Question about WWII history books, eng

In 1996 I met John Erickson at a conference. He was on the platform with a German expert on the Wehrmacht Klaus? Paul? Fischer for the session on German and Soviet doctrine. A little wizened chap was sitting next to me in the lecture theatre clutching a photo album. At the end of the session - Any Questions? The wizened chap pips up and in good academic form announces himself with his organisation. "Henry Mettleman, 22nd Panzer Division, I was at Stalingrad. Why did the Russians fight so hard? Erickson answered "One reason was that they shot 15,000 of their own side.".

Ar dinner I had the privilege of sitting next to John Erickson. His doctoral thesis was on Soviet military Doctrine, which he did from unclassified sources. In the 1950s he was invited by Kruschev to study in the Soviet Union, possibly so Kruschev had an expert on doctrine who was not part of the Red Army. Erickson is worth reading because he had met and interviewed many of the senior Red army men. He met Zukhov at his dacha when he was an unperson.

 

That can all be true, and I still find his books turgid and unreadable.

All the best

Andreas

 

<edit - I seem to have goobered up my original post, so deleted things>

 

I'm finding it fascinating that things we had no idea about at that time are now part of the accepted narrative. I'm not sure if this is one of those examples, but I still remember the story (forgot where I read it) about how the Russians at Stalingrad would send 2 soldiers to the front with one gun and 3 bullets. They figured at least one of them would make it long enough to fire those 3, but why waste more?

 

"Whatever very specific variant you have (mildly complex)... "

A kids special Adam, from way back, when shorts were worn every day but Sunday no matter the weather

Reprint Society 1954, post era paper restrictions, and it's stood the test of time pretty well. As a tacker the maps did it for me, and boy could Trotter draw! Quantity and quality but I could at least understand them and they drew my attention much more than the written word back then (but I've learnt my lesson since). No dust jacket. Either paper aeroplaned or added to the papier-mâché steel helmet makings pile as result of damage sustained during the "gi'ssa look" moments. And I blame the older siblings who should have known better

Cheap as chips nowadays, but for me a keeper for sentimental reasons.

Kind regards, and happy reading, always,

Jim.

 

There's the odd bit here as well: United States Army Green Books (PDF)

 

You seem most interested about U.S. supply chain management, so I would email a military academy or war college to ask for the latest student reading list. For overview of the U.S. political economy, there is Arsenal of World War II by Paul Koistinen. I thought it was informative but have no idea how the subject matter experts rate it.

 

Hi all,
Just wanted to follow up here on all your excellent suggestions. This is what I've gotten through so far, starting with a general overview, then diving into the Eastern Front:

Gerhard L. Weinberg
A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II

Norman Davies
No Simple Victory: World War II in Europe, 1939–1945

Antony Beevor
The Second World War

Richard Overy
Why the Allies Won

Donald L. Miller & Henry Steele Commager
The Story of World War II
_____________________________________
Eastern Front
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Guy Sajer
The Forgotten Soldier

Richard Overy
Russia's War A History of the Soviet Effort 1941-1945

Sean McMeekin
Stalin's War: A New History of World War II (in progress)
_____________________________________
On deck
_____________________________________
David M. Glantz, Jonathan M. House
When Titans Clashed: How the Red Army Stopped Hitler

Chester Wilmot
The Second World War, The Struggle for Europe (Can't skip this one)

Thank you all for the guidance! Спасибо большое!

 

Chester Wilmot. The Struggle for Europe. A superb publication

I remember him losing his life in 1954 off Italy when the DH Comet he was in as a passenger broke up in mid air. From the technical inquiry aircraft designers learnt a great deal regarding aircraft stresses.

An early read of mine and have still got the old paperback somewhere.