Any good WWII books?

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I second "Shattered Sword." Very good book.

Also if you're into navel action:

The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James D. Hornfischer
I could not put it down until I was finished.
 
For a fiction book I don't think many surpass the Cruel Sea for you not familiar with it its about the RN war in the North Atlantic in corvettes
 
"The Last Battle" by Cornelius Ryan, about the Battle of Berlin.
The Rommel Papers-editied by Liddell Hart.
The Patton Papers-edited by Mark Blemenson(this might be spelled wrong).
Is Paris Burning?- Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre.
Enemy at the Gates-William Craig.
Pegasus Bridge-Stephen Ambrose
An Army at Dawn-Rick Atkinson.
 
Other books from my bookshelf; of these The Shepherd by F. Forsyth on top left is a very old printing of late 70s but it was one of bestselling books. Admiral Ugaki's War Diary is long and a bit tedious.

Kon-nichi-no-Wadai on the top middle is one of early postwar documentary series magazine of very low price. I bought it in early 70's.

Note; none of these are useful for modeling.
 

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Thanks for the list, ppoopsie!

Note; none of these are useful for modeling.
Click to expand...

I think you will find that most here read books first and modelling is what comes from it - not the other way around!
 
My personal favorites always have been "The Last Battle" and "The Bridge Too Far" by Cornelius Ryan.

Other titles I also like are "Rommel's Afrika Corps" by Kenneth Macksey and "Fighter - The True Story Of Battle Of Britain" by Len Deighton.
 
some really good Canadian stuff out there too. mark Zuehke writes allot of WW 2 stuff, theres George Blackburns series on artillery his first hand accounts as a artillery officer and FOO (forward operating observer)

WW1 stuff by Tim Cook i hear is excellenct stuff...
 
Sorry that this book is not about aircraft, but a great book would be Hell on Wheels about the 3d armor division
Edit: Death Traps is a great book about the inferiority of the Sherman after Normandy-very good
 
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Some of the best WWII-era aviation books that I have reviewed for the magazine I work for would be the following:

The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle by Col. Robert Morgan
Eddie Rickenbacker: American Hero by W. David Lewis (covers his role in WWI and WWII)
Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot by Starr Smith (wonderful - well written and not focused on the actor side of the man, but the pilot and soldier side)

Go to Atlantic Flyer - Voice of the General Aviation Community for some good articles, WWII and not.
 
Currently reading "Five Miles High Forty Below" by Bill Williams.

It's a great memoir about his 50 missions aboard a B-17 from June through August 1944 while assigned to the 773rd Sq., 463rd BG, 15th AF out of Foggia, Italy (Celone Airbase).
 
A lot of good books already mentioned. Here's a few more:

Battleship Bismarck: A survivor's story - Mullenheim-Rechburg
Hitler's U-Boat War - Blair
The Two Ocean War - SE Morrison
U-Boat Commander - Prien
I-Boat Captain - Z Orita, IJN/JD Harrington
Japanese Destroyer Captain - Hara IJN
Take Her Deep! - IJ Galantin
The Other Side of the Hill- BH Liddell Hart
The Memoirs of Field Marshal Kesselring
Panzer Battles -FW Mellenthin
Tigers in the Mud -Otto Carius
Brazen Chariots -R Crisp
Flame Thrower - A Wilson
Soldat -F Knapp
Rocket Pilot - Mano Ziegler
Stuka Pilot - Rudel
The Blond Knight of Germany - Tolliver
Luftwaffe War Diaries - Cajus Bekker
Samurai! - Sakai/Caiden/Saito
To War in a Stringbag - C Lamb
The Other Battle - Hinchcliffe (Nightfighters vs Bomber Command)
Overlord - Hughes (Misleading Title. Concerns Pete Quesada and the 9th AF)

That's enough for a little while

JL
 
Just read- Tail End Charlies By John Nichol and Tony Rennell

It is one of the best books I have ever read about the massive bombing campaign against Germany. It covers many things in depth that are hard to find in one book.
 
I will add...

"Death Traps" - about American tanks
"Fire in the Sky" - analysis of South Pacific air battles
"Fortress Malta" - about Malta early in the war
"The Airmen and the Headhunters" - survival of a shot down B-24 crew over Borneo
"Doomed at the Start" - the USAAF in the Philippines at the start of the war
"God is my Co-Pilot" - Flying Tiger Pilot's story
"Flying Tigers" - by Daniel Ford
 
The Victors- Stephen Ambrose.
The Day of Battle- Rick Atkinson.
The Fall of Japan- William Craig.
The Fall of France- Julian Jackson.
Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century- Richard Hough.
To Lose a Battle-Alistair Horne.
The Bitter Woods- John D. Eisenhower.
 
Currently reading 'Churchill's Wizards' the British art of deception 1914-45.

Only two chapters in but a cracking good read so far.
 
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