I'll throw two old favorites out there (unfortunately neither will likely be an ebook anytime soon)...
Those Devils in Baggy Pants by Ross S. Carter
From the back of my 1951 paperback...
Quote:
This is more than just another war book -- it is a unique, thrilling reading experience
"Tough and tense and touching -- and, above all, True outside and true inside."
--James Ramsey Ullman
"A vivid, down-to-earth portrayal. ...Stirring history."
--General Mark Clark
"It will turn you upside down ... when Carter is finished, you realize our country rears some truly great men."
--LA Times
"Among the best of the war books.... This reader considers she would have missed a vital experience if she hadn't read it."
--Bernadine Kietty, Book-of-the-Month Club News
"Hardhitting ... honest, and above all, utterly convincing."
--San Francisco Chronicle
"A thrilling, unforgettable tale that will curl your spine, make you laugh and want to cry."
--Columbus Dispatch
ROSS S. CARTER was one of the three survivors of his original paratroop platoon, the 82nd Airborne Division, which served both in Europe and Africa during World War II. The increadible bravery and daring of these men is described vividly by Mr. Carter in THOSE DEVILS IN BAGGY PANTS.
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You're Stepping On My Cloak and Dagger by Roger Hall
Quote:
Synopsis
With a sharp eye and wry wit, Roger Hall recounts his experiences as an Army officer assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) officer during World War II. First published in 1957 to critical and popular acclaim, his book has become a cult favorite in intelligence circles. The story follows the author from bored junior officer fleeing a tedious training assignment in Louisiana through the quirky and rigorous OSS training rituals in the United States, England, and Scotland. After quickly learning the skills necessary for behind-the-lines intelligence work, he eventually became an expert instructor. But deemed too much of an iconoclast, he was only reluctantly given operational duties. His first parachute jump in support of the French resistance terminated prematurely in a comedy of errors. Hall's droll story-telling style and descriptions of the unforgettable personalities he encountered unite to create one of the funniest and most perceptive books ever written about life in the OSS.
Synopsis
With a sharp eye and wry wit, Roger Hall recounts here his experiences as an American Army officer assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. First published in 1957 to critical and popular acclaim, his memoir has become a cult favorite in intelligence circles. He chronicles his experiences from his time as a junior officer fleeing a tedious training assignment in Louisiana to his rigorous OSS training rituals in the United States, England, and Scotland for its Special Operations unit. Quick to pick up on the skills necessary for behind-the-lines intelligence work, Hall became an expert instructor, but was only reluctantly given operational duties because of his reputation as an iconoclast. In his droll storytelling style, Hall describes his first parachute jump in support of the French resistance as a comedy of errors that terminated prematurely. His last assignment in the war zone came when then Capt. William Colby, the future head of the CIA, handpicked him to lead the second section of a Norwegian special operations group into Norway via Sweden.
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