Apache Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Have just ordered: 1) Oxford Companion to WWII 2) Britsh and American Tanks of WWII 3) Encyclopaedia of German Tanks of WWII I know there are hundreds of others out there but would anyone recommend any gap fillers that the above won't cover? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PondScum Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 The three books you list are all encyclopedias. If you want something with a bit more narrative, I like John Keegan's "The Second World War". And for a real slice-of-action book, try John Ellis's "One Day In A Very Long War" - he describes all the actions fought around the world on one day in the war. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacheldraht Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Those three books are superb references. I put in a second vote for Keegan's narrative history, if that's what you're looking for. What sort of books are you seeking? If it's Eastern Front books, try these for good introductions: Glantz & House When Titans Clashed Zaloga & Ness Red Army Handbook 1939-1945 Anthony Beevor Stalingrad Alexander Werth Russia at War: 1941-1945 James Lucas War on the Eastern Front Peter G. Tsouras, ed. Fighting in Hell Wolfram Wette & Gerd R. Ueberschär, eds. Stalingrad: Mythos und Wirklichkeit einer Schlacht (in German) Outside of books, you should consider The World at War on DVD--about 30 hours of great documentaries on the war as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croda Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Just finished Company Commander and couldn't recommend it more highly. Am also in the midst of Rendezvous with Destiny which is as complete and detailed as anything I've ever read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Is there any book out there that is qualitatively equivalent or superior to "Encyclopaedia of German Tanks of WWII" but covers Soviet armour? I know there are a few so-so or perhaps even good books out there but I'm looking for something really good and of the "one stop" character of Chamberlains book on German armour. anybody know? M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Dorosh Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 Originally posted by Mattias: Is there any book out there that is qualitatively equivalent or superior to "Encyclopaedia of German Tanks of WWII" but covers Soviet armour? I know there are a few so-so or perhaps even good books out there but I'm looking for something really good and of the "one stop" character of Chamberlains book on German armour. anybody know? M.Advanced Squad Leader Rulebook? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigdog Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 I have to also 2nd "Company Commander" fantastic book, Also try Death Traps by B. Cooper that’s a great read. Steel Rain Waffen-SS Panzer Battles West 1944-1945 by Tim Riply It was published 2001 its talks about each of the major battles in the West, well written, not to grogish. It has some none topo maps & each chapter is approximately 8 to 10 pages with nice clear pictures whole book is 220 pages, oh it has some order of battle for the major battles. There is also Steel Rain Waffen-SS Panzer Battles East Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattias Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 You have a point there Michael.. But then again, there is a bit of information left out, by necessity, when you use about 15 lines in a half page column to describe every unit type M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commissar Posted March 23, 2002 Share Posted March 23, 2002 "Panzertruppen" by Thomas Jentz, vol1 and 2. Nothing like actual German combat reports to give you an idea what the Germans thought at the time and what tactics they were supposed to use. "The Road to Stalingrad" & "The Road to Berlin" by Erickson. Many refer to these books as THE books to read about the Eastern Front. Be warned, they are quite thick and the detail is quite enormous. If you are not used to reading military history or unfamilar with some basic military terms, you maybe struggling to understand and stay awake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Posted March 23, 2002 Author Share Posted March 23, 2002 Thanks folks. I'll certainly check out the 'Steel Rain', I've got a couple of SS books, Das Reich I find quite good but Steel Rain sounds like it will be better for the particular battles. Coy Commander sounds a good buy too. I'll DL the page and check out some of the others once I find the gaps I need to plug. World at War is definitely on my DVD collection list, just trying to find the best price on it. I've also seen a couple of documentaries on our Sky Satellite channels, 'Tanks' and 'Battlefield'. There was some excellent coverage on Kursk, Bulge, and Falaise Gap etc. I am not sure if any of those are also on DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Kettler Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Apache, The closest one volume Russian armor reference book I know of is John Milsom's RUSSIAN TANKS 1900-1970: The Complete Illustrated History of Soviet Armoured Theory and Design, published by Galahad Books in 1970. It's a must read. Steve Zaloga probably has something more recent out, considering one of his books (coauthored by James Grandsen) picks up the topic in 1946. I expect that a wartime volume is out or pending. Hope this helps. Regards, John Kettler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by John Kettler: The closest one volume Russian armor reference book I know of is John Milsom's RUSSIAN TANKS 1900-1970: The Complete Illustrated History of Soviet Armoured Theory and Design, published by Galahad Books in 1970. It's a must read.It's interesting that this book has come up several times in the last few weeks. I bought a discounted copy in a bookstore over 25 years ago and had the impression that there weren't too many copies in existence. Given the paucity of information on Soviet armor, I would agree that this one is a must read. Since it covers the entire history of Soviet armor up to the time it was written, of necessity its presentation is somewhat hurried. Some things are left out and you can't always find the particular bit of information you are looking for. Still, if you can find a copy, it is well worth having. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Apache, May I offer the following suggestions: Doubler, Closing with the Enemy is a good nuts-and-bolts look at the US Army in 1944-45 in NWE. Blackburns' The Guns trilogy is a good, detailed, look at CW artillery in the same timeframe. He also talks extensivly about the arms he supported (in particular the infantry), and the chapter I found most distressing and unforgettable across the trilogy dealt with medical services in Normandy. Deighton Blood, Tears and Folly I found a good overview of the critical first years of the war. It isn't really a chronology, rather he looks at salient aspects from each of the main theatres. It has six parts: The Battle of the Atlantic, Hitler Conquers Europe, The Mediterranean War, The War in the Air, Barbarossa: The Attack on Russia, and Japan Goes to War. Forty has several Handbooks on various nations which are credible 'one-stop-shops' for those nations organisation and equipment. After that, you start getting into specific areas of personal interest, my bookshelves have a strong showing in CW books in general, and artillery in particular, some on logistics, but virtually nothing on the Eastern Front, and relativly little on the German Army - though that is changing. CM has made many booksellers around the world very happy. Regards JonS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfe Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by John Kettler: It's a must read. Steve Zaloga probably has something more recent out, considering one of his books (coauthored by James Grandsen) picks up the topic in 1946. I expect that a wartime volume is out or pending. Thanks for the tip about the Milsom book, John. I may have to look for that one. Amazon also lists a "Russian Tanks of World War 2" by Milsom. ISBN 085059250X. And Zaloga/Grandsen put out "Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two", a 1984 book. ISBN 0853686068. Haven't seen it, though. - Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfe Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Hmmm. An interesting site: Chronological Armored Vehicle Book List - Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nowotny Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Get The history of The Panzerkorps GroßDeutschland by Helmuth Spaeter. If you can find the three volume set you're in business. It's expensive but check epier.com or half.com , it's well worth it IMO. #1 and #3 on your list are very good as well, picked up both on half.com for cheap. Regards!! [ March 23, 2002, 11:52 PM: Message edited by: Nowotny ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by Wolfe: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by John Kettler: It's a must read. Steve Zaloga probably has something more recent out, considering one of his books (coauthored by James Grandsen) picks up the topic in 1946. I expect that a wartime volume is out or pending. Zaloga/Grandsen put out "Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two", a 1984 book. ISBN 0853686068. Haven't seen it, though. - Chris</font> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted March 24, 2002 Share Posted March 24, 2002 Originally posted by Wolfe: Hmmm. An interesting site: Chronological Armored Vehicle Book ListWow! That's quite a listing. Too bad they can't indicate which books are currently in print and how much they are going for. Still, it's quite an accomplishment to get as much information together as they did. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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