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GaryNJ
Cumberland
NJ USA
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Posts: 232
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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Hi to all,
I have not read many World War 2 books in the last twenty years. It seemed like I had overdosed on that war previously. The last book I bought was Normandy 1944: German Military Organization, Combat Power and Organizational Effectiveness by Niklas Zetterling in 2000. I would like to read some German soldier memoirs of the war and thought that some members of MHO will know some good ones. I did read Panzer Commander by Hans Von Luck many years ago and thought it was good. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Gary
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Brian W
Atlanta
GA USA
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Posts: 1204
Joined: 2004
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Any book suggestions
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I've recently read several WWII memoirs. Here are my 2 favorite latest. They're posted on the front page of MHO.
US perspective:
Twenty-Two on Peleliu: Four Pacific Campaigns with the Corps: The Memoirs of an Old Breed Marine
[Read More]
German perspective (Volume 1 and 2):
Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front: The Memoir of Dr Hans Rehfeldt. Volume 1: From the Moscow Winter Offensive to Operation Zitadelle
[Read More]
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"Take it easy. But take it" - Tom Morello's mom.
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GaryNJ
Cumberland
NJ USA
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Posts: 232
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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Brian W,
Thanks. I should start to look at front page of MHO instead of just using a link to the forums.
Gary
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Brian Grafton
Victoria
BC Canada
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Posts: 4578
Joined: 2004
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Any book suggestions
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Gary, here are a couple I have enjoyed thoroughly:
• Nicholson Baker, Human Smoke, Simon and Schuster (2008).
• Hermann Knell, To Destroy a City, Da Capo (2003).
Baker’s volume is odd, and subtly challenging. It spans from 1914 to Dec 40, which may limit your interest. and it is not history offered in a normal form. It consists of several hundred quotations, news items, or reported government discussions, few more than 1 page long. It is up to the reader to make what connections he can. Giving invented copy, you might read a clip that, on a certain date, the British War Cabinet discussed the acceptability of introducing diseases to German crops, and noted in the minutes not to pursue such an action. Eighty pages further into the book, you might find a German entry suggesting recruitment problems in a Gau because a certain crop has been stricken with a disease. Nothing but your mind – and sometimes the author’s style – suggest the two are related.
Beyond that potential for detective work, the vignettes almost always shine a light on a specific which adds nuance to the war. An assessment by a statesman of WSC as “an orator even in conversation, and not a good listener. A good hater” strikes me, e.g., as an acute observation, and an apt descriptor of WSC. Baker, I should note, is a US writer who at the time of writing lived in Maine.
Hermann Knell’s volume is a very different creature. Knell was a 19-year-old disabled lad living in Würzburg when in the course of a few days his city was 86% destroyed by (largely) US bomber raids. He survived, and after the war emigrated to Canada, where he lived a full life as a professional engineer. He wrote To Destroy a City as his retirement project. I enjoyed this book because it combines German experience of air attack with 50 years of life afterwards, and because he brings what I see as an engineer’s skills to his assessment of the mass bombing of the Third Reich. More, the book is simply well-written.
Don’t know whether such things might meet your interests, but both are volumes I would recommend to those with more than a passing interest in and knowledge of the years from 1918-1941.
Cheers. And stay safe.
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly.
"The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.
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GaryNJ
Cumberland
NJ USA
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Posts: 232
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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Brian W,
Thanks for the suggestions. I decided to get both volumes of Mortar Gunner on the Eastern Front for my Kindle. The second volume was only $2.99. Looks interesting.
Brian,
Thanks for suggestions. I ordered a used copy of To Destroy a City by Hermann Knell. The other book, Human Smoke by Nicholson Baker, I had heard a favorable opinion about it before and intended to get it but forgot. Thanks for reminding me. I ordered it.
Gary
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Lew & Ginny Gage
Cornish
NH USA
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Posts: 130
Joined: 2006
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Any book suggestions
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"Spearhead" by Adam Makos
"The Bedford Boys" by Alex Kershaw
After reading "The Bedford Boys" make a visit to Bedford, VA, to see the D-Day Memorial there.
Ginny
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Khufu
N. Carolina
NC USA
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Posts: 6
Joined: 2021
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Any book suggestions
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Gary,
I have Panzer Commander, I agree it's a pretty good book. If you want to switch TO's there is a book by a Marine named Eugene Sledge called "With the Old Breed" about the First Marine division fighting on Peleliu and Okinawa. Brutally honest and brings the horrors of war to the forefront. You may have already read it. I don't know too many WWII buffs that have not.
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Wazza
Sydney
Australia
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Posts: 774
Joined: 2005
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Any book suggestions
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Guy Sajer's 'Forgotten Soldier' is a great work about the Eastern front from a German soldiers perspective.
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Brian Grafton
Victoria
BC Canada
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Posts: 4578
Joined: 2004
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Any book suggestions
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Khufu, don’t know if we’ve posted before. Welcome to the site. Sledge’s volume is an utter delight, given the matter it deals with. Not, as you note, quite closely linked to the German side of the war, but well worth recommending.
Cheers. And stay safe.
Brian G
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"We have met the enemy, and he is us." Walt Kelly.
"The Best Things in Life Aren't Things" Bumper sticker.
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GaryNJ
Cumberland
NJ USA
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Posts: 232
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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Quote: Gary,
I have Panzer Commander, I agree it's a pretty good book. If you want to switch TO's there is a book by a Marine named Eugene Sledge called "With the Old Breed" about the First Marine division fighting on Peleliu and Okinawa. Brutally honest and brings the horrors of war to the forefront. You may have already read it. I don't know too many WWII buffs that have not.
Hi Khufu,
Yes, I did read Sledge's book many years ago. I had the paperback edition. I don't know what happened to it or I would reread it.
Gary
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GaryNJ
Cumberland
NJ USA
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Posts: 232
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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Quote: "Spearhead" by Adam Makos
"The Bedford Boys" by Alex Kershaw
After reading "The Bedford Boys" make a visit to Bedford, VA, to see the D-Day Memorial there.
Ginny
Hi,
They look like some good books. I'll see if I can get them after I read some of the books I've just bought.
Gary
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GaryNJ
Cumberland
NJ USA
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Posts: 232
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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Quote: Guy Sajer's 'Forgotten Soldier' is a great work about the Eastern front from a German soldiers perspective.
Hi,
I have never read this book, but it sounds interesting.
Gary
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Niels1212
Naperville
IL USA
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Posts: 1
Joined: 2022
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Any book suggestions
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I am a Junior in high school and recently wrote a book together with my brother and grandfather based on what happened to my ancestors during WW2. My great-grandparents lived in the coastal towns of Blankenberge and Knokke in Belgium. It was a great way to learn more about our ancestors and spend time over Zoom with our grandfather even though we couldn't visit him.
If you'd like to read our book, it's available on Amazon and at other bookstores. It's called "Running from the Gestapo". The ISBN is 978-1-4116-1286-0. Here is a link: https://www.amazon.com/RUNNING-GESTAPO-Miles-over-Land/dp/1411612868
We'd love to get your feedback on our book.
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OpanaPointer
St. Louis
MO USA
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Posts: 1704
Joined: 2010
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Any book suggestions
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I have more than 140 books directly or indirectly related to Pearl Harbor and that many more on the atomic bombs and the end of the war. It would be hard to pick a favorite.
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