Books - Second World War - By Country
Germany
 Hitler's Army, Chris McNab. Ten times larger than many Ospreys, this book looks at the development of the Germany army from the triumphs of 1939-40 to its eventual defeat in 1944-45. Covers a wide range of topics, from the overall organisation of the army to the evolution of different parts of the uniform, all supported by illustrations, photos and maps from Osprey's archives. A very useful and readable reference work. [read full review] |
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 "Fallschirmjager": Elite German Paratroops in World War II , Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell. This is a visually fascinating book consisting of the personal photo album of a German paratrooper sergeant in World War II. The photos roughly in chronological order follow the Elite German paratroopers through the Balkans and Greece and during the massive airborne assault on Crete. The book concludes with photos of the Russian front but these tend to be less interesting. A brief but interesting text places the photos in context and for most part explains what is shown in them. As the book is mostly photographs it makes for a quick read but the non professional and mostly non posed photographs give a poignant insight of the reality of war for these legendary elite infantry. [read full review] |
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 Unconditional Surrender, Walter Lüdde-Neurath. An account of the final days of the Third Reich as seen by Dönitz's adjutant during the last year of the war, a period that ended with Dönitz briefly succeeding Hitler as ruler of what was left of Nazi Germany. Lüdde-Neurath thus gives us an invaluable insider's view of the last days of the Third Reich. [read full review] |
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 German Special Forces of World War II, Gordon Williamson. A useful look at the development and combat record of Germany's Special Forces, from the Brandenburgers, who under Abwehr control were the only German special forces in 1939, through the increasing number of SS, Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine special units formed as the war turned against Germany. [read full review] |
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| Fallen Eagle , Cross, R., Michael O’Mara Books, London, 1995. |
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| In the Ruins of the Reich , Botting, D., Grafton, London, 1986. |
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| The Last Thirty Days: The War Diary of the German Armed Forces High Command from April to May 1945 , Schultz-Nauman, J., Madison Books, London, 1991. |
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| The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich , William Shirer. One of the most outstanding histories of Nazi Germany, written by an American journalist who was present in Berlin through many of the events described, allowing him to give eyewitness reports of some of Hitlers great speeches. On top of that, Shirer added a well researched and detailed history of the war, based on the documents of all sides, but especially the German. |
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Great Britain
 Wild Strawberries, Derek Smith. The memoirs of an evacuee who was moved from Birmingham into the Staffordshire countryside, close to the village of Yoxall, before illness took him into the wartime health system. Well written and involving, and covers a different part of the evacuee experience to most memoirs. [read full review] |
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Women in the Second World War, Collette Drifte. A collection of personal reminiscences from Women who served in the armed forces, industry or farming during the Second World War, looking at the ATS, WAAF, WRNS, the Land Army, the Timber Corps, the Voluntary Aid Detachment, Queen Alexandra's Nurses, the Fire Service, the NAAFI and finishing with the stories of three famous SOE operatives. [read full review] |
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 Commando Tactics: The Second World War, Stephen Bull. A study of the way in which the Commandos were selected, trained and used during their brief existence and how that changed during the course of the Second World War. The author traces the way in which during their short life the Commandos became increasingly proficient, and expanded dramatically in size, and the early small scale raiding was replaced by larger scale operations. [read full review] |
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 Commuter City: How the Railways Shaped London, David Wragg. A history of the development in and impact of the railways on London, from the earliest short lines up to the current high speed routes. Includes chapters on the railway in both World Wars, focusing on troop transport in the First and with a wider range of topics during the Second World War, including bomb damage to the line, the use of the tube as a bomb shelter and the impact the war had on the overall condition of the railways. [read full review] |
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 Wartime Childhood, Mike Brown. A look at the impact of the Second World War on Britain's children, from rationing and schooling to evacuation and bombing raids. The text is supported by a huge number of pictures (over eighty in fifty six pages), illustrating just about every point made in the text. This is a useful book for teachers, covering an area that is part of the English National Curriculum. [see more] |
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 The British Soldier of the Second World War, Peter Doyle. A look at the experiences of the British soldier during the Second World War aimed at the family historian. Brief outlines of the main campaigns of the war are followed by sections on the uniforms, weapons and equipment used by the soldiers, supported by just over ninety photographs, most in colour. A short but well focused book that would indeed be of interest to the family historian looking to understand their ancestors' time in the army. [see more] |
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 RAF Coastal Command in Action, 1939-45, Roy C. Nesbit. This is an excellent photographic history of Coastal Command during the Second World War. The book is split into six chapters, one for each year of the war. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to the events of the year, and the aircraft that equipped the command before moving on to the photos. Each chapter contains a mix of pictures of the aircraft used by the command and pictures taken by the command. [see more] |
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 The War at Sea, 1939-1945, Volume I: The Defensive, S. W. Roskill. This first volume in the British official history of the war at sea covers the period from the outbreak of the war through to the first British disasters in the Pacific in December 1941. Amongst other topics it covers the Norwegian campaign, the evacuation from Dunkirk and the first two years of the Battle of the Atlantic. The text is meticulously researched, and is rooted in a detailed study of wartime records, both British and German. [see more] |
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Ireland
Norway
 The Battle of Norway: April-June 1940, Geirr H. Haarr. Following on from the same authors German Invasion of Norway, this volume looks at the battles that followed, with an emphasis of the naval aspects of the fighting, and on the cooperation between Norwegian, British and French forces. Brilliantly researched and very detailed, this will become the definitive work on this subject. [read full review] |
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Poland
 US Combat Engineer 1941-45, Gordon Rottman. A look at the impressively large US Army Corps of Engineers - the selection of its men, their training and equipment and the role its combat engineer battalions played in the successful Allied campaigns in North Africa and Europe. [read full review] |
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Winter Uniforms of the German Army and Luftwaffe in World War II, Vincent Slegers. A very detailed and meticulously researched examination of the winter uniforms of the German Army and the Luftwaffe, looking at items ranging in size from the bulky greatcoats down to rank badges and labels. All supported by a huge selection of photographs, many in colour. [read full review] 
Kommando, Hitler's Special Forces in the Second World War, Charles Whiting. An account of some of the main missions carried out by the Brandenburgers and later SS Commandos, supported by valuable eye witness accounts from some of the participants. Dominated by the very different figures of Canaris and Skorzeny this is an interesting look at the varied activities of some notorious units and individuals. [read full review] 
Germany's Secret Weapons in World War II, Roger Ford. A fascinating look at the huge number of secret weapons that were developed in Germany during the Second World War, amongst them the massive Maus tank, the V-1 and V-2 vengeance weapons and a wide range of increasingly exotic aircraft [see more] 
Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients, Gordon Williamson. Osprey, 2006. This book looks at the twenty seven men who won Germany's highest award for bravery during the Second World War. [SEE MORE] 
When shall their Glory Fade? The Stories of the Thirty-Eight Battle Honours of the Army Commandos, James Dunning. Examines those Commando operations that were considered significant enough to be recognised as a battle honour, including some large scale single actions (St. Nazaire or Dieppe) and some longer campaigns and their individual actions (Italy, North Africa, Burma). Written by a former Army Commando who took part in some of the earlier raids before becoming an instructor. [read full review] 
The Black Bull: From Normandy to the Baltic with the 11th Armoured Division, Patrick Delaforce. A narrative history of the role played by 11th Armoured Division in Normandy, northern France, Belgium, Holland and northern Germany, written by a professional historian and member of the division who took part in the events he describes. Well supported by eyewitness accounts, and with some interesting material on less familiar aspects of the fighting. [read full review] 
Churchill's Spearhead: The Development of Britain's Airborne Forces during World War II, John Greenacre. This is an analytic study of the development of Britain's parachute and glider borne forces during the Second World War, looking at the reasons they were created, the way they were equipped and led, and the way in which a doctrine for the deployment developed over time. [read full review] 
The Great German Escape: Uprising of Hitler's Nazis in Britain's POW Camps, Charles Whiting. A book with two themes - the first a daring plan by German POWs to break out of their camps late in 1944 and march on London, the second the fate of Baron Freiherr von der Heydte, a German paratrooper commander whose exploits in the Ardennes helped give the plot much of its credibility. [read full review]
The Fleet Air Arm Handbook 1939-45, David Wragg. This is an excellent book on the Fleet Air Arm, combining a well written history of British Naval Aviation during the Second World War with a detailed reference section on the squadrons and ships of the Fleet Air Arm [see more]
Survivors: British Merchant Seamen in the Second World War, G. H. and R. Bennett. This fascinating book looks at the fate of those Merchant Seamen whose ships were sunk by enemy action during the Second World War. It follows the survivors of those sinkings from the moment their ship was first hit to their final rescue. Each stage of the process is illustrated in the survivor's own words [see more] 
In the Ranks of Death: The Irish in the Second World War, Richard Doherty. Doherty looks at the scale of the Irish contribution to the British war effort during the Second World War, as well as the numbers of Irish men and women involved in key actions of the war, and individual acts of heroism. Covers both Northern Island and the Irish Republic. [read full review] 
Images of War: Blitzkrieg Poland, Jon Sutherland and Diane Canwell. Contains three photo albums belonging to German soldiers who took part in the invasion or occupation of Poland in 1939. Each picture is accompanied by an informative caption, discussing either the details of the picture or the wider situation in the fighting. [read full review] 
The Forgotten Few: The Polish Air Force in World War II, Adam Zamoyski. A complete history of the Polish Air Force during the Second World War, taking is from the campaign in Poland in 1939, to the Fall of France and the Battle of Britain in 1940 and on through the long years of war to the tragic fate of Poland in 1945 and the post-war struggles of so many members of the Air Force. [read full review]
