What is everyone reading on WW2?

Discussions on books and other reference material on the WW1, Inter-War or WW2 as well as the authors. Hosted by Andy H.
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Richard Hargreaves
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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2431

Post by Richard Hargreaves » 11 Jul 2011, 19:43

The new book Normandiefront is probably the best account I've read on German forces in Normandy in the English language.

Currently on my reading list, F W Deakin's The Brutal Friendship. Beautifully written. An absolute gem. :)

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2432

Post by Dutto1 » 11 Jul 2011, 20:00

Richard Hargreaves wrote:The new book Normandiefront is probably the best account I've read on German forces in Normandy in the English language.

Currently on my reading list, F W Deakin's The Brutal Friendship. Beautifully written. An absolute gem. :)
I have been debating wether or not to buy Normandiefront is it really that good are there plenty of first hand accounts ?

Regards

Ron


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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2433

Post by Orwell1984 » 11 Jul 2011, 20:50

The War of a Hundred Days : Springboks in Somalia and Abyssinia 1940-1941
by James Ambrose Brown

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2434

Post by Orwell1984 » 11 Jul 2011, 20:53

Dutto1 wrote:
Richard Hargreaves wrote:The new book Normandiefront is probably the best account I've read on German forces in Normandy in the English language.

Currently on my reading list, F W Deakin's The Brutal Friendship. Beautifully written. An absolute gem. :)
I have been debating wether or not to buy Normandiefront is it really that good are there plenty of first hand accounts ?

Regards

Ron
I just received my copy and have only had chance to do a cursory look. However it does seem to be full of first hand accounts and some great photographs from the German side of the line.

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2435

Post by Dutto1 » 11 Jul 2011, 21:28

Thanks Orwell1984,ill put it on my list.

Regards

Ron

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Adam Carr
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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2436

Post by Adam Carr » 12 Jul 2011, 02:42

I've now bought Robert Forbes's "For Europe: The French Volunteers of the Waffen-SS", in the hope that it's better than Le Tissier's very disappointing book on the Charlemagne Division. It's certainly bigger and looks more comprehensive, but I'll withhold judgement until I've read it.

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2437

Post by JamesL » 12 Jul 2011, 16:33

AMERICAN GUERRILLA: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann by Mike Guardia.

A regular US Army officer escapes the trap of Bataan, moves to Northern Luzon and sets up a guerrilla force which fights the Japanese for almost 3 years. The author is an armored officer presently stationed at Ft. Knox. The author concludes that Volckmann is the True Father of US Army Special Forces, not Aaron Bank.


A book I just finished.
COAST WATCHING IN WWII: Operations against the Japanese on the Solomon Island, 1941-1943, by A. B. Feuer. Discussion of British and Australian coast watchers on Bougainville. This book blends in well with American Guerrilla noted above.

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2438

Post by Attrition » 12 Jul 2011, 17:14

Battle for Egypt by Lieutenant-Colonel J. L. Scoullar, courtesy of http://www.nzetc.org/projects/wh2/index.html

Unfortunate comments like "As if these opposition elements were not enough, the British forces had to contend with the peculiarities of the Syrian outlook. ‘The Levantine, generally speaking, is suspicious, dishonest and very greedy,’ the New Zealand Division's field security officer noted. ‘Life is cheap, justice the prerogative of the highest bidder, business methods are shady, and intrigue, whether for personal gains or for the advantage of particular sections of the community, is the sauce of existence. This outlook is bred in the bone, and for that reason, the local inhabitants impute the very lowest of motives to everyone else, and, in particular, refuse to admit that the occupying army or administration can have different ideals and methods from their own.’

This official appreciation to the contrary, the troops saw that the Syrian and Lebanese Arabs were superior in intelligence, had greater stamina and were more independent than the mobs of Cairo, the hangers-on around Maadi, and the fellaheen of the Delta. An officer reporting on the labourers employed on roadmaking described them as ‘splendid workmen—and women. In all their work and play they conduct themselves with a dignity, a reserve and courtesy which are in marked contrast to the servility of the Arabs in Egypt.’"

are leavened by coming after this description or Realpolitik, "The troops soon became conscious that the British forces in Syria were in an invidious position. Although the fact did not disturb them, they were aware that they represented a nation which had conquered the country but which had no desire to appear as a conqueror. Nor could the forces assume the guise of liberators. Syria and Lebanon had been separated from the control only of Vichy France, not of France as the people desired. The liberation, if it could be so called, had been in the larger interests of the Allies, not those of the native people. No promises could be made concerning their political future other than that Britain would use her good offices with the French post-war government on their behalf. In the meantime, French laws were upheld and enforced through French officials, who were kept in office so long as they were not proved to be pro-Vichy or pro-Axis, even although they might not be ardent supporters of the Free French movement. The population could see little difference between the new administration and that of the past which they disliked."

Western meddling in the Levant has as long a pedigree as its racism. It is a relief to see that the NZ Official History shows an encouraging ambiguity about it.

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2439

Post by Dutto1 » 12 Jul 2011, 17:46

Adam Carr wrote:I've now bought Robert Forbes's "For Europe: The French Volunteers of the Waffen-SS", in the hope that it's better than Le Tissier's very disappointing book on the Charlemagne Division. It's certainly bigger and looks more comprehensive, but I'll withhold judgement until I've read it.
Its a very good book i bought the original edition in 2000 and i would say its the best book still dealing with that aspect of the Waffen SS.

Regards

Ron

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2440

Post by fletchemall » 13 Jul 2011, 14:59

Dutto1 wrote:Hi,

There is a couple of books,one is The Germans in Normandy, by Richard Hargreaves,it covers the whole Normandy Campaign and is packed with first-hand accounts.The second one is Invasion They're Coming ! by Paul Carell.This one is somewhat dated but still worth a look.

Regards,

Ron
Richard Hargreaves wrote:The new book Normandiefront is probably the best account I've read on German forces in Normandy in the English language.

Currently on my reading list, F W Deakin's The Brutal Friendship. Beautifully written. An absolute gem. :)
Thankyou both very much! I shall check these books out. :)

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2441

Post by Jan-Hendrik » 24 Jul 2011, 08:21

Just finishing Dieter Heinze's

Die vergessenen Helden: Das Ende des II. Weltkrieges auf dem Territorium der Tschechoslowakei (August 1944 - Mai 1945)

a disapointment at all....you might think that a book published in 2007 would have souces like german archival documents...or at least used some of the german language literature...or at least german regimental or divisional histories...NOTHING...NADA :roll:

And you feel it during the reading....much of the soviet memorial propaganda books was used....and czech and slovak arfchival documents...the outcome is a boring book with many hirorical mistakes, with a covering of the german troops on a standard like Wikipedia.

By the way: soviet war crimes are only mentioned on one page, in one paragraph....and even this is relativated by the author in the next paragraph.


Now waitung for the next one:

19 Tage Krieg: Die RAD-Infanteriedivision "Friedrich Ludwig Jahn" in der Lücke zwischen 9. und 12. Armee - Die Mark Brandenburg im Frühjahr 1945

http://www.meissler.de/19_tage_krieg.html

which seems to be a really good one :D

Jan-Hendrik

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Richard Hargreaves
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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2442

Post by Richard Hargreaves » 24 Jul 2011, 11:46

Jan-Hendrik wrote: 19 Tage Krieg: Die RAD-Infanteriedivision "Friedrich Ludwig Jahn" in der Lücke zwischen 9. und 12. Armee - Die Mark Brandenburg im Frühjahr 1945

http://www.meissler.de/19_tage_krieg.html

which seems to be a really good one :D

Jan-Hendrik
Thanks. That's one Endkampf book I was not aware of. :)

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2443

Post by Jan-Hendrik » 24 Jul 2011, 13:55

Just fresh published...the author just spent 20 years of work for the research :|

Jan-Hendrik

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2444

Post by Adam Carr » 24 Jul 2011, 15:24

Starting Thomas Weber's Hitler's First War: Adolf Hitler, the Men of the List Regiment and the First World War, which he says is the first history of Hitler's military career to be based on proper research in the Bavarian Army archives. It's a bit scratchily written but interesting so far, and certainly thoroughly researched. Someone should have told him that currently fashionable phrases ("spin doctors", "get their act together", "bottom of the food chain") age very quickly and should be avoided in historical writing.

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Re: What is everyone reading on WW2?

#2445

Post by Dan W. » 25 Jul 2011, 08:00

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II

By Mitchell Zuckoff

Image

Another "The most incredible/daring/brave" rescue mission book. So far (halfway thru) it's pretty interesting, the author mainly focuses the beginning of the book on the backgrounds of the three survivors (Margaret Hastings, above) of a C-47 going down in a remote region of New Guinea in May of 1945. Searching for the mythical "Shangri-La", an earlier flight spotted what looked to be a small camp of natives and a subsequent sightseeing flight of 15 airmen and 9 nurses crashes looking for it. The pilot, a Colonel, had never flown in the region, nor had his co pilot. Almost immediately after takeoff the Colonel walked to the back of the plane to chat, leaving his less experienced co pilot to handle dangerous downdrafts in the region. Luckily the nose was pointed up when they hit. The rescue would take 47 days, and around the halfway point of the book contact with the natives is made and the story of the rescue team begins.

An interesting, well written read that explores one of millions of little known stories of the war.

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