Attention: Book Authors and Publishers

[Hundminen]

I am eager to part with a fist full of cash in exchange for a big glossy book, with lots of maps (showing elevation contours, terrain, lines of advance), and detailed descriptions (with full OOB's and chronologies) of major and (lots of) minor battles of WWII.

I have found examples of these books covering less significant eras such as the civil war, and WWI, but nothing for WWII.

I am at a loss why such a book has never been published, but my guess is it would be a bestseller amongst members of this forum.

[Formerly Babra]

Hundminen. There are such books, but you are looking in the wrong places. The things you find on commercial bookshelves are what is called "popular history". They are targetted at mainstream consumers.

If you want scholarly books, go to the source. Go to your local university's history department (better yet a military academy). Many, many fine, scholarly works never see a bookstore shelf.

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Sounds like 100% weapons-grade bolonium to me.

[Dittohead]

http://bookstore.gpo.gov/sb/sb-098.html

This is the US Gov printing office. Lots of good stuff to be found.

[Reno]

Hudminen. Try the Harper Collins Atlas of the Second World War. It's a large coffee table type book with hundreds of maps, diagrams, and unit dispositions. It's really well done and a beauty to behold and it won't cost you an arm and a leg. I got mine at Borders Bookstore. I think it may have been a special edition reprinted for them. Anyway the ISBN is 0 7230 1007 2. Good luck. Let me know if you need more info.

[Guest Mr. Johnson-<THC>-]

Umm no flame me plz. Best book I can suggest is Great BattleFields of the World. That was the first but they now have, of the American Civil war, WW2, WW1. They have cool 3d topigraphical maps(not true 3D like a pop-up book of course) they have cool info on the commanders, weapons, and what led up to the battle and cool hand painted pictures of what the battle might have looked like for one second of it. Not the greatest but no one else has given you much so it can't hurt.

[Guest Michael emrys]

There is a West Point Atlas of Battlefields. I think it only covers battles that U.S. forces were involved in. I think it comes in two volumes with Vol. II covering 20th. century conflicts. I think they are priced in the $50-75 range, but could be more. Haven't seen one, but they are recommended by those who have.

Michael

[kipanderson]

Hi,

try the "Order of Battle" series published by Osprey. There will be a series of six books covering the Battle of the Bulge full of detailed maps and everthing else you are looking for. The author of the Battle of the Bulge books is Bruce Quarrie.

All the best,

Kip. http://www.osprey-publishing.co.uk

[Banshee]

I would love some really good detailed maps and pictures of small (battalion and smaller)

battles, they do seem quite rare. The army site had a few slim pickings, I'll have to check out these book recommendations, but not too many of them are in bookstores. These type of books are really ones you have to browse first.

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Veni, vidi, panzerschrecki

[Reno]

Well, I was right. The Atlas of the Second World War that I have is a special Borders Bookstore Edition that I believe is now out of print. The original book, the Times Atlas of the Second World War was printed in 1989 and edited by John Keegan, someone you may have heard of. This book is of course of of print and pretty hard to find..but not that hard. I did a search at www.alibris.com and came up with two copies. One is a first edition in fine condition for $88. The other is in vg condition but is a book club edition. It's priced at $57. Where ever you end up getting this book I don't think you'll be disappointed. A quote from the dust jacket..

"This atlas plots on the ground, at sea and in the air, the exact course of the war - including the political, economic and strategic background. The finest specially designed cartography is combined with NATO military symbols to denote armies and fleets of every type and size. Every theater of war is delineated from the cities of Europe to the vast expanses of the Pacific, from the deserts of North Africa and the steppes of Russia to the dense jungles of Burma and South-east Asia."

As I write this I'm looking at a very detailed map of Arnhem with troop placements and schemes of maneuver. It even shows the parachute and glider landing zones. Good stuff.

Reno

[howardb]

After I started skydiving I always look at the terrain from the plane before we jump. Amazing how many ideas you get for cool maps, now if only I could remember them on the ground

Seriously, I recommend every aspiring map maker to get into a plane and look at the scenery with the sole purpose of making a CM map. You have to be above 3000-4000 feets to get a good overview though.

[Hundminen]

Reno:

I agree, the Times Altas of WWII is possibly the finest reference book I have found on WWII, an excellent read. However, I found it is really "big picture" stuff for the most part, and detailed maps of smaller battles such as around Arnhem drop zones are quite rare. It is really strategic in scale.

Actually, what I had in mind was more like Great Battles of the Civil War (by John MacDonald, edited bt John Keegan - MacMillan ISBN 0-02-034554-2). This excellent book devotes several pages to each battle (about 20 battles in all), covering the background, the main characters, a hand illustrated 3d map, a topographical map, some force graphs, battle chronology, and some pictures and diagrams as well. it does a real thorough job of giving you a picure of the battles.

Only trouble is there's no Tiger tanks and zooks.

[Reno]

Originally posted by Hundminen:

Actually, what I had in mind was more like Great Battles of the Civil War (by John MacDonald, edited bt John Keegan - MacMillan ISBN 0-02-034554-2). This excellent book devotes several pages to each battle (about 20 battles in all), covering the background, the main characters, a hand illustrated 3d map, a topographical map, some force graphs, battle chronology, and some pictures and diagrams as well. it does a real thorough job of giving you a picure of the battles.

Hundminen,

Sorry, I misunderstood what you were looking for. You're right. Great Battles of the Civil War is excellent. McDonald actually did write some companion volumes in similar format and style and they are also excellent. One of them you'll be glad to hear is Great Battles Of World War II. (ISBN 0-02-577350-X). It has a foreward by General Sir John Hackett. I'm thinking you may have a tough time finding this one. I hope not. It's as good or better than the Civil War Volume. I also have McDonald's Great Battlefields of the World, thirty battles, from Cannae to Dien Bien Phu all in that great three dimensional battlefield style.

Thanks for mentioning the McDonald book. I knew I had it somewhere. We moved to a new house recently and all of my books, (hundreds of them - mostly military), are boxed up and sitting in an empty room that I hope to (someday) make into an office/library.

I'm new to CM and I'm having a great time just reading all the posts and playing a few of the QB's. While looking for the McD books I stumbled across two other books that I recall were good on the first reading, The Forgotten Soldier and Closing With The Enemy. Reading them again, I think, would enhance CM play. I'll probably do that in the next few weeks. Anyway, good talking with you. Let me know if you need more info.

Reno