World War II Books

[Adam]

I am really wanting to order some of these books. I need to pay down my Visa first tho

[Degrees]

I'm after a decent WW2 book, I'm really interested in the whole darker side of the war. Spies, espionage all the good stuff. Any suggestions?

[Bel-ami]

I'm after a decent WW2 book, I'm really interested in the whole darker side of the war. Spies, espionage all the good stuff. Any suggestions?

 

Perhaps you could try Enigma by Robert Harris?

 

or The White Rabbit by Bruce Marshall (non-fiction)

Edited August 27, 2009 by Bel-ami

[Mysterioso]

I'm after a decent WW2 book, I'm really interested in the whole darker side of the war. Spies, espionage all the good stuff. Any suggestions?

 

Alan Furst is a great starting point with several books of this ilk and I can highly recommend David Downing's trilogy 'Zoo Station', 'Silesian Station' and 'Stettin Station'. You might like Henry Porter's 'Brandenburg' as well

[Raven]

Perhaps you could try Enigma by Robert Harris?

 

I'll second that!

[Bel-ami]

Of course, there are also a few Alistair MacLean titles, maybe not so much about spies, but nevertheless a few twists and turns: The Guns of Navarone, Force 10 from Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, HMS Ulysses - all high octane stuff.

[funrun]

SCHINDLERS ARK -THOMAS KENEALLY

IS ONE ABOUT

[Rawr]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks is an amazing book, it is set in World War I which i know doesn't relate to the discussion, but it is a war novel and the themes are very relavent i feel, and it really stuck with me long after i read it, i did a very detailed World War unit in A-Level literature and seriously enjoyed it and this was one of the novels which gave me a lot of insight and information into life during such horrifying times.

[MuggleMagic]

I don't know if this has been mentioned, but Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks is an amazing book, it is set in World War I which i know doesn't relate to the discussion, but it is a war novel and the themes are very relavent i feel, and it really stuck with me long after i read it, i did a very detailed World War unit in A-Level literature and seriously enjoyed it and this was one of the novels which gave me a lot of insight and information into life during such horrifying times.

 

Yes, it is a brilliant book

 

I tried to read another book my Sebastian Faulkes but I didn't like it

[Jo-Bridge]

Resistance by Owen shears was an enjoyable book set during WW2. Its set in a welsh valley in an alternative- history scenario where the Germans have invaded

 

Also Restkless by William Boyd for the espionoage angle

[sirinrob]

try Primo Levi 'The Drownded and the Saved' for a very poignant account. Be interested in your response.

[Book Fiend]

try Primo Levi 'The Drownded and the Saved' for a very poignant account. Be interested in your response.

 

Can I also recommend 'If Not Now, When?' by Primo Levi. It's about a group of Russian, Polish and Jewish partisans who end up trapped behind enemy lines in WW2 and end up as part of the resistance movement. It's a wonderful book, and I believe it's based on a true story.

[Jack Dawkins]

I would suggest a couple of older books

 

Bomber by Len Dieghton

The story of a bombing raid on Germany told from the point of view of the Bomber Crew,The German fighter pilots,The German Radar station and the people of the German town that becomes the unintetional target. Superb book

 

Black Cross by Greg Iles

Another story told from different points of view. This is a thriller about a raid on a German concentration camp where the Germans are developing a deadly gas to be used on the allies. A pretty regular thriller type story but nailbiting and exciting.

[gwb90]

new to the forum, first of all thanks for taking the time to have a look. i have been in broder today looking for a good book on history covering the WWII. (NOT FROM A FIRST PERSON EXPERIENCE) i am looking for a good book that looks at it from a masterplan review/overview covering politics before and after and cover WHY WE WENT to the trenches.

 

so many books on the subject i hope someone can make some can make some recommendations/suggestions.

 

many thanks

gwb90

 

p.s. i am also posting for

[Chrissy]

Hi gwb90, I merged your query with this existing one, so that you could have a look at the posts already made about the subject, and to generate further interest in the thread.

[gwb90]

thank you

[Chrissy]

I had posted about moving your post gwb90, but hadn't mentioned the two books I had thought of!

 

'History Of The Second World War' by Liddell Hart, that

is a work of great length and great learning, illuminated by flashes of insight.....full of brilliant strategic analysis.' AJP Taylor

 

The second is, 'The Second World War' by Winston Churchill. The copy my OH has is 'Churchill's own abridgement of his original six-volume history'

With superb artistry he recreates the top-level atmosphere of the time and makes the reader feel as if he were standing beside him, and looking over his shoulder. Listener

 

I hope they help!

[Freewheeling Andy]

I missed this thread the first time around.

 

For first hand accounts of the most shocking stuff, I can only reinforce the recommendations for Primo Levi.

 

Particularly If This Is A Man and it's companion piece The Truce.But also much of his other work, too.

 

On a completely different track, and much less deep and poignant, but utterly wonderful in many ways, Fitzroy Maclean's Eastern Approaches is a spectacularly readable description of the early days of special ops, and the beginning of the SAS, and is probably 60-70% WWII material. Maclean was one of the prototypes that Ian Fleming used for James Bond, by the way.

[gwb90]

just bought the book by winston churchill. thanks for the recommendation.

 

will prob take some time to read. will post my thoughts when done.

 

gwb90

[Beccles]

I love the German WWII books by Sven Hessell

[londonerinyucatan]

This is my first post to the forum, I hope I get lucky.

 

I would appreciate any recommendations as to books about the Second World War 2. Specifically, I have two preferences:

 

1. Fiction about the war experience in Western Europe. I really enjoyed the movie Saving Private Ryan, so something along those lines would be great. Equally, perhaps a novel about life in WW2 Britain.

 

2. Non-fiction about the experience of soldiers fighting in Western Europe.

 

I live in Mexico, but will be in the US for a week in August, when I will head to Barnes & Noble, Borders and similar chains. Hopefully someone can recommend a title that could be found in such stores.

 

Many thanks.

[Guest mcflash271]

So I know this isn't WW2, but if you're interested in war books you should definately look into All Quiet on the Western Front. A truly amazing book from the German point of view in World War 1.

Edited June 18, 2010 by BookJumper
Added capitals.

[Raven]

If you like Saving Private Ryan, try Band of Brothers, as it is similar in content (to a point) but the events in it actually happened.

 

I wrote a review of it here, if that helps!

[Chrissy]

We had a similar query a while ago. You will probably find one or two interesting titles in this thread.

[Lucybird]

Fiction I can help with. Pat Barker is a good place to start, the regeneration trilogy is great for stuff in the trenches and try Life Class for the home front. You could also try Birdsong by Sebastian Fawkes although there's a fair bit that is not war related.

One of the best I read, Remembrance by Theresa Breslin, is actually written for teenagers but it has quite a wide scope as it's told from the point of view of a girl who starts off at home but ends up going to the Western Front as a nurse.

 

Those are all first world war, most of the second world war ones I've read I read as a kid.