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Greatest books on World War II
Decision in Normandy (Penguin Classics)Decision in Normandy (Penguin Classics) by Carlo D'Este
Buy used from: £2.50
A detailed, balanced and downright exciting overview of the allied invasion of France
The Road to Stalingrad: 1 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)The Road to Stalingrad: 1 (Cassell Military Paperbacks) by John Erickson
Buy new: £7.17 / Used from: £2.68
Hard work, but worthwhile. The definitive account of Barbarossa and after
Arnhem 1944: The Airborne Battle, 17-26 September (Penguin history)Arnhem 1944: The Airborne Battle, 17-26 September (Penguin history) by Martin Middlebrook
Buy used from: £5.26
Spell-binding allied view on the battles in and around Arnhem constructed from eye-witness accounts
Engage the Enemy More Closely: Royal Navy in 2WW (Penguin Classic Military History)Engage the Enemy More Closely: Royal Navy in 2WW (Penguin Classic Military History) by Correlli Barnett
Buy used from: £39.00
Comprehensive and very readable look at naval actions in all theatres.
The Right of the Line (Wordsworth Military Library)The Right of the Line (Wordsworth Military Library) by John Terraine
Buy used from: £0.01
Like the above, but a history of the RAF from 1939-45 for beginners and those already in the know.
The Rommel Papers (Da Capo Paperback)The Rommel Papers (Da Capo Paperback) by B.H. Liddell-Hart
Buy new: £10.49 / Used from: £13.85
Rommel's genius even reached writing. Absorbing accounts of the great man's battles
Alamein to Zem ZemAlamein to Zem Zem by Keith Douglas
Buy used from: £16.99
Tragically short, this is a first-class view of the fighting in North Africa from the neglected poet
Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for RomeFatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome by Carlo D'Este
Buy used from: £7.26
Hunt down this out-of-print history of the allied battles up the leg of Italy. D'Este sure can write
Battleship: The Loss of the "Prince of Wales" and the "Repulse" (Penguin Classic Military History)Battleship: The Loss of the "Prince of Wales" and the "Repulse" (Penguin Classic Military History) by Martin Middlebrook
Buy used from: £11.16
Buy before it disappears. Moving account of British complacency and the end of the battleship era
StalingradStalingrad by Antony Beevor
Buy used from: £0.66
Even Beevor's (apparent) disgust for the Soviet Union cannot hide the facts of one of history's great turn-arounds. Awe-inspiring
Road To Berlin: Stalin's War with Germany: Volume 2: Stalin's War with Germany Vol 2 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)Road To Berlin: Stalin's War with Germany: Volume 2: Stalin's War with Germany Vol 2 (Cassell Military Paperbacks) by John Erickson
Buy new: £7.65 / Used from: £5.21
Erickson's sequel is suitably mammoth to describe this huge theatre of war in which the Soviets turned the tide against Germany
The Price of Disobedience: The Battle of the River Plate ReconsideredThe Price of Disobedience: The Battle of the River Plate Reconsidered by Eric J. Grove
Buy used from: £30.91
New evidence reveals surprising conclusions in this analysis of one of WWII most famous naval duels
The Battle of Hurtgen Forest: Untold Story of a Disastrous Campaign (Spellmount Siegfried Line)The Battle of Hurtgen Forest: Untold Story of a Disastrous Campaign (Spellmount Siegfried Line) by Charles Whiting
Buy used from: £4.95
Gruelling account of this forgotten, bloody battle at the end of the war in which the US are shown in a terrible light
The Other Side of the Hill (Pan Grand Strategy Series)The Other Side of the Hill (Pan Grand Strategy Series) by B.H.Liddell Hart
Buy used from: £136.51
Conversations with defeated German generals is a great place to start an understanding of why the Germans fought and why they fought so well.
Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege 1940-1943 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege 1940-1943 (Cassell Military Paperbacks) by James Holland
Buy new: £5.64 / Used from: £0.01
A real gem. Malta's defence is an incredible story, and Holland is a valuable new talent.
Finest HourFinest Hour by Tim Clayton
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.01
An amazing achievement - deeply moving personal accounts from the time when Britain stood alone
Dunkirk: Fight to the Last ManDunkirk: Fight to the Last Man by Hugh Sebag-Montefiore
Buy used from: £10.00
A real treat (after the gossipy book on Stalin). Mountains of detail from the BEF side of this strange victorious retreat.
The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad (Pan Grand Strategy Series)The 900 Days: The Siege of Leningrad (Pan Grand Strategy Series) by Harrison E. Salisbury
Buy used from: £5.98
Apart from being an excellent account of history's deadliest siege, this also begins with a superb overview of the USSR's intial blunders.
African TrilogyAfrican Trilogy by Alan Moorehead
Buy used from: £115.95
War correspondent's account of the fighting in North Africa. Amazing eye witness accounts. Not good as an overview, for that see...
The Desert GeneralsThe Desert Generals by Correlli Barnett
Buy used from: £1.98
Still controversial, but this is great place to start for an overview of the battles in North Africa.
Hitler's Panzers East: World War II ReinterpretedHitler's Panzers East: World War II Reinterpreted by R.H.S. Stolfi
Buy new: £15.95 / Used from: £5.20
And finally, if you ever tire if what was, this is the best guess at what might have been had Germany's battle plans in the east gone according to plan