Best WW1 / WW2 books?

Auggie Doggie said:
A Rifleman Went to War by Herbert McBride. You can find the PDF online with a bit of searching.

Auggie D.
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Great read. Written by an American who couldn't wait for the US to enter the war. I loved his work with the "Emma-Gees" and the tactics of long range engagement with both rifle and machine guns.
Illustrates the value of having a cadre of trained riflemen in time of war.
 
For first hand accounts I too will recommend "With the Old Breed". That one is a must read!

Since you mentioned your family connection to the aviation side of things, I think my favorite first hand account on that side of things is "The Big Show (Le Grand Cirque)" by Pierre Clostermann. He was a Frenchman who flew Spitfires and Tempests for the Brits. Quite a brilliant account of the air war. It does a really good job of washing off the shiny veneer of air combat and portraying the unique terror and death that came with being a combat pilot in WWII.
 
As a history buff I enjoy most everything by Max Hastings; "Nemesis" and "Armageddon" are very good IMO. I have "The Secret War" somewhere here, but haven't read it yet.

I have recently spent time reading about the war in the Pacific. "Last stand of the Tincan Sailors", "Battle for Hell's Island" and "Pacific Payback" I liked.
The last one especially Stephen Moore get's a bit much into details for some tastes.

Two classic must read novels are "From here to eternity" and "The thin red line".
 
A rifleman went to war was an interesting read, at the sharp end and shock troops is also really good those books follow the canadians involvement in ww1.
 
"Dead Before Dawn" by Frank Broome, is the story of his experiences as a Lancaster tail gunner during the War.

"To Kingdom Come" by Robert J. Mrazek, is a story focusing on USAAF bomber forces and the air war against Germany.

"The Wild Blue" by Stephen E. Ambrose, is about B-24 Liberator operations in Southern Europe.

"Enemy Coast Ahead - Uncensored" by Guy Gibson, is the story of the Dam Busters operation from the man at the centre of it. The uncensored part comes from the fact that part of the book was actually published during the War, but was heavily censored due to the Official Secrets Act.

"Fire and Fury" by Randall Hansen, is on the Allied bombing campaign and the horrors of said campaign.

"Fate Is The Hunter" by Ernest K. Gann, is the story of a cargo pilot during the War as well as an airline pilot in the early days of US air travel. Gann flew many harrowing missions over "the Hump".
 
Seven Pillars of Wisdom & Revolt in the Desert, for starters. both by T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)
Have a 1935 3rd printing of the first and a 1927 first printing of the second.

The Making of the Atom Bomb by Richard Rhodes, excellent read.
Battleship by Martin Middlebrook and Patrick Mahoney, The sinking Of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
Sniper Ace by Bruno Sutkus
With British Snipers by Capt C. Shore
 
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google Black Edelweiss PDF you can get the book online for free, its not to long and gives a really interesting insight to the other side as well as sniper on the eastern front as many have mentioned, blood red snow, or forgotten soldier. Recently just finished the battle diary of Charles Martin a Canadian fighting from Juno to holland also a good read and won't take to long.
 
What an amazing response guys...thanks SO much for all of the replies. At the rate I read...there is probably enough here to keep me busy for the rest of my days! lol (unless I pick-up steam, and read MORE in the wake! :) )

Thanks again,
.22LRGUY
 
.22LRGUY said:
What an amazing response guys...thanks SO much for all of the replies. At the rate I read...there is probably enough here to keep me busy for the rest of my days! lol (unless I pick-up steam, and read MORE in the wake! :) )

Thanks again,
.22LRGUY
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Have you considered audiobooks?
 
If you can find the expanded version (not the one with the green cover, but the one with a smiling soldier and an M-1 carbine) of Shots Fired in Anger by Col. John B. George, seize upon it!.... :cheers:
 
A Bloody War: One Man's memories of the Canadian navy 1939-45, by Hal Lawrence. Lawrence was RCNVR at the start of the war, served on a variety of smaller ships and armed auxilleries to start with, then Flower class corvettes and I think a Tribal class destroyer.
 
"Reap the Whirlwind" is an unforgettable read about the Canadian bomber group operating out of Britain. It includes stories about the sometimes 1000-strong bomber raids, the tolls they took on both sides, stories of heroism, capture and survival of downed crews. One of them in there was my great uncle who died over Germany.
 
If you want a good read about the Russian front in WWII, try FRANZL "the story of Franz Gabl"
He spent 4 years o the Russian front as a machine gunner MG34/MG42, all front line service. Incredible tale of survival.He later went on to win a silver medal in down hill skiing for Austria in the 1948 Olympics . Immigrated to Canada and later coached several Canadian ski teams.
 
George MacDonald Fraser wrote the Flashman books, which I think everyone should read. But he also wrote Quartered Safe Out Here which is currently on Amazon.ca for under a fiver. It's about his time in Burma, and is as brilliant as everything else he wrote.

And if you want a larf, read his MacAuslan books. The fictional account of the dirtiest soldier int he British Army, base don guys he actually knew and worked with post-war.
 
mikerock said:
Have you considered audiobooks?
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Or podcast!
Work has me on the road a fair amount... And ever since I discovered podcast (and audio books) I never listen to the radio or music while driving around.
- Hardcore history, by Dan Carlin
- The History of WWII, by Ray Harris JR
- When Diplomacy Fail, by Zack Twamley (He's got a good series on WW1 and the Korean War)

As for books
- A Rifleman Went to War by Herbert McBride. It's a classic.
- Tommy's Ark: Soldiers And Their Animals In The Great War. A different way to view life in the trench, I enjoyed it.

Speaking of books, made the switch to a Kindle a while back... and not only am I able to to stop cluttering bookshelves, I reading more and saving $$... as you can borrow/convert most books for the public library systems.
 
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