could anybody suggest to me some good books written about the soldiers first hand accounts or memoirs of the second world war?
This is a topic that has been covered before, but here are a few: With the Old Breed - Eugene Sledge; 1st Mar Div (Peleliu, Okinawa) Helmet for My Pillow - Robert Leckie; 1st Mar Div (Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, Peleliu) The Forgotten Soldier - Guy Sajer; Grossdeutschland Div (Eastern Front) In Deadly Combat - Gottlob Herbert Bidermann; 132. Infanterie Div (Eastern Front) Currahee ! - Donald Burgett; 101st Airborne Div (Normandy) Company Commander - Charles Macdonald; 23rd Inf Regt (Ardennes, Germany) The Men of Company K - Harold Leinbaugh & John Campbell; 84th Inf Div (Ardennes, Germany) That'll give you something to read for a while !
Try this thread http://www.ww2f.com/wwii-books-publications/13022-common-soldier-books.html many of the members listed their favourites. Fsbof has listed a couple here that are also mentioned there. Is there a particular theatre of operation or nationality, etc that you are interested in?
Also "Caen Anvil of victory" by Alexander McKee is mostly based on interviews of soldiers on both sides, civilians etc on the June-August situation and battles in that area after D-day.
hey. thanks so much for that link. i found it very helpful. i'm mostly interested in anything to do with the German side of things.
A few German recommendations: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&p=1251878 http://www.feldgrau.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=33&t=29752&p=209947
After 50 years of silence the Soviet veterans are finally having their say. http://www.iremember.ru/index.php
In a new book, Chuck's Story by Larry D. Haugen, he tells the story of an American GI who was rescued from the Hurtgen Forest during WWII by a pair of German soldiers. You can find the book and get a free download by Googling Norsky Publishing. It was a short read, but quite interesting. Foxhole 5
here's one I translated with Jason Mark (Leaping Horseman books) 'An Infantryman in Stalingrad' Adelbert Holl some decent reviews on amazon Amazon.com: An Infantryman in Stalingrad: From 24 September 1942 to 2 February 1943: Adelbert Holl, Jason D. Mark, Neil Page: Books
I was beginning to think that I'd never be able to find any 'leaping Horseman' titles for a reasonable price - they appear on ebay occasionally and sell for crazy money. Luckily, Quinto's in the Charing X Rd have just purchased a large collection of recent WWII books which include some decent Eastern Front titles. At the end of one of the shelves I was delighted to find a copy of 'An Infantryman In Stalingrad' for only £7.50. A good read in prospect......
I'm just now reading a recently-published book which is rather good ; 'Panzer Warfare On The Eastern Front' edited by Hans Schaufler ( Stackpole,2012 ISBN 978-08117-1079-4). A selection of memoirs, diaries, combat reports and letters covering the Eastern Front from the morning of Barbarossa to the end in Prussia. Not a pefect book by any means - it is necessarily disjointed, there is no overview or comprehensive notes and no bibliography. Print quality is rather poor, but the book is not expensive. On the (big) plus side, many of the accounts are very vivid ( much in the style of Guy Sajer or Carell's two Eastern Front titles ). The photos are unfamiliar to me and may well be personal snapshots - there are some quite gruesome images. Definitely a recommended title for fans of German personal accounts............
