Favourite WW2 Books / Publications

motherfunker

Everyone should buy Forgotten Soldier, it is an absolute must. My copy cost less than a euro on amazon, for that price you have to buy it.

triv88

motherfunker wrote: »

Everyone should buy Forgotten Soldier, it is an absolute must. My copy cost less than a euro on amazon, for that price you have to buy it.

+1 Reading that now ,great read


I picked up "woman in berlin" for 4.99 and "Armageddon 1944-1945" hardback edition for 5.99 in chapters bookstore ,good value

TerrorFirmer

Armageddon is excellent, it focuses more on personal experience on both sides throughout the campaign in the west rather then just mere fact. A Woman in Berlin is also quite good.

marcsignal

Daily Telegraph in Uk are publishing a Britain at war series online

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/britainatwar/

Duck's hoop

motherfunker wrote: »

Everyone should buy Forgotten Soldier, it is an absolute must. My copy cost less than a euro on amazon, for that price you have to buy it.

Absolutely 100% agree with this - Forgotten Soldier is the best, most vivid account of soldiering I've read - and it's from the German perspective which is rare enough. Fantastic book.

Tabnabs

I have just finished reading 'Destroyer'. A terrific read, very detailed and very sad in places. Remarkable how the merchant navy were so held in such high esteem and nowadays are all but forgotten. Picked it up in Hodges Figges.

jcatony

"Armageddon" by max hastings
"Nemesis" by max hastings
"Das Boot" by Lothar Gunter Bucheim
"Forgotten" Soldier by Guy Sajer
"Kokoda" by Paul Ham

To Name but a few....

Belfast

The forgotten soldier by Guy Sajer

A Low Dishonest Decade: The Great Powers, Eastern Europe, and the Economic Origins of World
War Ii, 1930-1941 by Paul N. Hehn

Strategy for defeat : the Luftwaffe 1933-1945 By AIR UNIV MAXWELL AFB AL, Williamson Murray

Das Boot by Lothar Gunter Bucheim

WAFFEN-SS: AN UNPUBLISHED RECORD 1923-1945. by Christopher. Ailsby

Hitler's Greatest Defeat: The Collapse of Army Group Centre, June 1944 by Paul Adair

The Goebbels Diaries By Joseph Goebbels, Hugh Redwald Trevor-Roper

The longest day: June 6, 1944 By Cornelius Ryan

Last Year Of The Luftwaffe may 1944 to may 1945 by Dr Alfred Price

next on my list to read
Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization by Nicholson Baker

at great place to find books
Welcome to World War Two Books
http://www.worldwartwobooks.com/

marcsignal

an interesting book just out by Heinz Linge

http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/?product_id=1957

prinz

Sven Hassel's books for a cheap easy read., I remember reading a book based IIRC around the German defence of Monte Cassino and the surrounds, I think it was called "The Guardian", but I'm having trouble finding it on the net. It was quite an old book. I can lay my hands on it at the weekend and give the author etc.

"The Victims of Yalta" by Nicolai Tolstoy. Just shocking tbh

"Suite Francaise" by Iréne Nemirovsky, while a novel and not about WWII exactly, it does give an impression of the German invasion and occupation of France in 1940 and 1941, and also the collaboration. It was written in secret during the war, and unfortunately the author after writing the book fell victim of Auschwitz, for having a Jewish background, despite having converted to Catholicism, in 1942. Her writings were rediscovered by her daughter in the 1990's and were published.

Morlar

I picked up these 2 at a militaria fair and both are quite well written, full of detail and interesting anecdotes. I would not fully agree with the blurb but it gives you a good idea.

Das Reich: The March of the 2nd Panzer Division Through France, 1944 (Paperback)

Product Description
Within days of the D-Day landings, the 'Das Reich' 2nd SS Panzer Division marched north through France to reinforce the front-line defenders of Hitler's Fortress Europe. Veterans of the bloodiest fighting of the Russian Front, 15,000 men with tanks and artillery, they were hounded for every mile of their march by saboteurs of the Resistance and agents of the Allied Special Forces. Along their route they took reprisals so savage they will live forever in the chronicles of the most appalling atrocities of war. "My literary VC goes without doubt to Max Hastings for his Das Reich...the story of a march that left behind a trail of blood and death, torture and heroism...the slaughter and burning to death of 642 men, women and children of Oradour-sur-Glane...the hanging of 99 civilians from the lamp-posts of Tulle as a reprisal for Maquis action." - "Sunday Telegraph".

http://www.amazon.com/Das-Reich-Panzer-Division-Through/dp/0330483897/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248266522&sr=8-2

Cassell Military Classics: Das Reich: The Military Role of the 2nd SS Division

From Publishers Weekly
Lucas, a prolific British writer of popular military history, proposes to tell the story of the Reich's 2nd SS Panzer Division by relying heavily on personal accounts and an unofficial divisional archive. The book substantiates the familiar datum that the elite division of the Waffen SS were both skilled soldiers and formidable warriors. But Lucas fails to develop the forces behind this behavior. He eschews serious discussion of recruitment, training and, above all, ideology. He attempts to justify this by stressing the division's military role, but the Waffen-SS were not "soldiers like all the rest." They were instead shock troops of an ideological war. By ignoring this dimension of his subject, Lucas gives us Hamlet without the Prince of Denmark. A history of this kind need not focus entirely on the atrocities committed by the Waffen-SS. But a courageous, fair-minded treatment of the role of Nazi ideology in shaping the 2nd SS Panzer Division as a military instrument would have done much to make the book something other than a one-sided, misleading apologia for its subject. Photos.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


http://www.amazon.com/Cassell-Military-Classics-Reich-Division/dp/0304351997/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248266522&sr=8-5

jonsnow

prinz wrote: »

Sven Hassel's books for a cheap easy read., I remember reading a book based IIRC around the German defence of Monte Cassino and the surrounds, I think it was called "The Guardian", but I'm having trouble finding it on the net. It was quite an old book. I can lay my hands on it at the weekend and give the author etc.

I think I have that book. its just called Monte Cassino.Its about a german panzer regiment.Its quite good but one thing always bugged me about it.It has the regiment clashing with US marines (veterans of the pacific).But I don,t think the marines ever served in Italy.Could be wrong though.

Morlar

jonsnow wrote: »

I think I have that book. its just called Monte Cassino.Its about a german panzer regiment.Its quite good but one thing always bugged me about it.It has the regiment clashing with US marines (veterans of the pacific).But I don,t think the marines ever served in Italy.Could be wrong though.

I believe specialised units and small numbers of pacific veterans did transfer from pacific theatre to the european one. I don't think they would have been present in any great numbers in europe however. Can't say specifically with regards to Italy either but some small numbers were there as I understand.

Here is one link that has some information on this :

http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/USMCETO.html

prinz

jonsnow wrote: »

It has the regiment clashing with US marines (veterans of the pacific).But I don,t think the marines ever served in Italy.Could be wrong though.

Possible you're thinking of units of US Marines made up of Japanese-Americans? IIRC these were used in Italy

BlackEdelweiss

I picked up a copy of Sven Hassell's first book "Legion of the Dammed" in my local euro store yesterday. I have been looking for it for ages, the local bookshop couldent find it for me. Its good to read the start of the story.

oncevotedff

Legion of the Damned is not the start of the story. It's a rehash of All Quiet On The Western Front.

marcsignal

I had this book in the late 70's, and it's an amazing analysis of the Luftwaffe. It goes through the whole Nazi period until the end, from a Luftwaffe perspective. The 2nd half lists every aircraft used, including the experimental types, in great detail with cut out technical diagrams and unreal photos.

I'm defo going to buy it again because it was nicked on me in the 80s :mad:

prinz

I got a book a while back in a second hand bookshop, its a collection of articles and colour pictures from the Signal magazine http://uw3.de/signal.htm it's really interesting to see the propaganda photos of German troops and locals intermingling and playing sport etc.

This is it http://www.amazon.com/Best-Signal-Hitlers-Wartime-Magazine/dp/0831707666

Really interesting read and the pictures are great.

marcsignal

prinz wrote: »

I got a book a while back in a second hand bookshop, its a collection of articles and colour pictures from the Signal magazine http://uw3.de/signal.htm it's really interesting to see the propaganda photos of German troops and locals intermingling and playing sport etc.

This is it http://www.amazon.com/Best-Signal-Hitlers-Wartime-Magazine/dp/0831707666

Really interesting read and the pictures are great.

I have that one too, it's excellent. Got a few original 'Signal' mags in Greece and have a few more on the way from a mate living in Prague

Morlar

marcsignal wrote: »

I have that one too, it's excellent. Got a few original 'Signal' mags in Greece and have a few more on the way from a mate living in Prague

Apparently there are a handful of copies of the May 1945 edition of that which are extremely collectible. You should post those up on the militaria forum when they arrive. Signal and Der Wehrmacht are always fascinating, the adverts and pictures and content are all very interesting in my view.

prinz

prinz wrote: »

I remember reading a book based IIRC around the German defence of Monte Cassino and the surrounds, I think it was called "The Guardian", but I'm having trouble finding it on the net. It was quite an old book. I can lay my hands on it at the weekend and give the author etc.

Update to this, found the book again. It's called "The Guardian" by Sacha Carnagie, 1966. Really is an excellent read, and develops the German mindset regarding losing the war and surrender. The mount in question was Monte Colle, not Casino.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3082755.The_Guardian

Morlar

I just got a copy of the Black Edelweiss: A Memoir of Combat and Conscience by a Soldier of the Waffen-SS

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Edelweiss-Conscience-Soldier-Waffen-SS/dp/0966638980

Not that far into it yet but it is very impressive so far. Basically a first hand account written immediately after the war of an SS Man who enlisted at the age of 17 in 1943. One of the amazon reviews is from a US vet who became friends after the war. Very interesting book so far.

youcancallmeal

Has any one read either of the books that the upcoming series The Pacific is based on?

Helmet for my pillow

With the old breed

BlackEdelweiss

oncevotedff wrote: »

Legion of the Damned is not the start of the story. It's a rehash of All Quiet On The Western Front.

I'm not too sure what you mean by this but Legion of the Dammed is Sven hassel's first book. I'm not interested in the "is he, isint he" arguments about him, I enjoyed reading a few of his books and this one is the beginning of Sven Hassels story, introducing his characters, I doubt if Joseph Porta is in all quiet on the western front.

VonLuck

Can anyone recommend a book which does an overview of the European Theatre of war? Nothing too indepth. Cheers.

Morlar

Most of the ones I would know are fairly in depth, I think the biographies of Hitler may be the best bet for a general overview of European campaigns. Re the rusian front I think Alan Clarke's 'Barbarossa' is very readable.

There is one other you might like; Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck

BlackEdelweiss

I havent read this, seen it in my local bookshop. Not sure how indepth you want to go but this would probably give you a good overview.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-War-1939-1945-Simple-Victory/dp/0330352121/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249499063&sr=8-2

I never heard of this one before.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-War-1939-45-Access-History/dp/0340869259/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249499063&sr=8-4

VonLuck

Morlar wrote: »

There is one other you might like; Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck

Hehe, might keep an eye out for that one. I actually just came across VonLuck from the Stephen E. Ambrose book, Pegasus Bridge.

marcsignal

this looks interesting

http://www.hitlersfate.net/?gclid=CP3mw-Xj85wCFU0B4wodQ2_Yiw

surripere

All of Anthony Beevors books naturally. Russia's War by Richard Overy & Armageddon by Max Hastings.