Favourite WW2 Books / Publications

BlackEdelweiss

Jim S wrote: »

http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=440069

Would really like this new title from RZM.





Looks really good.

For anybody looking for the opposing view they may find this book interesting. I haven't read it but I have it in my amazon wish list.
http://www.amazon.com/Demolishing-Myth-Prokhorovka-Operational-Narrative/dp/1906033897/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320451155&sr=8-1

Jim S

If you have the ATB trilogy on the Blitz you will find this to be an excellent addition covering the Bombing of GB from January 44 - June 44.
Published by Red Kite Books it covers the Luftwaffe raids on a night by night basis making use of Allied and German records , well illustrated and extremely useful.

mojesius

Surviving the Sword by Brian MacArthur - Written around allied POWs' accounts in the far east. Some chapters are quite rough but it's well worth a read - Covers many aspects including Changi prison, Bataan death march, the coffin ships.

Jim S

My father had a brother who went into the bag when Hong Kong fell , he survived the sinking of "Lisbon Maru" off China before eventually being transported to Japan , he died in a POW camp near Osaka in April 44. (Aged 23).

http://www.hongkongwardiary.com/
Tony Banham's books:
"Not the Slightest Chance"
"The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru"
and
"We Shall Suffer There"

Tell of the men who became POW's and "Guests of the Emperor".

BlackEdelweiss

I went a bit crazy on amazon last week and bought 5 books and considering the slow speed at which I read this is probably a years worth of reading material for me. Has anybody any recommendations on what I should read first as I just can't decide. I am halfway through the Cholm novel Siege at the minute so I have a few weeks left of that before I have to decide.
This is my selection:

Weapons and fighting tactics of the SS. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1862270600

In the bunker with Hitler.
[url]Http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0753821540[/url]


Steel inferno:1SSPanzer corp in Normandy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1873376901

Normandiefront.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0752459783

Besieged:the epic battle for Cholm.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BESIEGED-BATTLE-Jason-D-Mark/dp/B005YYSW1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321832437&sr=1-1

BlaasForRafa

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I went a bit crazy on amazon last week and bought 5 books and considering the slow speed at which I read this is probably a years worth of reading material for me. Has anybody any recommendations on what I should read first as I just can't decide. I am halfway through the Cholm novel Siege at the minute so I have a few weeks left of that before I have to decide.
This is my selection:

Weapons and fighting tactics of the SS. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1862270600

In the bunker with Hitler.
[url]Http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0753821540[/url]


Steel inferno:1SSPanzer corp in Normandy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1873376901

Normandiefront.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0752459783

Besieged:the epic battle for Cholm.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/BESIEGED-BATTLE-Jason-D-Mark/dp/B005YYSW1G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321832437&sr=1-1

I haven't read any of those so I can't recommend one over the other, but Normandy is always a fascinating subject to read about, I might check out Normandiefront myself. Have you read 6 Armies in Normandy?, quality book I have to say.

prinz

Read this book a few years ago and read it again over the weekend. Fascinating tale that really reads as if it was fiction, from the evacuation of Dunkirk to the fall of Singapore to mainland Japan to surviving the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. A biography that really should be more well known in this country (possibly should be required reading at secondary level as the experiences of a west Corkman in the war). Easy to read but is the stuff of nightmares if it wasn't relayed in such a matter of fact detached way (perhaps because the author was a doctor.. perhaps because death and suffering lost significance when you've lived through what he did live through). The mention that the 13 soldiers from Eire as was/the republic were singled out by the Japanese for an extra beating in his POW camp is definitely worthy of remembrance. It's a short enough read, could be done in one sitting in four hours or so.

http://www.tower.com/a-doctors-war-introduction-by-pete-mccarthy-author-aidan-maccarthy-paperback/wapi/100491138

BlaasForRafa

My latest purchase was Red Star against the Swastika by Vasily Emilianenko.


Until recently there was a dearth of autobiographies from Soviet pilots who fought on the eastern front. The author flew Sturmovik ground attack planes from June 1941 to 1944 and was shot down 3 times, twice landing in no-mans land and once behind enemy lines in the Caucasus, each time managing to make it back to Soviets lines. The author is particularly good at describing the chaos during operation Barbarossa and the desperate fight for survival of the red air force pilots, the losses that they took are almost unbelievable. He managed to survive till 1944 when he was taken out of the front line and became an instructor.

A book I'd like to recommend is one I bought just after Christmas last year, its called Green Hearts - First in Combat with the Dora 9 by Axel Urbanke.



The Dora 9 that the title references is the Focke-Wulf FW190 D-9, the ultimate piston engined fighter to enter widespread service with the Jagdwaffe in WW2. This book covers III Gruppe of JG54 from just after they withdrew after being decimated in Normandy to the end of the war. JG54 were nicknamed "The Green Hearts" by one of their commanders early in the war because they were originally stationed in Thuringia, the green heart of Germany. This group was the first to replace their FW190 A's with the faster and sleeker D variant.

Because the book deals with a relatively small unit (the equivalent of 3 RAF or USAAF squadrons), it gets into a lot of detail about the pilots. It is literally a day by day account of III/JG54's operations for the last 9 months of the war. It uses contemporary diaries, letters, logbooks and official documents combined with post-war interviews by the author to give a comprehensive narrative and describe the training and deployment of the gruppe and their fight against overwhelming odds. This is definitely the best unit history I've read of the Jagdwaffe from the latter part of the war. The "old hands" for the most part survive while trying to help as many of the younger cadets who join the gruppe as possible but its slightly unnerving looking at all the photos of pilots with KIA after their names, usually just weeks after joining the unit.

Its an expensive book for sure, it cost me $85 but you get what you pay for and for anyone with an interest in the Jadgwaffe or the air war in the latter part of the war, its a must have imo.

adriellemartin

I found a really good list of WWII books on Shmoop: The Good War by Studs Terkel, Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War by Paul Fussel and Taps For A Jim Crow Army: Letters from Black Soldiers in World War II are my favorites and definitely worth checking out.

Jim S

One I am reading at the moment , not a new book but one which is worth a look
"Stopped at Stalingrad - The Luftwaffe and Hitler's Defeat in the East 1942-1943" Joel Hayward. (Kansas University Press)1998.



The book describes not only the problems of the Luftwaffe but how downhill slope on which Germany was pinned in 1942 even when things appeared to be "going well" and how close total collapse came in 1942, that which the will of the Fuhrer only put off until a later date.

Copies can be had on ebay at a price which beats Amazon.

Ardennes1944

Just finished reading Major R. Winters' book (RIP), a fine book that i loved.

Morlar

I must add that one to my list of books to buy/read. I always found him to be a very interesting character in all interviews I have seen with him and his comrades. He stood out as a very honourable, honest and interesting individual.

Ardennes1944

indeed, a very simple man, didnt ask for anything but peace. unfortunately he passed away in January of this year

BlaasForRafa

Just thought I'd pass this on, Amazon.co.uk have slashed the price on several of the Luftwaffe Colours books from Classic Publications, these are top class books for anyone interested in the Luftwaffe in detail.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Attack-West-1940-Jagdwaffe-Mombeek/dp/0952686783/ref=pd_luc_sbs_03_01_t_lh

Jim S

"The Secret War" (BBC publications, 1977) Brian Johnston.
Perhaps considered old but if you can get a copy very well worth reading , likewise the series which was out on VHS and not as yet on dvd, which is a great pity as BBC has so much excellent material in their archives which does not see light of day.
The book looks at the technology war from both sides and includes some very noteworthy interviews with those scientists and test pilots who were at the cutting edge of science and its application in WW2.

Eire-Dearg

Is 'All Hell Let Loose' a good present? My old man is into war stuff, casually, and this seems a good account of what happened. However I'm worried it's a bit too heavy for someone with a casual interest in the war.

ReacherCreature

Max Hastings penned that did he?

I think you could avoid. I'm a fan of Hastings (his book Nemesis is brilliant) but he can get a little heavy at times. Why don't you pop into Easons or somewhere and have a read of a few pages; try get a general idea. Books like this can get tricky but if you want to get it and he has free time, shoot.

mossym

ReacherCreature wrote: »

Max Hastings penned that did he?

I think you could avoid. I'm a fan of Hastings (his book Nemesis is brilliant) but he can get a little heavy at times. Why don't you pop into Easons or somewhere and have a read of a few pages; try get a general idea. Books like this can get tricky but if you want to get it and he has free time, shoot.

nemisis is a great read alright, i've read most of hastings WW2 stuff, and he can be a bit heavy, all i tned to read is ww2 books so i don't mind, but a casual interest may find it a bit tough going

Morlar

Not strictly relevant but I always find it interesting that he (Max Hastings) had a peripheral involvement in Bloody Sunday in Derry 1972. There was a recording released where he (as a then bbc journalist) rang the parachute regiment and said

'I was just going to ask what the latest score was ?'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1286953/MAX-HASTINGS-This-grossly-misguided-excavation-past.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onU7jcM1EDE

(2.30-ish)

Eire-Dearg

Thanks for the advice guys.

Jim S

"Blood , Steel and Myth" - Received a copy on Saturday , excellent, for such a detailed study it reads well and is well illustrated and the maps ( when you get used to them are fine , at first glance the colour / presentation of them seems a little off),
If you have the RZM photographic volumes on the SS participation at Kursk you may have seen some of the photos before some also turn up in the large 2 volume books on Kursk by J Restayn but this is perhaps to be expected.
Have I read it yet , impossible but from what I have spent time with I am more than happy with.
Amazon Uk are doing the book for just over £30 which is a good price on an excellent book , you will not be disappointed.


Would also like to drop a recommendation on a new title from the Classic aviation series published by Ian Allen.

They have just released their 18th book in this excellent series "Focke-Wulf FW190 Volume One 1938-1943. (I Richard Smith and Eddie Creek.) Priced £30.



This is a top notch book on the 190 , will certainly take Volume two when it makes an appearance.
This charts the development from the drawing board, through testing and on to operational life, its use as a fighter and a fighter bomber are explored via the various marks and models .
Hugely well illustrated the book goes the extra mile it is a delight nothing less.

BlaasForRafa

Jim S wrote: »

Would also like to drop a recommendation on a new title from the Classic aviation series published by Ian Allen.

They have just released their 18th book in this excellent series "Focke-Wulf FW190 Volume One 1938-1943. (I Richard Smith and Eddie Creek.) Priced £30.



This is a top notch book on the 190 , will certainly take Volume two when it makes an appearance.
This charts the development from the drawing board, through testing and on to operational life, its use as a fighter and a fighter bomber are explored via the various marks and models .
Hugely well illustrated the book goes the extra mile it is a delight nothing less.

Oh god not another FW190 book lol, I already am going to drop about €70 on vol 2 of Jerry Crandall's FW190D series. I can very much recommend it though along with the Green Hearts book I mentioned earlier in the thread.



While I'm at it another one i could recommend thats a bit less expensive is the first volume of William Greens Aircraft of the Third Reich, its a marvellous reference on all the aircraft types (including captured allied planes) flown by the Luftwaffe. Its £37.09 on amazon at the moment, I paid almost £50 for it a few months ago gargh!



I'd love if they did similar books for the Soviets, British, US etc.

Jim S

BlaasForRafa

Oh god not another FW190 book lol, I already am going to drop about €70 on vol 2 of Jerry Crandall's FW190D series. I can very much recommend it though along with the Green Hearts book I mentioned earlier in the thread.

Know how you feel , swings and roundabouts..... had I waited for Amazon I could have saved a few £'s on Nipe's book , the amazon price is really very good on it.
Last year I bought a book on the ME210/410 via Amazon for £12.50.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Messerschmitt-210-410-Hornisse-Hornet/dp/1857802713/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324550232&sr=1-1 price is now up to £25.

The FW190 book a gap in what I have , I have a book by Nowarra but this one on the basis of the quality of others in this particular series was hard to say no to.
True some aspects of WW2 are overkilled , eg how many books on the "Tiger" do you really need ?

Morlar

Jim S wrote: »

True some aspects of WW2 are overkilled , eg how many books on the "Tiger" do you really need ?

You can never have enough Tiger books !

2 of the hardback ones I would like are here for £360.00 280.00
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=538385

Tigers in Combat, Vol. 1 & Tigers in Combat, Vol. 2 by Wolfgang Schneider.

On the subject of reference works, I would also recommend

Panzerfahrzeuge und Panzereinheiten der Ordnungspolizei 1936-1945. Regenberg, Werner



http://www.germanwarfilms.com/complete-selection-of-titles/armored-formations-of-the-ordnungspolizei-1936.htm

This is a German language reference book, (you can get for about €10-€15 on ebay) several hundred pages with high quality often obscure photographs showing German OrdnungsPolizei armoured vehicles and tanks throughout 1939-1945. Being in German isn't a huge problem as it's largely photo-reference and also giving dimensions and scale of assorted vehicles, date of service and so on, so the technical parts are easy to follow.

This includes information on a myriad of captured vehicles dating back to the mid 1920's, czech, Italian, Polish, Russian etc. All used in population resettlement and anti-partisan warfare against large scale bands of partisans in various locations










In trying to find a picture for this post just found an english language version which I will have to add to my list :

http://www.schifferbooks.com/newschiffer/book_template.php?isbn=0764315552

Jim S

Morlar for 10-15 Euros that is very well worth it.

I have bought a few books from Emilo over the past year , he sure knows how to pack them !

Morlar

Jim S wrote: »

Morlar for 10-15 Euros that is very well worth it.

I have bought a few books from Emilo over the past year , he sure knows how to pack them !

I definitely recommend it. I will probably get the english language version at some point. In the meantime here is that original German hardback one currently on ebay.de 'buy it now' @ €17.00

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Panzerfahrzeuge-Panzereinheiten-Ordnungspolizei-/320804613142?pt=Sach_Fachb%C3%BCcher&hash=item4ab171ec16

BlaasForRafa

Another one I have on order is Panzers on the Eastern Front by General Erhard Raus.



And if anyone is into a bit of alternate history fiction, Seelowe Nord by Andy Johnson is pretty damn good

Jonny7

Not sure if these have been mentioned in the thread ..

Some are not keen on Ambrose, but "Pegasus Bridge" is some nice reading about the glider missions on D-Day.

On the other end of the spectrum, "The Rape of Nanking", did take place in about '37 but concerns the same Japanese army that fought the rest of the war. Heavy stuff.

One of the lesser-read Beevor books; "Crete" is also very good, my grandfather fought rear-guard on the island itself so was an incredible insight.

TerrorFirmer

I got this as a gift over Christmas. It can be found very cheap online, and at 400 pages with tons of fantastic pictures, as well as decent synopsis of the entire conflict, it's well worth it. Some fantastic books being posted lately, must buy a few now soon - Panzers on the Eastern Front and the Armoured Vehicles of the Police are two must buys for me. Thanks guys.

Currently re-reading Armageddon by Max Hastings at the moment, and just finished this, the Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Good book; much more given towards Europe, and some excellent pictures, Japanese side is good but a little sparse in comparison. Think I just linked to the download of that book - I own the book itself. There's a fantastic store in Galway called Charlie Byrnes, all kinds of new and old books at incredible prices. I got the above book for 8 euro, Hardback, 400 pages.

TerrorFirmer

Hey guys. Can anyone help in recommending *the* definitive WW2 photo collection series? I have a few large Time-Life collections, and plenty of assorted photo books, but when I was younger, my grandfather used to have a book collection- think it may have been monthly, it wasn't hard back but it had maybe 200 pages or so per issue,and had photos as well as spec sheets for vehicles and such alongside the history - and the pictures in it were astounding altogether, and several pictures in it, I've never been able to find anywhere else. It had some particularly amazing combat photos from Poland that I've never seen ANY of since,despite owning several photo books on that very subject. I actually bought a Time-Life collection lately and the standard said by this unknown publication left me feeling very disappointed even though it is of course, still a great collection. One of my favorite pictures in it was a trainload of German soldiers approaching Lodz in a traincar, but I can't find it anywhere since....

It was the World at War of publications, I suppose! Bugs the hell out of me that I don't even have a name.