WWII Fiction

Battles, Prisoners, and Espionage: Military Fiction

Articles of War Nick Arvin

George "Heck" Tilson is an Iowa farm boy whose innocence proves to be no match for the horrors of Omaha Beach.

Run Silent, Run Deep Edward Latimer Beach

This gripping novel pits an American submarine crew in a deadly cat-and-mouse game with a Japanese destroyer nicknamed Bungo Pete.

Warning of War: A Novel of the North China Marines James Brady

A group of Marines is stranded in northern China after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and it takes a daring rescue mission to save them from advancing Japanese forces.

27 William Diehl

Following the death of his wife at the hands of the Nazis, former millionaire Francis Scott Keegan becomes an anti-Nazi mercenary.

Dark Voyage Alan Furst

The crew of a Dutch merchant marine ship goes undercover to haul classified cargo for the British Navy. This thriller has danger, action, and a crew of unlikely heroes.

Catch-22 Joseph Heller

Captain Yossarian is stationed on a small Mediterranean island in this darkly funny classic.

Storm Warning Jack Higgins

A German sailing ship disguised as a Swedish vessel leaves Brazil late in World War II with passengers wanting to return to Germany.

The Thin Red Line James Jones

C Company engages in the bloody Guadalcanal campaign; unlike From Here to Eternity, this visceral novel examines the ruthlessness of war, not its emotional toll.

Hart's War John Katzenbach

The Naked and the Dead Norman Mailer

Considered by many to be the best novel about WWII, this classic looks at the lives of soldiers as ordinary men as they fight in the Pacific.

Falcons Ray Rosenbaum

Ross Colyer's assignment is to lead a group of officers and enlisted men into Romania, flying at a low altitude, to destroy a refinery complex during World War II. The first in the Wings of War series.

The Rising Tide: A Novel of the Second World War Jeff Shaara

Prominent historical figures mix with ordinary soldiers in this sweeping novel, as U.S. troops battle Rommel's forces in North Africa. Definitely a novel for military history buffs.

The Unlikely Spy Daniel Silva

Mata Hari and one of her colleagues become the foil for catching the German forces during World War II.

Von Ryan's Express David Westheimer

An Air Force colonel unwittingly delivers a group of Allied officers into the hands of the Germans and then plans an escape.

Wings of Honor Tom Willard

Recounts the exploits of Augustus Sharps, Jr., who continues his family's military tradition when, during World War II, he becomes one of the Black combat pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II Herman Wouk

An American mine sweeper, the Caine, patrols in the Pacific during World War II under a tyrannical skipper until an ensign leads a mutiny against him.