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Hirschfeld by Wolfgang Hirschfeld, Translated by Geoffrey Brooks. It's the secret diaries held by the Radio Operator on U-109. Journals were forbidden by the BdU and he could have been courtmarshalled if it was found. Before the end of the war he was even transfered to the U-Boat that was being sent to Japan that would deliver the secret technology Germany was working on to the Japanese. Terrific book.

Google these titles to find the authors.
This is just a few off the top of my head:

Green Beach
The Black March
The Mouth of the Wolf
A World in Flames
And No Birds Sang

There are loads I could recommend, but these are some of the best ones:

Armageddon - Max Hastings. Very detailed and factual book covering 1944-45. Unlike many books that focus on one event or one particular army, this covers the whole spectrum.

Arnhem 1944 - William F. Buckingham. Best book I've read that covers Market Garden. Looks at the operation from conception to ultimate failure. Doesn't hold back on criticizing those responsible.

With The Jocks - Peter White. Good British (for a change!) take on things. Peter was a Lt. with the King's Own Scottish Borderers and kept an unauthorised Journal. This is a fascinating insight into the life of the average Brit soldier.

First Light - Geoffrey Wellum. His own story of his time as a Spitfire Pilot in the Battle of Britain. Excellent read.

No Moon Tonight - Don Charlwood. Another flying book. Don was a bomber navigator flying out of Lincolnshire, UK. Another great book.

Fire From The Forest - Roger Ford. Very detailed book on covert SAS operations in France 1944. It can be heavy going at times, but is worth sticking with.

Sledge Patrol - David Howarth. We don't normally think of Greenland when WWII is mentioned, but it was of strategic importance due to the weather stations there. This is a true story of real heroism and is well worth getting.

I could sit here all day recommending others, but those are some of the best of the many I've read.

Will have to go back to my boxes of books and see. Currently reading:

Herbert Werner, Iron Coffins

It's about the authors experiences as a U-Boot ensign and later commander. He goes into his time on-shore, but not with great detail. Has great detail on U-Boot conditions and life.

My fave has to be Pegasus Bridge by Stephen Ambrose I enjoyed the whole book great detail. I also liked Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose another great book.

Well there are two books im reading at the moment and they are:
Citizen Soldiers by stephan ambrose (spelling)
and Visions from a Foxhole by William A. Foley Jr., i like visions better because the author was writing about the battles he was in, and he sketched some pictures from his foxhole (hints the name visions from a foxhole) which is really awesome...so go check it out, read a paragraph of it inside a book store and see for yourself

As for interest in reading and historical accuracy, I just finished reading Monte Cassino by Matthew Parker (A British author), and I would definitely recommend that.

An old favorite of mine is also The Forgotten Soldier. It's a memoir of a German soldier from France on the Eastern Front (and then briefly on the Western Front). You hardly get a context about what's happening, given that common soldiers hardly ever realize exactly what's going on, but it's written very well, and it almost like a novel...could be made into a movie even. Great book to read.

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Originally posted by ryan_v:
As for interest in reading and historical accuracy, I just finished reading Monte Cassino by Matthew Parker (A British author), and I would definitely recommend that.

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Got that and I'd agree - well worth the read. It's a campaign that often gets overlooked.

One I forgot when I posted my list is "Our Street" by Gilda O'Neill. Totally moves away from battles/campaigns etc and is a collection of memoirs of those who lived in the East End of London during the Blitz. I bought it at an airport for something to read during a flight not expecting much, but it is a fascinating book comprising the recollections of those who were there and lived through it.

PS. Re Ambrose's books. They're good, and if that's all you ever read then you'd believe them to be 100% correct as he was a highly respected historian, but they do contain a number of factually incorrect errors.

quote:

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Originally posted by ag1266:
PS. Re Ambrose's books. They're good, and if that's all you ever read then you'd believe them to be 100% correct as he was a highly respected historian, but they do contain a number of factually incorrect errors.

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Yeah, and not to mention debatable viewpoints. I learned to read about subjects from several authors, preferably from different nationalities. With history there's a ton of ways to look at things, which is why I love it.

I'd posted just a few titles off the top of my head. One deserves further mention:

"A World In Flames 1944-1945" by Richard S. Malone and published by Collins books.

This book is an important resource for every person of every nation with an interest in the Second World War.

Malone was a newsman before the War, and during the war was put in command of the Canadian Army Press Corps.

In that capacity, he managed to get around alot.

He had access to all the major figures.He was there for the Normandy battles.
He was in Paris when the Free French arrived.
He was caught up in the Battle of the Bulge.
Etc, etc, till just before VE day.
He was shipped off to the Pacific and was one of the first two Canadians into Japan, landing with the first American troops following the A-Bomb drops and the Emperor's order to surrender.

He came into contact with everyone from Churchhill and Montgomery in Europe to MacArthur in the Pacific. (And was an Official Witness to the Japanese Surrender in Tokyo Harbour.)

Having met these people he gives some great insights into them.
Being a newsman, he writes well.

It's a fascinating book that gives great insights into what went right (and wrong) during the war and those responsible.

best ww2 book ever...
Parachute Infantry:An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich- by David Kenyon Webster
an awesome book written by a soldier in 506th E Comp. Really shows how Band of Brothers was on the spot with the events.....overall a great book.

Enemy at the Gates

I'm rather surprised no one has mentioned this book yet. Deffinately one of the best WW2 books ever written...

Cross of Iron by Willie Heinrich. There is also a movie by the same name. It's pretty good, but the book is far better, and the movie only tells a small part of the story in the book.

Good luck finding a copy of it though, it's been out of print for years (the english version anyway).

I also rather liked The Eagle Has Landed and the sequal, The Eagle Has Flown, by Jack Higgins. Don't judge this book by the movie of the same name. The book is far better.

" Soldat"

by Siegfried Knappe, German officer, covers his whole career from 1936-1945, got this book to learn about the what the Germans went through, no regrets. This guy nearly assassinated the Führer himself. If you want to hear the German side of it (no he is not pro-Nazi idealism) then get this book!

*So weit die Füße tragen*
i don't know what thats in english means :P

Silent Wings At War Combat Gliders In World War 2 by John L. Lowden was an excellent read.
I am currently reading History of the World's Glider Forces by Alan Wood and Attacks by Erwin Rommel as well.
Rommel was pretty amazing as a soldier in WW1. From what I've read so far, it's easy to see why he was Germany's top Field Marshall during WW2.

I finished reading Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose. It was an excellent book, one I couldn't stop reading.

DROPZONE NORMANDY
by : Napier Crookenden

the part when the private knocks on the door is in there,about summers at the barracks ,you want to read some real nice stuff read that book every little detail is in there

oh and books about the SAS are good to.

quote:

Originally posted by Airforce1234:
*So weit die Füße tragen*
i don't know what thats in english means :P

"How the feet march/tread"
" so wie" can be translated into oh how, or something along those lines in formal english. finally my german is coming into good use

To be precise: "As far as the feet carry".