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John Toland's The Rising Sun is also very good. History of the whole war, mainly from the Japanese viewpoint. Lots of data on Japanese politics & decision-making that I found fascinating.

I thought it was a very good companion to the book by Costello that Nik mentions.

1. History of the Second World War - Lidell Hart
2. The Other Side of the Hill - Lidell Hart
3. Defeat into Victory - Slim
4. War at Sea - Roskill (written pre Ultra revelation and still a fine read)
5. The Right of the Line - John Terraine
6. The Bomber War - Neillands
7. The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1940-1943 Greene/Massignani
8. The Air Battle for Malta - James Douglas-Hamilton 
9. Monty:The Field Marshall - Nigel Hamilton (controversial choice but I liked all three of these books)
10. The Turn of the Tide/The path to Victory - Lord Alanbrooke Diaries - Sir Arthur Bryant
10a. 10 need to be read in conjunction with War Diaries, 1939-1945. Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke by Lord Alanbrooke, Alex Danchev, Daniel Todman as 10. was heavily edited - still good book though !!!
 
Andy

I would recommend The Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower by Stephen Ambrose. Excellent insight to the issues, considerations, politics and personalities driving decisions and execution at strategic level for the war in europe.

Alot depends if you are looking for treatises on the overall war or insights centered on personal observations. Ambrose does an excellent job on the later and can recommend a number of his books on WWII.

Some other personal accounts I really found both interesting, entertaining and insiteful were
Fly for your Life by Robert Tuck
God is my CoPilot by Robert L Scott
Clear the Bridge by Richard O'Kane

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

1. History of the Second World War - Lidell Hart
2. The Other Side of the Hill - Lidell Hart
....

Andy

I think this is THE starting point, after that you start reading books on any theatre/subject you are particularly interested in.

ORIGINAL: Speedy

Hi Pauk,

Seriously mate if you like fairly detailed (place name, personnel accounts etc) of 1st SS Panzer Corps in action then Reynolds book's are the way to go:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steel-Inferno-Panzer-Corps-Normandy/dp/1873376901/sr=8-2/qid=1169225010/ref=pd_ka_2/203-4275603-8234330?ie=UTF8&s=books

you know me, and i know you... so it is more than likely i will buy this book...

just need to convince my wife that this is very important book for education purposes...[:D]... hope she will borrow me a credit card (she is financial expert[:(][;)])

She'll have to read it to you as well...[:'(]

as long as this book is not in Danish (is it a language??? luk liget), i think i can handle it[:'(]...

(1) Eisenhower's Lieutenants - Wiegley
(2) A World at Arms - Weinberg
(3) A War to be Won - Murray and Millett
(4) At Dawn We Slept - Prange
(5) The Road to Berlin & The Road to Stalingrad - Erickson
(6) Overload & Armageddon - Hastings
(7) Commander in Chief - Larrabee
(8) Any d'Este book
(9) Carl A. Spaatz and the Air War in Europe - Davis
(10) All Glantz books about the War in the East

ORIGINAL: Andy Mac

1. History of the Second World War - Lidell Hart
2. The Other Side of the Hill - Lidell Hart

I was able to read his book about blitzkrieg in the France on croatian(not sure how this book is named in original) - it was interesting stuff, must admit.

Can you give me few thoughts about these books (if they are written as above mentioned book) i will buy them immediately!

1. Is a book written by a Historian who was there before during and after IMO its one of the best books on the war period for a group as knowledgable as this bunch it wont add anything new but if you wanted to buy 1 book on WW2 thats the one to get it covers every theatre from start to finish its range is huge but the trade off is the depth is limited in each area its almost the chronology that all other campaign books hang off.
 
2. Is interesting because Liddell hart got to interview the German commanders after the war AND they were willing to talk to him because they had studied his writings pre war so Runstedt, Blumentripp, Warlimont, Bayerlein, Heinrici (1st PZ Army), Westphal and others - its full of nuggets about the German perspective and he also brings in elements of the Rommel papers that he edited its one of the most fascinating WW2 books out there.
 
If I could add one to my list
 
11. No Higher Purpose - Histroy of the RCN is a fascinating book I cannot wait to pick up part two findiong a new perspective on an old topic is fun and its a good read
 
 

I second the recommendations of Lidell Hart's books, Van Crevald's Supplying War (but this is not just WW2 but goes back in to the early modern era - excellent overview though), Fire in the Sky, Lundstrum's books, Clarke's Barbarossa, Neillands Bomber War and Corelli Barnett's Desert Generals.

Corelli Barnett has also done a good one on the Royal Navy in WWII - Engage the Enemy More Closely. Romanticises what was sometimes a very poor effort or at least strategy though.

Dan van der Vat's Atlantic & Pacific Campaigns (a book on each) are pretty good general overview books of the naval campaigns. Vat is often critical of the leaders, tactics and strategies made which is a style you either like or don't.

Williamson Murray's Strategy for Defeat The Luftwaffe 1933-1945 is a graet book on just how dire that outfit was handled by the Nazi's.

Overy's Why the Allies Won and Russia's War while not really histories of the conflicts themselves give good general overviews of the policies and differences between the sides. The effects of not really fighting for a good cause (the Axis) on their war effort and why the Russians fought so hard for a regime that was so monsterous to their own people are questions rarely asked in most histories. Of course you get Overy's slant on these here though.

I have only read Clay Blairs books on the U-Boat war (The Hunters and The Hunted). These are done in depth and are excellent. I think he has also done one on the US Subs in the Pacific too.

Lets not forget THE BIG E - The Story of the USS Enterprise by Edward P. Stafford.

Also,

A TIME FOR TRUMPETS & COMPANY COMMANDER by Charles MacDonald
TIGERS IN THE MUD by Otto Carius
KNIGHT'S CROSS- A Life Of Field Marshall Rommel by David Fraser


That is all.

TOMLABEL

Thanks guys for the recommendations![&o][&o] I will drop by the library and get to them. If it doesn't have some of them - I will ask them to buy them.[:D] It will take me few years to read them.[:D][:D]

Pat

As I stated in a TOAW thread, John Keegan's "The Second World War". But I am biased, his books "The Face of Battle" and "The First World War" were two of the first military/history books I read that were not course required reading and I love his style. Just my two cents. John Costello's "The Pacific War" is also, as stated previously, a brilliant comprehensive one volume history that I also recommend highly.

ORIGINAL: TOMLABEL

Lets not forget THE BIG E - The Story of the USS Enterprise by Edward P. Stafford.

Also,

A TIME FOR TRUMPETS & COMPANY COMMANDER by Charles MacDonald
TIGERS IN THE MUD by Otto Carius
KNIGHT'S CROSS- A Life Of Field Marshall Rommel by David Fraser


That is all.

TOMLABEL

The Big E.
That book got me started on the Pacific War. Great book.

Two of the most memorable books I have read on WW2 are:
 
Carlson's Raid: the daring marine assault on Makin by George Smith;
and The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer 
 
Both make for very interesting reading

Corneilius Ryan's THE LONGEST DAY (Normandy landings) was a very good book detailing just 1 day.

I'm surprised that no one listed - With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. Its a great first hand account of what it was like to be a Marine in the Pacific is a great read.

ORIGINAL: Marcus the leper

As I stated in a TOAW thread, John Keegan's "The Second World War". But I am biased, his books "The Face of Battle" and "The First World War" were two of the first military/history books I read that were not course required reading and I love his style. Just my two cents. John Costello's "The Pacific War" is also, as stated previously, a brilliant comprehensive one volume history that I also recommend highly.

I also think The Face of Battle was a very good book.

I had never heard of either of those books, Kid.