Guest Lokesa Posted August 22, 1999 Share Posted August 22, 1999 A lot of books have been recomended on this site so I thought I'd put them all in one place. I'm sure I missed a few and there were many authors mentioned without book titles as well and vague references to books possibly named something or other that aren't included. I dont make any claims regarding this books but am only posting them as shown. The idea is this will allways be in the archive and a simple search will get you the Battlefront/CM forum's book list. Handbook on German Military Forces Us Army Handbook George Forty Encyclopedia of Weapons of WWII Encyclopedia of WWII German Army WWII Order of Battle Shelby Stanton War Department Books BTS's Dictionay of Military Terms as Applied to Wargames Charles, Steve and the graphics guy Gander's Germany's Guns Hunnicutt's Sherman Weapons and Equiptment of the German Mountain Troops Ronald Kaltenegger History of the 3rd Fallschirmjaeger regt Schiffer Militia German Mountain and Ski Troops 1939-45 Gordon Williamson Mountain Troops of the Waffen SS Kaltenegger Hitlers Mountain Troops James Lucas Alpine Elite James Lucas Ten Days to Destiny, the battle for Crete 1941 G.C Kiriakopoulos Official History of New Zealand Forces in WWII On Infantry John English Assault Troops Felix Sterner The Deadly Brotherhood - the american combat soldier in WWII John McManus On the Front Lines John Ellis Spec ops - case studies in special operation warfare: theory and practice Citizen Soldiers, Pegasus Bridge, Band of Brothers Stephen Ambrose Men Under Fire, The Soldiers Load and the Weight of the Nation, Men Against Fire, Night Drop SLA Marshall Beyond the Beachhead Joseph Balkoski The Shock of War JC Doherty Winter War William R Trotter Good Bye Darkness W. Manchester The Thin Red Line Cross of Iron Death Traps Belton Cooper Shermans in Action Squadron Signal Publications Hell on Wheels Tank Tracks Steel Inferno Michael Reynolds Tank Ken Trout Seven Roads to Hell Donald Burgette Blazing Chariots The View from the Turret William B Folkestad Panzer Leader Heinz Guderian Panzer Battles Von Mellenthin Tank vs Tank Ken Macksey Closing with the Enemy Michael Doubler Feuer Werner Adamczyk Liebstandarte Rudolph Lehman Der Kampf um Kreta(in german) Franz Kuroski The Longest Day, A Bridge too Far, The Last Battle Cornelius Ryan Arnhem a Tragedy of Errors Peter Haclerode Storming the Reich Cristopher Duffy Bitter Woods John Eisenhower On to Berlin Ridgeway Ridgeway's Paratroopers Company Commander Charle McDonald First Across the Rhine Col. David Peregrine The Bridge at Remagen Ken Hechler Battle for Berlin Earl Ziemke Gotterdammerung 1945; Germant's Last Stand in the East Schneider Stalingrad to Berlin Ziemke Army Group Center Haupt Enemy at the Gates The 900 Days The siege of Leningrad Stalingrad Anthony Beever Forgotten Soldier Guy Sajer Diary of a German Soldier Wilhelm Pruiller Sorry the spacing didn't come out right between the title and the author or publisher :-( [This message has been edited by Lokesa (edited 08-22-99).] [This message has been edited by Lokesa (edited 08-22-99).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted August 22, 1999 Share Posted August 22, 1999 Lokesa, You definately need to add Patrick Agte's "Michael Wittman and the Tiger Commander's of the Liebstandarte" to your list. A truly exceptional book if I do say so. To see a couple of excerpts from the book read my most recent post. BTW, thanks much for compiling this list, I was hoping somebody would do this so we could all have a single place to find all of these great books. Mike D aka Mikester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Beman Posted August 22, 1999 Share Posted August 22, 1999 Lokesa, I need to change my answer. "Blazing Chariots" was actually "Brazen Chariots." I dunno the author, since the book is currently 240 miles away. DjB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pak40 Posted August 22, 1999 Share Posted August 22, 1999 In addition to "Seven Roads to Hell" by Donald Burgette, he has a previous novel originally titled "Curahee". I have the renamed copy titled "Screaming Eagles" (I think). This is a smaller book but describes his fews days in battle after parachuting on D-Day. He is currently writing his Market Garden experiences. Another book related to Ambrose's "Band of Brothers" is called "Parachute Infantry" by David Webster. Another good 1st person narrative of a 101st Airborne trooper. I also would have to add "D-Day the 6th of June" by Stephen Ambrose. A great account of D-Day from all sides and lots of 1st person quotes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted August 22, 1999 Share Posted August 22, 1999 Let me add two more which I don't see in the above list - "Six armies in Normandy" from John Keegan - probably one of the best books I have read on this matter with a good deal of detailed maps and CM-level action! Highly recommended! "Rhinland. The battle to end the war" from Denis and Shelagh Whitaker - a must for all the Canadians out there. Denis Whitaker was a Lt. Colonel during that time and his description of a canadian assault on the Goch-Kalkar road is probably the one best description of battalion sized action I've read to date. Comes with cool maps, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fionn Posted August 23, 1999 Share Posted August 23, 1999 The "Then and Now" series is also very good. I just got the ones covering The Bulge, Normandy and Battle of Britain a few days ago from someone I answered some tech questions for ( sometimes being helpful has its perks) and they're very interesting.. The Battle of Britain one is poignant since it tries to have pictures of as many of the dead and wounded pilots as possible.. Really brings it home to you after you flick through 400 + pages littered with pictures of young smiling men and their dark gravestones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lokesa Posted August 23, 1999 Share Posted August 23, 1999 This is quite a list we have guys, thanks for all your input. If anybody feels motivated a list of the movies and documentarys recomended would be nice. No time right now but if I dont see one done in a week or so I'll start compiling those as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tss Posted August 23, 1999 Share Posted August 23, 1999 I'd like to add three books to the list: 1) John Keegan's "Face of Battle". It is not about WWII but a study on how soldiers perceive the combat and how the dangers of battlefield have changed during centuries. It analyzes the battles of Agincourt, Waterloo, and Somme. 2) "Unknown Soldier" by Väinö Linna which is THE novel about Finnish army. Linna served as a corporal in a machine gun company during the Continuation War of '41-'44 and the book reflects his experiences. 3) Urgh. I was about to add Peter Englund's "Poltava" to the list, but I couldn't find a reference of the English translation (I've seen it so it exists but none of the online bookstores seem to know about it. However, the name was _not_ "Poltava", but something about Peter I). Since the battle of Poltava was fought back in 1709 the book is even more removed from WWII than "Face of Battle", but it is nevertheless one of the best studies on battlefield that I have read. - Tommi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmead Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 I thought of two books which are fun reads with some application to matters at hand. Boht may be rather hard to find. Sands of Fire by Robert L Crisp. A recount of his experience as a British M3 Stuart commander in the Western Desert after or around El Alamain (sp). One particularly vivid ambush by a German unit against his platoon will forever stick in my mind. As well as the description of how he got rid of the 'crabs' he caught from a purlioned pair of silk pajamas... Pub @1960. I read it @1972. Probably more appropriate when CM covers North Africa... Tanks are Mighty Fine Things auth unknown. This book was published postwar or during the war and details the transition of the Chrysler automotive factory into the Detroit Arsonel in 1941 through the end of the war. Enjoyable rah rah read that doesn't to my recollection use too many ethnic slurs that were prevalent at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scott Clinton Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 "Sands of Fire" and "Winged Victory" (V.M. Yeates / Paperback / Ashford Pr 1990) both from the same Echoes of War series are without a doubt two of the most poignant books I have ever read on war. "Winged Victory" deals with W.W.I pilots and was very respected by the RAF pilots that read it during the 'Battle of Britain' (although it was very hard to find at the time due to paper shortages, apparently one or two ragged copies made the rounds the airfields). This is also the better of the two IMHO. I simply can not recommend "Winged Victory" enough, PERIOD. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/090767545X/qid=953836984/sr=1-8/104-1178422-0554030) Note: Both are novels written by vets that actually served in these campaigns. But they used the novel format for several reasons and it works VERY well. Especially in covering the main characters feelings. Also, FWIW Donald Burgette latest book mentioned by Pak40 above last August has been out for a while. I just read it and its a good read, up to the quality of the other two by him. It's called "Screaming Eagles in Holland" (I think) and I got my copy via the military book club. ------------------ The Grumbling Grognard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Madmatt Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Fionn: I just got the ones covering The Bulge, Normandy and Battle of Britain a few days ago from someone I answered some tech questions for....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Fionn answering tech questions! (SHIVER) Frightning! Please tell me that those questions revolved around weapon technology and not computer technology! I have seen the extent of Fionn's computer TECHY side and the micro-molecular analysis should be coming back any day now... Madmatt ------------------ If it's in Combat Mission, it's on Combat Mission HQ! combathq.thegamers.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerLeader Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 Looks like you guys forgot "Lost Victories" by Erich von Manstein Not quite for CM players, rather TOAW players...Lots of "boring logistics" stuff in there but it turns out to be very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaffertape Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 Great list! Thanks. I just found a copy of Enemy At The Gates from the public library system (its been out of print for awhile). A 2-part series to watch for is a British production called "WARRIORS". Its not WWII, its peacekeepers in Bosnia. But it is one of the most devastating anti-war films I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCrawler Posted March 23, 2000 Share Posted March 23, 2000 If you're like me and love hypothetical works, read "Disaster at D-Day". I forget who the author is at the moment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwin Posted March 24, 2000 Share Posted March 24, 2000 Old thread I read "band of brothers" recently and enjoyed it. Am trying to read "the rise and fall of the third reich" still. Although it is chocked full of info and well written I find myself prejudiced from the knowledge of what Hitlers doings caused and reading about him and his cronies in such depth makes me a bit ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Fox Posted March 24, 2000 Share Posted March 24, 2000 Also by Ken Tout A Fine Night for Tanks : The Road to Falaise To Hell with Tanks! and More Tanks! (pretty innovative titles heh ) Flamethrower Andrew Wilson (memoir of a crocodile commander) 18 Platoon Sydney Jary (good detailed CM scale action) The Conquest of the Reich : D-Day to Ve-Day : A Soldier's History by Robin Neillands (lots of first hand accounts some of them very useful) Also I have heard that this one is good and if anyone has read it I would appreciate their opinion: Breakout at Normandy : The 2nd Armored Division in the Land of the Dead by Mark A. Bando Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Zeares Posted March 24, 2000 Share Posted March 24, 2000 <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by kmead: I thought of two books which are fun reads with some application to matters at hand. Boht may be rather hard to find. Sands of Fire by Robert L Crisp. A recount of his experience as a British M3 Stuart commander in the Western Desert after or around El Alamain (sp). <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> This is the same author who wrote "Brazen Chariots" mentioned earlier in the thread (in fact, the crab incident is recounted in that book). "Chariots" covers Crisp's experiences before and during Operation Crusader. It also provides the specific origin of the nickname "Honey" -- it was Crisp's driver, I think, who used that word to describe the Stuart after taking the first one out for a test drive. Great book, one of my all-time favorites. It was published by Bantam in the U.S. -- Mike Zeares (is it possible these are the same book with different titles?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Scott Clinton Posted March 24, 2000 Share Posted March 24, 2000 "Mike Zeares (is it possible these are the same book with different titles?)" Yes, I beleive they are the same book. Publishers sometimes do this, esp. when the previous version was published by another publisher, a long time ago or in another country. ------------------ The Grumbling Grognard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest grunto Posted March 24, 2000 Share Posted March 24, 2000 How about the Carell (sp?) titles: Hitler Moves East Scorched Earth Invasion: They're Coming! (about 6 Jun 44) Hitler Moves East and Scorched Earth seem like realistic accounts of the war in the east. There is a bit of German "rah-rah" in these but they seem balanced in their factual presentation of the war. Lots of company-level action described. The latest Scorched Earth contains a prelude indicating that KGB records unearthed in 1992 or thereabouts show that Stalin was planning an attack on Germany in the Summer of '41 and part of the reason the Russians were taken so off guard is that many of their units were moving into pre-attack staging areas at the moment Hitler beat them to the punch. This kind of dovetails with an earlire discussion in Hitler Moves East about how the Russians were so amazingly incompetent at the start of the campaign. FWIW Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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