Best War Novels
Best War Novels
Have always enjoyed reading a good war novel. Not over the top action authors like Hassel, Kessler, Robinson, Townsend, MacDonnell et al, but rather low key depicting a more nuanced conflict. If the writer does it well novels, I find, act as a nice enhancement to historical books. Sort of adds the human touch.
Some of my favourites are:
The Sudden Sky, by B. Michelaard
The Fighters, by Colin Willock
Run Silent, Run Deep, by Edward L. Beach
Thunder At Dawn, by Alan Evans
The Freebooters, by Elleston Trevor
Tramp In Armour, by Colin Forbes
Winged Victory, by V.M Yeates
HMS Ulysses, by Alistair MacLean
Sharks And Little Fish, by Wolfgang Ott
In The Company Of Eagles, by Ernest k. Gann
The Blue Max, by Jack D. Hunter
The Hunters, by James Salter
Return To The Ardennes, by Harold Calin
Sadly have never found a good novel on the British Army in WWII. Especially one covering the Italian campaign.
Some of my favourites are:
The Sudden Sky, by B. Michelaard
The Fighters, by Colin Willock
Run Silent, Run Deep, by Edward L. Beach
Thunder At Dawn, by Alan Evans
The Freebooters, by Elleston Trevor
Tramp In Armour, by Colin Forbes
Winged Victory, by V.M Yeates
HMS Ulysses, by Alistair MacLean
Sharks And Little Fish, by Wolfgang Ott
In The Company Of Eagles, by Ernest k. Gann
The Blue Max, by Jack D. Hunter
The Hunters, by James Salter
Return To The Ardennes, by Harold Calin
Sadly have never found a good novel on the British Army in WWII. Especially one covering the Italian campaign.
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Re: Best War Novels
"The Leader and the Damned" by Colin Forbes
"The Eagle Has Landed" by Jack Higgins
"The Berkut" by Joseph Heywood
"Where Eagles Dare" by Alastair McLean
"The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" by Herman Wouk
"The Eagle Has Landed" by Jack Higgins
"The Berkut" by Joseph Heywood
"Where Eagles Dare" by Alastair McLean
"The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" by Herman Wouk
Re: Best War Novels
"The Cruel Sea", "Three Corvettes", "HMS Marlborough Will Enter Harbour" Nicholas Monserrat
"Bomber" Len Deighton
"The Unknown Soldier" Väinö Linna
"From the city from the plough" Alexander Baron
"Gunner Asch" Novels Helmut Kirst
"Bomber" Len Deighton
"The Unknown Soldier" Väinö Linna
"From the city from the plough" Alexander Baron
"Gunner Asch" Novels Helmut Kirst
Re: Best War Novels
Used to own all of the Gunner Asch novels, but, alas, they've disappeared over the years; Hans Helmut Kirst's The Night of the Generals is pretty good, too.
My list
Commander Prince, USN, by James Bassett
H.M.S. Trigger, by Antony Melville-Ross
The Soldier, by Richard Powell
Sweeney Squadron, by Donald J. Plantz
12 O'Clock High!, by Bernie Lay, Jr. and Sy Bartlett
The Rage of Angels, by Alan Fisher
and
The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara
My list
Commander Prince, USN, by James Bassett
H.M.S. Trigger, by Antony Melville-Ross
The Soldier, by Richard Powell
Sweeney Squadron, by Donald J. Plantz
12 O'Clock High!, by Bernie Lay, Jr. and Sy Bartlett
The Rage of Angels, by Alan Fisher
and
The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara
Re: Best War Novels
A few good novels mentioned above.
Can anyone recommend good novels on that deal with the British Army in WWII?
Can anyone recommend good novels on that deal with the British Army in WWII?
Re: Best War Novels
Here in Germany, the works of Hans Hellmut Kirst are classified as "trivial literature", and I definitely sign that."Gunner Asch" Novels Helmut Kirst
Source and link: Hans Hellmut Kirst https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Hellmut_KirstKirst wrote about 60 novels and became a bestselling German author. He wrote crime novels and at the same time dealt with the coming to terms with National Socialism, but his critics assigned him to trivial literature. In the 1950s he vigorously opposed German rearmament, which led to violent attacks from the new Federal Defense Minister Franz Josef Strauss.[1] In 1960 and 1962 he had two more world successes with the novels Factory of Officers and The Night of the Generals, which were also filmed.
You can certainly argue about it today, but it wasn't anti-war literature, it was more of a tightrope walk in the search for literary success.
And successful were his works and the many film adaptations, undisputedly, very successful, and still today...
No offense meant, just a personal opinion, as is almost always the case...
Hans
The paradise of the successful lends itself perfectly to a hell for the unsuccessful. (Bertold Brecht on Hollywood)
Re: Best War Novels
Paul Coelestin Ettighoffer https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Coel ... ttighoffer
Edlef Köppen https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edlef_Köppen
Erich Maria Remarque https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Maria_Remarque
Ernst Jünger https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Jünger
These are just four of the authors that are really worth mentioning, that I would spontaneously name in this topic, the complete list would be very long...
Hans
Edlef Köppen https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edlef_Köppen
Erich Maria Remarque https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Maria_Remarque
Ernst Jünger https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Jünger
These are just four of the authors that are really worth mentioning, that I would spontaneously name in this topic, the complete list would be very long...
Hans
The paradise of the successful lends itself perfectly to a hell for the unsuccessful. (Bertold Brecht on Hollywood)
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Re: Best War Novels
The Cruel Sea Nicholas Monserrat
The 13th Valley John M. Dellvecchio
The Ten Thousand Harold Coyle
Fox on the Rhine Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson
The Bridges at Toko-Ri James Michener
The 13th Valley John M. Dellvecchio
The Ten Thousand Harold Coyle
Fox on the Rhine Douglas Niles and Michael Dobson
The Bridges at Toko-Ri James Michener
"There are two kinds of people who are staying on this beach: those who are dead and those who are going to die. Now let’s get the hell out of here".
Col. George Taylor, 16th Infantry Regiment, Omaha Beach
Col. George Taylor, 16th Infantry Regiment, Omaha Beach
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Re: Best War Novels
I agree with a lot of the above and only have one to add to the list (I guess I read too much non-fiction) off the top of my head;
The Cross of Iron, by Willi Heinrich
Probably forgotten by many because of the mess Sam Peckinpah made of the film despite a near-perfect cast.
The Cross of Iron, by Willi Heinrich
Probably forgotten by many because of the mess Sam Peckinpah made of the film despite a near-perfect cast.
Re: Best War Novels
' Kaputt ' by Curcio Malaparte.
( When the author was asked the reason for his pseudonym, he said I chose Malaparte because Bonaparte was already taken )
( When the author was asked the reason for his pseudonym, he said I chose Malaparte because Bonaparte was already taken )
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Re: Best War Novels
1) Stalingrad by T. Plievier
2) The Caine Mutiny by H. Wouk
3) Paths of Glory by H. Cobb
4) Shiloh by Shelby Foote
5) Delilah by M. Goodrich
6) Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
2) The Caine Mutiny by H. Wouk
3) Paths of Glory by H. Cobb
4) Shiloh by Shelby Foote
5) Delilah by M. Goodrich
6) Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Re: Best War Novels
Thanks for the recommendations Felix.
Re: Best War Novels
Wolfgang Borchert is to be mentinoned:
It is unfortunate that he died much too soon, but the gods call some to come early...
Wolfgang Borchert: "Das Brot" und andere Erzählungen | Hörbuch Compilation zum Einschlafen
Hans
Wolfgang Borchert: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_BorchertWolfgang Borchert (May 20, 1921 in Hamburg – November 20, 1947 in Basel) was a German writer. His small oeuvre of short stories, poems and a play made Borchert one of the best-known authors of rubble literature after the Second World War. In the post-war period, large sections of the German audience could identify with his homecoming drama Outside in front of the door. Short stories such as The Bread, This Tuesday or Nights the rats sleep, as exemplary examples of their genre, became frequent school reading. The presentation of the pacifist admonition Then there is only one! accompanied many peace rallies.
It is unfortunate that he died much too soon, but the gods call some to come early...
Wolfgang Borchert: "Das Brot" und andere Erzählungen | Hörbuch Compilation zum Einschlafen
Hans
The paradise of the successful lends itself perfectly to a hell for the unsuccessful. (Bertold Brecht on Hollywood)
Re: Best War Novels
I very much liked James Webb's Fields of Fire. USMC Vietnam.
Jean Noli's Admiral's Wolfpack. WW2 uboats I thought it was nonfiction
Wolfgang Ott, Sharks and Little Fish. as above.
Jean Noli's Admiral's Wolfpack. WW2 uboats I thought it was nonfiction
Wolfgang Ott, Sharks and Little Fish. as above.