Military Fiction

[Tommy Bennett]

The Honorable German by Charles McCain. A good first novel about a Kriegsmarine officer in WW2. There's a romantic side to the story, but the author's focus is on his obvious interest in things naval, with a great sense of detail. The protagonist participates in each phase of the German maritime dilemma, on various platforms.

[Bob B]

I always liked Richard Hough's Buller books, as well as his other works on historical events.

 

If you want to get into some real laugh out loud stuff look at the Flashman novels by George MacDonald Fraser.

 

The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer. I first read many years ago. Fact, or fiction, it is a good story.

 

The Cross Of Iron by Willi Heinrich is also a classic.

 

Wilbur Smith Is always good, two of my favorite novels by him are Cry Wolf and Shout At The Devil.

[Guest Englander]

Covenant with Death by John Harris

 

A work of fiction about the First World War. The storey follows the raising, training and destruction of a battalion. The author interviewed WW1 veterens before writing it.

 

This is such good fiction that I've seen it quoted as a source on a serious WW1 site.

[RETAC21]

Finally got my hands on Chieftains - highly recommended even if some of the hardware is wrong - highly depressing too, but not to a Red Army level.

[Corinthian]

Finally got my hands on Chieftains - highly recommended even if some of the hardware is wrong - highly depressing too, but not to a Red Army level.

 

Author?

[FlyingCanOpener]

Finally got my hands on Chieftains - highly recommended even if some of the hardware is wrong - highly depressing too, but not to a Red Army level.

 

Author?

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006ISI2DK/

[rmgill]

For entertaining reads, most of John Ringo's works have a military side to them.

[17thfabn]

I mostly read non fiction. But the historical novels are a nice change of pace. And they are usually quick reads. A good historical novel covers the history while adding a human touch.

For U.S. Civil War enthusiasts Michael Shaara'a "The Killer Angels" on the Battle of Gettysburg is a classic. After his death his son Jeff wrote a prequal about the war from the beginning up to Gettysburg . And a sequel about the war after Gettysburg to the end. Jeff Shaara has written over a dozen military historical fiction books. From a book on the American Revolutionary War to a book on Korea. 

Ralph Peters a retired U.S. Army officer wrote several good historical novels on the U.S. Civil War.

One of the best known historical novel authors is Bernard Cornwell. He is best known for his Sharpe's Rifles series and his his recent Last Kingdom series. He also wrote several other shorter series and one off books. 

My favorite Bernard Cornwell book was "The Fort".

Paul Revere comes out looking quite bad in this book. He was pretty much  forgotten by history until the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow . One of Longfellow's ancestors was covered in the book. Ironically in the book his ancestor did not like Revere and wanted him court-martialed!

THE FORT is about the Penobscot Expedition of 1779. A small British garrison had been established in what is now Maine (and was then part of Massachusetts), and the rebel government in Boston was determined to expel that garrison.

Seven hundred British redcoats were in an unfinished fort, Fort George, and the harbour beneath the fort was protected by three sloops-of-war. Against this the State of Massachusetts sent an army of around 900 men and a fleet of 42 ships, half of which were warships.

Edited August 12, 2021 by 17thfabn

[sunday]

Bernard Cornwell is good.

Another author on his line of work of well-researched historical novels is George MacDonald Fraser, the one of Harry Flashman fame. He also wrote historical research, on the reivers of the Scottish-English border, a very good wartime memoir about his time as enlisted fighting the Japanese Army in Burma, and another series of shorts stories about the life in a Highland Regiment, again from his experience in the service, this time as a subaltern.

Back to true military fiction, this is a good approach to how Star Wars should have been. Very, very nice series. Perhaps even better than Ringo.