The book "Blitzkreig" by Len Dieghton is an absolutely definitive study of "The rise of Hitler to the fall of Dunkirk". It examines both political and military aspects of the growth period of the Wehrmacht. I have suggested books before but this one is definately the best (other than An Army At Dawn).
Give it a try,
Andrew

I just finished "Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides. I have a minor in military history and I never heard about this fight. Good quick read.
Len is one of my favorite authors so I'll have to pick that up, too. Thanks for the heads up.

Have you read a book by Deighton called SS-GB?It is a what if account of how the UK might have been if the Germans did invade.I thought it was very good, if a little fanciful in places.

Later
Hawkeye

I liked that book. Another I really liked was Fatherland.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0061006629/qid=1043444435/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-0561040-7774453?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Read Deighton's book 'Fighter' about the Battle of Britian. Not too bad. Kind of an overview.

Steve

I liked that book. Another I really liked was Fatherland.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0061006629/qid=1043444435/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/002-0561040-7774453?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 [/quote]

Have read that and seen the film.Not a bad "what if" at all. I thought tyhe film was very good,especially the way they built up the suspense.

Later
Hawkeye

I just read The Road to Arnhem:A Screaming Eagle in Holland by Donald R. Burgett.It was an alright book,nothing really special about it except it gave me a little more insight into Operation:Market Garden.
Do you guys have any suggestions for other books about Market Garden other than A Bridge Too Far?

Three other very good books on Market-Garden that I have read are "It Never Snows In September" by Robert J. Kershaw, "Arnhem: The Airborne Battle" by Martin Middlebrook, and "Poles Apart" by George F. Cholewczynski. Each of these are pretty focused. The Kershaw book deals mostly with the German point of view of the battle and includes a lot of first-hand accounts of the battle from German troops. The Middlebrook title concentrates on the experiences of the British and also has many eyewitness accounts. "Poles Apart" not only covers the part the Poles played in the Arnhem-Oosterbeek fight, but also gives a decent overview of the development of the Polish Airborne Brigade and the wartime experiences of its commander Sosabowski. The Kershaw and Middlebrook books shouldn't be too hard to find, but "Poles apart is older than the others and is pretty rare. I was lucky to get my copy a few months ago for $40. Most copies you find in online used book stores go for around $70.
If you're looking for a picture reference, Concord's recent title covering German armor used in the battle is really good.
I hope this helps!

Thanks man I'll check those out.

Zach, if you want a good read on Arnhem, I suggest ' IT NEVER SNOW'S IN SEPTEMBER "
by Robert Kershaw. It's from the German point of view and it really goes into excellent detailed accounts of the offensive & defensive action's. And give's good insight into the German & Waffen SS unit's that were involved and also a very nicely put together "Order of Battle " which include's tactical markings and also their interpretation's

What I do like about Burgett is that he was actually there.

- ralph

I just finished the Regiment about the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment of the Canadian army in WW2. An Excellent book by Farley Mowat.

Some of you may have noticed that there are a number of new books out on the Battle of El Alamein (they all came out around the battle's 60th anniversary last October/November). By far the most in depth of these is Jon Latimer's "Alamein." I have read it and I recommend it. For what might be a bit of a lighter read, you could try "The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II" by John Bierman and Colin Smith or "The End of the Beginning: From the Siege of Malta to the Allied Victory at El Alamein" by Phil Craig and Tim Clayton. I find it's a very interesting battle and campaign to read about.

Nic

Hey Nic, I purchased this book a month ago I believe. I enjoy the writing style of Rick Atkinson far more than that of Latimer , unfortunately. I seem to have gotten bogged down in "Alamein" as it is too thorough in indentifying the units involved. It is impossible to remember the units in this book and on top of that, there are not maps throughout as in "An Army At Dawn". I am about half finished "Alamein" and it is everything I can do to finish it.

Andrew

I've been an avid Deighten reader since the early 70s. I thought that SS-GB was one of his best works.

Andrew -- Like I said, Latimer's book is perhaps less readable than others, but it is certainly the most thorough. If you're just looking for a good read for a better understanding of the battle, "Alamein" may not be the best bet. For me, the many details Latimer includes are useful for research. Atkinson does write very well in his "An Army at Dawn." He made a very readable, interesting piece of work, and that's not surprising since his primary occupation was as a writer. I think that's the greatest thing about "An Army at Dawn" is that it makes a less well known part of history easily understandable to the general public. As far as the historical debate over the North African campaign goes, however, Atkinson's work is not really groundbreaking as he doesn't present a whole lot that is new (in Atkinson's defence, this probably wasn't his objective). Here's an interesting critical review of "An Army at Dawn": http://www.ausa.org/www/armymag.nsf/(reviews)/200211?OpenDocument. I think "An Army at Dawn" is a truly great book, but this review just goes to show that a 'definitive' history probably isn't really possible. That's a good thing for anyone wanting to become a historian :-)

Nic

Folgore,
Here, Here.
I have my minor in Mil. History. That said, I can't wait for the next book in that is to follow "An Army at Dawn." The book was good enough to make me look forward to the next one. That is good enough for me. I am assuming that everyone knows that there are two more books coming... It is going to be a trilogy...

Yeah, says in "An Army at Dawn" that the second book, covering Italy, will be out in 2005 and the third, on West Europe, will come in 2008.

Nic

Thanks guys, I missed most of these. I usually concentrate on the Naval battles in the Pacific but the early Blitzkreig is peaking my interest as to why France folded so quickly