Not only to counter an other thread...

[Ryne Muller]

But I'm a bit of a bookworm, so I'm always looking for my next book. So what is the BEST book you have read? Pre to post war WW2.

[Hagen]

Now thats a tough one. I've read alot of books in my 48 years and I'm sure I've probably forgotten some very good books. I like to read books involving the end of the war in Europe, and the battle for Berlin. So lets see;

The Last 1oo Days by John Toland

The Last Battle by Cornelius Ryan

Berlin Dance of Death by Helmut Altner

Battle For The Ruhr by Derek S Zumbro

With Our Backs To Berlin by Tony Le Tissier

Last Days of the Third Reich by James Lucas

Gotterdammerung 1945 by Russ Schneinder

The Longest Battle by Harry Yeide

Fallen Eagle by Robin Cross

Seven Days in January by Wolf T Zoepf

The Siege of Budapest by John Lukacs

The list goes on and on, so many good books and hopefully so many more to come.

[temujin77]

My favorite book on a battle: Shattered Sword by Jon Parshall and Tony Tully:

World War II Database: Your WW2 History Reference Destination
WW2DB: Shattered Sword

My favorite biography of a WW2 personality: American Caesar by William Manchester:

WW2DB: American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964

My favorite memoir: Goodbye, Darkness by William Manchester

WW2DB: Goodbye, Darkness

[Ryne Muller]

I haven't read Shattered Sword but those other two are Favorites. My brother made me reread American Caeser and hilite all of MacArthur's quotes. I'll read anything by William Manchester.

[temujin77]

William Manchester -- he definitely was the master of history narratives! His writing style is absolutely stunning, and like you, I gobble up everything he wrote. Have you read The Arms of Krupp? I read it last year and it was amazing. Learned a lot while enjoyed reading every page of it. Here's my review of the book:

WW2DB: The Arms of Krupp

Shattered Sword is a gem, you should pick it up when you get a chance. Two big selling points:

1. For recognition for this book, the US Navy's Naval War College uses it in their curriculum. That says a lot.
2. For content, I haven't seen another book more detailed on the battle than Shattered Sword -- 600 pages on one single battle!
3. Again, for content, it also brings a lot of new details to light, which debunks a lot of myth on the battle. If you have thought about the battle only in terms of Fuchida's Midway books, you'll definitely have to read it, for Jon and Tony found some errors in Fuchida's account and offered corrected versions of the events.