Favourite WW2 Books / Publications

ojewriej

kowloon wrote: »

How does english language coverage of poland in ww2 compare to the polish literature?

I was born in 1980, so most of my Primary Education was under the socialists. All the books, including schoolbooks had to be aproved by Soveits before publishing. Because of that, I didn't know that Soviet Union invaded us in 1939, until I was about 13-14. I Never heard of Katyn before that either. Basically the story was Gemans - Bad, they invaded and persecuted us, Soviets - good, they liberated us, and basically made our lifes better. Very little of the western involvement was mentioned. Communist People's Army were portraited as our main ressistance movement, when in fact they contributed very little. Home Army in turn, which did unbelieveble things during the occupation, and then tried stop Soviets from forming the govermnent, were portraited as fascist terrorists and Nazi Colaborators. That's just few examples.

It's better now, but there is still many historians with the deep roots in the communist system, as well as many historians for whom the hatred for Soviets is a gooid enough excuse to stretch the facts, or plainly lie. So basically sometimes it's very hard to decide what's true and what's not.

That's why now I stick to foreign writers, I find that people who weren't directly involved in the events are usually more objective.

Heisenberg.

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Fratton Fred

The last two relevant books I read and would totally recommend, were "Never Surrender" and "Churchill's Triumph" written by Michael Dobbs.

The first covers the period that Churchill came to power, up to him delivering his "We will fight them on the beaches" speach. Gives a good account of how the man came to power and fought off those who wanted to give in.

The second is as interesting a read about the Yalta conference as you will get, again it is Churchill based, but gives a good insight into the other two leaders there and what each was trying to get from the conference.

Mushy

Have just stated reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. Really enjoying it. Thanks for all other tips lads, I'll get around to as many as possible over time now.

marcsignal

Mushy wrote: »

Have just stated reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. Really enjoying it. Thanks for all other tips lads, I'll get around to as many as possible over time now.

Oh Yes! Brilliant book Mushy, you just won't be able to put that one down. It even kept me from the pub a few nights, and that's some achievement. It'll put things into serious perspective when when you hear people whinging about the cold, having to smoke outside as well, awesome!

skelliser wrote: »

the only real ww2 book iv read was "kommandant of aushiwtiz", its kinda a autobioghraphy/ personal diary of the commander of the camp whose name escapes me,
good to get an insight into these lunatics minds!

Yeah, Rudolf Höss. I read that too, really shocking and frightening stuff, and a must for all Holocaust deniers I have to say.

I was absolutely dug into 'Sven Hassel' books when I was younger, I must have read them all, the ones I can remember off hand were

SS General
Blitzfreeze
Liquidate Paris
OGPU Prison
Court Martial
Assignment Gestapo
Comrades of War
March Batallion
Wheels of Terror
Monte Casino
Reign of Hell
The Bloody Road to Death
The Commissar

I think they're all still lying around in boxes at home somewhere, (original 70's/80's editions) but you'll find em all on ebay.
I never read 'Legion of the Dammned' because my favourite character was killed in it, and I couldn't bring myself to read about it at the time.
It only got a small mention in one of the sections before the opening of the next chapter, I was gutted
(I wont say who, in case I ruin it for anyone)

I'm reading one now called "Wenn alle Brüder schweigen" - (When All The Brothers Are Silent) It's printed half in German and English.
The Illustrations/Photos in it are the best I've seen so far. There are a lot of new books out now in Germany about the war, printed in this way, but tbh I can't help feeling, there's kind of subtle apologist undertones in some of the text with many of them.

http://www.worldwartwobooks.com/product.php/3283/wenn-alle-br-der-schweigen-when-all-the-brothers-are-silent

Some others I've read available on ebay, etc.

Hitlers Samuri - http://cgi.ebay.com/PSL---Hitler%27s-Samurai:-The-Waffen-SS-In-Action_W0QQitemZ120274346689QQcmdZViewItem?IMSfp=TL0806191711r16986

The Hitler Book (Written by the NKVD as a Dossier for Stalin) - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitler-Book-Secret-Report-Close/dp/0719554993

The Devils Desciples - http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Disciples-Hitlers-Inner-Circle/dp/0393048004

Morlar

I picked up a copy of the Stalin dossier book on hitler for a €5'er the other day and have an eye out for an affordable copy of 'Wenn alle Brüder schweigen' - (as the last 2 I saw were £40 a piece not including postage).


Another excellent one is 'Barbarossa' by Alan clarke which really brings you into the nitty gritty of things, also 'The fall of crete'. Albert Speer's 'Inside the Third Reich' for a more glossed over view of things, also Irivings Hitlers war & Kershaw's Hubris & Nemesis. Walter Schellenberg's (SD) memoirs are interesting too. Enno Stephan's 'Spies in Ireland' and Mark Hulls Irish Secrets' alongside the recently published 'Hitlers Irishmen'. Never got into the whole Sven Hassel side of things but might check a few out if I see any going cheap.

UrbanFox

Try reading the 6 volumes of Winston Churchill's account of WW II. I think that volume 1 was "The gathering storm". Volume 6 was "Triumph & tragedy". I would say that volume 6 was not quite as good as the others.

They are quite detailed works that are like a running commentary on how things were going and straight from the bosse's mouth.

Mark Arnold Foster's "The World at War" was very good if you wanted a one volume oversight of it all.

motherfunker

Read a couple of books lately, some good, some not great.
A good one with a different slant was "A woman in Berlin", a womans story of the few weeks before and after the Russians entered Berlin.
A not so good one was "Hitlers Irishmen", it wasent bad, found it a bit confusing dealing with peoples aliases. The best parts were when he was talking about the units actions in general, not much to do with the two Irish guys who happened to be with them.
Reading "Lenningrad - State of Siege" at the minute, my main interest is with the German side of the war but this book makes me question that interest. It also shows what a shower of bastar*s the Russians were to their own people, the Germans wanted to starve several million people to death but the Russians would have let several million of their own people starve to death just to make a point. I honestly dont know which is worse.

youcancallmeal

Could anyone recommend a good book about the pacific theatre of war? I've read The Thin Red Line and War Cry both of which were pretty good.

motherfunker

Ghost Soldiers is a good book but its more about life in a Jap pow camp than the actual war. Very good book though.

Dirk_Diggler

Anyone selling on any of their books? I'd be interested in picking up a few if that was the case.

Funkstard

D-Day by Stephen E. Ambrose is one I've read countless times, that and the original Band of Brothers book. All his books make for great reading. Must try and get both Berlin and Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor..been a while since I've been properly stuck into a WWII book.

Dockfive

I've read both Stalingrad and Berlin and preferred Stalingrad - thought it flowed better as a book and really felt the immediacy of the battle. It actually inspired me to go visit Stalingrad (Volgograd). I regularly re read it just because it's written so well.

Like Motherfunker have recently read A Woman in Berlin and agree that it's a gripping alternative to the accounts of leaders, generals, battles and soldiers. It make you realise the realities of what its like to be in a war zone and what amazed me was the obvious but little considered problem of how do you get food and water in a warzone.

Have read Stephen E Ambrose's Citizen Soldiers which like Stalingrad is really well written and flows very well. Very enjoyable read but very non critical I think.

Finally, for a good British Etonian view of WWII as an another enjoyable scrap with Jerry, read Fitzroy MacLeans Eastern Approaches. This book also covers his pre war stint in Russia during Stalin's purges. They don't make em like Fitzroy MacLean anymore.

Clytus

Lost Victories....Erich Von Manstein. Its a pretty difficult read...but if you stick at it,is well worth while.
Great detail about the capture of the Crimea and Sevastapol. had to get it on amazon.

motherfunker

Germans in Normandy
Mostly constructed around letters sent home by soldiers on the front lines and other documents, many found on dead German soldiers.
Brilliant book, if you like personal accounts of war with no long strategy discussions.

Rockshamrover

Best WW11 facual book I have read was "The forgotten soldier' by Guy Sajer. It's his biography and details his service on the eastern front for the Germans. It's an amazing story. Tells how he managed to some how survive and make it all the way back home to his parents house in France (I think).

Should be made into a film as it's epic stuff.

Morlar

Rockshamrover wrote: »

Best WW11 facual book I have read was "The forgotten soldier' by Guy Sajer. It's his biography and details his service on the eastern front for the Germans. It's an amazing story. Tells how he managed to some how survive and make it all the way back home to his parents house in France (I think).

Should be made into a film as it's epic stuff.

I heard that they are in talks about making that into a movie! Hopefully they will get the go ahead and get the right director and cast etc.

Rockshamrover

Thanks for letting me know. Roman Polanski should do it. He did a brilliant job on "The Pianist". One of the best war films ever made imho.

Morlar

Rockshamrover wrote: »

Thanks for letting me know. Roman Polanski should do it. He did a brilliant job on "The Pianist". One of the best war films ever made imho.

Can't say I would agree with you on that re polanski or the pianist.

Far as I know its Paul Verhoeven who is looking at making it currently - just checked and it seems to already be in production. He wouldn't be my choice after 'the black book' but there ya go.

Rockshamrover

Very interesting.

Hopefully he will do the book justice.

Heisenberg.

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Rockshamrover

It's a great read, I couldn't put it down.

I read all the Beevor books and lots of other historical stuff on WW11 and they were all great. But there's nothing better than hearing first hand accounts of what it was like from people that lived it.

Hope you enjoy it.

motherfunker

Just ordered a copy from amazon aswell, cant go wrong for 49 pence.

Heisenberg.

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Morlar

Another one I would highly recommend is 'Panzer Commander' by Hans Von Luck.

http://www.amazon.com/Panzer-Commander-Memoirs-Colonel-Hans/dp/0440208025/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223466093&sr=8-1

Von luck fought in Poland in 1939, Belgium, France during the westward blitzkrieg. Then the russian front. Then North Africa with his old friend Rommel against the americans and british. Then France again during D-Day invasion & american advance, then the eastern approaches to Berlin fighting the russians again.

MarchDub

This is an interesting new book riding high on the NT Times Best Sellers list for months.
Buchanan compiles the new work of contemporary historians together and claims that the war guarantee to Poland by the British was reckless and ill advised and ultimately brought about the end of the British Empire.

Patrick Buchanan: Churchill Hitler and the Unnecessary War

http://www.amazon.com/Churchill-Hitler-Unnecessary-War-Britain/dp/030740515X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223571566&sr=8-1

Heisenberg.

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Lemon

The Scientist wrote: »

Just finished Stalingrad today...
Excellent read, hard to put down.
Are 'Berlin' or 'Paris' any good?

'Berlin' is excellent. I didn't like 'Paris' all that much, he wrote it with his wife and I felt it lacked pace and was, dare I say it, a bit dull!

I've just finished 'The White Rabbit' by Bruce Marshall, about a British secret agent who worked with the French resistance in WW2. I love reading all things SOE and secret agent related....just bought the DVD about Violette Szabo, one of the most famous of the SOE agents, looking forward to watching it this weekend...

Dirk_Diggler

Berlin isn't as good as Stalingrad but it's still a fantastic read. Check it out.

Heisenberg.

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