Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: MrKrabs on February 10, 2015, 12:22:02 PM
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Want to spend a portion of my refund money on some good WW2 books...
Suggestions would be awesome...
"Half-expecting Brooke to have a long list replied within 20 minutes."
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I just finished Code Burgandy. It's good, an account of a bomber gunner's capture and evasion in France. Hats off to the French resistance in this one.
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Any particular subject of interest Krabs?
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Any particular subject of interest Krabs?
Not picky yet.
I was hoping to start with stuff well-received by folks here...
I love the technical aspect of WW2; but you can pretty much dig that up on that the internet anytime... "Doesn't mean I would,kt appreciate getting pointed in the direction of more good stuff especially from the School of Applied Tactics."
But in any case I hope for something that would be worth reading a few times.
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(http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff186/obie303/PolesApart.jpg) (http://s237.photobucket.com/user/obie303/media/PolesApart.jpg.html)
Battle of Arnhem from the perspective of the 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade.
Very good book, but also very difficult to find.
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"Inside the Nazi War Machine" by Bevin Alexander I just finished. He's a respected author and the book focuses on the destruction of the allied armies in 1940 by the brilliance of three German generals, Manstein, Guderian, and Rommel. The three of them creating a new form of warfare, often while disobeying orders, and the position of strength it put the new German Empire in.
Which Hitler promptly blew. He blew it by not destroying the British at Dunkirk and he blew it by not properly outfitting the Africa Corp and paying attention to the Mediterranean. He was obsessed with his idiotic racial theories and his desire for living space in Russian and the destruction of communism.
The book is almost entirely based on the French campaign but it does connect the dots on its implications on Later events.
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Inside The Third Reich, by Albert Speer.
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"Inside the Nazi War Machine" by Bevin Alexander I just finished. He's a respected author and the book focuses on the destruction of the allied armies in 1940 by the brilliance of three German generals, Manstein, Guderian, and Rommel. The three of them creating a new form of warfare, often while disobeying orders, and the position of strength it put the new German Empire in.
Which Hitler promptly blew. He blew it by not destroying the British at Dunkirk and he blew it by not properly outfitting the Africa Corp and paying attention to the Mediterranean. He was obsessed with his idiotic racial theories and his desire for living space in Russian and the destruction of communism.
The book is almost entirely based on the French campaign but it does connect the dots on its implications on Later events.
Sounds tantalizing... Sounds like every good documentry ever watched wrapped up in one good book.
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Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950.
Expand your horizons.
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Given up for dead by Bill Sloan
A well researched and presented account of the Battle for Wake Island. A great read that flows well and is hard to put down.
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Project 19 - A Mission Most Secret by John W. Swancara
This book tells the story of aircraft refurbishment centers set up prior to and after the US entry into World War 2. It is a little known story of the aircraft manufacturers, and their employees, who helped to keep Allied aircraft flying in the early years of the war.
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Sounds tantalizing... Sounds like every good documentry ever watched wrapped up in one good book.
Objective. Very objective. Unlike Speer's book which seems to only serve to make him look like the "humane, Likable Nazi" and was very self serving along with many parts having dubious credibility. Like his fantasy "I wanted to kill Hitler scheme". I think Speer was a Liar yet still Inside the Third Reich has value and should be read.
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Given up for dead by Bill Sloan
A well researched and presented account of the Battle for Wake Island. A great read that flows well and is hard to put down.
Added to my A-cart. Thks!
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Given up for dead by Bill Sloan
A well researched and presented account of the Battle for Wake Island. A great read that flows well and is hard to put down.
Sloan's books on Peleliu and Okinawa are also very good reads.
Any of James Hornfischer's books are also fantastic reads. Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, Ship of Ghosts, and Neptune's Inferno.
Combine Sloan and Hornfischer and you get most of the Navy Marine war against Japan
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A Helmet for my Pillow
With the Old Breed
Strong Men Armed
Woodbine Red Leader
An Ace of the Eighth
Mustang Ace
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
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Want to spend a portion of my refund money on some good WW2 books...
Suggestions would be awesome...
"Half-expecting Brooke to have a long list replied within 20 minutes."
The Forgotten 500: The Untold Story of the Men Who Risked All for the GreatestRescue Mission of World War II
Read it about a year or perhaps two years ago.
"In 1944 the OSS set out to recover more than 500 downed airmen trapped behind enemy lines in Yugoslavia. Classified for over half a century for political reasons, the full account of this unforgettable story of loyalty, self-sacrifice, and bravery is now being told for the first time."
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgotten-500-gregory-a-freeman/1100554300?ean=9780451224958
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Sticking with WWII:
1) The Bomber Boys by Travis L. Ayres
2) The Faustball Tunnel by John Hammond Moore
3) Four Came Home by Carroll V. Glines
4) A Higher Call by Adam Makos
5) To Kingdom Come by Robert J. Mrazek
6) The Longest Winter by Alex Kershaw
7) Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller
8) Night by Elie Wiesel
9) Spitfires Over Malta by Paul Brennan, Ray Hesselyn and Paul Lovell
10) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
1, 4, 5 and 7 all deal with the strategic air campaign in Europe. I really liked #2, it dealt with the lives of German POWs here in the US. #3 followed the four captured Doolittle Raiders who returned home alive. #6 mostly followed the American POWs captured during the Battle of the Bulge. #8 I read back in highschool, followed the lives of Jewish Holocaust prisoners. #9 read more like a diary, a lot of technical details in the original portion but this version was reproduced with additional material. #10 you probably already know follows the life of Louis Zamperini.
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Would anyone be intrested if I started a squadron site on here to discuss good books etc?
I'm a voracious reader, and lately (last 2 yrs or so) been into history podcasts. Every time I read a great book or listen to a great podcast I want to run in here and share it with you gents, but there is so many that starting a new thread in the oclub is just silly. I always thought it was a shame there wasn't a forum like that in here. I'd want to clear it with HTC first, and then post a notice in the oclub of its creation.
Sry crabby didn't mean to hijack your thread.
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Would anyone be intrested if I started a squadron site on here to discuss good books etc?
I'm a voracious reader, and lately (last 2 yrs or so) been into history podcasts. Every time I read a great book or listen to a great podcast I want to run in here and share it with you gents, but there is so many that starting a new thread in the oclub is just silly. I always thought it was a shame there wasn't a forum like that in here. I'd want to clear it with HTC first, and then post a notice in the oclub of its creation.
Sry crabby didn't mean to hijack your thread.
In :aok -- But I am a very very slow reader, I'll be playing catch up most of the time.
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Would anyone be intrested if I started a squadron site on here to discuss good books etc?
I'm a voracious reader, and lately (last 2 yrs or so) been into history podcasts. Every time I read a great book or listen to a great podcast I want to run in here and share it with you gents, but there is so many that starting a new thread in the oclub is just silly. I always thought it was a shame there wasn't a forum like that in here. I'd want to clear it with HTC first, and then post a notice in the oclub of its creation.
Sry crabby didn't mean to hijack your thread.
We could always start a book club thread here in the o'club and maybe just maybe they'll give us a chance and sticky.it.. It might bring more books to light for everyone!
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Reading....now..."Pacific Air" by David Sears. Lotsa good IJN input, most of all from M. Fuchido. Im only up to Midway now and have over 1/2 the book to go but I found the entry of the Zero-san into operations very interesting. Actually my interest in the IJN has been re-sparked and when Im not reading the book Im surfing the web to study again the great air and naval war's in the Pacific.
I learned something I never knew before. That Butch O'hare's old man was all mobbed up and got whacked by Al Capone's guys after he testified against Capone.
Is there anything greater then History?
Oh and Lotsa Thach in the book as he was creating tactics.
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I think that all of these are excellent.
WWII aviation
The Wrong Stuff, by Smith (personal tale of life as a B-17 pilot in 8th AF)
The Few, by Kershaw (The first Americans in the Battle of Britain)
Masters of the Air, by Miller (8th AF, stories from strategic to tactical, awesome)
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand (B-24 crewman, incredible tale of survival)
Fighter Pilot, by Olds (autobiography of Robin Olds)
JG26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, by Caldwell (daily history of JG 26)
The First and the Last, by Galland (Galland's tale)
Zemke's Wolfpack, by Freeman (P-47's, Zemke, Johnson, Gabreski)
Top Guns, by Foss and Brennan (excellent collection from pilots)
Samurai, by Sakai (Saburo Sakai's story)
Midway, by Fuchida and Okumiya (Midway and a lot more by guys who were in the action)
Intrepid, by White and Gandt (detailed stories of USS Intrepid)
FLAK, by Veitch (stories from RAF, RAAF, RNZAF pilots)
Baa, Baa Black Sheep, by Boyington (Pappy's tales)
Aces High, by Yenne (about Bong and McGuire)
A Dawn Like Thunder, by Mrazek (detailed stories of VT-8)
America's Hundred Thousand, by Dean (nonfiction detailed info on all US WWII fighters)
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, by Bodie (awesome nonfiction book on the P-38)
The Wild Blue, by Ambrose (B-24 stories)
Flying Through Midnight, by Halliday (interesting tales of a C-123 special-ops pilot -- this one is not WWII, though)
WWII other than aviation
With the Old Breed, by Sledge (if a person reads only one book on war, this should be it)
Neptune's Inferno, by Hornfischer (awesome account of the Guadalcanal campaign)
A Measureless Peril, by Snow (awesome story of US battle in Atlantic)
One Man's War, by LaMore (awesome story of fighting and survival)
To Hell and Back, by Murphy (Audie Murphy's story)
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, by Hornfischer (awesome account of Battle of Leyte Gulf)
The Bravest Man, by Tuohy (WWII submarine combat)
Band of Brothers, by Ambrose (famous)
No Simple Victory, by Davies (excellent academic history of WWII from angles not usually presented in the West)
Army at Dawn, by Atkinson (North Africa)
The Day of Battle, by Atkinson (Italy)
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Killing Patton, I found it a good and very interesting read.
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I think that all of these are excellent.
WWII aviation
The Wrong Stuff, by Smith (personal tale of life as a B-17 pilot in 8th AF)
The Few, by Kershaw (The first Americans in the Battle of Britain)
Masters of the Air, by Miller (8th AF, stories from strategic to tactical, awesome)
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand (B-24 crewman, incredible tale of survival)
Fighter Pilot, by Olds (autobiography of Robin Olds)
JG26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, by Caldwell (daily history of JG 26)
The First and the Last, by Galland (Galland's tale)
Zemke's Wolfpack, by Freeman (P-47's, Zemke, Johnson, Gabreski)
Top Guns, by Foss and Brennan (excellent collection from pilots)
Samurai, by Sakai (Saburo Sakai's story)
Midway, by Fuchida and Okumiya (Midway and a lot more by guys who were in the action)
Intrepid, by White and Gandt (detailed stories of USS Intrepid)
FLAK, by Veitch (stories from RAF, RAAF, RNZAF pilots)
Baa, Baa Black Sheep, by Boyington (Pappy's tales)
Aces High, by Yenne (about Bong and McGuire)
A Dawn Like Thunder, by Mrazek (detailed stories of VT-8)
America's Hundred Thousand, by Dean (nonfiction detailed info on all US WWII fighters)
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, by Bodie (awesome nonfiction book on the P-38)
The Wild Blue, by Ambrose (B-24 stories)
Flying Through Midnight, by Halliday (interesting tales of a C-123 special-ops pilot -- this one is not WWII, though)
WWII other than aviation
With the Old Breed, by Sledge (if a person reads only one book on war, this should be it)
Neptune's Inferno, by Hornfischer (awesome account of the Guadalcanal campaign)
A Measureless Peril, by Snow (awesome story of US battle in Atlantic)
One Man's War, by LaMore (awesome story of fighting and survival)
To Hell and Back, by Murphy (Audie Murphy's story)
Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, by Hornfischer (awesome account of Battle of Leyte Gulf)
The Bravest Man, by Tuohy (WWII submarine combat)
Band of Brothers, by Ambrose (famous)
No Simple Victory, by Davies (excellent academic history of WWII from angles not usually presented in the West)
Army at Dawn, by Atkinson (North Africa)
The Day of Battle, by Atkinson (Italy)
You're late! :old:
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You're late! :old:
Already read them all, eh? :D
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The Forgotten Few
Survivors of Stalingrad
Tank Commander
Lion Rampant
Tigers in the Mud
The Longest Winter
The Liberator
The Last Battle
Eastern Inferno
Behind Hitler's Lines (story of the only US soldier to fight on both the US and Soviet sides)
The Last Zero Fighter
My War
The Bloody Battle for Suribachi
Unsung Eagles
Messerschmitts over Sicily
A Tomb Called Iwo Jima (excellent view of the Japanese side during the battle)
A Stranger to Myself
Black Edelweiss
Red Road from Stalingrad
Memoirs of a Stuka Pilot
Stuka Pilot
One Square Mile of Hell
Blood Red Snow
Shadow Warriors
Wolfpack Warriors
The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea--The Forgotten War of the South Pacific
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Already read them all, eh? :D
No! Read small text in OP! :old:
And a nice list from Ack-Ack :banana:
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"Half-expecting Brooke to have a long list replied within 20 minutes."
:rofl :aok
Well done!
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I've read a lot of the books mentioned but many I have not. Thanks fellas for posting. My Amazon cart is getting full.
One that hasn't been mentioned is the Forgotten Soldier by Sajer. You won't want to put it down. This kid wanted to wear a military uniform in 1937. Living in the Alsace Region, his mother was German and father French. He picked Germany and enlisted. He spent 98% of his time on the eastern front but was lucky enough to be captured by the U.S.
Also, I like the idea for a squad forum for discussing books. If this happens, please add me to the list.
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Another good one:
The German Aces Speak by Colin Heaton. Very good read. Galland, Krupinski, Falck, and Neumann own words.
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The Bravest Man along with Escape from the Deep.