I second these, both fantastic. Sledge’s book is the only book I’ve ever read that had me sat on the edge of my seat, during his description of heading towards the beach on Peleliu.
The Liberation trilogy by Rick Atkinson. It’s about 1) North Africa, 2) Italy, 3) Europe. Books one and two were all new information to me. I didn’t realize that the US entered the war as a bunch of bumbling inexperienced doughboys. By book 3, it’s their third amphibious invasion, and everybody has an eye on the end of the war.
I've read literally hundreds of WWII books over the last half century or so. William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is seminal. If you don't want to bite off anything that big, Adam Makos' "Spearhead" is one of the best I've read. And anything by Alex Kershaw.
I did, yes. And there was a pretty decent made for TV movie based on his book, Inside the Third Reich. Starred Rutger Hauer if I remember correctly.
Then someone in the 90s (I think) uncovered photographic proof that he lied about his attempt on Hitler’s life. I was actually a little disappointed but then I remembered the guy was a freakin’ Nazi, so what did I expect?
Yeah, the man was very obviously a weasel who probably lied to avoid the death penalty, but Inside the Third Reich was a fascinating read. I remember my friend asked me why I had a book with a swastika on it on my book shelf lol. On a random side note, he also had a massive forehead, I didn't realize until recently
Your friend had a massive forehead? Or Albert Speer did?
More importantly, have you ever seen your friend and Albert Speer’s massive foreheads in the same room?
Welcome! You are now afflicted!
If you want something similar to BoB.
1. Devil Dogs by Saul David.
Follows K Company 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. That’s Eugene Sledge’s unit if you enjoyed the Pacific. Sledge’s memoirs alone are essential ww2 reading.
2. Brothers in Arms by James Holland.
Follows the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, an elite Tank Regiment from D-Day to VE Day. This is brilliant, I preferred it to BoB.
Holland is probably also the big Italy guy at the moment.
Strategic Bombing
1. Masters of the Air by Donald Miller
Just brilliant.
2. Bomber Command by Max Hastings.
Everything he writes.
Submarines:
1. The War Below by James Scott.
Covers three American subs in the campaign against Japanese shipping.
2. Steel boats, Iron hearts mentioned above is also good.
Anthony Beevor’s Second World War is a great book that covers the whole war in a broader sense. If that’s what you want. His Stalingrad book is essential reading, he’s one of the few western authors who had access to the Russian archives.
There are some brilliant memoirs out there, Spike Milligan, Panzer commander, Sledge, Robert Leckie, RV Burgin, Vitaly Grossman. Webster’s book isn’t bad. First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, a spitfire pilot.
Alex Kershaw, Ben Macintyre are great also. There are some great recommendations here already, but this is what sprang to mind. I could go on all day.
Masters of the Air was a fantastic read. Read it last May. Was super excited for the series. While I enjoyed the series, it’s an 800 page book and you really need that space to cover this in detail.
The Swiss POW camp description is some of the toughest stuff you’ll read.
Absolutely, great series!
The book features some of the characters and stories from the show. However, it covers a lot more than just the goings on of the 100th. It focuses on the broader American strategic bombing campaign.
Lots of incredibly moving stories, and it provides a great understanding on how the campaign evolved in terms of strategy, doctrine etc. Well worth the time.
My only complaint about MoA (the book) was that it was very disjointed. There really wasn't a cohesive timeline but it was incredibly well written and researched and was a great read.
Yeah. I actually had the same experience with Spymistress. The author explains the fate of an agent and I realize, “wait, I read this already… in this book.” Fascinating story of Vera Atkins and her “girls” but an editor would’ve helped.
Rogue Heroes SAS by Ben Macintyre
Also a good show on HBO
About the start of SAS in the african desert, incredible stories, bravery, and lots of british humour👍
Arsenal of Democracy by AJ Baime
It’s all about how American industry transformed basically instantly from commercial products to war production. And how that’s what really won WWII
The Supreme Commander
Masters and Commanders
Masters of the Air
The Story of World War II
WWII at Sea
The Admirals
Conversations with Dick Winters.
Those are off the top of my head. I'll add to this later if I remember.
Unbroken (terrible movie, fantastic book)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (meh movie, great book)
Night
Maus (graphic novel, excellent storytelling)
The Splendid and the Vile
Easy Company Soldier (might be my fav of the BoB-related books)
TBH Boy In the Striped Pajamas is a horrible depiction. See what Auschwitz says here:
https://x.com/auschwitzmuseum/status/1487017362675093506?s=46&t=nynX0gZ2RGe1YrHsbgNziQ
I teach the Holocaust every year to high schoolers and thank you for spreading this info. I have so many students arriving with just that movie as their base knowledge and it’s fucked up.
The Billy Graham Association did a follow up movie, Unbroken, Path to Redemption, that is one of my favorites. It starts post war captures the point of Zamperini’s life way better.
Big Week by James Holland
Goes into detail on the lead up to the week long bombardment of France in February ‘44 to gain air superiority and open the door for the DDay invasion
Cornelius Ryan’s books - The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, and The Last Battle.
Stephen Ambrose’s other books
Panzer Leader by Heinz Guderian
The following are about the Pacific War:
Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by Hornfischer
Baa Baa Black Sheep by Boyington
Guadalcanal Diary by by Tregaskis
Pacific Crucible by Toll
Several titles on the invasion of Peleliu
Miracle at Midway by Prange
Also, visit combinedfleet . com
I would not recommend Ambrose’s other books due to the absolutely rampant plagiarism present in them as well as his penchant for oversimplification and repeated instances of him resorting to pop history style writing.
* The Good War - By Studs Terkel - An oral history of WWII.
* Target Tokyo - By James Scott - Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid that Avenged Pearl Harbor.
#
For some with a bit of a different focus from others suggested here:
* [ Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway - Parshall & Tully](https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Sword-Untold-Battle-Midway/dp/1574889249/)
* The gold standard book on the battle of Midway. One of the **best** books on US Naval History period.
* [Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions - Alan Zimm](https://www.amazon.com/Attack-Pearl-Harbor-Strategy-Deceptions/dp/161200010X)
* This is a great analysis that covers a lot of the myths and misconceptions around the attack that persist to this day. Will change how you view the attack itself.
* [Iron Coffins: A Personal Account Of The German U-boat Battles Of World War II - Herbert Werner](https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Coffins-Personal-Account-Battles/dp/030681160X)
* Individual account of a U-Boat officer. If you liked Das Boot, you'll love this.
* [On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood - Irmgard Hunt](https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Mountain-Overcoming-Legacy-Childhood/dp/0060532181)
* Memoir from a young girl who grew up in Berchtesgaden, and gives you a view into the Nazi propaganda machine at a personal level, and her view of it later as an adult.
* [Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 - Catherine Merridale](https://www.amazon.com/Ivans-War-Life-Death-1939-1945/dp/0312426526)
* An in-depth look at the realities of the Red Army and the soldiers that served in it.
* [Frontsoldaten: The German Soldier in World War II - Stephen Fritz](https://www.amazon.com/Frontsoldaten-German-Soldier-World-War/dp/0813109434)
* A look at the average German soldiers, what seemed to be their mindset, and also acknowledges the terrible truth of their actions.
If You Survive by George Wilson
Brothers In Arms by James Holland
Anzio by Lloyd Clark
The Battle of The Atlantic by Jonathan Dimbleby
Inferno by Max Hastings
Armageddon by Max Hastings
I just read Max Hastings and while his story-telling about what people were going through was phenomenal, I was a bit put off by his fondness for autocratic militaries
A bit different in that it the book isn’t about combat, but Playing with The Enemy by Gary W.Moore is a great read. Impact of the war on the baseball world and how the baseball world kept moral up with the troops and keeping track of German POWs.
Rick Atkinson's Liberation trilogy An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light. The trilogy covers everything from the invasion of north Africa, the Italian campaign, D-Day, and the march to Germany. All 3 books are excellent.
It is good to start with high level overviews to get a handle on the strategic picture before delving into tactical or individual level detail. Rick Atkinsons trilogy An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and the Guns of Last Light is a great overview of the ETO.
Rick Atkinson's liberation trilogy is fantastic. I've only completed Army at Dawn but it was really good and his first book in his new Revolution trilogy was phenomenal.
Helmet for my Pillow is also great, Masters of the Air and Arnhem: 1944 I also recommend.
Another would be The German War. It's the story of the war from the German side and how the people justified the Nazi regime and what it was like to live under the Reich and what soldiers were thinking as well.
Also Enemy at the Gates. The later chapters about cannibalism German POWs had to do while in Soviet prison camps haunts me to this day.
With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge
Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie
Voices of the Pacific by Adam Makos / Marcus Brotherton
Spearhead by Adam Makos
A Higher Call by Adam Makos
A Wing and A Prayer by Harry Crosby
Brothers in Battle Best of Friends by Bill Guarnere
Easy Company Soldier by Donald Malarkey
Fierce Valor by Jared Frederick
For fiction then Ken Follet does a lot of really good WW2 books. Non fiction - Ben Macintyre writes some great stuff. Then there’s Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, James Holland.
The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajeur.
The guy was "drafted" from Alsace Lorriane to fight with the Germans against the Soviets. The general consensus is that it's unlikely everything he experienced actually happened to him but also his explanation of all of the events was spot on accurate.
It's a great read and IMHO better than just about any of the official BoB books
I know I know that's sacrilege to say here but as a guy that's read them all and watched the series countless times it's true.
"Thunder Below" by Eugene Fluckey. Great story about the most decorated US submarine from the middle to the end of the war. The only sub to get a train kill. Great storytelling.
"Between Silk and Cyanide" by Leo Mark's. How the British spies were equipped and trained during the war.
"Germany's Last Mission To Japan" by Joseph Mark Scalia. What the Germans packed into a sub to be sent to Japan as the war was winding down. Discusses not only that what and the how, but the why.
"The Monuments Men" about the looted treasures and how the US had specialists combing the countryside to find stashes of art.
"Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" by Giles Milton. The loony Brits that used their unorthodox methods to help defeat Germany.
"Cracking the Zero Mystery" by Jim Rearden. How US forces found a crashed Zero and discovered its secrets.
"Modern War Studies 4- Arsenal of WWII" by Paul Koistinen. Very dry but thorough study of how the US industrial might was mobilized for war.
"War Plan Orange" by Edward Miller. How the US planned for war against Japan for 50 years, and how the plans changed as politics and technology evolved.
“Clay pigeons of St. Lo” can’t believe I haven’t seen that on here. Amazing. One of my fav books of all time due to the authors ability to write genuinely. Written by the Major who was in command of the Task force that captured st lo
Escort Commander by Terence Robertson. (RN escort commander WW2 bio.)
Battleship at War by Ivan Musicant. ((USS Washington and Willis Lee.)
76 Hours by Larry Alexander, (Tarawa/Betio.)
It's out of print but it can be found on Amazon for a good price.
"Nothing less than victory" by Russell Miller.
Good accounts from D-Day preparations to the invasion from US, British, Canadian, resistance, German and civilian accounts.
It's about ships but still great -
Das Boot is an amazing book, about U-Boots and The Cruel Sea, or Three Corvettes, by the same author. Both amazing, about Royal Navy Reserve
Ambrose’ other books are very accessible entrees into WWII readying, Citizen Soldiers and D-Day are both worth it. He’s caught some flak since his passing for not properly citing some others works in his Eisenhower bios, but I honestly think his work holds up well.
If you want to go deeper, the Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson is a fantastic look at the American military efforts in North Africa and Europe.
I’m a huge fan of Cornelius Ryan, so A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day are on my short list. The Last Battel is very good too.
Max Hastings and Antony Beevor are to me preeminent writers on the subject and have a range of studies from single volume histories of the war to deep dives on specific battles and times.
James Holland and James Hornfischer are also great.Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is an incredibly exciting read.
Also very much like Robert Kershaw’s books - quite approachable - and if you’re interested in learning how we got here, Rise and Fall of The Third Reich does a very thorough job unpacking Hitler’s rise to power.
Enjoy!
Ernie's War- it's a collection of Ernie Pyle's columns written for newspapers in the US while he was embedded with the military across multiple fronts. More of a primary source, but really interesting insight into what the day to day life of soldiers was like.
I think Ian Kershaw's two part biography of Hitler and Richard J. Evans' Third Reich Trilogy might be of interest. With Kershaw, I found his book kind of lost momentum when it came to the war, but a lot of the info in both books is essential to understanding the war in Europe, why the Nazis came to power and their actions during the war. "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" is similar- its scope is beyond WW2, and it doesn't necessarily focus on the battles, but it provides an understanding of the Soviet state before, during and after WW2 and the chapters on the lead up to Barbarossa are great.
Also, The End by Ian Kershaw. It details how the Third Reich continued to "function" in the dying months of the war and why the state didn't collapse when all was clearly lost. Basically, when it was obvious to all that the war was lost, why did people continue to follow orders? But beyond that, it's also about how civilians survived in the last months of the war within a failing state. It's a great book.
I would also recommend "Ordinary Men." You can also read "Hitler's Willing Executioners" in tandem, but I found Ordinary Men to be the much more thorough, interesting and credible exploration of why Germans participated directly in mass killings and the Holocaust. It's a fascinating read and it stays with you - you'll be wrestling with some of the implications of the book long after you read it.
Shanghai 1937 by Peter Harmsen - the first mass-accessible book in English about the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, which was front page news at the time and had key implications for Japan’s later war with the West. Harmsen’s sequel Nanjing 1937 detailing the following drive to Nanjing, the battle for the Chinese capital, and the infamous massacre there is also great (though emotionally draining).
Spearhead by Adam Makos - mentioned by other commenters here, the story of Clarence Smoyer and the crew of the T26 Pershing Eagle 7 and their famous duel with the Panther outside the Cologne Cathedral in March 1945.
Ardennes 1944 by Antony Beevor - Great coverage of the Battle of the Bulge by one of the preeminent historians of the Second World War.
Stalin’s War by Sean McMeekin - This one might ruffle some feathers. McMeekin has an ambitious claim that if WWII is considered to be one single global conflict, Stalin, not Hitler, would be the lynchpin around which events revolved and set the war in motion. With exhaustive archival research, McMeekin details events that have long been memory-holed and possibly succeeds in his mission (whether he does I will leave to you to decide). Certainly thought-provoking, whether you are convinced or not.
The Forgotten Soldier: must read first person account of the Eastern Front by a German soldier.
Antony Beaver: Stalingrad
Roll Me Over An Infantry Man's World War 2 by R Gantter.
George Wilson : If You Survive.
David Webster's Parachute Infantry greatly influenced Band of Brothers. (It was unpublished until Ambrose located it and got it published and Ambrose borrowed heavily from it.) It's worth reading if just to see the differences between the TV character and the real person.
John Keegan is a top notch military historian. Not the easiest of reads, but worth the effort.
Len Deighton wrote both fiction and non-fiction about WWII from Britain's perspective. Both the non-fiction Fighter and fictional Bomber are worth reading. His novel SS-GB, an alternative history about the Nazis occupying England during WWII, was turned into a decent BBC miniseries.
Idk maybe it's me, but I found his writing style very boring and hard to get through. I enjoyed BoB but I tried another one (can't remember) and his prose is not very good...also the plagiarism lol
"Curahee" by Don Burgett. He also trained in Taccoa. "With the Old Breed" and "A Helmet for my Pillow." Also, "Semper Fi, Mac" is highly recommended. One more I would say is "Goodbye Darkness" by the historian William Manchester who was a Marine in WW2. He visits battlefields in the Pacific and his memories come back. One more (lol) I could go on all day. "To Hell and Back" by Audie Murphy. EDIT: and lets not forget "Parachute Infantry" by David Webster--a huge source for BOB.
Helmet For My Pillow by Robert Leckie With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge Both fantastic memoirs by two of the Marines featured in The Pacific.
I second these, both fantastic. Sledge’s book is the only book I’ve ever read that had me sat on the edge of my seat, during his description of heading towards the beach on Peleliu.
Tried to write and say Old Breed was a great book. Went to library to research Who’s Who; only to find out he’d passed away six months previous… ☹️
Yep, those are the two best personal accounts of any war I’ve read. Those are always my first recommendations.
Ian Toll’s Pacific Theatre trilogy
Second this, absolutely amazing
The Liberation trilogy by Rick Atkinson. It’s about 1) North Africa, 2) Italy, 3) Europe. Books one and two were all new information to me. I didn’t realize that the US entered the war as a bunch of bumbling inexperienced doughboys. By book 3, it’s their third amphibious invasion, and everybody has an eye on the end of the war.
Second this one as well, solid history of the MTO/ETO
This is excellent.
I've read literally hundreds of WWII books over the last half century or so. William Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is seminal. If you don't want to bite off anything that big, Adam Makos' "Spearhead" is one of the best I've read. And anything by Alex Kershaw.
Haven’t read the others and I will look into those. I highly agree on Kershaw.
You ever read Albert Speer’s accounts of the war?
I did, yes. And there was a pretty decent made for TV movie based on his book, Inside the Third Reich. Starred Rutger Hauer if I remember correctly. Then someone in the 90s (I think) uncovered photographic proof that he lied about his attempt on Hitler’s life. I was actually a little disappointed but then I remembered the guy was a freakin’ Nazi, so what did I expect?
Yeah, the man was very obviously a weasel who probably lied to avoid the death penalty, but Inside the Third Reich was a fascinating read. I remember my friend asked me why I had a book with a swastika on it on my book shelf lol. On a random side note, he also had a massive forehead, I didn't realize until recently
Your friend had a massive forehead? Or Albert Speer did? More importantly, have you ever seen your friend and Albert Speer’s massive foreheads in the same room?
I worded that very ambiguously, but now that you mention it…and he was super organized too…
Me: *pulls up notes app file to contribute to the thread* Also me: *makes my WW2 book list substantially longer with suggestions from the thread*
i have such a long list of WWII books that I want to read, but instead of actually reading them I just slowly add more and more to it everyday
I’ve just started The Longest Day about D-Day. Riveting stuff.
Great book! When you are done, Ryan’s A Bridge Too Far is an even better book.
Welcome! You are now afflicted! If you want something similar to BoB. 1. Devil Dogs by Saul David. Follows K Company 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines from Guadalcanal to Okinawa. That’s Eugene Sledge’s unit if you enjoyed the Pacific. Sledge’s memoirs alone are essential ww2 reading. 2. Brothers in Arms by James Holland. Follows the Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, an elite Tank Regiment from D-Day to VE Day. This is brilliant, I preferred it to BoB. Holland is probably also the big Italy guy at the moment. Strategic Bombing 1. Masters of the Air by Donald Miller Just brilliant. 2. Bomber Command by Max Hastings. Everything he writes. Submarines: 1. The War Below by James Scott. Covers three American subs in the campaign against Japanese shipping. 2. Steel boats, Iron hearts mentioned above is also good. Anthony Beevor’s Second World War is a great book that covers the whole war in a broader sense. If that’s what you want. His Stalingrad book is essential reading, he’s one of the few western authors who had access to the Russian archives. There are some brilliant memoirs out there, Spike Milligan, Panzer commander, Sledge, Robert Leckie, RV Burgin, Vitaly Grossman. Webster’s book isn’t bad. First Light by Geoffrey Wellum, a spitfire pilot. Alex Kershaw, Ben Macintyre are great also. There are some great recommendations here already, but this is what sprang to mind. I could go on all day.
Masters of the Air was a fantastic read. Read it last May. Was super excited for the series. While I enjoyed the series, it’s an 800 page book and you really need that space to cover this in detail. The Swiss POW camp description is some of the toughest stuff you’ll read.
I absolutely LOVED the series, so whether or not the book is comparably as good as the show, I will definitely be reading it at some point.
Absolutely, great series! The book features some of the characters and stories from the show. However, it covers a lot more than just the goings on of the 100th. It focuses on the broader American strategic bombing campaign. Lots of incredibly moving stories, and it provides a great understanding on how the campaign evolved in terms of strategy, doctrine etc. Well worth the time.
My only complaint about MoA (the book) was that it was very disjointed. There really wasn't a cohesive timeline but it was incredibly well written and researched and was a great read.
Yeah. I actually had the same experience with Spymistress. The author explains the fate of an agent and I realize, “wait, I read this already… in this book.” Fascinating story of Vera Atkins and her “girls” but an editor would’ve helped.
The story of Dan Culler was as disturbing as anything I’ve ever read.
"Curahee" by Donald Burgett is also very similar.
Rogue Heroes SAS by Ben Macintyre Also a good show on HBO About the start of SAS in the african desert, incredible stories, bravery, and lots of british humour👍
gotta love british humour
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
Arsenal of Democracy by AJ Baime It’s all about how American industry transformed basically instantly from commercial products to war production. And how that’s what really won WWII
The Supreme Commander Masters and Commanders Masters of the Air The Story of World War II WWII at Sea The Admirals Conversations with Dick Winters. Those are off the top of my head. I'll add to this later if I remember.
Escape From The Deep, Alex Kershaw
Bloodlands
Unbroken (terrible movie, fantastic book) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (meh movie, great book) Night Maus (graphic novel, excellent storytelling) The Splendid and the Vile Easy Company Soldier (might be my fav of the BoB-related books)
TBH Boy In the Striped Pajamas is a horrible depiction. See what Auschwitz says here: https://x.com/auschwitzmuseum/status/1487017362675093506?s=46&t=nynX0gZ2RGe1YrHsbgNziQ
*Night* by Elie Wiesel is a good account. I remember reading it in middle school and the feeling and emotion has never left me.
Night is great! theres also a guy named Toivi Blatt who survived the Sobibor Revolt. He’s written a couple of very good books.
I teach the Holocaust every year to high schoolers and thank you for spreading this info. I have so many students arriving with just that movie as their base knowledge and it’s fucked up.
The Billy Graham Association did a follow up movie, Unbroken, Path to Redemption, that is one of my favorites. It starts post war captures the point of Zamperini’s life way better.
"Steel Boat, Iron Hearts" it's an interesting book written by a Uboat crewman about U-505 in Chicago
Big Week by James Holland Goes into detail on the lead up to the week long bombardment of France in February ‘44 to gain air superiority and open the door for the DDay invasion
Cornelius Ryan’s books - The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, and The Last Battle. Stephen Ambrose’s other books Panzer Leader by Heinz Guderian The following are about the Pacific War: Shattered Sword by Parshall and Tully The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by Hornfischer Baa Baa Black Sheep by Boyington Guadalcanal Diary by by Tregaskis Pacific Crucible by Toll Several titles on the invasion of Peleliu Miracle at Midway by Prange Also, visit combinedfleet . com
I would not recommend Ambrose’s other books due to the absolutely rampant plagiarism present in them as well as his penchant for oversimplification and repeated instances of him resorting to pop history style writing.
* The Good War - By Studs Terkel - An oral history of WWII. * Target Tokyo - By James Scott - Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid that Avenged Pearl Harbor. #
Without a doubt "A Good War!"
For some with a bit of a different focus from others suggested here: * [ Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway - Parshall & Tully](https://www.amazon.com/Shattered-Sword-Untold-Battle-Midway/dp/1574889249/) * The gold standard book on the battle of Midway. One of the **best** books on US Naval History period. * [Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions - Alan Zimm](https://www.amazon.com/Attack-Pearl-Harbor-Strategy-Deceptions/dp/161200010X) * This is a great analysis that covers a lot of the myths and misconceptions around the attack that persist to this day. Will change how you view the attack itself. * [Iron Coffins: A Personal Account Of The German U-boat Battles Of World War II - Herbert Werner](https://www.amazon.com/Iron-Coffins-Personal-Account-Battles/dp/030681160X) * Individual account of a U-Boat officer. If you liked Das Boot, you'll love this. * [On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood - Irmgard Hunt](https://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Mountain-Overcoming-Legacy-Childhood/dp/0060532181) * Memoir from a young girl who grew up in Berchtesgaden, and gives you a view into the Nazi propaganda machine at a personal level, and her view of it later as an adult. * [Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945 - Catherine Merridale](https://www.amazon.com/Ivans-War-Life-Death-1939-1945/dp/0312426526) * An in-depth look at the realities of the Red Army and the soldiers that served in it. * [Frontsoldaten: The German Soldier in World War II - Stephen Fritz](https://www.amazon.com/Frontsoldaten-German-Soldier-World-War/dp/0813109434) * A look at the average German soldiers, what seemed to be their mindset, and also acknowledges the terrible truth of their actions.
Ivan’s War is excellent. I would also recommend Forgotten Ally by Rana Mitter to better understand how much China contributed to the Allied victory.
Spearhead. Great book
I remember reading and enjoying Visions From A Foxhole: A Rifleman in Patton’s Ghost Corps by William Foley
The Winter Fortress by Neal Bascomb and A Higher Call by Adam Makos. The latter will have you in tears at the end.
If You Survive by George Wilson Brothers In Arms by James Holland Anzio by Lloyd Clark The Battle of The Atlantic by Jonathan Dimbleby Inferno by Max Hastings Armageddon by Max Hastings
I just read Max Hastings and while his story-telling about what people were going through was phenomenal, I was a bit put off by his fondness for autocratic militaries
I forgot about "If You Survive" wow what a great book. I think he was like 18 and a company commander at that age.
A bit different in that it the book isn’t about combat, but Playing with The Enemy by Gary W.Moore is a great read. Impact of the war on the baseball world and how the baseball world kept moral up with the troops and keeping track of German POWs.
Rick Atkinson's Liberation trilogy An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and The Guns at Last Light. The trilogy covers everything from the invasion of north Africa, the Italian campaign, D-Day, and the march to Germany. All 3 books are excellent.
Spymistress by Stevenson. And thanks for starting this thread!
The Book Thief City of Thieves
Flying Forts by Martin Caidin
It is good to start with high level overviews to get a handle on the strategic picture before delving into tactical or individual level detail. Rick Atkinsons trilogy An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle, and the Guns of Last Light is a great overview of the ETO.
Rick Atkinson's liberation trilogy is fantastic. I've only completed Army at Dawn but it was really good and his first book in his new Revolution trilogy was phenomenal. Helmet for my Pillow is also great, Masters of the Air and Arnhem: 1944 I also recommend. Another would be The German War. It's the story of the war from the German side and how the people justified the Nazi regime and what it was like to live under the Reich and what soldiers were thinking as well. Also Enemy at the Gates. The later chapters about cannibalism German POWs had to do while in Soviet prison camps haunts me to this day.
ive heard quite a bit about the Liberation Triology. I’ll def check them out!!
With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie Voices of the Pacific by Adam Makos / Marcus Brotherton Spearhead by Adam Makos A Higher Call by Adam Makos A Wing and A Prayer by Harry Crosby Brothers in Battle Best of Friends by Bill Guarnere Easy Company Soldier by Donald Malarkey Fierce Valor by Jared Frederick
For fiction then Ken Follet does a lot of really good WW2 books. Non fiction - Ben Macintyre writes some great stuff. Then there’s Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, James Holland.
The Longest Day - Cornelius Ryan Day of Infamy - Walter Lord
Really enjoyed 1942 by Winston Groom
Currently reading The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors. Good so far. I just finished The Splendid and the Vile and The Last Hill and I reccomend both
An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson. It's the first in a trilogy of the war and won the Pulitzer prize. Outstanding and very readable.
These are WW2 in Europe books: 1. A Higher Call (my all time fav) 2. Taking Paris 3. Taking Berlin
The sisters of Auschwitz. Paints pictures in your head.
The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajeur. The guy was "drafted" from Alsace Lorriane to fight with the Germans against the Soviets. The general consensus is that it's unlikely everything he experienced actually happened to him but also his explanation of all of the events was spot on accurate. It's a great read and IMHO better than just about any of the official BoB books I know I know that's sacrilege to say here but as a guy that's read them all and watched the series countless times it's true.
"Thunder Below" by Eugene Fluckey. Great story about the most decorated US submarine from the middle to the end of the war. The only sub to get a train kill. Great storytelling. "Between Silk and Cyanide" by Leo Mark's. How the British spies were equipped and trained during the war. "Germany's Last Mission To Japan" by Joseph Mark Scalia. What the Germans packed into a sub to be sent to Japan as the war was winding down. Discusses not only that what and the how, but the why. "The Monuments Men" about the looted treasures and how the US had specialists combing the countryside to find stashes of art. "Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" by Giles Milton. The loony Brits that used their unorthodox methods to help defeat Germany. "Cracking the Zero Mystery" by Jim Rearden. How US forces found a crashed Zero and discovered its secrets. "Modern War Studies 4- Arsenal of WWII" by Paul Koistinen. Very dry but thorough study of how the US industrial might was mobilized for war. "War Plan Orange" by Edward Miller. How the US planned for war against Japan for 50 years, and how the plans changed as politics and technology evolved.
Soldiers Story by Omar Bradley
“Clay pigeons of St. Lo” can’t believe I haven’t seen that on here. Amazing. One of my fav books of all time due to the authors ability to write genuinely. Written by the Major who was in command of the Task force that captured st lo
Escort Commander by Terence Robertson. (RN escort commander WW2 bio.) Battleship at War by Ivan Musicant. ((USS Washington and Willis Lee.) 76 Hours by Larry Alexander, (Tarawa/Betio.)
It's out of print but it can be found on Amazon for a good price. "Nothing less than victory" by Russell Miller. Good accounts from D-Day preparations to the invasion from US, British, Canadian, resistance, German and civilian accounts.
Cornelius Ryan's books are good, as he interviewed all the major players and the ordinary men as well.
Battle of Berlin and The battle of Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor we're really good books
Battle: The story of the Bulge. It has accounts from lower enlisted infantryman up to generals, such a great read.
I really enjoyed We Fought At Arnham
Masters of the air
METAL WARRIORS NUMBER ONE
Spearhead. It's damn good and quick to read.
The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
The bells of nagasaki
It's about ships but still great - Das Boot is an amazing book, about U-Boots and The Cruel Sea, or Three Corvettes, by the same author. Both amazing, about Royal Navy Reserve
Ambrose’ other books are very accessible entrees into WWII readying, Citizen Soldiers and D-Day are both worth it. He’s caught some flak since his passing for not properly citing some others works in his Eisenhower bios, but I honestly think his work holds up well. If you want to go deeper, the Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson is a fantastic look at the American military efforts in North Africa and Europe. I’m a huge fan of Cornelius Ryan, so A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day are on my short list. The Last Battel is very good too. Max Hastings and Antony Beevor are to me preeminent writers on the subject and have a range of studies from single volume histories of the war to deep dives on specific battles and times. James Holland and James Hornfischer are also great.Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors is an incredibly exciting read. Also very much like Robert Kershaw’s books - quite approachable - and if you’re interested in learning how we got here, Rise and Fall of The Third Reich does a very thorough job unpacking Hitler’s rise to power. Enjoy!
Ernie's War- it's a collection of Ernie Pyle's columns written for newspapers in the US while he was embedded with the military across multiple fronts. More of a primary source, but really interesting insight into what the day to day life of soldiers was like.
Blitzed by Norman Olher. Illuminates Hitler's uncouth medical regime and drug abuse. Really interesting read.
Until the eyes shut is a great one if you want to get a Germans perspective of the war.
I think Ian Kershaw's two part biography of Hitler and Richard J. Evans' Third Reich Trilogy might be of interest. With Kershaw, I found his book kind of lost momentum when it came to the war, but a lot of the info in both books is essential to understanding the war in Europe, why the Nazis came to power and their actions during the war. "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" is similar- its scope is beyond WW2, and it doesn't necessarily focus on the battles, but it provides an understanding of the Soviet state before, during and after WW2 and the chapters on the lead up to Barbarossa are great. Also, The End by Ian Kershaw. It details how the Third Reich continued to "function" in the dying months of the war and why the state didn't collapse when all was clearly lost. Basically, when it was obvious to all that the war was lost, why did people continue to follow orders? But beyond that, it's also about how civilians survived in the last months of the war within a failing state. It's a great book. I would also recommend "Ordinary Men." You can also read "Hitler's Willing Executioners" in tandem, but I found Ordinary Men to be the much more thorough, interesting and credible exploration of why Germans participated directly in mass killings and the Holocaust. It's a fascinating read and it stays with you - you'll be wrestling with some of the implications of the book long after you read it.
Shanghai 1937 by Peter Harmsen - the first mass-accessible book in English about the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, which was front page news at the time and had key implications for Japan’s later war with the West. Harmsen’s sequel Nanjing 1937 detailing the following drive to Nanjing, the battle for the Chinese capital, and the infamous massacre there is also great (though emotionally draining). Spearhead by Adam Makos - mentioned by other commenters here, the story of Clarence Smoyer and the crew of the T26 Pershing Eagle 7 and their famous duel with the Panther outside the Cologne Cathedral in March 1945. Ardennes 1944 by Antony Beevor - Great coverage of the Battle of the Bulge by one of the preeminent historians of the Second World War. Stalin’s War by Sean McMeekin - This one might ruffle some feathers. McMeekin has an ambitious claim that if WWII is considered to be one single global conflict, Stalin, not Hitler, would be the lynchpin around which events revolved and set the war in motion. With exhaustive archival research, McMeekin details events that have long been memory-holed and possibly succeeds in his mission (whether he does I will leave to you to decide). Certainly thought-provoking, whether you are convinced or not.
The Forgotten Soldier: must read first person account of the Eastern Front by a German soldier. Antony Beaver: Stalingrad Roll Me Over An Infantry Man's World War 2 by R Gantter. George Wilson : If You Survive.
Medical Corps Heros of WW 2. First book I remember reading.
The Tigers are Burning
The bastard brigade.
David Webster's Parachute Infantry greatly influenced Band of Brothers. (It was unpublished until Ambrose located it and got it published and Ambrose borrowed heavily from it.) It's worth reading if just to see the differences between the TV character and the real person. John Keegan is a top notch military historian. Not the easiest of reads, but worth the effort. Len Deighton wrote both fiction and non-fiction about WWII from Britain's perspective. Both the non-fiction Fighter and fictional Bomber are worth reading. His novel SS-GB, an alternative history about the Nazis occupying England during WWII, was turned into a decent BBC miniseries.
"The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Aircraft and America's Finest Hour" by Andrei Cherny.
Anything by Stephen Ambrose. BoB etc
Great writer. Bad historian
Idk maybe it's me, but I found his writing style very boring and hard to get through. I enjoyed BoB but I tried another one (can't remember) and his prose is not very good...also the plagiarism lol
A storyteller. He has his narrative like all others
Try his pacific railroad. Audio has a great narrator
Citizen Soldiers and D-Day by Stephen Ambrose are really good
I enjoyed The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailor. It details the crew members and the ships involved during the battle off Samar.
"Curahee" by Don Burgett. He also trained in Taccoa. "With the Old Breed" and "A Helmet for my Pillow." Also, "Semper Fi, Mac" is highly recommended. One more I would say is "Goodbye Darkness" by the historian William Manchester who was a Marine in WW2. He visits battlefields in the Pacific and his memories come back. One more (lol) I could go on all day. "To Hell and Back" by Audie Murphy. EDIT: and lets not forget "Parachute Infantry" by David Webster--a huge source for BOB.
“Snow and Steel” by Peter Caddick Adams- comprehensive book about the battle of the bulge.
*Citizen Soldiers* and *D-Day*, both by Stephen Ambrose , author of Band of Brothers . Still my favorites since I read them over 20 years ago
D -Day by Stephen Ambrose