*PINNED COMMENT* *The three books listed in the video* - Richard Overy’s “Russia’s War” - short sharp and sweet Stephan Fritz’s “Ostkrieg” David Glantz and Jonathan House’s “When Titan’s Clashed” *The other recommended books for the Eastern Front* - (these are not in any particular order) Your best bet is to pick up anything by David Glantz or Jonathan House if you liked the style of “When Titan’s Clashed”. For example, his single-volume book on “Stalingrad” (he’s done a 5-book, 4 volume “trilogy” on it, but that’s even more ridiculous) is pretty much the greatest account of the battle ever. Robert Citino’s “Death of the Wehrmacht: The German Campaigns of 1942” is a decent account of the events of 1942 - Hitler’s last chance for victory. In fact, anything by Citino is good, but just remember that this guy is talking about things from the German perspective. Joel Hayward’s “Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler’s Defeat in the East 1942-1943” - great for anyone looking into the air war, or also Stalingrad. Gregory Liedtke’s “Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943” - shows that many of the old myths about the Eastern Front from the Cold-War era are incorrect, or at least questionable. The statistics provided are also fantastic. David Stahel’s “Operation Barbarossa: Germany’s Defeat in the East” is a good place to start if you want to look at the beginning of the war. Stahel is an expert on the 1941 campaign, and his books are definitely recommended reading. *Books you should avoid for now* - Any and all MEMOIRS Seriously, avoid memoirs until you understand the topic. People lie or twist the truth in memoirs, and you want to avoid them until you’ve got a grasp of the conflict. Manstein’s “Lost Victories” and Guderian’s “Panzer Leader” will drown you in a false perception of the conflict. For example, Manstein just so happens to not mention any of the war crimes he committed on the Eastern Front which he went to prison for. Would you believe the logic of a known criminal? No, yet people read his popular memoirs and believe him without question. This is why it’s probably best you avoid memoirs for now. In addition, Shirer’s ancient “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.” should also be avoided because he’s heavily reliant on the German general’s memoirs, specifically Franz Halder’s. Halder basically scored a natural 20 in intrigue and has manipulated most of the post-war literature on the Eastern Front to his way of thinking. The German generals went along with him because it gave them a way of wriggling out of their prison cells. Again, be wary of texts written in the Cold War, and aim for more modern books. In addition, please avoid some of the ‘hostile’ comments that will no doubt come up in the comment section below because of my recommendation to avoid the memoirs of the German generals. A lot of people are of the opinion that the Germans did nothing wrong in WW2 - and this is simply ridiculous, as you will see in the three books I recommended. Here’s a spreadsheet with all the books I currently have about WW2 (and related) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/114GiK85MPs0v4GKm0izPj3DL2CrlJUdAantx5GQUKn8/edit?usp=sharing Link to my Patreon www.patreon.com/TIKhistory Please consider supporting me if you can and make these videos be as good as they can be! Happy reading! And thanks for watching, bye for now!
TIK Hey TIK, just discovered your channel recently and I really enjoy your video. I was wondering if you’d consider making a video on the Warsaw Uprising given the contentious nature of the subject? I was doing some reading on it and saw that David Glantz (who you use for a lot of your sources and seems to be generally well informed about the eastern front) believes that it was improbable that the soviets would have been able to provide aid to the uprising but have been unable to find anything by him that goes into any detail. Conversely, I also found a source that claims the Soviet archives state that Stalin actually gave the order to prevent aid from being given to the uprising because he wanted to see the polish government in exile destroyed to ease the Soviet occupation of Poland. Hope your day is going well, take care!
Thanks very much for the list. I would like to know how you rate Paul Carell's volumes on Barbarossa. Your bibliography is solidly English - do you read German/Russian?
You should also add to the list of "AVOID", the "classic" books by Paul Carell, AKA SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer Paul Schmidt, "Hitler moves east" and "Scorched Earth". I think he may be one of the most important sources for the noble Wehrmacht myth. Somehow, he is still widely sold. Thank you for your channel.
TIK I honestly atm have split my WW2 reading into category's. Mainly into Eastern front books which most of my books are the western/africa front books. I then split down my research simalar to how u do and study indvidual battles/offensives/campaigns and move on to another one once i feel ive read enough for the time on it. I Mainly been reading alot on 1943 ostfront for the past year and a half and read into Barbarossa , Kursk and the Third and forth battles of kharkov. iam still yet to read in detail about stalingrad (mainly phase iii of Fall Blau) but i feel ill let u recommend stalingrad books in the future, i mean i still need to finish Death of the leaping horseman: 24. Panzer Division in Stalingrad. I turned away from the Eastern front for the moment and i am researching normandy before i visit there soon and finally If i recommend a good author i feel Steven Zagolas a good one.
I bought "When Titans Clashed" months ago because of your videos explaining the casualties in the Great Patriotic War. A must have for any WWII enthusiast.
If you're studying the Napoleonic Wars you need a copy of Chandler's "The Campaigns of Napoleon". If you're studying the Soviet-German War you need a copy of "When Titans Clashed". The go-to source in both cases.
I picked up Ostkrieg on your recommendation, and it's really an excellent book. Everybody should read it to get the feel for the meatgrinder that is the Eastern Front.
If I may add my two cents: Cossack is not really an ethnicity, it is more of a social and a military cast. Otherwise outstanding! You are the best Western historian I ever saw in my life. From a Russian fan of your fantastic channel.
Mstislaw AA You are right. Unfortunately there are some recent efforts from the Don and Kuban Cossacks to position themselves as an ethnicity, which does not stand any critique. So the author of the channel is not that far off in his statement, given that and also what you said. My great-grand fathers were Siberian cossacks that moved to Kazakhstan (back then part of the Russian Empire) to guard its borders from the Jungars, Chinese and Kokandians. They were still thinking of themselves as being Russians. I guess it really depended on the geographic location and the people the cossacks intermixed with.
Funnily, the Cossacks considered themselves a different ethnicity. But of course they were Russians/Ukrainians (those being very close) with some mixture of Caucasian (meaning "from numerous peoples of the Caucasus", not "of white race") and Steppe peoples blood.
I accidentally stumbled upon your channel (one video was in suggestions). One of the deepest analysis of WW2 I've ever seen. Original ideas. Strong argumentation. Facts, documents, memoirs. I already suggested you to couple people. Keep doing good job.
I love how concise When Titans Clashed is and how it discusses the basic historiography of the war and then provides a modern enough narrative of the war as it is. I think it is important for more serious readers to understand the historiography. Great video!
Thanks man, I just finished reading Ostkrieg during these last couple of weeks and I enjoyed it very much. I liked how most of everything was taken into consideration when explaining why something happened and it clears the picture for more in depth research of a specific operation or point in time in the eastern front. I also liked how it was very clear on the point that you can't separate the genocide from the military aspects of the war since both are really intermingled. mid 1944 early 1945 was intense af.
Great video Tik! I have been inspired by seeing your book collection in the background of your videos to build my own collection and read more. I am only 17 so the budget is tight so I really wanna make sure I get the best books possible for my money. So I would definitely appreciate more types of these videos in the future on recommend books:)
Awesome! You definitely won't go wrong with the three books I mentioned - they're some of the best I have. And I'll probably do more like this in the future :)
Really pleased to find someone who is as interested in the eastern front as I am. Many thanks for your time and effort to overturn some of the misinformation of this whole subject area.
Hello!! Nice channel. Great videos. Anyway, of the three that you mentioned, I've only read one: "When Titans Clashed". Perfect title for a great subject. Great informative read. Not overly detailed, but gives proper background of the leaders, field commanders, situation on the ground, etc. It's one of my go-to books when all else are failing.
Hey TIK! Okay you have convinced me, just started on Overy's book. Only four chapters in and I'm amazed at the amount of information I never knew. Ordering Ostkrieg and then When Titan's Clashed, thanks for doing what you do.
Thank you so much TIK! I've only started to really get into the operational and more detailed side of Ww2 only after discovering your channel recently and I'm obsessed I was up at 3am watching your fantastic videos on Fort Eben Emael and Operation Biting! Before your channel I was just into the weapons, vehicles, heroics, individual stories and the bullshit I am being taught in secondary school etc. But now my interest is leaning towards the tactics and logistics of the conflict! My only barrier to getting these books is my budget and secondary school life :( I'll be sure to watch all of your videos and I wish you luck in your upcoming projects! Keep up the great work!!
Awesome! Yes, there's definitely more to the war than vehicles and individual stories. That stuff's great on a tactical level, but I think the war comes alive when you start looking at the operational and strategic levels. Well, if and when you do get these books, I hope you enjoy them. And thanks Jake, good luck with school!
TIK Thanks again! I'll be sure to look out for these books in the future, next year of school for me is a transition to senior cycle stuff (final exams, preparation for university etc.) So I won't be doing much for that year other than deciding career choices and all that, I'll have plenty time for reading then!
Jake Galvin While you are a student or if you are in a state with a good state library system talk to a librarian at school. While many of theses books are hard to find you may be able to borrow them through inter-library loan.
irememberhistory Our libraries in my area are pretty poor as I am in a rural area with the odd town here and there, my school's only books are George Orwell and teen fiction so it's not very helpful. The odd time I go to a city I usually check there for books and I don't find much. Online shopping is my best option to find books
Oh yes I agree with you TIK on those three very scrumptious books, they’re the perfect start for anyone who’s interested on the Eastern front I have got all three myself but sadly have yet to finish reading them cover to cover as they’re so thick and a heavy weight reading.
Awesome! If you like Stalingrad by Beevor, be sure to (at some point, maybe after these three) pick up Glantz's Stalingrad (just get the one-volume version, the 5-book 4-part 'trilogy' isn't necessary unless you're insane like me). It's an entirely different book compared to Beevor's book, but the detail is fantastic.
I would certainly start with C. Hartmann, “Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s War in the East 1941-1945”. Super concise and clear. Very helpful insights, like the fact that away from towns and roadways there existed vast spaces into which hardly a single german soldier ever wandered. Very different from the view people have. Very good on the reasons for the whole operation, the german occupation and war crimes...all in only 180 small pages. A masterly feat of compression. I agree with choosing Overys book and in his defense i have to say that the book was a companion for the series of the same name thus the title... a BBC production now kind of outdated.
Glad to hear you're happy about it :) sadly, no myth debunking this week (unless you're willing to read the three books I recommend, in which case you'll find them)
A friend of mine introduced Veebor's Stalingrad - so far so good! I'm halfway through it. From there I'll be proceeding with Fritz's Ostkrieg. This is just the start for me - I have never been this curious since!
I'd LOVE to get many of those books but being on Disability I sadly just cannot afford it. I thought about starting my own UA-cam page where hopefully some generous viewers would donate these books but I haven't done it yet. I would really like to have a Channel like yours TiK! It's an awesome Channel!
I found you after I stumbled across a video by Glanz who was substituting for a lecturer. That educated me enough to want to know more and then I found you !!
Jumped right into To the Gates of Stalingrad by Glantz and I love it! I’m a very visual learner so I really appreciate all the maps he includes. I color code them with colored pencil by army so I don’t have a stroke trying to follow them
You pronounced "Ostkrieg" like "Austkrieg". So if you want to pronounce the German "au" pronounce it like you did with the "o". The "o" itself is pronounced much more similar to the English "o". And "Ostkrieg" is said a little bit faster with the "Ost" being stressed.
Thank you very much for the list of books that you recommend. I agree with you completely about Glantz, the depth that he goes into in his books is very good. Thank you for your videos, I eagerly wait for each new one.
I'm very happy I found your channel. I've watched ww2 documentaries for years and read books on it. Usually the mainstream stuff like the world at war, Soviet storm etc etc but you really up the level of detail. It's amazing really. Sometimes it's too detailed for me but that's a criticism of my intellect because your content is on point I've just ordered Russia's War so thanks for the recommendation
Just ordered your recommendations through amazon prime. Gonna have some nice reading to do while at work the next few months. Thanks. IMO though I do not think the memoirs are, in a sense, bad. You just have to know the OTHER history surrounding them and not take everything they say for granted. I can, I guess, "understand" the reasoning to defend themselves and their men they were in charge of.
Great! I hope you enjoy them! In terms of the memoirs, that's what I was saying - you need to have a clear grasp of the events before you go anywhere near them because they will manipulate your perception of the events. Therefore, anyone coming new to the topic should avoid them.
Let's not forget one of the first books on the eastern front-a book which started the eastern front genre-"Hitler Moves East" by Paul Carell.. Book covers the Eastern Front from 1941-Stalingrad. His second book, "Scorched Earth" covers the eastern front from 1943-1944. Still two of the finest books on the subject (and I have read hundreds) These books were written in early 60's when the war was still fresh in the minds of those who survived.
Hi Have just come across your video and I'm hooked! love reading History books especially WW2 proper in depth factual both campaigns Tanks and other AFV thank you for the reviews of these 3 books. also have now subscribed.😎
I am quite a fan of your videos, really loving your unbiassed way of telling this important episode of modern histoy. I am big fan of WWII since I was a kid the books that most impressed me are "Great patriotic war of the Soviet Union" 1974 Progress Pub. and "The second world war" of G. Deborin. Keep doing your great job!
Must admit I have almost nothing in the way of books dealing with this parictular subject which is odd since I do have quite a number of boardgames about it. I have " Stalingrad: How the Red Army Triumphed" on the way after watching your Pavlov's House video and will definitely be picking these 3 up. Keep up the great work!
Had to think about this for a bit. The fact is I've only read one book about this subject. Martin Caidin's "The Tigers are Burning" and I read the paperback edition when it came out in 1975! Hmmm. I've watched numerous documentaries along with having those boardgames so it's definitely not due to lack of interest. Mind you, my military books collection is dwarfed by yours but that is still a bit ridiculous. Some kind of phobia???lol
Just read OSTKRIEG. Absolutely as advertised, the only book I have read that ties some many facets/dynamics of the Eastern Front into one coherent read. Can't say thanks enough for recommending and taking me from about 10% understanding of the Eastern Front to about 50% in one big leap. It so puts the European front in its proper context.
I have not read the books you listed and the second one really interests me. I would have to have War Without Garlands in my 3 book list on the Eastern Front.
Again TIK, thank you so much for the work that you do! As a historian, it frustrates me that the Eastern Front hasn't received the attention that it deserves despite the fact World War II ended over 74 years ago and the Cold War ended nearly 30 years ago. I have many colleagues who teach history and social studies classes, and I recommend your videos to them. Have a great summer!
Sometimes I get pissed off because my internet is not working well, or because the garbage truck failed to pick up the garbage in front of my home or because my soccer team was defeated by its archrival. And then I always remember that I was not born in any Eastern European country in the period ranging between 1896 onwards up to 1927 or so, but above all, in Russia. To me it is a miracle that all those Eastern European guys who have had the extreme bad luck of having done so have experienced the horrors of WWI, the Spanish Influenza, the Russian Revolution, the ensuing Civil War, the tribulations of the 30's, famine, and then WWII and survived! And then I see I have no problems at all... Great selection of books, TIK! Thanks!
... I wish this reliability to all yt history reviewers. You are seeking the truth and this attitude deserve respect.If somebody speak about history should be open mind. Correct history is mor or less decepted by "history makers" and decent historians task is to discover the truth after years when secrets are not the jackpot. Good job mr TIK
The Eastern Front is such an amazing rabbit-hole of detail to fall into. Thanks for unpacking things there in such an interesting way.I'd wager that a podcast in a "Dan Carlin," style (i.e. exhaustive and damn-the-time-needed-as-its-all-bloody-important) by you over whatever Eastern Front themed topic you would choose would be amazing to hear.Thanks again.
Dear, since the first time I saw you, I could not stop thinking that you are the male version of myself!!! I could not believe someone like me existed. I had thought I was alone in the universe. Here, in my country, no one understands my passion for WWII (in Europe). NO ONE. Of course, here it is more important our history than other´s (and we have plentyyyyyy). I have hundreds of books, and a fewer number of videos about wwii, and I would love to have discussions with you and to share the knowledge you and I have acquired. I have covered many topics, since the wwii seeds, its development, and the consequences it brought for the whole world. By now, I do recommend you “Frontsoldaten” by Stephen G. Fritz, and “Homecomings” by Frank Biess. Also books by Primo Levi are sadly revealing… a crude reality of such a conflict. In the “Topology of Terror” museum in Berlin, the hardest I have ever been, you could acquire very good books about the “other Germans”, those who resist the dictatorship and all the nonsenses it did, and also about other groups. Of course, I suppose you have seen “unsere mütter unsere väter”. When I watched it, I was surprised, cause I wanted to write a novel about wwii from the German part of view, and there was everything I have thought about. Do you know that there were Mexicans who died in concentration camps and dead marches? I could not believe it. How come if we were a close economy back then? Of course, no one knows here. Well, I do look forward hearing from you soon and I hope we could have some day a nice chat about all we have read. Have a wonderful day!
I highly recommend the following: "Bloodlands" by Timothy Snyder "Black Earth: the Holocaust as History and Warning" by Timothy Snyder (although some of the political commentary about the present day is a stretch) I'd be curious to know what TIK thinks of "The Greatest Battle" by Andrew Nagorski Churchill's official biography (by his son Randolph and by Sir Martin Gilbert) is an 8 volume massive beast and breaks Tik's rules by being old and arguably a memoir thus of questionable reliability but it's a hell of a read. Venturing a bit farther afield, "Hitler's Malta Option" by Steven L. W. Kavanagh 'Lying About Hitler" by Richard Evans
Coincidently, the first book you mentioned arrived yesterday. Not got the others but I will get them. The Churchill one I may hold off for now because of priorities.
Sniper on the Eastern Front, Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger. Quite some graphic Memoirs of a German rifleman turned sniper, memoirs of his shots and depictions of what the scenes looked like.
Hey TIK! I just wanted to say thanks for inspiring me to become a historian and teaching me the truths :v I can't wait to read these! Again thanks for all your hard work!
I want to thank you for recommending "Ostkrieg". I have not gotten that far in it, but it is refreshing to see an Adolf who is not portrayed from the American perspective as a fool, insanely, and some one who ruled by fear. I am not saying I like the man now, but WWII makes a lot more sense.
Ty for the recommendations. I'll look into buying these soon. The book that got me hooked on the Eastern frount is, " The Forgotten Soldier." From there "Blood Red Snow" "Sniper on the Eastern Frount" etc. There are discrepancies in these book but the stories are amazing. Worse book for me is ,"The 900 days." Just throwing that out there. lol
Great! Happy reading :) I'm not saying forget about them, but please be very careful with memoirs. You've got to remember that they're biased. See the pinned comment.
TIK I agree 100%. They got me interested and my investigative nature got me researching. I believe I have a pretty good over all view of WW2. I take memoirs for what they are. Ty for helping people understand.
I own one Soviet memoir, just because I dug it up somewhere in the family library. It's "I, Fighter", by Georgi Zakharov (a then-general of the VVS RKKA), it contains his memories about his training, war in Manchuria, Spanish civil war and the Great patriotic war. There are clearly things he left out, some unbelievable exploits, with a dash of Soviet propaganda. But it does read nicely.
What's your name? Mr. TIK? I wanted to highly recommend a title myself and wondering if you ever came across it. Len Dighton's "Blood, Tears, and Folly An Objective Look at World War Two". Why? He REALLY is good at picking up the precise decisions that decided the fates of many of the major campaigns. For instance, the Tommys lost Norway in 1940, but it may have been far more costly to the Germans had some quartermaster clerk back in England not forgotten to include the needed clasps for their ski battalions that were sent to fight there (they were not small in number and had limited mobility without them). Another example is the Bismarck being discovered (I'm going totally by memory, so I could be off on the precise facts) because some mid-level officer in the Luftwaffe was worried about his son that was on the Battleship and wanted to know if he was still alive and somehow in his communications with OKM he happened to be intercepted at just the right time for one of ULTRA's listeners to hear it in real time and act on it, thereby the Bismark's position was betrayed and never made it to the safety of occupied-France. He is really good at narrowing down how little things by junior officers or even lowly-clerks can decide the fate of major battles.
Glantz is great, though he can be very dry. I have four books of him, but not When Titans Clashed. A friend said it is good and readable. I've only read his Kursk book, and I did it cover-to-cover. There were times I wanted to claw my eyes out with boredom. As I'm just getting back into the Eastern Front, maybe I should ease into things, and not jump straight into Operation Mars.
Wow. Those are excellent recommendations. I don’t know why people criticize you for bias. I’ve watched 6 of your vids an havent seen anything remotely biased. Many people, for some reason, don’t like to admit that the Nazis were indeed socialists (Marxist isn’t the only kind of socialist), so maybe that’s where some of the animosity come from. Other than that I don’t see why anyone would be mad. Keep up the great work.
The Kossacks were like soldier-police horsemen who owned big farms, farms bigger than regular farmers/peasants in the tsarist area. Their farms were clustered together in certain regions. Border guards, but they were also used a lot to suppress revolts. They were a privileged section of society and were among the first to join the white armies in the civil war, if not the first. However, they were not a nationality of their own.
Got ostkrieg some time ago :) If anyone is reading, I would recommend 2 diary style books, "Forgotten Soldier" and "Blood Red Snow" from infantry soldier point of view. And today postman brought PQ17, Betrayed Ideals: Memoirs of a Luftwaffe Fighter Ace, The Star of Africa: The story of Hans Marseille.
I don't want to disagree, since all literature on the Eastern Front is useful in some way and I don't want to discourage people from reading it, but I wouldn't recommend that anyone new to the Eastern Front should start reading memoirs (see the pinned comment).
TIK Well I don't see anything bad in diary style books if someone have common sense :) also from my experience I can often see note from author at the beginning about that book being just his memories and experience, so information about actual frontlines and battles can be wrong since common soldiers had limited knowledge about actual situation. Also these 2 books, Blood Red Snow and Forgotten Soldier are strictly from regular private soldier telling about his experience and combat, life on the front etc. Nothing political or ideological (tho there are also some books that have that aspect, for example Betrayed Ideals seem to be a bit political). So I could fully recommend these 2 for people who want to see how it was for regular wehrmacht soldier on eastern front. And in case of Forgotten Soldier it also mentions war crimes committed by germans, even author himself admits that he was killing surrendered soviets during offensive since they were ordered not to (and could not) take any prisoners.
I feel that Glantz is more of an author for historians to read as research. For regular people, he is really dry reading. Citino is my new favorite history author.
TIK question: love your channel I have had deep interest in the Easter Front for 30 years. I've read Glantz and others but lately have wanted an in depth review/book of Operation Typhoon (aka Battle of Moscow); any suggestions?
Not sure yet. I'm working on Operation Crusader now, which will be the last North African Campaign Battlestorm before Stalingrad. That should be out in the next month or two (it's going to be about 7 hours long).
I am an avid world war II reader and I've read David glantz's operation Barbarossa and have also picked up Barbarossa derailed the Battle for Smolensk. I loved operation Barbarossa and the narrative it gave of the campaign. Great clarity on the important aspects and actions in the battle but also how they impact, contribute or hinder the overall campaign. Barbarossa derailed I found to be way too chopped up and segmented with no knitting together of the various actions to get a larger sense of the day-to-day battles and the ongoing campaign. It reads like a laundry list. Which style is when Titans classed closer to?
Are you familiar w Barberosa, by Alan Clark? And if yes, what is your impression? I suspect it is overly pro Manstien for you. For no particular reason, that is t primary print source for most of my Eastern Front education. I think, technically "Barberosa" refers just to t initial offensive in t Summer of 41. But as t subtitle states, it cover t entire Eastern Front conflict from 41-45.
Great thank you If you want any info on Romanian forces I have a copy of third axis, fourth ally by Mark axworthy (silly price in Amazon) Ask me what unit, commander etc...and I can see what is in it
I find the story of Romania, Hungary, and Italy on the Eastern front interesting. You look at it, and wonder how in the world two Romanian, a Hungarian, and an Italian army end up at the furthest east point of the German incursion into the Soviet Union, guarding the flanks of the German attempt to take Stalingrad. How could anyone at the time on the German side not see that this was a disaster waiting to happen? Of course, some German Generals probably did, or claimed after the war that they did, but Hitler as supreme warlord overrode everyone's objection.
From my shelves I have only 14 books that you have on your list. My favourite read of these is Tooze's "Wages of Destruction". Something interesting on every page. I'd be interested in what you think of this book.
The book that got me into WW2 is The Historical Atlas of World War II by Alexander Swanston and Malcolm Swanston. It's decent overall look on the war with alot of maps. For someone who wants a broad look on the war I would definitively recommend it. Also it's pretty cheap. ^^
I like your book reviews keep em coming! just bought ostkrieg. Have you read World war at sea , Craig L. Symonds? waiting for that in the mail aswell. Cheers from norway.
I have noticed there is no mention about Christer Bergstrom's books. I thought they were the best about the air war, specially in the East Front. I have their books about Ardennes and Market Garden and I considered them very good.
Thanks for the recommendations. Do you know any good books about Operation Bagration? Also I speak Russian, do you know any must-read Russian books on the war? Thanks your content is excellent.
Thanks for this video mate it really helped. Im definitely gonna buy that 3rd book just because it contains so many sources (which is the most important thing). Just wondering if the 1st one contains as many sources as the 3rd one?
Part of the reason for the short length of this video is because I'm working on a massive Battlestorm video (Operation Crusader) which will be around 7 hours long by my current estimate. So, while this may not be 'content', it is useful for new people on the subject, and it allows me time to work on Crusader.
If you've not already read it 'The Retreat' by Michael Jones is a really good account of the 41-42 winter from the perspective of (for the most part) the individual German soldier on the ground during the Battle for Moscow. It's a good counterpoint to the more 'technical' works of Glantz etc. Alan Clark's Barbarossa is pretty old and at a purely military level might not stand up to some of the more recent work but I think is one that is still a very good introduction to the Eastern Front over the course of the war and in particular a sense of the dysfunction of the Nazi administration both on a military level and a 'civil level' in terms of their administration of the occupied territories.
Nice, solid books; btw, do tell - what do you think of Andrew Roberts' Storm of War (if you read it, ofc, lol). Other than that - you're doing a great work!
I have read "when titans class" sooo good. Will you cover the minor wars like the Greco Italian war and why the italians fail so badly. Thank you and keep up the good job
Actually, I think you should redo this video after the end of Stalingrad and in it, mention pretty much all the books, which ones you recommend which ones you are in love with etc. This video is very important but yet it is in deep waters of the channel, it must be brought back to surface
Hi I'm Ash and I live in the UK. I am disabled and use a wheelchair. I'm interested in history and want to learn about ww1 and ww2. At the moment I'm watching a documentary on d day but I want to get knowledgeable like you about history, how do I get knowledgeable? I'm struggling with books, can you recommend any ww2 books and documentaries on western front please? I want to kearn
May I ask your opinion on C. Bellamy, Absolute War? There's a whole nice chapter all dedicated in debunking the myth (that, apparently, exists) of Operation Barbarossa being, somehow, a preventive operation, I think you'd find it interesting or at least useful!
I'm sure I've read that but I don't remember much about it off the top of my head. The chapter you mentioned which debunks Suvorov's thesis will come in handy for a future video though, thanks very much!
Them BT tanks sure were made for russian terrain,also the germans being able to encircle most of the russian troops within 6 weeks are indications enough Stalin massed up his troops on his western front.Of course he hoped,the western powers would weaken themselves in another trench war to be able to sweep up the rest of Europe. Its not a myth that Russia was a threat to Europe as a whole,he supported the communists in Spain after all.Does that make it a preemtive strike? Maybe,maybe not,depending on who you talk to.In war there is no good and bad,its all about power.wether it be Eisenhower,Churchill,Stalin or Hitler.
What about Teodor Pliever's book? Read it in the fourth grade. Don't know how it ended up in an elementary school bookshelf as it should (like most of these) be rated NC-17 or perhaps NC-40!
I've read War of the Century- when Hitler fought Stalin. I thought it was a great book to start off with, I recommend it to new Ww2 eastern front enthusiasts
I still want you to take a proper look onto file S-32 and bring it to public ! It might determine the history and it's reasoning of WW2.. Then again, it is based on hypothesis so far when it comes to the actual book, because the folder is still not meant to be shown to public eye. Especially on 1950 - 1980. :I
*PINNED COMMENT*
*The three books listed in the video* -
Richard Overy’s “Russia’s War” - short sharp and sweet
Stephan Fritz’s “Ostkrieg”
David Glantz and Jonathan House’s “When Titan’s Clashed”
*The other recommended books for the Eastern Front* -
(these are not in any particular order)
Your best bet is to pick up anything by David Glantz or Jonathan House if you liked the style of “When Titan’s Clashed”. For example, his single-volume book on “Stalingrad” (he’s done a 5-book, 4 volume “trilogy” on it, but that’s even more ridiculous) is pretty much the greatest account of the battle ever.
Robert Citino’s “Death of the Wehrmacht: The German Campaigns of 1942” is a decent account of the events of 1942 - Hitler’s last chance for victory. In fact, anything by Citino is good, but just remember that this guy is talking about things from the German perspective.
Joel Hayward’s “Stopped at Stalingrad: The Luftwaffe and Hitler’s Defeat in the East 1942-1943” - great for anyone looking into the air war, or also Stalingrad.
Gregory Liedtke’s “Enduring the Whirlwind: The German Army and the Russo-German War 1941-1943” - shows that many of the old myths about the Eastern Front from the Cold-War era are incorrect, or at least questionable. The statistics provided are also fantastic.
David Stahel’s “Operation Barbarossa: Germany’s Defeat in the East” is a good place to start if you want to look at the beginning of the war. Stahel is an expert on the 1941 campaign, and his books are definitely recommended reading.
*Books you should avoid for now* -
Any and all MEMOIRS
Seriously, avoid memoirs until you understand the topic. People lie or twist the truth in memoirs, and you want to avoid them until you’ve got a grasp of the conflict. Manstein’s “Lost Victories” and Guderian’s “Panzer Leader” will drown you in a false perception of the conflict. For example, Manstein just so happens to not mention any of the war crimes he committed on the Eastern Front which he went to prison for. Would you believe the logic of a known criminal? No, yet people read his popular memoirs and believe him without question. This is why it’s probably best you avoid memoirs for now.
In addition, Shirer’s ancient “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.” should also be avoided because he’s heavily reliant on the German general’s memoirs, specifically Franz Halder’s. Halder basically scored a natural 20 in intrigue and has manipulated most of the post-war literature on the Eastern Front to his way of thinking. The German generals went along with him because it gave them a way of wriggling out of their prison cells. Again, be wary of texts written in the Cold War, and aim for more modern books.
In addition, please avoid some of the ‘hostile’ comments that will no doubt come up in the comment section below because of my recommendation to avoid the memoirs of the German generals. A lot of people are of the opinion that the Germans did nothing wrong in WW2 - and this is simply ridiculous, as you will see in the three books I recommended.
Here’s a spreadsheet with all the books I currently have about WW2 (and related) docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/114GiK85MPs0v4GKm0izPj3DL2CrlJUdAantx5GQUKn8/edit?usp=sharing
Link to my Patreon www.patreon.com/TIKhistory Please consider supporting me if you can and make these videos be as good as they can be!
Happy reading! And thanks for watching, bye for now!
TIK Hey TIK, just discovered your channel recently and I really enjoy your video. I was wondering if you’d consider making a video on the Warsaw Uprising given the contentious nature of the subject? I was doing some reading on it and saw that David Glantz (who you use for a lot of your sources and seems to be generally well informed about the eastern front) believes that it was improbable that the soviets would have been able to provide aid to the uprising but have been unable to find anything by him that goes into any detail. Conversely, I also found a source that claims the Soviet archives state that Stalin actually gave the order to prevent aid from being given to the uprising because he wanted to see the polish government in exile destroyed to ease the Soviet occupation of Poland. Hope your day is going well, take care!
Thanks very much for the list. I would like to know how you rate Paul Carell's volumes on Barbarossa. Your bibliography is solidly English - do you read German/Russian?
Cossack is not a nationality. It's more like occupation/lifestyle.
Something similar with american frontiersmen, but way before.
You should also add to the list of "AVOID", the "classic" books by Paul Carell, AKA SS-Obersturmbannfuhrer Paul Schmidt, "Hitler moves east" and "Scorched Earth". I think he may be one of the most important sources for the noble Wehrmacht myth. Somehow, he is still widely sold. Thank you for your channel.
TIK I honestly atm have split my WW2 reading into category's. Mainly into Eastern front books which most of my books are the western/africa front books. I then split down my research simalar to how u do and study indvidual battles/offensives/campaigns and move on to another one once i feel ive read enough for the time on it.
I Mainly been reading alot on 1943 ostfront for the past year and a half and read into Barbarossa , Kursk and the Third and forth battles of kharkov. iam still yet to read in detail about stalingrad (mainly phase iii of Fall Blau) but i feel ill let u recommend stalingrad books in the future, i mean i still need to finish Death of the leaping horseman: 24. Panzer Division in Stalingrad.
I turned away from the Eastern front for the moment and i am researching normandy before i visit there soon and finally If i recommend a good author i feel Steven Zagolas a good one.
I bought "When Titans Clashed" months ago because of your videos explaining the casualties in the Great Patriotic War. A must have for any WWII enthusiast.
Fantastic! Glad you agree!
If you're studying the Napoleonic Wars you need a copy of Chandler's "The Campaigns of Napoleon". If you're studying the Soviet-German War you need a copy of "When Titans Clashed". The go-to source in both cases.
I picked up Ostkrieg on your recommendation, and it's really an excellent book. Everybody should read it to get the feel for the meatgrinder that is the Eastern Front.
Awesome! See everyone, I am right :D
If I may add my two cents: Cossack is not really an ethnicity, it is more of a social and a military cast. Otherwise outstanding! You are the best Western historian I ever saw in my life.
From a Russian fan of your fantastic channel.
Yes, I stand corrected. Thanks!
Mstislaw AA
You are right. Unfortunately there are some recent efforts from the Don and Kuban Cossacks to position themselves as an ethnicity, which does not stand any critique. So the author of the channel is not that far off in his statement, given that and also what you said. My great-grand fathers were Siberian cossacks that moved to Kazakhstan (back then part of the Russian Empire) to guard its borders from the Jungars, Chinese and Kokandians. They were still thinking of themselves as being Russians. I guess it really depended on the geographic location and the people the cossacks intermixed with.
Maybe Lewis meant Kazakhs, not Cossacks? Kazakhs (thus Kazakhstan)are a real ethnic group who were in the Red Army.
Funnily, the Cossacks considered themselves a different ethnicity. But of course they were Russians/Ukrainians (those being very close) with some mixture of Caucasian (meaning "from numerous peoples of the Caucasus", not "of white race") and Steppe peoples blood.
I accidentally stumbled upon your channel (one video was in suggestions). One of the deepest analysis of WW2 I've ever seen. Original ideas. Strong argumentation. Facts, documents, memoirs. I already suggested you to couple people. Keep doing good job.
Thank you Anton :) I'm glad you're enjoying my videos
I love how concise When Titans Clashed is and how it discusses the basic historiography of the war and then provides a modern enough narrative of the war as it is. I think it is important for more serious readers to understand the historiography. Great video!
Yes, and that's partly why I recommend it. Glad you liked the video!
Thanks man, I just finished reading Ostkrieg during these last couple of weeks and I enjoyed it very much. I liked how most of everything was taken into consideration when explaining why something happened and it clears the picture for more in depth research of a specific operation or point in time in the eastern front. I also liked how it was very clear on the point that you can't separate the genocide from the military aspects of the war since both are really intermingled. mid 1944 early 1945 was intense af.
Great video Tik! I have been inspired by seeing your book collection in the background of your videos to build my own collection and read more. I am only 17 so the budget is tight so I really wanna make sure I get the best books possible for my money. So I would definitely appreciate more types of these videos in the future on recommend books:)
Awesome! You definitely won't go wrong with the three books I mentioned - they're some of the best I have. And I'll probably do more like this in the future :)
TIK Thanks I will be looking forward to those!
Don't forget about your local library! Lots join together to provide you with county-wide access to all allowing you to access them for free!!
I feel responsible for this video, since I asked this question too.
Haha yes, a lot of people asked me. In the end I just had to do it
TIK
Honestly another great video though, I love how you spread awareness of what actually happened. Keep it going!
enjoying mondays since TIK started uploading weekly on mondays
:)
Really pleased to find someone who is as interested in the eastern front as I am. Many thanks for your time and effort to overturn some of the misinformation of this whole subject area.
Take a Glantz at it ey..
Yeah :)
Nice one mate
Hello!! Nice channel. Great videos. Anyway, of the three that you mentioned, I've only read one: "When Titans Clashed". Perfect title for a great subject. Great informative read. Not overly detailed, but gives proper background of the leaders, field commanders, situation on the ground, etc. It's one of my go-to books when all else are failing.
That's it, and that's why I recommend it :) cheers!
Hey TIK! Okay you have convinced me, just started on Overy's book. Only four chapters in and I'm amazed at the amount of information I never knew. Ordering Ostkrieg and then When Titan's Clashed, thanks for doing what you do.
If you're amazed by the information in Overy's book, wait until you see the others :D
Thank you so much TIK! I've only started to really get into the operational and more detailed side of Ww2 only after discovering your channel recently and I'm obsessed I was up at 3am watching your fantastic videos on Fort Eben Emael and Operation Biting! Before your channel I was just into the weapons, vehicles, heroics, individual stories and the bullshit I am being taught in secondary school etc. But now my interest is leaning towards the tactics and logistics of the conflict! My only barrier to getting these books is my budget and secondary school life :( I'll be sure to watch all of your videos and I wish you luck in your upcoming projects! Keep up the great work!!
Awesome! Yes, there's definitely more to the war than vehicles and individual stories. That stuff's great on a tactical level, but I think the war comes alive when you start looking at the operational and strategic levels. Well, if and when you do get these books, I hope you enjoy them. And thanks Jake, good luck with school!
TIK Thanks again! I'll be sure to look out for these books in the future, next year of school for me is a transition to senior cycle stuff (final exams, preparation for university etc.) So I won't be doing much for that year other than deciding career choices and all that, I'll have plenty time for reading then!
Jake Galvin While you are a student or if you are in a state with a good state library system talk to a librarian at school. While many of theses books are hard to find you may be able to borrow them through inter-library loan.
irememberhistory Our libraries in my area are pretty poor as I am in a rural area with the odd town here and there, my school's only books are George Orwell and teen fiction so it's not very helpful. The odd time I go to a city I usually check there for books and I don't find much. Online shopping is my best option to find books
My favourite fiction author is George Orwell :) but then I don't read fiction anymore.
I never knew I needed the answer to this question as well, Great Video!
TIK: answering questions you never asked ;)
Oh yes I agree with you TIK on those three very scrumptious books, they’re the perfect start for anyone who’s interested on the Eastern front I have got all three myself but sadly have yet to finish reading them cover to cover as they’re so thick and a heavy weight reading.
Currently going through Antony Beevors "Stalingrad", will be reading "Ostkrieg" next, cheers for the tip ;)
Awesome! If you like Stalingrad by Beevor, be sure to (at some point, maybe after these three) pick up Glantz's Stalingrad (just get the one-volume version, the 5-book 4-part 'trilogy' isn't necessary unless you're insane like me). It's an entirely different book compared to Beevor's book, but the detail is fantastic.
@@TheImperatorKnight Noted & will do, thanks again; I've only taken a closer interest in Stalingrad & the Eastern front thanks to your great channel.
I would certainly start with C. Hartmann, “Operation Barbarossa, Nazi Germany’s War in the East 1941-1945”. Super concise and clear. Very helpful insights, like the fact that away from towns and roadways there existed vast spaces into which hardly a single german soldier ever wandered. Very different from the view people have. Very good on the reasons for the whole operation, the german occupation and war crimes...all in only 180 small pages. A masterly feat of compression.
I agree with choosing Overys book and in his defense i have to say that the book was a companion for the series of the same name thus the title... a BBC production now kind of outdated.
Nice!! A new TIK video.
Glad to hear you're happy about it :) sadly, no myth debunking this week (unless you're willing to read the three books I recommend, in which case you'll find them)
A friend of mine introduced Veebor's Stalingrad - so far so good! I'm halfway through it. From there I'll be proceeding with Fritz's Ostkrieg. This is just the start for me - I have never been this curious since!
You turned me onto Glantz and I’ve been steadily building a library of his tomes, thanks for that Tik
Haha no worries. Glantz is god!
I'd LOVE to get many of those books but being on Disability I sadly just cannot afford it. I thought about starting my own UA-cam page where hopefully some generous viewers would donate these books but I haven't done it yet. I would really like to have a Channel like yours TiK! It's an awesome Channel!
I find your book reviews most interesting you certainly know your stuff. Thank you
I found you after I stumbled across a video by Glanz who was substituting for a lecturer. That educated me enough to want to know more and then I found you !!
Jumped right into To the Gates of Stalingrad by Glantz and I love it! I’m a very visual learner so I really appreciate all the maps he includes. I color code them with colored pencil by army so I don’t have a stroke trying to follow them
You pronounced "Ostkrieg" like "Austkrieg".
So if you want to pronounce the German "au" pronounce it like you did with the "o".
The "o" itself is pronounced much more similar to the English "o".
And "Ostkrieg" is said a little bit faster with the "Ost" being stressed.
or simply pronounce Ost the way you pronounce "cost", but without the c;)
petty
Thank you TIK, picked up When Titans Clashed, and am really enjoying your Stalingrad series.
Thank you very much for the list of books that you recommend. I agree with you completely about Glantz, the depth that he goes into in his books is very good. Thank you for your videos, I eagerly wait for each new one.
I'm very happy I found your channel. I've watched ww2 documentaries for years and read books on it. Usually the mainstream stuff like the world at war, Soviet storm etc etc but you really up the level of detail. It's amazing really. Sometimes it's too detailed for me but that's a criticism of my intellect because your content is on point
I've just ordered Russia's War so thanks for the recommendation
Just ordered your recommendations through amazon prime. Gonna have some nice reading to do while at work the next few months. Thanks.
IMO though I do not think the memoirs are, in a sense, bad. You just have to know the OTHER history surrounding them and not take everything they say for granted. I can, I guess, "understand" the reasoning to defend themselves and their men they were in charge of.
Great! I hope you enjoy them! In terms of the memoirs, that's what I was saying - you need to have a clear grasp of the events before you go anywhere near them because they will manipulate your perception of the events. Therefore, anyone coming new to the topic should avoid them.
I re-read what you said in the pinned comment and literally said what was posted their lol my bad.
Started reading the stalingrad trilogy it's epic
It absolutely is
Thanks for the info! Your channel is fascinating
Let's not forget one of the first books on the eastern front-a book which started the eastern front genre-"Hitler Moves East" by Paul Carell.. Book covers the Eastern Front from 1941-Stalingrad.
His second book, "Scorched Earth" covers the eastern front from 1943-1944. Still two of the finest books on the subject (and I have read hundreds) These books were written in early 60's when the war was still fresh in the minds of those who survived.
Good one, TIK! Russian history is, together with Chinese, the most interresting to me. Cannot wait for your Northern Front content!
Hi Have just come across your video and I'm hooked! love reading History books especially WW2 proper in depth factual both campaigns Tanks and other AFV thank you for the reviews of these 3 books. also have now subscribed.😎
Thanks for the recommendations. Greatly appreciated!
You're very welcome :)
I am quite a fan of your videos, really loving your unbiassed way of telling this important episode of modern histoy. I am big fan of WWII since I was a kid the books that most impressed me are "Great patriotic war of the Soviet Union" 1974 Progress Pub. and "The second world war" of G. Deborin. Keep doing your great job!
Must admit I have almost nothing in the way of books dealing with this parictular subject which is odd since I do have quite a number of boardgames about it. I have " Stalingrad: How the Red Army Triumphed" on the way after watching your Pavlov's House video and will definitely be picking these 3 up. Keep up the great work!
Great! That book is very good too so you've not made a mistake there :)
Had to think about this for a bit. The fact is I've only read one book about this subject. Martin Caidin's "The Tigers are Burning" and I read the paperback edition when it came out in 1975! Hmmm. I've watched numerous documentaries along with having those boardgames so it's definitely not due to lack of interest. Mind you, my military books collection is dwarfed by yours but that is still a bit ridiculous. Some kind of phobia???lol
Just read OSTKRIEG. Absolutely as advertised, the only book I have read that ties some many facets/dynamics of the Eastern Front into one coherent read. Can't say thanks enough for recommending and taking me from about 10% understanding of the Eastern Front to about 50% in one big leap. It so puts the European front in its proper context.
I have not read the books you listed and the second one really interests me. I would have to have War Without Garlands in my 3 book list on the Eastern Front.
Again TIK, thank you so much for the work that you do! As a historian, it frustrates me that the Eastern Front hasn't received the attention that it deserves despite the fact World War II ended over 74 years ago and the Cold War ended nearly 30 years ago. I have many colleagues who teach history and social studies classes, and I recommend your videos to them. Have a great summer!
Thank you! Just what I needed!
Thanks for the suggestion looks like some interesting reads!
Sometimes I get pissed off because my internet is not working well, or because the garbage truck failed to pick up the garbage in front of my home or because my soccer team was defeated by its archrival. And then I always remember that I was not born in any Eastern European country in the period ranging between 1896 onwards up to 1927 or so, but above all, in Russia. To me it is a miracle that all those Eastern European guys who have had the extreme bad luck of having done so have experienced the horrors of WWI, the Spanish Influenza, the Russian Revolution, the ensuing Civil War, the tribulations of the 30's, famine, and then WWII and survived!
And then I see I have no problems at all...
Great selection of books, TIK! Thanks!
Good list. I dove into the deep end in HS with Werths book
Really nicely produced little video TIK
I’ve been obsessed with history ever since I was young and I really wanted to get into this
... I wish this reliability to all yt history reviewers. You are seeking the truth and this attitude deserve respect.If somebody speak about history should be open mind.
Correct history is mor or less decepted by "history makers" and decent historians task is to discover the truth after years when secrets are not the jackpot. Good job mr TIK
The Eastern Front is such an amazing rabbit-hole of detail to fall into. Thanks for unpacking things there in such an interesting way.I'd wager that a podcast in a "Dan Carlin," style (i.e. exhaustive and damn-the-time-needed-as-its-all-bloody-important) by you over whatever Eastern Front themed topic you would choose would be amazing to hear.Thanks again.
Thank you for the recommendations.
Dear, since the first time I saw you, I could not stop thinking that you are the male version of myself!!! I could not believe someone like me existed. I had thought I was alone in the universe. Here, in my country, no one understands my passion for WWII (in Europe). NO ONE. Of course, here it is more important our history than other´s (and we have plentyyyyyy).
I have hundreds of books, and a fewer number of videos about wwii, and I would love to have discussions with you and to share the knowledge you and I have acquired. I have covered many topics, since the wwii seeds, its development, and the consequences it brought for the whole world.
By now, I do recommend you “Frontsoldaten” by Stephen G. Fritz, and “Homecomings” by Frank Biess. Also books by Primo Levi are sadly revealing… a crude reality of such a conflict. In the “Topology of Terror” museum in Berlin, the hardest I have ever been, you could acquire very good books about the “other Germans”, those who resist the dictatorship and all the nonsenses it did, and also about other groups.
Of course, I suppose you have seen “unsere mütter unsere väter”. When I watched it, I was surprised, cause I wanted to write a novel about wwii from the German part of view, and there was everything I have thought about.
Do you know that there were Mexicans who died in concentration camps and dead marches? I could not believe it. How come if we were a close economy back then? Of course, no one knows here.
Well, I do look forward hearing from you soon and I hope we could have some day a nice chat about all we have read.
Have a wonderful day!
I highly recommend the following: "Bloodlands" by Timothy Snyder
"Black Earth: the Holocaust as History and Warning" by Timothy Snyder (although some of the political commentary about the present day is a stretch)
I'd be curious to know what TIK thinks of "The Greatest Battle" by Andrew Nagorski
Churchill's official biography (by his son Randolph and by Sir Martin Gilbert) is an 8 volume massive beast and breaks Tik's rules by being old and arguably a memoir thus of questionable reliability but it's a hell of a read.
Venturing a bit farther afield,
"Hitler's Malta Option" by Steven L. W. Kavanagh
'Lying About Hitler" by Richard Evans
Coincidently, the first book you mentioned arrived yesterday. Not got the others but I will get them. The Churchill one I may hold off for now because of priorities.
Stahil, Glantz and Citino are my favorite Eastern front authors.
Sniper on the Eastern Front, Memoirs of Sepp Allerberger. Quite some graphic Memoirs of a German rifleman turned sniper, memoirs of his shots and depictions of what the scenes looked like.
Hey TIK! I just wanted to say thanks for inspiring me to become a historian and teaching me the truths :v I can't wait to read these! Again thanks for all your hard work!
One thing:
The "O" in Ostkrieg is pronounced like the "O" in Onslaught for example, otherwise great recommendations!
Oh :)
Pun intended. Thanks!
Consider Norman Davies’s No Simple Victory for a broader consideration of WW2 in Europe
I want to thank you for recommending "Ostkrieg". I have not gotten that far in it, but it is refreshing to see an Adolf who is not portrayed from the American perspective as a fool, insanely, and some one who ruled by fear. I am not saying I like the man now, but WWII makes a lot more sense.
Ty for the recommendations. I'll look into buying these soon. The book that got me hooked on the Eastern frount is, " The Forgotten Soldier." From there "Blood Red Snow" "Sniper on the Eastern Frount" etc. There are discrepancies in these book but the stories are amazing. Worse book for me is ,"The 900 days." Just throwing that out there. lol
Great! Happy reading :) I'm not saying forget about them, but please be very careful with memoirs. You've got to remember that they're biased. See the pinned comment.
TIK I agree 100%. They got me interested and my investigative nature got me researching. I believe I have a pretty good over all view of WW2. I take memoirs for what they are. Ty for helping people understand.
I own one Soviet memoir, just because I dug it up somewhere in the family library. It's "I, Fighter", by Georgi Zakharov (a then-general of the VVS RKKA), it contains his memories about his training, war in Manchuria, Spanish civil war and the Great patriotic war. There are clearly things he left out, some unbelievable exploits, with a dash of Soviet propaganda. But it does read nicely.
What's your name? Mr. TIK? I wanted to highly recommend a title myself and wondering if you ever came across it. Len Dighton's "Blood, Tears, and Folly An Objective Look at World War Two".
Why? He REALLY is good at picking up the precise decisions that decided the fates of many of the major campaigns. For instance, the Tommys lost Norway in 1940, but it may have been far more costly to the Germans had some quartermaster clerk back in England not forgotten to include the needed clasps for their ski battalions that were sent to fight there (they were not small in number and had limited mobility without them).
Another example is the Bismarck being discovered (I'm going totally by memory, so I could be off on the precise facts) because some mid-level officer in the Luftwaffe was worried about his son that was on the Battleship and wanted to know if he was still alive and somehow in his communications with OKM he happened to be intercepted at just the right time for one of ULTRA's listeners to hear it in real time and act on it, thereby the Bismark's position was betrayed and never made it to the safety of occupied-France. He is really good at narrowing down how little things by junior officers or even lowly-clerks can decide the fate of major battles.
Glantz is great, though he can be very dry. I have four books of him, but not When Titans Clashed. A friend said it is good and readable. I've only read his Kursk book, and I did it cover-to-cover. There were times I wanted to claw my eyes out with boredom. As I'm just getting back into the Eastern Front, maybe I should ease into things, and not jump straight into Operation Mars.
Wow. Those are excellent recommendations. I don’t know why people criticize you for bias. I’ve watched 6 of your vids an havent seen anything remotely biased. Many people, for some reason, don’t like to admit that the Nazis were indeed socialists (Marxist isn’t the only kind of socialist), so maybe that’s where some of the animosity come from. Other than that I don’t see why anyone would be mad. Keep up the great work.
Great selection - although Glantz isn’t something I would recommend until at least 3 years of preliminary reading!
Though Glantz is the man - no doubt
The Kossacks were like soldier-police horsemen who owned big farms, farms bigger than regular farmers/peasants in the tsarist area. Their farms were clustered together in certain regions. Border guards, but they were also used a lot to suppress revolts. They were a privileged section of society and were among the first to join the white armies in the civil war, if not the first. However, they were not a nationality of their own.
Got ostkrieg some time ago :) If anyone is reading, I would recommend 2 diary style books, "Forgotten Soldier" and "Blood Red Snow" from infantry soldier point of view. And today postman brought PQ17, Betrayed Ideals: Memoirs of a Luftwaffe Fighter Ace, The Star of Africa: The story of Hans Marseille.
I don't want to disagree, since all literature on the Eastern Front is useful in some way and I don't want to discourage people from reading it, but I wouldn't recommend that anyone new to the Eastern Front should start reading memoirs (see the pinned comment).
TIK
Well I don't see anything bad in diary style books if someone have common sense :) also from my experience I can often see note from author at the beginning about that book being just his memories and experience, so information about actual frontlines and battles can be wrong since common soldiers had limited knowledge about actual situation. Also these 2 books, Blood Red Snow and Forgotten Soldier are strictly from regular private soldier telling about his experience and combat, life on the front etc. Nothing political or ideological (tho there are also some books that have that aspect, for example Betrayed Ideals seem to be a bit political). So I could fully recommend these 2 for people who want to see how it was for regular wehrmacht soldier on eastern front. And in case of Forgotten Soldier it also mentions war crimes committed by germans, even author himself admits that he was killing surrendered soviets during offensive since they were ordered not to (and could not) take any prisoners.
I feel that Glantz is more of an author for historians to read as research. For regular people, he is really dry reading. Citino is my new favorite history author.
TIK question: love your channel
I have had deep interest in the Easter Front for 30 years. I've read Glantz and others but lately have wanted an in depth review/book of Operation Typhoon (aka Battle of Moscow); any suggestions?
Not sure if you've seen them, but I'd recommend David Stahel's books on Typhoon and Moscow 👍
@@TheImperatorKnight brilliant Mark I was just looking at it today. A real honour to converse and now a patreon fan
I love your videos TIK, been binge watching alot of them lately in anticipation of the stalingrad video, any idea of when that may be coming?
Not sure yet. I'm working on Operation Crusader now, which will be the last North African Campaign Battlestorm before Stalingrad. That should be out in the next month or two (it's going to be about 7 hours long).
you should do more videos about books.
Best part of every Monday!
Well, I'm glad you think so :)
My favorite video now.
I am an avid world war II reader and I've read David glantz's operation Barbarossa and have also picked up Barbarossa derailed the Battle for Smolensk. I loved operation Barbarossa and the narrative it gave of the campaign. Great clarity on the important aspects and actions in the battle but also how they impact, contribute or hinder the overall campaign.
Barbarossa derailed I found to be way too chopped up and segmented with no knitting together of the various actions to get a larger sense of the day-to-day battles and the ongoing campaign. It reads like a laundry list.
Which style is when Titans classed closer to?
Are you familiar w Barberosa, by Alan Clark? And if yes, what is your impression? I suspect it is overly pro Manstien for you. For no particular reason, that is t primary print source for most of my Eastern Front education.
I think, technically "Barberosa" refers just to t initial offensive in t Summer of 41. But as t subtitle states, it cover t entire Eastern Front conflict from 41-45.
Great thank you
If you want any info on Romanian forces I have a copy of third axis, fourth ally by Mark axworthy (silly price in Amazon)
Ask me what unit, commander etc...and I can see what is in it
christopher lloyd I wish I could afford that book
Was my dad's until he planned to car boot it for 50p!!!!!! A few speeding tickets later it was in my hands and used in my dissertation
I find the story of Romania, Hungary, and Italy on the Eastern front interesting. You look at it, and wonder how in the world two Romanian, a Hungarian, and an Italian army end up at the furthest east point of the German incursion into the Soviet Union, guarding the flanks of the German attempt to take Stalingrad. How could anyone at the time on the German side not see that this was a disaster waiting to happen? Of course, some German Generals probably did, or claimed after the war that they did, but Hitler as supreme warlord overrode everyone's objection.
From my shelves I have only 14 books that you have on your list. My favourite read of these is Tooze's "Wages of Destruction". Something interesting on every page. I'd be interested in what you think of this book.
Already bought the 3 books. Any recommendation on 3 essential books on the Western Front and 3 books on the North African and Italian Campaign?
The book that got me into WW2 is The Historical Atlas of World War II by Alexander Swanston and Malcolm Swanston. It's decent overall look on the war with alot of maps. For someone who wants a broad look on the war I would definitively recommend it. Also it's pretty cheap. ^^
More book review/recommendation vids pls! Btw, do you have anything to recommend in terms of air war over Japan? Thanks!
Will do! And unfortunately I've not read much on the Pacific Theatre, I'm afraid so I can't recommend anything there :(
I like your book reviews keep em coming! just bought ostkrieg. Have you read World war at sea , Craig L. Symonds? waiting for that in the mail aswell. Cheers from norway.
I have noticed there is no mention about Christer Bergstrom's books. I thought they were the best about the air war, specially in the East Front. I have their books about Ardennes and Market Garden and I considered them very good.
thanks great recommendations, any chance you could make 3 suggestions for books on ww1?
That feel when your a german and have been filled with most of this knowledge since 2. grade
Thanks for the recommendations. Do you know any good books about Operation Bagration? Also I speak Russian, do you know any must-read Russian books on the war? Thanks your content is excellent.
Thanks for this video mate it really helped. Im definitely gonna buy that 3rd book just because it contains so many sources (which is the most important thing). Just wondering if the 1st one contains as many sources as the 3rd one?
Great now all we need is some more content from you.
Part of the reason for the short length of this video is because I'm working on a massive Battlestorm video (Operation Crusader) which will be around 7 hours long by my current estimate. So, while this may not be 'content', it is useful for new people on the subject, and it allows me time to work on Crusader.
TIK ok Hope u can do more vids on russia in the eastern front but looking forward to your video. Thank u
Oh I will be doing more in the meantime, don't worry :)
If you've not already read it 'The Retreat' by Michael Jones is a really good account of the 41-42 winter from the perspective of (for the most part) the individual German soldier on the ground during the Battle for Moscow. It's a good counterpoint to the more 'technical' works of Glantz etc.
Alan Clark's Barbarossa is pretty old and at a purely military level might not stand up to some of the more recent work but I think is one that is still a very good introduction to the Eastern Front over the course of the war and in particular a sense of the dysfunction of the Nazi administration both on a military level and a 'civil level' in terms of their administration of the occupied territories.
Nice, solid books; btw, do tell - what do you think of Andrew Roberts' Storm of War (if you read it, ofc, lol). Other than that - you're doing a great work!
Not all heroes wear capes like our very own TIK
I have read "when titans class" sooo good.
Will you cover the minor wars like the Greco Italian war and why the italians fail so badly.
Thank you and keep up the good job
Actually, I think you should redo this video after the end of Stalingrad and in it, mention pretty much all the books, which ones you recommend which ones you are in love with etc. This video is very important but yet it is in deep waters of the channel, it must be brought back to surface
Hi I'm Ash and I live in the UK. I am disabled and use a wheelchair. I'm interested in history and want to learn about ww1 and ww2. At the moment I'm watching a documentary on d day but I want to get knowledgeable like you about history, how do I get knowledgeable? I'm struggling with books, can you recommend any ww2 books and documentaries on western front please? I want to kearn
May I ask your opinion on C. Bellamy, Absolute War? There's a whole nice chapter all dedicated in debunking the myth (that, apparently, exists) of Operation Barbarossa being, somehow, a preventive operation, I think you'd find it interesting or at least useful!
I'm sure I've read that but I don't remember much about it off the top of my head. The chapter you mentioned which debunks Suvorov's thesis will come in handy for a future video though, thanks very much!
Them BT tanks sure were made for russian terrain,also the germans being able to encircle most of the russian troops within 6 weeks are indications enough Stalin massed up his troops on his western front.Of course he hoped,the western powers would weaken themselves in another trench war to be able to sweep up the rest of Europe.
Its not a myth that Russia was a threat to Europe as a whole,he supported the communists in Spain after all.Does that make it a preemtive strike? Maybe,maybe not,depending on who you talk to.In war there is no good and bad,its all about power.wether it be Eisenhower,Churchill,Stalin or Hitler.
thanks homie
Im currently reading my 4th book on The Eastern Front
What about Teodor Pliever's book? Read it in the fourth grade. Don't know how it ended up in an elementary school bookshelf as it should (like most of these) be rated NC-17 or perhaps NC-40!
I recommend Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin. Incredible book.
I've read War of the Century- when Hitler fought Stalin. I thought it was a great book to start off with, I recommend it to new Ww2 eastern front enthusiasts
I still want you to take a proper look onto file S-32 and bring it to public ! It might determine the history and it's reasoning of WW2.. Then again, it is based on hypothesis so far when it comes to the actual book, because the folder is still not meant to be shown to public eye. Especially on 1950 - 1980. :I
What about Prit Buttar's books? I found them to be pretty good