Bibliography of World War II memoirs and autobiographies

This is a Bibliography of World War II memoirs and autobiographies. This list aims to include memoirs written by participants of World War II about their wartime experience, as well as larger autobiographies of participants of World War II that are at least partially concerned with the author's wartime experience. Works on this list should be all those primary accounts of World War II wartime experience intended for publication. The list does not aim to include diaries, private letter collections or transcripts of private conversations. It also should not include any prewar writings, setting the earliest dates of publication available for this list at 1937 (Second Sino-Japanese War), 1939 (European theater of World War II) and 1941 (Pacific War), depending on geographic context.

This article is part of the larger effort to document the Bibliography of World War II.

Individual memoirs of World War II that are notable enough to merit their own article are additionally collected in the World War II memoirs category and in the Holocaust personal accounts category.

Entries are listed primarily by the professional background, then secondarily by national background. The professional background is shown in the context of World War II and does not pay attention to prior or later assignment; for instance, Dwight D. Eisenhower is listed as a general, not as a political leader.

Bibliography

Civilians, victims of genocide and persecution

See also: Personal accounts of the Holocaust and Bibliography of the Holocaust

France

• Delbo, Charlotte (1985) [1965–1985]. Auschwitz and After. Translated by Lamont, Rose C. Yale University Press.

Hungary

• Lengyel, Olga (1946) [1995]. Five Chimneys. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 0897333764.
• Stark, Israel (2015). Stark, Miriam (ed.). A Boy Named 68818. I. Starck. ISBN 9781680250190. LCCN 2015945033.

Italy

• Levi, Primo (1988) [1984]. Collected Poems (Levi). Faber & Faber. ISBN 0571152554. OCLC 26362068.
• ————— (1988) [1986]. The Drowned and the Saved. Translated by Rosenthal, Raymond. Summit Books. ISBN 0349100470. OCLC 59150087.
• ————— (2005) [2002]. The Black Hole of Auschwitz. Polity Press. ISBN 0745632416. OCLC 254931376.
• —————; de Benedetti, Leonardo (2006). Auschwitz Report. Translated by Woolf, Judith. Verso. ISBN 1844670929.

Poland

• Bauman, Janina (2006). Beyond These Walls, Escaping the Warsaw Ghetto – A Young Girl's Story. Virago/Little, Brown. ISBN 978-1844083190.
• Faber, David (2003). Kitchen, James D. (ed.). Because of Romek: a Holocaust survivor's memoir. Granite Hills Press. ISBN 0963888625.
• Kramer, Clara (2009). Glantz, Stephen (ed.). Clara's War: One Girl's Story of Survival. Harper/Ecco. ISBN 9780061728600.
• Sender, Ruth Minsky (1986). The Cage. Macmillan. ISBN 068981321X.
• Ungar, William (2000). Destined to Live. University Press of America.
• Yoran, Shalom (1996). The Defiant: A True Story of Jewish Vengeance and Survival. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312145853. OCLC 34690950.

United Kingdom

• Greenman, Leon (2001). An Englishman in Auschwitz. London: Vallentine Mitchell. ISBN 0853034249.

United States

• Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki; Houston, James D. (1973). Farewell to Manzanar. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. — Victim of the Internment of Japanese Americans
• Uchida, Yoshiko (1995). The Invisible Thread. Sag Harbor, N.Y.: Beech Tree Books. — Victim of the Internment of Japanese Americans

Civilians, other

Australia

• Meadows, Maureen C. (1948). I loved those Yanks. Sydney: Dash. — Australian woman's recollection about the presence of U.S. troops in Australia during the war

France

• Beauvoir, Simone de (1963). La Force des Choses [The Force of Things] (in French). Paris: Gallimard.

Germany

• Hillers, Marta (2005). A Woman in Berlin. London: Virago.

Japan

• Nagai, Takashi (1949). The Bells of Nagasaki. Tokyo: Kodansha.

Singapore

• Lee Kuan Yew (1998). The Singapore Story: Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew. Marshall Cavendish Editions. ISBN 9789814561761.

Journalists; war correspondents

Australia

• Bean, Charles E. W. (1943). War aims of a plain Australian. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.

United Kingdom

• Patmore, Derek (1941). Balkan Correspondent. New York: Harper.

Military, generals & admirals

Finland

• Mannerheim, Carl Gustaf (1954). Memoirs. E. P. Dutton & Company.

France

• de Gaulle, Charles (1968). The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle. Vol. 1–3. Translated by Griffin, Jonathan; Howard, Richard. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Germany

• Balck, Hermann (1981). Order in Chaos: The Memoirs of General of Panzer Troops Hermann Balck. The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813161266.
• Bayerlein, Fritz H. (1952). German Experiences in Desert Warfare during World War II. US Army Military History Institute.
• Below, Nicolaus v. (1980). Als Hitler's Adjutant, 1937–1945 [At Hitler's Side: The Memoirs of Hitler's Luftwaffe Adjutant, 1937–1945] (in German). Mainz: Hase & Koehler.
• Dönitz, Karl (1958). Zehn Jahre und zwanzig Tage: Erinnerungen 1935–1945 (in German). Pegasus Digital Publishing. ISBN 9783763751860.
• Eichmann, Adolf (1962). Memoiren [Memoirs] (in German).
• Gerhard, Engel (1974). Heeresadjutant bei Hitler 1938–1945 [Hitler's Army Adjutant, 1938–1945] (in German). Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt. ISBN 3421016992.
• Guderian, Heinz (1952). Erinnerungen eines Soldaten [Panzer Leader] (in German). Translated by Fitzgibbon, Constantine. New York: E. P. Dutton.
• Heusinger, Adolf (1950). Befehl im Widerstreit: Schicksalsstunden der deutschen Armee [Conflicts over Orders: Hours of fate of the German Army] (in German). Rainer Wunderlich Verlag.
• Keitel, Wilhelm (2000) [1965]. Gorlitz, Walter (ed.). The Memoirs of Field-Marshal Wilhelm Keitel: Chief of the German High Command 1938–1945. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 9781461661153.
• Kesselring, Albert (1953). Soldat bis zum letzten Tag [Soldier until the Last Day] (in German). Athenäum.
• Manstein, Erich v. (1955). Verlorene Siege [Lost Victories] (in German).
• Mellenthin, Friedrich W. v. (1963). Panzerschlachten. Eine Studie über den Einsatz von Panzerverbänden im 2. Weltkrieg [Panzer Battles: A Study of the Employment of Armor in the Second World War] (in German). Ballantine Books. ISBN 9785244400199.
• Raus, Erhard (2003). Panzer Operations: The Eastern Front Memoir of General Raus, 1941–1945. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Da Capo Press.
• Rommel, Erwin (1953). Liddell-Hart, Basil (ed.). The Rommel Papers. Harcourt Brace & Company.
• Schlabrendorff, Fabian v. (1946). Offiziere gegen Hitler [Officers against Hitler]. Siedler Verlag. ISBN 9783442128617.
• Schmidt, Heinz Werner (1951). With Rommel in the Desert. George G. Harrap & Co.
• Senger und Etterlin, Fridolin v. (1963). Neither Fear nor Hope: The Wartime Career of General Frido von Senger und Etterlin, Defender of Cassino. Translated by Malcolm, George. London: Macdonald.
• Stahlberg, Alexander (1987). Die Verdammte Pflicht: Erinnerungen 1932 bis 1945 [Damned Duty: Memories 1932–1945] (in German). Ullstein. ISBN 3548331297.
• Warlimont, Walter (1962). Inside Hitler's Headquarters 1939–45. Presidio. ISBN 0891415149.
• Weizsäcker, Richard v. (1997). Vier Zeiten: Erinnerungen [Four Times: Memoirs] (in German). Pantheon. ISBN 9783641044299.

Italy

• Badoglio, Pietro (1947). Italy In The Second World War: Memories And Documents. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780837184852.

Poland

• Sosabowski, Stanislaw (2014) [1960]. Freely I Served: The Memoir of the Commander, 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade 1941–1944. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 9781783462612.

Soviet Union

• Chukov, Vasili (1964). The Battle for Stalingrad: The Story of World War II's Greatest Battle as told by the Russian Commander at Stalingrad. Ballantine Books.
• Zhukov, Georgy (2014). Roberts, Geoffrey (ed.). Marshal of Victory: The Autobiography of General Georgy Zhukov. Pen & Sword. ISBN 9781473831834.

United Kingdom

• Alexander, Harold R. L. G. (1962). The Alexander Memoirs, 1940–1945. London: Cassell.
• Auchinleck, Claude (1946). Despatch on Operations in the Middle East From 5th July, 1941 to 31st October 1941. London: War Office. ("No. 37695". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 August 1946. pp. 4215–4230.)
• Harris, Arthur (1947). Bomber Offensive. London: Collins.
• Wavell, Archibald (1946). Despatch on Operations in the Middle East From 7th February, 1941 to 15th July 1941. London: War Office. ("No. 37638". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 July 1946. pp. 3423–3444.)
• ——— (1946). Despatch on Operations in Iraq, East Syria and Iran from 10th April, 1941 to 12th January, 1942. London: War Office. ("No. 37685". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 August 1946. pp. 4093–4102.)

United States

• Bradley, Omar N. (1951). A Soldier's Story. New York: Henry Holt & Co.
• Bradley, Omar N. (1983). Blair, Clay (ed.). A General's Life: An Autobiography by General of the Army Omar N. Bradley. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671410237.
• Calvert, James F. (1995). Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
• Eisenhower, Dwight D. (1948). Crusade in Europe: A Personal Account of World War II. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 978-0385416191.
• Halsey, William F. Jr.; Bryan, J. III (1947). Admiral Halsey's Story. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Hull, Cordell (1947). The Memoirs of Cordell Hull. Vol. 1–2. Hodder & Stoughton.
• MacArthur, Douglas (1964). Reminiscences. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Patton, George S. (1947). War as I Knew It. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Patton, George S. (1972–1974). Blumenson, Martin (ed.). The Patton Papers. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0395127063.
• Robinett, Paul M. (1958). Armor Command: The Personal Story of a Commander of the 13th Armored Regiment of CCB, 1st Armored Division and of the Armored School during World War II. Washington DC.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Wainwright, Jonathan M. (1970). General Wainwright's story: the account of four years of humiliating defeat, surrender, and captivity. Westport (Conn./USA): Greenwood.

Military, other

Australia

• Bennet Bremner, E. (1944). Front-Line Airway: The War Story of Qantas Empire Airways Ltd. Sydney: Angus & Robertson.
• Chapman, Ivan (1958). Details Enclosed. Sydney: Angus & Robertson. — Australian prisoner-of-war in German camps.
• Clark, Russell S. (1946). An End to Tears. Sydney: Huston. — Australian prisoner-of-war in Japanese camps.
• Goodhart, David (1947). We of the Turning Tide. London: Preece. — 9th Australian Division soldier in North Africa.
• Selby, David (1957). Hell and High Fever. London: Angus & Robertson. — Australian anti-aircraft battery commander during the 1942 Battle of Rabaul of the 2/22nd Battalion.

Canada

• Heaps, Leo (1945). Escape from Arnhem: A Canadian among the lost Paratroops. London: Macmillan.
• Mowat, Farley (1973). The Regiment. Toronto: McClelland. — first-hand account by a Canadian veteran of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment

France

• Calmel, Jean (1955). Night Pilot. London: Kimber. — French airman who later served in the Royal Air Force.

Germany

• Altner, Helmut (2002). Berlin: Dance of Death. Translated by Le Tissier, Tony. Havertown, Penn.: Casemate.
• Dibold, Hans (2001). Doctor at Stalingrad. Littleton, Colorado: Aberdeen Publishing.
• Einsiedel, Heinrich Graf von; Wieder, Joachim (1998). Stalingrad: Memories and Reassessments. New York: Sterling Publishing.
• Hoffmann, Heinrich (1940). With Hitler in the West. Pen & Sword.
• Sajer, Guy (1965). The Forgotten Soldier. Potomac Books, Inc.
• Höss, Rudolf (2000) [1945–1946]. Fitzgibbon, Constantine; et al. (eds.). Commandant of Auschwitz: The Autobiography of Rudolf Hoess. Phoenix. ISBN 9781842120248.
• Lubbeck, William; Hurt, David B. (2010), At Leningrad's Gates: The Story of a Soldier with Army Group North, Casemate, ISBN 978-1-935149-37-8
• Prien, Günther (1954) [1940]. I sank the 'Royal Oak'. London: Gray's Inn.

United Kingdom

• Allen, Hubert Raymond (1973). Battle for Britain: The Recollectuions of H. R. 'Dizzy' Allen, DFC. London: Barker.
• Briant, Keith (1958). Fighting with the Guards. London: Evans.
• Bushby, John (1972). Gunner's moon: a memoir of the RAF night assault on Germany. London: Allan.
• Casper, Bernard M. (1947). With the Jewish Brigade. London: Goldston.
• Cheshire, Leonard (1943). Bomber Pilot. London: Hutchinson.
• Coast, John (1952). Recruit to Revolution: Adventure and Politics in Indochina. London: Christophers.
• Crawford, Robert J. (1944). I was an Eighth Army soldier. London: Gollancz.
• Davies, A. T. (1948). Friend's Ambulance Unit: The Story of the F.A.J. in the Second World War, 1939–1946. London: Allen & Unwin.
• Gwynne-Vaughan, Helen C. I. (1942). Service with the Army. London: Hutchinson.
• Hagen, Louis (1945). Arnhem Lift: The Diary of a Glider Pilot. London: Pilot.
• Karaka, Dosoo F. (1945). With the 14th Army. London: Crisp.
• Leslie, Anita (1948). A Train to Nowhere: An Ambulance Driver's Adventures on Four Fronts. London: Hutchinson.
• MacDonald, John Forrest (1957). Abyssinian Adventure. Cassell.
• Myers, Bessy (1941). Captured: My Experiences as an Ambulance Driver and as a Prisoner of the Nazis. London: Harrap.
• Pereira, Jocelyn (1948). A Distant Drum: War Memories of the Intelligence Officer of the 5th Battalion Coldstream Guards, 1944–45. Aldershot: Gale & Polden.
• Rainier, Peter W. (1944). Pipeline to battle: an engineer's adventures with the Eighth Army. London: Heinemann.
• Tucker, Francis I. S. (1963). Approach to battle: a commentary; Eighth Army, November 1941 to May 1943. London: Cassell.

United States

• Abraham, Abie (1971). Ghost of Bataan speaks. New York: Vantage.
• Andrews, Ernest A.; Hurt, David B. (2022). A Machine Gunner's War: From Normandy to Victory with the 1st Infantry Division in World War II. Philadelphia & Oxford: Casemate. ISBN 978-1636241043.
• Bond, Harold L. (1964). Return to Cassino: A Memoir of the Fight for Rome. London: Dent.
• Burgett, Donald (1967). Currahee! 'We Stand Alone!': A Paratrooper's Account of the Normandy Invasion. London: Hutchinson.
• Carter, Ross S. (1951). Those Devils in Baggy Pants. New York: Appleton.
• Cartwright, Reginald (1941). Mercy and Murder: An American Ambulance Driver's Experiences in Finland, Norway and France. London: Iliffe.
• Dyess, William E. (1944). Dyess Story: The Eye-Witness Account of the Death March from Bataan [UK title: "Death March from Bataan"]. New York: Putnam.
• Fussell, Paul (1989). Wartime: Understanding and Behavior in the Second World War. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Geer, Andrew (1943). Mercy in Hell: An American Ambulance Driver with the Eighth Army. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Redmond Hipps, Juanita (1943). I served on Bataan. Philadelphia: Lippincott.
• Levering, Robert W. (1948). Horror Trek: A True Story of Bataan, the Death March and three years in Japanese Prison Camps. Mount Vernon (Ohio, USA): Levering.
• Miller, Ernest B. (1949). Bataan Uncensored. Long Prairie (Minn./USA): Hart.
• Thomas, Evan W. (1943). An Ambulance in Africa. New York: Appleton.

Political leaders; politicians; heads of state; diplomats

France

• Bidault, Georges (1965). D'une résistance a l'autre [Resistance: The Political Autobiography of Georges Bidault] (in French). Paris: Les Presses du Siécle.
• de Gaulle, Charles (1968). The Complete War Memoirs of Charles de Gaulle. Vol. 1–3. Translated by Griffin, Jonathan; Howard, Richard. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Germany

• Papen, Franz v. (1952). Memoirs. Andre Deutsch.
• Schroeder, Christa (1985). He Was My Chief: The Memoirs of Adolf Hitler's Secretary. Frontline Books.
• Speer, Albert (1997). Inside the Third Reich. New York: Simon & Schuster.
• Weizsäcker, Ernst v. (1951). Memoirs of Ernst von Weizsäcker. Victor Gollancz Ltd.

Hungary

• Horthy, Miklos (1953). Simon, Andrew L. (ed.). Admiral Nicholas Horthy: Memoirs. Simon Publications. ISBN 9780966573435.

Italy

• Badoglio, Pietro (1947). Italy In The Second World War: Memories And Documents. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780837184852.

Soviet Union

• Berezkhov, Valentin (1994). At Stalin's Side: His Interpreter's Memoirs From the October Revolution to the Fall of the Dictator's Empire. Seacaucus, N.J.: Carol Pub. Group.
• Berezkhov, Valentin (1983). History in the Making: Memoirs of World War II Diplomacy. Moscow: Progress Publishers.
• Khrushchev, Nikita S. (1970). Talbott, Strobe (ed.). Khrushchev Remembers. Boston: Little, Brown & Co.

United Kingdom

• Churchill, Winston (1948–1952). The Second World War. Vol. 1–6. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
• Spears, Sir Edward (1954). Assignment to Catastrophe. London: Heinemann.

United States

• Acheson, Dean (1969). Present at the Creation: My Years in the State Department. New York: W.W. Norton.
• Hull, Cordell (1948). Memoirs of Cordell Hull. Vol. 1–2. London: Hodder & Stoughton.

Secret agents; spies

• Cohn, Marthe (2002). Holden, Wendy (ed.). Behind Enemy Lines. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0609610546. OCLC 0609610546.

See also

• Bibliography of the Holocaust
• Bibliography of the Holocaust in Greece
• Bibliography of World War II
• Bibliography of World War II battles and campaigns in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East
• Bibliography of World War II battles and campaigns in East Asia, South East Asia and the Pacific
• Bibliography of World War II military units and formations
• Bibliography of World War II warships