The Most Accurate Author/Researcher

[Capt. Vick]

Honestly I can't say much for David Myra. They seem to have based some of the National Geographic "Hiltler's Stealth Plane" program on some of his "imaginitive" musings. Like when he says the Luftwaffe actually tested The H0 IX/Go 229 against the Me 262 in a dogfight senario. Ah, what can you expect from an author whose book deal mostly with Luftwaffe '46 aircraft. Shame on you Nat. Geo. for not fact checking better!

 

[stona]

I've been watching this with interest. Most of my books are aviation related. I'm glad someone mentioned Chris Thomas but there are so many. Off the top of my head I would add Peter Schmoll (Nest of Eagles), Robert Forsyth (Mistel). On slightly more specialist topics Gunther Sengfelder (German Aircraft Landing Gear) or Sinisa Sestanovic for his lovely little book on Jagdwaffe emblems.
More generally noone mentioned John Manrho and Ron Putz or authors like Ken Merrick,Jerry Crandall and Michael Ullmann. These guys do some serious research.
What about Rodeicke's mighty tome on the Fw190? Then there is Patrick Loreau's superb 'Condor' which tells you just about all you need to know about the Luftwaffe in Spain.
I could go on,what about the late Eric Lager and the rest of the JaPo team? For every one I've mentioned I've left out another ten hard working researchers and authors. I'm glad that they put in the effort to produce this sometimes esoteric material for me and others who share my interests.
Cheers
Steve

 

[Njaco]

I may be showing my ignorance here but isn't Jerry Crandall a graphic artist? I understand the research that goes into those profiles but is he an author as well?

 

[stona]

I may be showing my ignorance here but isn't Jerry Crandall a graphic artist? I understand the research that goes into those profiles but is he an author as well?

He is both which means,I suppose,that he can do his own profiles

His two volumes on the Fw190D are superb. A vital investment (cheap they are not!) for anyone with an interest in the 'Dora'. They are both on my bookshelves along with the JaPo volumes.

Cheers
Steve

 

[Njaco]

Thanks!

 

[nuuumannn]

Some of my favourites

On aircraft research I would put my money on Philip Jarrett; a real gent. He hasn't written many books, but is a tireless researcher who does the best to get complete accuracy where possible, but beware; Phil doesn't suffer fools gladly.

On the RNZAF and aircraft operated in New Zealand, no finer than the eccentric but fiercely knowledgeable David Duxbury and on RNZAF personnel, the understated and genuinely kind Errol Martyn.

The dead list: The late Ray Sturtivant, another fine chap, specialised on Royal Navy aviation. Also the late Jack Bruce, former aircraft curator at the RAF Museum (although he concentrated on WW1 stuff, he was one of the most thorough researchers.) The late Peter Grosz, again specialising on WW1, but the best on German military subjects.

Here's a few I would be wary of in terms of accuracy, although I don't want to outright rubbish their efforts since as authors they all work hard, pumping out books like there's no tomorrow: Chris Chant, David Mondey, Richard Townshend Bickers, Richard Franks - his book on 75 Squadron, "Forever Strong" is known round the traps as "Forever Wrong".

For broad histories of WW2 subjects, look no further than Max Hastings. His book "Nemesis" is one of the best about the end of the war in the Pacific, also "Armageddon" about the fall of Germany is up there too. He also penned perhaps the finest biography of RAF Bomber Command, simply called "Bomber Command".

Australian Stewart Wilson produced a great series of books on RAAF and RAN types, but at times his accuracy is questionable; he edits his own aviation magazine now.

American Barrett Tillman on US naval aviation, Tom Crouch of the National Air and Space Museum writes a mean aviation history.

Biil Gunston, Tim Laming, Alfred Price, Yefim Gordon on Russian subjects; now I'm just rattling off names on my book shelf...

 

[Njaco]

I will agree with Chant and Mondey. What I have is really just shelf dressing.

But being a LW nut, I have numerous books by Price. He writes very well with not too much opinion included.

 

[nuuumannn]

Another great military historian who also covers WW2 and a personal favourite of mine, Mr A.J.P. Taylor; author of "The Origins of the Second World War" among others. His specialty is war leaders.

 

[DBII]

I am a little late finding this thread. Gordan Rottman has written several books for Osprey. His work is focused on equipment and OOB data. Two of his early works was US Army Air Force vol 1 and 2. I had the honor of working with him for 9 years. Great guy and author. For light reading try and find his first novel called Target Texas. The Soviet army attacked Ft Hood.

DBII

 

[krieghund]

To mention some more....Han Peter Dabrowski Francis Dean Heinz Nowarra Paul Wilkinson Alec Harvey-Bailey Robert Forsyth Eddie Creek Manfred Griehl Uwe Feist


OMG!!! Njaco it just dawned on me what your Halloween pumpkin is!!! Please don't turn it around!!

 

[Njaco]

hehehehehehehe.

 

[acerus]

I wonder what you Guys think about Antony Beevor? I just finished his Book "D-Day" and was pretty satisfied with it (just ordered "Stalingrad" from the same Author). Not that i have a wealth of knowledge about Authors (as i am just started collecting and reading Books about WW2).

Edited: Sorry Guys, i don´t wanted to disrupt this Thread with my silly Question. Go on with it and have Fun!

 

[oldcrowcv63]

William Bartsch's series on early USAAF fighter ops in the PI and Java appears well researched.

Richerd B. Frank on the Guadacanal Campaign is encyclopedic on all facets of the campaign but, as far as I can tell, not as detailed as Lundstrom on fighter and general air ops.

I thought Hornfischer's Neptune's Inferno was better in most instances in his coverage of the sea battles with very compelling and moving accounts. The Naval Battle of Guadacanal with USN BB Washington vs IJN BB Kirishima, on November 14th, 1942, is an exception where I appreciated Frank's somewhat drier approach. Hornfischer's Savo Island, Cape Esperance and November 13th Cruiser action descriptions are simply outstanding.

 

[vikingBerserker]

I have to add J. Richard Smith and Eddie J. Creek to the list.

 

[Trilisser]

Anthony Beevor is pure s**t. A well known US writer, also mentioned in this thread, described Beevor's Stalingrad book as "1970s social history, not military history".

Someone asked about Warren Bodie. Suffice it to say that he accused me of accusing him of being a liar when I asked why didn't he provide references in his P-47 book. When his claim that the P-47's weight of fire was greater than that of the Tempest was shown wrong he started personal insults. And finally, Truman was a coward for not "nuking those stinking Chinese" during the Korean War.

 

[Maximowitz]

Beevor uses a lot of secondary sources - and he doesn't do his own research. His books have a few errors in them.

I wouldn't go as far as to say he's sh*t though - he's notoriously litigious.

I've never quite worked out who is audience is - if you're interested in say Stalingrad or the fall of Berlin there are a lot of better books out there than his.

 

[Oreo]

Several people have mentione Bill Gunston. I have to say I like him as an author, but find his work seems to lack accuracy sometimes, especially the technical data he gives is usually either "the same old junk that everybody else says" or sometimes he is the only one who gives a piece of data, and everyone else disagrees with him, but there is no explanation why. Now-- I do not have instant access to all the "true" data, so I can't always tell when he is right and wrong. He was definitely one of the people who mentioned the P-38 "shooting down an Fw 200C near Iceland within hours (or was it minutes?) of the declaration of war". I have posted a thread asking about this and am quite well convinced now, as I had pretty well concluded already, that the Dec. '41 Fw 200C shootdown was total bunk. Having said that, I would like more opinions from others about his accuracy, as he is somewhat of a mixed bag for me. David Donald's American Warplanes of World War II repeats the December shootdown myth, and also states that P-38E's fought in combat. Hmm.

I tend to have a lot of cheaper, more mass-marketed books around my house, more's the pity, and fewer of the higher quality ones. But I would like your opinions on the following authors, some of which I have heard mentioned, and some not. There's the obvious one, Angelucci. Many of his books seem to be compendiums of quick-reference, but some of them have a lot of info, like The American Fighter, published with Consultant Peter Bowers. This book I have enjoyed over the years as a wealth of information on all the US fighter types up to the date of its last research, but I have noticed glaring mistakes in the technical data and illustrations. I have not found glaring mistakes in his text, but then a lot of it I have no good way of varifying. He does give the Iceland shootdown as occuring in August '42, however, which at least puts him in the camp of accuracy on that count. . . .

I have Combat Aircraft of World War Two by Elke Weal. Though I don't always know how accurate it is, I have rarely found it to be too far off base, and it is my one book that has nearly all the exhaustive WWII types between two covers in quick reference format.

I have three of the WW2 Aircraft Fact Files books by William Green and Gordon Swanborough. I would like your opinions about them. Two of the ones I have are for the Soviet Air Force Fighters, parts 1 and 2. They have a lot of info I just don't have in front of me most other places. How are they for accuracy?

Another author I'm curious about. My dad has the book Pursue and Destroy, by fighter ace Leonard "Kit" Carson. This autobiography in coffee-table format has a lot of great photos in it, many seemingly not published elsewhere (especially the ones of Carson and his squadron). He also says a lot of things that are either hard to verify, or else seem to be contradicted elsewhere. Anybody ever see this book, and what do you think of it? Carson claims to know a thing or two about engineering, and, on his own terms, he dissects the Mustang, as well as Bf 109 and Fw 190. He says one thing I have never found verified anywhere else, that will either raise or lower him in my estimation if I ever do find out the total truth about it. He said that when Messerschmitt redesigned the Bf 109F (or maybe G, but he meant inclusive of the G as well if he said the F), that in the process of installing the new engine, they made a mistake in the cg, and once they discovered it, instead of fixing the problem in an equitable fashion, they installed a 60 lb. counterweight in the tail of the Bf 109. He chastised Willy M and/or his design team for such a foolish thing-- a 60 lb. lump of dead weight in what was supposed to be a lean mean fighting machine. Anybody know about this assertion by the notably successful ace Leonard "Kit" Carson?

 

[Oreo]

Also, not sure if anybody mentioned Martin Caidin. Opinions on him?

edit:
Whoops, I see he was already discussed and the majority say he's not as accurate as could be. i think I only have one of his. "Zero Fighter".

As far as that goes, how about Saburo Sakai's "Samurai"? Any thoughts on him? Some other names I would question their ability to be unbiased and totally accurate include Galland and Boyington. I'm sure nearly everything in their accounts took place as they describe it, but sometimes. . . . ya just have to wonder. As someone said above, the autobiographies you sometimes have to take with a grain of salt. (my paraphrase of what was said). Maybe I should start a thread about which aces' autobiographies do you think are the most accurate?

 

[Oreo]

I do like Toliver and Constable, too. Blonde Knight I found riveting. And, I assume, very accurate.

 

[Njaco]

I, too, have many Barnes Noble Bargin bin cast-offs with very few in-depth books. I do have Don Caldwell's both books on JG 26 - very good.

I also have Gunston's "Hitler's Luftwaffe" and 2 books by D. David which I found all 3 to be ok but I don't really have anything to gauge against.

WARNING: Do NOT buy "Great Battles of WWII: Military Encounters that Defined the Future". This book is complete trash. There really is no author (Editor is a Dr. Chris Mann) and I should start a thread on bad or poor books - this one takes the cake. Bad research, poor maps (no scale or locations on them) and the worst are the battles they reference. Understand, these are supposed to be battles that 'defined' the future: So how does the Battle for Narvik or the Warsaw Uprising fit in? Sorry, important events but not defining. And many debunked myths are repeated here. Its as if they grabbed every war book from 1950 and just reprinted the stories. Thank God I only paid about $2.99 for it at Barnes Noble and even that was overpriced.