Ghost soldiers by Hampton sides
Maggie’s Favorite Books Concerning World War II?
- Thread starter Centuriator
- Start date
Americans at D-Day
Americans at Normandy
76 Hours Battle of Tarawa
One Square Mile of Hell
Neptunes Inferno
The Lions of Iwo Jima
Helmet for My Pillow
The Old Breed
The Devils Anvil
Last Man Standing
Islands of the Damned
Hell in the Pacific
Big Week
The Dead and Those About to Die
Deadly Sky
September Hope
Band of Brothers
Red Blood Black Sand
That should keep you busy for awhile.
Americans at Normandy
76 Hours Battle of Tarawa
One Square Mile of Hell
Neptunes Inferno
The Lions of Iwo Jima
Helmet for My Pillow
The Old Breed
The Devils Anvil
Last Man Standing
Islands of the Damned
Hell in the Pacific
Big Week
The Dead and Those About to Die
Deadly Sky
September Hope
Band of Brothers
Red Blood Black Sand
That should keep you busy for awhile.
Some good Titles there.
Never was much of reader of novels but enjoyed reading history from an early age especially military history. Father was a ball turret gunner in a B-24 with the 15th AAF and his cousin won the Silver Star as a 18 Year old Marine in Guadalcanal. I guess that is where the interest came from.
Green Armour by Osmar White is not a bad read. He was a war correspondent in Papua New guinea during WW2 and the book is a recollection of his experiences. More so concerned with Australian troops.
From defeat to victory by Field Marshal Slim. 7 years and an entire World War away from home.
Tigers in the Mud- carius
Stuka Pilot - Rudel
in deadly combat - gottleib
into the teeth of the tiger - lopez (met him)
the first and the last - galland (met him)
Blond Knight (hartmann, met him) T&C
Stalin's Folly - pleshekov
many others have already been mentioned.
korean war
Colder than Hell - owens
Breakout- Russ
Cold War
anything Suvorov
For more solid historiography, Glantz has some good readable books. Before Stalingrad, and Zhukov's greatest defeat are two good ones.
Stuka Pilot - Rudel
in deadly combat - gottleib
into the teeth of the tiger - lopez (met him)
the first and the last - galland (met him)
Blond Knight (hartmann, met him) T&C
Stalin's Folly - pleshekov
many others have already been mentioned.
korean war
Colder than Hell - owens
Breakout- Russ
Cold War
anything Suvorov
For more solid historiography, Glantz has some good readable books. Before Stalingrad, and Zhukov's greatest defeat are two good ones.
Read Semper Fi, Mac while in High School dreaming about being able to head to Boot Camp.
Odd the things we wish for.
Strange to think when I first read that vets of Okinawa could be in their 50s.
I got the invite yesterday to attend the USMC Birthday in Boston with my friend Mario, 1st MarDiv, Guadalcanal.
Commandant will be cutting the cake, Mario is getting the first slice to hand to someone that will be almost 80 years younger than him.
Ill open a post on my day.
John Keegan's The Second World War.
Fantastic book.
Fantastic book.
Got this back in the 70's. Excellent....... Great photos!
Anything from Keegan, HAstings, or AMbrose
Harry Turtledove
Worldwar series
Worldwar series
It's not WWII..... But definitely old school thinking and worth the time to read.
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
Andrew
Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War
Andrew
The black March . By Peter Neumann
The book is written by a former SS officer from being indoctrinated as a young man into the Hitler youth.
His school indoctrination into Nazi propaganda .
To finally becoming a member of the Nazi party and a SS officer .
He fought on the eastern front and till the end of the war .
Been years since I read it . Still have it in my collection somewhere .
The book is written by a former SS officer from being indoctrinated as a young man into the Hitler youth.
His school indoctrination into Nazi propaganda .
To finally becoming a member of the Nazi party and a SS officer .
He fought on the eastern front and till the end of the war .
Been years since I read it . Still have it in my collection somewhere .
The Shadow of His Wings By Gereon Goldman
One of my Favorite books ive ever read. Phenomenal.
Also 2 classics from WWI as honorable mention - Storm of Steel and A Rifleman Went to War
GL
DT
One of my Favorite books ive ever read. Phenomenal.
Also 2 classics from WWI as honorable mention - Storm of Steel and A Rifleman Went to War
GL
DT
A lot of great reading here. To lighten it up..." UP FRONT " by Bill Mauldin.
"To Hell and Back" by Audie Murphy
I just started doing audio books on the commute as well.....I am doing mercenaries in the congo, but while looking I saw Helmet for my Pillow.....one of the books used for Pacific. I had already read it, but it was pretty good.
I must say it is better then the radio.
"Nuts" by Vincent Speranza. light reading. He's the inspiration for the Belgian "Airborne Beer". 94 and sill going to reunions.
Very good read.
You'll like his other book, The Brass Ring. He gives an accout of his meeting with Patton.
You'll enjoy Harold Simpson's Audie Murphy: American Soldier.
For non-fiction I'd say either Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose or Helmet for my Pillow by Robert Leckie.
Fiction would be Battle Cry by Leon Uris
Fiction would be Battle Cry by Leon Uris
The Matthew Rozell books are excellent. He is a high school history teacher. This series of books started out as a class project and turned into interviewing a lot of different war participants recounting their first person perspectives. I highly recommend it.
Might also want to read Williams Cubbins War of the Cottontails. Cubbins was a B-24 pilot who was in a Romanian Pow camp and was rescued.
For a fairly dry, but informative read, look up “A Handsome Guy” by ….Phillip Dolan. Lots of great info/ pics and it’s about my grandfather and one of his buddies (of only a couple) that survived 4 marine landings. Grandpa was a 1st division marine scout and sniper(don’t quote, just a remembrance of what I’ve been told) His buddy, Jack Dolan was as well. IIRC… they were 2 of 5 of the original sniper class that got out of there alive.
Also, when I was a kid, my dad did a job for Eugene Fletcher, author of “The Lucky Bastard Club” B17 training and combat … all I knew then was that he was a pilot. Now, I wish I’d spent more time listening.
Also, when I was a kid, my dad did a job for Eugene Fletcher, author of “The Lucky Bastard Club” B17 training and combat … all I knew then was that he was a pilot. Now, I wish I’d spent more time listening.
Born Survivors written by Wendy Holden. While not covering military actions, tells the story of 3 pregnant jewish women that found themselves in Auschwitz near the end of the war. Against all odds they managed to carry their babies to full term. My father-in-laws cousin was a medic in Patton’s 3rd Army. When they liberated Mauthausen death camp, one of the babies was discovered and he did what he could for the child and then sent her to an aid station in the rear, not knowing what became of the child. 60 years or so later that child was reunited with the medic. Fascinating story of the will to survive against unbearable odds.
I’d also suggest Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall. Tells the story of the battle of Midway focusing on the Japanese side of things detailing operations on their carriers. Offers some interesting insights into the battle that turned the tide against the Japs
I’d also suggest Shattered Sword by Jonathan Parshall. Tells the story of the battle of Midway focusing on the Japanese side of things detailing operations on their carriers. Offers some interesting insights into the battle that turned the tide against the Japs
Non-Fiction:
- With the Old Breed - E. B. Sledge
- Band of Brothers -Stephen E. Ambrose
- Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
- The Escape Artists - Neal Bascomb
- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson (This is my favorite book ever)
- In the Garden of Beasts - Erik Larson
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