War Stories

[Roko]

Hey everyone, I was just wodnering if anyone knew of any good books about war/combat/battles.. Something along the lines of ‘Black Hawk Down‘.. a true story either told by someone who‘s done extensive research (like Mark Bowden did for Black Hawk Down), or by someone who‘s actually been there.. Prefereably about Canadians.. (I know books like this do exist, as I read one a few years back, by a Canadian soldier who fought in Sicilly in WWII, although the tittle eludes me.)

thanks..

 

[Alfreda]

There is a really good book called Sids War about the Argyll‘s. Info can be found on the website Mapleleafup.org
Also Farley Mowats book My Fathers Son. Farley Mowat served with the Hasty P‘s in Italy.

 

[Andyboy]

There are many,

Farley Mowatt wrote three books on his war experiences. My Father‘s Son, The Regiment and And No Birds Sang. The Regiment is actually the regimental history of the Hasty Ps in WWII. All excellent reads but I like My Father‘s Son the most.

Also an excellent read is Battle Diary by Charlie Martin. This tells the story of the QOR in WWII including the landing on D-Day.

The Long Road Home by Fred Cederberg is also a well written and enjoyable account of his war in Italy.

More modern writings include Scapegoat by Kyle Brown, The Sharp End, Signifigant Incident, and Peacekeeper. I have heard rumours of a book called Eat Your Weakest Man about life in the Airborne but have yet to see it on any shelves.

 

[Roko]

‘no birds sang‘ that‘s the book I read a few years back.. that was a really good book.. I‘ll have to check out some of his other books.. thanks!

 

[Alfreda]

There is one more my father recommends. It‘s called the Thin Red Line. I think there is a movie.
Not sure who wrote it. Dad said it was a good one.

 

[Andyboy]

The Thin Red Line is the second in a trilogy of war novels by James Jones. They are in my humble opinion the best war novels about WWII writen. The three in order are From Here to Eternity, The Thin Red Line, and Whistle.

 

[Mark Schiller]

I also have been looking for books that have a Canadian storyline to them. Most that I have found are of a history or diary type of prose. My Dad was in the Clagary Highlanders from July - Aug 1944. I wanted to trace his steps in France as he was not one to talk of the war. I found a book called "Battalion of Heroes" (A history of the Calgary Highlanders) by Bercuson basically a dairy but with some great short stories from the soldiers themselves. Through this book I was able to map out where and what battles Dad fought in. Also there is a book called "The Falaise Gap" by Whitaker. This was a father daughter written book with the father actually being an officer in the war.
Another book worth a read is "Six War Years" by Broadfoot not so much a single story but a group of short stories told by veterans. Some of the stories in this book are a little brutal. Pierre Burton has some good books out there and are more of a story variety.

This makes me wonder why more about the Canadian involvement in WWII has not been transcribed into books. The Canadians were involved in some major battles. The Falaise Gap for one is a story worthy of a story type of book or a movie. Saving Private Ryan and Enemy at the Gates both had gut wrenching starts to the films. The Falaise Gap would have that at the end. When the Canadians and American forces closed the gap the German Army trapped within the Pocket were virtually wiped out by the air forces and artillery. I guess it is true that Canadians are way too polite we should be bragging about what our parents and grandparents did in the war.

 

[ender]

Really hard to get (you find it in a University Library) is Charles Carrigntons "A Subalterns War", about his experiences in WW1.

There‘s a sleu of pretty good books about the SAS in the Gulf War. The One That Got Away by Cris Ryan is my favorite. Bravo Two Zero, Close Quarter Battle, there‘s a whole bunch. You can get those in any book store.

The Bandy Papers is a hillarious series about a Canadian soldier in WW1, it‘s written by a guy (can‘t remember his name) who was in the RAF. That‘s all I can think of for Canadian stuff. Seems to be a derth of Canadian war literature.

 

[enfield]

All Quiet On The Western Front is good. From WW2, there‘s a couple books written by Germans - Soldat, and another by an armoured officer. These fought from Poland to Russia to France, so they have some stories... The Tank Officer fought wth Rommel in France, fought on just about every front, became a colonel, fought at DDay and after the war worked at a hotel - and did lectures for NATO. Good story.

Post war? Only so many SAS books are good - they get repetitive. CQB and Soldier I are good. The SBS - Black Water and another whos name i forget - are quite interesting.

Sharp End is a must read. Avoid Tested Mettle.

 

[Brad Sallows]

Denis and Shelagh Whitaker have written books about Dieppe, Falaise, and the Scheldt - all battles in which he was involved.

Mark Zuehlke‘s books "Ortona" and "The Liri Valley" I found easy to read.

George Blackburn‘s trilogy ("Where the Hell Are the Guns?", "The Guns of Normandy", and "The Guns of Victory") is an interesting collection of experiences and includes numerous anecdotes from soldiers who were on the battlefield.

Apologies in advance if anything is misspelled or mis-titled.