"WWII Combat Veteran Written Books" Topic

I noticed that WWII history books and topical analyses are discussed frequently on this site. I enjoy such books but I'm most interested in WWII books written by combat veterans; first person narratives written by actual participants. Below is a list of my favorite such books from my personal library. I found all worth the read and some ( see asterisk ) exceptionally well-written – IMHO – and well worth re-reading.

I'd like readers recommendations and opinions on other such books. Books by WWII Russian, Italian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, etc. combat veterans would be especially welcome. I like the honesty and bluntness common in books written by enlisted men and company grade officers but narratives by field and general grade officers can also be interesting and sometimes a rattling good read as well. On the orher hand, I found that WWII generals' memoirs can be a slog; Mark Clark's Calculated Risk for example.

The First and the Last, Adolf Galland (German, air, ETO)
Stuka Pilot, Hans Ulrich Rudel (German, air, ETO) *
The Forgotten Soldier, Guy Sajer (German, infantry, ETO) *
Panzer Battles, F.W. Von Mellenthin (German, armor, ETO)
Panzer Commander, Hans Von Luck (German, armor, ETO)
Soldat, Siegfried Knappe (German, infantry, ETO) *
Samurai, Saburo Sakai (Japanese, air, (PTO)
Brazen Chariots, Robert Crisp (British, armor, (ETO) **
Night Fighter, C.F. Rawnsley (British, air, ETO)
Company Commander, Charles B. MacDonald ( American, infantry, ETO)
Hell in the Heavens, John M. Foster (American, air, PTO)
Ther Drama of the Scharnhorst, Fritz-Otto Busch (German, naval, ETO)
Kamikaze, Yasuo Kuwahara ( Japanese, air, PTO)
Thunderbolt, Robert S. Johnson ( American, air, ETO)
Target Ploesti, Leroy W. Newby ( American, air, ETO)
The Big Show, Pierre Clostermann, ( French, air, ETO)
Submarine Commander, Ben Bryant ( American, naval, ETO)
Invasion 1944, Hans Speidel (German, infantry, ETO)

Those Devils in Baggy Pants, Donald Carter (82nd Airborne)
Currahee (author's name escapes me) (101st Airborne)

I read them both in my teens, and recently reread them. Unlike most of the stuff I liked as a teenager, these still ring true.

The Unknown Soldier, Vianno Linna (Finland, Continuation War)

*Disclaimer*
The book is Linna's experierences with names and some circumstances changed. Say it is a simi-first person novel in the same vien as "Le Feu".

To Hell and Back by Audie Murphy
Baa Baa Blacksheep by Gregory Boyington
Samurai by Saburu Sakai Japanese Zero ace

Looking up at the bookshelf above the monitor:

"Quartered Safe Out Here", by George MacDonald Fraser
"The Road Past Mandalay: A Personal Narrative", by John Masters (but also read first "Bugles and a Tiger")
"Recon Scout" by Fred H. Salter
"Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks" by Dmitriy Loza
"Beyong the Chindwin" By Bernard Fergusson
"Return via Rangoon" by Philip Stibbe
"Eastern Approaches" by Fitzroy Maclean
"Long Range Desert Group" by W.B. Kennedy Shaw

That's the ones easily reached…

Allen

"Death Traps" by Belton Cooper (his experiences with Combat Command B of the 3rd Armored Division in Europe)

fighting with the screaming eagles by robert bowen. about a gliderrider from normandy to his capture at the bulge. a great read! also seven roads to hell, by don burgett, a us paratrooper at bastogne.

"Wreaking Havoc: A year in an A-20" by Joseph Rutter (PTO A-20 pilot)is an excellent read. I also feel that "The Forgotten Soldier" & "Brazen Chariots" are among the better of the genre that I've read.

"Hitler's last soldier in America" (or something like that)
Found it in the local library. A soldier from the Africa COrps escapes from a POW camp in Arizona – AFTER the war was over (he didn't want to go to Russia) – and lives under cover for 40 years in US – all the time being on the FI most wanted list.

"The Long Walk" by Slavomir Rawicz, a Polish cavalry officer captured and interned by the Soviets, who walked from Siberia to India to escape.

Rommel did one on infantry tactics, which of course Patton reportedly read, since he loved military history.

"The Recollections of Rifleman Bowlby" by Alex Bowlby, concerns a British infantry platoon in Italy 1944.

"Popski's Private Army" by Vladimir Peniakoff (nicknamed Popski), concerns the North African and Italian campaigns.

"Enemy Coast Ahead" by Guy Gibson, (British Bomber Command).

"Bomber Pilot" by Leonard Cheshire

"Through Hell for Hitler" by Henry Metelmann

"The Last Enemy" by Richard Hillary, a Battle of Britain pilot

"No Moon Tonight" by Don Charlwood, an Aussie navigator in the RAF

Destroyer: An Anthology of First-Hand Accounts by Those Who Served on the Band C-Class Destroyers in the Second World War edited by Ian Hawkins

Foot Soldier:a combat infantrymans war in Europe Roscoe Blunt Da Capo Press

Parachute Infantry: an American paratroopers memoirof D-day and the fall of the Third Reich David Kenyon Webster Delta Books

Roll Me Over:an infantrymans World War II Raymond Gantter Ivy Books

The foloowing are all by Donald A Burgett and published byDell in their "World War II Library" set

Curahee: A Screaming Eagle at Normandy
Seven Roads to Hell: A Screaming Eagle At Bastogne
The Road to Arnhem
Beyond the Rhine:A Screaming Eagle In Germany

There are four books by Air Vice Marshall J E Johnson
Wing Leader
Courage in the Skies
The Story of Air Fighting
Winged Victory

Hmm… have a number of those already listed. How about…

"Before Their Time", Kotlowitz (US, Hurtgen forest… a one battle war… somewhat depressing)
"My Just War", Temkin (Pole in Soviet service…ok)
"Few Returned", Corti (Italians on East front, …I like this one)

There is a book I have at home, title escapes me, a diary of a Frenchwoman in Normandy, writing about the 1940 war, the occupation, and the liberation … I will try to get that title. Civilian eye witness accounts are very interesting, create a whole new perspecitve on conflict.

Wow. What a response.

A Polish wargamer emailed me recommending Stanislaw Sosabowski's book Freely I Served. Those familiar with Cornelius Ryan's book A Bridge Too Far will recognize General Sosabowski as the commander of the Polish Parachute Brigade ( the 14th I believe ) in Operation Market Garden. He was very ably portrayed by Gene Hackman in the movie of the same name.

The Jungle Is Neutral by Spencer Chapman.

Many good books have already been mentioned, but here's another:

"To Fly and Fight; Memoirs of a Triple Ace" by Clarence 'Bud' Anderson.

Lots of good books above but I'll add three more:
From the American experience:
Company Commander, by Charles B. MacDonald
From the British experience:
Tank!, by Ken Tout
With the Jocks;A Soldier's Struggle for Europe 1944-45,by Peter White

I was at an Air show in Florida back in 1981 and was able to get an autograph and copy of the book "Sole Survivor" by George Gay. It is about the battle of midway.

Autobios I've read recently
Aviation
Only owls & bloody fools fly at night
Red star against the swastika [sturmovik pilot autobio]
Swastika in the gunsight [I-16 pilot autobio]
Ghosts of Targets Past [Lancaster pilot, no relation]
Pursuit through darkened skies [Brit Night fighter pilot]
The Hunter [German fighter pilot]
Hajo Hermanns' autobio

Ground Combat
Tank Rider [Desant Lt]
Blood on the Shore [Northern Fleet Lt]
No Mandalay, No Maymyo (79 survive) [KOYLI2 Capt. in Burma '42]

Full Circle – Air Vice Marshal JE Johnson (RAF)
Duel for the Sky – Pete Townsend (RAF)
I Flew for the Fuehrer – Heinz Knoke (Luftwaffe)
Ace! – Bruce Porter (USMC)
An Ace of the Eigth – Norman "Bud" Fortier (USAAF)
Woodbine Red Leader – George Loving (USAAF)
50 Mission Crush – Donald Currier (USAAF)
Son of a Preacher – Everett Hargreaves (USN)
Fighter Pilot – William Dunn (Eagle Squadron)

how did we forget GOD IS MY COPILOT by Robert L. Scott. General Scott just passed recently.

"In Deadly Combat: A German Soldier's Memoir of the Eastern Front" by Gottlob Herbert Biderman

Biderman was an anti-tank gunnery officer in the 132nd Infantry Division. He served from the invasion of Russia up to his capture by the Russian in the Courland pocket at the end of the war.

He gives a very interesting picture of what it was like to be an infantryman on the Eastern Front.

Many hours of worthwhile reading here. Thanks.

Does anybody know of any WWII books written by Japanese infantry combat veterans? Books by Japanese air and naval veterans are represented. Surely there must be some ground war works as well.

Also, ever since I listened to a British North Africa campaign veteran several years ago at a Salute convention rip into a wargamer who disparaged the fighting abilities of the WWII Italian soldier ("They bl***y well served me up a treat a time or two, mate!"), I'd like to lay my hands on more Itialian veteran written books.

Yeager: An Autobiography.
By, well, you know.

If you can get it Long The Imperial Way By Hanama Tasaki its about the authors three years service in China leading up to Pearl Harbour different to say the least. I got my copy at a boot sale five years ago for twenty UK pence.Apart from the Saburo sakai books mentioned already its about the only Japanese perspective book ive come across.[it concerns the authors army service].

A DANCE WITH DEATH by Anne Noggle (interviews with Soviet *female* pilots, aircrew, and mechanics from WW2. VERY good read!)

HIT HARD! (can't recall author's name -he was a company commander in the 761st (Colored)Tank Battalion – and apparently the only one the rank and file trusted!) Book is in storage… (@#@$!!!)

A THOUSAND SHALL FALL by Hans Habe (Habe was a volunteer in the FFL during the French Campaign of 1940)

DOUBLE FIGHTER KNIGHT by Ilmarii Juutilainen (Finland's leading Ace from WW2-era)

HOLOCAUST (also in storage, can't recall author's name. Was soldat in Kaiser's army during WW1 on Western Front)

All off the top of my pointed lil' head…>;D

Leland R. Erickson
Metal Express
metal-express.net

"Beyond Band of Brothers" The war memoirs of Major Dick Winters. ISBN 0-425-20813-3.

"Rommel did one on infantry tactics, which of course Patton reportedly read, since he loved military history."

Rommel's book is Infanterie Greift An (Infantry Attacks), a narrative of his experience as an infantry company commander in WWI, published in 1937. Quite fascinating since he's using the same tactics with his infantry in the trenches that he later uses with tanks in the desert! He bundles the HMGs up on mules, punches through in a column attack, spreads out in the enemy rear, and then sets up his HMGs.

I got a 1970s reprint of the 1943 US translation done at Fort Leavenworth. It's extremely likely that Patton indeed read this translation. Here's a great quote from the introduction:
"This translation was not prepared with the author's sanction, and the translator has been obliged to devise his own clarifications of certain questionable points."

For Rommel on WWII, the closest narrative approach is The Rommel Papers by Liddell-Hart. This includes excerpts from narrative descriptions that Rommel dictated at the end of each day, and letters he wrote, all tied together by L-H.