By Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (Ret)

The below offerings will appeal to all manner of military history buffs, whether you’re interested in the lore of the Navy or the Coast Guard, first-person accounts from Marines on the ground in Korea, an often-overlooked part of World War II in Europe, or a handy reference on major battles dating back millennia.

You can order the books through the links in the titles below; MOAA is an Amazon Associate and earns money from qualifying purchases, with the revenue supporting The MOAA Foundation.  

The Battle Book: Crucial Conflicts in History From 1469 B.C. to the Present

By Bryan Perrett. Arms and Armour, 1992. ISBN 978-1-85409-328-2.

Prolific British military historian Perrett has produced a valuable resource of military history, listing more than 500 critical battles over about 3,000 years. Arranged alphabetically, from Aachen in 1944 to Zupthen in 1586, each battle is described using date, location, war and campaign, opposing sides (with commanders) objective (aim), forces engaged, casualties, and results.

Many entries also include a paragraph further explaining how and why each battle was fought. For quick reference and entertaining reading, this is an excellent history of war and battle.

Hitler and the Middle Sea

By Walter Ansel. Duke University Press, 1972. ISBN 978-0-8223-0224-1.

Rear Admiral Ansel (USN, Ret) offers a refreshing history of World War II in the Mediterranean Sea region (1940-1942), going well beyond the often-recorded actions in North Africa and instead focusing on German, Italian, and British activities both at sea and on the littoral periphery of the Mediterranean area. He includes German efforts to draw Spain into the Axis, as well as the often overlooked German and Italian invasions of Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Greece, and the dramatic fights over Crete and Malta.

Although a bit wordy and exhaustive, this is excellent history, and is a fitting companion to Ansel's 1960 book, Hitler Confronts England.

Hey, Mac, Where Ya Been? Living Memories of the U.S. Marines in the Korean War

By Henry Berry. St. Martin's Press, 1988. ISBN 978-0-312-0177-2-3.

Berry, a World War II Marine veteran, captures the oral histories of Marines who fought in Korea (1950-1953), from the Pusan perimeter to the static warfare of 1953. These are stirring, profane, powerful firsthand accounts of enlisted and officer Marines fighting the North Koreans and Red Chinese in sweltering summer heat and bitter winter cold.

Infantry, artillery, armor, engineers, hospital corpsmen are well represented, along with notable Marines like Ted Williams and James Brady – even female war correspondent Maggie Higgins. It’s an excellent foxhole-level view of the "Forgotten War."

Naval Customs, Traditions and Usage

By Lt. Cmdr. Leland P. Lovette, USN. U.S. Naval Institute, 1939. Republished in 2004, ISBN 978-1-5575-0330-5.

Lovette (1897-1967) graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1918 and retired from the Navy as a vice admiral. In 1939 he wrote this excellent primer on naval customs and traditions, a treasury of naval lore, and includes ceremonies, honors, salutes, social manners, and expectations (do's and don'ts), formal and informal events, correspondence, regulations, toasts, uniforms, naval service laws, and an outstanding glossary of words and expressions.

Learn the origin of the word "ahoy" and who Charlie Noble really was.

Coast Guard to the Rescue

By Karl Baarslag. Cadmus Books, 1937. No ISBN.

Baarslag (1900-1984) offers sensational stories about the U.S. Coast Guard, its missions, challenges, adventures, and tales of distress at sea, shipwrecks, sea rescues, life-saving, and anti-smuggling activities.

Stories include the International Ice Patrol, the Seal Patrol, beach patrols during World War I, and the remarkable history of famous lifesaver Joshua James. He also includes exciting stories about chasing rumrunners and drug smugglers during Prohibition. It’s excellent reading supplemented with numerous period photographs of the Coast Guard in action.

Col. William D. Bushnell, USMC (Ret), is a regular contributor to MOAA.org and Military Officer magazine. Check out more of his recommendations at our Military Professional Reading List.