What are some good books of world war 2 from a german. Hundreds of fascinating images taken by a german soldier reveal life in enemys trenches. Sorrow of war offers the north vietnamese perspective by tracing the. The personal documents of these soldiers, most from the russian front. A world war ii veteran of four years and one month, his story is very interesting if not amazing.
An anthology of stories, letters, journals and eyewitness accounts, which grew out of a. When we think about contemporary war books, literary fiction is often not what comes to mind. After sufficient time had elapsed to ease some of the war s psychic wounds, we saw a mini explosion of important books. By downloading libby to your smartphone, you can access thousands of ebooks and audiobooks from your library for free anytime and anywhere. This book is a very good read for anyone interested in vietnam and will open your eyes to many things that went on that we just dont hear about. Fritz does an impressive job of detailing what war was like for the average german soldier on the front lines in world war ii. A soldiers view of the iraq war world socialist web site. What is interesting about this book is that remarque made the characters in his book compassionate individuals who vow to fight against the principles of hate that meaninglessly pits young men of the. I downloaded this book a few weeks ago, figuring i would read it between my courses and downtime at work. Fritz provides the definitive account of the everyday war of the german front soldier. Combat and the soldiers experience in world war one the british library. A us soldier hurries away after setting fire to a thatched house during the vietnam war. As george santayana once said those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
Providing unfiltered accounts from those directly affected by the war, both at home and on the front lines, terkel allows the reader to experience what it truly meant to live through every facet of world war ii. Both of these are easily the best ive read, and ive read a few. Usually written by an individual, but sometimes compiled by a committee, these books were published after the war to document what actually happened. Once again written from the soldiers in the front line perspective. Physically whole but emotionally impacted, his adolescent beliefs forever gone. Sep 10, 2015 apart from portraying the fighting and life in the camps, the book also focuses on the psychological impact war has on youngsters, particularly child soldiers. By june 12, 1994 3,000 soldiers were in normandy france. Were honoring americas heroes with war books that reveal the truth of. The novel explores the war from the perspective of a former north vietnamese soldier, kien, and is a nonlinear telling of how the conflict transformed himself.
We regularly read about wars both past and present. What can this tell us about revolutionary war america. It might be weird to admit this but if i recall correctly the book nearly made me cry seriously. In his book, a rumor of war, philip caputo offers an insightful analysis regarding the psychological damages a soldier faces postwar. Paper wars drawn from letters, diaries and memoirs, this impressive study presents a rounded, detailed picture of the daily life of the landser. First published in 1963, this kind of war has become a classic in military history books.
Richard van emdens collection of soldiers photographs summons up the experience of the ordinary soldier. Page 19 thomas, at the time of the declaration of war by the united states upon germany, had you joined the socialist party. It is the definitive history of the us civil war it gives equal treatment to both sides, and is more than one million words, but is never boring. Karl liebknecht, has become widespread and serious. It began as an uncensored, honest view of life and what goes through the minds of soldiers at least, this soldier. Rather than glorifying the war as germanys eastern crusade, bidermann looks at the lives and the feelings of the soldiers as they relate to their adversaries and the battles they fought. Ghali shows us a very different viewpoint on the returned soldier. Above, the book jacket for forest park author kathryn atwoods historical perspective on women in world war i. For black soldiers, fighting in vietnam was especially bad.
Men like troyer had to deal with several frustrations particular to the war in vietnam. I have included many documents in the folder to help document his experience. Everett prewitt, an award winning author, presents his newest novel, a long way back, an intriguing glimpse into the vietnam war from the perspective of black soldiers. This 329page book offers something else altogetherthe perspective of the white soldiers, as well as that of the white civilians of colorado territory, on the infamous november 29, 1864, event. What distinguishes bidermanns book are his soldiers insights on the german army and the eastern front. Gawthorpe is a lecturer in the institute for history at leiden university.
I have several goals for moving forward with a soldier s perspective. Fortunately, there is no shortage of worthwhile books about the. How did civil war soldiers endure the brutal and unpredictable existence of army life during the conflict. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. In exploring the reality of the landser, the average german soldier in world war ii, through letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral histories, stephen g. I will tell you some of the details in this letter that he related to me like many veterans he seldom talked about the war to clarify and expand on the documents enclosed. For the russian people the greatest tragedy was that the two million soldiers who died in russias first world war died for nothing. When i first started this page, i was an active duty soldier and talked about my experiences in the military. Each episode looks at warfare from the perspective of different participants. Jan 06, 2020 long, narrow trenches dug into the ground at the front, usually by the infantry soldiers who would occupy them for weeks at a time, were designed to protect world war i troops from machinegun. The early civil war perspectives of an illinois soldier as. There was a portion involving religion that i feel should not have been discussed, especially discussing muslims and jews.
Soldiers experiences vietnam war exploring perspectives. Perspective six novels that get to the truth of world war i. A soldiers perspective the webs leading military blog. American icon studs terkel relives the personal tolls of world war ii through interviews with soldiers, sailors and civilians alike. This epic threevolume masterpiece is to war what gibbons decline and fall of the roman empire was to history. Read and think about the letters, poems, songs, and other items below to discover how soliders in kentucky experienced the war. The top 10 books about returning from war books the guardian. Soldiers perspective a world war ii soldiers story. The egyptian novelists narrator travels with a friend to london after the suez.
Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. Jun, 2014 richard van emdens collection of soldiers photographs summons up the experience of the ordinary soldier. Policymakers, members of government and militaryfocused committees, members of the military active and reserve, military analysts and tacticians, the department of defense, staff of defense agencies and defense contractors, the intelligence community, and members of academia involved in warfare studiesmiddle eastern studiesforeign policy would be interested in this publication. I love movies like apocalypse now, the deer hunter, full metal jacket and idi i smotri. A history of men in battle is a 1985 bbc television documentary series about the history of warfare from antiquity to the falklands war. A life of field marshall erwin rommel by david fraser. This book may be about war, but it is, like most of these books, mostly about people. My grandmother told me that her parents and my grandfathers parents came to live in washington, d.
Part ii of our civil war collection, the soldiers perspective, provides an indepth look at the daytoday actions of the troops themselves primarily in the form of regimental histories. A reading list of modern war stories the new york times. Civil war book list by the new york times far more books have been written about the civil war than about any other event in american history, and lincolns stack of books towers over that of any other american figure. Overall, nguyens book is a welcome addition to the literature on the vietnam war that achieves its aim of writing the personal stories of south vietnamese soldiers into the military history of the conflict. Remembering world war ii, from the soldiers perspective. Trainors cobra explains how top leaders theorized a war. Gulf war fiction mainly bears the names of exsas soldiers in big letters over a huge explosion on the cover.
Perspective discussion of news topics with a point of view, including narratives by individuals regarding their own experiences six novels that get to the truth of world war. The execution of allied soldiers by ss troops in particular was familiar to me from reading about the battle of the bulge and the russian front, but it sounds like it was quite widespread based on these dday accounts. Day to day activities of a soldier that experiences the war from his perspective. All three are about soldiers who are slowly losing their minds because of war. The debut novel of former army machine gunner kevin powers.
Within these personal essays from people who took part in the filming of the vietnam war, are lessons about what happened, what it. Following the lives of soldiers both at home and at. As soldiers who have just returned from war, we fight. An incredible true story of combat and chivalry in the wartorn skies of world war ii if i could only own one book about the war it would be that one. From a soldiers perspective by michael lee womack goodreads. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. A soldier s view of the iraq war 10 february 2004 the world socialist web site received the following email sent from a soldier from iraq. Soldiers, his last book, has been seen through the press by his family and friends. The vietnam war from the perspective of black soldiers new. There is a moment in the book early in grants career as a soldier. Featured in the book are, top, russian soldier maria bochkareva and, below, elsie. Months later, having served on the line in one of historys ugliest wars, he returned home. Read about war not just for the history lesson, but for the life lessons to be had as well.
Many were brought in piecemeal as replacements within existing units, which. All sorts of wonderful tactical thoughts and stories. How were soldiers injured in world war one and how did doctors, nurses and scientists treat them. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. Letters, interviews, and writings by soldiers stationed in vietnam. There are a few minor errors and misprints, which holmes himself. What was life like for a soldier during the american revolution. As soldiers who have just returned from war, we fight a separate war daily in an attempt to leave the war.
As a lowerranking soldier, the perspective given here by lindau is. Some of the best books about world war i book riot. Feb 10, 2004 a soldiers view of the iraq war 10 february 2004 the world socialist web site received the following email sent from a soldier from iraq. They stood on opposite sides of the vietnam divide, the student opposing the war in which the infantryman fought. World war ii is sometimes thought of as primarily a fight against nazi germany, with the war in the pacific as an afterthought. Yet there are few of us who truly know what its like to be there. Michnos latest offering will ruffle some feathers, as did his article the real villains of sand creek. Books about war from a perspective of soldier going insane. Combat and the soldiers experience in world war one the. From the crusades to the wars in iraq and afghanistan, these are the. Books from the perspective of german nazi soldiers. It recounts the fighting in the ia drang valley in. In the short history of vietnam war literature, publishers would hardly touch a book on the war until the late 1970s and early 1980sa part of the selfinduced national amnesia about that conflict and its outcome.
Long, narrow trenches dug into the ground at the front, usually by the infantry soldiers who would occupy them for weeks at a time, were designed to protect world war i. A selection of books related to the wars in iraq and afghanistan. Xenophon is elected to be a leader of the troops and encourages them to fight their way home. Not some boring officers account of brigade movements and stats. Appears in 7 books from 19181920 page 58 berlin state that the general strike urged bv the radical socialists, under leadership of dr. Feb 26, 2018 this post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. But i dont know a book that tells a similar story from the perspective of the going insane character. Walter koessler took almost 1,000 images while he served in the german. The early civil war perspectives of an illinois soldier as reflected in his letters. Best book i have ever read about the war was a higher call. This was his journal and i found it to be interesting and do endorse it as a good read. All that said, this book is a beautiful love story and is also quite funny. An excerpt of the book was hailed by tibor fisher in the guardian as right up there with catch22 and michael herrs dispatches, and the book won.
Oct 04, 2012 war and peace the japanese perspective on ww2 added by dave on october 4, 2012 vicky and i had been dying to get into a conversation about wwii with some japanese, but it was always difficult to segue into the conversation, and, frankly, most peoples english wasnt sophisticated enough for that complex of a conversation. Civil war a local perspective my relatives from that era lived in stafford co. Probably the finest book about the war from a german professional staff officer perspective. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Remembering world war ii, from the soldiers perspective villa ridge man who retraced the path that his grandfathers tank unit cut across europe fighting in world war ii is creating a. The inclusion of this point, very unfavorable to the german cause, deepens my respect for the trustworthiness of these interviews. From a soldiers perspective womack, michael lee on. Aug 10, 2018 remarque used his experiences of the war to write all quiet on the western front, a story of the experiences of german soldiers during the war. Galloway, is a major contribution to the literature of the vietnam war. Dec 29, 2015 the vietnam war from the perspective of black soldiers new novel tells a familiar story in a different way bookcover and author, j. Jan 29, 2014 in a war that saw new weaponry technology and great numbers of casualties, assistant professor vanda wilcox considers the common experiences of soldiers in active combat. As hard as this is to talk about my experience during dday and world war ii history must be passed on to keep this from reoccurring. One soldiers war is a visceral and unflinching memoir of a young russian soldiers experience in the chechen wars that brilliantly captures the fear, drudgery, chaos, and brutality of modern combat.
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