war memoirs

[Brigand]

Continuing the Chickenhawk / Low Level Hell theme I'd suggest Snake Driver. It's less so memoirs but a collection of stories from the pilots throughout the development of the gunships being used in Vietnam, mainly Hueys and Cobras.

[BryanC]

Must recommend my current holiday reading
' Code Breakers ' by Michael Paterson. Personal accounts from the secret services.

Lots of Enigma of course, capturing German submarines to get the code books, and my particular favourite where our Ian Fleming planned to crash a captured german bomber into the North Sea with a british crew dressed up as Luftwaffe, complete with bandages, false blood etc, wait to be rescued by the German rescue boats, kill the crew, throw them over the side and return with the boat and code books.

The opportunity waiting to locate a typical vessel lead to frustration and the operation being cancelled.

Even if fiction, this would make a great book but the 007 creator was a devious old chap. Even better if a film.
I have one more chapter to read before completing but a great set of memoirs from all theatres.

[alfie2244]

I'd third Stuka Pilot.

[ExV8]

Sniper Ace by Bruno Sutkus, another vote for With the old breed by E B Sledge, The Eastern Front by Leon Degrelle and Panzer gunner by Bruno Frieson.

Interesting to get the view from the other side, as well as the reintegration after the war finished.

[tdm34]

Sea Harrier over the Falklands by Sharkey Ward, is a good read, continuing the Falklands theme Roland White's Vulcan 607 is good.
Sigh for a Merlin by Alex Henshaw is well worth a read as well....

[Elroy Blue]

Fighter Pilot by Robin Olds is an absolute must read. This man was an inspirational leader. Just an astounding character

[and31]

Robin Olds-fighter pilot
One the the best books I have read about the war
Olds was certainly a character!!!
Brilliant .if you like your Second World War stuff and aviation you won’t be disappointed with this

Also The Hub -about Hub Zempke’s wolfpack flying P47’s from east anglia in ww2

[Yertis]

I'm re-reading Flying Start by Hugh Dundas at the mo – fighter pilot from 1940 onwards in Spits, Typhoons etc. It's a sign of how things have changed (or how old I have got) since I last read it, that I'm staggered by the amount of drinking that went on. Paraphrased, it's along the lines of "we were practising night flying later that evening, so popped into the mess bar for drinks beforehand."

[alfie2244]

Currently making my way through "The German occupation of the Channel Islands" by Charles Cruickshank.

[Gary29]

Cutthroats by Richard Dick is an entertaining read, Sherman Tank Commander in the pacific theatre in WW2.

[fizzo]

My favorite is The naked island by Russell Braddon.

Also worth reading are:

Barefoot Soldier by Beharry Johnson

The Long walk by Slavomir Rawicz. Not a war book, but an escape from a Russian prison camp during WWII

[tdm34]

just going through my occasional re-read of the 633 Squadron books by Frederick E. Smith, the early ones
are very well written, not at all like the film....

[stuarthat]

Not sure if this has been posted passed to me ,good 40 minute read .https://features.propublica.org/navy-accidents/uss-fitzgerald-destroyer-crash-crystal/

[Condi]

Lord.Vader said:

Blood red Snow - German infantry WW2, eastern front.

Good book - you really feel the author change from young fresh-faced recruit to hardened soldier.

Only a fiver if anyone wants a copy
https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/military-books/blood-...


Also; Panzer Leader - The Classic Account of Blitzkrieg

Written by the general who envisaged then led the German tank program from inception through to its revolutionary impact on the battlefield, and the subsequent downfall of Nazi Germany. A good read from someone who had not only Hitlers ear, but also was at the front of some German offensives in his own tank.


As an aside, The Works has a pretty good selection of military history books, quite often massively reduced. https://www.theworks.co.uk/c/non-fiction-books/mil...

(No connection to the company, just like a good bargin )