re: Recommend a WWII book

Battle Cry by Leon Uris. Fiction, but drawn from his experiences as a young Marine during WWII.

The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk.

Me being a Marine, it always irks me that channels like the History Channel and AHC rarely talk about the Pacific Theater of WWII. The Pacific Theater was much fiercer fighting on the ground and people seem to forget that. Am I biased? Of course. But it really seems like people forget about the Pacific Theater.

Anytime you can get your hands on a book about the Pacific Theater...READ IT

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Have you read Leon Uris's Battle Cry? That novel is quite well-regarded.

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Have not. Taking a break from the non-fiction for a spell. What's it about?

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Have not. Taking a break from the non-fiction for a spell. What's it about?

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It's a novel, so, it's fiction. He was a fighting Marine in WW2 and the novel is based on his war experience.

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Me being a Marine, it always irks me that channels like the History Channel and AHC rarely talk about the Pacific Theater of WWII. The Pacific Theater was much fiercer fighting on the ground and people seem to forget that. Am I biased? Of course. But it really seems like people forget about the Pacific Theater.

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I'm former Army, and it bugs me how downplayed the Army's involvement in the Pacific is, as well. I think the European front is just perceived as more glamorous (not the right word, but I can't come up with it) for whatever reason.

Another vote for Forgotten Soldier.

I re-read it recently but it's about a half French/German Alsatian serving on the eastern front from mid-war until surrender. He starts as an artillery man and is heavily pressured into joining the Gross Deutschland Division. He does and ends up starting his Infantry fight around Kharkov, includes an evacuation/desertion from a port in East Prussia, and finally surrendering to the Americans.

The ending of the book is amazing. I prob read the last page 4-5 times as I finished the book most recently.

Killing Patton

No mention of William Shirer's classic

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich?

LINK

They've both been recommended numerous times already in this thread but I'll add my vote to:

Helmet for My Pillow - by Leicke
and
With The Old Breed - by Sledge

These are two of the source books for The Pacific mini series and IMHO both better than the series. Two stories of the Marines in the Pacific in WWII written by two pretty different Marines and reading the threads that run through both is very rewarding reading.

For something outside of the American POV, two good ones are:

Das Boot
and
Enemy at the Gate

Also, for the guy who recommended Leon Uris, he's kind of a forgotten writer who wrote some good stuff - in addition to his WWII book, had some good stuff on the Arab Israeli wars (he was Jewish and spent some time with the Israeli forces in some of their more famous battles). He never reached the status of some of the most well known writers and his work does have some flaws but still worth reading IMO.