Anyone know a good World War II book? (1 Viewer)

[egautr1]

All of the books mentioned are very good.

But if you are looking for more of a perspective of the men who fought in the war I highly recommend; Citizen Soldiers by Stephen E. Ambrose. It is an amazing book that has tons of interviews with American, British, and also German troops. It is not so much about the overall war strategy, but more about the men and woman who fought for so much. He discusses topics that many other books never even touch on like Women, Minorities, and also about the bad soldiers and deserters that you never hear about.

And IMO you can't go wrong with any of Ambrose's books. Including D-Day: which is all about the invasion and the aftermath; Pegasus Bridge: which is about the British operation to capture Pegasus bridge as well as the Germans defending it; The Wild Blue: which is about the air force and the air war; and of course Band of Brothers: which is even better than the mini-series.

There are tons of other books of course, but these are my favs.

War as I Knew IT: by George Patton. What a fascinating man!

World War II: The Allied Counteroffensive 1942-1945. by Douglas Brinkley

World War II, a Short History; by Micheal J. Lyons

 

[UptownSaintsFan]

I'm a huge dork when it comes to this, so i'll list a few of my absolute favorites:

With the Old Breed, a chillling personal account of the pacific war.

Inside Hitler's Bunker, Basically it's about the last month of the 3rd Reich and the fall of Berlin. And if you like the book make sure you check out Downfall, the movie, which is amazing.

American Caesar (about McCarthur)

Eagle against the Sun

an army at dawn

You can't go wrong w/Ghost Soldiers or Band of brothers

A great biography is General of the Army: George C. Marshall. he's one of the war's greatest heroes and everyone should know more about him.

i would stay away from mein kampf, very boring. i do recommend the rise and fall of the third reich.

exactly which aspect of WWII are you interested in?

I can't remember everything right now, but i'll check my bookcase when i get home, i know i'm forgetting some good ones

 

[Ozark Mountain Saint]

The Nazi Conscience by Claudia Koonz

 

[hammernnails]

Mein Kampf isn't about World War II and is a terrible book. Important, but not very good at all.

Without that book...American History X wouldnt make sense.....

 

[SWJJ]

Biggest Brother : The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Led the Band of Brothers

 

[Broadmoor74]

D-Day by Stephen Ambrose.

 

[saintmdterps]

I mainly want the book to be detailed, and would like for it to include pieces of all the important battles, such as: D-day, Pearl Harbor, Iwo-Jima, Battle of Britain, Battle of the Bulge, and, of course, I would like it to have some detail on Hitler, Mussolini, FDR, and Churchill.

Is there any book that matches all of that?

Specifically dealing with the Battle of the Bulge, read John Toland's Battle: the Story of the Bulge. I feel it approaches the battle froma a more objective viewpoint documenting mistakes made on both sides

 

[saintfan]

Flyboys and Flags of Our Fathers by John Bradley.

I thought Flyboys was better than Flags of Our Fathers. It described the attitude of the Japanese leadership prior to the war, and how the offficer corps totally corrupted the minds of the enlisted personnel with the Samuri mentality.

It further described the air assault on Chichi Jima, where George Bush was shot down, and how the Japanese treated their prisoners on the island.

 

[UptownSaintsFan]

i didn't think flags of our fathers was all that great. you could find many better books than that one.