THE WORLD WAR TWO GROUP discussion

Several years ago, I start reading books (non-fiction, fiction and biographies) for a single "mega topic" in chronological fashion, with books matched to events and figures on a timeline of that mega topic. My first mega topic was WW2. Here is the list of books I created, and then read in order, over a period of 3-4 years.

I thought I would share this list, to benefit anyone who is interested in "organizing" their WW2 books that they plan to read. I'm sorry, but they are listed backwards, from 1945 (most recent I read) back to 1939 and before (those I started reading first).

Enjoy

Greg Sumers

Downfall Richard B. Frank
Flyboys: A True Story of Courage Bradley, James D.
With The Old Breed E. B. Sledge
Strong Men Armed Robert Leckie
Flags of Our Fathers Bradley, James D.
Iwo Jima Newcomb, Richard
Good German Kanon, Joseph
Fall of Berlin 1945 Beevor, Anthony
The Reader Schlink, Bernhard
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission Sides, Hampton
The Pacific Ambrose, Hugh
Islands in the Stream Hemingway, Ernest
Utmost Savagery Joseph Alexander
Patton at the Battle of the Bulge Barron, Leo
The Battle of the Bulge Sears, Stephen W.
A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge MacDonald, Charles B.
Company Commander: The Classic Infantry Memoir of World War II MacDonald, Charles B.
The Longest Winter Kershaw, Alex *
Ghost Front Charles Whiting WW2:NF 0-306-81148-0 8/2004 C
Closing With The Enemy Michael Doubler WW2:NF 0-7006-0744-7 6/2004 B
Tales of the South Pacific Michener, James A.
Whistle James Jones WW2:FICT 0-385-33424-9 5/2004 B-
The Deadly Brotherhood John C. McManus WW2:NF 0-89141-823-7 3/2004 A-
Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949 Knappe, Siegfried
A Soldier’s Story Bradley, Omar
Frontsoldaten Stephen G. Fritz WW2:NF 0813109434 3/2004 B
GI Offensive In Europe Peter Mansoor
West Wall Charles Whiting WW2:NF 1-405-00783-4 2/2004 C
A Dark and Bloody Ground Edward G. Miller NF; WW2 1-58544-258-5 1/2004 A-
Return To The Phillipines Rafael Steinberg HIST; WW2 Time Life Series 12/2003 C
Leyte Samuel Eliot Morison NF; WW2 0-7858-1313-6 12/2003 B+
The Purple Plain H.E. Bates FICT; WW2 0-304-35627-1 9/2003 C
Das Reich Max Hastings NF; WW2 0-330-48389-7 8/2003 B+
The Painted Bird Jerzy Kosinski FICT; WW2 553-07443 8/2003 C
A Bridge Too Far Stephen Badsey NF; WW2 1-84176-110-9 8/2003 C
A Bridge Too Far Cornelius Ryan NF; WW2 0-684-80330-5 8/2003 A-
No End Save Victory Ed. Robert Cowley NF; WW2 0-425-18338-6 7/2003 A
Liberation Martin Blumenson NF; WW2 Time Life Series 7/2003 B-
Citizen Soldiers Stephen Ambrose NF; WW2 0-684-81525-7 7/2003 A-
Los Alamos Joseph Kanon FICT; WW2 0-440-22407-1 7/2003 B
Island Fighting Rafael Steinberg NF; WW2 Time Life Series 7/2003 B+
The Big War Anton Myrer FICT; WW2 0-06-093473-5 7/2003 A
Citizen Soldiers Ambrose, Stephen E
Band of Brothers: E Company, Ambrose, Stephen E
The Normandy Campaign Victor Brooks NF; WW2 0-306-81149-9 6/2003 B
Slaughterhouse Five Kurt Vonnegut FICTION 0-440-18029-5 6/2003 A-
The Naked And The Dead Norman Mailer FICT; WW2 0-312-26505-0 6/2003
Goodbye, Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War Manchester, William R.
Sayonara Michener, James A.
The Clay Pigeons of St. Lo Glover S. Johns, Jr. NF; WW2 0-8117-2604-5 5/2003 A
Once An Eagle Anton Myrer Fiction; WW2 0-06-103086-4 5/2003 A+
Japan At War Time-Life Books Editors NF: Sports 0-385-47426-1 5/2003 B-
Six Armies In Normandy John Keegan NF: Hist, WW2 0-14-023542-6 4/2003 A-
The Soviet Juggernaut Earl F. Ziemke NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 4/2003 B
The Home Front: Germany Charles Whiting NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 4/2003 B+
The Winds of War (The Henry Family, #1) Wouk, Herman
Clash of Titans Walter J. Boyne NF: Hist, WW2 0-684-83914-8 4/2003 B+
Clash of Wings Walter J. Boyne NF: Hist, WW2 0-684-83915-6 4/2003 B
The Wild Blue Stephen E. Ambrose NF: Hist, WW2 0-7432-2309-8 4/2003 B
The Air War In Europe Ronald H. Bailey NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 4/2003 B
The Resistance Russell Miller NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 3/2003 C
The Victors Stephen Ambrose NF: Hist, WW2 0-684-85629-8 3/2003 B
Brave Men Ernie Pyle NF: Hist, WW2 0-8032-8768-2 3/2003 A+
The Second Front Douglas Botting NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 3/2003 B
D-Day Stephen Ambrose NF: Hist, WW2 0-684-80137-X 3/2003 A
The Good War Studs Terkel NF: Hist, WW2 1-56584-343-6 2/2003 A
The Longest Day Cornelius Ryan NF: Hist, WW2 0-671-89091-3 2/2003 A
The Battle of Anzio T.R. Fehrenbach NF: Hist, WW2 1-58586-068-9 2/2003 A
War Under the Pacific Keith Wheeler NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 2/2003 B+
Backwater War: Allied Campaign in Italy Edwin Hoyt NF: Hist, WW2 0-275-974787-2 2/2003 C
The Italian Campaign Robert Wallace NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 2/2003 B
China-Burma-India Don Moser NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 2/2003 B
The Texas 36th Division: A History Bruce L. Brager WW2:NF 1-57168-371-2 2/2003 B
Bloody River Martin Blumenson WW2:NF 0-89096-852-7 2/2003 B
A River Swift And Deadly Lee Carraway Smith
Monte Cassino David Hapgood & David Richardson NF: Hist, WW2 0-306-81121-9 2/2003 B+
Hell's Gate Douglas E. Nash NF: Hist, WW2 0-9657584-3-5 1/2003 A-
Battles for Scandanavia John R. Elting NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 1/2003 B
Bouganville:The Forgotten Campaign Harry A. Gailey NF: Hist, WW2 0-8131-2162-0 1/2003 C-
From Here to Eternity James Jones Fiction, WW2 0-385-3364-1 12/2002 B+
Catch-22 Joseph Heller Fiction, WW2 0-684-83339-5 12/2002 B+
Prisoners of War Ronald H. Bailey NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 11/2002 C
The Neutrals Denis J. Fodor NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 11/2002 B+
War in the Outposts Simon Rigge NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 10/2002 C-
Italy at War Henry Adams NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 10/2002 B-
The Battle of Kursk Glantz and House NF: Hist, WW2 0-7006-0978-4 10/2002 C-
The Mediterranean A.B.C Whipple NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 09/2002 B-
Kursk 1943 Mark Healy NF: Hist, WW2 1-85532-211-0 09/2002 B
The Secret War Francis Russel NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 09/2002 C
Meeting the Fox Orr Kelly NF: Hist, WW2 0-471-41429-8 09/2002 C+
Infantry Aces Franz Kurowski NF: Hist, WW2 0-345-45194-5 09/2002 D-
The Desert War Alan Moorehead NF: Hist, WW2 0-14-027514-2 09/2002 A-
The Forgotten Soldier Guy Sajer NF: Hist, WW2 1-57488-286-4 08/2002 A+
Partisans and Guerrillas Ronald H. Bailey NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 08/2002 C-
The Desert War Richard Collier NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 08/2002 B+
King Rat (Asian Saga, #1) Clavell, James
Red Army Resurgent John Shaw NF: Hist, WW2 0-8094-2518-1 08/2002 C-
Stalingrad Anthony Beevor NF: Hist, WW2 0-14-028458-3 08/2002 B+
Guadalcanal Diary Richard Tregaskis NF: Hist, WW2 0-679-64023-1 08/2002 A+
Enemy at the Gates William Craig NF: Hist, WW2 1-56852-368-8 08/2002 A+
Guadalcanal Richard B. Frank NF: Hist, WW2 0-14-016561-4 08/2002 B+
Into the Valley John Hersey NF: Hist, WW2 0-8032-7328-2 07/2002 A
The Commandos Russell Miller NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 05/2002 B+
The Nazis Robert Edwin Herzstein NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 04/2002 C+
The Home Front: USA Ronald H. Bailey NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 04/2002 C
Miracle at Midway Gordon W. Prange NF: Hist, WW2 0-14-006814-7 04/2002 B
The Rising Sun Arthur Zich NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 02/2002 B
At Dawn We Slept Gordon W. Prange NF: Military History 0-14-00-6455-9 2/02 B-
Day of Infamy Lord, Walter
The Book of War John Keegan NF: Military History 0-14-029655-7 12/01 A
Panzer Commander: The Memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck Luck, Hans von
Attacks: Rommel Erwin Rommel
The Rommel Papers ed. B.H. Liddell-Hart NF: Hist, WW2 0-306-80157-4 02/02 A
Zhukov: From Moscow to Berlin Georgi Zhukov NF: Hist, WW2
Panzer Leader General Heinz Guderian NF: Hist, WW2 0-306-80689-4
The Second World War John Keegan NF: Hist, WW2 0-670-82359-7
Panzer Battles Maj. Gen. FW von Mellenthin NF: Hist, WW2 11/2001
Barbarossa Alan Clark NF: Hist, WW2
Russia Beseiged Nicholas Bethell NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 10/2001 B
The Battle of the Atlantic Barrie Pitt NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 10/2001 B
The Battle of Britain Leonard Mosley NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Series 09/2001 B
Blitzkrieg Robert Wernick NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Books 09/2001 B
Prelude to War NF: Hist, WW2 Time Life Books 08/2001 B
War Letters ed. Andrew Carroll NF: Hist, WW2 0-7432-0294-5 08/2001 A
The Thin Red Line James Jones F: WW2 0-385-32408-1 08/2001 A-
Once There Was A War John Steinbeck NF: WW2 0-14-018747-2 08/2000 A-

Great list Greg, and like the way you went about it..
Job well done!

Greg wrote: "Several years ago, I start reading books (non-fiction, fiction and biographies) for a single "mega topic" in chronological fashion, with books matched to events and figures on a timeline of that me..."

Good list. A little light on Soviet WW II fiction. How about:

Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman

Generations of Winter by Vasily Aksyonov.

Thanks Manray, appreciate the recommendations. The Painted Bird was about as far as I got into Russian fiction.

These do look tempting, but I'm afraid I'm done with WW2 books, pretty much forever. I'm now working my way through a Civil War timeline and list, and have other mega-topics planned after that. But others who use this list may want to add these, so thanks.

Greg wrote: "Thanks Manray, appreciate the recommendations. The Painted Bird was about as far as I got into Russian fiction.

These do look tempting, but I'm afraid I'm done with WW2 books, pretty much forev..."

Forever is a long time. Please post your Civil War list.

You're right, but I saw it said somewhere else on this site, so many books and so little time. You have to make hard decisions of when to stop, when you're interested in so many different areas :)

I will share my CW once it's completed. I'm in October 1864 right now on my timeline, and reading books about the Shenandoah Valley campaign. I should be done with my Civil War list in about 3-4 months.

Great list Greg.

Greg how was The Longest Winter and Citizen Soldier ? I have been interested in these books .

Greg wrote: "Several years ago, I start reading books (non-fiction, fiction and biographies) for a single "mega topic" in chronological fashion, with books matched to events and figures on a timeline of that me..."

Looking at the length of your list, I can only say, "WOW!"

Donnie wrote: "Greg how was The Longest Winter and Citizen Soldier ? I have been interested in these books ."

I gave each book 4 stars. I distinctly remember Citizen Soldiers being very engrossing. The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer may have been my ultimate favorite of all the books in this list. Clay Pigeons of St. Lo and Guadalcanal Diary also immediately jump to mind as being superior reads.

I want to get The Longest Winter. Has anyone read this?

I thought it was pretty good - about a recon plt in one of the regts of the 99th ID

I gave it 4 stars

I enjoyed The Longest Winter: The Battle of the Bulge and the Epic Story of World War II's Most Decorated Platoon and Citizen Soldiers: The U S Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany. I'll post links to my reviews if you'd like to read more of my thoughts:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thank you A.L!!