Over the past few months I kept on seeing books on WWII that I would like to read, but would always forget their titles and stuff. So for the past week or so, using Amazon books and the Axis History forums recommended reading topics, I have been compiling a list of all books that I think are interesting/good and that I hope to eventually get.
All the books are organized according to their combat theater etc...
Feel free to recommend books, take away some, and make suggestions. Hopefully we can make the master list of all recommended reading for WWII
*Right now I'm at about ~150 books, I might break it up a little so I can post it all
WW2 General History
- World War II A Complete Photographic History
- The Story of World War II
- Why The Allies Won
- The Second World War- John Keegan
- Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European war, 1941-1945
- History of the German Resistance- Peter Hoffmann
- Germany and the Second World War
Vol. 1 The Build up of German Aggression
Vol. 2 Germany’s Initial Conquests in Europe
Vol. 3 ????
Vol. 4 The Attack on The Soviet Union
Vol. 5 Organization and Mobilization in the German Sphere of Power
Part 2- Organization and Mobilization in the German Sphere of Power
Vol. 6 The Global War
Vol. 7 The Strategic Air War in Europe/War in the West/War in East Asia
- History of the Second World War- Hart
- WWII Series- Time Life (39 volumes)
- Waffen SS Handbook 1933-1945-Gordon Williamson
Western Front & Atlantic
- The last Escape
- D-Day- Ambrose
- The longest Night- Mortimer
- The Struggle for Europe- Chester Wilmot
- The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940- Julian Jackson
- Battle of Britain- Bergstrom
- The Norwegian Campaign of 1940- Moulton
- Norwegian Resistance: 1940-1945- Gjelsvik
- Doomed Expedition: The Norwegian Campaign of 1940- Adams
- The Bitter Years; The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway- Petrow
- Norway 1940- Kersaudy
- Assault In Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program- Gallagher
- The Sledge Patrol- Howarth
- Blitzkrieg in Their Own Words- Bance
- The Germans in Normandy- Hargreaves
- Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army’s final defeat in the West- Zumbro
- Operation Dragoon: The Allied Invasion of the South of France- Breuer
- Dragoon- Gaujac
- Omaha Beach: 6/6/1944- Bernage
- Gold Juno Sword- Bernage
- Operation Sea Lion- Peter
- The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain- Bungay
- Overlord- Hastings
- Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945- Hastings
- D-Day: The Air Battle- Delve
- The Battle of the Atlantic- Ireland
- The Battle of the Atlantic: The Allies Submarine Fight Against Hitler’s Grey Wolves of the Sea- Williams
Eastern European Front
- Stalin’s Folly
- The Road to Stalingrad- Erickson
- Island of Fire
- Russia’s War- Overy
- Stalingrad- Beevor
- 900 Days- Salisbury
- Black Cross Red Star- Bergstrom
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3
- Moscow to Stalingrad. Decision in the East- Ziemke/Bauer
- Death of the Wehrmacht- Citino
- The Road to Berlin: Stalin’s War with Germany- Erickson
- Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hilters Defeat in the East
- War in the Wild East
- The Fall of Berlin 1945- Beevor
- Before Stalingrad: Barbarossa, Hitler’s Invasion of Russia 1941- Glantz
- Stalingrad: How the Red Army Survived the German Onslaught- Jones
- Barbarossa: The Air Battle July-December 1941- Bergstrom
- Stalingrad: The Air Battle: November 1942-Febuary 1943
- Kursk: The Air Battle, July 1943
- The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940- Engle
- A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940- Trotter
- The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish winter War- Chew
- Red Storm over the Balkans- Glantz
- The Battle for Leningrad- Glantz
- Zhukovs Greatest Defeat: The REd Army's Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942- David Glantz
- War Without Garlands- Robert Kershaw
Africa & Mediterranean
- The Mediterranean and the Middle East
Vol. 1 The Early Successes Against Italy, to May 1941
Vol. 2 The Germans Come to the Help of Their Ally
Vol. 3 British Fortunes Reach Their Lowest Ebb
Vol. 4 The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa
- An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943- Rick Atkinson
- The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944- Atkinson
- Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II- Parker
- Cassino: The Hollow Victory: The Battle for Rome January-June 1944- Ellis
- Anzio: Italy And the Battle for Rome -1944- Clark
- They Fought at Anzio- Eisenhower
- Alamein- Bungay
- Alamein- Latimer
- War Without Hate: The Desert Campaign of 1940-43- Beirman/Smith
- Iron Hulls Iron Hearts- Walker
- Tank Combat in North Africa- Jentz
- Tobruk: The Birth of A Legend- Harrison
- Crete: The Battle and Resistance- Antony Beevor
Pacific & Asia
- The Pacific War- Costello
- Ghost Soldiers
- Japanese Submarine Raiders 1942- Carruthers
- Bloody Tarawa- Hammal/Lane
- Australian Commandos: Their Secret War Against the Japanese in WW2
- Burma 1942: The Japanese Invasion
- Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia, 1941-1945
- The Imperial Japanese Navy- Dull
- Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway- Parshell/Tully
- Singapore 1942: Britain’s Greatest Defeat
- Touched with Fire: The land war in the South Pacific
- Fire in the Sky: The Air war in the South Pacific
- Burma: The Longest War 1941-1945
- Lieutenant Ramsey’s War
Equipment & Armies
Small Arms/Infantry
- The Wehrmacht: The German Army in World War II- Ripley
- Eastern Front Operations- Raus
- Hitler’s Last Levy: The Volksstrum 1944-45- Kissel
- Hitler’s Volkssturm: The Nazi Militia and the Fall of Germany- Yelton
- Fighting Techniques of the Japanese Infantryman 1941-1945
- Guns of the Third Reich- Walter
- The Luger Story- Walter
- Backbone of the Wehrmacht- Law
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
- Death from above- Dugelby/Stevens
- German Automatic Weapons of WWII- Bruce
- German Machineguns- Musgrave
Tanks/Vehicles
- Panzer Tactics: German Small-Unit Armor Tactics in WWII
- Standard Catalogue of German Military Vehicles- Doyle
- Spielberger German Armor and Military Vehicle Series
Vol. 1 The Panther & Its Variants
Vol. 2 Sturmgeschutz & Its Variants
Vol. 3 Panzer III & Its Variants
Vol. 4 Panzer IV & Its Variants
Vol. 5 Strassenpanzer: German Armored Cars
Vol. 6 Armor on the Eastern Front
- Equipment and Armor in the Bulgarian Army. Kaloyan Matev
Vol. 1 Armored Vehicles 1935-1945
Vol.2 Trucks, Tractors and Automobiles 1935 – 1945
Airforce
- Hitler’s Luftwaffe
- Luftwaffe Over Germany
- Warplanes of the Third Reich
- Aufklarer Vol. 1: Luftwaffe Reconnaissance Aircraft and Units 1935-1941- Wadman
- Jagdwaffe: Battle of Britain- Wadman, Peg, Mombeek
Phase One: July-August 1940
Phase Two: August-September 1940
-Transporter- Peg
Vol. 1- Luftwaffe Transport Units 1937-1943
Vol. 2- Luftwaffe Transport Units 1943-1945
- Air Power of the Kingdom of Bulgaria Vol. 4 1940-1946
- The Japanese Airforce in WW2
- Japanese aircraft of WW2
Naval
- Japanese Naval Vessels at the end of WW2
- Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1904-1945
- U-Boat War: Doenitz and the Evolution of the German Submarine Service- Westwood
- Destroyer: German Destroyers in World War Two- Whitley
Defenses/Artillery
- German Artillery of World War II- Hogg
- Flakturme
Small Arms/Infantry
- Weapons of Patton’s Armies- Green
- Fighting Techniques of the U.S. Marine 1941-1945
- Complete M1 Garand- Thompson
- The Mosin-Nagant Rifle
Tanks/Vehicles
- Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank- Hunnicutt
- Half-Track: A History of American Semi Tracked Vehicles- Hunnicutt
- Pershing- Hunnicutt
- Tanks & Artillery: Standard guide to U.S World War II- Schreier
- T-34 In Action- Drabkin
- Light Tanks (Russian Armor)- Baryantinskiy
- British Tanks in Normandy- Fortin
- Sherman Tank- Birch
- Russian Tanks of WWII- Page
Airforce
- Bomber Command- Hastings
- The Story of the Spitfire: An Operational and combat History- Delve
- Flying Fortress- Jablonski
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning- Pace/LeVier
- P-51 Mustang: Development of the Long-Range Escort Fighter- Ludwig
Naval
Defenses/Artillery
Espionage
*- Shadow War against Hitler
- Sisterhood of Spies: The Woman of the OSS- McIntosh
- Operatives, Spies, Saboteurs- O’Donnell
- OSS: The Secret History of America’s First Central Intelligence Agency- Smith
Biographies
Stauffenberg: A Family History- Peter Hoffmann
First Hand Accounts
- The Longest Winter
- Flags of our Fathers
- With the Old Breed- Sledge
- Sniper on the Eastern Front- Sepp Allerberger
- 800 Days on the Eastern Front
- Red Road from Stalingrad- Abdulin
- Red Partisan
- Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow- Drabkin
- Red Star Aircobra: Memiors of a Soviet Fighter Ace 1941-45- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia S Asami Liuftvaffe- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia Na Istrebitele- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia Na IL-2- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia Na T-34- Drabkin
- Skis Against the Atom- Haukelid
- Black Edelwiess- Johan Voss
- Brazen Chariots- Crisp
- Soldier Bear- Morgan
- The Forgotten Soldier-Gut Sajer
- Soldat- Seigfried Knappe
- Tank Rider- Evgeni Bessonov
That's all I got so far.
Looking forward to your suggestions
All the books are organized according to their combat theater etc...
Feel free to recommend books, take away some, and make suggestions. Hopefully we can make the master list of all recommended reading for WWII
*Right now I'm at about ~150 books, I might break it up a little so I can post it all
World War II Books
- World War II A Complete Photographic History
- The Story of World War II
- Why The Allies Won
- The Second World War- John Keegan
- Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European war, 1941-1945
- History of the German Resistance- Peter Hoffmann
- Germany and the Second World War
Vol. 1 The Build up of German Aggression
Vol. 2 Germany’s Initial Conquests in Europe
Vol. 3 ????
Vol. 4 The Attack on The Soviet Union
Vol. 5 Organization and Mobilization in the German Sphere of Power
Part 2- Organization and Mobilization in the German Sphere of Power
Vol. 6 The Global War
Vol. 7 The Strategic Air War in Europe/War in the West/War in East Asia
- History of the Second World War- Hart
- WWII Series- Time Life (39 volumes)
- Waffen SS Handbook 1933-1945-Gordon Williamson
Western Front & Atlantic
- The last Escape
- D-Day- Ambrose
- The longest Night- Mortimer
- The Struggle for Europe- Chester Wilmot
- The Fall of France: The Nazi Invasion of 1940- Julian Jackson
- Battle of Britain- Bergstrom
- The Norwegian Campaign of 1940- Moulton
- Norwegian Resistance: 1940-1945- Gjelsvik
- Doomed Expedition: The Norwegian Campaign of 1940- Adams
- The Bitter Years; The Invasion and Occupation of Denmark and Norway- Petrow
- Norway 1940- Kersaudy
- Assault In Norway: Sabotaging the Nazi Nuclear Program- Gallagher
- The Sledge Patrol- Howarth
- Blitzkrieg in Their Own Words- Bance
- The Germans in Normandy- Hargreaves
- Battle for the Ruhr: The German Army’s final defeat in the West- Zumbro
- Operation Dragoon: The Allied Invasion of the South of France- Breuer
- Dragoon- Gaujac
- Omaha Beach: 6/6/1944- Bernage
- Gold Juno Sword- Bernage
- Operation Sea Lion- Peter
- The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain- Bungay
- Overlord- Hastings
- Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945- Hastings
- D-Day: The Air Battle- Delve
- The Battle of the Atlantic- Ireland
- The Battle of the Atlantic: The Allies Submarine Fight Against Hitler’s Grey Wolves of the Sea- Williams
Eastern European Front
- Stalin’s Folly
- The Road to Stalingrad- Erickson
- Island of Fire
- Russia’s War- Overy
- Stalingrad- Beevor
- 900 Days- Salisbury
- Black Cross Red Star- Bergstrom
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3
- Moscow to Stalingrad. Decision in the East- Ziemke/Bauer
- Death of the Wehrmacht- Citino
- The Road to Berlin: Stalin’s War with Germany- Erickson
- Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hilters Defeat in the East
- War in the Wild East
- The Fall of Berlin 1945- Beevor
- Before Stalingrad: Barbarossa, Hitler’s Invasion of Russia 1941- Glantz
- Stalingrad: How the Red Army Survived the German Onslaught- Jones
- Barbarossa: The Air Battle July-December 1941- Bergstrom
- Stalingrad: The Air Battle: November 1942-Febuary 1943
- Kursk: The Air Battle, July 1943
- The Winter War: The Soviet Attack on Finland 1939-1940- Engle
- A Frozen Hell: The Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940- Trotter
- The White Death: The Epic of the Soviet-Finnish winter War- Chew
- Red Storm over the Balkans- Glantz
- The Battle for Leningrad- Glantz
- Zhukovs Greatest Defeat: The REd Army's Epic Disaster in Operation Mars, 1942- David Glantz
- War Without Garlands- Robert Kershaw
Africa & Mediterranean
- The Mediterranean and the Middle East
Vol. 1 The Early Successes Against Italy, to May 1941
Vol. 2 The Germans Come to the Help of Their Ally
Vol. 3 British Fortunes Reach Their Lowest Ebb
Vol. 4 The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa
- An Army at Dawn: The War in Africa, 1942-1943- Rick Atkinson
- The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944- Atkinson
- Monte Cassino: The Hardest Fought Battle of World War II- Parker
- Cassino: The Hollow Victory: The Battle for Rome January-June 1944- Ellis
- Anzio: Italy And the Battle for Rome -1944- Clark
- They Fought at Anzio- Eisenhower
- Alamein- Bungay
- Alamein- Latimer
- War Without Hate: The Desert Campaign of 1940-43- Beirman/Smith
- Iron Hulls Iron Hearts- Walker
- Tank Combat in North Africa- Jentz
- Tobruk: The Birth of A Legend- Harrison
- Crete: The Battle and Resistance- Antony Beevor
Pacific & Asia
- The Pacific War- Costello
- Ghost Soldiers
- Japanese Submarine Raiders 1942- Carruthers
- Bloody Tarawa- Hammal/Lane
- Australian Commandos: Their Secret War Against the Japanese in WW2
- Burma 1942: The Japanese Invasion
- Forgotten Armies: The Fall of British Asia, 1941-1945
- The Imperial Japanese Navy- Dull
- Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway- Parshell/Tully
- Singapore 1942: Britain’s Greatest Defeat
- Touched with Fire: The land war in the South Pacific
- Fire in the Sky: The Air war in the South Pacific
- Burma: The Longest War 1941-1945
- Lieutenant Ramsey’s War
Equipment & Armies
Axis
- The Wehrmacht: The German Army in World War II- Ripley
- Eastern Front Operations- Raus
- Hitler’s Last Levy: The Volksstrum 1944-45- Kissel
- Hitler’s Volkssturm: The Nazi Militia and the Fall of Germany- Yelton
- Fighting Techniques of the Japanese Infantryman 1941-1945
- Guns of the Third Reich- Walter
- The Luger Story- Walter
- Backbone of the Wehrmacht- Law
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
- Death from above- Dugelby/Stevens
- German Automatic Weapons of WWII- Bruce
- German Machineguns- Musgrave
Tanks/Vehicles
- Panzer Tactics: German Small-Unit Armor Tactics in WWII
- Standard Catalogue of German Military Vehicles- Doyle
- Spielberger German Armor and Military Vehicle Series
Vol. 1 The Panther & Its Variants
Vol. 2 Sturmgeschutz & Its Variants
Vol. 3 Panzer III & Its Variants
Vol. 4 Panzer IV & Its Variants
Vol. 5 Strassenpanzer: German Armored Cars
Vol. 6 Armor on the Eastern Front
- Equipment and Armor in the Bulgarian Army. Kaloyan Matev
Vol. 1 Armored Vehicles 1935-1945
Vol.2 Trucks, Tractors and Automobiles 1935 – 1945
Airforce
- Hitler’s Luftwaffe
- Luftwaffe Over Germany
- Warplanes of the Third Reich
- Aufklarer Vol. 1: Luftwaffe Reconnaissance Aircraft and Units 1935-1941- Wadman
- Jagdwaffe: Battle of Britain- Wadman, Peg, Mombeek
Phase One: July-August 1940
Phase Two: August-September 1940
-Transporter- Peg
Vol. 1- Luftwaffe Transport Units 1937-1943
Vol. 2- Luftwaffe Transport Units 1943-1945
- Air Power of the Kingdom of Bulgaria Vol. 4 1940-1946
- The Japanese Airforce in WW2
- Japanese aircraft of WW2
Naval
- Japanese Naval Vessels at the end of WW2
- Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1904-1945
- U-Boat War: Doenitz and the Evolution of the German Submarine Service- Westwood
- Destroyer: German Destroyers in World War Two- Whitley
Defenses/Artillery
- German Artillery of World War II- Hogg
- Flakturme
Allied
- Weapons of Patton’s Armies- Green
- Fighting Techniques of the U.S. Marine 1941-1945
- Complete M1 Garand- Thompson
- The Mosin-Nagant Rifle
Tanks/Vehicles
- Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank- Hunnicutt
- Half-Track: A History of American Semi Tracked Vehicles- Hunnicutt
- Pershing- Hunnicutt
- Tanks & Artillery: Standard guide to U.S World War II- Schreier
- T-34 In Action- Drabkin
- Light Tanks (Russian Armor)- Baryantinskiy
- British Tanks in Normandy- Fortin
- Sherman Tank- Birch
- Russian Tanks of WWII- Page
Airforce
- Bomber Command- Hastings
- The Story of the Spitfire: An Operational and combat History- Delve
- Flying Fortress- Jablonski
- Lockheed P-38 Lightning- Pace/LeVier
- P-51 Mustang: Development of the Long-Range Escort Fighter- Ludwig
Naval
Defenses/Artillery
Espionage
*- Shadow War against Hitler
- Sisterhood of Spies: The Woman of the OSS- McIntosh
- Operatives, Spies, Saboteurs- O’Donnell
- OSS: The Secret History of America’s First Central Intelligence Agency- Smith
Biographies
Stauffenberg: A Family History- Peter Hoffmann
First Hand Accounts
- The Longest Winter
- Flags of our Fathers
- With the Old Breed- Sledge
- Sniper on the Eastern Front- Sepp Allerberger
- 800 Days on the Eastern Front
- Red Road from Stalingrad- Abdulin
- Red Partisan
- Barbarossa and the Retreat to Moscow- Drabkin
- Red Star Aircobra: Memiors of a Soviet Fighter Ace 1941-45- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia S Asami Liuftvaffe- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia Na Istrebitele- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia Na IL-2- Drabkin
- IA Dralsia Na T-34- Drabkin
- Skis Against the Atom- Haukelid
- Black Edelwiess- Johan Voss
- Brazen Chariots- Crisp
- Soldier Bear- Morgan
- The Forgotten Soldier-Gut Sajer
- Soldat- Seigfried Knappe
- Tank Rider- Evgeni Bessonov
That's all I got so far.
Looking forward to your suggestions
Last edited: