WWII (non-fiction) recommendations

[VaporPunk]

Another vote for:

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
A Bridge Too Far

and for The Guns of August as well. Next on my History TR list is Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, which concerns 14th century France. Not WW2 but probably a great read for any history buff.

Another WW2 history that hasn't been mentioned yet, Is Paris Burning? by Larry Collins and Dominique La Pierre. The liberation of Paris in 1944, highly recommended.

[matt314159]

Battle of the Generals: The Untold Story of the Falaise Pocket, Martin Blumenson

This sounds interesting. In a WWII history class I just finished, we read a chapter from Victor Davis Hanson's "The Soul of Battle" ...I enjoy Hanson in that he makes these bold, provocative arguments...Surely he overstated his case, but in the chapter we read, he basically argued that if they hadn't reigned Patton in, and instead had let him close the Falaise gap, they could have defeated germany in just a couple months. It was interesting to ponder, and whetted my appetite to read more about that.

I'll hawk another book we used in the course, Michael Bess' Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II ...it provided a really even-handed analysis of many aspects of WWII, and by far one of the best analysis/breakdowns of the decision to drop the Atomic bomb that I've ever read. He breaks it down into 12 basic questions and analyses it on a point-by-point basis...12 questions:

1. Was it necessary to drop the bomb in order to get the Japanese to surrender?
2. Was this weapon qualitatively different from all the other weapons used during the war?
3. Did the use of the bomb speed up the Japanese surrender?
4. Were there plausible alternatives for achieving surrender without invading Japan or dropping the bomb?
5. Did the atomic bombing of Japan, by shortening the war, result in a net saving of lives?
6. Was the Nagasaki bomb necessary?
7. Was there a plausible alternative for achieving surrender with a lower loss of life, by using the bomb differently than the United States actually did?
8. Did the United States drop the bomb to intimidate the Soviet Union?
9. Did U.S. leaders rush to drop the bomb, in the hope of bringing about Japanese surrender before the Soviets could enter the Pacific War?
10. Was the bomb used out of racism?
11. Did the use of this weapon violate the basic principles of a just war?
12. Was the dropping of the atomic bomb justified? How to judge the morality of this act?

Bess, Michael (2009-03-10). Choices Under Fire: Moral Dimensions of World War II (p. 200). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

IMHO that chapter alone was worth the price of admission. As kindle editions go, $14 is a little on the steep side, but regradless, it's an excellent book if you want to look at WWII from a bit of a more analytical standpoint. Easy read, yet highly informative.

[ucfgrad93]

While not exactly a story about WWII, Shadow Divers is the story about trying to identify a sunken German u-boat off the coast of New Jersey. It is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

[morriss003]

For anyone still reading this thread, one of the finest accounts of World War II is the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Very dry at times, and at other times, very chilling. The account of operations at Guadalcanal may move you to tears.

[Apache]

United States Destroyer Operations in World War II by Theodore Roscoe and Lieut. Comdr Fred Freeman (Dec 1953).

This covers every Destroyer and all operations during WWII. It comes with drawings and diagrams showing how WWII battles progressed.
Apache

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by Steve Anderson

Matt, I got Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory on my Kindle, standing by. If any of you like the espionage angle, you might really like Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal

I just came across this thread, and it turns out I read them both last month. Ben Macintyre is an incredibly good author. Fortunately he's younger than me, so, with any luck, I'll be reading his stuff for a long time

[rkomar]

By coincidence, I'm reading "Japanese Destroyer Captain" by Tameichi Hara. It gives the perspective of a Japanese involved directly in the Pacific battles. I'm finding it pretty interesting, so far, and recommend it for anyone interested in books about that era. I'm reading it in paperback, and it doesn't look like it is available as an ebook. It would be a great pity if it wasn't released electronically at some point; it's too important to let fade away.

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by rkomar

By coincidence, I'm reading "Japanese Destroyer Captain" by Tameichi Hara. . . . It would be a great pity if it wasn't released electronically at some point; it's too important to let fade away.

I don't buy many books, but since the libraries around here didn't have it in their catalog, or had it as reference-only, or flagged it as "missing," I bought this one on your recommendation. Well worth it. And I just ordered a used copy of Samurai!, another Japanese military memoir that, like Japanese Destroyer Captain, was authored with assistance of Fred Saito, and is kept in print by the US Naval Institute Press.

As for being released electronically, if the Naval Institute can't afford the cost of cleaning up scan errors, I suppose volunteers will do it when, decades from now, these become public domain.

[Apache]

Destroyer Squadron 23: Combat Exploits of Arleigh Burke's Gallant Force is well worth reading. Arleigh Burke basically wrote the book on Destroyer Squadron Operation, in The Pacific, in WWII.
Apache

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

I don't buy many books, but since the libraries around here didn't have it in their catalog, or had it as reference-only, or flagged it as "missing," I bought this one on your recommendation. Well worth it. And I just ordered a used copy of Samurai!, another Japanese military memoir that, like Japanese Destroyer Captain, was authored with assistance of Fred Saito, and is kept in print by the US Naval Institute Press.

As for being released electronically, if the Naval Institute can't afford the cost of cleaning up scan errors, I suppose volunteers will do it when, decades from now, these become public domain.

Phew! I'm relieved that you liked it after just taking my word for it. I'm interested in your opinion about Samurai! when you're finished reading it. If it's as insightful as Hara's book, then I'll hunt down a copy for myself.

[Guns4Hire]

Originally Posted by ucfgrad93

While not exactly a story about WWII, Shadow Divers is the story about trying to identify a sunken German u-boat off the coast of New Jersey. It is an excellent book, and I highly recommend it.

This was a phenomenal book. My sister bought it for me and I didn't think much of it at the time. Then I cracked the book and boy was I wrong. I read it right all in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. I heard there is supposed to be a movie coming out.

[BeccaPrice]

Sometime this Fall, a book called Bailout Over Normandy will be published - it's by Ted Fahrenwald, a pilot who crash-landed in Normandy, was with the Maquis for a time, was captured by the Germans, escaped, and made his way back to his airbase in Bodney, England... excellent book (I read the ARC of it.)

[SteveEisenberg]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Phew! I'm relieved that you liked it after just taking my word for it.

Well, in the spirit of trust but verify, I did also check out a review or two