[WW] Re: Recommended Books

[Michael Montesa <warhed@twics.com>]

Where to start? Here are just a few of the books I turn to/have turned to
for WW2 info.

My favorite whole volume work covering the entire war is by the master of
miltary history, John Keegan - "The Second World War". The title says it
all really. It's a fascinating book especillay for his analysis of the
conditions leading up to WW2. To illustrate some of his points, he writes
about different battles as examples of their type; Air battle: The Battle
of Britain; Carrier battle: Midway; City battle: the Siege of Berlin.

For a great account of the tactics and doctrine of the U.S. Army on D-Day,
try "Beyond the Beachhead" by Joseph Balkoski. This book looks at the 29th
Inf. Div, from its formation and training to D-Day and through St.Lo. It
has some excellent descriptions of tactis used by both sides in the
hedgerow fighting.

For Eastern Front stuff, try "Enemy at the Gates" (the book, not the film)
by William Craig for an account of the battle for Stalingrad. Or
"Stalingrad" by Anthony Beevor.

And you can't beat Stephen Ambrose's "Citizen Soldiers", "D-Day", or "Band
of Brothers".


While writing the Weird War Pacific theater book I relied on "Eagle Against
the Sun" by Ronald Spector.

"Iwo" by Richard Wheeler is a good gory account of the fighting for Iwo Jima.

There should be a more lengthy and focused bibliography in the Pacific book
when it comes out.

I also agree that the Time Life WW2 series are a great way to get started.

Finally, there has to be something weird. Try "Unholy Alliance" by Peter
Levenda. The author sounds like a real crackpot (he believes the
Necronomicon is real) but for all that he gets deep into Hitler's and the
Nazi's fascination w/ the occult (and follows it past the end of the war
and insists there are Nazi occultists living in South America; Delta Green
anyone?)

Mike

Mike

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*     "Show me a hero, and I'll prove he's a bum."         *
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