Reddit reviews Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945

They were totally screwed by the Allied forces (British and US) who left them hanging. Thanks for your service, loyalty and commitment to freedom but fuck off now that the Nazi's are gone.

Source: The Western Betrayal and Max Hastings Inferno

Fantastic recommendation, I got to read Junger's memoir last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. Absolutely horrifying and enlightening.

One of my favorite WWI books is A World Undone, by G. J. Meyer. Which is ironic since I don't think I've ever posted a single anecdote from it (an error I need to severely correct).

It's super dense, but probably one of the best overviews of the war, encapsulating a deep amount of academic research, primary sources from soldiers, civilians, leaders- all the while providing important historical context and background for the many many actors/nations involved, their motives, and goals.

I recommend this book to ANYONE interested in WWI besides a passing understanding. At 816 pages it can be daunting to most readers, but if you have the interest, absolutely check out this book.

Another great book is Max Hastings's Inferno, which is one of the best "social histories" of the war IMO. The wide-range of intimate, tragic, surprising, and sometimes funny testimonies collected in the book, along with Hastings's excellent prose, is one of the most "human" retellings of WWII, I've ever read and is a must for anyone who is interested in the war beyond just the military and political aspects.

Edit: I also want to include Hastings's Retribution which covers the Pacific campaign (1944-45) in equally masterful prose and heartwrenching testimony. Learned not only a lot about the Japanese perspective but also of people's lives under Japanese occupation.

Also Rick Atkinson's Liberation Trilogy, which is a fantastic (American POV) of the war and incredibly well written.

More than $100? Are you looking at college textbooks?

I heard good things about this book: Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 by Max Hasting.

Also, here is a list of whatever comes up on Amazon when I searched "World War 2" - all definitely way less than $100.

Inferno: The World at War 1939-1945 is regarded as one of the best single-volume works on the Second World War.