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World War II : Trying to comprehend
A World at Arms: A Global History of World War IIA World at Arms: A Global History of World War II by Gerhard L. Weinberg
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The big, big picture
The World At War - Complete TV Series (11 Disc Box Set) [DVD]The World At War - Complete TV Series (11 Disc Box Set) [DVD]
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Consolidating the big, big picture
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7
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I become interested specifically in the Russian experience
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 in C minor, Op. 65
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Likewise
StalingradStalingrad by Antony Beevor
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Epic horror. Russia and Stalin learn to fight - even more viciously than the Nazis.
Enemy at the Gates [2001] [DVD]Enemy at the Gates [2001] [DVD]
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Fictional but vivid account of the Stalingrad experience.
The Second World War, 6 Volume SetThe Second World War, 6 Volume Set by Winston S. Churchill
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Reading experience of a lifetime. Primary sources so must be read with caution. Outstanding literature.
Moscow 1941: A City & Its People at War: A City and Its People at WarMoscow 1941: A City & Its People at War: A City and Its People at War by Sir Rodric Braithwaite
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The Nazis are halted at last. Hitler's miscalculation becomes apparent.
Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45Armageddon: The Battle for Germany 1944-45 by Max Hastings Sir
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Germany's final agony.
Rising Sun (Military Classics)Rising Sun (Military Classics) by John Toland
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Japan's war. Masterpiece of integration of the big picture with on the ground accounts.
Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple VictoryEurope at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory by Norman Davies
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Demythologising the war in Europe. Seeing it for what it really was.
Europe CentralEurope Central by William T. Vollmann
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Absolute literary masterpiece. Fictionalised accounts of real lives of people placed in agonising moral dilemmas.
A People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924A People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 by Orlando Figes
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Although not WWII it's indespensable for setting the scene for the drama that is to unfold.
The Battle Of Britain (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1969]The Battle Of Britain (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1969]
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Wonderful boyhood myth. Never tire of watching this. And Ron Goodwin's wonderful score?
A Bridge Too Far (2 Disc Special Edition) [1977] [DVD]A Bridge Too Far (2 Disc Special Edition) [1977] [DVD]
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Again, never tire of this one. First film that got me to imagine being under an artillary barage or to run knowingly into a hail of bullets.
Downfall (2 Disc Edition) [2005] [DVD] [2004]Downfall (2 Disc Edition) [2005] [DVD] [2004]
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One of the greatest films of all time for so many reasons. The last days in Hitler's bunker. The evil. The fallibility. The gullibility. The surreality. The mundanity. The smell.
Band Of Brothers - Complete HBO Series commemorative gift set (6 Disc Box Set) [2001] [DVD]Band Of Brothers - Complete HBO Series commemorative gift set (6 Disc Box Set) [2001] [DVD]
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Becoming hackneyed through over-screening yet an oustanding achievement.
Absolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World WarAbsolute War: Soviet Russia in the Second World War by Chris Bellamy
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Detailed acount of the Eastern Front at strategic level. Includes picture of the real Vasily Zaitsev. Don't think Rachel Weisz would have thought much of him.