WWII Books

[sfcmac]

In your opinions what are the top 10 books about WWII. I am not looking for reference books, but general histories of the war, biographies, memoirs, etc.

 

sfcmac

[Collector5516]

The best memoir I have read is With the Old Breed. It's a classic written by Eugene Sledge who served in the USMC during WWII. A must read!

[skinsfan]

any of the Atkinson trilogy books.....also anything by Steven Ambrose....i particularly like 'Citizen Solidiers"...and of course "Band of Brothers"

[Infantry Grunt]

Flyboys and Flags of Our Fathers are some of my favorites.

[cperkins501]

Don Burgett's "Currahee" and Robert Leckie's "Helmet for My Pillow" are both highly regarded classics, and rightfully so! The former is a memoir of a US paratrooper during the Normandy invasion and the latter traces a Marine at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucster, and Peleliu. Both are really vivid and engrossing reads.

[sfcmac]

Thanks for your comments, I agree with all of them.

 

sfcmac

[cutiger83]

IMO, this is too vague of a question. I believe the top 10 list varies by the type of material in the book and not just a general WWII top 10 list.

 

For instance, you can’t put first person accounts in the same list as books based on general facts and statistics. I prefer first person accounts and find books such as the Atkinson trilogy too detail oriented and dry. While another person might prefer to read about such detail and have this book on their list.

 

If someone prefers books about the Marine Corps then their list would definitely include “With the Old Breed” and “Helmet for My Pillow”.

 

If someone prefers books about the Airborne then “Curahee” and “Filthy Thirteen” might be on their list.

 

If someone prefers books about flying then their list might include “Flyboys” or “Half a Wing, Three Engines and a Prayer”.

 

I prefer books about women in the military so my list would include “We Band of Angels”, “And If I Perish”, “Bedpan Commando” and “Amelia Earhart’s Daughters”.

 

...Kat