Morte Rouge Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 I'm in the process of reading John Eisenhower's The Bitter Woods. While some of the research is dated the descriptions of small unit actions, particularly on December 16, 1944, are an absolute delight to read. Can't wait to experience them first hand in CM!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lokesa Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 Presently reading The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan. It's done in the same style as A Bridge Too Far, really good reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 Anybody knows "The View from the Turret"? Great reading about a tankers life, specifically about the 743rd Tank Battalion. And for the grunts I can recommend: BEYOND THE BEACHHEAD, the history of the 29th Infantry Division. Lots of infantry action in that one, with pretty good maps and all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Beman Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 _First Across the Rhine_ about the 291st Combat Engineers, whose soldiers were (what else?) first across the Rhine. Written by Col. David Pergrine, CO of 291st. My grandparents bought it for me years ago and somehow managed to get the author to sign it! Makes a great read. DjB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixman Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 I have read both Ryan books, but never the Eisenhower. I will have to give it a try. As for Ryan, "A Bridge Too Far" is still my favorite war book of all time. The plight of those British and Polish troopers, as well as the mercy of the Germans, could not have been more aptly described. Is it not ironic the similarities between Monty and George McLellan? Both had a terrible case of the slows, yet were fixated on the grand master stroke maneuver. Monty's was Market Garden and Little Mac's was the peninsula. Both with disastrous outcomes. And in both cases it took a bulldog like a Grant or a Patton to recognize the obvious -- we have massive superiority of material and men, let's just grind until they break. Not sexy, but brilliant in its simplicity and elegance. But, thanks to Monty, we have a book like "A Bridge Too Far", and we can talk to the end of our days about Market Garden -- one of the most audacious military maneuvers ever attempted. As for the British Airborne at Arnhem, no braver men ever walked this planet. <salute> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 I would also recommend: "ON the Front Lines" (used to be: The Sharp End )by John Ellis isbn0-471-55148-1 A must read about small unit actions in WW2, the experience of combat. "Night Drop" SLA Marshall (don't have teh isbn. airborne small unit actions in Normandy. "Beyond the Beachhead" by Joe Balkoski isbn 0-8117-0221-9 Detaield story of formation and employemnt of eth 29th ID in the Normandy campaign written by a wargame designer. Another great book. "Stalingrad" by Anthony Beevor. I know I know it's east front but I'm reading it now and it's pretty good. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Oh Ok one more: "Liebstandarte volume IV/1 & Volume IV 2. by Rudolf Lehman. I don't have the isbn on me but it's publishe by JJ. Fedorowitz. Thse two volumes, about 700-800 pages total cover in detail operations of the 1ss panzer division, from 1944- to the end of the war. Much detail about all the actions, especially all of Normandy and the Ardennes. illustrated with maps and pictures too. Written by the div ops officer (I believe) so he has access to documnets, pictures, and interviews that most others would be hard pressed to come by. Cheers... Los Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Los Posted July 1, 1999 Share Posted July 1, 1999 BTW, re: Bridge too far, I hear it is out on DVD so I'm trying to track it down. that'll be a fine addition to my dvd collection and hopefully there's unreleased footage also. Los Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lokesa Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Yes, A bridge too far was quite gripping, incredible courage was shown by the red devils. Does anyone have any information as to what happened to the unit after Market-Garden? Did they reform? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Oberly Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Lokesa- Read,also,'The Last Battle' by Ryan.Though it concerns the Eastern front,it is quite illuminating,and in the same style as the others. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morte Rouge Posted July 2, 1999 Author Share Posted July 2, 1999 I second that opinion of Beevor's Stalingrad. Just finished that and it was a "can't put it down" read. Need to rent the movie "Stalingrad" by the same guys that did Das Boot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Stalingrad is a good movie. I fault it slightly for putting all the blame (for the defeat, for the whole messy ugly war, it's implied) on nefarious leaders, and letting the "average joes" shoulder very little of it. But see it for yourself. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Marks Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Lok- The 1st Airborne was not reformed after Market-Garden. Approximately 10,000 troops landed at Arnhem on 9/17/44 but only about 2,000 made it across the Rhine on 9/26/44. I don't know if it was reformed after the end of the war. The 101st and 82nd saw action at the Bulge. In fact, the 101st made it all the way to Hitler's Eagles' Nest and fought to the end of the war. Also, if you are looking for some good books try Pegasus Bridge and Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose. I really thought Stalingrad was very good. Anyone ever see Cross of Iron? If so, was it any good? Larry [This message has been edited by Larry Marks (edited 07-02-99).] [This message has been edited by Larry Marks (edited 07-02-99).] [This message has been edited by Larry Marks (edited 07-02-99).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Cross of Iron is great. Definitely see it. Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Oberst2 Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Have to second, or third or whatever the count is on Stalingrad. Just finished it, and definitely burned some midnight, or 2:00am oil while reading it. Another very powerful read is The 900 Days, or the siege of Leningrad. An amazing, tragic, inspiring, informative read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lokesa Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 thx guys, I don't think I'll ever get to the end of my book list, there's always new leads cropping up As to Stalingrad the movie, it was long and depressing but I liked it. I liked the tank rush in the snow part the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Cross of Iron is great. The film is good and the book is even better. There are two books about the SS Panzer Corps in Normandy which should be of immense interest also.. I forget what they are but I've heard lots of good things about them. Can anyone remember them and post them here. Graphical battle accounts etc.. Looks like good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 I'm not much of a WWII book reader (money money money!) but I have read some of Keegan's stuff. One book I like is "Spec Ops - Case Studies in Special Operation Warfare: Theory and Practice." My favourite case study from that book was the Raid on St Nazaire. As for films, Stalingrad is awesome and The Big Red One is cool because Lee Marvin is in it! The best war film I watched is "Paths of Glory" (directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas) but that was centered on WWI. Contrary to belief, it's not an anti-war film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lokesa Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Not so quiet on the western front. (nuff said ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Marks Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 If anyone is looking for a gripping account of combat try Black Hawk Down-- set in Somalia 1993. I usually only read about WWII, but this book has been excellent so far. A really harrowing account of what the Rangers and Delta Force operatives went through. Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Fionn - are you thinking of Steel Inferno by Michael Reynolds? Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixman Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Mike, thanks for the reference to "The Last Battle". I love Ryan's writing and will definitely pick it up. East Front is fine with me. I have seen Cross of Iron -- it is an all time classic war film. Recommend it highly. I thank all of you for your scholarship. This thread has given me more ideas about adding to my WWII library in ten minutes than I have had from other sources in 20 years. Question for Los -- are the Lehman volumes translated to English, or will I have to brush up my Deutsch? They sound like excellent reads. And, based on the comments here, it sounds like Stalingrad is a must read. Boy am I going to be busy this summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Follow up question: I found those "Lehman" volumes on Amazon, but am not sure if these are the ones you meant? The description calls them "picture books" or something. And unfortunately I can't find the "on the Front" book you mentioned, which seems to be VERY interesting. All I get when I enter it in the search is "Fighting on the front for gay freedom" or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted July 2, 1999 Share Posted July 2, 1999 Yes Charles, that's it. I'm guessing you've read it. If so what did you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big Time Software Posted July 3, 1999 Share Posted July 3, 1999 Re: Steel Inferno I liked it. The only problem was not really the book's fault: I had been hoping to find details of small-unit actions for Combat Mission scenarios and there really aren't any. It's generally higher-level stuff. But it's a good read. It could use more maps though. Actually, virtually every war book ever written could use more maps. I'm not singling out Steel Inferno here. I really hate it when the author assumes you have intimate knowledge of the battlefield geography and writes things like, "The 2nd battalion attacked northwest, bisecting the Perduvillage-Mauvaisauteur road, at the crest of the third hillock." The two towns are so tiny that practically no one (especially not you) has ever heard of them. And there's no friggin' map. Or if there is, it's fifteen pages ahead so you have to constantly flip back and forth. But more likely the nearest map will be of the general area, and show Paris, London, and Berlin, but that's all. Anything smaller isn't shown, even though the text is talking endlessly about these tiny little towns. Or woods here or there, but no map shows the woods. Just cities and some roads. And it's never centered on the action in the text. The battle always seems to happen in the far corner of the map. Sometimes I honestly think the people who choose the maps for war books are not the authors, and maybe don't even consult with them! Drives me nuts! Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Posted July 3, 1999 Share Posted July 3, 1999 I have that movie Stalingrad. Have had it for quite some time. Some of the best combat scenes I have seen, but it's a little hard to follow in German with voice-overs in Polish after the character speaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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