What is everyone reading on WW2?

[JeroenPollentier]

Im reading Der Untergang by Joachim Fest, the book that the 2004 movie was based on. I was wondering what new info he could provide, that “die Katakombe” by Peter O’Donnell and Uwe Bahnsen hadn’t already covered.

First of all, I was surprised that Der Untergang is a very short book, more of a historical sketch, as the author calls it. It does not try to describe every moment from the last days of the Reich from every possible angle. It rather brings some key moments to light, mostly the last conferences and the last orders and incoming reports which are being shown in the film. After every chapter, Fest considers a certain theme of the (end of the) war or a specific characteristic of Hitler’s.

It’s a totally different book than O’Donnell&Bahnsen’s, but it never pretends to be otherwise. Fest describes the how, not the what. Again, just like in his Hitler biography, he is masterful at describing the true Hitler using some key words or short anecdotes. Reading the book makes me feel again what a senseless waste this war was, and what an irresponsible total lunatic Hitler was.

It’s well and clearly written, short, to the point and it reminds me a bit of Sebastian Haffner’s style. If you have already seen the movie Downfall , you won’t learn many new things (I guess this is obvious, since the film was based on the book), but the intermezzo’s and thematic discussions between every chapter are well worth the read.

[flakbait]

Look up the Kryll "force" on line; it was supposedly generated by living things, especially humans and that the `agony Kryll" force was supposedly MUCH stronger than the sensuous pleasurable `sexual Kryll` force. This emphasis on almost institutionalized violence was at 1st created seeking to generate this powerful mystic Kryll force that was used as an excuse by early SS leaders such as Himmler to found a cult of brutality, sadism, a-morality and extreme cruelty both on and off the battlefield...as the war went on the emphasis on creating and renewing the Kryll forces faded, but by then the `die` was already cast...

[flakbait]

Was incorrect; look up "Vril", not "Kryll"...

[Le Page]

I'm currently reading Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn, about the war in North Africa. You've probably seen it in bookstores; I did, too, and eventually began thumbing through it - and became interested enough to buy a copy (a cheap one, online, that is). This book was enough to spark my interest in that campaign. I also had no idea of the US Army's poor showing in the campaign until reading the book.

I was surprised to hear that Atkinson actually rejects the "Greatest Generation" appellation.

[Ken S.]

The Man in the Black Fur Coat: A Soldier's Adventures on the Eastern Front
by Oskar Scheja ; tr. & ed. by Dan Chiariello

Some of the reviews on amazon make the accusation that it's fiction, and in a way I can understand why they'd think that, as the narrative - so far as I've read - is a bit cursory and general. At the same time, it is consistent with other German WW2 (and WW1) narratives that I've read. Stylistically it comes across as a translation from the German.

The author was a member of 298. Infanterie-Division. As it happens, one of the few German divisional histories that I have is for this division. There were a number of them for sale on eBay for a reasonable price, and I couldn't resist. Once I've finished with Scheja's account I'm going to go through the divisional history to see how it compares.

Also, he's wounded and eventually assigned to IR574 (304. ID). The book really needed an editor with an understanding of the (German) military.

[Dallas Cline]

HELL"S GATE The battle of the Cherkassy Pocket by Douglas Nash A super book 416 pages, lots of photo's. One of my favorites.... shows the horrors of the battle. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

[Luftman129]

Crown of Thorns:The Reign of King Boris III of Bulgaria 1918-1943
by Stephane Groueff

I found out about this book by looking on Amazon for books on the Bulgarian aspect of WW2. It is very enlightening on how King Boris had relations with the Nazi powers and also how he pulled delaying tactics on the said same powers when they asked for him to deport the Bulgarian Jewish population from his country.

Thanks,
Chris

[Ken S.]

Vom Kessel von Oranienbaum bis zu den Endkämpfen in Ostpreußen: Meine Erlebnisse als Funker bei der 10. Luftwaffen-Felddivision und der 170. Infanteriedivision
Ferdinand Müller (Udo Rosowski, ed.)

The first 50-pages or so deal with the period before joining the 10. Luftwaffen-Felddivision during which he clearly had a good time - after joining the division on the eastern front, the complete opposite when the Russians launch their offensive mid-January 1944. The book is print-on-demand. The narrative flows well. It contains many photos, but these are unfortunately not the best quality.

[Ken S.]

Ich War Hitlers letztes Aufgebot
Günter Lucks

[Annelie]

Highly recommend "The Russian Asphalt"
Memoirs of the Waffen-SS Soldier on the Eastern Front.

Hazel Toon-Thorn.

An English lady who happened to have been married to two Germans "not all at once of course "
Having met and enjoyed the company of many Veterans and knowing the language eventually the idea
of translating and publishing the memoirs makes for interesting reading of the veterans she got to
know personally through re-unions etc with her husband.

The book is self published and printing of the book is limited but if you can get one you won't be
disappointed.

[Wally]

Just started reading Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45 after reading Hitler's Warrior: The Life and Wars of SS Colonel Jochen Peiper.
Wally

[Le Page]

I've recently started "The Day of Battle" by Rick Atkinson, about the fighting in Sicily and Italy, mostly from the Americans' perspective although there's a respectable amount of space given to the British forces. Atkinson's an outstanding writer and I highly recommend it.

[Luftman129]

I just started reading Outcast Without Guilt Or My Way Of The Cross by Zvonko Springer, a young man who joined the Croatian Home Guard in the latter years of WW2. It seems to be a pretty good read so far.

Thanks,
Chris

[Gamle Lode]

I am reading some books on Italy, Pirkko Kanervo's Italia ja Suomen talvisota "Italy and the Finnish Winter War" and Göran Hägg's book Mussolini.

[Ken S.]

Mit der 60. Infanteriedivision von Danzig nach Stalingrad
Arthur Krüger (Udo Rosowski, ed.)

Book was compiled from Mr. Krüger's writings (mainly message board posts, I believe) in the years prior to his death in 2009. He wanted to leave a record for future generations, but on the other hand he expresses from time to time that many of the horrors he experienced are better left undocumented. Generally a good read, however now that I'm at the part about Stalingrad the information is pretty sparse and repetitive. He mentions that he was wounded and managed to get out of Stalingrad three times in three different chapters. It appears that this book was previously published as "Erinnerungen Eines Danziger Bowke".