Sorry Gentlemen, I enjoy all my books but must narrow it down to some favorites and must haves. I obviously read Stephen W. Sears, but think "Landscape Turned Red" on Antietam is his classic. McPhereson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" and Pulitzer Prize winner is obviously a classic. Shelby Foote's 3 Volume Narrative may carry a bias but I have read all of Bruce Catton's books, they carry a slight bias for the Union but both are classics. I always enjoyed Cornelius Ryan's books on WWII along with Stephen Ambrose, not only his books on WWII, but on Lewis and Clark's expedition, must reads. Max Hastings, expert on WWII, David Chandler, it cost me almost $100 to repurchase his book on Napoleons Campaigns, and that was Amazon., and how old is that book? Great Leaders and their Military Campaigns a newfound great book with lots of illustrations and explanations of forces, leaders, strategy, tactics, and campaigns. John Toland, and excellent WWII author. Bing West, I have read Fallujah but sitll in the progess of reading "Wrong War" by Bing West, former marine and author of "The Village" a classic and on the must read list of the Marine Corps on counterinsurgency. Keith William Nolan has written numerous great books on the Vietnam War, but I think his "Battle of Hue" is his classic. Phil Caputo's "Rumors of War" and former marine, Sec of the Navy and now senator James Webb's "The Village" is another book on the must read officer's reading list. And one of the best, on war, the American way of war, and the history of that war is T.R. Fehrenbach's "This Kind of War" on the Korean War, I doubt there is a senior officer that has not read this book. I had the Marine Counterinsurgency Handbook, forwarded by Gen Petraeus, I moved, never got too far in the book which I have lost, so have no opinion. I hope that narrowed down my massive list of books, but these are the ones I recommend the most.
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