What is everyone reading on WW2?

[Barry Graham]

The Path of Infinite Sorrow: The Japanese on the Kokoda Track - Collie and Muritane
Pub: Allen and Unwin, 2009

The Path of Infinite Sorrow tells for the first time the story of the Japanese on the Kokoda Track and the Northern Beacheads through the eyes of the Japanese. Based on personal accounts and recollections of six Japanese soldiers, captured war diaries and Australian unit diaries this book bring a new perpective to one of the most brutal conflicts of the Pacific War.

Barry Graham
Melbourne, Australia

[Graham Clayton]

I have just finished reading "Carrier Attack Darwin 1942 - The Complete Guide to Australia's own Pearl Harbor" by Dr Tom Lewis and Peter Ingman. A very thorough and detailed accounts of the Japanese bombing attacks on the 19th of February.

http://avonmorebooks.com.au/?page=3&id=64

[clifford13]

When reading about naval operations, a Moorse code translator is interesting to play with. It gives you a vintage feel and sets time in perspective.

http://morsecode.scphillips.com/jtranslator.html

this will take plain text convert it to the dot / dash text , and will play it back. Now, imagine: no letter, in code, can be itself. Add another layer of time consumption. Darter's contact report on Kurita's fleet off Leyte, a 1 minute read normally, takes close to 3 minutes in moorse, assuming plain english..
An interesting time study.

[JeroenPollentier]

I have read Speers "Spandauer Diaries" and Peter O’Donnell & Uwe Bahnsen's "Die Katakombe" (The Bunker) and both books are very interesting and reveal many fascinating details.

I'm currently reading Gitta Sereny's Albert Speer biography and it's extremely hard to put down, even though it's almost 900 pages long.

[B Hellqvist]

Just finished Rudel's "Stuka pilot". No-frills memoir by a man who must be the most blinkered warrior of the 20th century. His skill, loyalty to his comrades and bravery can hardly be contested, but his politics... Sheesh, it's like "the Russians were about to attack the West, so we tried to stop them, and then the Asian hordes were flooding Germany for no reason at all". Still, it is an exciting read at times, and by the end he gets pretty personal. By showing some fear and weakness, he becomes more human. The mere fact that he survived 2500+ sorties, mainly in the Stuka, tells something about his bravery, and possibly something about the dismal state of Soviet fighter pilots.

[Imad]

All Hell Let Loose by Max Hastings

This man rarely disappoints

[Dann Falk]

Just started, Into Oblivion: The Story of Pionier-Bataillon 305
Leaping Horseman Books.
http://www.leapinghorseman.com/

[Dutto1]

Just started, Into Oblivion: The Story of Pionier-Bataillon 305
Leaping Horseman Books.
http://www.leapinghorseman.com/

I have read this book it is easily one of the best Stalingrad/Unit histories I have read to date !

Ron

[JeroenPollentier]

It's not really WW2, but still: I have finished Michael Seufert's Book "Der Skandal um die Hitler-Tagebücher" (the scandal about the Hitler diaries). Seufert is a journalist who worked for the Stern magazine when it bought and published the diaries, and gives a detailed account of all the protagonists and their role and actions in the scandal. It reads like a thriller novel and it's very well written. I don't know whether it's available in English yet. There is an English book on the subject by Robert Harris, called Selling Hitler, but I haven't read that one yet.

[B Hellqvist]

It's not really WW2, but still: I have finished Michael Seufert's Book "Der Skandal um die Hitler-Tagebücher" (the scandal about the Hitler diaries). Seufert is a journalist who worked for the Stern magazine when it bought and published the diaries, and gives a detailed account of all the protagonists and their role and actions in the scandal. It reads like a thriller novel and it's very well written. I don't know whether it's available in English yet. There is an English book on the subject by Robert Harris, called Selling Hitler, but I haven't read that one yet.

I read "Selling Hitler" many years ago, and it was also tightly written and a fun read. Should be required reading for all budding journalists...

[Imad]

Operation Typhoon by David Stahel

[corsair5517]

... and if anyone knows of any more that deal with RNZAF aircrew in the south west pacific I'd love to know about them! I have Alex Horns book, and Bryan Coxs' two as well, plus Sir Robert Clark-Halls biography which is an entrancing read....

My interest is because my father and his brother both served as pilots there, Dad as a Kittyhawk/Corsair pilot and his brother flew Blenheims on secondment to the RAF out of Singapore and got out just before the Japs got there.

I'd also love to know what there is out there that deals with the 3rd NZEF, which made the only ANZAC amphibious landing - on Stirling and Mono Islands - since Gallipoli...

The Australians - bless their little cotton socks! - have dealt with the heartbreak that was Kokoda rather well, but the kiwi effort seems very poorly served by the biographers!! My fathers airstrips in the Solomons were guarded by Aussie troops and he has nothing but good things to say about the quality and demeanor of these men as there were firefights outside the wire right up to the ceasefire. The Aussie No 5 Squadron - on Boomerangs - also flew as target marker aircraft for the RNZAF Corsairs in 1945... low and slow over the jungle...

There's a book called "War in the shadows" by Peter Medcalf which is his story about his experiences in Bougainville in 1944/45 which I've just found and read; very good read indeed and a book which deals with an Australian war story that is little known.

[nebelwerferXXX]

What if you have all these WW II book titles in your library ? Does any one here have already completed the listed titles in this topic ?

[Dutto1]

What if you have all these WW II book titles in your library ? Does any one here have already completed the listed titles in this topic ?

To help out I list my books on Librarything.

https://www.librarything.com/catalog/Dutto1

[nebelwerferXXX]

@Dutto1
Hello ! I've seen your library, how did you do that ? You have listed 402 titles. Do I need to open an account to be a member ?