I just finished "From Eton to Ypres: The Letters and Diaries of Lt.Col. Wilfred Abel Smith, Grenadier Guards 1914-1915", by Charles Abel Smith.
Highly recommended, especially for anyone with an interest in the BEF, or the "Old Contemptibles."
I also finally finished " For God and Kaiser: The Imperial Austrian Army 1619-1918" by Richard Bassett. A good, not great account, but there is not much published in English on this subject, save the outstanding Christopher Duffy.
BobS
I just finished Krisztián Ungváry's book Battle for Budapest. 100 Days in World War II, a purchase that was partly inspired by my recent 5-day trip to the city.
I can highly recommend the book (and the city, too, of course).
It's a thoroughly researched, highly detailed and well-written account of the fighting for Budapest.
Making heavy use of eyewitness accounts throughout the text, the author does a particularly good job in bringing alive the apocalyptic conditions and the hardships and suffering (especially of the civilian population) during and after the siege.
Thanks for the tip!by HPL2008
I was in Budapest in 2015 and absolutely loved the city - it's historic and beautiful.
I have just started reading 'Nazi Germany and the Jews' by Saul Friedländer. I can not comment on the book yet, I've just read a couple of pages.
I just finished Nikolaus Wachsmann's masterful study KL. A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps.
Covering the full history of the concentration camps from their earliest days to the very end, Wachsmann does an excellent job of describing the establishment, consolidation, development, growth and eventual collapse of the camp system, with a particular focus on the many shifts and changes it went through. (He sets the tone for this at the very start of the book, describing three typical days in Dachau in March 1933, August 1939 and April 1945.)
Throughout the work, the big picture is constantly interspersed with glimpses into brief episodes of the fate of individual prisoners, many of whom we encounter repeatedly. This literary instrument works admirably well, as it ensures that the reader never once forgets the true enormity of the countless personal tragedies behind the dates, numbers and statistics.
As gripping as it is informative, this is highly recommended reading.
I double that. I have also read KL and I finished it in no time. For me personally the best book I have read about the matter. Definitely a recommendable book.
I just started reading Mark A. Fraschka's biography Franz Pfeffer von Salomon. Hitlers vergessener Oberster SA-Führer. Looks very promising indeed. Considering that Pfeffer von Salomon was a very important figure in the early years of the Nazi movement (and a generally interesting character), frustratingly little secondary literature is available on him, so it is great to finally see a thorough scientific biography of him.
I've been reading Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939 by Volker Ullrich and I have to say that I'm loving it. The book reads well and the author tackles some myths that are still held to this day. I prefer Ullrich's approach over Kershaw's.
Just finished "Oostfronters" by Jonathan Trigg; loved it!
If you want to read about the achievements of Remi Schrijnen.
The original book is called, Hitler's Flemish Lions.
Winter period and my recovery leave, allows me to read more, so now I am into War Beneath the Waves: U-boat Flotilla Flandern 1915-1918
by Tomas Termote.
Interesting but quiet technical....
Been on a Western Front binge recently and finally got around to reading The Dead and Those About to Die: D-Day: The Big Red One at Omaha Beach by John C. McManus.
A great, detailed look into 1st Divisions actions on Omaha
Beach.
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