OT; World War II Reading Material

[512taylor]

I am interested in reading some non-fiction books pertaining to Iwo Jima.

I have read Flags of Our Fathers, so if you have other titles that are based on true personal accounts during that terrible ordeal, I would appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks!

 

[00Dawg]

The Pacific has some Iwo details.

Be forewarned it's a bit of a different read. The younger Ambrose skipped around between each soldier portrayed, so it can be hard to follow at times.

 

[92Alum]

Although not specifically covering Iwo, ‘With The Old Breed’ by Eugene Sledge is an excellent first hand account of his time serving at Pelilu and Okinawa. Just read it a couple months ago. Great read and highly recommended for WW2 interests. The Pacific miniseries was partly based on his memoirs.

 

[L4Dawg]

Although not specifically covering Iwo, ‘With The Old Breed’ by Eugene Sledge is an excellent first hand account of his time serving at Pelilu and Okinawa. Just read it a couple months ago. Great read and highly recommended for WW2 interests. The Pacific miniseries was partly based on his memoirs.

That's probably the best 1st person account on the Pacifc land war out there.

 

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Again, not Iwo, but Helmet for my Pillow is a first person account of Peleliu.

 

[Digging dog]

Bill O’Reiley
Killing of Patton
Killing of the Rising Sun

 

[Dawgbite]

Bill O’Reiley
Killing of Patton
Killing of the Rising Sun

I’ve read both Killing Patton and Killing Lincoln and was disappointed in both. O’Reiley just speculates about a lot of conspiracies and really brings very little factual information to the table.

 

[o_Spectre]

I’ve read both Killing Patton and Killing Lincoln and was disappointed in both. O’Reiley just speculates about a lot of conspiracies and really brings very little factual information to the table.

Conservatism became a grifting book club around 2008 after the Obama election. Everyone on Fox News pushing their damn book all saying the same thing.

"Thank you, (insert conservative) for coming on the show. Check out their new book "Small Government, Tax Cuts, and Apple Pie - How America can Win!"

 

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Not Iwo Jima, but "A Matter of Honor: Pearl Harbor" is the non-fiction account of Admiral Kimmel, commander of the Pacific Fleet (Hawaii) who was relieved of his command and blamed for the disaster at Pearl Harbor. The Kimmel family has been trying to clear his name for what they thought was an injustice committed by the Navy because the Navy needed a scapegoat.
Good read.

 

[Leeshouldveflanked]

Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis

 

[LBTdawg]

I'm a big fan of Antony Beevor's works --

The Second World War
Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege
The Fall of Berlin: 1945

All great and highly recommended. I've reread Stalingrad at least a half dozen times.

Edit: Skimmed too quickly and this really doesn't pertain to your question, but leaving it out anyway

 

[Digging dog]

Different angle but “The Tattooer of Auschwitz” is a good read.

 

[Dawgbite]

Bump because I’m going to start searching eBay for some of these selections. I scored a lot of 6 Steven Ambrose hardback for $18 including shipping a few weeks ago.

 

[STARKDAWG]

Anything written by Steven Ambrose is outstanding

I am interested in reading some non-fiction books pertaining to Iwo Jima.

I have read Flags of Our Fathers, so if you have other titles that are based on true personal accounts during that terrible ordeal, I would appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks!

I love WWII history and would suggest starting with Ambrose cause it’s an easy read

 

[PineGroveBully]

Killing the Rising Sun is the best of his. My grandfather was island hopping in the pacific from 42 until after the bombs, and he died when I was 10 (1992) before I really knew enough about the war to talk to him about it so that one has a special meaning to me.

 

[harrybollocks]

Ambrose writes well so his trilogy on WWII is good even if he includes iffy info at times. With the Old Breed is essential, Naples '44 gives you an interesting perspective on liberated Italy (starving Italian women do some things for a bit of food), Rick Atkinson's liberation trilogy on the war in North Africa and Europe (An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle and The Guns at Last), Ian Toll's trilogy on the Pacific Theater (Pacific Crucible, Conquering Tide, Twilight of the Gods), Richard Overy's Russia's War and Why the Allies Won, anything by Antony Beevor (dude can write), Alex Kershaw's books are really good and readable, The Storm of War by Roberts is a good overview as is A War to Be Won, Hasting's Overlord, maybe something by John McManus, Miller's Masters of the Air...that's a good start. And then there are individual battles and biographies. See you in a couple of years.

 

[o_fredgarvin]

I love WWII history and would suggest starting with Ambrose cause it’s an easy read

Tour guides in Normandy quote Ambrose more than anyone else.