What are your favorite books on war and/or weapon related subject matter?

Status
Not open for further replies.
For those who liked "Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara, a good follow-up would be reading his son Jeffery's books. Jeffery wrote the prequel and sequel of "Killer Angels", "Gods And Generals" and "The Last Full Measure" respectively.
Click to expand...

I've got them both and they're good reads, but he's trying to cover far too much ground in each book - the entire war...

The Killer Angels is about one battle, Gettysburg, which arguably was the pivotal battle of the entire war. If Lee had won, he very likely would have taken Washington and the North would have been forced to sue for peace. The political will in the north was already crumbling after so many defeats.
Lee was -><- that close to winning the battle, particularly at Little Round Top where the 20th Maine made a stand that prevented Lee from folding the entire Union flank. Those few men changed history and Shaara makes you feel as if you were right there.
 
Many of my favorite books (both war and non-war) have been mentioned already, but here are two that I really like (yes, I copied the descriptions):

FREE AS A RUNNING FOX by T. D. Calnan - A fine WWII POW story written by T.D. Calnan, an RAF pilot shot down over occupied France in the early stages of WWII. Calnan is badly burned but makes several successful escapes over the next several years.
In something of a contrast to other, better known WWII POW books (e.g. The Great Escape, The Colditz Story), Calnan's story is a very personal, almost romantic adventure story at points. Calnan's prose is not particularly literary but it is very effective. When Calnan surveys the German countryside on a crisp evening soon after escaping from a train, the reader truly experiences the feeling of being as free as a running fox.
In describing life in the prison camps, Calnan displays a keen understanding of human nature, the universal and those aspects which are uniquely British, German and Russian. Throughout his captivity, Calnan seems almost pathologically obsessed with escaping, but never seems to lose his dry, uniquely British wit for very long, even though his hatred for the German war machine is palpable.

A Bridge Too Far, a non-fiction book by Cornelius Ryan, published in 1974, tells the story of Operation Market Garden, a failed Allied attempt to break through German lines at Arnhem in the occupied Netherlands during World War II in September 1944. The title of the book comes from a comment made by British Lt. Gen. Frederick Browning, deputy commander of the First Allied Airborne Army, who told Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery before the operation, "I think we may be going a bridge too far."
A Bridge Too Far was responsible for bringing to the general public's attention the full extent of this massive operation, including a catalogue of errors and miscalculations, whilst highlighting the extreme bravery of the participants.

Any Sci-Fi books by H. Beam Piper.
 
Last edited:
True story:

Was on my way to Bennington, VT a few years back with my girlfriend at the time. About an hour out from our B&B ( we were still on the New York side) she notices the car's outside temp gauge and says, "wanna make a bet? Let's each guess what the temp will be at our destination. Whoever gets closest can pick any one item from the book store in Manchester (beautiful independent book store!) and the other will pay for it."
I guessed correctly (exactly 49 degrees F), and while stalking the shelves I remembered a tome I'd been hankering to get for a while.
Sure enough it was there: Kyle Cassidy's Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in their homes.
Being the liberal anti-gunner she was, she shook her head the whole time the clerk rang up the sale, and as we left the store, said, "you're really pushing me, aren't ya?"
"Well, that's how we grow" I replied.
I absolutely love the book! And, believe it or not, she goes with me to the range (we're still friends).
 
I don't know why so many of you are obsessed with WW2, but in high school I read a book on written by the founder of Delta Force who was in the Korean War. Exciting stuff.
 
Historical Fiction

I can highly recommend The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara as others have done here. It is the winner of a Pulitzer Prize.

The books by his son Jeff are also excellent. I have read the Civil War novels, as well as the American Revolution novels The Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause. I have currently started reading the WWII novel The Rising Tide.

For those not familiar with historical fiction, the author is carefully researched and portrays events historically correct, but writes from the prospective of several key players in the story. For instance The Rising Tide is told from the viewpoints of Erwin Rommel, Dwight Eisenhower, as well as several others.

Other Books

Ultimate Sniper: Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers. By Major John Plaster.

The Art of the Rifle and To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Speak the Truth. Also Principles of Personal Defense. By Col Jeff Cooper.

Fast and Fancy Revolver Shooting. By Ed McGivern.

On Killing and On Combat by LtCol Dave Grossman. Highly recommended and can be purchased from http://www.killology.com

The Five Fingers. By Gayle Rivers. Recounts a Special Forces incursion into far North Vietnam. Presented as true, but most likely fiction. A good story either way.
 
Don Burgett

Try his 4 book autobiography of his service with the 101st during WW2. The man is a master storyteller, and his memory for detail is astounding.

Currahee!
The Road to Arnhem
Seven Roads to Hell
Beyond the Rhine

-Jim
 
The only books I read are reloading books.
I have read enuf books in my life time.
Retired 11 years I watch the BS that is shown on DVD.
I have about 1300 movies.
I can't stand our goverment so I try not to watch the news ( more BS than Hollywood )
 
I have read Star Ship trooper 3 or 4 times and think its a great insight to the world as we would like it to be, as for Catch 22, I read it twice and flew co-pilot in the movie and think it sucks big time, especially the movie, but it paid good at the time.
 
Looking over my list, I suppose that most of my picks do not portray war as a very glorious and wonderful thing.

All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Remarque

The Civil War - A Narrative - Shelby Foote

The First World War - John Keegan

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

The Book of War - John Keegan/various authors

The Best and the Brightest - David Halberstam

Hadji Murat - Leo Tolstoy

A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo
 
Oops~!

I forgot my copy of:

Honor Bound: Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia 1961-1973

A truly reamarkable work, and a must for anyone interested
in U.S. captives that were held in Southeast Asia; with a complete index
statuts [as best be know it], of all KIA, MIA, and POW's.
 
+1 on guns Up, read it 3 times in 5 years, also Ralph Zumbros books are good, Tank Seargeant was my favorite, basically his recollections of being a tank gunner in the 69th armored in Nam. Also +1 on Allan eckert.
As far as strictly related to firearms, Ian Hogg's books are my favorites, just love his writing style and attention to detail, plus oppinions gathered from a lifetime of British army service.

Also: Louis L'Amoure is my favorite author period. He was: a drifter since he was seperated from his family at 15, a merchant trader, was shipwrecked and fought pirates, a mercenary fighting imperial japan for the chinese, an elephant trainer, an officer on tank destroyers in WW2, won 51 of his 59 fights as a pro boxer, and wrote more than 400 short stories and 50 novels, of which i think 30 have been made into movies, notably Crossfire Trail, basically he was completely basass and his life experience shines through in all aspects of his writing, especially if the main character gets into a fistfight.
 
There are some exceptional books recommended on this thread. I will not repeat any of those titles.

Stillwell and the American Experience in China 1911-1945 Barbara Tuchman. Excellent history of Joe Stillwell and his role in the China-Burma Theater and his career.

[/I]
 
I have repeated some of the ones already listed that are tops on my list.


Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer


The Killer Angels Michael Shaara


Any of Jerry Kuhnhausen's manuals. Outstanding books even if you're not planning detailed fine gunsmithing, sometimes I'm just swept away by the fantastic illustrations.


All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Remarque


The Guns of August Barbara Tuchman


Army of the Potomic Trilogy ending with A Stillness at Appomattox Bruce Catton - Anything by Catton


Old Man's War John Scalzi The very best new recruits greeted by their Drill Sergeant scene ever


Ender's Game Orson Scott Card


Red Storm Rising Tom Clancy


Stalingrad Theodor Pliever Written just a couple of years after the war by a German survivor


The Forever War Joe Haldeman


The Hammer's Slammers series, especially The Warrior David Drake


A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam Neil Sheehan


Almost anything by Heinlein will get into firearms, weapons, personal responsibility and politics
 
Seems like the answers in this thread are all non-fiction manuals or historical accounts.

Me personally, I like John Wayne & Louis L'Amour. So how about Hondo!
My all time favorite! I have the book & both movies (the John Wayne version & the Ralph Taeger version.)
 
I might have already posted this, but reading through this thread, I couldn't help but think of "A Better War" and "Thunderbolt" by Lewis Sorley. The first is a history of the Vietnam War after Creighton Abrams took over; the second is "Thunderbolt," Sorley's excellent biography of Gen. Abrams.
 
I don't know why so many of you are obsessed with WW2
Click to expand...

I am willing to bet that such an "obsession" with WW2 boils down to the grand scope of this war and Adolf Hitlers involvement; along with his agenda, unfortunately. It was a horrible time, no doubt..but a very interesting time as well, strictly speaking of warfare.


Anyway, great suggestions all. I appreciate the posts...
 
Last edited:
I need to add a book I'd forgotten about

No Picnic on Mount Kenya.

It's about 3 Italian prisoners of war in Africa in WW2 who break out of prison camp to go climb Mount Kenya. They scavenge some homemade climbing gear, break out, climb Mt. Kenya and then break back into camp.
Maybe more a mountaineering book than a war book but it gives a unique perspective.
 
Robert Sherrill's Saturday Night Special

An anti-gun screed, to be sure... but fascinating!

Written 30+ years ago, IIRC a lot of the issues that we discuss/grapple with are right there in the book; wound survivability, "which caliber has the most killing power," myths about hollow points, depressing tales of overzealous law enforcement, and a lot of interesting anecdotes involving firearms and gunfights.
 
Dear Mom: A Sniper's View of Vietnam--engaging, and follows the author from boot camp all the way to making some bad choices and ending up in Leavenworth.
Click to expand...

Um, on that last bit i think you may have confused Dear Mom with Gone Native By Alan G. Cornett.
Cornett was a carreer Army NCO that spent 7 years in Vietnam, mostly in covert/behind-the-lines type operations, made a bad decision (can't remember it off the top of my head) and served time in Leavenworth. At the end of his term in Leavenworth, Cornett was allowed to resume his service with a reduction in rank and I beleive retired honorably. it's been a few years since i read my copy and I can't find it readily.

Joseph T. Ward, the writer of Dear Mom, on the other hand served one hitch in the Marines, served his 13 months in SEA as a sniper, and then was discharged from the Corps in 1970. (THAT book is sitting right here on my desk)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

S
  • Locked
Sniper book list
2
Replies
36
Views
7K
4v50 Gary
4v50 Gary
D
  • Locked
Marine Corps Sets Sights On More Precise Shooting
2
Replies
25
Views
2K
STW
S
2
  • Locked
Aid & Comfort to the Enemy
Replies
12
Views
755
gburner
G
B
  • Locked
weapons in Iraq
2
Replies
30
Views
5K
MTMilitiaman
MTMilitiaman
S
  • Locked
Insight of a Bull's-Eye
2 3 4 5 6 7
Replies
173
Views
10K
Correia
C
Back
Top