[us.dash]

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Originally Posted by amikacin

No one here had yet mentioned The World at War.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_at_War


Unfortunately, my hard disk crashed and I lost it.

This is one of my most favourite documentaries on WW2. Each episode details a particular sector and battle and has actual footage of that time.

Amikacin good things happen to good people, if they stay in Mumbai. Have the series

Moderator Note: Fixing Quotes.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Thanks for starting this thread!

I loved these books. In my school days, decades back, I had 'lent' my history teacher a volume, which was never returned. I kept looking for another set for years. Tried the internet, old book stores, etc with no success.

One day I was early for a meeting in Fort. I was randomly perusing the books when I asked the bookseller if he had a set. He did and sold them to me for Rs. 150.

Books are now covered in plastic and enjoy the pride of place in my library.

Happy to see that there are others who still remember these books.

[mayankk]

Can someone help me out here?
I was reading somewhere about Allied POWs in WW2, and read about this one incident in a prison, not camp, probably a castle, where the prisoners found hiding places in the castle itself, letting the Germans assume they had escaped. Were eventually found. I was thinking it was Colditz, but am just not able to find a reference to it online.

[vasudeva]

Perhaps the most comprehensive work must be William Shirer's Rise and fall of Third Reich.
For more technical stuff, Basil Liddell's Hart
For how events led to World War I, Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August
or War to End All Wars.

There are other great books too about WWII which still results in numerous books, movies, and memoirs. Most of memoirs would from now on would likely be non existent, since nearly all combatants/leaders of WWI/II are dead, and most non-combatants of WWII must be at least 70+.

[PGNarain]

Some lovely movies mentioned here. During a visit to Europe I picked up the "The Triumph of the Will" a WWII propaganda movie by Leni Riefenstahl and though very right wing and pro Nazi it was hailed for several ground breaking movie making techniques used by Riefenstahl.

I was curious about watching it because most of the literature and movies are about the war or about the pogrom against Jews, which is horrifying. I always wondered what drove people to committing such atrocities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Triumph_of_the_Will

Triumph of the Will (German: Triumph des Willens) is a 1935 propaganda film directed, produced, edited and co-written by Leni Riefenstahl. It chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg, which was attended by more than 700,000 Nazi supporters. The film contains excerpts from speeches given by Nazi leaders at the Congress, including Adolf Hitler, Rudolf Hess and Julius Streicher, interspersed with footage of massed Sturmabteilung and Schutzstaffel troops and public reaction. Hitler commissioned the film and served as an unofficial executive producer; his name appears in the opening titles. The film's overriding theme is the return of Germany as a great power, with Hitler as the leader who will bring glory to the nation. Because the film was made after the 1934 Night of the Long Knives (on June 30) many prominent Sturmabteilung (SA) members are absent since they were murdered in that Party purge organized and orchestrated by Hitler to replace the SA (led by his rival Ernst Roehm) with the Schutzstaffeln (SS) as his main paramilitary force.

Another movie which has skipped mention here is - "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" - probably because it is not really concerned with the WWII and is set in times just before and during the rise of Hitler. It has a brilliant cameo of Hitler. Hats off to Steven Spielberg for superb direction.

Another movie is Charlie Chaplin's "The Great Dictator". What I also love about this movie is that Charlie Chaplin has not spared the resistance and taken the piss out of them as well. Beautifully written, shot and acted. Poignant and comical in equal measure. Watch it!

[faustus77]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Perhaps the most comprehensive work must be William Shirer's Rise and fall of Third Reich.
For more technical stuff, Basil Liddell's Hart
For how events led to World War I, Barbara Tuchman's Guns of August
or War to End All Wars.

There are other great books too about WWII which still results in numerous books, movies, and memoirs. Most of memoirs would from now on would likely be non existent, since nearly all combatants/leaders of WWI/II are dead, and most non-combatants of WWII must be at least 70+.

Vasudeva
Hi
I have read William Shirer's book all of approximately 1040 pages.
Other than Hart there was another military historian Alan Moorehead. Both were equally respected.
If you are interested read Lt Col Oresto Pinto's Spy Catcher. Good to read
The Other Side of the Hill Maybe by Hart?? I am not sure. Gives the views from the side of the German generals.
Regards

Mayankk
Hi.
I dont recollect reading such an incident. But memory fades after more than 50 years. I read the books between 1960 and 1967 and the only way to get them was the British Council library and to a certain extent United States Information Library
Regards

[Hunter3077]

For someone who wants an objective view of the entire Nazi fiasco, I would strongly recommend David Irving's 'Hitler's War'.

One can download it for free from the Internet. It's a gold mine of information for any and every world War 2 enthusiasts.

John Toland does a pretty good job of deciphering the Hitler enigma too. In my personal opinion, one should have a very open mind while traversing history. Not confining to literature from a certain section of the world is one thing.

For far too long, we have been led to believe that what the victors have published is the absolute truth. But of late, there have been publications which shed light on the story from other side too. Hence the key is to read everything and judge objectively.

Happy reading!

[deepaktpatil]

Wonder why nobody mentioned "The Scarlet and the Black" starring Gregory Peck and
Christopher Plummer.

It's based on real life incidents that happened in Rome during WWII. It's very interesting war movie made in 1983 and I would highly recommend watching it.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Mayankk
Hi.
I dont recollect reading such an incident. But memory fades after more than 50 years. I read the books between 1960 and 1967 and the only way to get them was the British Council library and to a certain extent United States Information Library
Regards

That was a frustrating few days of searching!
It was actually colditz, and I think some other VIP prisons as well. Colditz was special more so because of Churchill's nephew(?).

It wasn't a mass escape. What was done was some of them hid, letting the guards think they had escaped. Prisoners weren't killed because of their perceived value. And when some did escape, the hidden ones came out for roll calls.
Brilliant!
And the colditz cock. Do read up on that.

[Samurai]

One of the less known trivia about WWII is the role Queen Elizabeth in the war. She worked as a mechanic, but far from the battle field I suppose.

She was apparently very good at it. It was not just for show, she actually worked on various military vehicles everyday like any mechanic in her squad.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ld-War-II.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2grMaRttws

[reverse_gear]

For those with an interest in the war theatre on Indian soil in the North East, this is an interesting American post war promotional documentary. It's about the building of the Ledo Stilwell Road from Ledo in Assam through Myanmar to China. Narrated by Ronald Reagan (the actor version).

Incidentally, Ledo is the easternmost active railway station in India.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42jVEqV6qUc

[mayankk]

This is a nice archive of eye witness accounts:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Hi everybody.
There are quite a few buffs here who like WW II movies and books
This is a thread to contribute the name of the movie or book which you have found interesting and still remember after years.
Calling Shankar.balan(who suggested this thread),Guderian,AlphaKilo,Jeroen etc to contribute.
The first movie and the book I would recommend is The Longest Day (has who is who of Hollywood) and the book by the same name by Cornelious Ryan.
Regards

Hello faustus77,

I think it was a great idea starting this thread and I shall join the chorus in thanking you and Shankar.balan (for suggesting the thread). Yes, the Longest Day is undoubtedly one of the long-standing favourites for those who enjoy reading books about WW II.

Among other books, I find myself coming back to two titles - "Guilt Edged" by Merlin Minshall and "Spy/Counterspy" by Dusko Popov. Apart from the fact that they are both great adventure yarns as well as autobiographical in nature, their other claim to fame is that both Mr. Minshall and Mr.Popov (the former an Englishman and the latter a Yugoslavian) have legitimate claims to being the real life model on whom Ian Fleming based his fictional spy James Bond!

Another title I think I can add is David Niven's autobiography - or rather his reminiscenses - "The Moon's a Balloon". The part of the book dealing with his induction back into the British army (he was ex-Sandhurst, before making his way to Hollywood stardom) and subsequent re-commission during WWII, makes for great reading. He eventually commanded "A" Squadron GHQ Liaison Regiment, better known as "Phantom" as a Lt-Colonel, and this doubtless added grist to the media mill of the times!

[RocketRaccoon]

I really love reading and watching anything about history. Both the apocalyptic World Wars have some really great content based on them and most members have already mentioned some of the titles that they have enjoyed over the years. I am listing below some of my favorites. I am a big time movie buff so I just love threads like these.

1) Saving Private Ryan - the first 20 minutes of the movie are the best. It changes a viewer's perspective on war from something "glorious" and "heroic" to the reality of what it is for soldiers on the ground - "horrifying".

2) Band of Brothers [HBO miniseries] - Based on the exploits of Major Richard Winters of the 101st Airborne 506th Easy Company and soldiers under his command, this series takes you from the training they received in Taccoa, Georgia to the jumping behind enemy lines on D-Day to uncovering the horrors of the holocaust. It is based on a book by Stephen Ambrose of the same name and the book is a good read too.

3) The Pacific [HBO miniseries] - This series is a sequel to Band of Brothers (produced by Tom Hanks) and looks at the combat lives of US Marines in the Pacific theater and how the war with the Japanese took a toll on soldiers on both sides.

4) Apocalypse: The 2nd World War [National Geographic documentary] - This is a six part documentary which contains original footage made by soldiers on both axis and allies' sides during the war. It shows how Hitler and his Nazi party rose to power through demagoguery and intimidation and how it ultimately consumed the world.

5) Downfall - a German movie that looks at the downfall of the Third Reich from the perspective of those close to Hitler.

*The following titles are based on the 1st World War

1)Apocalypse World War One [National Geographic documentary] - This is the second part of the apocalypse series again based on footage shot by soldiers in the first world war. The footage has been remastered and color added digitally so that the viewer can experience what was was like in places like in the battle of Verdun.

2) Paths of Glory - This movie made by Stanley Kubrick starring Kirk Douglas highlights the story of a group of soldiers who refuse their orders to go up their bunkers and "charge" the enemy to their almost certain death.

Lastly these are based on the Vietnam war ( I thought I'll include these as long as the subject of war was in question).

1) Full Metal Jacket - Another Stanley Kubrick classic which is regarded by many as the most accurate depiction of war in a movie. This was his second last movie before he died.

2) Apocalypse Now - A renegade US army colonel has made himself into a "god" among the locals. Captain Willard is sent to assassinate him.

I hope you try Band of Brothers and Apocalypse The Second World War, I really found both of them entertaining and informative at the same time. There are obviously other amazing titles that others have mentioned.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody.
Thank you Reverse Gear, Mayankk,Shashanka and RocketRacoon in bumping up this dormant thread.
I would suggest a few movies which were classics and well aprreciated and AFAIR have not been mentioned here on this thread
1)A bridge Too Far. About the only battle which Montgomery lost
2)Flags of Our Fathers.
3) Where Eagles Dare
4)Counterfeiters
5) Valkyrie.
3/4 days back read that the movie The Battle of the Bulge was historically wrong. It was on FB and unfortunately did not read it.
Regards
PS: Shashanka Hi. I have mentioned about counter intelligence books by Lt Col Oresto Pinto. Extremely readable. Enjoy

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Hi everybody.
Thank you Reverse Gear, Mayankk,Shashanka and RocketRacoon in bumping up this dormant thread.
I would suggest a few movies which were classics and well aprreciated and AFAIR have not been mentioned here on this thread
1)A bridge Too Far. About the only battle which Montgomery lost
2)Flags of Our Fathers.
3) Where Eagles Dare
4)Counterfeiters
5) Valkyrie.
3/4 days back read that the movie The Battle of the Bulge was historically wrong. It was on FB and unfortunately did not read it.
Regards
PS: Shashanka Hi. I have mentioned about counter intelligence books by Lt Col Oresto Pinto. Extremely readable. Enjoy

Hi faustus77,
Thanks, I'll certainly look up Lt. Col. Pinto's books. I'd just like to add a couple of more names to the list -
1) Mata Hari, the glamorous WWI night-club dancer/spy in Paris, who came to a sticky end at the hands of the Gestapo! - biography by, among others, Coulson Thomas "Mata Hari: Courtesan and Spy".
2) The story of William Stephenson, "A man called Intrepid", about whom Ian Fleming acknowledged "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is ... William Stephenson."!