Any one know of some must read books of WW2? I am currently reading Bahh Bahh Black Sheep. Some of the more popular books I have read are Flags of our Fathers, With the Old Breed, Barbarossa by Allan Clark, Bridge at Remagen, Helmet for My Pillow, D-Day Stephen Ambrose and a few others. Again, I am looking for a must read for any WW2 history buff. Any suggestions? Thanks!!

Amazon.com: Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis (Cass Series on the Soviet (Russian) Study of War): Anders Frankson: Books






Cheers...

Wow Looks like a big book of statistics. Quite expensive also. I did see it for $50 though. Thanks for the suggestion.

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Semper Fi

I was hopping you'd say that

Is it? Amazon.co.uk: Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis (Soviet (Russian) Study of War): Niklas Zetterling, Anders Frankson: Books


Or Is it???
Amazon.de: Kursk 1943: A Statistical Analysis (Cass Series on the Soviet (Russian) Study of War,): Niklas Zetterling, Anders Frankson: Englische Bücher

Amazing what an harcdover can do to price...




It's the lkatest study on Kursk too. And uses archival material for German losses and some Russian losses... It'll change your view of the battle



Cheers...

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WWII Resources. Primary sources.
The Myths of Pearl Harbor. Demythologizing the attack.
Hyperwar. Hypertext history of the Second World War.
Veteran: USN, 1969-1989

If you are interested in the intricasies of how the German Army was commanded at high levels, this is a good read, all 600 or so pages.
Amazon.com: German Army 1933-1945: Matthew Cooper: Books

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Best Regards,
JW

Too many to mention, but here are a few. I'll echo Opana, and add Miracle at Midway, also by Prange. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is an excellent source about the prewar years in Germany, but Shirer is anti-nazi to the point of losing objectivity at times.

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David

"It is history that teaches us to hope"
Robert E. Lee

Glantz and Beevor books to start with...I guess Beevor is better for starting because easier to read.

Antony Beevor | Biography

David Glantz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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There was a thread along these lines recently in which I did my usual plug for Alanbrooke's Diaries and Fletcher's Tank books :
Your favourite WWII book
Amazon.co.uk: War Diaries 1939-1945: Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke: Alex Danchev, Dan Todman: Amazon.co.uk:

but here's a few more (among others) that I'd consider essential:

Best Biography of Hitler, bar none:
Kershaw,
Amazon.co.uk: Hitler, 1889-1936: Hubris: Ian Kershaw: Books
Amazon.co.uk: Hitler, 1936-1945: Nemesis (Allen Lane History): Ian Kershaw: Books

Frightening and fine comparison:
Bullock,
Amazon.co.uk: Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives: Alan Bullock, Baron Bullock: Books

The rise of the gang by one who saw it happen, perhaps the Diary over the later work for it's feeling of immediacy:
Shirer,
Amazon.co.uk: Berlin Diary: Journal of a Foreign Correspondent 1934-1941: William L. Shirer: Books
Amazon.co.uk: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: William L. Shirer: Books

And Paul Kennedy's superb general survey of the 400 years of world history and power relationships that eventually led to the conflict we're so fascinated by. I don't know how much it's been revised since publication as much has happened since the late eighties and my copy is 'pre-update' but I'm sure the book remains a magnificent read, sometimes those not specifically about the war can still be very pertinent:
Amazon.co.uk: The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500-2000: Paul M. Kennedy: Books

Cheers,
Adam.

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It's only the Internet.

For one specific battle I'd have to say Arnhem by Martin Middlebrook......in fact come to think of it any of his bombing books on WW2...notably Hamburg and Peenemunde......

I found it on alibris.com a bunch of used copies. Just did a search. I find it the best place to pick up a book. The prices are also in greenbacks.

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Semper Fi

Great suggestions. Thanks I might check out the book on Crete by Beevor

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Semper Fi

Two books I would recommend to anyone interested in the Pacific campaign is John B. Lundstroms The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway and First Team And the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942. Well researched and above all very good reads. I wish more historians managed to combine this sort of detailed descriptions of events with the same level of penmanship as Lundstrom displays in his books. Two of the best books I've read on the subject.

Probably, the best two memoirs I have read are: With The Old Breed by Eugene Sledge about his time as a marine in the Pacific island hopping campaigns, and for the European campaign The Guns Of War by George G Blackburn which is about his time as a Canadian forward artillery observer during the Normandy campaign and the push into Germany.
The best memoir I have ever read would be The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer but as this book is the subject of much debate as to it's authenticity I have not chosen it here. Personally I think it is not a novel but a true memoir, but there are two opposing 'camps' on opinions for this book.

The Forgotten Soldier is a great book by a German veteran and his experiance in the eastern front, its a very big book but great and i could imagine all the things its my favorite book of all times

may I suggest you a Paul Fussel's book :
"Wartime : Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War"
dispite his tough title it's very easy to read (and this book is quoted in 50% of books on war).