What is everyone reading on WW2?

[Pips]

Another I picked up at the same shop is "Air Power at the Battlefront: Allied Close Air Support in Europe 1943-45", by Dr. Ian Gooderson. Haven't started it yet, but looks very interesting.

[Frankfurter]

I have started to read "Erinnerungen eines Reserveoffiziers" (Reminiscences of a reserve officer) by Eberhard von Breitenbuch, published by his son Andreas (books on demand). Breitenbuch is one of the few officers who tried to kill Hitler on a one-time meeting on the Berghof but unexpectedly was denied access to him in the last minute.
I am only half through with it, but its an interesting insight in the wartime experiences of an ADC to Field Marshals von Witzleben, von Kluge and Busch. Unbelievable, what kind of luxury life he had in France as ADC and hunting officer (Breitenbuch was a forester by profession and hunter by passion) of "gentleman" Witzleben who ominously told him that there will be a time coming that no dog would take food from him. And a confirmation that von Kluge was indeed a shaky character as to his active part in the conspiracy against Hitler.
The book is rather cheaply made and contains a number of orthographic mistakes, but there are some unpublished pictures in it with Breitenbuch and the three field marshals and others. It contains his reminiscences as he wrote them for his kids long time ago, its not a continuous read and not in each chapter chronologically right. Still its worth to read due to its unique perspective.

Ordinary Germans in Extraordinary Times: The Nazi Revolution in Hildesheim by Andrew Stuart Bergerson

Hildesheim is a mid-sized provincial town in northwest Germany. Ordinary Germans in Extraordinary Times is a carefully drawn account of how townspeople went about their lives and reacted to events during the Nazi era. Andrew Stuart Bergerson argues that ordinary Germans did in fact make Germany and Europe more fascist, more racist, and more modern during the 1930s, but they disguised their involvement behind a pre-existing veil of normalcy.
...

The book considers the actual customs and experiences of friendship and neighborliness in a German town before, during, and after the Third Reich. By analyzing the customs of conviviality in interwar Hildesheim, and the culture of normalcy these customs invoked, Bergerson aims to help us better understand how ordinary Germans transformed "neighbors" into "Jews" or "Aryans."

I once lived in Hildesheim so this book could interest me. How many pages? Photos?

[JeroenPollentier]

I have finished reading Joachim Fest's "Ich Nicht", and I can warmly recommend it. It incited me to buy his Hitler biography today. I saw it in a second-had book shop in the German version for about 7 euros (I always try to read any book in German, to practise the language) and I could not resist buying it.

[hucks216]

The Battle Of The Narrow Seas by Lt.Cdr Scott - picked up a 1946 published version in a local 2nd hand book store. Tells the story of the war fought by the MGB & MTB's of the Royal Navy's Coastal Forces.

[Scott T]

I haven't actually read anything ww2 related for a while, instead I've been delving into the Seven Years' War and American Revolution. However, i did just buy a bunch of books including ; Stalingrad, Leningrad and The Retreat all by Mike Jones in Hardback. Also, Shanghai 1937 by Harmsen, who i believe is actually a member of this forum. So congratulations on getting your book published.

I do have a couple of questions, but i didn't want to start a new thread so i figured i post them here.

Can anyone suggest a narrative book about the North African Campaign or a particular battle during that campaign, which actually has first hand accounts by the men of the Afrika Korps ? . I'm fascinated to hear the landser's experience in that theatre.

Also, i was left unsure after reading reviews for Between Giants: The Battle for the Baltics in World War II by Prit Buttar, of whether or not i would enjoy this book. Mr. Hargreaves, i did come across your review which mentions some excellent first hand accounts. Does the book lean more toward a military history with the occasional grunt level insight thrown in ?. Or does it strike more of a balance between an operational level and a human history?.

Any and all suggestions will be much appreciated so thanks a lot guys. This thread is brilliant by the way.

Scott

[Mr.No one]

To the Gates of Stalingrad, by Glantz

Enjoying it immensely, and looking forward to reading the rest of the trilogy, although it's going to take a hell of a time to plough through them all...

Sean

[melbar16]

Hello
Just wondering if someone could recommend me the best available read about the Chetniks from the time of their formation, through ww2 and their postwar fate?
I'm guessing this can be a cloudy area, information wise
Thank you all!
DG

[trespasser07]

Gau, Volk and Reich Friedrich Rainer and the Paradox of Austrian National Socialism by Maurice Williams. Excellent biography of the Gauleiter.

Kind Regards.

[ninoo]

Alexander Dallin's "German Rule in Russia", an old book with superb information!
Zvonimir Bernwald's "Muslime in der Waffen-SS", more story about Handschar division
Joachim Hoffman's "Kaukasien 1942-43", good information but too rigid
Phillip W. Blood's "Hitler's Bandit Hunters". Good story
P. Biddiscombe's "The SS Hunter Battalions". Too little fonts, but superbly book
Adolf Galland's "The First and the Last", old but still like it

[Wally]

The Guns at Last Light - Rick Atkinson
The Germans in Normandy - Richard Hargreaves

Wally

[Ken S.]

Wannop -- Chocks Away

* first learned about this book while reading the book about his gunner ("Dad's War" by Dan McCaffrey).

Knoblauch -- Dem ende entgegen.

* gripping account of the desperate & hopeless struggle to defend East Prussia in 1944/45.

[Ken S.]

Stewart -- Tales of a Tankman - Between the Battles

Hirschmann -- Another Place, Another Time

[JeroenPollentier]

It's fiction and not really WW2, but I've started reading in Robert Harris "Vaterland" (German version), a detective story taking place in Berlin in 1964. The Germans have won the war and now they control Europe, although there is still a bloody partisan war going on in the east. It has been a long time that I enjoyed a novel this much, I can certainly recommend it.

[Adler Heinz]

for many who they say: but the books are in english language? I say: learns a bit of italian language. It's simple and so you can buy the original version of book . Every masterpieces as the books of SME should be read in the original language.

[Imad]

Memoirs of the Second World War by Winston S Churchill

This is a condensation (1000 pages!) of Mr Churchill's six volume work on the war.