Recommended reading on the British Empire 1919-1945

[Marcus]

The idea of this sticky is to collect recommendations on good books dealing with the United Kingdom & its Empire and Commonwealth 1919-45 during the 1919-1945 period.

Please post the title, author and a short (or long) explanation as to why you feel that particular title deserves to be included.

/Marcus

Please check out this Index to see if the book has already been recommended-Best Andy H


BANKS, Arthur: Wings of the Dawning (The battle for the Indian Ocean 1939-1945). P1
BARNETT, Correli: The Desert Generals. P1
BAUGHEN, G: The RAF in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain: A Reappraisal of Army and Air Policy 1938–1940. P4
BAUGHEN, G: The Fairey Battle: A Reassessment of its RAF Career. P4
BAUGHEN, G: RAF On the Offensive: The Rebirth of Tactical Air Power 1940-194. P4
BAUGHEN, G: The Rise and Fall of the French Air Force: French Air Operations and Strategy 1900-1940. P4
BIDWELL, Shelford: Gunners at War. P3
BOUCHERY, Jean: The British Soldier From D-Day To VE-Day Vol 2(Organisation Armament Tanks and Vehicles). P1
BOYD, Andrew: The Royal Navy in Eastern Waters. P3
CANNADINE, David: The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy. P1
CLARKE, Peter: The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire (Churchill, Roosevelt, and the Birth of the Pax Americana)P2
COLLIERS, Basil: The Defence of the United Kingdom. P2
COX, Jeffrey: Rising Sun Falling Skies. P3
DOERR, Paul W: British Foreign Policy 1919-1939. P1
EGERTON, David: Britain’s War Machine (Weapons, Resources and Experts in World War 2). P1
FENNELL, Jonathon: Combat & Morale in the North African Campaign (The Eighth Army and the path to El Alamein) P2
FRASER, David: And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War. P1
FRENCH, David: Military Identities: The Regimental System, the British Army, and the British People c. 1870-2000. P1
GILBERT, Martin & GOTT, Richard: The Appeasers. P1
GORDON, G.A.H: British Seapower and Procurement between the Wars. P3
HOLLAND, DF: Britain and the Commonwealth Alliance 1918-1939. P1
HURD, Douglas: Choose Your Weapons (British Foreign Secretary-200yrs of Argument, Success and Failure) P2
JACKSON, Ashley: The British Empire and the Second World War. P1
JACKSON, Ashley: Persian Gulf Command. P3
JACKSON, Ashley: Of Islands, Ports and Sea Lanes. P4
JAMES, Lawrence: The Rise and the Fall of the British Empire. P1
JEFFREY, K: The British Army and the crisis of Empire. P1
LAVERY, Brian: We Shall Fight On The Beaches (Defying Napoleon & Hitler, 1805 and 1940). P2
LOUIS, WR: The British Empire in the East. P1
LOUIS, WR: Imperialism at Bay 1941-1945 (The USA and the Decolonization of the British Empire). P1
MAIOLO, Joe: Cry Havoc: The Arms Race and the Second World War, 1931-41. P1
NEWMAN, Simon: March 1939: The British Guarantee to Poland ( A Study in the Continuity of British Foreign Policy) P2
OWEN, Frank: The Fall of Singapore. P1
PRATTEN, Garth: Australian Battalion Commanders in the Second World War. P1
RYAN, Cornelius: A Bridge Too Far (The story of Market Garden). P1
STEWART, Andrew: A Very British Experience: Coalition, Defence and Strategy in the Second World War. P2
TAYLOR, AJP: English history 1914-1945. P1
THOMAS, Martin: Fight or Flight. P3
THORNE, Christopher: Allies of a Kind-United States, Britain and the War Against Japan 1941-45.viewtopic.php?f=19&t=195939
TOYE, Richard: Churchills Empire. P3


If you buy through the below links you not only get the books you want but you also support the forum while shopping!
* AHF Bookstore
* Amazon.com (UK, Germany)

[ljadw]

English history 1914-1945 by A.Taylor :a must,will not become obsoleted

[Andy H]

Ashley Jacksons seminal work 'The British Empire and the Second World War (2006)

Regards

Andy H

[ljadw]

The Appeasers:Martin Gilbert and Richard Gott The Rise and the Fall of the British Empire :Lawrence James The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy :David Cannadine

[ljadw]

R.F. Holland:Britain and the Commonweath Alliance 1918-1939 K.Jeffrey:The British Army and the crisis of Empire W.R.Louis:The British Empire in the East W.R.Louis:Imperialism at Bay 1941-1945 :The USA and the decolonisation of the British Empire

[The_Enigma]

There is always the History of the Second World War series. 100+ volumes covering practically everything about the UK, chunks of Empire and Her Majesties Armed Forces etc during the Second World War period.

I own the Middle East and Med series, along with the Victory in the West series. I highlt recommend the former and the latter is ok if a bit ambigious and wrong in places.

[Attrition]

The Official Histories that I've read for the Great War are surprisingly good. 1916 II, 1917 I and RAF II and III so far, 1917 II and 1918 I next.

[Peter H]

Australian Battalion Commanders in the Second World War Garth Pratten 2009

An excellent book.Covers the relatively young(and sometimes older)men who commanded Battalions in WW2.Nicknames are also included. e.g. Heathcote 'Tack' Hammer.

[Gungnir]

And We Shall Shock Them: The British Army in the Second World War
David Fraser

-Impressive, most impressive. I stumbled upon this book by accident (procrastinating at work and typed in "british" "army" "wwii" into Amazon... ended up on page 25 and there it was) but a remarkable read.
The author discusses the tragedies and triumphs, defeats and victories of the British Army from 1939-1945 in Europe, North Africa, Mediterranean, and Burma. He focused on the British Army not the RN, RAF, etc. and only mentioned Empire/Commonwealth contributions if it pertained to the campaign/battle or part of a larger British Command (ie Eight Army and Fourteenth Army). Using either pure British units or Empire/Commonwealth units and formations with British Command
Does not whitewash or attempt to make excuses for the defeats/failures but states the reasons (ie early defeats against Germans in Europe and Japanese in Burma/Pacific). At the same time does not give exaggerated or over praises the victories and triumphs.
Also gives credit to enemy forces and their successes and abilities (strategic, tactical, leadership, training, etc.) while either criticizing or praising British forces.
Learned A LOT about the British Army in the various theatres

[philjd]

Some I've benefited from:-

The Fall of Singapore, Frank Owen, fairly short but sufficient to give a decent understanding of the both prewar preparation and the fighting leading to its loss.
The Desert Generals, Correli Barnett, the story of the desert war, a good read and history, but do be aware that the purpose of writing the book was to prove that Monty should not have gained all the glory for El Alemain and its aftermath.
A Bridge Too Far, Cornelius Ryan, the story of Market Garden.
British Foreign Policy 1919-1939, Paul W Doerr, nice study.
Wings of the Dawning (the battle for the indian ocean 1939-1945), Arthur Banks, superb read, although much more anecdotal in detail, but a fascinating study of a much neglected region of the war.

[Attrition]

http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=11979

David French. Military Identities: The Regimental System, the British Army, and the British People c. 1870-2000. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

Reviewed by John Ferris (University of Calgary, Canada)
Published on H-Albion (July, 2006)

Regimental Rhetoric

David French ranks high among military historians in Britain, and beyond. His previous books have examined British grand strategy in the First World War, and the command and doctrine of its army in the second. His present work examines what usually is regarded as a (or the) central component of that army, the regimental system. French assesses the role of the British regiment from the reforms of 1870-81, to the evolution of the "post-modern regimental system" between 1945-70, although he also refers to contemporary events. Military Identities is one of the strongest studies in the social history of any army, or in British military history as a whole. It is informed by standard influences in social history, including cultural anthropology; Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish (1977); Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities(1983); and ideas about the Victorian invention of tradition, proving that military history can engage politically correct topics in more than a one-night stand. Military Identities rests on extraordinary research, and unparalleled knowledge of the breadth and depth of the topic. It analyses this material through a series of linked thematic chapters, each pursued, more or less, in a chronological fashion. These themes include training, recruitment, barrack life, officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs), deviance and discipline, "the construction of the idea of the Regiment," the army and the people, the regiment at war, and others. These narratives provide elegant architecture for a structure built on bricks of telling details and wry anecdotes, drawn from a ninety-year period. Ctd....

[TristaniaCorp.]

'The British Soldier From D-Day To VE-Day Volume 2 Organisation Armament Tanks and Vehicles'.
By Jean Bouchery

Gives vast amounts of info on the 21st Army group in Europe, going through the OOB of all the divisions.
It contains generic division and sub-unit equipment and vehicle load out. E.g. what each man in a normal rifle section had, what was in a (and the different types of) artillery regiments within a division etc.
Also contains many weapon (from knives to MG's) and vehicle (from bicycle to SPG's) and equipment as well as vehicle symbols,markings and camouflage.

[Andy H]

A fairly new publication is Professor David Egerton 'Britains War Machine (Weapons, Resources and Experts in the Second Wolrd War).

Sadly this isn't the Tooze of Britains economy and one is surely needed, but rather a good attempt at shining a light on some long held beliefs and facts concerning Britain in WW2. I haven't yet read all the book and there are some areAs that I have read that seem to be 'reaching' in terms of what there supposed or not supposed to show. Anyway its early days and I'll add more when I finally finish it.

Regards

Andy H

[Attrition]

A fairly new publication is Professor David Egerton 'Britains War Machine (Weapons, Resources and Experts in the Second Wolrd War).

Sadly this isn't the Tooze of Britain's economy and one is surely needed, but rather a good attempt at shining a light on some long held beliefs and facts concerning Britain in WW2. I haven't yet read all the book and there are some areas that I have read that seem to be 'reaching' in terms of what there supposed or not supposed to show. Anyway its early days and I'll add more when I finally finish it.

Regards

Andy H

I thought that it was rather good too. Cry Havoc: The Arms Race and the Second World War, 1931-41: The Global Arms Race 1931-41 by Joe Maiolo is in similar vein.

[amcl]

A fairly new publication is Professor David Egerton 'Britains War Machine (Weapons, Resources and Experts in the Second Wolrd War).

I've read most of Edgerton's books, but not that one yet. 'England and the Aeroplane' seemed to me to be the best. 'Warfare State' covers much the same subject, but in more breadth. I didn't think that the extra length made it a better book. Unlike the first two, 'Shock of the Old' is only tangentially connected to the subject of the thread. I liked it, but I know others who didn't rate it all.

Further on the subject of technology, anyone who has read Guy Hartcup's (IMO excellent) 'War of Invention' on technology in WW1 may be tempted to pick up 'The Challenge of War', his book on WW2 technology. I was disappointed by it. 'The Silent Revolution', on Cold War technology, was an improvement, but still falls far short of 'War of Invention'.

So, here's hoping your final report on 'Britain's War Machine' is positive.

Cheers,

Angus McLellan