The Forgotten Soldier is Guy Sajer’s memoir of his life as a young soldier on the eastern front in World War II. A member of the famed Gross deutschland division, Sajer fought in most of the major battles of the war against the Soviet Union: Minsk, Kiev, Kharkov, Donetz … Kursk. The book is an amazing work — exciting … and chilliing. His descriptions are as vivid as any movie I have seen. Even though I read it nearly ten years ago, I can still recall the final battles in east Prussia — as horrifying an experience as I can think of. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
WWII
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
In this classic oral history, Stephen Ambrose follows Easy Company of the 506th Airborne from their training to the end of World War II. It’s an easy-to-read, compelling account of men at war. I came away from this book greatly admiring the men of Easy Company. This book was the basis of the hit HBO Television series “Band of Brothers.” In many ways, this book reminded me of the classic Cornelius Ryan works like A Bridge Too Far and The Longest Day. Ambrose has taken criticism for some factual errors in his work, but the reader must remember that this is an ORAL history, and the memories of the men involved may have dimmed with time.
Band of Brothers : E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest
Kwik Kursk Fast Play WWII Rules
Kwik Kursk is Matt Unsworth’s name for his fast play rules for recreating the pivotal battle of Kursk — the largest armor battle in the history of the world. The game also includes links to paper tank downloads.
The Few: Battle of britain Fast And Easy Rules For Students
Matt Unsworth offers a set of free wargames rules called The Few that he uses with his students to simulate the Battle of Britain.
Hans Und Panzer WWII Rules
Hans Und Panzer is a set of free wargames rules for WWII tank combat. The author writes:
Hans in Panzer is a game of tank combat in World War II. Using small scale soldiers and vehicles, you can recreate an entire battle on a coffee table. The rules accommodate tanks and equipment used by merican, German, British and Russian forces. The average space for a game would be 4” by 8” or so. Using these rules, you can even play on a coffee table. All you need are miniature soldiers, terrain pieces, measuring sticks and six-sided dice.