Favorite WW2 Books

[RangerJoe]

For a just a little bit of humor, this is a good one. But he was not joking when he wrote about the Berlin Blockade ending but I think that he said it the best way possible.

Don't Shoot It's Only Me
by Bob Hope

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/dont-shoo ... on/503160/

[codman]

Not actually a memoir but Richard Overly has one named "Blood and Ruins: The Last Imperial War". Read it a couple of months ago and thought it was an interesting read about the war from many perspectives. Like most books I can't say that I agree completely but still some food for thought.

[captainjack]

Not quite WW2, but
European Journey by Philip Gibbs
"Being the narrative of a journey in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Germany and the Saar in the Spring and Summer of 1934with an authentic record of the ideas, hopes and fears moving in the minds of common folk and expressed in wayside conversations"
Just what it says on the label, a very easy and interesting read.

[goose_2]

Not quite WW2, but
European Journey by Philip Gibbs
"Being the narrative of a journey in France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Germany and the Saar in the Spring and Summer of 1934with an authentic record of the ideas, hopes and fears moving in the minds of common folk and expressed in wayside conversations"
Just what it says on the label, a very easy and interesting read.

This looks very interesting. So many books. So glad for the many suggestions...I have saved quite a few of them and will pass them on to my family for B'day presents or Christmas gifts. That is not until November so in the meantime I am reading Nazi Doctors. It is a book I started decades ago, but failed to finish, now I will finish. Brutal and systematic and unfortunately very apropos for today's follow the science crowd.

[PanzerTum]

Well, although highly satirized and made ' funny' the war books from Spike Milligan still have a true ring to it, a story from the ranks.
Spike was a radio operator / cable guy in the British artillery and served in Africa and Italy where he suffered a mental breakdown. The titles give some idea of his style of humour.
-Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall
-"Rommel?" "Gunner Who?"
-Monty: His Part in My Victory
-Mussolini: His Part in My Downfall
The series continues after this but he did no active service anymore because of his breakdown.

Theodor Plievier wrote two books Moscow & Stalingrad, quite hefty books.
I read part of Stalingrad and it was pretty gruesome so at a certain point I stopped so cannot really tell if they are great.
They are novels, so not true stories. He was an anti-war political activist, I guess you should not expect a good time when reading these books.

[PanzerTum]

Heinrich Gerlach - Forsaken army / breakout at Stalingrad.

I haven't read them myself yet.

"Heinrich Gerlach (18 August 1908 - 27 March 1991) was a German soldier of the 14th Panzer Division in the Second World War and later a Latin and German teacher. His semi-autobiographical novel of the Battle of Stalingrad, The Forsaken Army, re-written with the help of hypnosis after it was seized by the Soviets, was published in Germany in 1957. In 2012, Carsten Gansel discovered the original manuscript in the State Russian Military Archive. It was published in Germany in 2016 and in an English translation in 2017 as Breakout at Stalingrad.

By the way, who is the author of the Soldat book?

[faos333]

If you mean the Forgotten Soldier, if yes is Guy Sajer

[PanzerTum]

Another one, Between Silk and Cyanide from Leo Marks.

Leo Marks (son of the famous bookstore Marks & co) joined the SOE, special operations executive, as a civilian with the rank of officer responsible for the security of agents code.
As such he was responsible for briefing of resistance fighters / secret agents all over Europe.

The book is very well written in and reads like a dream.
It was only published in the 90ies I think because much of it was still classified until then.

You can always wonder how someone's memory is still so perfect after 50 years and if everything is as objective as can be but it is still a very good book with hardly a dull page in the 600 or so.

And you will be able to spruce up your cryptography a bit as well...

[PanzerTum]

If you mean the Forgotten Soldier, if yes is Guy Sajer

That one I am reading now, but I think Goose also mentioned a book called Soldat. I am not entirely sure if this is the same book.

[goose_2]

By the way, who is the author of the Soldat book?

Soldat-
Siegfried Knappe

[goose_2]

If you mean the Forgotten Soldier, if yes is Guy Sajer

That one I am reading now, but I think Goose also mentioned a book called Soldat. I am not entirely sure if this is the same book.

Soldat-
Siegfried Knappe

[PanzerTum]

By the way, who is the author of the Soldat book?

Soldat-
Siegfried Knappe

Thanks!

[goose_2]

I have 2 new books for my Birthday.

European Journey by Philip Gibbs
and
Panzer Commander by Hans von Luck

I am looking forward to reading them after I finish Nazi Doctors. I am on the last 2 chapters of that massive volume.

Here are some books that I have found at Half Price books that I am considering recommending for Christmas for my family to get.

Becoming Hitler by Thomas Weber. 2017. Not sure this will be good, but has anyone read it and found it valuable?
Between Dignity and Despair: Jewish Life in Nazi Germany by Marion Kaplan
The Eternal Nazi by Nicholas Kulish
The Eye of the Hurricane by Schwarz (About Switzerland in WW2.)
Life in the Third Reich by Paul Roland
The Devil's Adjutant by Michael Reynolds


This one looked like the best one:
An Army of Amateurs by Philippe De Vomecourt


I know it is a lengthy list, but I know we have some voracious readers like me out there. Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks for being the awesome community you all are.

[captainjack]

Von Luck's book is a good read.

[Pow]

Sad to lose Guy Sajer.

Hey who recommended The Kindly Ones to me?

I got about 250 pages in and had to walk away.

I hate the main protagonist. He is evil, I do not relate to him and find it a very difficult read, because I get so frustrated.

Who recommended this book and why?

So I have picked up the Folgore Division instead. No that is a great informational book that I am very much enjoying. Anymore like that about any Italian contributions to the war would very much appeal to me.

Let me know. Thanks

Hi Goose, I was the one who recommended The Kindly Ones.
I had to read this book in parts because it is really disturbing. The main character is a highly educated and cultural interested person (and also an SS officer participating in the extermination of jews and other).
What is interesting about the book in my view is how a seemingly normal, highly educated person can become a monster. Also, there are parts in the book describing how the killing is done in the field (not in the camps) that made me physically sick reading it. So it is a hard book to read but in my opinion worth the trouble.
And the problem you have with relating to the main character just proofs that you are a normal person!

/Peter

[goose_2]

Hi Goose, I was the one who recommended The Kindly Ones.
I had to read this book in parts because it is really disturbing. The main character is a highly educated and cultural interested person (and also an SS officer participating in the extermination of jews and other).
What is interesting about the book in my view is how a seemingly normal, highly educated person can become a monster. Also, there are parts in the book describing how the killing is done in the field (not in the camps) that made me physically sick reading it. So it is a hard book to read but in my opinion worth the trouble.
And the problem you have with relating to the main character just proofs that you are a normal person!

/Peter

Hey Peter,

I don't know if I have the stomach to handle all the content of the Kindly Ones. It is interesting and a quick read, but it makes me feel ill, so not sure I can handle that. It really upsets me to have him chide you so much at the beginning saying he is just like me, and then I am in no way relating to this guy, at all, and I feel it will end with a bait and switch at the end where the author says, see you are just like me, because you read this til the end and only someone like me could stomach my memoirs. No, I do not have to finish your filth.

Not sure, but I have finished the Nazi Doctors and have rushed into Philip Gibbs European Journey and am already half way through the riveting memoir. I love this book, and it amazes me these insights he has with the locals he discusses things with in 1934 around France, Switzerland, and now Italy. His conversations and analysis is uncanny in its real world application and how it correctly predicts the future outcome of what was going to happen and even how the war was going to go. It is even pertinent t what is going on in our country at the moment. Scary times are coming and liberty is the casualty. So glad I am reading this now. I have checked and MR Philip Gibbs was a prolific author. I am very interested in reading other books by this author. Is there any others of his books that anyone could suggest?

I am looking forward to finishing and awaiting the bounty I am blessed with over the Christmas Season. Joy of joys!

[captainjack]

I'm glad you liked European Journey. I picked it up at one of the local charity shops for a bargain price as it was a period I knew almost nothing about and really enjoyed his story telling and the insights.
They currentlyu have a (slightly bnattered) biography on Montgomery at a reasonably good price, but it's very big and I already have a lot of unread biographies sitting on my increasingly crowded bookshelves.

[goose_2]

I'm glad you liked European Journey. I picked it up at one of the local charity shops for a bargain price as it was a period I knew almost nothing about and really enjoyed his story telling and the insights.
They currentlyu have a (slightly bnattered) biography on Montgomery at a reasonably good price, but it's very big and I already have a lot of unread biographies sitting on my increasingly crowded bookshelves.

Well I finished European Journey and so glad I received that book and finished it with such speed it amazed me. I had trouble putting it down. Such amazing insights, especially once he got into Nazi Germany. I will definitely be looking for more of his books in the future.

Well Captain I have started the Von Luck book and am enjoying that very much. He already has an amazing story with where he was and what he participated in, and I am only in France. So glad you all have helped me become the voracious reader I am and with such great books to dive headlong into.

Merry Christmas!

My first Christmas haul is the
An Army of Amateurs by Philippe De Vomecourt
My Mother - in Law gave it to me, and I know that is going to be a great read as well.

So excited for Christmas!