Book Report: In Which Husband Reviews Books on WWII

Today's special guest book reviewer is my husband, Steve. He's been on a roll lately with reading some great books and I asked if he'd be willing to review a few for us! I will refer to him as H (husband) below.

Let's start with the most important question: Do you mind when I buy books?

H: No, of course not! I get a new book every now and then. How are they being paid for?

Me: ....So! Let's get to that interview.

Steve, what do you enjoy about reading? And does it come naturally to you?

H: Helps me fall asleep. Fills time on the train while I'm commuting. I'd say I prefer reading non-fiction, so I made it a goal to learn a little about history I didn't know before.

Me: What makes a good book in your opinion?

H: When it's not straight textbook, but the author is able to interject his opinions and comments, if he was an eyewitness, observations. I like history told as a story, as opposed to just facts and numbers.

Me: Lately I've noticed you've been reading heavy tomes...

H: Yes. History tends to be bigger books.

Me: What has been your topic of interest over the past year?

H: I don't read books as fast as other people in my house... so I tend to read in small chunks before bed. Several years ago I read a book by Erwin Lutzer called Hitler's Cross: How the Cross Was Used to Promote the Nazi Agenda. I have no idea why I read it, but in it, he quotes the book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer.

I put off reading that, knowing it was a brick - and it did take me forever, I think it took me about three years to finish it... but once I got going, it was really good. He was an American war correspondent (I think for CBS) and he lived in Berlin during the first part of WWII, until he had to flee. Months later, I read an article online about how if we wanted to understand our current political situation, we should read "The Gathering Storm" by Winston Churchill. So I picked that up. That was the first book that started me on my path reading about WWII. I thought it would be interesting to at least do a flyover on the topic so I could better understand the history of it. I didn't want to get bogged down into individual battles, I wanted an overview.

Me: Can you give us a short review of your top 4 or 5 books on WWII so that someone interested in the topic can get some recommendations? Or ideas for those of us who want to gift a book?

H: Sure! I will say that the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich was good, and then Shirer's Berlin Diary - which is exactly what it sounds like: It's his diary of his time in Berlin as a war correspondent. So good.

-Maverick War: Chennault and The Flying Tigers by Claire Chennault: Our friend, Scott (who is an amazing pilot himself), recommended this to me. Chennault formed and led the AVG (American Volunteer Group) stationed in the Southeast Pacific and China. He had success against Japan in the early years of the war, operating as a small group outside the confines of the military. Chennault thought the war could be won from the air and proved his philosophy, in part, with this merry band of pilots!

They had more freedom and in a lot of ways, this is part of the reason they had success (because they didn't have the constraints of following the military rules), however, this also led to their eventual downfall because they couldn't get resupplied with parts. You either loved Chennault or you hated him.

This book is total movie fodder because of the ragtag group of pilots and the rebel aspect of this small outfit. Rating: 5 stars.

-The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan -This book covers D-Day. The lead-up to it, the day itself and a bit of the follow-up. The book was good because it read like an action thriller, and gave me a better picture of what D-Day was, and what the soldiers experienced. This book showed the many challenges they faced. While it is a heavy subject, I am honored to have learned - and have gained great respect for - more about what their objectives were, how they planned it, the violence of it while also showing the bravery of the men, even as they moved toward the horrors of what was facing them. It was a vivid account of the day. Rating: 5 stars. Very good.

-Citizen Soldiers: The US Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen Ambrose There was still so much I didn't know about WWII, and my beautiful wife suggested the book Citizen Soldiers, which went from Normandy (D-Day) all the way to the end where Germany surrenders. It was really what I wanted because it covered the whole German fight.

Full of action, it gave me a great respect for the "Greatest Generation" and how they came together. It highlighted certain key men who were there in leadership and fighting it. A realistic picture, I think. And I think most importantly, it helped you understand what a veteran or soldier went through at all stages. Rating: 5 stars (Yes, they're all 5. I'm very careful when I buy a book so I'm pretty much guaranteed it's going to be good.)

-A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan The only other book I've read about the WWII in Europe (as opposed to the Pacific), I picked it up because it was recommended to me by Roger (a great reader, who is Kelli's uncle) and because it is written by Cornelius Ryan, whose book "The Longest Day" I really enjoyed.

From the amazon review: The Battle of Arnhem, one of the most dramatic battles of World War II, was as daring as it was ill-fated. It cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-Day. This is the whole compelling story, told through the vast cast of characters involved. From Dutch civilians to British and American strategists, its scope and ambition is unparalleled, superbly recreating the terror and suspense, the heroism and tragedy of this epic operation.

A sad story. This is also a 5 star rating from me.

Then I started reading about the War in the Pacific. I read two books from the same author and would give both books a 5. Toll tells history like a storyteller would. I highly recommend both books:

-Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941–1942 (The Pacific War Trilogy, 1)- This is part one. It covered small parts of the war, but also gave a good overview perspectice as well. The heroism of the bomber pilots and the Navy guys on the ships... amazing bravery. This covers Pearl Harbor up to the Battle of Midway.

-Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945 (The Pacific War Trilogy, 3)

Yes, I skipped the middle one of his trilogy, but I chose to skip ahead to the end of the war. Great books.

The Bomber Mafia and the Berlin Diary are recommended further reading.

And that's it! I started with WWII, but feel I should probably have started with WWI, so I'm going back to cover that now. At the same time, I'm starting to read about the Korean War, which followed WWII, and eventually would like to cover Vietnam. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

Me: Thank you so much! We have seen a few good WWII movies, would you recommend any of those?

H: Nuremburg (with Russell Crowe was good); Dunkirk; Greyhound; The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (which is based on a book). All interesting.

Thank you, Husband. I support your reading habit.

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