Who's the Glantz/Parshall/etc. for the Western Front?

[lucymellia]

Would greatly appreciate your suggestions. Nearly all of my reading has been on the Eastern Front and the Pacific, secondarily on North Africa. Almost none on the Western Front.

So I've got some catching up to do.

I'm looking for serious history drawn from primary sources, focused on strategy and campaigns. Lots of data. Not first-hand accounts, not popular history sprinkled with human interest. And as little axe-grinding as possible although clearly authors are always products of their own experiences, cultures, etc. and that unavoidably shows up in their work.

Suggestions and ideas very much appreciated.

[Aber]

A good starting point would be 'The Struggle for Europe' by Chester Wilmot.

First published in 1951 and the first serious account of the campaign published, by a BBC journalist who landed on 6th June in a glider. He reported on the camapign and so has the advantage of being there and also had access to captured German documents post-war. A little axe-grinding but nothing outrageous, and has excellent maps.

[Felix C]

The U.S. Army Official histories for the theatre campaigns with the British ones as well.

I agree on Wilmont. Excellent one volume history.

Dupuy's book on the Ardennes is a favorite.
http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Last-Gamb ... 916&sr=1-4

I will add to thread in a day or two as I long at some titles.

[lucymellia]

Great suggestions, just ordered Wilmot and will now go look for Dupuy's book.

I'd love to get more ideas as you think of them.

Many thanks.

[JonS]

D'Este "Decision in Normandy" is pretty good although he goes a little off the rails in places, and has been superseded in places. Already mentioned are the US and UK OHs, but search out the Canadian OH too and it's freely available legitimately online.

Despite being 'only' 11 months long, the campaign in NWE has relatively few single-volume treatments. Authors tend to focus on larger campaigns - Normandy, Market Garden, Ardennes, Rhineland Battles, Collapse of Germany. Wilmot is probably one of the few that does cover the whole thing, but has a few issues given it's age (no ULTRA, for starters).

Hastings has a two(?) volume set that more or less covers the whole campaign, but Rich will be along shortly to explain why you shouldn't read either of them

I haven't read it, but I suspect Weigley's "Eisenhower's Lieutenants" might fill your requirements.

[RichTO90]

Hastings has a two(?) volume set that more or less covers the whole campaign, but Rich will be along shortly to explain why you shouldn't read either of them

Why should I? You've pretty well damned it with the faint praise it deserves already.

I haven't read it, but I suspect Weigley's "Eisenhower's Lieutenants" might fill your requirements.

Weigley is very good for the American perspective, but suffers from flaws in his central thesis, which is that the American Army's "problems" were caused by it being schizophrenically divided over its historical roots between a "constabulary cavalry" and "winning the Civil War through mass and brute tactics" doctrinal schism, which is nonsense. Read Odom's After the Trenches for a much more sensible analysis of U.S. Army doctrinal development between the wars. I'm trying to finish a book on how the interwar experience and initial war years before the U.S. entry affected armor doctrinal development along with tank design and production, but my current job keeps me rather too occupied right now for me to make much progress.

Cheers!

[Exlurker]

D'Este "Decision in Normandy" is pretty good although he goes a little off the rails in places, and has been superseded in places. Already mentioned are the US and UK OHs, but search out the Canadian OH too and it's freely available legitimately online.

With all due respects Jon, for the Canadian perspective I would strongly recommend that one tracks down the work of Terry Copp, Professor Emeritus of History at Wilfrid Laurier University. He has written an number of books on the subject and is not afraid to "call a spade a spade" in his analysis.
Primary documents support his conclusions throughout.

Particularly worthy are : "Fields of Fire: The Canadians in Normandy" and it's sequel: "Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944-1945".

Professor Copp's work lies at some odds with our "Official history"; this is why I'm bringing him and his work forward in this thread.

[RichTO90]

Professor Copp's work lies at some odds with our "Official history"; this is why I'm bringing him and his work forward in this thread.

Although in general I agree with your assessment of the quality of Copp's work, I would argue that he is not so much at odds with the official Canadian history as he is of Professor English's interpretation of it. Although Copp mentions Stacey's official history version of affairs in his introduction to Fields of Fire he specifically states that English's view came "out of a very different context than Stacey's" and that English "quoted with approval the views of historians and military writers who had simply echoed Stacey's criticisms". But Stacey did not single out the Canadians for criticism other than where it was justified - questioning the divisional generalship and regimental leadership, which was problematic at times, but no worse than the British or Americans. I think it was English that took things to extremes, going the Hastings and Ellis route.

Also, I think that Brian Reid has actual brought considerably more new insights to the Canadian battles in Normandy and is a very good companion to Copp.

Cheers!

[JonS]

And, to expand a bit on what Rich wrote ...

I reccomended the Cdn OH as a complement to the US and UK OHs. The UK OH, in particular, has been singled out for a fair bit of criticism, but it nevertheless - like the Cdn OH - remains highly relevant, especially with regards to the OPs request.

Reid's book is quite simply superb, but since it isn't 'focused on strategy and campaigns' I didn't think it relevant to lucymellia's request.

[Attrition]

~~~~~Also, I think that Brian Reid has actual brought considerably more new insights to the Canadian battles in Normandy and is a very good companion to Copp.~~~~~

B. A. or B. H. Reid?

[lucymellia]

Quick update - I'm working through Wilmot - great recommendation and the obvious omission of Ultra is a neat historical artifact. Morison's short 2-ocean navy volume gives some coverage as well.

Also stumbled across Wizard War/Most Secret War (Jones) - fascinating blend of gossip, intrigue, science.

And am tracking down the others suggested above as time permits...

[john becktel]

no books on the list so far are german. i must recommend the german mgfa 'official history'. this work is both exhaustive and exhausting. and magnificient. i don't know what language you are looking for but this is 13 books in german with 9 so far translated into english with a 10th due in december 2012. most books are in the range of 900 or so pages and are not inexpensive. many authors which on occasion is somewhat noticeable. they are far more than campaign history. the main title is germany and the second world war and covers every aspect of the war in germany. when this travail is all over and one wants to list knowledge of the war as an accomplishment the he/she will have read this work. no matter where one starts reading on this war, one's path must inevitable leads to germany.

i can't disagree with anything i've seen on this list that i've read. i will add the suggestion that is you choose russell f weigley's eisenhower's lieutenants , don't take his views on the doctrinal development of the us army as being defects, he is an american writing about americans for americans. and his views are right on.

[Richard Hargreaves]

I don't think there's an all embracing book covering D-Day to the war's end in the West - most seem to split between the fall of France and the battle on German soil itself.
At the serious tactical strategic level, these stand out:

Ludewig, Der deutsche Rückzug aus Frankreich 1944
Zimmermann, Pflicht zum Untergang: Die deutsche Kriegsführung im Westen des Reiches (he also wrote the Western Front section of Band 10/1 of the German OH)
Jung, Die Ardennen-Offensive 1944/45: Ein Beispiel für die Kriegführung Hitlers (filled with some excellent appendices)

At the more human level, there are scores of books in German covering individual battles - again, especially on German soil, ranging from collections of first-hand accounts to serious military studies.

[krichter33]

Ludewig's Ruckzug is being published in English: http://www.amazon.com/R%C3%BCckzug-Retr ... ds=ruckzug

[Richard Hargreaves]

Ludewig's Ruckzug is being published in English: http://www.amazon.com/R%C3%BCckzug-Retr ... ds=ruckzug

I didn't know that, thanks. Well worth investing in.