WWII book recommendations?

Question

I'm currently reading Winston Churchill's extensive 4-volume memoir of World War 2 ("The Second World War") and am wondering how this work is generally viewed in comparison to the rest of the WW2 literature? For example, is it regarded as particularly accurate? Does it seem overly biased? That kind of thing.

Also, can anyone recommend any other books that are widely regarded as definitive works on this topic. I'm looking for works that are generally accepted as being the best in the field, not just personal favourites, please.

Thank you!

erin7 · Accepted Answer

Churchill's is generally considered to be the greatest work on the war.  Obviously not objective and considered a memoir today, but filled with the sort of "research" historians didn't have access to until recently.  It's pretty much accepted that you can read more accurate and reliable books, however even 20 years ago you couldn't.  A lot was left out since Churchill could have been sued for slander and couldn't discuss still current leaders.  Apparently he had no interest in the Eastern Front and let his assistants write about it.

Some of the great works on WW2:
Rise And Fall Of The Third Reich by William L. Shirer
A War To Be Won: Fighting the Second World War by Williamson Murray
Eagle Against the Sun: The American War With Japan by Ronald Spector
The Second World War: A Complete History by Martin Gilbert
Russia at War: 1941-1945 by Alexander Werth
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang is both a great work and a personal favorite.
There's also a great book about Patton called Soldier's Life and a book about the best books about WW2 called The WW2 Bookshelf.

WWII book recommendations?

1 Antwort