What is your favorite military/war book? Mine is "Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer(sp) about the exploits of a volunteer from Alsace on the eastern front in wwII. Second would be "The War Diary of Rocky Gaus" covering the escape of an american soldier from Bataan and Corrigidor with the Japanese invasion of the Phillipines. What is yours?
-
Last edited by tom hansen; 02-08-2004, 10:17 AM. -
"coffee table book" Johnson's German War Booty
fiction- David Robbins, Last Citadel
Thomas Childers, Shadows of war
non-fiction- Robert Payne, Life & death of Adolf Hitler
James O'donnell, The bunker
Dave -
I really like Scorced Earth by Paul Carrel
additionally:
Panzer Battles of the Waffen SS by Fey
Blood Red Snow
Stuka Pilot
Deadlock before MoscowComment
-
Are "Scorched Earth" and "Blood Red Snow" personal narratives of soldiers, or documentation and analysis of battles and tactics? I like the personal stories and am always looking for new ones. I am currently reading "Agent 146", a true story about a german spy dispatched to the US to uncover information about the atomic bomb and "Evader" about the escape of a british airman behind enemy lines.Originally posted by Chris LiontasComment
-
A recent published book about the danish men in the Waffen - SS, highly informativ esp for me since im not a expert in that freikorps
thats it currently
KlosterComment
-
"ABOUT FACE--The odyssey of an american warrior"
by Col. David H. Hackworth
"We Led The Way / Darby's Rangers"
by William O. Darby / William H. BaumerComment
-
What is the name of that book about the Danish SS? My grandfather is from Langland, Denmark. Apparently this is an island off the german coast. He was a german soldier in WWI, and then ironically had german prisoners on his farm in Iowa in the US during WWII.Originally posted by KlosterA recent published book about the danish men in the Waffen - SS, highly informativ esp for me since im not a expert in that freikorps
thats it currently
KlosterComment
-
Hell's Gate
Excellent book on the battle of cherkassy from the russian and german side. The author did his homework on this one, great pics and very detailed. I couldn't put it down. A+
Grenadiers
The Blond Knight of Germany
Tank Riders
Had high hopes for this one. It's a biography of a young russian lieutenant who was a "tank rider" from 43-45. Didn't care for it much
Currently reading Tigers in the MudLast edited by Michael Root; 02-08-2004, 05:01 PM.Don't believe everything you read on the internet, that's how WWI got started.Comment
-
I liked Tigers in the Mud- the style of writing improves as the book goes on. It starts out rough. The guy is a little down on the US. Tank Riders I thought also was not so good. Is "Hell's Gate" a personal account or documentation of the battle?Originally posted by Michael RootHell's Gate
Excellent book on the battle of cherkassy from the russian and german side. The author did his homework on this one, great pics and very detailed. I couldn't put it down. A+
Grenadiers
The Blond Knight of Germany
Tank Riders
Had high hopes for this one. It's a biography of a young russian lieutenant who was a "tank rider" from 43-45. Didn't care for it much
Currently reading Tigers in the MudComment
-
Military Books
In no particular order, mine are:
"Green Eyed Boys" by Adrian Weale and Christian Jennings. A fairly graphic account of the battle for Mount Longdon during the Falklands War, based mainly on interviews with veterans from 3/Para who took part. A classic no-holds-barred account of an elite airborne infantry unit at war. Think you're hard, think again....
"The Storm of Steel" by Ernst Junger. Well-known gung-ho memoirs of the much-wounded and highly decorated storm trooper. Makes "All Quiet on the Western Front" look like "Sergeant Bilko".....erm, sort of....
"Quartered Safe Out Here" by George MacDonald Fraser. An infantryman's eye-view of the Burma Campaign of 1944-45. Refreshingly unsentimental and very moving account of combat with the "Forgotten Army".
"Old Soldier's Never Die" by Frank Richards. Richards was a Boer War veteran recalled for service in 1914. During WWI he recieved the DCM and MM, and this book tells you all you need to know about the BEF that went to war in 1914 -tough, skilled and spoiling for a fight.
I know this list has a a British bias, and that there's not much WWII German material there (er, none, actually...) but I just fancied mentioning one or two lesser known classics that might have passed a few of us by. Like a lot of guys on this forum, I seem to be more into personal accounts of soldiers at the sharp end, rather than accounts of the bigger picture....maybe collecting uniforms and medals that once belonged to "individuals" makes you see conflict as a more personal experience, rather than symbols on a tacmap or figures on a casualty list.
All the best
Paul.Comment
-
Blood Red Snow is a personal account of a MG gunner on the Eastern Front
Scorched Earth is a overall campaign book, but very fun to readComment
Comment