The best books by enlisted men to come out of World War II?

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day. He knows of my interest in military history (amongst other things), and has seen my library, which contains three full bookshelves (each 6' by 3') on the subject.

I commented that I was fed up with ridiculous Hollywood portrayals of men in battle. Few, if any, of the scriptwriters or actors knew what they were talking about from first-hand experience, and too many had relied on historical accounts by senior officers or laymen, all of whom had a very different experience of and/or perspective on war from those actually doing the fighting - those 'at the point of the spear', as it were. (Those of you who've 'been there and done that' know what I mean. Me, too.)

My friend asked me to recommend the best books about combat in World War II by enlisted authors - no officers or laymen. That got me thinking. I certainly don't know the entire bibliography of such works, but I do have three that I think fit his criterion, written by servicemen from three different nations.

The best American enlisted author I know is Eugene Sledge. His With The Old Breed is a chilling, gut-wrenching and excruciatingly realistic look at the Pacific war. He fought on Pelelieu and Okinawa, two of the most brutal campaigns, and captured the essence of those experiences. It's indispensable to understand what war does to the men who fight it. The sequel, China Marine, is good in its own right but not even close to his first book.

The best British enlisted author, in my opinion, is George McDonald Fraser. His biography of the Burma campaign, Quartered Safe Out Here, is a classic of its kind. He portrayed the men of his unit in very human terms, warts and all, and didn't shy from portraying combat as it is. It's a superb read. Fraser was a born raconteur, of course, and his novels (particularly the Flashman series) are very well-known.

The third book is by a Frenchman, Guy Sajer, who served with the Wehrmacht on the Russian Front. The Forgotten Soldier describes his career from induction to defeat. It's a searing, soul-wrenching look at the horrors of the Eastern Front.

If you want to understand what war's really like, and you're willing to have it thrust raw and bleeding into your face, read those three books. They're worth it. There are many other good books, but those three stand out, in my opinion.

What say you, readers? Would you care to nominate books on war by enlisted authors? Please respond in Comments.

Peter