interest in the Second World War, I strongly recommend that he/she read "Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege 1940-1943" by James Holland.

This is an ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT BOOK about one of the longest sieges in military history, largely told in the words of the combatants and civilians who lived and struggled together to survive on the Mediterranean island of Malta between 1940 and 1943.

Over the past few years, I've read several of Holland's books on the Second World War (he also writes fiction about the war) and, in my view, he is one of the best military historians today.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

I totally agree with you Komet in regards to James Holland's books. I've read nearly all his WW2 history books including volumes one and two of his new series; "War in the West".

The War in the West: Volume 1: The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941 & The War in the West: A New History Volume 2, . the Allies Fight Back 1941-43 by James Holland

[zed]

Dj wrote: "Haaze wrote: "Thanks, Rick! True, Max Hastings's Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 would be a great survey. I completely forgot about his numerous books. I also ju..."

High praise and added to my wish list. I thought that Hastings tome was superb except for the inclusion of the last chapter.

[Dj]

4triplezed wrote: "Dj wrote: "Haaze wrote: "Thanks, Rick! True, Max Hastings's Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 would be a great survey. I completely forgot about his numerous books..."

LOL, If you look at my reviews you will find I am generally very stinting on the praise. But that book was exceptional. I had been looking for a good one volume source and generally found most of the other books lacking in some way. Although this is a pretty hefty tome. Well worth the read though.

Glad I could be of assistance.

[Graeme]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I totally agree with you Komet in regards to James Holland's books. I've read nearly all his WW2 history books including volumes one and two of his new series; "War in the West".

[bookcover:The Wa..."

Did you bother with his 'Tanner' fiction series ('Sharpe' for WW2? That's the casting sorted) ?

[Jonny]

Graeme wrote: "'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I totally agree with you Komet in regards to James Holland's books. I've read nearly all his WW2 history books including volumes one and two of his new series; "War in the Wes..."

I've gotten most of the way through the series, they struck me as quite "Sharpe"-ish but still readable and enjoyable.

[Doreen]

I am stunned at all the good books mentioned. It will be a joy going through them all.

[Doreen]

I just finished Crusade in Europe by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Definitely a must read book. Absolutely loved it!

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

Doreen wrote: "I just finished Crusade in Europe by Dwight D. Eisenhower. Definitely a must read book. Absolutely loved it!"

That's good to hear Doreen!

[Michael]

Doreen, That one has been on my list a long time. Probably time to get to it.

[Locky]

Has anyone else read 'Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War' by Pat Buchanan?
I thought it was a great insight into WWII from someone who would consider themselves an isolationist.

['Aussie Rick', Moderator]

I'm afraid it's a book that has slipped by for me Locky but thanks for mentioning it.