WW2

Discussion in 'Books' started by The Potter, Apr 16, 2014.

  1. The Potter

    The Potter Member+

    Aug 26, 2004
    England
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Anybody know which books are considered the gold standard with regards ww2? A friend asked me the other day which is the go to WW2 book and I had no idea yet love history, the real biggies like David Cannadine seem to give it a wide berth.
     
  2. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    I presume you mean non-fiction?

    My favorite is Commander in Chief by Eric Larrabee, a top-down look at the war. Probably the best brief bio of Air Force general Curtis LeMay, the "inventor" of modern air power.

    For a bottom-up look, these are the books Ken Burns thought were most helpful: http://theweek.com/article/index/227441/ken-burns-6-favorite-books-about-world-war-ii

    As far as easier reads, Cornelius Ryan's trilogy is pretty good: The Longest Day, A Bridge Too Far, and The Last Battle. You no doubt are familiar with the movies of the same titles.

    And as far as the obvious choices go, The Diary of Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night are as powerful as anything you can read. And the gold standard, still, is William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. I wasn't enough of a WWII scholar to finish the work, but it is still the most thorough treatment of Nazi Germany.
     
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  3. BalanceUT

    BalanceUT RSL and THFC!

    Oct 8, 2006
    Appalachia
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Many years ago I read Keegan's The Second World War and found it to be an excellent overview of the main themes and critical moments of the war. However, he was British (deceased in 2012) and gives the British a greater role, and the Americans a comparatively diminished role, than many historians might argue. Some might find that refreshing. For myself, it helped to get a view that was not embedded in a socially normed narrative of "America Saved the World." I found it an accessible read while still giving a reasonably comprehensive account.
     
  4. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Keegan is terrific, both The Second World War and his earlier Six Armies of Normandy are great (I wish the D-Day book could've come out a couple years earlier so my dad, a D-Day veteran, could've read it: he really liked Keegans Face of Battle, which covers three battles from various points in history: Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme, IIRC.

    For an American perspective as the war unfolded:

    [​IMG]

    And...

    The companion volume, 1944-1946, which for some reason doesn't have an image on the internet that I can post. But I read through those a few years back: it was as close to experiencing the war on the home front as would be possible today, IMO.
     
  5. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Brain fart. UT, as is Wankler, is right. Keegan is the best. Bar none.
     
  6. The Potter

    The Potter Member+

    Aug 26, 2004
    England
    Club:
    Stoke City FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    I detest that portrayal of events, so that is far from a negative for me (in fairness the Brits who go on holiday to the continent and spout the same sort of rubbish are just as bad). I think I'll give that book a go so thanks :)

    I remember Keegan used to write for the Telegraph and supported the Iraq War so I've always been wary of him but no reason for that youthful discrimination to continue..
     
  7. BalanceUT

    BalanceUT RSL and THFC!

    Oct 8, 2006
    Appalachia
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    A lot of people supported that war who, I believe, in retrospect, would not have if the truth had been known rather than the propaganda.
     
  8. Dr. Wankler

    Dr. Wankler Member+

    May 2, 2001
    The Electric City
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    What? You mean... ;)

    Speaking of that, in your search, if you come across any collections of English journalism that documents the war from that perspective like the Library of America books that I posted do, let me know. That would be interesting to me.

    That strikes me as a major stain on his career, but it doesn't undermine the quality of his earlier, historically-based work, IMO. Other people might see it differently, obviously.
     
  9. Owen Gohl

    Owen Gohl Member

    Jun 21, 2000
    Keegan's book came out 25 years ago. Those looking for more recent histories may want to consider the following, all published in the last three years to good reviews. All three authors happen to be British:

    Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 - Max Hastings

    The Second World War - Anthony Beevor

    The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War - Andrew Roberts

    Rick Atkinson's works are very good histories of the American war experience in North Africa and Europe.
     
  10. usscouse

    usscouse BigSoccer Supporter

    May 3, 2002
    Orygun coast
    Yeah, I know it's not a book but it is a cool photo and this is the only thread, that I know of for WWII

    One of my Para Regt F/B groups put this photo up for 11/11. Goosebump worthy.
    The guys on the right are taking off to jump into Normandy on the 5th June 1944.
    The guys on the left are the "same ones," in the same order. In the same plane. Few days later obviously.
    They did their bit and made it home. Hero's all.

    12049133_1046972368670735_5736565917441051700_n[1].jpg
     
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  11. Val1

    Val1 Member+

    Arsenal
    Mar 12, 2004
    MD's Eastern Shore
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    If you posted that again, I would rep you again.
     

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