Looking for book recommendations-war related

[hotreds]

The one on McGovern was Ambrose's last. Also sad that there were allegations of plagiarism concerning it.

[M1903A1]

Originally Posted by jcruse64

A very good book on Japan's background and involvement in WWII is "Japan's War" by Hoyt. Very interesting look at it from that view. I've read some views that Japan was backed into a corner with blockades to force them to war, but this book pretty much shoots that view down.

Somehow I wasn't quite pleased with Hoyt's "Japan's War", though I don't remember why. Perhaps I need to give it another look. Hoyt's book on the European theater, "The GI's War", is so good I would actually recommend it before Ambrose's works (in a "read this first" sense).

One that I have "mixed positive" feelings about is a two volume book called "Japan's Imperial Conspiracy". I am a doubter about the conspiracy aspects of the book, but as I recall the level of detail and interconnection the author went into is incredible.

And on the Pacific War, two other books (still in print) I would wholeheartedly recommend: "The Rising Sun" by John Toland (an absolute must-have) and "Eagle Against The Sun" by Ronald Spector.

[hotreds]

Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail
http://www.amazon.com/Bury-Us-Upside...6399729&sr=1-1

His Time in Hell: A Texas Marine in France
http://www.amazon.com/His-Time-Hell-...6399814&sr=1-1

The Mammoth Book of War Diaries and Letters: A collection of Letter and Diaries from the Battlefield
http://www.amazon.com/Mammoth-Book-W...6399876&sr=1-1

[hotreds]

Originally Posted by forgop

Checked out With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa on Amazon...looks like a great fit for the kind of stuff I'm looking for.

Outstanding!
I heard him interviewed- the "classic" Southern Gentleman!

[JaKaacH]

I enjoyed the book Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile

I skimmed though the posts here but didnt see "We where solders once and young" as with any book to movie rendition the book is alot better. I read it when I was deployed to Egypt for 6mts. Sorry if you have not seen the movie it is about Vietnam war.

[CBI_2]

An excellent book on Vietnam I read in high school was "The Monk And The Marines". 1st hand account from a guy that was a medic over there. I couldn't put it down.

[M1903A1]

A very different read is "Ivan's War: Life and Death In The Red Army, 1939-1945" by Catherine Merridale. Not only did they suffer to an incredible degree, at the hands of their own incompetent and cruel leaders as well as the Germans, but after the war they were repressed en masse and forced to conform to an impossibly heroic propaganda image.

[forgop]

Great suggestions thus far...I tried doing some research on amazon for all of the recommendations you had. So far, these are at the top of my list:

Band of Brothers Stephen Ambrose
Citizen Solders Stephen Ambrose
We Die Alone Stephen Ambrose
Currahee: A Screaming Eagle at Normandy Stephen Ambrose
Parachute Infantry: An American Paratrooper's Memoir of D-Day and the Fall of the Third Reich Stephen Ambrose
D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II Stephen Ambrose
Crazy Horse and Custer Stephen Ambrose
Pegasus Bridge: June 6, 1944 Stephen Ambrose
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa E.B. Sledge
In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors Doug Stanton
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission Hampton Sides
Flags of our Fathers James Bradley
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage James Bradley
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 Marcus Luttrell
The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day Cornelius Ryan
The Guns of August Barbara Tuchman
The First World War John Keegan
The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 Sir Alistair Horne
Bury Us Upside Down: The Misty Pilots and the Secret Battle for the Ho Chi Minh Trail Rick Newman
His Time in Hell: A Texas Marine in France Warren Jackson
Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills Charles Henderson
1776 David McCullough
The Killer Angels Michael Shaara
Duty, Honor, Privilege: New York City's Silk Stocking Regiment and the Breaking of the Hindenburg Line (History of War) Stephen Harris
We were Soldiers Once and Young Harold Moore
Ivan's War: Life and Death In The Red Army, 1939-1945 Catherine Merridale
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era James McPherson
The Civil War: A Narrative Shelby Foote

[hotreds]

The Guns of August Barbara Tuchman-- I found this to be soporific in the extreme. Almost a minute-by-minute account. Not recommended!

[hotreds]

A few that stand out from my WWII aviation library:

Ben Drew: The Katzenjammer Ace
http://www.amazon.com/Ben-Drew-Katze...6483590&sr=8-1

The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle: Memoir of a WWII Bomber Pilot
http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Flew-M...6483663&sr=1-1

A Proud American
http://www.amazon.com/Proud-American...6483750&sr=1-1

Mad Rebel... A Youth at War OUTSTANDING!
http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Rebel-Yout...6483813&sr=1-1

Wings Of Morning: The Story Of The Last American Bomber Shot Down Over Germany In World War II
http://www.amazon.com/Wings-Morning-...6484076&sr=1-1

Goodbye, Liberty Belle: A Son's Search for His Father's War
http://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Libert...6484149&sr=1-2

Donald's Story
http://www.amazon.com/Donalds-Story-...6484214&sr=1-1

Serenade to the Big Bird
http://www.amazon.com/Serenade-Bird-...6484285&sr=1-1

After the Liberators: A Father's Last Mission, a Son's Lifelong Journey
http://www.amazon.com/After-Liberato...6484373&sr=1-1

The Lucky Bastard Club: a B-17 Pilot in Training and in Combat, 1943-45 and Mister Fletcher's Gang
http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Bastard-...6484444&sr=1-2

[CBI_2]

My wife just suggested "Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterroist Unit" written by a founding member of the unit. http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Delta-F...6529462&sr=1-1

[forgop]

Thanks for the clarification on Killer Angels. I've removed it from the list.

One other topic I was pretty fascinated with when I was in high school was the JFK assassination as that's when JFK came out. I read On the Trail of the Assassins by Jim Garrision and thought it was good. Any other recommended JFK assassination books?

[M1903A1]

Originally Posted by forgop

Thanks for the clarification on Killer Angels. I've removed it from the list.

One other topic I was pretty fascinated with when I was in high school was the JFK assassination as that's when JFK came out. I read On the Trail of the Assassins by Jim Garrision and thought it was good. Any other recommended JFK assassination books?

"Case Closed", by Richard Posner. Gives a lot of background on Oswald and his revolutionary-wannabe leanings, Ruby and his ties to the Dallas police, the circumstances that led Kennedy to go to Dallas (which was openly recognized as "hostile territory"), and the beginnings of the conspiracy myths. Also goes into Garrison and details the damage his conspiratorial witchhunts did to innocent people. Overall, I found it very informative and enlightening, especially his discussion of why the conspiracy theories began and why they have continued so long after the fact.

[forgop]

Here are the titles I've picked up off ebay in the last 2-3 days. They were all pretty highly rated on amazon...~50 bucks for all 8 books.

Patton: A Genius for War Carlo D'Este
The First World War John Keegan
The Second World War John Keegan
A History of Warfare John Keegan
The Western Way of War: Infantry Battle in Classical Greece Victor Hanson
The Civil War: A Narrative(3 volumes) Shelby Foote

[RevSmoke]

I didn't read the whole thread, but...

I'd suggest the Newt Gingrich trilogy that begins with Gettysburg. If Lee won. Great read. Very realistic. Hard to put down.