H1B5 Owner Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Somewhat prompted by the War Songs thread, I am fascinated reading around war and those who have experienced it in its various guises. Thankfully have/will never suffer as they did, but the stories they tell are absolutely gripping. Brief list for starters: The Longest Day Stalingrad/D-Day/Berlin Anthony Beevor Dunkirk:Fight to the Last Man Hugh Sebag-Montefiore Chickehawk Hill 488 A Rumor of War Philip Caputo We Were Soldiers Once ... and Young: Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam Hal Moore and Joseph L. Galloway Any suggestions are welcome Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter Payton Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I've really enjoyed books by an Australian author called Peter FitzSimons who has written about a lot of the conflicts Australian soldiers have been involved in. I can recommend these books of his: Tobruk Gallipoli Kokoda Nancy Wake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Findlay Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 The biography of Lord Bernard Montgomery is a tough read but, worth it in the end. If you want to read fiction. Then I recommend the books of Sven Hassle. All about a German infantry outfit who thought Stalingrad and Montenegro Cassino. Very descriptive on the atrocities of battle. The Cruel Sea by Neville Shute. Best work of fiction I have ever read about the war in the Atlantic Ocean. Pat Reid's The Colditz Story, an autobiography is a good read too. I have several autobiographies with regard to the Falkland's war, that you are more than welcome to borrow. Simon Weston's, Shark Ward who was a sea harrier pilot and one from a guy called rowdy yate who was a seaman aboard the Antrim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homme Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I met Taylor Downing today. Absolute gentleman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I literally have a library worth of books about primarily WWII covering pretty much all aspects of the conflict. If you want to narrow it down to specifics I may be able to recommend more. In the meantime some I have, and can recommend, that view things from an Edinburgh/Scottish perspective include... The Forth at War- Willian E Hendrie If Hitler Comes: Preparing For Invasion 1940- Gordon Barclay Scotland's War- Seona Robertson and Les Wilson The Greates Squadron of Them All (History of 603 City of Edinburgh Squadrin) Vols 1&2- David Ross, Bruce Blanchie and William Simpson Scottish Voices of the Second World War- Derek Young Luftwaffe Over Scotland- Les Taylor Scotlands FORgotten VALOUR- Graham Ross Scottish Airfields of the Second World War Vol 1- The Lothians & Vol 2 Fife and Central Region- Martyn Chorlton. Open Road to Far Away- Andrew S. Winton. Forgotten Highlander- Alistair Urquhart The Peoples Story: The Home Guard In Scotland 1940-44- Brian D. Osbourne The Tartan Pimpernel- Donald Caskie With the Jocks- Peter White Morningside Mata Haris- Douglas McLeod Lion Rampant- Robert Woollcombe A Time Of Tyrants: Scotland and the Second World War- Trevor Royale Railway Man- Eric Lomax Wings on My Sleeve- Eric 'Winkle' Brown Loch Ewe During World War II- Steve Chadwick The Hearts and The Great War- John McCartney McCrae's Batallion- Jack Alexander. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homme Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 I met Taylor Downing today. Absolute gentleman. I should add that apart from reading up on him prior to today I don't have much knowledge of his work etc or if he is even relevant to the thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzroy Pointon Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Forgotten Highlander- Alistair Urquhart Outstanding book. Quite unbelievable what he and his fellow soldiers went through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Gin Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Forgotten Highlander is a cracking book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Gin Posted May 30, 2017 Share Posted May 30, 2017 Irwin Shaw - The Young Lions (fiction) Stephen John - A Life Before (more about ptsd) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Hitler. My Part In His Downfall by Spike Milligan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H1B5 Owner Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Cheers all. Plenty of further reading there. Posted in haste but can't believe I left out McCrae's Battalion. Add other Stephen E. Ambrose books incl Band of Brothers, Pegasus Bridge. Have All Quiet on the Western Front on the shelf. Seen the film, but not read book as yet. Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H1B5 Owner Posted May 31, 2017 Author Share Posted May 31, 2017 Just remembered two on no more recent conflicts: Generation Kill (made into a TV series) and of course Black Hawk Down. Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
¼½¾ Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 The biography of Lord Bernard Montgomery is a tough read but, worth it in the end. If you want to read fiction. Then I recommend the books of Sven Hassle. All about a German infantry outfit who thought Stalingrad and Montenegro Cassino. Very descriptive on the atrocities of battle. The Cruel Sea by Neville Shute. Best work of fiction I have ever read about the war in the Atlantic Ocean. Pat Reid's The Colditz Story, an autobiography is a good read too. I have several autobiographies with regard to the Falkland's war, that you are more than welcome to borrow. Simon Weston's, Shark Ward who was a sea harrier pilot and one from a guy called rowdy yate who was a seaman aboard the Antrim. I read, and enjoyed, Sven Hassel's books in my late teens and recently tried to read them again. I had to stop, as the writing was so bad. A good mixture of black humour, action and history though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 If we're dealing with fiction can I put forward the Flashman novels of George McDonald Fraser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 If we're dealing with fiction can I put forward the Flashman novels of George McDonald Fraser. Fiction but with an astonishing amount of accurate and hugely detailed research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Fiction but with an astonishing amount of accurate and hugely detailed research. Aye thats one of the things that always impresses me about the books. Essentially he's put a fulictional character in a non-fiction setting. A setting meticulously and minutely researched in a time with no internet where the only way to do it was by time and hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maple Leaf Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 For the fiction lovers, "Birdsong" by Sebastian Faulks is well worth a read. Takes place in France in The Great War, and there is even a passing mention of the legendary HMFC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Governor Tarkin Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 If we're dealing with fiction can I put forward the Flashman novels of George McDonald Fraser. Like Tazio says above. Excellent series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Aye thats one of the things that always impresses me about the books. Essentially he's put a fulictional character in a non-fiction setting. A setting meticulously and minutely researched in a time with no internet where the only way to do it was by time and hard work. As a result of them I spent loads of time in the early 2000's talking about the folly of invading Afghanistan purely based on the flashmqn books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
been here before Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 As I result of them I am the only person I know who attempts to drop the word 'poltroon' into conversation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caspian Primrose Posted May 31, 2017 Share Posted May 31, 2017 Hellstorm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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