In Pharaoh’s Army by Tobias Wolff comes to mind. Much of it is about his time in Vietnam, and I love his writing.
Due_Key6812 on
Chapters about war from Churchill’s “My early life” are amazing.
Annual-Inspection673 on
War and peace by Tolstoy
Pepys1666 on
Don McCullin – mostly known as a war photographer, including Vietnam – wrote a great autobiography: Unreasonable Behaviour. Also good is Max Hastings – the British journalist – who wrote Going to the Wars. Both are post WW2.
WanderingAlice0119 on
Dispatches by Michael Herr (Vietnam)
And the other two I really liked are about WW2, Pacific theater specifically. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge
Consistent-Ease-6656 on
My War Gone By, I Miss it So by Anthony Lloyd. I read it in one sitting and it has haunted me for years.
BernardFerguson1944 on
*Anabasis* by Xenophon.
*The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521* by Bernal Díaz del Castillo.
*Co. Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show* by Samuel R. Watkins.
*Homage to Catalonia* by George Orwell.
*Storm of Steel* by Ernst Jünger.
*Neath Verdun: The Experiences of a French Soldier During the Early Months of the First World War* by Maurice Genevoix.
*A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway (fiction).
*All Quiet on the Western Front* by Erich Maria Remarque (fiction).
*The Outlaws* by Ernst von Salomon.
*The Three Day Promise: A Korean Soldier’s Memoir* by Donald K. Chung.
*Soldier* by Anthony B. Herbert.
*Dispatches* by Michael Herr.
*We Were Soldiers Once… and Young* by Lt. Gen. Harold G. ‘Hal’ Moore.
*Guns Up!* by Johnnie M. Clark.
*Peacekeepers at War: Beirut 1983 – The Marine Commander Tells His Story* by Timothy J. Geraghty.
*No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden* by Mark Owen.
Good-Variation-6588 on
The Things They Carried — it’s a blend of fiction and memoir and he doesn’t really tell you which parts are “true” but that’s part of the theme and beauty of the book.
Available_Remove452 on
Chickenhawk – Robert Mason.
Vietnam helicopter pilot.
Agent Zigzag – Ben McIntyre.
Ww2 double agent.
FittestFroyo on
Homage to Catalonia by Orwell is a classic.
Fangs of the Lone Wolf by Dodge Billingsley (Not a memoir but one of the better sources for the rusochechen war 94-09)
First In by Gary C Schroen (Initial American CIA SAD invasion of Afghanistan post 911)
If you want some very mixed perspectives on African liberation wars (as a warning these are all from the perspective of people fighting in support of apartheid):
Mad Dog Killers by Ivan Smith (South African mercenary in the Belgian Congo)
Three Sips of Gin by Tim Bax (Rhodesian Selous Scout)
Fireforce by Chris Cocks (Rhodesian Light Infantry)
Four Ball One Tracer by Rolf von Heerdan (South African Mercenary in Angola and others)
Edit:
Oh and check out Generation Kill by Evan Wright (03 Iraq invasion) it’s super good and has a good HBO miniseries as well.
e-lishka on
The Power of Forgiveness. Eva Kor Moses. It’s most inspirational story I have ever read, and I can only admire that woman. I don’t know where some people get their strength from. It’s WWII though. But very needed right now.
And of course Nothing New on Western Front. The book is even deeper then the movies, as everything Remarque.
12 Comments
In Pharaoh’s Army by Tobias Wolff comes to mind. Much of it is about his time in Vietnam, and I love his writing.
Chapters about war from Churchill’s “My early life” are amazing.
War and peace by Tolstoy
Don McCullin – mostly known as a war photographer, including Vietnam – wrote a great autobiography: Unreasonable Behaviour. Also good is Max Hastings – the British journalist – who wrote Going to the Wars. Both are post WW2.
Dispatches by Michael Herr (Vietnam)
And the other two I really liked are about WW2, Pacific theater specifically. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa by E. B. Sledge
My War Gone By, I Miss it So by Anthony Lloyd. I read it in one sitting and it has haunted me for years.
*Anabasis* by Xenophon.
*The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico 1517-1521* by Bernal Díaz del Castillo.
*Co. Aytch, or a Side Show of the Big Show* by Samuel R. Watkins.
*Homage to Catalonia* by George Orwell.
*Storm of Steel* by Ernst Jünger.
*Neath Verdun: The Experiences of a French Soldier During the Early Months of the First World War* by Maurice Genevoix.
*A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway (fiction).
*All Quiet on the Western Front* by Erich Maria Remarque (fiction).
*The Outlaws* by Ernst von Salomon.
*The Three Day Promise: A Korean Soldier’s Memoir* by Donald K. Chung.
*Soldier* by Anthony B. Herbert.
*Dispatches* by Michael Herr.
*We Were Soldiers Once… and Young* by Lt. Gen. Harold G. ‘Hal’ Moore.
*Guns Up!* by Johnnie M. Clark.
*Peacekeepers at War: Beirut 1983 – The Marine Commander Tells His Story* by Timothy J. Geraghty.
*No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama Bin Laden* by Mark Owen.
The Things They Carried — it’s a blend of fiction and memoir and he doesn’t really tell you which parts are “true” but that’s part of the theme and beauty of the book.
Chickenhawk – Robert Mason.
Vietnam helicopter pilot.
Agent Zigzag – Ben McIntyre.
Ww2 double agent.
Homage to Catalonia by Orwell is a classic.
Fangs of the Lone Wolf by Dodge Billingsley (Not a memoir but one of the better sources for the rusochechen war 94-09)
First In by Gary C Schroen (Initial American CIA SAD invasion of Afghanistan post 911)
If you want some very mixed perspectives on African liberation wars (as a warning these are all from the perspective of people fighting in support of apartheid):
Mad Dog Killers by Ivan Smith (South African mercenary in the Belgian Congo)
Three Sips of Gin by Tim Bax (Rhodesian Selous Scout)
Fireforce by Chris Cocks (Rhodesian Light Infantry)
Four Ball One Tracer by Rolf von Heerdan (South African Mercenary in Angola and others)
Edit:
Oh and check out Generation Kill by Evan Wright (03 Iraq invasion) it’s super good and has a good HBO miniseries as well.
The Power of Forgiveness. Eva Kor Moses. It’s most inspirational story I have ever read, and I can only admire that woman. I don’t know where some people get their strength from. It’s WWII though. But very needed right now.
And of course Nothing New on Western Front. The book is even deeper then the movies, as everything Remarque.
All Quiet on the Western Front.