I have just finished reading Rommels war in Africa, by Wolf Heckmann, and i found it interesting. I was just wondering if there were any other books about the campaign in north Africa, or any other ww2 books if they are worth the read. THANK YOU Jewman
Any by Steven Ambrose, Baders biography is good as is "The Naked Island" There are many good WW2 books out there it just depends on what you are interested in.
Originally posted by jewman@Nov 23 2004, 08:45 PM I have just finished reading Rommels war in Africa, by Wolf Heckmann, and i found it interesting. I was just wondering if there were any other books about the campaign in north Africa, or any other ww2 books if they are worth the read. THANK YOU Jewman [post=29645]Quoted post[/post] Barrie Pitt's Crucible of War three volumed series is very good on the North African campaign up to el Alamein and the immediate aftermath. It may be quite difficult to get hold of though. The Cassell 2001 edition has been on sale in the discount bookstores over the last year, meaning they are clearing out the stock at the publishers. The Rommel Papers (ed B H Liddell-Hart) are also an important source on North Africa. The book should not be difficult to get hold of and is definitely on sale online via Barnes & Noble in the USA - this is where I got mine, although shipping outside the USA is not cheap.
My web page just added a bibliography of Desert war books, and I will be adding my notes on those books in the near future. The desert war has had a lot of writing about it, but it's also been mythologized. Most of the books on the desert date back to the 1950s and 1960s, when both ULTRA and the deception stratagems were still secret. Very little has been written about the Italian experience (at least that I have found). The language barrier is a factor. Alan Moorehead's Desert Trilogy is a good contemporary account of the campaign by a seasoned war correspondent.
An excellent book on Operation Torch and the subsequent North Africa campaigns is An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson. It is very thorough and has excellent insight to every level of the battles, from generals to privates. My only knock on it is that it is written from a US point of view and most of the action in North Africa prior to Torch is left out. One of my favorite WWII books is The Pacific War by John Costello. It is a bit older than many of today's popular WWII books (1981), but it is the benchmark work on the War in the Pacific. It doesn't go into a great deal of specifics about individual battles, but it does give you an excellent strategic overview and insight into the troubled relationship between the US and Japan, starting back in the 1850's. I could prattle on & on, but I'll stop there unless you'd like more.
For me the most realistic of all war books is "Assault Division" written by Scarfe. it has just been reproduced, out of print since 1947. Wriiten by a man that fought in the Division. Not written from heresay and reference to others works. A first class study of real war without the "Hollywood" trimmings. Sapper
"The Memoirs of Marshal Zhukov", by the greatest war hero himself. Something about what truly happened for a change.
If you get hold of Richard Holmes's account of D-Day "The D-Day Experience" with all the enclosed documents and audio CD, you'll be engrossed for hours!
Originally posted by Ali Hollington@Jan 6 2005, 02:52 PM Spotted this in the Publishers Works (discount store) for about £15! if only I'd waited. Ali [post=30460]Quoted post[/post] Yes, I wasn't going to bother but when we saw it in Works for half price I, thought "Why not". My other half wasn't keen on the idea at all and it turns out she had got it for me as a Christmas present. Now I've got it I can say it would have been well worth 30 quid, but at 15 it's a 'must buy'!
I agree on the original value of the book, just lament the £15 difference which could have been wisely invested in some other book or DVD! Ali
Originally posted by Zhukov@Jan 5 2005, 05:27 AM "The Memoirs of Marshal Zhukov", by the greatest war hero himself. Something about what truly happened for a change. [post=30424]Quoted post[/post] Although there is more than one of his works available in English, the above does not appear to have been published under the name shown. Don't you think though that any autobiography tends to be self serving and needs to be read with caution?
not really a history of the desert war but a very interesting read which includes his experiences in the western desert 'Panzer Commander' by Hans Von Luck is his autobiography covering his impressive career in the german army from Poland to France, In Russia, on to North Africa, Normandy and the battle in the east for berlin. It also covers his capture and deportation in Russia very easy to read and very informative (also has an intro by the late Stephen Ambrose as well)
Originally posted by harribobs@Feb 5 2005, 08:50 PM not really a history of the desert war but a very interesting read which includes his experiences in the western desert 'Panzer Commander' by Hans Von Luck is his autobiography covering his impressive career in the german army from Poland to France, In Russia, on to North Africa, Normandy and the battle in the east for berlin. It also covers his capture and deportation in Russia very easy to read and very informative (also has an intro by the late Stephen Ambrose as well) [post=31250]Quoted post[/post] Agreed with this recommedation. Another good read would be "Panzer Battles" by F.W. Von Mellenthin. Von Mellenthin was one of Rommels Staff officers in the Desert. He subsequently served under Balck in Russia and then with Army Group G, thus giving him the distinction of being one of the few officers to serve in the 3 theatres of war. German memoirs have to be treated with an element of caution, especially when it comes to the Senior Officers. There is a tendancy towards "Hitler made all the mistakes and if he had listened to us then victory was possible" or "The Russian winter not the army beat us". And its prevalent in most of the memoirs, especially Guderian and Mansteins. I would still recommend reading them, just dont accept them as gospel.
They say it is not boasting if others say it is true and you can back it up. The best book written about the Air War in WWII is A Real Good War. Judge it for yourself by reading a complete chapter and reviews at http://www.b17sam.com/samplepage.html
I cannot let this thread go by without mentioning again what I consider to be the best WW2 book I have ever read. "Bitter Victory" by Carlo D'Este is the story of the Sicillian Campaign of 1943, brilliantly told with a host of facts and information. I know the book is available in UK libraries and for sale from booksellers in the USA and Canada. A sadly neglected area of WW2, I highly reccomend this book.
Originally posted by colinhotham@Mar 8 2005, 06:48 AM I cannot let this thread go by without mentioning again what I consider to be the best WW2 book I have ever read. "Bitter Victory" by Carlo D'Este is the story of the Sicillian Campaign of 1943, brilliantly told with a host of facts and information. I know the book is available in UK libraries and for sale from booksellers in the USA and Canada. A sadly neglected area of WW2, I highly reccomend this book. [post=32010]Quoted post[/post] D'Este has a highly successful cottage industry of books on World War II: "Fatal Decision," about Anzio, "Eisenhower: The Soldier's Life," a biography of the general to 1945, "Patton: A Genius For War," a biography of that general, and "Decision in Normandy," a fine history of that campaign. Very talented writer, good researcher. His Sicily book explodes a number of myths. Most people only seem to know the campaign from the movie "Patton," which inaccurately depicts the battle in terms of a horse race between two prima donnas locked in mutual hatred. Not so....nor was it a tremendous Allied victory.
colinhotham I agree whole heartedly "Bitter Victory" by Carlo D'este is a great book specifically regarding the Sicily campaign. Actually I would say it is the best book he has written to date. Another book I endorse would be John Toland's "The Rising Sun The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire 1939-1945". One of the best I have read to date. BlackSheep
