Order in which to read about WWII

I have always loved to learn about WWII, but I realized I have read very few books that had anything to do with WWII! I am interested in every subject of the war, literally. If it is good and is about WWII I will read it. It doesn't matter if it is about a specific campaign, to a book about the generals tactics, to a personal account. Just please try to keep fiction out unless it is that good of a book. So I was wondering how I should go about reading up on WWII as a whole. I want to read about the entire war and its many campaigns. But I was wondering how I should first tackle this big subject. Should I read in chronological order? For example read about the German campaign in Poland, Denmark, Sweden and other countries, then to Eastern front and so on so forth. I do realize that certain campaigns over-lapped each other, so that also complicates starting out on the subject. Hope this helps out anyone else who is also having the same trouble as I am. Suggestions on what books to start out with are of course welcome!

 

As Lou said, there are as many different ways of "starting" as there are areas of this major global conflict. That said I can tell you how I got started back in the fifties. An uncle gave me the book God Is My Co-Pilot by Bob Scott for a birthday present.

I then found Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, and in the early sixties (believe it or not) The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich by Shirer!

While Shirer's book was a bit of a struggle in my teen years, it still opened up a "window" on the horrendous parts of the Reich under Hitler I found fascinating for some reason.

Later I found such works as The Second World War by Winston Churchill (with Keegan’s editing), but since that is a six volume set, start with The Gathering Storm, which is volume one if you are going to buy them.

Most respectable public libraries have the entire six volume set, even if they aren’t the newest Keegan edited versions. All of those were my "starting points", but I have read many works since. Some fiction, some "historical fiction", some first person accounts, all interesting.

It depends on what part of the war you are most interested in, and "trust me" there are books on any area/subject out there. Some I enjoyed to no end, only to find out later they were "shady" in that the author claimed to be someone he wasn't and wrote a great story as if it were truth.

 

Thank you for helpful responses guys, I will certainly take your advice. I am starting off with An Army At Dawn, I am only 60 pages in so I can't say if it is a good book or not, but I expect it to be from all the praise. BUT I am a little disappointed it only tells the tale of the US side. I would really like a book that talked about the other forces in the NA campaign like Britain, and Canada and their battles, like El Alamain. German perspective books are also fine. *If I should make a new post for this then I will, but I didn't want to spam the forums with new threads.*

 

Yea from reading the back of both his books I figured that would be the case but I was still hopeful for at least an all allied perspective. It is still a fine read despite these short comings. Hopefully there are some good NA books that show the other perspectives as well that someone maybe be able to recommend.

 

Since I've been reading about WWII for years, any sort of system would be kind of pointless right now, but what I tend to do is read about subjects I'm currently interested in. For example, I will read/hear/watch something that sparks my interest in the Battle of Stalingrad, and I'll devour everything I can find on that. Then, the same thing will happen with the Italian Campaign, (for instance) and the process will repeat.

 

There is SOOOO much to read about this war.I've read quite a bit about Hitler, but neglected most of the other areas.

I literally have two shelves on my book shelf dedicated to UNREAD WWII books.

My belief is to fijd an area you are interested in and read the heck out of it. You cannot be an expert on every facet of the war. That is just way too much information.

For example,the Holocaust. TO understand the Holocaust, you will have to studi anti-Semitism, Hitler's background, and the Jewish experience in the Western world. That is ALOT of information to retain. Hence, it is its own area of study.


You have the different arms of the respective armed forces. Typically what one will do is select one of the three arms and study all the combatants in that area. That is how historians typically approach history.They pick an area of study and spend their lives studying it.Now tyhey also have a good grasp of the overarching themes of history, but their knowledge is shallow in most other areas than the one they are focused on.

When you are dealing with such huge amounts of information you have pick what part interests.

Circumstances also dictate what you will want to read about.Me and my dad are researching my grandfather's service as a Marine aviation mechanic, s0o I am focusing on the Pacific right now.

But my main interest is still Hitler and the Nazis. They fascinate me. Reading about the Holocaust is difficult, but it is a defining element of Hitler and Nazism, so I must read about it.

I have attempted to read more about the weaponary and specific campaigns. My knowledge in both departments is sorely lacking.