[vipulbatta]

Von Ryan's Express was also a pretty good one, starring Frank Sinatra.

[faustus77]

Hi everybody
Books to read and enjoy
Lidell Hart's " The Other Side of Hill" (A book on German generals)
Lt.Col. Oresto Pinto's " Spy Counter Spy" (not too sure of the name but sure of the name of the author) The first two books were very readable.
Trivia:
Montogemery's quote on the ideal war situation( A few years before his death FM Maneckshaw reminded us about it)
American equipment
German generals
British officers
Indian soldiers
And if possible Italian enemy.

Gen. Manstein was perhaps the ablest general on both the sides.

Gehlen(German) one of the best intelligence officers,so much so, that he was the head of Nato intelligence until his retirement.

German soldiers were considered to be the finest professional soldiers even as late as 1960s.( After that I lost touch with this subject)
Regards

[mayankk]

No commando comic recommendations so far?
I used to literally breathe them in. There used to be a bookstore in South extension who sold them for 6 bucks a pop around 15-16 years back.
I hoarded those, and anybody taking a trip to UK had to keep aside a certain weight of luggage for bringing them back.
I still can't resist picking them up whenever I see them.

[priyo]

MASH the movie was released in 1970 . MASH , the TV serial was on from 1972 thru 1983. The serial has been in constant re-run and is still very popular.

[BuBooMan]

Oh there is one movie I would add to the list.
Von Ryan's Express. Frank Sinatra. Great stuff really. Lawrence of Arabia (WWI) too.

But of all those mentioned earlier, the ones from the "axis" perspective have been the best IMHO.

Adm. Yamamoto's apprehensions about pearl harbour in Tora Tora Tora ( his words "awakened a sleeping giant" have become the stuff of legend), Hitler's fits of rage in Der Untergang (The Downfall), the sheer terror that is Das Boot, unbelievable stuff. And very sporting, coming from the side that lost. Best seen in the original languages with subtitles. I just feel the usuall English/American stuff is a bit, er, overcooked. Too many of them I guess.

Guys please recommend some Italian, Russian, Greek, Turkish or even Chinese movies depicting their side of the War.

And does anyone remember the English movie with the lead character being an English boy who lives in Singapore but is booted to a Jap POW camp in China after the Japs took Singapore? I am dying to add it to my collection but have completely forgotten the name.

[faustus77]

Originally Posted by mayankk

No commando comic recommendations so far?
I used to literally breathe them in. There used to be a bookstore in South extension who sold them for 6 bucks a pop around 15-16 years back.
I hoarded those, and anybody taking a trip to UK had to keep aside a certain weight of luggage for bringing them back.
I still can't resist picking them up whenever I see them.

Mayankk
Hi
Commando comics stormed into India in the late 1950s.
They were a treat to read with their approximate paperback size instead of the normal comic size.
My favourite was Battler Briton . Wonder if you have read his adventures.
Regards

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by faustus77

Mayankk
Hi
Commando comics stormed into India in the late 1950s.
They were a treat to read with their approximate paperback size instead of the normal comic size.
My favourite was Battler Briton . Wonder if you have read his adventures.
Regards

Yeah I have.
The problem , though, was that I was grabbing what was available, so I never made the connect that he was a recurring character, up until now when you've pointed it out.


Apart from that, there a few books out there dealing with alternative history specific to ww2. Where the nazis are victorious, and most of the time the United States have not entered the war. I'll see if I'm still holding onto those. Interesting reads.

[venkyhere]

movies :

masala :
where eagles dare (double,triple and quadruple crossing agents )

drama :
downfall (the german movie)
das boot

thriller :
the train
inglorious basterds

[mayankk]

Oh, and how can one forget "top secret" with val kilmer.
Rolling in the aisles stuff!!

[wilful]

A very interesting (maybe little known) work of fiction comes to mind (on WW2).
Colin Forbes wrote a book called The Leader and the Damned in 1983. I remember reading it sometime in the late eighties. The plot goes like this - in 1943, Hitler is assassinated (by a bomb), but his death is kept secret by the inner circle. A double replaces the dead Fuhrer for the rest of the war. A top Soviet spy operates in the inner circle. A wonderful yarn all right!

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by wilful

A very interesting (maybe little known) work of fiction comes to mind (on WW2). Colin Forbes wrote a book called The Leader and the Damned in 1983. I remember reading it sometime in the late eighties. The plot goes like this - in 1943, Hitler is assassinated (by a bomb), but his death is kept secret by the inner circle. A double replaces the dead Fuhrer for the rest of the war. A top Soviet spy operates in the inner circle. A wonderful yarn all right!

Another fantastic Second World War book by Colin Forbes. Tramp in Armour. About a lone Brit Tank that gets left behind, along with its crew, after a battle, but on the wrong side of the lines and how they wreak havoc amongst the enemy.

[csentil]

A lot of books mentioned here are fiction But a great list nonetheless.

The Second World War by Winston Churchill is probably one of the best and most authoritative books on World War II. Its in 4 volumes. I gifted my dad with an old hardbound set that he treasures a lot. Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for this definitive work.

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is another awesome book by William L Shirer is another authoritative book on the Nazis rise and fall.

Well to add to the masala list of WW II movies:

Dirty Dozen
Inglorious Basterds

Another great movie (well actually a television film) is Conspiracy. Its about how the Nazis arrive at the final solution to the Jewish problem! Chilling!!

[im_srini]

Hello fellow WW2 buffs, no doubt there is a plethora of content on all aspects of this tragic period in history.
I would like to recommend the World War II series from Time-Life Books, there are 39 or 40 volumes in this series.
First came across this series in my school library.
Brilliant set of books - great detail, not to mention, amazing photography & artwork.
Favorite volumes include "The Air War In Europe", "The Battle of Britain", & "Blitzkrieg"...

[wilful]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Another fantastic Second World War book by Colin Forbes. Tramp in Armour. About a lone Brit Tank that gets left behind, along with its crew, after a battle, but on the wrong side of the lines and how they wreak havoc amongst the enemy.

Yeah - I read that too - eons ago. These along with The Heights of Zevros & Palermo Ambush were his best (WW2) novels.

[rajamuneeb]

I am an absolute war movies buff.Guys this movie - Men behind the rising sun is a must watch. It was banned as it showed a gruesome tale of torture camps Japanese ran which were more horrific than the Nazi camps. Its a must see if you can find one. The list of other good WW2 movies is as under. Enjoy
Valkyrie.
Downfall.
Where eagles dare.
Stalingrad.
Saints and Soldiers.