re: Best WW2 books?

Just finished "Bridge too Far", outstanding read. Over 7 years, Cornelius Ryan interviewed over 1500 eyewitnesses to the events, on both sides of the battles, from the generals to the civilians, and pulled it together into a cohesive account.

In the same fashion/format, he also wrote "The Last Battle", and "The Longest Day", about D-day, which like Bridge was also made into a big Hollywood flick with countless cameos from the big actors of the day (1970s), but a bit cheesy by today's standards, avoiding much of the brutal realism that is not whitewashed in the books.

The best (only?) book I have read on the cloak and dagger efforts of the war is an account of the British efforts, "A Man Called Intrepid", which is just outstanding!