What's your 'Bible'?

"The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II" edited by Chris Bishop

This is not an all-inclusive guide, but it does a good job of covering a broad spectrum of the major weapons and vehicles from most countries involved in the war. I have to admit that I am partial to the exceptional illustrations that make up a good portion of the book.

 

Jane's Aircraft of World War 2. The spine is knackered so if you feel like replacing it for me.... :icon-mrgreenbandit:

 

Mine is the Oxford Companion to World War II. Got about everything you need in there. The most basix of reference works which I would recommend to anyone.

Ross

 

For Naval details Conways set of Books. Comprehensive and close to 100% accurate.

 

Kenneth Munson's series published by Blandford in the 60's and 70's.

I can't claim they are the most comprehensive, e.g they only give basic performance figures for one version of the aircraft, and just the one colour plate illustration. But they provided me with the basic outline of knowledge on which to build, and I still return to them.

I got "Fighters 1939-45" when I was ten, and acquired "Bombers 1939-45", "Fighters 1914-19", "Bombers 1914-19", and "Helicopters from 1907", as well as the related volumes "Sports Cars 1928-39" and "Passenger Cars 1863-1904", by the time I was sixteen (about the time the other boys were discovering girls, football, rock music and drugs). About seven years later, I bought "Fighters 1919-39" and "Bombers 1919-39" in a second-hand bookshop.

Adrian

 

I don't have a favorite book, they are all as important as one another.

Bomber Command Losses Vol 1 - 8 (Chorley)
RAF Coastal Command Losses Vol 1 (McNeill)
Search Find And Kill (Franks)
German U-boat Losses (Niestle)
The U-boat War in the Atlantic (MoD Navy)
Business In Great Waters (Terraine)
The Right Of The Line (Terraine)
Engage The Enemy More Closely (Barnett)
Aircraft Versus Submarine (Price)
AIR 41/47 The RAF In The Maritime War Vol III

And many more

 

Bitter Victory. by Carlo D'Este - Collins !988.
The story of Operation Husky, the campaign to capture the island of Sicily from the Axis in 1943. My research 'bible'.
One of the best books i have read dealing with WW2.

Colin.

 

Are many. Oxford Companion to World War II by I.C.B. Dear and M.R.D. Foot is where I start. Then Boatner's Dictionary of World War II Biography.

 

I have a number of favorites . One of which I have read since I was a kid in high school and many times since . " Those Devils in Baggy Pants" Ross S, Carter . A squad of American paratroopers in the 504th Parachute infantry .

And a more recent favorite "Quartered Safe Out Here" George McDonald Fraser. An infantry section in a battalion of the Border Regiment . Fraser's description of the men of the unit, the humor , the wonder , the sheer tenacious durability of the these men is one classic story .

 

I have a number of favorites . One of which I have read since I was a kid in high school and many times since . " Those Devils in Baggy Pants" Ross S, Carter . A squad of American paratroopers in the 504th Parachute infantry .

And a more recent favorite "Quartered Safe Out Here" George McDonald Fraser. An infantry section in a battalion of the Border Regiment . Fraser's description of the men of the unit, the humor , the wonder , the sheer tenacious durability of the these men is one classic story .
The same bloke who wrote the Flashman stories.

 

My bibles are "Weapons of the WWII tommy" by David Gordon covers lots of ordnance that i am likely to come across at work and has helped identify items on more than one occasion.excellant book and worth getting by anyone who is interested in WW2 infantry equipment i got this from www.visualcollector.com
My second bible is "an introduction to british grenades" by I.D.Skennerton .It has practicaly every british grenade in the numbered series most with illustrations and detailed information

 

Mine would have to be "The Spitfire Story" by Dr. Alfred Price, which without doubt is the most authoritative volume ever published on the technicalities of the Spitfire. It's not an operationally history, but every single marque and its derivatives are examined in great technical & performance detail. Highly recommended to Spitfire afficianados...

 

I have several.

Order of Battle, US Army, WWII, Shelby Stanton
Handbook of German Military Forces, US War Department, reprinted by LSU Press
online verson HyperWar: Handbook on German Military Forces (TM-E 30-451)
Handbook of Japanese Military Forces, US War Department, reprinted by LSU Press
online version HyperWar: Handbook on Japanese Military Forces
German Army Uniforms and Insignia, Brian L Davis
US Army Handbook 1939-1945, George Forty
USAAF Handbook 1939-1945, Martin W. Bowman
Brute Force, John Ellis

 

One section of my "Bibles".

I also rely to a great extent on the info that I have stored on my PC, for instance, all my surviving diaries and my eponymous Army Album.

I've no doubt that you will probably spot a few of your own favourites on the shelf and yes, that the Manual of Military law 4th from the right with its red cover.

 

After the Battle 'Battle of Britain - Than and Now'.

 

Eagle in Flames by Hooten

Absolutely full of facts and information about the Luftwaffe.

Regards
Tom

 

Peter C.
I don't have a favorite book, they are all as important as one another.

Bomber Command Losses Vol 1 - 8 (Chorley)
RAF Coastal Command Losses Vol 1 (McNeill)
Search Find And Kill (Franks)
German U-boat Losses (Niestle)
The U-boat War in the Atlantic (MoD Navy)
Business In Great Waters (Terraine)
The Right Of The Line (Terraine)
Engage The Enemy More Closely (Barnett)
Aircraft Versus Submarine (Price)
AIR 41/47 The RAF In The Maritime War Vol III

Peter , we must have at one time or another travelled a similar route for similar reasons
.
I don't have all Bill Chorley's set ( unfortunately) otherwise 7 , 8 and 9 in your list are the only differences on some of the much used Coastal / Maritime material I would use , I could certainly seea use for them.

Add to the above Ken Wynn's 2 Vol. on U-Boat Operational Histories.
U-Boat Emblems of WW2 ( Hogel).
Hitler's U-Boat War Vol. 1 and 2 . ( Clay Blair)
Axis Submarine Success of WW2 ( J.Rohwer)
Chronology of the War at Sea ( J Rohwer)
Records relating to U-Boat warfare Microfilm Records of the National Archives No.2 1850-1945.
British Vessels lost at Sea .
UBoat vs Aircraft ( N.Frank).
Dark Sky Deep Water (N.Frank)
Conflict Over the Bay ( N.Franks).
German U-Boat Commanders of WW2 (Roll and Butsch).
The U-Boat- Tech. Evolution of the German Submarine. (E.Rossler)
Uniforms and Traditions of The Kriegsmarine Vols 1-3 Angolia and Schlich.
Short Sunderland ( Bowyer)
On The Step - 201 Sq.

In relation to Bomber Command.
Bomber Command wear Diaries ( Middlebrook / Everrit)
All M M's books on Bomber Command - really excellent.
Berlin Raids ( Cooper)
Most recently Nachtjagd Vol 1and 2 * ( Boiten / Mackenzie*)
German Nightfighter Force ( G.Anders)
Action Stations series (published by PSL)
Air Britains "Lancaster" and "Halifax" files.

Above used frequently all are useful.

Below relate to Hitler himself and the Holocaust something which became a central aspect of his war aims.

Ian Kershaws
Hubris and Nemesis - his 2 Vol Biography of Hitler are outstanding , Vol 2 in particular.
"The Hitler Myth" - Myth and Reality within the Third Reich. ( Kershaw)
It gives a real insight into the man and how her operated.
(Click on the link in my sig. for a lecture on Hitler given by Kershaw for the OUU/ BBC History Dept).
"Fateful Decisions" - A review of ten decisions which shaped WW2 and changed the World." ( Kershaw).

"Final Solution"- Nazi Population Policy and the Murder of The European Jews" - Gotz Aly. A hugely informative but disturbing read, if you are not simply haunted by what the drift into genocide , it underwrites what a post war Nazi world was to be and how it was to come about.

"Auschwitz , The Nazis and The Final Solution" (L.Rees).
"The Case for Auschwitz" (Robert Van Pelt).*
"Commanders of Auschwitz" (Dixon).
"Telling Lies about Hitler" (Richard Evans.)*
"Denying The Holocaust" (Lipstadt)**
"History on Trial" ( Lipstadt)**
( All above related via The Irving libel case , Van Pelts examines Rrevisionist "evidence" and utterly destroys it.)
Their so call "review" of history simply fills me with disgust and provokes anger as they utterly disrespect what took place.
Christopher Browning " The Origins of The Final Solution" - as with Gotz Aly it both informs and disturbs.



Lastly ,
"The Third Reich - A New History" by Michael Burleigh and "Death and Deliverence" by the same author.
The latter is a history of the so called Euthanasia as conducted by the Nazis - the thin end of the wdge which would become what we refer to as the Holocaust.


Sorry for my we rant some of the WW2 related areas I have wandered through over recent years.